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Sorry about doing this guys, but I need help with building a computer for my sister. She's just started university, she's not much of a gamer but she's doing a multimedia course so she's going to need enough computing power to run photoshop/illustrator/Any programming programs she needs and the odd game or two, nothing really high end. This is the build I've fleshed out over the last few days, tell me what you think, where I could improve, etc.
CPU: AMD Athlon II X2 Dual Core 250 CPU AM3 3.0GHz (65W)
Ram: Corsair 2G 1333MHz DDR3 VS2GB1333D3
HDD: Western Digital 500G SATAII 7200rpm HDD 32M Green Power
Case/PSU:Thermaltake V3 Black Edition With 450W PSU
GPU: Sapphire HD5670 1G GDDR5 HDMI DVI
DVD Drive: LG GH22NS50 Retail SATA 22X DVD Rewriter Black
All I'm really having trouble with is the Mobo, tell me if this one is good or have a look through the store and tell me which one is better, all input appreciated!
Gigabyte GA-MA770T-UD3P AMD770/SB700 chipset/DDR3 1600
Edit: The link to the GPU isn't linking properly, I dunno why :S
Forgot to include the budget, somewhere in the region of $500-$600 (AUD  ), she needs peripherals too so total should be like $650-$700
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Does it involve video editing/processing, or just image programs?
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Yeah video editing too, so adobe premier elements or sony vegas etc.
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get an althon ii x4 will help a lot for video editing
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I'd recommend spending more money on a more powerful CPU. Sadly, I am not very knowledgable on the AMD side of things.
I'm doing a Broadcast Design course and rendering raw HD footage from a RED or Phantom camera is a bitch with even with the most powerful CPUs. As for Photoshop, Elements etc, I would once again recommend a better CPU, and possibly a worse GPU if she isn't going to be playing games. Yes, the latest editions of those programs have some form of GPU intergration, but it really does feel negligible.
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I recommend reading a guide on a computer website. Google it. Tomshardware / anandtech are my favorite resources. Newegg reviews are also very useful. If you can't figure out the parts for yourself you're going to have a hell of a time putting it together.
But to at least add something... any mobo that has the ports you need ( enough USB / audio / others ) is really enough. You don't need anything super if you aren't overclocking. Just find something compatible with your parts.
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No reason at all to buy the 5670 if she isn't playing games much. A 4650 or 4670 should be more than enough! Spend that money on a higher clocked Athlon II X4 630. Maybe want to get a bit more RAM as well because video/photo editing likes RAM. The motherboard becomes a bit less important when you aren't trying to build a higher end machine.
http://www.umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=105&bid=2&sid=54287
seems fine. You really don't need that kind of case either. Get a cheaper case/PSU combo. 250W should be enough 
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I would say a 4770 is one of the best pick at the moment for a mid-range graphic card.
Get a better CPU since she'll be doing movie editing and such, which requires a lot of cache. I would recommend an Intel i7, though it can be rather costly.
Get more RAM because it's relatively cheap and it helps A LOT while dealing with Photoshop and such.
Any motherboard which supports your CPU type, your RAM frequency, will do if you are not into OC'ing.
You don't need a fancy case if you're buying computer under a fixed budget. Just get one which is big enough for air-circulation purpose and has enough spare HDD trays for future upgrade.
Oh and get a decent PSU because it powers your whole system. It's never too much spending a little bit extra on your PSU imo. Because if your PC is underpowered, expect to get sudden reboots or crashes every now and then. And those things really reduce the quality of other components.
I will try to come up with a more detailed list after my lunch break.
Oh and <3 Umart, I got my PC there as well during my stay in Australia =P
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she's not doing much gaming- 4770 not worth it
i7 too expensive
RAM is relatively expensive
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Thanks for all your help guys!
I've put computers together before so that's not the problem, I just don't keep up with hardware and stuff so I'm never sure what's good or what's not. Seems like you're all suggesting I go for a cheaper GPU and a better CPU, so what about these two:
AMD Athlon II X4 620 2.6Ghz AM3 95W
XFX ATI 4350 1G DDR2 PCI-E
@Frag, I've used the Gigabyte mobo before so I can put it together easy, and it's got more expansion slots which she needs since she also just told me she needs a wireless card and a TV tuner (eventually)
Edit: Yeah I'll probably increase the ram too, and the case is mostly just for looks, I like the PSU in it too cos I'm always worried about not having enough power :/
It scares me to think a 4770 is a mid range card now, I bought my rig middle of last year and it's got a 4890 which I hope holds up for at least another year yet....
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On February 26 2010 13:38 nayumi wrote:
Oh and <3 Umart, I got my PC there as well during my stay in Australia =P
Umart is the best, I live really close so I can just pick up the parts and save on shipping, this will be the second computer I've bought from there :D
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The performance of the 4350 is actually quite disappointing in gaming. It's meant to be a HTPC card, not a gaming card.
Since I just noticed they don't stock 4650s or 4670s.. I'm not sure, but a Nvidia GT 220 should offer the performance of a 4650, though it might be a bit expensive. $75?
http://www.umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=82&bid=2&sid=51431
don't worry about your 4890, it's still high end
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it looks fine to me. However if she is going to do photo editing, there might be better LCDs out there with sharper colors. I'm not sure about it though.
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There may be, but I doubt she'd be able to tell the difference. Rebumping for more critique, if it's OK, I'll probably put in the order tonight.
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If your sister doesn't game at all, I would get a motherboard with integrated graphics, like a 790G/785G/780G and put the rest of the money back into a better cpu/monitor.
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2 things for a multimedia/video encoding/photo editing PC:
Cores
and
RAM
Get the Athlon X4 620 or 630, can be had for roughly $100.
And get 4GB of RAM, the more the better (make sure you have a 64bit OS though).
There you have it.
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On February 27 2010 03:20 flammie wrote:
If your sister doesn't game at all, I would get a motherboard with integrated graphics, like a 790G/785G/780G and put the rest of the money back into a better cpu/monitor.
well he said she might do some light gaming so she still needs a dedicated card.
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EPT
