Time to build a new computer ...

[Aractus]

I've used this one since at least May 2009 (that's when I last installed Windows but I might have had it longer). It's time to build a new much better system.

First I need a retailer... so may as well whirlpool it and check we have IJK.

Next a case - I need one that can accommodate 5 HDDs since, well I'll explain as I go...

Case: CoolerMaster FOR-500-KKR500-N3
$88

Next, a motherboard - there's really only two brands we need to consider here - ASUS or Gigabyte - I'm going with ASUS Asus B85M-E B85
$96

We'll need a CPU... time to get a quadcore so Intel BX80646I54460
$205

A graphics card, nothing too serious here. Gigabyte GV-N730-2GI
$79

RAM. For reasons we won't go into right this moment it's very important I have lots of RAM so 16GB of Corsair DDR3 it is.
$196

Now we need a SSD for the windows partition, most applications, etc. SSD is primarily for performance, not reliability, and I may want to replace it in the future when the price for larger drives comes down. So no need to get brand-name stuff, Kingmax KM120GSME35 will do fine.
$76

May as well get a new storage drive since I'm planning on backing up my two existing hard disks to the 4TB one I have on hand, so 1x Western Digital WD40EZRX 4TB will do nicely.
$180.00

I could use my existing TV tuner, it does work fine, but I'd rather just get a new one. Leadtek LT-DTV1000S
$42

I do, however, need a better internal card reader and they're a dime a dozen so 1 generic card reader.
$10.50

DVD Drive? I have a Bluray Drive here ready to go, but may as well get a cheap LG DVD drive while I'm at it since the only DVD drive I have on hand is IDE, and they're a dime a dozen.
$21

System Construction:
$51

Win 7 (bought elsewhere) 64bit OEM version:
$65

Total: $1109.50

[ignoramus]

That seems like a good combination.
I've been a fan of the gigabyte boards lately.
I spent a bit more for a better board and got the latest i7 clockable.
This way, I can last quite a few years with a fast and reliable system.
Everything else can be upgraded or even bought later but I like to buy the best I can afford for the board and CPU.

[StuW]

Save the $51 and build it yourself, it's just like Meccano/Lego. Also, don't want to get into the Intel/AMD debate, but you could probably get a 6 core AMD CPU and MB that supports 1866 DDR3 for similar price.

[Nine]

I'm in the process of planning out a build myself. It will be entirely for gaming seems the PC I have now is good enough for any of my Photo/Video editing hobbies (AMD 6 core and a 7850). I like the idea of a exclusively for gaming build I'll probably show it off once its built in a few weeks time.

I'm going for the i5 4670k its actually slightly overkill for most games at the moment. I'm just kind of curious about trying out overclocking to be honest.

[Angrboda]

Excellent choice going with intel.

[Minimalist]

I couldn't access your link but I had a machine built a couple of years ago by Ibuypower with a water-cooled case and it is fantastic. It actually blows cool air out of the case.

[ignoramus]

Save the $51 and build it yourself, it's just like Meccano/Lego. Also, don't want to get into the Intel/AMD debate, but you could probably get a 6 core AMD CPU and MB that supports 1866 DDR3 for similar price.

Just remember, if he's not a geek, there's no god watching over his shoulder any more!

[Jackalope]

I built a new NAS / media server system a couple of months ago, but went a different route -

Reused an Antec Sonata Proto case and 650W modular power supply. Ripped out everything else that was in the case.

Added a Supermicro X9SCM server motherboard.

...and a quad core Xeon E3-1230 CPU (this CPU is way overkill for this purpose - even when transcoding multiple video streams and streaming locally and to friends over the internet).

...and 16GB of ECC DD3 SDRAM.

Filled up the case with four 3TB WD Red NAS drives.

Load FreeNAS 9.2 on a USB thumb drive (which conveniently plugs into a USB port on the motherboard).

It runs headless so no video is needed - it also has an IPMI module so I can get a console from anywhere on the network, even when it's powered off. No sound, doesn't need it.

Boot it up, set up a ZFS RAIDZ1 volume, install the Plex Media Server plugin. Clients are anything that can run the Plex Media Player or a browser or access a DLNA server. I use the Roku set top box to stream to my TVs.

It's now a backup and media server. I've since set it up so that it's fairly automated - automatically finding and scheduling downloads and loading media into the server as it's downloaded - but how that was accomplished is a topic for another day.

I could have used hardware (other than drives) that I had lying around - but ZFS *really* needs ECC RAM - and I didn't want to be restricted to using UFS.

[Jackalope]

I'm going for the i5 4670k its actually slightly overkill for most games at the moment.

It is a bit of overkill - I opted for an i3-3220 in my gaming box, and the bottleneck is the graphics card and RAM. Too much is better than not enough, though.

[Nine]

It is a bit of overkill - I opted for an i3-3220 in my gaming box, and the bottleneck is the graphics card and RAM. Too much is better than not enough, though.

Graphics cards are well behind CPU's. I remember seeing some video where a guy had his 780ti maxed out and the i5 4670k was running under 50%. I'm surprised the RAM is an issue with 16gig. Is it the speed of it that's the issue?

Mostly I'm going for the i5 because of how much I've hated my AMD 6200. It's not awful but whenever I play anything processor heavy I have a nightmare. I'd like to have something I know is more than enough. Plus the idea of overclocking it sounds like fun to me.