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Help me! First PC build, I'm on the right path?

Alejandro Mejia
By Alejandro Mejia
in New Builds and Planning
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Hello!

 

So I have never build a PC, I know all the basics and have upgraded a PC and know and like PC's. I'm trying to build a PC for using Photoshop, Flash, Illustrator, Unity, Web browsing, Video Editing, and programming. I'm on a budget of 500 $USD or less, If I really need to go above $500 max. I would spend 600. I only use one monitor, I already got: A mouse, a keyboard, a monitor, speakers and HDD.

 

My Current PC... I currently have a Compaq Presario CQ1, when I bought this PC it was for Web browsing, using Flash Games, downloading and watching videos, but since then I started using Photoshop, Flash, video editing, programming, uploading files to the web, and my Intel Atom 1.80 GHz with 2GB of RAM can't handle it anymore.

 

I'm not a professional Photoshop employee, I plan on making Android applications later on. Any tips welcome! 

 

What I'm thinking on building:

 

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/VRCGVn
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/VRCGVn/by_merchant/
 
CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($209.99 @ Newegg) 
Motherboard: ASRock H97M PRO4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($67.98 @ Newegg) 
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($79.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: A-Data S510 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($65.99 @ Newegg) 
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case  ($39.99 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: Antec Basiq Plus 550W 80+ Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($59.99 @ Amazon) 
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer  ($14.98 @ OutletPC) 
Total: $525.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-22 16:06 EST-0500
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Heavy editing?

 

Not really, logo making, graphics for websites, banners, ads etc.

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Not really, logo making, graphics for websites, banners, ads etc.

and video, light too?

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This is one of those builds where you should probably just get a FX-8320, the extra cores will really help and you can spend the extra money on more RAM or a better SSD.

I have no idea about REALLY cheap graphics cards so if someone could suggest something better that'd be great.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor  ($119.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3P ATX AM3+ Motherboard  ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Gaming Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($121.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($69.93 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GT 610 1GB Video Card  ($30.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case  ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply  ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $492.84
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-22 16:18 EST-0500

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This is one of those builds where you should probably just get a FX-8320, the extra cores will really help and you can spend the extra money on more RAM or a better SSD.

Something like this?

 
CPU: AMD FX-8320E 3.2GHz 8-Core Processor  ($119.99 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: MSI 990FXA-GD65V2 ATX AM3+ Motherboard  ($59.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: A-Data Premier SP610 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($65.65 @ NCIX US) 
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 270 2GB WINDFORCE Video Card  ($145.38 @ Newegg) 
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case  ($39.99 @ Newegg) 
Total: $586.96
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-22 16:19 EST-0500
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Something like this?

 
CPU: AMD FX-8320E 3.2GHz 8-Core Processor  ($119.99 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: MSI 990FXA-GD65V2 ATX AM3+ Motherboard  ($59.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: A-Data Premier SP610 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($65.65 @ NCIX US) 
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 270 2GB WINDFORCE Video Card  ($145.38 @ Newegg) 
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case  ($39.99 @ Newegg) 
Total: $586.96
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-22 16:19 EST-0500

 

 

Do I really need such a powerful video card?

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This is one of those builds where you should probably just get a FX-8320, the extra cores will really help and you can spend the extra money on more RAM or a better SSD.

I have no idea about REALLY cheap graphics cards so if someone could suggest something better that'd be great.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor  ($119.99 @ Amazon)

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($29.98 @ OutletPC)

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3P ATX AM3+ Motherboard  ($59.99 @ Newegg)

Memory: G.Skill Sniper Gaming Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($121.99 @ Newegg)

Storage: Crucial MX100 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($69.93 @ Amazon)

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GT 610 1GB Video Card  ($30.98 @ Newegg)

Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case  ($39.99 @ Newegg)

Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply  ($19.99 @ Newegg)

Total: $492.84

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-22 16:18 EST-0500

 

 

Thank you, but why use that CPU instead of Intel i5?

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This is one of those builds where you should probably just get a FX-8320, the extra cores will really help and you can spend the extra money on more RAM or a better SSD.

