First build PC for sub 1K - help needed.

[GinZ]

Hi all, noob here so bear with me. Need advice on everything.

Uses: Home Theatre to watch online shows in high quality and maybe with TV-tuner and PVR (already have LCDTV 37”, AV receiver Onkyo TX-SR606 and 5.1 quality surround sound, PS3 and Xbox360), heavy Excel number crunching, strategy gaming (possibly more), all round usage and I like have many windows and programs open at the same time.

Extra notes: I would like the PC to be quiet but doesn't have to be completely silent. Would like the PC to be good value yet not have to upgrade everything in a couple of years.

I've put a list together of some items shown below.
Please help to choose a good build and lower my costs to below 1K

Case: Lian Li PC-B25F
134GBP
Link: Scan.co.uk: Lian Li PC-B25FB, Black, Mid Tower Aluminum Case w/o PSU

CPU: Athlon II X3 440
67GBP
Link: AMD Athlon II X3 440 3.0GHz 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM3 Retail Box Processor - Ebuyer

GPU: HD 5850
235GBP
Link: Gigabyte ATI Radeon HD 5850 1GB OC PCI- E 2.1(16) GDDR5 Dual dual-link DVI-I HDMI Displayport DirectX 11 Graphics Card Retail- microdirect.co.uk
Are the double fans a good idea?

RAM: Crucial 4Gb CL7 1333
90GBP
Link: Crucial 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1333MHz/PC3-10600 Ballistix Memory Kit CL7 (7-7-7-24) 1.65V - Ebuyer
Or
G-Skill 4Gb CL7 1600
102GBP
Link: G-Skill 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1600MHz/PC3-12800 Ripjaw Memory Kit CL7(7-8-7-24) 1.65V - Ebuyer

PSU: Antec True Power New 750
93GBP
Link: Scan.co.uk: True Power New 750 - 750W Antec Truepower New PSU, Modular, 120mm PWM Fan, 80+ Bronze

HDD: 2 x Samsung F3 1TB
2 x 55=110GBP (I would like to learn about raid options – maybe to backup in case of HDD failure)
Link: Samsung HD103SJ Spinpoint F3 1TB Hard Drive SATAII 7200rpm 32MB Cache - OEM - Ebuyer

May change the 2 x HDD to 1 HDD and an SDD - currently reading up on this.

Optical Drive: Samsung Black 2X SH-S223
15GBP
Samsung SH-S223 22X DVD

OS: Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
112GBP
Microsoft Windows 7 Professional - Licence and media - 1 PC - OEM - DVD - 64-bit - English - Ebuyer

Monitor: Seen this one, but it's too big and a bit expensive at 22” as I'll sit quite close
Viewsonic VX2260WM Full HD
148GBP
Viewsonic VX2260WM Full HD 22" TFT Monitor 1920x1080 20,000:1 (dynamic) 300cd/m2 2ms VGA/DVI-D/HDMI Black - Ebuyer

Subtotal so far: 1126GBP
Delivery so far: 11GBP

Case fan: no idea.

Keyboard: wireless required (to use when using 37” LCDTV from a distance). No ideas so far.

Mouse: wireless (maybe trackball on wireless keyboard). No ideas so far.

TV-tuner: no idea.
Not sure whether this is a good idea since online shows becoming more available. Being able to record stuff from my 37” HDTV (has DVB tuner) would be great.

Any suggestions on alternatives are very welcome as everything I know is what I've read over the last few days. Thanks.

 

[GinZ]

ahhh come on, am dying here!

 

[Iccz]

I've moved this over to the Home Entertainment PC board as your main requirement is as a Media PC, you could take a look at this thread for ideas on a higher spec HTPC that can handle gaming etc:
http://www.avforums.com/forums/home...21-razors-watercooled-silent-gaming-htpc.html

 

[GinZ]

thanks Iccz

 

[Oggie]

Just to clarify do you want HTPC to plug into your LCD or just a pc that you will use to watch movies and very light gaming ??

 

[GinZ]

Erm, not quite sure what the exact difference is? I want a good-looking pc case (so it fits in with my LCD, PS3 and AV set up in place already) that allows me for an all-round pc to play movies and strategy games.

A friend advised me to go for a mid-tower which would allow me to upgrade easier in future and it should be easier to install for a beginner with it having more space.

It is to plug into my LCD to watch movies and I may also get a small monitor for work.

 

[Parklife]

I would not want a case like that in my living room. My view is it would look completely out of place and not fit in with an LCD, PS3 etc.

Something like

Antec Fusion Remote Max

or

SilverStone SST-LC17B

would look more at home amongst AV equipment.

 

[mrda1000]

I want a good-looking pc case (so it fits in with my LCD, PS3 and AV set up in place already

Maybe consider looking at some other cases, like Parklife mentioned that tower case might not fit in, can recommend the silverstone cases i recently got the gd05 and it looks good in my av stand most peeps who have seen it didnt realise it was a comp just thought it was another piece of av equipment

 

[GinZ]

I took a look at the links (thanks for them), however I am happy for a pc to look like a pc but it has to look very stylish. I did look at quite a few av-looking cases before, but I think I might actually enjoy the look of a very stylish pc. Admittedly, if I didn't like the look of the Lian Li so much (I've also found one with a window too) then I would have spent more time considering the options.

I have also been highly recommended to get a mid-tower to allow me to go for better upgrades and future compatibility. I will probably be getting the window version of Lian Li to allow me to feed the new interest in pc insides.

Thanks for the input though.