System Specs Assistance

I was hoping those of you with more knowledge than myself could give me a hand. I am looking to build a computer (my first one) and I am unsure of how to do this cost effectively. I have a good amount of software knowledge but lack in the more technical things, such as BIOS, etc. As far as being in the "guts" of a machine, I've installed some firewire expansion cards, flashed a bios by removing the mobo battery, and installed some memory.

The goal for this new machine would be to start as inexpensive as possible to get a baseline setup, then upgrade as money allows. I'd really like to stay below $1000 if possible.

My biggest question is regarding what hardware I should purchase to get me where I need to go. Eventually, I'd like to have a powerful machine, running two videocards (SLI), quad core processor. etc. In other words, I'd like to upgrade to some top notch equipment eventually. I do realize that if I take more than a year or so to build this system, hardware will begin to become obsolete. I am not a hardcore gamer or anything but enjoy the occasional pc-killing game. So, the video cards and other hardware that I am looking for will surely come down in price by the time I'd be looking to buy them. I am setting a timeline from the completion of my initial build of 18 months to upgrade.

Now all that crap is out of the way, here is what I'm thinking. I'd really like to base my system on the ASUS Striker Extreme motherboard as I think it will give me the most functionality over the time I'm trying to upgrade my system.

Is this line of thinking correct? That being, I should choose a motherboard first and build around it?

So, if I go with that motherboard, what hardware can I select that is relatively inexpensive? Mine and my wife's primary functions will be word processing, internet browsing, Adobe Photoshop, architectural drafting, and 3-dimensional building modeling.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Let me know if I'm leaving anything out of my list below:

- Case (mid or full tower?)
- PSU (650W okay to start?)
- MOBO (ASUS Striker Extreme)
- CPU (Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 maybe?)
- Memory (2GBx2 for now, 4GB upgrade later for total of 8GB)
- HDD (Western Digital 500GB 3.5" internal?)
- CD/DVD drive (combo drive for DVD writing/reading?)
- Floppy drive (do I even need one of these anymore?)
- Video Card (not sure, everything I want is $400 or more)
- Sound Card (not sure)
- Monitor
- Keyboard
- Mouse
- Software (Windows, which is freaking expensive)

My biggest issues are knowing which less expensive items (i.e. gpu, cpu, etc.) are still quality equipment albeit less kick-*** than their high-dollar counterparts. Also, how do I know whether or not these items are all compatible with my mobo, or with each other?

Sorry this is longwinded, just trying to get into this PC building thing on a shoestring budget. I'm sure most of you can understand.

Thanks in advance,
Chappy

 

that is a nice board, and will make a great base for your rig.

What on earth do you use your pc for that you plan on installing 8Gb of ram? I have 3 Gb and I've never maxed it out... anyways... 32 bit versions of Windows can only use upto 4Gb of memory (including videocard memory) In order to use more memory then this, you must by a 64 bit version of windows.

The intel quadcores perform well, however they're quite pricy.

The CPU is definately a component you don't want to have to upgrade later... buy what you plan on using.

I'd buy a fancy case to showcase your handy work, with a side window and some lights.

When purchasing a powersupply, don't fall into the hype that bigger is better. 1 kw is not going to do you a damn bit of good- its a waste. I personally buy my powersupplies direct from pcpower and cooling http://www.pcpower.com

if you need more advice or help on assembling, feel free to post away.

 

check out this link:
http://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/WishList/PublicWishLists.asp
people put different builds as "wish lists" and others "critique" them, and it's also a good way to see the prices too.

 

2GB RAM is good, no need for more (for the near future). 4 GB or more is a waste unless you go to a 64 bit OS.

Video card: Nvidia 8800 GT is the bang for the buck right now. Awesome card for around $250 US or less if you shop around.

I never install a floppy drive on systems I build, never needed it either.

 

Awesome info guys.

I'm trying to get my ducks in a row right now so that hopefully after the first of the year I can start buying everything.

I've been doing a lot of online research and it seems like if I pony up about $800 I can have something right now that can be expanded greatly in the near future (seeing as my desktop is dead and I can only get on a computer at work now). If my computer wasn't shot, I'd go for a top quality system asap, but it is what it is.

Thanks again, your help is greatly appreciated.

 

Okay, here's what I've got so far. This configuration puts me in the $1200 range. I'd like to trim it down a few hundred dollars if possible w/out changing the motherboard and hopefully not losing too much performance overall. I figure the mobo, cpu, and psu are not very fun to upgrade/swap out later so I'm hoping to keep those as good as possible and maybe sacrifice elsewhere.

I'm sure there are equivalent parts that are less expensive, I just don't know what they are. Let me know what you think.

Maybe there isn't a good solution for what I'm trying to do. But I'd appreciate any suggestions.

Thanks again.

 

8800gt 512 MB OC is going for only $237.99 at best buy. First time Ive ever seen a retail store beat out newegg for price! Although you'll probably have a hard time finding it as its sold out online and probably only a few left in most stores (none left in any of 6 stores around my zipcode).

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...800gt&lp=1&type=product&cp=1&id=1190678470708

Makes me wish I held out a little longer : P

 

Wow that is an expensive mobo.

I suggest you go for DDR2 800 RAM instead of the 667. Should not really change the price.

One place you could save money would be to get a Core 2 Duo instead of the quad core. You should be able to find something under $200 and you can still upgrade to a quad later when more programs can actually use a quad core. I recently bought the e6750 and couldn't be happier. When the quad core becomes useful to me, I will just pop it right in.

Otherwise, the rest of the prices seem inline with expectations.

 

Thanks for the suggestions.

I've been trying to keep an open mind here so let me throw this out, what mobo would you all suggest that won't be totally obsolete in 2 yrs.?

I hear the P5k series is decent.