So my old computer finally died for good... a quite sudden and pretty painful death.

It's my first time building a machine from scratch and I really could use some advice since I can be pretty noob-ish hardware-wise at times. This computer will be destined for musical studio purposes, it will have to handle CPU-intensive jobs and will require a lot of very fast RAM in which many heavy sound libraries will be loaded and used simultaneously for prolongated periods of time.

OS: Windows XP 64-bit or XP Pro x64
CPU: Intel i7 980x Extreme (willing to go for a quad core for compatibility reasons if needed)
Graphic card: ATI Radeon HD5450 (already owned)
Soundcard: PCI Express Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Champion Series
RAM: 16Gb DDR3, I need suggestions on which brand to buy. Thought of corsair, but I've heard both good and bad things about them.
HD: I don't mind the capacity, but I need very high accessing/writing speed.
PSU: Anything with more wattage than needed, to be safe in case I want to add or change hardware.
Everything else: Open to suggestions
My budget: 2500$

Additionnal notes:
I'd rather avoid MOBOs with integrated cards (like network), if a piece of hardware fails, it's easier to replace/repair that way.
CPU might be subject to overheating; I will need a very good heatsink & fan or whatevercankeepitcool.
Also, please let me know if you are aware of any compatibility issues regarding the hardware described here.

Thanks in advance for the input!!

And before anyone asks: No, this computer will not be used for gaming.  Hardware looks good, I would do some reading up before diving into the project to know for example how to properly attack the CPU heatsink etc so that you dont danage your motherboard etc. With building your own, the warranties are very limited. Its not like a new box that has a 1 year warranty by mfr. Be sure that your mounting of your motherboard is correct and no posts are present that are unnecessary and now grounding component leads out etc. Also be sure to install drives first rather than later as for clearances can soon disappear for easy installation with heatsink, ram sticks, or motherboard power cable in the way. And cables and power jacks can be added to these in the final stage. Then perform a final inspection. Check work closely. You dont want a loose screw putting you out of a large chunk of cash and creating an EXPENSIVE smoke show. Good luck with your build and if you have any questions feel free to post them here and we will all help!

Corsair I have had no problems with, and Kingston I have had 1 bad ram stick only because it didnt play well with other same sticks. Sent it back RMA and replacement stick worked with other sticks and passed memtest86.

Integrated options are as reliable as addon options, it comes down to quality of the parts and if they are used correctly or abused.Nice Choice...

Windows 7 Might Be a good choice when it comes to building a custom computer.

Also Just Keep in these pros and cons:

Pros: You know and have hopefully researched every component you buy, you know how to replace things if they fail, you potentially get higher quality parts, more customizable, the sense of accomplishment.

Cons: Can't build the low end systems as cheap as you can buy, you are your own tech support, no system wide warranty (although individual parts should be), you have to supply your own OS.Note That These are Opinions...No Judging intended 




UPDATE****

I would recommended Crucial  http://www.crucial.com

Im an Intern at Micron and we are partners with Crucial, Never Had a Problem with them....but there a bit spendy  .

The Brand you noted works to.Crucial... I gotta look onto that. I remember hearing a lot of good things about them.

I think I found a good motherboard for my build:
Intel® Desktop Board DX58SO

It supports the i7 980 Extreme
Seems to have all the slots necessary for the cards I mentionned, and even more
And works with DDR3 ram sticks.

Anyone's got any experience with this board?

I've also heard of PCI-E hard drives. Though these are quite expensive. They'd seem like a good option, speed-wise, in case I gotta build up on virtual memory.Not sure but i know the i7 extreme is a very hefty price....wait a minute your not using it for gaming? not sure theres a need for i7 extreme

Quote from: spikedfox on December 01, 2010, 06:43:37 AM

Crucial... I gotta look onto that. I remember hearing a lot of good things about them.

I think I found a good motherboard for my build:
Intel® Desktop Board DX58SO

It supports the i7 980 Extreme
Seems to have all the slots necessary for the cards I mentionned, and even more
And works with DDR3 ram sticks.

Anyone's got any experience with this board?

I've also heard of PCI-E hard drives. Though these are quite expensive. They'd seem like a good option, speed-wise, in case I gotta build up on virtual memory.

Not sure but i know the i7 extreme is a very hefty price....wait a minute your not using it for gaming? not sure theres a need for i7 extreme

I think you need to re-read my first post.

For your information, theres not just gaming that requires ridiculously high system performances.

Yes I know that....did you mention what you were gonna use it for?

Yeah, he said it was going to be for a music Studio... since that has never required an i7 or a large amount of memory (Amiga 3000), I have to agree with your assessment about it being rather unnecessary.



Additionally, no Creative Card should even be considered for any sort of "industrial" type of Music Creation purposes. They are gaming cards. Generally a Music Studio computer would have a Music Studio grade sound card, not a gamer card.

A music Studio? I Think all you need is a quad core with 4 gb ram and then...then everything else you wanted. It should do just fine,
There I saved you about 500 bucks or so