I am in the process of building a new PC (just starting out). However, I have no idea which models are compatible and I since I don't want to end up with a lot of expensive components that don't fit together - I'd like to consult you - fellow DP experts, on how to build a powerful development PC. The PC will be used mainly for resource-heavy activities - programming, design. Not for gaming (although a middle-class video card is still needed). At any moment the following or all may run on the PC: a development IDE (Netbeans, Eclipse), local server (XAMPP, WAMP, etc), Graphic design software (Photoshop/Illustrator), Skype, some folders and a few other background apps. I've realized the most important change I need at the moment is switching to an SSD drive, since I don't need that much space, but I do need a good file read/write performance, since the source code of many projects I work on consists of thousands of files and I sometimes work on multiple projects at once. I decided that the following is a must: - i7 processor (quad-core) - SSD hard drive (plus probably a regular HDD with 7200rpm for less used stuff) - at least 8GB DDR3 RAM However, when it comes to motherboards, I lack the knowledge. Can you recommend me some components for a configuration that will fit together? My budget is around $1000-$1500.
For this money you can get pretty much good PC? How much you want to spend on video card? Do you play games,it really depends on mone more like,cus 500+- is very big diference,ok lets see: http://www.amazon.com/Intel-i7-3820-Quad-Core-Processor-Cache/dp/B006YM9JSW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1373714536&sr=8-1&keywords=intel+i7 300 dollars, mainboard,simple one,but its good,asus and all http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-P8Z77-V-LX-Intel-Motherboard/dp/B007MKGF82/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1373714593&sr=1-1&keywords=asus+mainboard+i7 130 bucks, http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Vengeance-Desktop-Memory-CMZ16GX3M2A1600C10/dp/B006EWUO22/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1373714758&sr=1-1&keywords=ddr+3+16gb corsairs rams,very good,16gb,130bucks And thats all,total - 560 dollars, you have good I7 processor,16gb of ram,good mainboard,560 dollars.. Now lets go on to VGA,do you play games?If yes,get Ati 7950 +300$ If no,get like 6850,which still runs very much games on High settings,if you play games from time to time,will pay 150.Or if dont play games at all,5xxx series for 50-100bucks or whatever.Or even use integrated mainboard video - 0+$ Get strong PSU which will cost 50-100USD, http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-eXtreme-700-Watt-RS700-PCAAE3-US/dp/B003M9RWGG/ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1373715005&sr=1-4&keywords=700w+psu Cooler master,very good,70 bucks. Case?You will pick it by your own taste.So we fit in about 800 with decent VGA,1000 with very good gaming VGA.Now ask yourself how much do you want to spend further? If you want to spend 500 more,just add 200$+ to I7,just aim to price,+100$ mobo,and video card,if you really want better,maybe 7970,or7990.
Get I7 2600K processor with a Intel Z77 chipset mobo from a major brand like Asus, Gigabyte, EVGA etc Good 8GB RAM brand like Corsair also get a Nvidia GTX 670. Top-end SSD's (such as a Samung 840pro or OCZ Vector) are expensive so go for a mainstream model like a Samsung 840 (Non-Pro) or a OCZ Vertex 4.
I've just started by getting my hands on Kingston 2x4GB RAM DDR3, 2400MHz (I don't really need more than 8GB total) and a 120GB SSD Samsung 840 Series, 2.5", SATA III. I believe this motherboard doesn't support that particular i7 processor. I just checked the compatibility list on their website and 3820 is not listed there. Is it possible that they've missed it or it is indeed not supported? But I like the motherboard and its features overall and I think I will be ordering it soon. If i7 3820 is not supported I was thinking of getting the following instead: i7 3770k (it is listed as compatible with the motherboard). http://www.amazon.com/Intel-i7-3770K-Quad-Core-Processor-Cache/dp/B007SZ0EOW It's a bit more expensive (25$ difference), but it's 3rd generation instead of 2nd. However, it is a bit slower and with less cache (3.5GHz 8MB vs 3.6GHz 10MB). How come? It's more expensive and is supposed to be better. Do you think this combination (motherboard+processor+ram+ssd) is a good combination? And to clarify: it is not for gaming. But I need it to support dual-monitor (one of them is pretty large - 23 inch 1920x1080px, the other is 19 inch 1024x768px). Can you recommend me a good video card based on the above configuration and requirements?