Yo PC geeks...I'd like your help.

[Kent Frost]

I'm going to be building a computer within the next couple of months, so I'm building a components list so I can get an idea for how much I'll need to put back to do it. I've never done this before, but I've been doing a little research and found all these components.
Keep in mind, I am NOT a gamer. I do some video, a LOT of audio applications, and it will primarily be used for digital photography.
Multi-tasking is a necessity.
Also, I won't be running Vista on this machine. I'm sticking with WinXP Pro for a while longer until I see that the bugs in Vista are patched up.

Let me know if you have any suggestions or ideas on how to bring the cost down. So far I'm sitting at around $575 w/shipping. I want to keep it within the range of $500-600..... or less if I can.
For example, the motherboard already appears to have a relatively okay audio interface panel. Will I even need to purchase an audio card? I won't be using it for surround sound, just basic audio production and editing.
Will the fan & heatsink that comes with the processor suffice? Or should I go ahead and purchase the one I have in the list?

The way I chose all these components was by picking what I felt to be a comfortable average based on price vs. customer reviews. So if you look at this equipment and see that some of it may be over or underkill and you know of something that may be better for what I need, please let me know. I want to be sure to nail this on the first swing.

I don't have hard drives in this list because I already have a couple that I use for my current system and are ready for use in a new one.

Here's what I found, click on any of them to go to their description page.

Core 2 Duo Processor
Motherboard
Tower Case
PSU
RAM
Video Card
DVD/CD Burner
Audio Card
Multi Media Card Reader

 

[MPowerM3]

Im not a computer builder, but a good friend is. And when I was looking around he said to stick with AMD. That was I heard from many people I asked.

 

[mortallis288]

the only thing i would be careful is the RAM everything else looks good. more air is always better but you do not NEED one unless u are going to overclock the hell out of it. But everything else looks fine. if you need any help pm me and i can try, oh and make sure ur case fits the motherboard i've had that problem before


edit: Intel and AMD discussion is just like the Canon vs Nikon, Film vs Digital, they are both amazing processors and what i used was a AMD but i have a intel in my laptop and it works just fine. So you choose whats in your budget and your preference

 

[Icon72]

I have an AMD processor myself. I've always heard that Intel is better for entertainment apps, sound video production etc. and AMD is better for gaming. Like mortallis says the Intel vs. AMD debate is very much like the Canon vs. Nikon debate. Both should be fine. I also agree about the RAM. If there is anywhere you don't want to be skimpy it's the RAM. Get the good stuff.

 

[Alex_B]

my new config (couple of days old) is a s follows:

cpu: Intel Core 2 Duo (Conroe) E6600 2400MHz S775 4MB Box
memory: Kit 2x1024MB Corsair DDR2 800MHz PC2-6400 CL4
board: Gigabyte GA-965P-DS4, P965 (dual PC2-6400U DDR2)
HD: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB 16MB
+ some more internal&external which are in my current comp.
graphics: XpertVision Radeon X1950 Pro Super, 512MB GDDR3, DVI, TV-out, PCIe
DVD: LG Electronics GSA-H42N
wlan: D-Link AirPlusXtremeG DWL-G520, 108Mbps, PCI
CardReader: RaidSonic Icy Box IB-861, 33in1 Cardreader, USB 2.0
power: be quiet Straight Power 500W ATX 2.2
outer shell: Cooler Master Cavalier 3 Midi-Tower Alu

see also:
http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=79638

very happy with each bit of it! .. above your price limit, but you can downgrade with the less crucial components ...

 

[clarinetJWD]

Intel's Core 2 Duo is much better for multitasking, while AMD's latest line is better for gaming. I've been saying for a while now that there are no major Vista bugs if you're buying new equipment, the only problems are with older unsupported stuff, but anyways...

I can't stress enough the importance of a quality motherboard, RAM, and PSU. I had so many dead Power Supplies before I finally went quality, and the RAM and motherboard can significantly increase performance and stability.

I heardily recommend ASUS or Abit, though I've had great luck so far with my ASRock one, which surprised me, honestly. I love computer building, so if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.

As for RAM, go with Crucial, Corsair, or Kingston to ensure top level stuff, you'll be glad you did.

My rig:
Intel Pentium D 840, 3.0Ghz Dual Core, 4MB Cache
ASRock Dual-VSTA motherboard
Kingston Hyper-X PC-3500 RAM (1GB)
ATI RADEON 9800 Pro 256MB, AGP
Onboard Audio (Still don't trust Creative's drivers...)
Ultra X-Connect 550W PSU
Pioneer DVR-109 DVD-RW
Sony Crappy CD-R
Vista's been running for 5 months now, no problems for 4 of them, except for Creative's drivers, but that's Creative's fault...there are many other sound cards you can buy.

Have fun!

 

[Kent Frost]

I've been saying for a while now that there are no major Vista bugs if you're buying new equipment, the only problems are with older unsupported stuff, but anyways...

This is not true. A close friend of mine recently acquired a laptop (fast one at that) with Win Vista. At first it seemed great, but then we loaded some programs that we use - current and the most up-to-date versions - that are having problems loading all the options and coming with glitches that we didn't ever experience using XP. When Vista patches are made for the programs that I need to use, then I'll upgrade. This is the same reason it took me so long to upgrade to WinXP from WinME.

 

[clarinetJWD]

This is not true. A close friend of mine recently acquired a laptop (fast one at that) with Win Vista. At first it seemed great, but then we loaded some programs that we use - current and the most up-to-date versions - that are having problems loading all the options and coming with glitches that we didn't ever experience using XP. When Vista patches are made for the programs that I need to use, then I'll upgrade. This is the same reason it took me so long to upgrade to WinXP from WinME.

You stuck with ME and complain about bugs!? :shock: (Worst OS ever...)

What programs?

 

[Kent Frost]

This is going to lead to a debate of semantics, but when I said bugs, I meant it as problems in general, such as incompatibilities with current and up-to-date programs. And I never said I didn't complain about WinME. I hated it. But it was the only OS that would actually run the programs I needed to use at that time. Once patches were developed or satisfactory replacement programs came out, I was ecstatic about upgrading to XP. And Vista looks like a very attractive OS, and I'm not trying to tell anyone not to upgrade to it, but I use programs for audio and video production, and not one, but TWO of my audio programs are loading with glitches.
Sony Sound Forge 8.0
Ableton Live 6.0.3

 

[clarinetJWD]

This is going to lead to a debate of semantics, but when I said bugs, I meant it as problems in general, such as incompatibilities with current and up-to-date programs. And I never said I didn't complain about WinME. I hated it. But it was the only OS that would actually run the programs I needed to use at that time. Once patches were developed or satisfactory replacement programs came out, I was ecstatic about upgrading to XP. And Vista looks like a very attractive OS, and I'm not trying to tell anyone not to upgrade to it, but I use programs for audio and video production, and not one, but TWO of our audio programs are loading with glitches.
Sony Sound Forge 8.0
Ableton Live 6.0.3

AH! Audio production. Gotcha.

I'm in the same field, so I have XP installed on a second partition for Nuendo and Samplitude. Makes sense now. THough I did read a great article in Mix magazine about how once new versions of the programs come out that can take advantages of Vista's new architecture, they will be much better quality (Vista can do 32bit, 192kHz I believe) and offer the programmers more freedom, and honestly, I hope it's not just smoke and mirrors...