Don't remind me! Near final time of my FORTRAN IV class, I dropped a deck of about 300 of these punch cards on the floor in the school's computer room. That mishap costed me all night to resort all the FORTRAN statements and data cards.
optionman31601, I had the same dilemma as you. What I wanted was the best machine, for the best price. I was struggling with what to go for at the top end and what I could compromise on. I got a lot of information and guidance from our buddies here. I think you have the same needs as mine (PC mainly used for trading, internet usage and video/Youtube - occasionally watch a DVD. No gaming!). If that is the case, then this is how I went about putting my system together. I would only go for the best and highest if I was going to utilize it, otherwise I would settle for what gave me the biggest bang for the buck. I also wanted components that would not get outdated for the next 5 years (I plan to hold this for 5-7 years at which point it can become my new backup). For my processor, I went with i5 2500k, which is plenty. I won't be using anywhere near what it is capable of, but the price made it hard to turn down. As you mentioned earlier, $179 from Micro Center. Now if you get it with a motherboard, you get $40-50 off the motherboard too. Can't beat that deal. Also, with the 2500k, you can overclock it, if needed, but I doubt you'll need that. In regards to my motherboard, I needed additional PCIe x16 slots as initially I would only run 4 monitors. 4 monitors hold a lot of information. However, in a few months your eyes and mind get used to it and as everything slows down a little, you may be ready for another 2 monitors. It's nice to have that option open as you will have this system for a while and don't want to start changing everything once you're set. I spent a little on memory and got Corsair Vengeance (2x4GB) 8GB. This should do more than I would like once again. With the PSU, I got 650W. Anything between 650-850W should do fine. If you get the Corsair, try getting the TX as it allows for all the additional cords to be left out, allowing for better airflow. I really struggled with choosing my video cards. Boli kept on telling me that the 8400GS would serve my purpose. I just couldn't understand how $19.99 cards would suffice and I just thought I needed to spend more. However, after much research, and with what I wanted to do with my machine, I confidently agreed with Boli's decision. Honestly, something like an 8400GS for $19.99 can't take you down the wrong road. Good luck optionman31601. Keep it simple, cause it is simple. Just saying from my experience, as I had worked myself up so much about this and am hoping that it stays easy for you.
Guys, it seems that at long last I can post some pics of my build. Some of the labeling may look very basic, but I included it for people (like my previous self) who had never built a box before. It is a detailed as I could make it, with the purpose of illustrating how simple it is. If you find any errors, feel free to point them out. Once again, a big THANK YOU to everyone that helped
LOL... no wonder where you get all the patience from to share your knowledge and help. So you go back to some serious old school computer work for sure. Cool ! Thanks for everything on this thread, very much appreciated.
<img src="http://www.elitetrader.com/vb/attachment.php?s=&postid=3297565.png"> 1. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147153 2. http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Nat...FIL6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1315803439&sr=8-2 3. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...Froogle-_-Power+Supplies-_-Corsair-_-17139012 4. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00461G3MS 5. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0033Z2BAQ 6. http://www.amazon.com/P8P67-M-PRO-REV-3-0-Motherboard/dp/B004QF0VEK 7. http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Venge...2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1315803756&sr=1-2 8. http://www.amazon.com/nVidia-GeForc...2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1315803828&sr=1-2 9. http://www.amazon.com/Kingston-SSDN...1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1315803864&sr=1-1 10. http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Gamin...1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1315803911&sr=1-1 11. http://www.amazon.com/Intel-i5-2500...1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1315803943&sr=1-1 12. http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Wire...1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1315803995&sr=1-1 Not in picture: 13. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002RM08RE 14. http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-B2230...BVAW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315804101&sr=8-1 (x3) 15. http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-B2230...DOA8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1315804136&sr=8-2 (x1)
Thanks for your comments Sam. Too bad I am not a gamer. Or else I can tell you all about the best kick-ass 3D cards to buy for your trading computer! I am thinking about buying Microsoft's Flight Simulator. That's about the extent of my game wish.