Finally, ready to buy. Please comment

[jkohm]

This is the system I'm ready to put together. I would appreciate any criticisms and suggestions you might have. I'm concerned about the various components fitting in the case and working together.

It sounds like Newegg is a reliable source with good customer service. Should I look at other vendors? Have I missed anything?

I have:
Antec 900 case and 650w True Power Trio PS mod TP3-650
2 - WD Caviar SE16 sata300 500gb HDs

I plan to order:
Q9450 CPU Retail
ASUS P5K PREMIUM/WIFI-AP LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
8GB CORSAIR XMS2 DHX 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) - Retail
DIAMOND Viper Radeon HD 3870 512MB GDDR4 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready - Retail
SAMSUNG 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model SH-S203N - OEM
Microsoft Windows Vista 64-Bit Home Premium for System Builders Single Pack DVD - OEM


I'm not limited by a budget but not interested in wasting $. If spending a little more will provide a noticeable improvement I'll do it. Also I want this system to be upgradeable.

My system will be a multitasking unit. My needs in order of priority are:
1. Converting, editing, rendering 35 years of photos (slide, print, digital) and video (film, VHS, various camera formats including some HD) and creating DVDs for my grandkids.
2. Media Center stuff including using a large 1080p TV, streaming video and music.
3. Gaming. I don't do much but would spend a little more to have a more capable system.
4. Surfing, and general purpose work (word processing, spreadsheets, scanning) while doing 1 and 2 above.

 

[roirraW "edor" ehT]

You can check TigerDirect also, but I've only purchased from them once when NewEgg didn't happen to carry a compatible older laptop RAM I needed. In general, it's my impression that TigerDirect is more expensive than NewEgg.

If you live near a Micro Center you may want to check their website for competetive prices as well. Then you can buy some stuff locally and if there's any problems with any of the parts, you don't have to ship them back. I usually end up getting parts for one computer from both Micro Center and NewEgg. All the others (Staples, CompUSA - which Micro Center bought, Best Buy, Circuit City and Office Max) are too expensive with too little selection IMHO.

Your soon to be system sounds sweet! You can still expect a little amount of compatibility issues with 64-bit Vista and some games/other software, plus some hardware, so make sure everything you plan on using anytime soon will work on it as best as you can.

My Hauppauge WinTV PVR-USB2 doesn't (or didn't last I tried) have 64-bit drivers, so since you're going to use Media Center, make sure and get a 64-bit compatible TV Tuner. Also critical. Make sure the TV Tuner has hardware MPEG2 encoding, not to mention hardware MPEG4 if you think you'll take advantage of that (smaller files although for recorded TV, only MPEG2 will be used).

A TV Tuner that doesn't have hardware encoding really bogs down your computer when recording TV or capturing external video.

Also, ideally I try to put three SATA hard drives in all new computers. Two in RAID-0 and the third just for regular backups in case Windows gets screwed up. Backups to a partition on a different drive than your Windows one speeds the process up.

Your system should be more than capable of doing the things you want.

 

[David_L6]

I've purchased many items from Newegg. No problems so far. I've never used their "customer service" so I can't comment about that.

For the rest (in the order you listed the parts):

Q9450 should be just fine for what you want to do. The Q9550 is coming out soon though if you aren't in a hurry (2.83GHz vs 2.66GHz). The two computers that I use the most have a QX6700 (32 bit XP Pro) and a Q6700 (64 bit Vista Ultimate). The Q9450 is very similar to the 6700s.

I don't know anything about that motherboard. I prefer Intel motherboards. Either of the Intel motherboards that I'd use for a new build now require DDR3 though........

Take a look at this RAM. I have four sticks of it running 24/7. It's cheaper and faster. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231145

I have 8GB of of the above RAM in my 64 bit Vista Ultimate computer. I've never seen any application use anywhere close to 8GB of RAM. I'm not sure that 8GB isn't a waste. ??? It's there if something needs it though. You can save some money by buying only two 2GB sticks.


I have no experience with high end ATI video cards. I use NVIDIA video cards - except for my World Community Grid "crunchers" and then I use whatever I can get that doesn't cost much.

DVD burner: I've used a couple of these and so far they've done the job and have been trouble free (I don't burn many CDs or DVDs though).
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106072

 

[jkohm]

If you live near a Micro Center you may want to check their website for competitive prices as well. Then you can buy some stuff locally

A TV Tuner that doesn't have hardware encoding really bogs down your computer when recording TV or capturing external video.

Also, ideally I try to put three SATA hard drives in all new computers. Two in RAID-0 and the third just for regular backups in case Windows gets screwed up. Backups to a partition on a different drive than your Windows one speeds the process up.

I live on the Cumberland Plateau in TN so no need for a TV tuner (wish I could use my DirectTV signals) and no useful stores within 150 miles.

Thank you for the help. I'll give a third drive serious consideration.

 

[jkohm]

I have 8GB of of the above RAM in my 64 bit Vista Ultimate computer. I've never seen any application use anywhere close to 8GB of RAM. I'm not sure that 8GB isn't a waste. ??? It's there if something needs it though. You can save some money by buying only two 2GB sticks.


I have no experience with high end ATI video cards. I use NVIDIA video cards - except for my World Community Grid "crunchers" and then I use whatever I can get that doesn't cost much.[/url]

I want to use the system to edit photos, surfing etc while doing some long, trouble free, video rendering. Hopefully 8gb will help.