First Build--Need Some Help

[13jparker]

I'm planning my first pc build for this Summer and I'm wanting some suggestions on different parts of my build--if anything is not great or anything like that. I'm going to do some gaming (1080p is the highest I plan to go) and I do a bit of video/audio editing as well, so I need a balance between those two. I might do some slight overclocking, but nothing too intensive. Also, if anyone out there has built in a 380t, I'd love to know suggestions specific to some parts you might have used to see how all of these will fit.

 

Here's my parts list:

 

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

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor 

CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler 

Motherboard: Asus MAXIMUS VII IMPACT Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard 

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory

Storage: A-Data Premier Pro SP600 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive 

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive 

Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 280 3GB TWIN FROZR Video Card  

Case: Corsair 380T Mini ITX Tower Case  

Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply 

Case Fan: Corsair SP140 49.5 CFM 140mm  Fan 

 

Total: $1075.29

 

 

I know that the motherboard is a bit overkill, but I really want to be able to have both the audio-card with a graphics card and with the i5 4690k. Also, I'm only using one ram stick at 8gb now so I can put in another later.

 

Thanks for your input in advance!

[g4m3cr34tor]

I dont have any experience with the 380t, but from looking at other builds i can see that cable clutter is a big issue, so you may want to look into getting a SFX power supply like the Silverstons SX-500G

[Spewky]

So your budget being around $1000 - $1100 I think your planned build is quite good. But yeah, the motherboard is way overkill... I'm not really sure sound cards are needed really... I've heard they only really improve bass.

 

Are you going to aim for a specific colour scheme as your case is white?

 

Here is what I think would be good (red/black scheme):

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/HxVtBm

 

I upgraded the GPU to a 280X which is slightly better and changed the SSD to one that is a bit more expensive but much better as it's an 850 evo with very high read/write speeds. I also changed it a bit so the scheme is red/black. 

 

So yeah, tell me what you think.

 

 

 

500th Post!

[13jparker]

I dont have any experience with the 380t, but from looking at other builds i can see that cable clutter is a big issue, so you may want to look into getting a SFX power supply like the Silverstons SX-500G

Thanks for the input! I'll look into that power supply--do you think it'll help even though the case has a cage for the power supply? I suppose I could hide some extra cables above it in the cage, but I'm not sure if it'll do much otherwise.

 

 

So your budget being around $1000 - $1100 I think your planned build is quite good. But yeah, the motherboard is way overkill... I'm not really sure sound cards are needed really... I've heard they only really improve bass.

 

Are you going to aim for a specific colour scheme as your case is white?

 

Here is what I think would be good (red/black scheme):

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/HxVtBm

 

I upgraded the GPU to a 280X which is slightly better and changed the SSD to one that is a bit more expensive but much better as it's an 850 evo with very high read/write speeds. I also changed it a bit so the scheme is red/black. 

 

So yeah, tell me what you think.

 

 

 

500th Post!

Thanks for the SSD suggestion! I really just went with an inexpensive one for the size. Is there a noticeable difference for gameplay, etc. with a faster one?

 

In regard to color scheme, I realized that all of my internals were red and black about halfway through picking components, but I'm hoping to have a white and purple (hence the extra fan) scheme for the outside/peripherals. That probably sounds dumb but I just really like the clean look of the white. But your version of the build does look really good--I might be in for a hard decision on the case color after all.

[brob]

Cable clutter can be greatly reduced going with a modular psu. Corsair CX500M is the modular version of the CX-500 in the OP build.

[13jparker]

Cable clutter can be greatly reduced going with a modular psu. Corsair CX500M is the modular version of the CX-500 in the OP build.

Okay! will there be much gained by doing fully modular over semi-modular? I know semi is a little bit cheaper--is there any reason to go more expensive?

[brob]

Okay! will there be much gained by doing fully modular over semi-modular? I know semi is a little bit cheaper--is there any reason to go more expensive?

 

The difference is marginal. If budget is an issue, then semi-modular is a great compromise.

[techguru]

why MINI ITX?

[stconquest]

I switched out the i5 for a Xeon.  You would lose the easy overclocking, but gain hyper threading.  It might be more desirable as you would have a more versatile PC, better multi-threaded performance for streaming, video/audio editing, programming (VMs), etc...

 

I added 8GB more RAM... because why not.... you can always drop it back down to 8GB to save money.

 

The GTX 970 will offer much better gaming performance.

 

The PSU is made by Seasonic and backsed by EVGA (warranty), and is fully modular for your tiny form factor.

 

Anyways, here is a comparative build:

 

$1120 before rebates:

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($231.99 @ SuperBiiz) <<<you can add custom cooling later, stock is fine.
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($80.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance Pro 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2400 Memory  ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial BX100 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($94.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($52.49 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card  ($318.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Corsair 380T Mini ITX Tower Case  ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA GS 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1074.41
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-03 00:06 EDT-0400

[13jparker]

why MINI ITX?

 

Mostly for Portability. I also live in a dorm room, so I'm trying to keep it small just so I can make the most of the room I have.

 

I switched out the i5 for a Xeon.  You would lose the easy overclocking, but gain hyper threading.  It might be more desirable as you would have a more versatile PC, better multi-threaded performance for streaming, video/audio editing, programming (VMs), etc...

 

I added 8GB more RAM... because why not.... you can always drop it back down to 8GB to save money.

 

The GTX 970 will offer much better gaming performance.

 

The PSU is made by Seasonic and backsed by EVGA (warranty), and is fully modular for your tiny form factor.

 

Anyways, here is a comparative build:

 

$1120 before rebates:

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($231.99 @ SuperBiiz) <<<you can add custom cooling later, stock is fine.

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($80.98 @ Newegg)

Memory: Corsair Vengeance Pro 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2400 Memory  ($109.99 @ Newegg)

Storage: Crucial BX100 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($94.99 @ NCIX US)

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($52.49 @ NCIX US)

Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card  ($318.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Case: Corsair 380T Mini ITX Tower Case  ($129.99 @ Newegg)

Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA GS 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($54.99 @ NCIX US)

Total: $1074.41

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-03 00:06 EDT-0400

 

Thanks for the help! Any reason for picking the Nvidia card instead of another AMD?

[stconquest]

Mostly for Portability. I also live in a dorm room, so I'm trying to keep it small just so I can make the most of the room I have.

 

 

Thanks for the help! Any reason for picking the Nvidia card instead of another AMD?

 

I pretty much grab the GPU last, based on how much money I have left over.  The GTX 970 was the best one with how much money was left.

[13jparker]

I pretty much grab the GPU last, based on how much money I have left over.  The GTX 970 was the best one with how much money was left.

 

Okay, thanks! I'll keep those suggestions in mind.

[stconquest]

Okay, thanks! I'll keep those suggestions in mind.

 

If you have any questions about the Xeon, just ask.  For gaming it is just as good as any of the i3/i5/i7s, at the same clock.