[Compiler]

BG-0...

That Antec 200... I think its ugly... Kinda spider-ish, but have seen such a case look better about 5+ years ago.

They should make a "100" I guess... that looks like the 300, but only takes a mini-atx board, 2x 5" drives and still a front 3.5 bay for slot readers.

The 200 looks like a re-faced 300.

[UmbraProphet]

Yeah, I realized the CPU was pretty out of date...only after some nosing around after I'd replied. I've updated my list to accommodate for what you've suggested; although it stretches the budget a little bit, like you said...it's worth paying extra for the quality! And I did have a look at some benchmarks, and the Q6700 looks pretty redundant next to the X4 940.

Thanks for that =) would you say I'd be ready to buy when I want to?
Oh and I've changed the hard drive as well. Anything else I've missed?

Jonathan Sandman (a.k.a. UmbraProphet)

[nysharkbait]

I don't personally buy into the 1TB HD. I have 640GB Caviar Black and that thing is MORE then enough to get the job done. TB has it's place, but if you're just gaming and surfing the net and stuff, it's an overkill.

That Gigabit Mobo mentioned earlier (can't remember who posted it) is a nice Mobo. Pretty good price too. Good call.

[BG-0]

Originally Posted by Compiler

BG-0...

That Antec 200... I think its ugly... Kinda spider-ish, but have seen such a case look better about 5+ years ago.

They should make a "100" I guess... that looks like the 300, but only takes a mini-atx board, 2x 5" drives and still a front 3.5 bay for slot readers.

The 200 looks like a re-faced 300.

Yeah, it's nothing special, but I'd think it's still the same quality, and some may like the looks of it better, I don't know. 100 sound like a good idea, especially if it would come with 2 or 3 120mm fans, well cooled out of the box...

[UmbraProphet]

That's okay...I've decided to downsize to 750GB. Only reason is...I don't wanna downsize too much, because some of my work involves video-editing in programs like Premiere Pro CS4 and After Effects CS4. I realize that 750GB is plenty of storage for DV footage...but I just need to be prepared in case I end up moving into the high-def spectrum.


Anyways, just to recap on the plan so far:


PROCESSOR ($189.99)
AMD Phenom II X4 940 Black Edition Quad Core Processor
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...959&CatId=3496


MOTHERBOARD ($119.99)
Gigabyte MA790X-UD4P Motherboard
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...591&CatId=4296


HARD DRIVE ($69.99)
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 Hard Drive
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...792&CatId=2459


VIDEO CARD ($114.99)
BFG GeForce 9800 GT Video Card
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...418&CatId=3585


POWER SUPPLY ($109.99)
Corsair TX750W 750-Watt Power Supply
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...609&CatId=2533


MEMORY ($64.99)
Corsair XMS2 4GB PC6400 DDR2 800MHz Memory Upgrade
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...346&CatId=3412


TOTAL PRICE: $669.94 (around £400, I'm guessing)

Well, that gives me quite a bit of breathing space for the DVD-RW and anything else that I feel the package needs.

[Compiler]

1 TB is the largest thing I would get... but people have different needs.

Umbra... look at how much data you have now, multiply by 4. So if your data size is only 60mb... then even a 500GB is more than enough for you.... unless you're going to be using your computer for different things.

For example, a computer that is used to store video / TV shows will need a lot of space.
If you have a new digital camera, that can require a good amount of space. But over the course of 4-5 years, you may only need 50GB of space for that.

Because of price and performance (Higher density = faster drive) - the 500GB HD is the smallest I'd buy... they are about $50~65. 1TB drives are hitting $85.

Also... create partitions when installing the OS. At least 2.
1 - for OS and applications
2 - for Data files (videos / pics / games).
3 - (optional) just games.... other wise, I'd create a games directory to install all games into.

Make partition 1 about 60~100GB.

[Compiler]

Are you in the UK, Canada or USA?

Newegg is cheaper than Tigerdirect... but Newegg in Canada isn't usable... at least AKAIK.

If you are doing a LOT of video work, then you should have at least two drives to improve performance.... A work drive to an out-put drive. Otherwise your drive is doing the double work... reading and writing at the same time. It does anyways all the time - but worse when you're working on 2-4-6GB size files.


You'll need an OS.... You may want to try Windows7rc for free... or if you need to buy an OS (Windows) - make sure you get the
version that includes Windows7 for "free" - which means it costs $10 extra.

Go with the 650watt PSU... if you really need to use two gaming class video cards... the 750 may not be enough.

[UmbraProphet]

Oh yeah, don't worry. I'm used to partitions, I generally have four partitions:

1) System (smallest)
2) Programs
3) Games
4) Storage (biggest)

And I've just changed from TigerDirect.com to Misco.co.uk, their UK counterpart...found something quite odd. There's a 1TB HD that's less money than a 750GB HD. I've checked, the specs are the same...except that the 1TB HD is about £6 less. Don't know if you want to clarify. It just seems pretty odd to me.

http://www.misco.co.uk/applications/...152&CatId=3097

http://www.misco.co.uk/applications/...151&CatId=3097

Of course, if worse comes to the worse, it's not as if I can't just buy a cheap external hard drive.

[UmbraProphet]

And I'm in the UK, by the way. I'll check Misco.co.uk against NewEgg.com.

[Compiler]

Go for the 1TB drive...

Good use of paritions... but you may want to go with 3... many programs prefer to install into the C:/programs... So if your programs run out of space or the otherway around can be constrictive.

The other thing about partitions, is better defragmentation.

[nysharkbait]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103680

Check out this processor. $90 cheaper, and you can unlock the other 2 cores if you need a quad core.

[UmbraProphet]

It was certainly noticeable when I first created partitions; since my computer seems to get bloated so quickly, I tend to completely reinstall the operating system now and then. Your system works so much quicker =D

Okay, well I'm not gonna attempt international shipping at TigerDirect.com, because it'll be a pain to ring accounting and pay for extra shipping fees...I've looked at Misco.co.uk, but it's missing a couple of things, including the video card. If I can't get hold of them from there, I'll just order it separately.

Anyway, thanks to everyone for all their help. Really think I've got it sorted now...if I'm successful, I'll be sure to tell you how it goes =)
I'll mark this thread as solved now.

Cheers again,
Jonathan Sandman (a.k.a. UmbraProphet)

[Compiler]

He's in the UK... so price doesn't matter.

While its a quad-core with two cores disabled, there is no guarantee that the other two cores can be unlocked.... or that they would correctly. They are failed quads.

[BG-0]

Overclockers has a bit better stock, I think?
CPU: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showpr...=6&subcat=1328 (only 955 available, but, yeah. It's just that much better as it costs more)
RAM: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showpr...d=8&subcat=813
Mobo: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showpr...=5&subcat=1482 (not ud4p, but still 95% as good a overclocker, a bit cheaper and more available in Europe)
PSU: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showpr...odid=CA-008-CS
HDD: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showpr...14&subcat=1279 (no really good 750GB drives)
Case: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showpr...id=7&subcat=35 (just kidding )
Graphics: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showpr...56&subcat=1009

[Compiler]

Still be on the look out for a dual-slot video card.

The 4770 is still considered to be one of the best choices... check out this latest Toms review (last page I know): http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...e,2364-18.html