First build

[cchuck]

1. Budget & Location
My budget is around 600-750€ (~800usd). This is more of a guideline to show the budget I'm running. I'm more interested in the feedback and the ideas that you guys might have about my build plans.

2. Aim
I'm looking for a build that I can run Photoshop and Lightroom with ease, general multimedia use (movies, music etc) and run games like Battlefield 4, Diablo 3 etc. at 1080p.

3. Monitors
I'm planning on running one 23-24" fHD IPS monitor.

4. Peripherals

No need for OS or peripherals. SSD and HDD are also taken care of atm, but will update them also in the future.

 

5. Why are you upgrading?
I recently ran a problem with my old graphics card dying on me and I purchase a Asus GeForce GTX 750 TI OC and while changing it the old dream of building my own pc sprung to life. I've been "out of the game" for a while. My current pc is running an Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 with 4gb of DDR2. Current OS is Win7 ultimate 64bit, would appreciate comments on upgrading to Win8.1 or is it reasonable to wait for Win10?

 

Here is the game plan:

 

AMD FX-8320

Scythe Mugen 4 cooler

G.Skills Ripjaws X 8gb (2x4gb) 1600MHz

Asus M5A97 EVO R2.0 Socket AM3+

Fractal Define R4 case

GeForce 750 TI OC

Old PSU: Cougar 550w 80+ bronze (This can be changed if needed)

 

So that's what I've been thinking. The idea is to create a quiet, good looking pc which I can update in the future. I'm thinking about overclocking the CPU at some point as well.

 

Thank you in advance for your thoughts!

[Suika]

If your goal is gaming, an i5-4440 with a cheaper motherboard would be an infinitely superior experience. You can get a be quiet! PURE ROCK just for the sake of having a quiet PC but it wouldn't make a difference for a locked processor.

 

You can probably get cheaper/better PSU, like the XFX ProSeries 450W or Corsair CX430.

[Superfichtig]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($286.88 @ OutletPC)

Motherboard: ASRock H97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($71.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($115.98 @ Newegg)

Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280 3GB DUAL-X Video Card ($159.99 @ Newegg)

Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($83.98 @ Newegg)

Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($54.99 @ NCIX US)

Total: $773.81

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-19 19:34 EST-0500

Better editing performance. Also way better at gaming at 1080p. Amd isn't cutting the edge anymore so I can't really recommend the fx 8320 if your budget would get your better performance.

[Clear17Mud]

If your goal is gaming, an i5-4440 with a cheaper motherboard would be an infinitely superior experience. You can get a be quiet! PURE ROCK just for the sake of having a quiet PC but it wouldn't make a difference for a locked processor.

 

You can probably get cheaper/better PSU, like the XFX ProSeries 450W or Corsair CX430.

2. Aim

I'm looking for a build that I can run Photoshop and Lightroom with ease, general multimedia use (movies, music etc) and run games like Battlefield 4, Diablo 3 etc. at 1080p.

 

not really that intensive of games, so he should be fine with a 8320, the only real benefit would be to step to an i7  for the non-gaming stuff.

 

Old PSU: Cougar 550w 80+ bronze (This can be changed if needed)

its already there he doesnt need to get a cheaper one this one is free...

[DimasRMDO]

If you still want to use AMD, then....

 

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/zvwWwP

Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/zvwWwP/by_merchant/

 

CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor  ($163.98 @ OutletPC) 

CPU Cooler: Corsair H80i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($89.99 @ Directron) 

Motherboard: MSI 970A-G46 ATX AM3+ Motherboard  ($68.98 @ OutletPC) 

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory  ($58.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($50.78 @ OutletPC) 

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($44.99 @ Best Buy) 

Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 285 2GB Double Dissipation Video Card  ($181.98 @ Newegg) 

Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($83.98 @ Newegg) 

Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($49.88 @ OutletPC) 

Total: $793.55

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-19 19:54 EST-0500

 

This might work for you.

[cchuck]

Thanks guys for the feedback. I really have to evaluate ordering parts outside EU because the prices in the US seem way lower than here in Finland.

