Building computer - need some help

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desiboy101

Hi,
I'm planing to build a computer for two main reason, gaming and software usage.

Here is some information that might be useful:
I'm undergraduate student, majoring in chemical engineering. Because of my major, I will be required to have knowledge in many softwares, for example, Wolfram Research: Mathematica, SolidWorks, MathLab, etc. When I have free time, I like to play online games with few friends, but the only thing is stopping me to play games like: COD4, Enemy Territory (old one), TF2, GTA IV, Far Cry 2 is my current computer. So, my objective is to use some of the softwares i listed earlier and play FPS games without worrying about FPS.

anyways, this is what i'm thinking:

newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161265
HIS Hightech H487QT1GP Radeon HD 4870 1GB -- $250 ($225 AMIR)
I prefer ATI over nvidea since they have good ratios of price/performance

newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115017
I'm willing to pay more if I can get best processor (best for my use)

newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227298
OCZ Platinum 4GB

OR

newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227231
OCZ Reaper (3GB, maybe 4GB?)



newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006
CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V
has good reviews, meets requirements for the graphic card and its on SALE!

newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136296
Western Digital
I have some extra hard drives from old computer, and I'm only interested to use the hard drive to load windows and some games.

newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811103011
XCLIO Windtunnel Fully Black Finish

i know this will sum up over $1000, but i just want to give you guys some idea on what kind of configuration I prefer. I also like to overclock things so hope u can recommend me hardware that is flexible with overclocking.

thx in advance
bp


edit:
I just noticed there is another similar post:
techspot.com/vb/topic124146.html

I have some experience with building computer, infect i put together the computer i'm using now. And i'm waiting for April sale on newegg so I can buy more for less. also i'm going to wait for new cpus to come out n lowers price for the older 1s.

Where are you located? : MA, USA
Are you willing to buy online?: YES
Are you going to re-use any parts from an earlier build?: NO, my current computer is too old. (maybe keyboard and mouse)
Do you need other peripherals like a monitor, keyboard and mouse, among others?: NO, I have 17" monitor and keyboard + mouse.
Have you already bought any parts?: NO
 
First off, I would NOT recommend overclocking a system that is going to be primarily used for school work, especially one that may cost up to $1000 and beyond. There is more power and more heat produced with newer tech which leads to potentially more room for hardware failure; just as a heads up, no manufacturer will honor a warranty when any overclocking is involved. Of course it's up to you but it's not worth breaking something just because you want to push a little more performance out of your shiny new parts.

Secondly, what OS are you planning to use? A Windows Vista based machine will require more horsepower than XP when running games and other 3D applications (DX10). As far as processors and RAM go, anything dual or quad core that rates around ~3.0ghz would be ideal and 4GB is more than enough for both games and multi-tasking. Of course, you will need a solid platform to build off of so I would start looking at some ASUS, Gigabyte, and EVGA motherboards before diving into anything else.

Other than that, the parts you have selected would suit your needs just fine. A single HD4870 will suffice running all of the games you have listed above, including most recent and future releases. I would however recommend investing in a good sound card. An independent dedicated adapter will produce a higher quality sound than any integrated/onboard SPU and the driver support and features will be easier to use. The X-Fi series from Creative Labs is probably the most popular choice for gamers and in general but the ASUS "Xonar" cards are becoming popular now too.
 
EXCellR8, thx for the respond.

OK so, This is what i have on my cart list (newegg):

ASUS P5Q Pro Turbo LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard -- $134.99
newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131377

CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V -- $109.99 ($89.99 AMIR)
newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 -- $199.99
newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115017

MSI R4870-T2D1G Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 - $199.99 ($174.99 AMIR)
newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127400

Rosewill RTK-002 Anti-Static Wrist Strap -- $3.49
newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16899261005

Creative 70SB073A00000-8 7.1 Channels Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Gamer -- $61.99
newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115017

OCZ Reaper HPC 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 -- $62.99
newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227289

NZXT TEMPEST Crafted Series CS-NT-TEM-B Black Steel -- $109.99 ($89.99 AMIR)
newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146047

Fujitsu MBA3147NC 147GB 15000 RPM SCSI Ultra320 80pin Hard Drive -- $120.04
newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822116061R

OR Should i get

Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive -- $79.99
newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319

Grand Total: $1,153.02

I'll wait until I get my tax return and maybe FATHER'S DAY SALE

Already have:
Windows Vista HP SP1 - I have CD (FREE from HP)
17" Monitor
Decent mouse + keyboard (might get g5 mouse)
Have two HD sums up to 225 GB
Have Internet Card for DSL/CABLE
And some side fans (will take it out from current PC)
 
If you're running a 17 inch monitor you dont even really need a 4870, but if you're planning on oc'ing you can look into XFX they actually offer warranties even if you overclock, as long as you dont remove the stock heatsink. BFG is the other way around. The system lineup looks good to me, the psu wouldnt be my first choice, but it would handle the job for your setup np. Oh and that Fujitsu drive is a waste, unless you're actually getting paid for time "saved" when working on the computer. Just grab a 1TB drive for 75 usd or so, prob never need anything else.
 
In the mean time... perhaps looking for a bigger monitor would be something worth investing in as well. You'd be surprised how much more you can get done when you have more room on screen; not to mention how much better games will look when it's attached to that 4870. That card is designed to push higher resolutions while maintaining a steady frame rate. You're really only using half the potential when running a lower resolution and paying for the whole deal. Just something to consider...

Also, if you're looking to overclock the CPU, the Duos are a little easier to work with than the Quads. The Q6600 can actually be a little picky when it comes to motherboards. If you wanted a little bit easier time overclocking, and stock performance for that matter, I would recommend you the E8400 instead. The Q6600 can overclock up to 3.0ghz+ easily but will put out more heat than the E8400 at stock speed. It's also an older chip but either way the system will be quite fast. Typically, a gaming system will use a Duo and a multimedia system will use a Quad. They are both good for gaming in reality but the Quad will be better suited for heavy multi-tasking.
 
As super suggested go for an xfx model ati card they have double life time warranty and are really nice cards and i also second passing on the Q6600 and going for a duo or a different quad it is starting to show its age.
 
I recommend these parts instead:
Much faster than your proposed system for about the same price (maybe cheaper after rebates). To save cash, you can go with an XFX HD 4850 or even an HD 4830, since the 4870 is designed for gaming at any res upto 1920x1200 and the 4850 performs superbly on anything upto 1600x1200. So unless you will be buying a new monitor as well, go with the HD 4830\4850.
 
Fujitsu MBA3147NC 147GB 15000 RPM SCSI Ultra320 80pin Hard Drive -- $120.04
newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822116061R
Click to expand...
...? I'm pretty sure thats a server hard drive and will not work with your computer, so I suggest the WD 640 you posted under.
 
thx u all for the great advice(s)!

I will defenitly think about i7 processor. And i gotta spacial thank you, Rage_3K_Moiz, for finding me that case. I saw the case for 60$ on newegg on blackfriday sale and when i finished creating the account, they were sold out. was very disappointing b/c it took me about 5 min to make the account and they were sold out mean time...
anyways i'm going with 4870 1GB b/c I will buy a new monitor (Acer X223Wbd Black 22" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 2500:1 OR similar with 2-5 ms response time)

thx again, i will try to reply on this topic before i click on the "BUY" button. and i'm going to take EXCellR8's advice on not overclocking my school/gaming computer (for now, until its too old to play COD series).
 
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