$2000 Computer Build Recommendations

[Zenithinc]

Hey all, I've been subbed to LTT on YouTube for a while, but just went ahead and made an account...anyway, to the topic at hand.

 

My University is giving me $2000 to build a PC for my personal use. The logistics are complicated, so I don't think it is worth going through the details. Let just jump into it.

 

Here are the parts that I have outlined thus far. I won't have my funding till at the VERY earliest, May 1st, so it is possible that there may be updates to the parts before then. in any case, here's what I have right now (taken straight out of the application to the University).

 

Budget

CPU – Intel Core i7 4770k Haswell -------------------------------------------------------------$289.99

Storage – Intel 520 Series 240GB SSD--------------------------------------------------------- $250.00

Motherboard – ASUS Sabertooth 787---------------------------------------------------------$240.00

Case – Fractal Design Define R4-----------------------------------------------------------------$100.00

Graphics Card – GeForce GTX 780 Ti-----------------------------------------------------------$720.00

Memory – Corsair Vengeance 16GB DDR3 RAM ------------------------------------------- $150.00

Cooling – Seasonic G Series 550W Power Supply-------------------------------------------$85.00

CPU Cooling – Dark Rock 2 CPU Cooler Fan--------------------------------------------------$150.00

                                                                                                            Total------------$1984.99

Note: The remaining $15.01 will be spent in shipping for some of these parts.

 

 

 

​Let me know if you all have any different recommendations. I wanted to balance high performance with maximum.."quietness"? I understand that those can be more or less two opposites, but hey. Might as well try and get the best build.

 

~also on an off note, i wanted to stay away from water cooling as this is my first ever build, and am not experienced at all...thank you in advance!!

[Wiflare]

Where do you live & what will you use this build for?

[tryphaa]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2NQyO

 

I tried my best to make the asthetics match. I left out the GPU as I personally would go for a 290x, but I can get them for $600, compared to a 780ti $730. So if you want mantle, go 290(x). If not, 780ti. I would recommend the windforce/msi gaming for 290x, Acx/Asus 780ti.

[dizmo]

Any particular reason you went with an Intel SSD?

They're usually pretty high priced for what they are.

 

Why is your CPU cooler $150? It should be almost 1/3 of that. Are you sourcing the parts all from one spot or can you get them from anywhere?

 

We usually use PCPartsPicker here in these parts. Git'er done.

Kidding. But really. It's much easier, unless you're getting the parts from one specific source.

 

Knowing what you're using the build for also helps us cherry pick parts for you.
 

[Zenithinc]

@Wiflare

I'm currently in Columbus, Ohio at The Ohio State University.  I'm an Engineer so I plan on using it for CAD Modeling software. I also do some video editing and games. Otherwise, I just want a good all around PC for years to come.

 

@tryphaa

Those specs are a little underwhelming aren't they? I more or less am required to use the entire $2K for this computer, so going all out on parts is the idea. 

 

@dizmo

I just sourced my parts from amazon. does PCPartsPicker also let you buy the parts from them? Use of the PC is listed in the first response of this post I'm writing.

 

 

On another note guys, I started this planning with one of LTT's videos on youtube for his $2000 gaming PC. I think the only thing I switched out was the Graphics Card.

[SAV1OUR]

boop

unless your going to be using this as a editing rig dont get 16ram the 4770k get this you will get better performance in games 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

 

CPU:  Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($229.97 @ SuperBiiz) 

CPU Cooler:  Corsair H105 73.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($107.61 @ NCIX US) 

Motherboard:  Asus SABERTOOTH Z87 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($239.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Memory:  A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($69.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage:  Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk  ($89.99 @ Adorama) 

Storage:  Western Digital Caviar Green 2TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($79.99 @ Best Buy) 

Video Card:  EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card (2-Way SLI)  ($489.99 @ NCIX US) 

Video Card:  EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card (2-Way SLI)  ($489.99 @ NCIX US) 

Case:  NZXT Phantom 530 White ATX Full Tower Case  ($99.99 @ Microcenter) 

Power Supply:  Corsair RM 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($149.99 @ Amazon) 

Total: $2041.51

(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-02-05 15:30 EST-0500)

