First build, big display, non-gaming

[ergoDev]

I’m choosing components for my first build this week!

I need to edit and transcode high-def. (AVCHD) home video--I have adobe premiere elements but it utilizes my 2.4GHz core2 duo's CPU at 100% and becomes unusably slow. I do some code compiling and web app testing when working from home. I won’t be doing any gaming on this machine. I want to be able to spin up a linux VM. I need to RDP to my multi-monitor MSWin 7 machine at work. I’d like to be able to unhibernate quickly and Wake On WAN.

Display: I currently drive 2 monitors at 1200x1920 each, eventually I’ll switch to 1 at 2560x1600.
Storage needs: 150GB + 100 GB/year.
Budget: $1000 - 1250.
Location: Boston.
I will reuse: Corsair Force 120GB SSD, optical drive.
I probably won’t bother with overclocking or RAID. I currently ghost images weekly and store 1 offsite.

Other goals:
Low power usage; efficient power supply at idle.
Fast POST/bios.
Room for 3 drives.

Nice to have:
Smaller case than my current full-sized ATX.
Quiet (but not silent).
USB device charging when “off”.
Long warranties.

I’ve been reading this forum and others for a few months, but I’d love some help choosing components:
1) Sandy Bridge has good transcoding, but will HD3000 without a discrete GPU be snappy enough for video editing, etc. at 2400x1920? This answer seems to drive whether to go with Z68 or H67.
2) Mobo: Are some more energy efficient than others? microATX or mini-ITX?
3) PSU: How big? I don’t want to oversize this. Is there such a thing as a 250W silver/gold??
4) Case: I’m clueless here.

Thanks!

 

[Zap]

1) I'd say at this time go Z68, just in case.

2) The difference in motherboard efficiency usually isn't that much.

3) At really low power draw, the difference between a super efficient PSU and an inefficient PSU might only end up being a couple watts. Your night light (unless an LED model) will use more power than such a difference. If not using a discrete graphics card, you can get by with a 150W PSU. Of course those are kind of rare and usually included with small cases.

4) You need to decide between mATX and mini ITX, and then stick with your decision. With mATX the build will probably be as straightforward as any ATX build. With mini ITX you will have a number of tradeoffs to deal with. I'm a big fan of mini ITX, but realize that it isn't for everyone.

If you go mini ITX, look into the Antec ISK 300-150 or ISK 310-150. They differ in the face plate, but otherwise are the same. They have two 2.5" drive bays plus can hold a slim optical drive. They use mini ITX motherboards and provide one low profile slot for expansion. They come with one 80mm fan and can hold a second, plus the PSU has an 80mm fan. The case uses quite thick metal, and is reasonably quiet though not "silent" with the included fans. The included PSU has rather mediocre efficiency at around 70%, but at your normal idle power draws it will probably be less than 5W difference versus say an 80Plus Platinum. You can also swap out the PSU for a Pico PSU for better efficiency, but that adds a lot of cost.

For micro ATX, the Antec NSK3480 is pretty solid. It is quite small for a micro ATX mini tower, and comes with an 80Plus 380W PSU. It uses normal desktop drives (so you'll need an adapter or something for your SSD) and comes with a 120mm exhaust fan. It can handle tower coolers too. Alternately there are slim micro ATX cases, but few of them come with any decent PSU.

 

[mfenn]

Here's a MicroATX build along the lines of what Zap is suggesting:

http://detonator.dynamitedata.com/c...9115072&cm_re=i5_2500k-_-19-115-072-_-Producti7 2600K $315 - for E3K
G.Skill DDR3 1333 8GB $60 AP
QTY 2 WD Green 2TB $140 AP
Gigabyte GA-Z68MA-D2H $125
NSK3480 w/ 380W PSU $95
Total: $735 AP

So, as you can see, a GPU really really eats into the budget. If you really want to spend $1K, you can dump 16GB of RAM in there as well (double up on the G.Skill kits).