First build.....

screw2loose

Hey guys.

i am just looking into building my own computer for the first time. i would like to use it for gaming and for media editing. i'm only new to this sort of thing so any help would be much appreciated.

i have a budget of about €1200. so i am hoping to get a fairly decent machine that will last me a while. i think quad core would be the best bet for the media editing.i also need a screen, i was thinking about getting 22' samsung.

i was looking into sli/crossfire and i'm wondering is it really worth buying two graphics cards or is one powerful enough?

5uspect

SLi is only useful for very high resolutions. You won't need it for a 22".
€1200 will get you a very nice system. I recently built an i7 machine for 1300, see below.

The core i7s are excellent at fast encoding, coupled with 6GB of DDR3 and Windows 7 64 and you're away. You can install the RC now and preorder the RTM for about €100.
You'll have to a fresh install when it's released in october tho. Otherwise just get Vista.

No.: HV20C2K6DE 6GB-Triple-Kit Corsair TR3X6G1600C9 DDR3, CL9
No.: HV203KB3DE Antec Three Hundred, ATX, ohne Netzteil
No.: HV1130UQDE ASUS P6T Deluxe V2, Sockel 1366, ATX, DDR3
No.: HVR570CTDE Corsair TX750W 750 Watt
No.: HV1024EJDE EVGA GeForce GTX 275 Core 240 - 55nm, 896MB, PCI-Express
No.: HV20IB92DE Intel Core i7-920 Box 8192Kb, LGA1366
No.: HV207SFSDE Samsung SH-223F bare schwarz
No.: HV206SDSDE Samsung SH-D163B SATA Bulk schwarz
No.: HV2122NWDE Samsung SyncMaster 2243NW
No.: HV13WC65DE WD Caviar SE16 500GB SATA II 16MB
No.: HV13WC65DE WD Caviar SE16 500GB SATA II 16MB

You could get the HD 4890 instead of the GTX275, they're pretty evenly matched iirc.

Alternatively you could go for a Penryn like the Q9550/Q9770 and save some cash on the expensive x58 mobos.

Solitaire

i7 CrossFire? On a measly €1200 budget?


Easy :P

screw2loose

Thanks for the quick replys guys. i am only going to using a 22' screen at the most so mabye i should give sli a miss if its not going to make any difference. i think ill be using vista because i am wary of using the new windows os this early. Is 64 bit vista essential for a gaming computer?

So it seems that hardwareversand is the best website for buying components. what is the service like... fast delivery etc?

5uspect

64 bit is only useful if you want to use more than 3 and bit GB of RAM.
Currently for games a dual core and 3 gigs along with a good GPU is plenty for most games.
You'll notice the difference with memory hungry things like number crunching and video editing etc.

Quad core games are emerging. Games like Crysis and ARMA 2 are better on Quads, apparently. Also many games are offering 64 bit versions. The source engine and the cry engine spring to mind.

I have to say Windows 7 is a really good OS. Definately tryout the RC on a spare partition.
It installed (in under 20 mins) and ran without a hitch on my 7 year old Dell box and I'm using it as my main OS on my current system. (took ages to install due to some DVD drive driver issue)
Microsoft seem to have finally pulled thier heads out of their arses. You can get Vista with a free Window 7 upgrade at the moment.
Definately worth a look!

As regards HWVS I can't fault them. Took about 7-8 days from me transferring the cash in the bank.
Just make sure everything is in stock!

screw2loose

i will read up a bit more on the 64 bit os system. see what the pros and cons are.i am also going to look at windows 7 more since your recommending it.

i think the quad core will be the main choice because i will need the computer to do media editing and i would like it to be relatively quick.

i am going to try throw together a build on Hwv and see what it comes to. mabye post it on here and see if there are any compatibility problems or anything like that.

screw2loose

ok, so here is the build i came up with...i am open to any suggestions on changing of some parts.

Intel Core i7-920 Box 8192Kb, LGA1366

ASUS P6T SE, Sockel 1366, ATX, DDR3

6GB-Triple-Kit Corsair TR3X6G1333C9 DDR3, CL9

Antec Nine Hundred, ATX, ohne Netzteil

Corsair TX750W 750 Watt

EVGA GeForce GTX 275 Core 240 - 55nm, 1792MB, PCI-Express

Hitachi P7K500 500GB,16MB, HDP725050GLA360
Hitachi P7K500 500GB,16MB, HDP725050GLA360

LG GH22NS40/NS30 bare schwarz SATA II

Samsung SyncMaster 2333HD

Logitech Cordl. Desktop EX110 refresh

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic 64bit SB-Version

i was also looking at the other options that HWV have available.... like they will assemble the computer for you and also install the software. is this worth the money or is it easy enough to do myself?

also is it worth getting a heatsink for the processor? im not going to be overclocking it i don't think. will the stock fan be fine?

5uspect

If you're not overclocking then the stock cooler is fine.
Make sure that's a UK keyboard and an English Version of Vista.

I'm not sure the extra VRAM on that 275 is really worth it.

Its pretty easy to build. Just read the manuals.