[tryphaa]

 

unless your going to be using this as a editing rig dont get 16ram the 4770k get this you will get better performance in games 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

 

CPU:  Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($229.97 @ SuperBiiz) 

CPU Cooler:  Corsair H105 73.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($107.61 @ NCIX US) 

Motherboard:  Asus SABERTOOTH Z87 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($239.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Memory:  A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($69.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage:  Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk  ($89.99 @ Adorama) 

Storage:  Western Digital Caviar Green 2TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($79.99 @ Best Buy) 

Video Card:  EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card (2-Way SLI)  ($489.99 @ NCIX US) 

Video Card:  EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card (2-Way SLI)  ($489.99 @ NCIX US) 

Case:  NZXT Phantom 530 White ATX Full Tower Case  ($99.99 @ Microcenter) 

Power Supply:  Corsair RM 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($149.99 @ Amazon) 

Total: $2041.51

(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-02-05 15:30 EST-0500)

 

Nothing wrong with this. I assumed you would be editing or something. I dont like sli though.

[Zenithinc]

Nothing wrong with this. I assumed you would be editing or something. I dont like sli though.

Wasn't my post but yeah, most of it is good! Why two graphics cards though? Whats wrong with just the 780 Ti?

I think I should clarify my intent for this machine. I don't really intend on gaming too much on it, but I think I will be doing some video editing in the future. Thus the 16GB of RAM. More or less, I want an all around powerful machine that will be future proof...I hope that helps..

[dizmo]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU:  Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($249.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler:  Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler  ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard:  Asus SABERTOOTH Z87 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($234.99 @ Newegg)
Memory:  A-Data XPG V2 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2400 Memory  ($147.27 @ TigerDirect)
Storage:  Crucial M500 240GB 2.5" Solid State Disk  ($124.99 @ Newegg)
Storage:  Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($59.66 @ OutletPC)
Video Card:  EVGA GeForce GTX 780 Ti 3GB Video Card  ($725.91 @ Newegg)
Case:  Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($122.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply:  SeaSonic G 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($85.99 @ Amazon)
Operating System:  Microsoft Windows 8.1 - OEM (64-bit)  ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1901.76
 

Are you just using the HDD for storage? If so you can get away with a Blue.

One of the EVGA 780Ti's come with dual 8 pin power connetors instead of an 8 and 6. That's the one I'd go for. I don't know if it's this one, but it's listed at $729 on the EVGA site.

Don't get the Dark Rock 2 from Amazon. I don't know why, but you're getting seriously ripped off. I can get the same cooler for $69.99 here.

 

You can save another $100 and use a Z87-A board. But since it's not your money...I'd just stick with this.

[dizmo]

Wasn't my post but yeah, most of it is good! Why two graphics cards though? Whats wrong with just the 780 Ti?

I think I should clarify my intent for this machine. I don't really intend on gaming too much on it, but I think I will be doing some video editing in the future. Thus the 16GB of RAM. More or less, I want an all around powerful machine that will be future proof...I hope that helps..

 

I'd stick with the i7 if you're going to be doing a lot of CAD/editing.

[SAV1OUR]

I think I should clarify my intent for this machine. I don't really intend on gaming too much on it, but I think I will be doing some video editing in the future. Thus the 16GB of RAM. More or less, I want an all around powerful machine that will be future proof...I hope that helps..

sli 780s sli will outperform a single 780 

[tryphaa]

Wasn't my post but yeah, most of it is good! Why two graphics cards though? Whats wrong with just the 780 Ti?

I think I should clarify my intent for this machine. I don't really intend on gaming too much on it, but I think I will be doing some video editing in the future. Thus the 16GB of RAM. More or less, I want an all around powerful machine that will be future proof...I hope that helps..

Then yes, a single 780 ti will do you fine. Sli and dual gpu's in general turn me off. Its impossible to make something "futureproof" but for editing, that will last a long time.

[Zenithinc]

Then yes, a single 780 ti will do you fine. Sli and dual gpu's in general turn me off. Its impossible to make something "futureproof" but for editing, that will last a long time.

