Help me with a new mid-range build?

[Tuck]

Personally:

Mobo: Asus Sabertooth Z77
CPU: i5-3570k or i7-3770k
RAM: 8GB+ of anything will usually work. G.Skill, Kingston, Corsair, etc.
HDD: Anything will work as well, what ever is on sale.
DVD: Dirt cheap so anything too
OS: Windows 8 or 7 doesn't matter. 8 is more snappy and you can add the classic start button.

I assume you already have a GPU and PSU?

Yes. I now have a case, a PSU and a SSD. I plan to pick up the rest over the coming weeks.

[Tuck]

Two more issues I'd like opinions on:

The first is Windows 7 vs. Windows 8. A buddy of mine whose opinion I really respect warns me to stay the hell away from Windows 8, and I read a long article recently about its flaws. Any strong opinions on 7 vs. 8?

Second, Blu-Ray burner vs. plain vanilla DVD burner. It's a minor issue, but is there any really good reason to go Blu Ray? We do own a BR player and a few BRs, but most of our DVD collection are just plain old DVDs. Thoughts on that?

[Marv]

i've had windows 8 since its release and i wouldn't say its better then windows 7, but i've yet to find anything bad about it, at all. it runs smooth, have not encountered any problems at all playing games on it, and i think windows 8 has some performance upgrades for certain CPUs although my tech knowledge isnt that high so dont quote

[goldenfooler]

I think if you are going to do anything else with windows phones or tablets you should then get the windows 8. If you have a touchscreen on your desktop screen then I would as well.

I watched around an hour of reviews from really wway to techie of guys(one had 6 screens) and they bitched at first but after the learning curve they liked some things. There is something to download for a normal start button interface if you don't like the tile shut down.

[Dead...Again]

I thought Maximum PC's review of Windows 8 was pretty good:
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/fea...ndows_8_Review

As for BluRay burners, I would say it isn't a must but would be a nice addition if you can find a deal on one.

[K PhaNTOM]

You actually considered getting Window 8? What is wrong with you!

[xeks]

Two more issues I'd like opinions on:

The first is Windows 7 vs. Windows 8. A buddy of mine whose opinion I really respect warns me to stay the hell away from Windows 8, and I read a long article recently about its flaws. Any strong opinions on 7 vs. 8?

Second, Blu-Ray burner vs. plain vanilla DVD burner. It's a minor issue, but is there any really good reason to go Blu Ray? We do own a BR player and a few BRs, but most of our DVD collection are just plain old DVDs. Thoughts on that?

W8 vs W7 is your preference but Windows 8 is newer and is going to get more support in the long run from Microsoft.

I think blu ray burners can also burn regular dvds, not sure, so its either or.

[Apache Warrior]

Yes they can burn regular dvds.
Apache

[Dead...Again]

At the very least I would get a BluRay player/DVD burner.

[WalkinTarget]

Be careful and do your research if you want to go BD .. I'm a diehard DVD fan and have no BD collection at all, but I always buy some PC hardware for Xmas and this year faced the curious occurrence of not needing ANYTHING ... no upgrades at all. So I decided to look into adding a Blu-ray burner to my HTPC. Your first piece of useful info is that Windows not not provide ANY BD playback software to speak of. It will NOT natively play ANY Blu-ray without additional (pricey) software.

Your total investment will run at least $100 (60 software, 40 burner) to buy the burner and software and make it all work. And if you want to have BD playback integrate into Media Center, that cost goes up a bit more. For basic playback with no frills at all, the newest build of VLC player will work, provided you perform the workarounds to add the AACS keys to the player.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZAbZQDOOio

If you want menus and others niceties, you now have to invest in either PowerDVD 12 Ultra (must be Ultra, Pro does not do BD playback) or TotalMedia Theater 5. PowerDVD is cheaper by a good bit, but its support will end in say 3 years, at which point your AACS keys tied to it will not play back new BDs, requiring you to buy a newer version of PowerDVD to play new BDs. TotalMedia Theater 5 is the only player that fully integrates in Windows Media Center, but its also the costliest of the Blu-ray players.

http://www.arcsoft.com/totalmedia-theatre/

After looking at how much it would cost me for very little gain, I actually wouldn't mind if I don't have that Blu-ray burner under the tree this year.

And as far as Windows 8 ... oh hell no ... seriously ?? Is this really a question that we need to answer for you ?? Even if you LIKE a feature in Win 8, note that unless you buy it by the end of this year, you do NOT GET Windows Media Center built into it, you have to PAY $30 after January 1 for what was ALWAYS free and included in the past.

[Dead...Again]

The BluRay player should come with the software to play BluRay discs.
http://www.plextoramericas.com/index...ray/px-lb950sa

The PX-LB950SA includes comprehensive software bundled to play and record blu-rays, DVDs, and CDs. The software also supports 3D playback and capable of converting 2D contents to simulate 3D. In addition to its playback options, the PX-LB950SA can record a 25GB single-layer disc in unprecedented 12 minutes and offers a substantial 50GB of data storage on each double-layer Blu-ray disc.

[WalkinTarget]

Only a non-OEM BD burner will come with the BD software. They are much more expensive compared to an OEM burner, simply because you gotta pay the man sooner or later.

I forgot to include the following free BD software player in my list -> DVDFab Passkey lite. It is another freebie like VLC, and it will play most (but possibly not all) of your BD media. No idea why someone would buy the 'Pro' version unless they have that oddball Blu-ray that does not play through the 'Lite' version.

[Tuck]

Be careful and do your research if you want to go BD .. I'm a diehard DVD fan and have no BD collection at all, but I always buy some PC hardware for Xmas and this year faced the curious occurrence of not needing ANYTHING ... no upgrades at all. So I decided to look into adding a Blu-ray burner to my HTPC. Your first piece of useful info is that Windows not not provide ANY BD playback software to speak of. It will NOT natively play ANY Blu-ray without additional (pricey) software.

Your total investment will run at least $100 (60 software, 40 burner) to buy the burner and software and make it all work. And if you want to have BD playback integrate into Media Center, that cost goes up a bit more. For basic playback with no frills at all, the newest build of VLC player will work, provided you perform the workarounds to add the AACS keys to the player.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZAbZQDOOio

If you want menus and others niceties, you now have to invest in either PowerDVD 12 Ultra (must be Ultra, Pro does not do BD playback) or TotalMedia Theater 5. PowerDVD is cheaper by a good bit, but its support will end in say 3 years, at which point your AACS keys tied to it will not play back new BDs, requiring you to buy a newer version of PowerDVD to play new BDs. TotalMedia Theater 5 is the only player that fully integrates in Windows Media Center, but its also the costliest of the Blu-ray players.

http://www.arcsoft.com/totalmedia-theatre/

After looking at how much it would cost me for very little gain, I actually wouldn't mind if I don't have that Blu-ray burner under the tree this year.

And as far as Windows 8 ... oh hell no ... seriously ?? Is this really a question that we need to answer for you ?? Even if you LIKE a feature in Win 8, note that unless you buy it by the end of this year, you do NOT GET Windows Media Center built into it, you have to PAY $30 after January 1 for what was ALWAYS free and included in the past.

Thanks. Exactly the kind of advice I was looking for.

And the ONLY reason I was weak on Windows 8 is because I can get i cheaper than 7.