This is PCBUILD, Bob!  Do you think that we are going to tell you to buy a Dell??   :) :)

Regarding your question about the motherboard, I have a few pieces of advice.

First of all, be sure to get one with an eSata connector.  Some day you might find that you want some external storage for backup or 
file transfers and you will find the eSata external drive superior to the USB drive.  Also, you cannot currently boot Windows from a 
USB drive, but I believe that you can from an eSata drive,  should that ever become desirable in the future.

Second, I suggest that  you go with only 3GB or memory.  I recently built a computer around an i7 870 and discovered that my full 
8GB of memory was not used.  There is evidently a bug in some (or all?) P55 bios that does not allow 8GB to be used.  (Check out 
Anantech or THG for more info.)

I suggest that you get one of the power supplies of about 800 watts from PC Power and Cooling.  They are quite expensive, but should 
last and provide reliable power for years.  Also, be aware that the "excess" power is not wasted energy - only the amount actually 
needed is drawn from the power lines.

There are many P55 motherboards for around $100.  I think that the main differences in them is the features that they have.  If you 
go to newegg.com you can see them, their features, and any reviews that might be written for them by purchasers.  (There should not 
be a lot because these have not been on sale for long.)

You can try to keep your old case and see how it works, but you might find that you need a larger one.

Have fun!

Dean Kukral

----- Original Message ----- 
From: bob warasila
Sent: Sunday, December 06, 2009 7:34 PM
Subject: [PCBUILD] New build?


I'm wrestling with whether to go with a new build or name brand box.  I'm getting ready to retire my P4 on a P4P800 ASUS MB built ~6 
years ago, that has served me well.  The only high end needs I have are for some pretty demanding EXCEL applications that now take 
up to 6 minutes on this computer.  The recent discussion about the ASUS Essentia caught my attention.  Looks like for $650 + the 
cost of a mid-range video card one can have a W7 Quad core performance for about $750.

However I''m  thinking about going with the i7-860 because I tend to keep my computers for 5 years so I usually figure the current 
state-of-art is worth the $.  My question relates to which ASUS P7P55 version is most appropriate for non-gaming use and if I should 
try to go with the existing case and PS to cut costs if I go the self built route.  The current case is an Antec + Zalman 300W.  I 
suspect the 300W may be a stretch for the i7, is that correct?  I'm planning on something like an ATI 4670 video card , 1TB HD, a 
CD/DVD burner and a ROM DVD drive + 8 GB memory.   My old Plextor IDE burner is fine but I'm thinking I'm better off with all SATA 
these days.  My exisiting monitor is a good HP flat panel and I have a wireless key board and mouse that's about 2 years old still 
in a box .  When I've priced things on NewEgg looks like the cost is about  $900 for hardware without a new case & PS + the cost of 
W7.    I can buy an HP e9270 for ~$1100 with W7 so it looks as if there is little or no savings in the DIY route although I 
understand the components may be more robust.

I've gone the DIY route on my last 3 computers but perhaps that time has passed.  Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Bob Warasila

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