$900 - $950 Gaming, Music, Video Editing - Build Help and Advice

[Colo Swaggins]

1. Budget & Location
I'd like to keep the build under or around $950 preferably. I live in Ontario, Canada.

2. Aim

• 1080p gaming. Skyrim heavily modded, The Witcher 3, Europa Universalis IV, Tropico 5, Crusader Kings, and GTA V (when it comes out) are among the games I would like to play (maxed out, of course). Maybe a few FPS's.
• Music production and recording.
• Moderate photo & video editing (Nothing like 3D work or rendering, though).

I'd like quality components that will last a long time (4-5 years at least). For now, a 1080p capable graphics card is just fine, but in 2 or 3 years, however, I'd like to get a new graphics card that can handle 1440p and beyond (which I suspect will be common by then) and still be able to keep the rest of my rig. In essence, I'd like a quality CPU and mobo that will last longer than my GPU, which will be replaced sooner anyhow.

3. Monitors
Asus pb238q 1080p monitor. I'm sticking with 1080p until 1440p and 4k monitors become more affordable and the graphics cards needed to drive them don't cost $400+. Don't factor the monitor into the price.

4. Peripherals
Don't factor these into the price. I'll get some.

5. Why are you upgrading?
I have a slow laptop that is no longer capable of playing any games. It stutters while playing Fallout 1 & 2, games that were released in '97 and '98. I would like a modest PC for the things I mentioned.

 

http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/user/coloswaggins/saved/R7vqqs

 

I've put together a rig, but I don't think I'm getting the best "bang for my Canadian buck". Again, I'm looking for long lasting, quality components. I'd prefer Nvidia because of their better performance with ENB in Skyrim and because they draw less power, but if an AMD GPU is the best option, by all means, include it. SSD's are also welcome only if they fit the budget. I chose mATX because I thought it was more inexpensive, but again, it is not a necessary aspect.

 

Thanks!

[Builder]

Could you please set your post to the default font color? Thanks.

[Colo Swaggins]

I set the font colour to automatic. I never changed the colour when I was posting though.

[Megazero]

 

1. Budget & Location

I'd like to keep the build under or around $950 preferably. I live in Ontario, Canada.

2. Aim

• 1080p gaming. Skyrim heavily modded, The Witcher 3, Europa Universalis IV, Tropico 5, Crusader Kings, and GTA V (when it comes out) are among the games I would like to play (maxed out, of course). Maybe a few FPS's.
• Music production and recording.
• Moderate photo & video editing (Nothing like 3D work or rendering, though).

I'd like quality components that will last a long time (4-5 years at least). For now, a 1080p capable graphics card is just fine, but in 2 or 3 years, however, I'd like to get a new graphics card that can handle 1440p and beyond (which I suspect will be common by then) and still be able to keep the rest of my rig. In essence, I'd like a quality CPU and mobo that will last longer than my GPU, which will be replaced sooner anyhow.

3. Monitors

Asus pb238q 1080p monitor. I'm sticking with 1080p until 1440p and 4k monitors become more affordable and the graphics cards needed to drive them don't cost $400+. Don't factor the monitor into the price.

4. Peripherals

Don't factor these into the price. I'll get some.

5. Why are you upgrading?

I have a slow laptop that is no longer capable of playing any games. It stutters while playing Fallout 1 & 2, games that were released in '97 and '98. I would like a modest PC for the things I mentioned.

 

http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/user/coloswaggins/saved/R7vqqs

 

I've put together a rig, but I don't think I'm getting the best "bang for my Canadian buck". Again, I'm looking for long lasting, quality components. I'd prefer Nvidia because of their better performance with ENB in Skyrim and because they draw less power, but if an AMD GPU is the best option, by all means, include it. SSD's are also welcome only if they fit the budget. I chose mATX because I thought it was more inexpensive, but again, it is not a necessary aspect.

 

Thanks!

 

I think at that price point you better get an R9 280/280x instead, and you can get a i5 4690k

[Colo Swaggins]

I'm not really looking to over-clock, so I don't think I'll get a K series processor. I'd rather have the CPU run cool and last a long time. 

[WoodenMarker]

I'm not really looking to over-clock, so I don't think I'll get a K series processor. I'd rather have the CPU run cool and last a long time. 

The higher clock speed from oc'ing would be quite useful for heavily modded games like Skyrim. There's also no point in getting a zX7 motherboard if you don't intend to oc.

Better: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/MbWrRB

You need to quote a post or tag a member or else they won't get a notification you replied to them.

[Colo Swaggins]

The higher clock speed from oc'ing would be quite useful for heavily modded games like Skyrim. There's also no point in getting a zX7 motherboard if you don't intend to oc.

Better: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/MbWrRB

You need to quote a post or tag a member or else they won't get a notification you replied to them.

 

Since higher-end zX7 boards are built for overclocking, aren't they generally built with higher quality parts, making them last longer? Again, I'm looking for longevity.

 

Let's say I was to forego playing super-high-end games, and stick to mid-range gaming at 1440p instead. Sim City, Tropico, GTA V, Regular Skyrim. I'm not looking to build a gaming-oriented PC, but rather a high quality music recording rig with occasional gaming in mind. Similar to an imac, but not overpriced and better in performance.

 

How is this? (a bit over budget, i don't mind): http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/user/coloswaggins/saved/2hYQzy

 

Also, I am obviously a noob to PC building but I'd like to make a purchase I won't regret. If I'm talking out of my ass, feel free to correct me.

[Megazero]

How about this? I cant hardly recommend any ~1k$ system without SSD, so I drop the GPU to a 280 (you can still go up to 280x and the budget will go up to 1000$, but I dont think it worth the extra 50$ from 280 to 280x). Mobo change to ATX and case change to a cheaper one. PSU changed too for a cheaper one but still good quality.
 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($246.67 @ DirectCanada) 

Motherboard: MSI Z97-Gaming 3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($144.62 @ DirectCanada) 

Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($82.99 @ Canada Computers) 

Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($69.95 @ Vuugo) 

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($57.99 @ Canada Computers) 

Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 280 3GB TWIN FROZR Video Card  ($244.98 @ Newegg Canada) 

Case: BitFenix Neos Black/Red ATX Mid Tower Case  ($45.88 @ DirectCanada) 

Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($58.99 @ NCIX) 

Total: $952.07

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

[LimpCurve]

Do you care for overclocking? Do you want a side panel window?

[LimpCurve]

If you want the best bang for your buck, this is it. http://pcpartpicker.com/p/T6WfnQ  Almost completely silent thanks to ASUS Fan Xpert

NVM, Canada: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/Y966pg

[WoodenMarker]

Since higher-end zX7 boards are built for overclocking, aren't they generally built with higher quality parts, making them last longer? Again, I'm looking for longevity.

Let's say I was to forego playing super-high-end games, and stick to mid-range gaming at 1440p instead. Sim City, Tropico, GTA V, Regular Skyrim. I'm not looking to build a gaming-oriented PC, but rather a high quality music recording rig with occasional gaming in mind. Similar to an imac, but not overpriced and better in performance.

How is this? (a bit over budget, i don't mind): http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/user/coloswaggins/saved/2hYQzy

Also, I am obviously a noob to PC building but I'd like to make a purchase I won't regret. If I'm talking out of my ass, feel free to correct me.

They are generally better built but it's not like a motherboard would suddenly fail or not fail because it was a zX7 board. Save your money and get a cheaper board if you don't need the extra features. 

That list is more expensive and quite worse than what I suggested.