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Irenicus · 2012-02-14, 06:30

You seem to have a lot of good advice already, so I'll just lend my support to some:

First, an under ~1000$ budget with good performance is very doable.

Second, building a computer isn't hard. A bunch of manuals from the parts you buy are really all you need, and maybe a few youtube demonstration videos to build your confidence or something. If you put everything right, and if every piece you've got is working as it should, it will feel ridiculously simple (the headaches come when something's not working as it should and you have to troubleshoot).

You do need the i5. A 2500K is unnecessary if you do not overclock; an i5-2400 will do just fine (the "K" is for overclockable, and it's a bit faster at default settings). However, if the price difference are not that high, and they tend not to be, you might as well spend. An AMD Phenom II x4 can play a lot of things very well right now, but not everything -- and newer games will demand more and more. Sandy Bridge is really that much better.
I'm not sure what kind of problems you have with Intel motherboard chipsets? Well it's not like you have much of a choice, motherboard chipsets are basically dictated by the CPU's you'll be using on them. Although, while P67 motherboards are just fine, Z68 has been around for a while and have more future-proof functions (note: these two chipsets are both for the Intel Sandy Bridge series, i.e. the i5's you'll hopefully be getting). As for which one you'll buy, consider your future expansion plans, or lack thereof, and plan accordingly. If you are never going to set a dual-GPU configuration, why overspend? Regardless, find one that has a good review in terms of stability (look for keywords like, "solid"). You want a good motherboard, not necessarily one with the most functions.
I agree that you shouldn't skimp on the PSU quality. The wattage doesn't have to be overkill (~500 is okay, much more will just be inefficient), but get at least a Bronze Certified one from a trusted band. Seasonic actually builds PSU for more than just its own brand, and they tend to be good. Look for those.
XFire/SLI do scale better these days, but two-GPU configurations are ridiculously overkill for a 19 inches monitor and the resolutions you'll be using on it. If you can, wait for the AMD 7000 series to fully arrive in the market and choose a good GPU at your budget point. I'd argue that at a ~1000$ budget point a ~$200 GPU is fine. Some people spend more, ~$300+; but I think they're overdoing it, and maybe playing on a bigger monitor than yours. And you want some budget room for other components.
When you get the monitor, get an IPS panel LCD. As The Fluff said in another thread, "IPS panels outclass [TN's] in all sorts of hilarious ways." You might get a bigger one than the planned 19", in which case know that you'll be demanding a bit more from your GPU as you up your resolution (even so, a ~200$ GPU is plenty of power).
8GB RAM is the new standard, basically. People say you don't need more than 4, but I say Windows 7 can use all the RAM that you throw at it. It's not like RAM is expensive, either. That said, 16GB and beyond right now is for people who actually need the RAM for heavy memory programs or just have some spare cash. Oh, and 2GB, as your OP post mentioned, is not fine. You need more. Period.
You do not need a sound card. It is better to use on-board if you are not prepared to spend ~100$ on a really good one, otherwise you're just wasting your money on what might even be worse than the on-board. Back in the day, and your books may date from that time, on-board sound was rubbish. Nowadays it's, well, standard. If you're an audiophile, you'll already be knowing much more than me on what to get (and be prepared to spend a few hundred dollars just for a good sound card and a high-end headphone).
Think of an SSD not as a storage investment but a convenience/happiness investment. You will still need an HD, preferably a big one (at least as big as you need for current usage + later buy some backups and get into a good habit of backing up your data). SSD is too expensive right now for media data storage.
As for the HD itself, choose a standard 7200 RPM; higher RPMs are pointlessly expensive in the era when speed = SSD. And of course get one with a good reputation. You *don't* want a dead HD a few months down the road. HD prices had been relatively cheap for a long time, but the impact of the flood in Thailand (where a lot of HD's are manufactured) was pretty bad and still lingering. A 1TB is still perfectly affordable though.

