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Thread ID: 99241 2009-04-24 12:38:00 getting a pc built.. PooPae188 (14842) Press F1
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768112 2009-04-24 12:38:00 Hi guys, bit of a pc building question here:
my dell studio pc recently packed up but i've saved up enough cash to buy a new tower and although i'd like a custom built pc, i dont have the time or all of the know-how. i'm in australia for the next 4 months so i figure why not pick one up while i'm here. i'm staying not too far from D&D computers (http://www.ddcomputer.com.au) and their prices seem to competitive + you can customize your pc online and they build it for you.

My question is could someone with some hardware knowledge give me a realistic component setup, or even just some helpful pointers, because while I'm familiar with the basics I'm not completely up-to-date. Any help would be much appreciated.

I'd like an i7 machine but i think it might be wishful thinking for my price range of $1000-1200 AUD. Still, any good C2 or QC (or even amd if you recommend it) setup will do. The machine's main purpose will be graphical software like corel painter, photoshop, illustrator, etc - although it will without a doubt be used as a gaming machine now and then. Oh, and i wont need a monitor or peripherals as I have already purchased them.

Again the computer store I've been looking at is http://www.ddcomputer.com.au and you can customize online if anyone would like to take a look and help me out. Either hit me up on this thread or feel free to email me at poopae188@hotmail.com.
Again, any help is very much appreciated.
Thanks guys
PooPae188 (14842)
768113 2009-04-24 12:53:00 For your needs a dual core would be best, but in the future most apps will support 4 cores meaning you'll get lots more power on a quad than dual.

for 1100-1200 I doubt you'll be able to to get an i7 rig.

Heres what I've compiled for you:

1 x Antec Three HundredTower Gaming Case [$117.00]
1 x Corsair 620W HX-620 ATX Power Supply [$193.00]
1 x Intel CORE 2 DUO E8400 3.00GHz [$250.00]
1 x Corsair TWIN2X4096-8500C5 4GB (2x XMS2 2GB) PC-8500 (1066MHz) DDR2 RAM [$109.00]
1 x ASUS P5Q PRO Mother Board [$220.00]
1 x ASUS EAH4850-HTDI-512 [$243.00]
1 x Seagate 500G 3.5" CUDA7200.11,7200RPM,16MB,SATAII 1.5Gb/s,NCQ (ST3500418AS) [$95.00]
1 x ASUS 22xDVD-RW,12xDVD+-RW,40xCDRW,SATA,Lightscribe,DUAL PANEL [$43.00]

Comes to $1270

The P5Q-Pro motherboard I've chosen here has room for another GFX card, for future upgrades.

The 4850 should be sufficient for most needs right now.

And do you still have your old studio PC? You can take parts such as the DVD drive, hard drive and put them in your new machine.

Cheers
Blam
Blam (54)
768114 2009-04-24 13:14:00 And do you still have your old studio PC? You can take parts such as the DVD drive, hard drive and put them in your new machine.

I think studios are laptops.... :p
jwil1 (65)
768115 2009-04-24 13:18:00 I think studios are laptops.... :p

www1.ap.dell.com

:)
Blam (54)
768116 2009-04-24 13:24:00 www1.ap.dell.com

:)

note to self: research before posting ;) :p
jwil1 (65)
768117 2009-04-24 13:35:00 Thanks a ton blam!
Just concerning what you said about the CPU - currently I am studying to become a digital artist and I am not employed in the industry yet, i only really plan to put this rig to the test in year or 2 with future imaging software, until then it will just be used for study and occasional gaming. since that's my situation, might it be a better idea to get a quad now? or do you still recon a dual would do me fine around that time period?

also, 1 more question.. any recommendations in terms of operating systems for such a machine? the old vista or xp pro debate?

(edit: oh, and i do plan on taking my old hard drive out of my old pc and using it as a secondary on the new machine as its a nice little SATA :D cant say the same for the dvd drive though, that generic pos is going straight to the bin :D)
PooPae188 (14842)
768118 2009-04-24 14:06:00 and just out of curiosity, how much would a pretty bland i7 rig cost to build? something without much juice now but with a decent mobo so it can be upgraded later.. PooPae188 (14842)
768119 2009-04-24 18:11:00 after spending the whole night reading processor reviews I'm actually very tempted to go for an AMD phenom II setup as it seems very good value for a quad core. Only problem is I'm not sure what cheap motherboards correspond and will give me the ability to upgrade later on by adding a 2nd vid card via crossfire... any ideas? PooPae188 (14842)
768120 2009-04-24 21:14:00 In the latest APC mag (which is aussie), they've got a writeup about Core I7 builds. And prices. The cheapest one in here is $2,635

This is Altech Computers build

Intel Core I7 920 (the lowest of the I7's I think) - $475
CPU - Thermolab - $75
Mobo - Gigabyte GA-EX58-DS4 - $ 340
Ram - Corsair 1333 3 GB $165
Graphics HIS ATI 4850 512 MB - $260
Audio - Onboard
Hdd - Hitachi 1 TB Deskstar 7K1000 - $220
Optical drive - Sony BWU3000S HD ready SATA Blu-ray $470
PSU Antec TP-550 - $150
Case Antec Nine Hundred-Two - $230
Monitor Benq E2200HD 21.5 in - $250

There are 2 other systems (Enspire Digital's - $3,345), and Gamedude's ($5000)
Speedy Gonzales (78)
768121 2009-04-24 23:54:00 after spending the whole night reading processor reviews I'm actually very tempted to go for an AMD phenom II setup as it seems very good value for a quad core. Only problem is I'm not sure what cheap motherboards correspond and will give me the ability to upgrade later on by adding a 2nd vid card via crossfire... any ideas?

i7 would cost approx. 2000.

AMD is good value, and upgrading will be very cheap since most motherboards support AM2+

You could get a dual/tri AMD now and a quad later even!

Any motherboard above 200 will have crossfire/sli really.

Blam
Blam (54)
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