What would you buy?

[ingeborgdot]

This is a general question I guess but if you had $1500 give or take a couple dollars what would you put into a computer? I have a case already, a nice Antec one so that is out of the equation. This computer will be for general use, but will be needed for some HD video editing. A 24" or so screen will be in the equation too. So, who goes first to build their dream machine on a budget? I am ready to see what you would choose compared to what I am looking at. It's just a little comparison thing I guess. Let's have some fun.

 

[cliffordcooley]

Probably another machine just like the one listed on my profile except with Ivy Bridge parts instead of Sandy Bridge. Ohh and change the GPU from GTS 450 to a GTX 660Ti (possibly non Ti version).

CPU: Core i7-2600K @ 3.4GHz
Motherboard, Memory: MSI P67A-G45, PNY XLR8 8GB DDR3-1600
Graphics: EVGA GeForce GTS 450 1GB (FPB)
Audio: Realtek HD Audio (onboard)
Storage: OCZ Agility 3 60GB - Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7200.12
Case, cooling: Thermaltake Dokker - Corsair CX600 V2 (600W PSU)
Other Peripherals: ASUS PCE-N13 Wireless Adapter
Operating System: Windows 7 Professional SP1(64-bit)

 

[LNCPapa]

I've been trying to come up with an answer to this same question for a few weeks now.

 

[TS-56336]

Perhaps a new GPU and an Ivy Bridge proc. I wanted to switch to HD 7970, preferably Sapphire, while mine's 6790. A new Keyboard and mouse. Thermaltake unveiled a cool mouse that I wanted to add in my wish cart. I think it was Tt Sports edition. Nevertheless cool. Lastly, a 16 gb RAM, I only have a G.Skill 4gb DDR3 here.

To sum up, to boost my soon-to-be-historical PC.

 

[dividebyzero]

All from Newegg except for one obvious exception
CPU: Intel 3570K...$230
Mobo: Asus P8Z77-V LK...$120 (after MIR)
RAM: 8GB (2x4) Corsair DDR3-1600C9...$47
PSU: PC Power & Cooling Silencer II 950w...$130 (after MIR)
HDD (OS-SSD): Samsung 830 128GB...$100
HDD (Storage): WD Caviar Black 1.5TB...$160
Graphics: XFX HD 6950 2GB....$215 (after MIR)
Monitor...Any Korean (Achieva, Yamakasi etc) 27" 2560x1440 IPS....~$300-350 (perfect pixel guaranteed preferably)

Leaves $200-250 for any sound card/speakers/optical drive/mouse/keyboard combo you need. If you aren't likely to be overclocking or heavy gaming (and you mentioned neither) then I'd probably opt for a Pentium G 860 ($90) and HD 6870 ($145 after MIR) and put the saved extra $200 balance into extra storage or better sound reproduction.

 

[TS-56336]

I've been trying to come up with an answer to this same question for a few weeks now.

It's not that hard. Under $1500, there are plenty to choose from!

 

[Leeky]

I'd build this with $1500, assuming you needed a display, but had case, keyboard, mouse, optical drives and OS:

CPU: Intel i7-2600K 3.4GHz
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD5H-WB LGA 1155
RAM: Corsair XMS3 16GB (4x4GB) DDR3-1600
SSD: Crucial M4 128GB SATA3
HDD: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB
GPU: EVGA GeForce GTX670 2GB
PSU: Antec High Current Gamer HCG-620 620W
Display: Dell Ultrasharp U2412M 24" IPS

Total is $100 over budget, which could easily be saved by dropping down on GPU if required.

 

[slh28]

The OP hasn't mentioned anything about gaming... in which case any cheap GPU will do.

$1500 is quite a lot to work with, I'd invest in a nice IPS monitor or two. The 27in Korean monitors and the Dell U2412M are both good suggestions, but be aware that the Koreans are glossy and the Dell is matte.

 

[ingeborgdot]

This is going to be a whole new machine for my wife's brother. I need all new parts except the case.

 

[ingeborgdot]

Video is almost every bit as CPU intensive as gaming if not more so sometimes when it comes to having several of my large programs open. My video programs also take advantage of a video card so a good video card is a must. Not the biggest beast there is but a good one is needed. Where is the best place to find the Korean monitors? I like the glossy look.

 

[dividebyzero]

My video programs also take advantage of a video card so a good video card is a must.

I kind of figured that you'd need at least some graphics horsepower if you were looking at hardware accelerated video encoding/transcoding. Handbrake will adopt OpenCL with their next build (the beta is available now I think) so a card with a reasonable frame buffer might come in handy for both DVXA (either VCE in an AMD card or NVENC in an Nvidia 600 series) as well as display/graphics. Most decent editing suites are also moving in that direction it would seem.

Where is the best place to find the Korean monitors? I like the glossy look.

I'd just check the buyer feedback status of the vendors. The screens are in all cases LG, and exactly the same as Apple's iCinema display. The various models have their own design pro's and con's. I bought a Yamakasi originally ( thought I was getting a 2B motherboard model which can be overclocked to 120Hz refresh) and the stand is quite flimsy. The Achieva Shimian I have now is much sturdier and the buttons are easier to manage.
I got mine through these guys. I received excellent service and the screens arrived as advertised.
Tech Report's review/article regarding these monitors in general >>here<<
And if 3D (120Hz) is your thing, then 120hz.NET have info regarding what models to look for (the vendor I got my screens from has 120Hz versions for sale on occasion - at a higher price now that the info is more widely known).

Good luck with the build.