2012-02-14, 06:30	Link #10
Irenicus Le fou, c'est moi Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Las Vegas, NV, USA Age: 34	You seem to have a lot of good advice already, so I'll just lend my support to some: First, an under ~1000$ budget with good performance is very doable. Second, building a computer isn't hard. A bunch of manuals from the parts you buy are really all you need, and maybe a few youtube demonstration videos to build your confidence or something. If you put everything right, and if every piece you've got is working as it should, it will feel ridiculously simple (the headaches come when something's not working as it should and you have to troubleshoot). You do need the i5. A 2500K is unnecessary if you do not overclock; an i5-2400 will do just fine (the "K" is for overclockable, and it's a bit faster at default settings). However, if the price difference are not that high, and they tend not to be, you might as well spend. An AMD Phenom II x4 can play a lot of things very well right now, but not everything -- and newer games will demand more and more. Sandy Bridge is really that much better. I'm not sure what kind of problems you have with Intel motherboard chipsets? Well it's not like you have much of a choice, motherboard chipsets are basically dictated by the CPU's you'll be using on them. Although, while P67 motherboards are just fine, Z68 has been around for a while and have more future-proof functions (note: these two chipsets are both for the Intel Sandy Bridge series, i.e. the i5's you'll hopefully be getting). As for which one you'll buy, consider your future expansion plans, or lack thereof, and plan accordingly. If you are never going to set a dual-GPU configuration, why overspend? Regardless, find one that has a good review in terms of stability (look for keywords like, "solid"). You want a good motherboard, not necessarily one with the most functions. I agree that you shouldn't skimp on the PSU quality. The wattage doesn't have to be overkill (~500 is okay, much more will just be inefficient), but get at least a Bronze Certified one from a trusted band. Seasonic actually builds PSU for more than just its own brand, and they tend to be good. Look for those. XFire/SLI do scale better these days, but two-GPU configurations are ridiculously overkill for a 19 inches monitor and the resolutions you'll be using on it. If you can, wait for the AMD 7000 series to fully arrive in the market and choose a good GPU at your budget point. I'd argue that at a ~1000$ budget point a ~$200 GPU is fine. Some people spend more, ~$300+; but I think they're overdoing it, and maybe playing on a bigger monitor than yours. And you want some budget room for other components. When you get the monitor, get an IPS panel LCD. As The Fluff said in another thread, "IPS panels outclass [TN's] in all sorts of hilarious ways." You might get a bigger one than the planned 19", in which case know that you'll be demanding a bit more from your GPU as you up your resolution (even so, a ~200$ GPU is plenty of power). 8GB RAM is the new standard, basically. People say you don't need more than 4, but I say Windows 7 can use all the RAM that you throw at it. It's not like RAM is expensive, either. That said, 16GB and beyond right now is for people who actually need the RAM for heavy memory programs or just have some spare cash. Oh, and 2GB, as your OP post mentioned, is not fine. You need more. Period. You do not need a sound card. It is better to use on-board if you are not prepared to spend ~100$ on a really good one, otherwise you're just wasting your money on what might even be worse than the on-board. Back in the day, and your books may date from that time, on-board sound was rubbish. Nowadays it's, well, standard. If you're an audiophile, you'll already be knowing much more than me on what to get (and be prepared to spend a few hundred dollars just for a good sound card and a high-end headphone). Think of an SSD not as a storage investment but a convenience/happiness investment. You will still need an HD, preferably a big one (at least as big as you need for current usage + later buy some backups and get into a good habit of backing up your data). SSD is too expensive right now for media data storage. As for the HD itself, choose a standard 7200 RPM; higher RPMs are pointlessly expensive in the era when speed = SSD. And of course get one with a good reputation. You don't want a dead HD a few months down the road. HD prices had been relatively cheap for a long time, but the impact of the flood in Thailand (where a lot of HD's are manufactured) was pretty bad and still lingering. A 1TB is still perfectly affordable though.