Never the less, I've had this constant battle between the i5/i7 CPUs which I know are better, but the "bang for the buck" really is intriguing, hence the selection for AMD build.

Have to say, that the Corsair H80i looks very interesting at first sight, have to do my research on that one!

[Imakuni]

Thanks guys for the feedback. I really have to evaluate ordering parts outside EU because the prices in the US seem way lower than here in Finland.

Never the less, I've had this constant battle between the i5/i7 CPUs which I know are better, but the "bang for the buck" really is intriguing, hence the selection for AMD build.

Have to say, that the Corsair H80i looks very interesting at first sight, have to do my research on that one!

Let me say, watch out for import taxes. Where I live, I have to pay 60% -> 100$ = 160$.

 

At any rate, can you give us a link to a trusted store? We might be able to help you a bit more. Also, if you don't plan on OCing, you could be looking at getting a Xeon CPU instead: it's the i7 for the price of the i5, without the ability for OC.

[cchuck]

Let me say, watch out for import taxes. Where I live, I have to pay 60% -> 100$ = 160$.

 

At any rate, can you give us a link to a trusted store? We might be able to help you a bit more. Also, if you don't plan on OCing, you could be looking at getting a Xeon CPU instead: it's the i7 for the price of the i5, without the ability for OC.

 

Good pointers here. The store I'm using is www.systemastore.fi. The OC is an option that I'd like to keep open at the moment. It would be the first time doing it, so AMD is much cheaper to wreck, so to speak Thanks for the help!

[Imakuni]

Good pointers here. The store I'm using is www.systemastore.fi. The OC is an option that I'd like to keep open at the moment. It would be the first time doing it, so AMD is much cheaper to wreck, so to speak Thanks for the help!

AMD is much cheaper... for a reason. It's also a lot weaker on the CPU side of things.

 

A quick look at the site gives me the hint that you are looking for a very low budget PC. Start by getting the cheapest H81 mobo, with something like an i5-4440. Add in the 8gbs of RAM, one r9 280(x), a 500w PSU and a case you like. If you have some money left, try upping the CPU to a Xeon. Let's see what you can do.

[cchuck]

Apologies, my cost assessment was wrong because I already had my new display in the cart. Never the less, I'm getting the feeling I should go with Intel on this one.

I summed up some components from another site and they fit my budget very well.

 

i5 4690K

Scythe Mugen 4 cooler

Asus Z97 Pro Gamer MOBO

8gb Corsair 1600Mhz memory

550W PSU (already owned, update in the future)

GeForce GTX 750 TI OC (probably will update this in the future)

Fractal Define R5

 

This should be better?

I'm getting to a roughly 600e build with these parts (PSU and GPU excluded)

[brob]

If you are willing to entertain a smaller case this build offers a great deal of power. I did not include any storage. An ssd and hdd are required. Stock cooler is sufficient. 16GB of memory will improve editing. As will the 4-core/8-thread Xeon cpu. The orginal psu most likely needs to be replaced. A model number would help in that determination.

 

From www.systemastore.fi

 

[Suika]

not really that intensive of games, so he should be fine with a 8320, the only real benefit would be to step to an i7  for the non-gaming stuff.

The i5 is faster, more power efficient, better performing in games and general tasks, and is on a newer chipset. You can also outweigh the cost of the chip considering a decent AM3+ board would cost $90+ and you would need (or highly prefer) a cooler which would cost another $20-30 depending on what you're looking at. The i5 needs a $50 board.

 

[cchuck]

If you are willing to entertain a smaller case this build offers a great deal of power. I did not include any storage. An ssd and hdd are required. Stock cooler is sufficient. 16GB of memory will improve editing. As will the 4-core/8-thread Xeon cpu. The orginal psu most likely needs to be replaced. A model number would help in that determination.

From www.systemastore.fi

2015-02-19 Build 2.jpg

The PSU is Cougar HEC-500TE, found some info here: http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page1439.htm. I am really leaning toward overclocking at the moment so for that I understand the 4690k is the best solution at that price range? That said, I understood that the new PSU is a must