I guess by "future proof" I more or less just meant that I could use the machine for a few years without being bogged down by hardware. Again, video editing.

[SAV1OUR]

Wasn't my post but yeah, most of it is good! Why two graphics cards though? Whats wrong with just the 780 Ti?

I think I should clarify my intent for this machine. I don't really intend on gaming too much on it, but I think I will be doing some video editing in the future. Thus the 16GB of RAM. More or less, I want an all around powerful machine that will be future proof...I hope that helps..

theres also this i thought of 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

 

CPU:  Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($319.99 @ Newegg) 

CPU Cooler:  Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($94.99 @ Amazon) 

Motherboard:  Asus Maximus VI Hero ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($189.99 @ NCIX US) 

Memory:  Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($164.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage:  Kingston HyperX 3K 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk  ($89.99 @ Microcenter) 

Storage:  Western Digital Red 3TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($129.00 @ Amazon) 

Storage:  Western Digital RE2-GP 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($60.00 @ Amazon) 

Video Card:  Asus GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI)  ($339.99 @ Microcenter) 

Video Card:  Asus GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI)  ($339.99 @ Microcenter) 

Case:  NZXT Phantom (White) ATX Full Tower Case  ($89.99 @ Microcenter) 

Power Supply:  Corsair RM 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($149.99 @ Amazon) 

Operating System:  Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit)  ($91.48 @ OutletPC) 

Total: $2060.39

(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-02-05 15:45 EST-0500)

[Zenithinc]

sli 780s sli will outperform a single 780 

hmmm...I'll look into it, but I'd rather not go the sli for now. I'm a newbie, and playing with parts this expensive scare me enough.

 

 

 

theres also this i thought of 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

 

CPU:  Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($319.99 @ Newegg) 

CPU Cooler:  Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($94.99 @ Amazon) 

Motherboard:  Asus Maximus VI Hero ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($189.99 @ NCIX US) 

Memory:  Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($164.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage:  Kingston HyperX 3K 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk  ($89.99 @ Microcenter) 

Storage:  Western Digital Red 3TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($129.00 @ Amazon) 

Storage:  Western Digital RE2-GP 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($60.00 @ Amazon) 

Video Card:  Asus GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI)  ($339.99 @ Microcenter) 

Video Card:  Asus GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI)  ($339.99 @ Microcenter) 

Case:  NZXT Phantom (White) ATX Full Tower Case  ($89.99 @ Microcenter) 

Power Supply:  Corsair RM 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($149.99 @ Amazon) 

Operating System:  Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit)  ($91.48 @ OutletPC) 

Total: $2060.39

(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-02-05 15:45 EST-0500)

 

I like this, except without the sli. Also, do you think it would be okay to run with the Kingston SSD and the 1TB drive, while dropping the 3TB drive?

[SAV1OUR]

hmmm...I'll look into it, but I'd rather not go the sli for now. I'm a newbie, and playing with parts this expensive scare me enough.

 

 

I like this, except without the sli. Also, do you think it would be okay to run with the Kingston SSD and the 1TB drive, while dropping the 3TB drive?

you can get rid of one of the tb drives this was just saved on my list for someone who wanted a butt load of space 

[Zenithinc]

I believe someone earlier said to not go for the Intel 240GB SSD because of pricing. Any recommendation on an alternative? I guess thinking back I'd like to do one SSD and then a HDD for stock storage. 

 

Also for power supply, is such a large (850 watt) supply needed? I don't think that was necessary in the video i looked up earlier.

[brob]

I believe someone earlier said to not go for the Intel 240GB SSD because of pricing. Any recommendation on an alternative? I guess thinking back I'd like to do one SSD and then a HDD for stock storage. 

 

Also for power supply, is such a large (850 watt) supply needed? I don't think that was necessary in the video i looked up earlier.

 

How flexible is the part list, i.e. are you free to change it entirely or must the end result look substantially similar?

 

Rank in order of importance: CAD modeling, video editing & rendering, gaming.

 

What CAD software and what type of projects? Same for video stuff.

[WoodenMarker]

Plan later. ~2-3 days at most before you buy. Parts and prices change frequently so whatever parts list you come up with will likely be obsolete by the time you're ready to buy the parts.