I have no idea about REALLY cheap graphics cards so if someone could suggest something better that'd be great.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor  ($119.99 @ Amazon)

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($29.98 @ OutletPC)

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3P ATX AM3+ Motherboard  ($59.99 @ Newegg)

Memory: G.Skill Sniper Gaming Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($121.99 @ Newegg)

Storage: Crucial MX100 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($69.93 @ Amazon)

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GT 610 1GB Video Card  ($30.98 @ Newegg)

Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case  ($39.99 @ Newegg)

Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply  ($19.99 @ Newegg)

Total: $492.84

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-22 16:18 EST-0500

couldnt agree more, no need to spend unnecessary money on cpu thats not going anywhere above this really especially when overclocked. but perhaps you should go AMD for any OpenCL you might run into

System: Intel Core i3 3240 @ 3.4GHz, EVGA GTX 960 SSC 2GB ACX 2.0, 8GB 1600MHz DDR3 Kingston HyperX RAM, ASRock B75M-DGS R2.0 Motherboard, Corsair CX430 W Power Supply

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Thank you, but why use that CPU instead of Intel i5?

The 4690k has 4 (powerful) threads which won't really do much at all for your intentions.

The FX-8320 has 8 (weaker) threads which will speed up the rendering of videos and possibly the rendering of images dramatically. Also for programs you might end up making yourself will run faster if you multithread them. :)

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Posted

 

Hello!

 

So I have never build a PC, I know all the basics and have upgraded a PC and know and like PC's. I'm trying to build a PC for using Photoshop, Flash, Illustrator, Unity, Web browsing, Video Editing, and programming. I'm on a budget of 500 $USD or less, If I really need to go above $500 max. I would spend 600. I only use one monitor, I already got: A mouse, a keyboard, a monitor, speakers and HDD.

 

My Current PC... I currently have a Compaq Presario CQ1, when I bought this PC it was for Web browsing, using Flash Games, downloading and watching videos, but since then I started using Photoshop, Flash, video editing, programming, uploading files to the web, and my Intel Atom 1.80 GHz with 2GB of RAM can't handle it anymore.

 

I'm not a professional Photoshop employee, I plan on making Android applications later on. Any tips welcome! 

 

What I'm thinking on building:

 

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/VRCGVn
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/VRCGVn/by_merchant/
 
CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($209.99 @ Newegg) 
Motherboard: ASRock H97M PRO4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($67.98 @ Newegg) 
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($79.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: A-Data S510 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($65.99 @ Newegg) 
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case  ($39.99 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: Antec Basiq Plus 550W 80+ Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($59.99 @ Amazon) 
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer  ($14.98 @ OutletPC) 
Total: $525.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-22 16:06 EST-0500

 

I would just change to a cheap Z97 board like a Z97 Pro 3 from ASRock so you can actually overclock your CPU. Get a Cooler master Hyper 212 cooler as well.

Your PSU is a little cheap not even bronze certified. You can get a Corsair CX500 which is 80+ bronze for that price.

Intel Inside. Overweight guy in his 30's outside.

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I would just change to a cheap Z97 board like a Z97 Pro 3 from ASRock so you can actually overclock your CPU. Get a Cooler master Hyper 212 cooler as well.

Your PSU is a little cheap not even bronze certified. You can get a Corsair CX500 which is 80+ bronze for that price.

 

 

The 4690k has 4 (powerful) threads which won't really do much at all for your intentions.

The FX-8320 has 8 (weaker) threads which will speed up the rendering of videos and possibly the rendering of images dramatically. Also for programs you might end up making yourself will run faster if you multithread them. :)

 

 

couldnt agree more, no need to spend unnecessary money on cpu thats not going anywhere above this really especially when overclocked. but perhaps you should go AMD for any OpenCL you might run into

 

 

I really like the core i5 since I already have a PC with it and works good and I know it can handle my work. I made some changes based on what you all have told me:

 

 
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 PRO3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($74.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: A-Data S510 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($65.99 @ Newegg) 
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case  ($39.99 @ Newegg) 
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer  ($14.98 @ OutletPC) 
Total: $506.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-22 16:51 EST-0500
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CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor  ($119.99 @ Amazon) 


Motherboard: Asus M5A97 LE R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard  ($49.00 @ Newegg) 

Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($57.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage: Corsair Force LS 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($84.99 @ Newegg) 

Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 270 2GB TurboDuo Video Card  ($111.98 @ Newegg) 

Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($34.99 @ Micro Center) 


Total: $508.92

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-22 16:53 EST-0500

 

This is what I would setup for you OP

System: Intel Core i3 3240 @ 3.4GHz, EVGA GTX 960 SSC 2GB ACX 2.0, 8GB 1600MHz DDR3 Kingston HyperX RAM, ASRock B75M-DGS R2.0 Motherboard, Corsair CX430 W Power Supply

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I really like the core i5 since I already have a PC with it and works good and I know it can handle my work. I made some changes based on what you all have told me:

 

 
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 PRO3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($74.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: A-Data S510 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($65.99 @ Newegg) 
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case  ($39.99 @ Newegg) 
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer  ($14.98 @ OutletPC) 
Total: $506.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-22 16:51 EST-05

well as long as it will make you happy, just dont want a situation where you get interested into more things and you're unprepared if you get me like me atm I've gotten into Blender for 3D modelling and video editing. The video editing aspect is ok performance wise 1080p (I come from humble beginnings) but gosh is the CPU too slow for rendering the 3D work and the only way to fix that for me is to get a GPU

System: Intel Core i3 3240 @ 3.4GHz, EVGA GTX 960 SSC 2GB ACX 2.0, 8GB 1600MHz DDR3 Kingston HyperX RAM, ASRock B75M-DGS R2.0 Motherboard, Corsair CX430 W Power Supply

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I really like the core i5 since I already have a PC with it and works good and I know it can handle my work. I made some changes based on what you all have told me:

 

 
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 PRO3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($74.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: A-Data S510 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($65.99 @ Newegg) 
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case  ($39.99 @ Newegg) 
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer  ($14.98 @ OutletPC) 
Total: $506.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-22 16:51 EST-0500

 

 

I know it works well but the FX-8320 will just be way better for what you're going to do.

Plus it allows you to get more RAM, which I've heard helps a lot(especially in photoshop).

Either way, get the MX100 instead.

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CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor  ($119.99 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 LE R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard  ($49.00 @ Newegg) 
Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($57.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Corsair Force LS 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($84.99 @ Newegg) 
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 270 2GB TurboDuo Video Card  ($111.98 @ Newegg) 
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($34.99 @ Micro Center) 
Total: $508.92
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-22 16:53 EST-0500
 
This is what I would setup for you OP

 

 

I really like this build, just changing the case maybe, but good over all, thank you :)

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well as long as it will make you happy, just dont want a situation where you get interested into more things and you're unprepared if you get me like me atm I've gotten into Blender for 3D modelling and video editing. The video editing aspect is ok performance wise 1080p (I come from humble beginnings) but gosh is the CPU too slow for rendering the 3D work and the only way to fix that for me is to get a GPU

 

So, what should I get if I want more power for 3D modelling or thing that require more power?

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So, what should I get if I want more power for 3D modelling or thing that require more power?

 

You would need GPU power, no matter which CPU you buy, it will always be too slow for rendering out something like that. I use Blender cuz its freeware but doing complex lighting and imagery, texture mapping, adding materials to objects in it is where you really need the GPU horsepower for that final render and not the 3D modeling itself really. Blender currently only supports CUDA well of NVIDIA GPUs *there is OpenCL support but its buggy and might not work, its in experimental stages) so for me I'd buy one of those, but outside that, CUDA isn't used much in alot of other software as OpenCL is so that's why I chose the R9 270 for you. The GPU though will depend on what software you currently use for your tasks

System: Intel Core i3 3240 @ 3.4GHz, EVGA GTX 960 SSC 2GB ACX 2.0, 8GB 1600MHz DDR3 Kingston HyperX RAM, ASRock B75M-DGS R2.0 Motherboard, Corsair CX430 W Power Supply

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Go with the i5. Overall it is better than the 8 core FX. Not at everything, but most things. 

Also the board listed for the 83XX was not good enough. IMO nothing below a GA970AUD3P should be used.

Intel Inside. Overweight guy in his 30's outside.

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