Wanting to build a new computer for my son who is at college for general school work and I am sure some gaming too. Anyway, this is what I have come up with. Can someone give me advice and or suggestions? Gigabyte GA H55 USB3 LGA 1156 Intel Motherboard Intel Core i5 Lynchfield 2.66 LGA 1156 95W Quad Core Processor G Skill Ripjaws 4GB (2 X 2 GB) 240 Pin DDR3 SDRAM 1600 Desktop Mem PC Power and Cooling Silencer 750 W ATX 12V Silver Cert Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 7200RPM SATA 3.0 GB/Sec Harddrive EVGA 01G-P3-1450-TR GeoForce GTS 450 (Fermi)1GB 128-Bit PCI eXPRESS 2.0 x 16 HDCP Video Card Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Case Lite On 24X DVD Writer SATA Model iHAS-324-98 Windows 7 Pro 64 bit O/S Any help/Suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
There's no real reason to use the H55 chipset over the P55. It's for use with integrated graphics, which as a gamer you don't want, with a proper graphics card, don't need. The 2.66Ghz i5 is the 750, there is actually now an i5 760 which is replacing the 750, and costs hardly any more, it's the same CPU but runs at 2.8Ghz. I'd switch the G-Skill RAM for Corsair XMS3 instead. It tends to have fewer compatibility issues. The PC Power & Cooling Silencer, despite its name, is not a particularly quiet unit at all, and is relatively basic, yet quite expensive. Also, a 750W PSU for a system like this massive overkill. The components you've specified will only be using 250W at full load. The hard disk is the one component you have got right, no argument from me about that The GTS450 is not especially powerful or efficient for what it is, and most geforce cards have a relatively limited life expectancy. I'd swap it for an HD5770 from XFX. The Antec Nine Hundred is very outdated now, and has a fair few design flaws. A modern equivalent with a much better design is the NZXT Tempest Evo.
could you please elaborate on the differences between the mobos that I picked and you suggest? You mention that the H55 has integrated graphics??? is this correct because I do not see this on the descriptions in New Egg. site Also, my son likes the looks of the Antec 900 and I looked at the NZXT you mentioned but it has a problem with the usb connectors on the top being to close together and it seems they are kind of flimsy??? I agree with the Power supply you mention thanks
This is the H55-USB3: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128437 The details page says 'none' under video chipset, because being pedantic, the video chipset isn't in the board, it's in the CPU. Which CPU you use dictates how good the integrated graphics chipset is. The giveaway that the board can accept integrated graphics, however, is the fact it has video ports on it. The details page lists it has displayport, VGA and HDMI out. Those aren't there for show, they output from the integrated graphics in the CPU (If you buy a CPU with an IGP). (The VGA and DVI ports are instantly recognisable as they are large, rectangular blue (VGA) and white (DVI) connectors at the top of the board, as it sits in a normal PC case. The Antec Nine Hundred released as a very flawed design. It has had several revisions to try and rectify these, the most notable of which is the Nine Hundred Two, a new and improved product with several changes made. However, it is still far from a perfect design, with issues remaining in the hard disk bay area. The NZXT Tempest is a shameless copycat of the Nine Hundred, but for several reasons (cooling being one) it is a better design, and no lower quality. I recommend the Tempest Evo to a large number of people on the site and haven't heard any complaints about the USB ports. They are relatively close but this is only an issue if you use a large insulated USB drive like the Corsair Flash Voyager. Modern systems come with plenty of USB ports, so you can either not use one of the front ones, or plug that particular device in the rear port instead.
