BleepingComputer.com: Building a PC, any recommendations?

I haven't built a computer before, but I'd like to have a nice desktop to play games on, as well as to hook up to my HDTV to watch movies (and play games). Also, I enjoy amateur video editing.

This is what I was thinking:

CPU :

Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550

Motherboard:
ASUS Maximus II Formula LGA 775 with a P45 chipset

RAM:

OCZ Platinum Edition 8GB (4 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)

Graphics:
nVidia GTX 285

HDD:
Raid 0 1TB 7200rpm drive, backing up regularly to an external drive. Haven't picked a specific one yet.

OS:
Windows 7 RC until I can buy a full copy of Win7

I'm not sure about the motherboard and memory, I had a hard time choosing one (DDR2 or DDR3)
I need to choose a power supply as well. Would a mid-tower work for this?

Any recommendations?

I've already got a monitor, keyboard, and mouse and don't want to spend more than 1200 to 1500.

It seems like a decent gaming system. Of course, to my knowledge, a 64-bit operating system is required to recognize more than 3.5 GB of memory.

possumbarnes, on Jun 26 2009, 01:33 AM, said:

Yes, I intend on using a 64-bit version of Win7.

I'm considering going for a Core i7 920 instead though...

You can get a more cost effective setup with a Phenom II, the i7's are intended for high performance PC's and are, in my opinion, very overpriced. Here's a suggested setup. For your budget, you can get a very good PC.

Case: COOLER MASTER COSMOS S RC-1100-KKN1-GP - This is a full ATX case which is suggested with high performance cards. It is also an aluminum case which, in my opinion, are better made than steel ones. $189

Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-MA790FXT-UD5P AM3 DDR3 AMD 790FX - This board supports AMD's newest processors, DDR3, and Crossfire. $179

Graphics Card: SAPPHIRE 100251SR Radeon HD 4870 X2 2GB - Spec wise, this beats the GTX 285 and can run most games very well. $379 (Before $10 mail-in rebate)

Power Supply: CORSAIR CMPSU-1000HX 1000W - This is overkill for your setup, but if you want to Crossfire the cards, you will have plenty of power available. $239 (Before $30 mail-in rebate)

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz - This is AMD's current flagship processor. It has a high clock speed and, since it is Black Edition, the multiplier is unlocked making it very easy to overclock. $245

RAM: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 - You need DDR3 memory to run on the motherboard. $65

Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Green WD5000AADS 500GB 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive - I don't suggest using RAID 0 since if one drive fails, you lose all the data. You can buy two of these drives for less than the price of a 1TB drive. $58

Optical Drive: SAMSUNG 22X DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S223F - You need one to load software. $26

Total Price: $1,383 before rebates

Yea i was looking for the same type of computer..
but just for playing games.. but my budget was around $700..
i dont need a super computer just one that will let me play games
lag free.. PM me please if anyone can help me out..

stghm, on Jun 26 2009, 03:09 AM, said:

Why a Core i7? Are you editing HD quality videos? If not why spend the money for something you neither need nor will get full use of? For that matter, why use a Q9550 when there are a number of Duo-core processors out now at a fraction of the cost that will run any game you play just as well. Games don't use 4 cores, they use 2.

Check this out. It's an awesome guide for buying your parts. It explains what everything does, why one brand sucks and another is good, and is fairly up to date on pricing. It was written about a month ago.

Contract-Killa: Check that link out as well. You will find you have a choice of good builds you can do for your price range.

Some games do use all four cores but programmers are just now starting to utilize the additional cores. The website is pretty much a mirror of my suggested setup. Buying a quad core CPU now will futureproof yourself for future releases. This is important if, you're like me, you choose to buy a new PC once every five years or so. A Phenom II 955 will obviously run faster than a 720 unless the 720 is substantially overclocked. DDR3 motherobards and RAM are coming down in price. Given the budget, DDR3 will not break the bank. I agree somewhat with that the site said about video cards. Brand loyalty is largely unimportant, but you should get the graphics card you can afford. That way, you're not stuck upgrading soon after the purchase.

possumbarnes, on Jun 26 2009, 01:33 AM, said:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa366778(VS.85).aspx

updated better link

That link provides an excellent overview of the memory limits. In general, with most non-server releases, you need a 64-bit OS to run if you want 3.5GB or more to be recognized.