1st Build - Need Some Advice

[georgebyrom]

Hi, I'm George and I've decided I need to ditch my underpowered (I mean, really underpowered) laptop (Compaq CQ58) and try building my own PC.

 

Budget:

I'm on quite a tight budget, I'm only 14, and have about £300 to spend, but I'm willing to save a little longer if it will make a difference.

 

Usage:

I'm going to be using this rig for basic tasks like web browsing, homework, and video streaming and also some moderate gaming like a little Minecraft. The thing im more worried about is my interest in 3D animation and video editing. This machine needs to be able to run programs like Sony Vegas Pro 12 (and render at decent speeds), Blender, C4D and SFM.

 

Parts:

Now, I've been following LTT and other tech YT channels, and read alot tech related blogs. I don't have any experience with building, but could probably manage if no errors occurred.

With my little experience I managed to come up with this list (only ideas , nothing's set in stone.):  http://pcpartpicker.com/p/qsnszy

 

Please note I am using a laptop at the moment and have no parts, nor monitor or keyboard to recycle.

 

Thanks in advance ,

~George.

 

[Kingler]

Solid build, I can vouch for the Athlon, great price to performance

[georgebyrom]

Just now, Kingler said:

Solid build, I can vouch for the Athlon, great price to performance

Thanks! Do you think it could manage my needs?

[neutrino monger]

ebay to the rescue! get old server stuff...its probably your best shot at your budget,

once you've got your parts ready, im sure the good people at LTT forum will help you with any troubleshooting

[Kingler]

Just now, georgebyrom said:

Thanks! Do you think it could manage my needs?

If you can dish out a lil more money I suggest going with a aftermarket cooler, I use the Coolermaster Hyper TX3 and it works great.

[georgebyrom]

Just now, neutrino monger said:

ebay to the rescue! get old server stuff...its probably your best shot at your budget,

once you've got your parts ready, im sure the good people at LTT forum will help you with any troubleshooting

:3 Nooby question: What parts? 

[Epiclol86]

yhea... good build BUT do you really need a graphics card like that? i mean if you just want to run minecraft you could put that gpu money towards a better cpu with integrated graphics, for example. You would run video editing software a LOT better. Although if you want to run something more gpu intensive than minecraft, stay with what you have.

[Oishter]

Important to note, If I assume correctly you're in england? though you've obviously converted prices I will point out that me recently building a pc in ireland, pricing over here is much more expensive.

 

Actual build seems pretty good, the quad core will definitely benefit for rendering.

Might be worth it to go for the green team with a 950 for a bit more cash as the cuda cores could benefit a lot for rendering, but will add about 30 - 50$ to price. Up to how much you value improvement.

 

p.s. think 950 benefits performance wise too, but don't quote me.

[georgebyrom]

Just now, Epiclol86 said:

yhea... good build BUT do you really need a graphics card like that? i mean if you just want to run minecraft you could put that gpu money towards a better cpu with integrated graphics, for example. You would run video editing software a LOT better. Although if you want to run something more gpu intensive than minecraft, stay with what you have.

That's one of the things I wasn't sure on. I'd love to get more into PC gaming, but my current laptop can't handle much, and the original idea behind this PC was to be able to play Steam games with my friends. I'm trying to balance both GPU and CPU performance, so yeahhhh.

[Epiclol86]

Just now, georgebyrom said:

That's one of the things I wasn't sure on. I'd love to get more into PC gaming, but my current laptop can't handle much, and the original idea behind this PC was to be able to play Steam games with my friends. I'm trying to balance both GPU and CPU performance, so yeahhhh.

yhea, stay with what you have. discover steam and good games, you'll have a lot of fun! and at 14 you still have the time to do some gaming and got to school

[georgebyrom]

1 minute ago, Oishter said:

Important to note, If I assume correctly you're in england? though you've obviously converted prices I will point out that me recently building a pc in ireland, pricing over here is much more expensive.

 

Actual build seems pretty good, the quad core will definitely benefit for rendering.

Might be worth it to go for the green team with a 950 for a bit more cash as the cuda cores could benefit a lot for rendering, but will add about 30 - 50$ to price. Up to how much you value improvement.

Thanks! And yeah, I live in England.  Prices don't seem that bad on amazon (.co.uk), but there is a substantial difference  

 

Now I'm guessing that Green Team is either a type of AMD CPU or something?! :3

[neutrino monger]

1 minute ago, georgebyrom said:

:3 Nooby question: What parts? 

old xeons are pretty cheap and work really good to, an old dual cpu mother board, and graphics card, since datacenters are always upgrading youll find these parts for pretty cheap and will work on par with brand new much more expensive stuff!

so yeah... 

[georgebyrom]

Just now, Epiclol86 said:

yhea, stay with what you have. discover steam and good games, you'll have a lot of fun! and at 14 you still have the time to do some gaming and got to school

Thanks!  

[georgebyrom]

1 minute ago, Epiclol86 said:

yhea, stay with what you have. discover steam and good games, you'll have a lot of fun! and at 14 you still have the time to do some gaming and got to school

Would it be worth upping my cpu cooling and overclocking? Would the mobo be up to it?

[Oishter]

1 minute ago, georgebyrom said:

Thanks! And yeah, I live in England.  Prices don't seem that bad on amazon (.co.uk), but there is a substantial difference  

 

Now I'm guessing that Green Team is either a type of AMD CPU or something?! :3

green team stands for nvidia gtx graphics cards. There's kind of a war going on between nvidia and amd. Both have pretty good specs, but from what I've seen 950 runs better. Here's some benchmarks that might help.

[georgebyrom]

Just now, Oishter said:

green team stands for nvidia gtx graphics cards. There's kind of a war going on between nvidia and amd. Both have pretty good specs, but from what I've seen 950 runs better. Here's some benchmarks that might help.

Ahh. Thanks! 

[Oishter]

2 minutes ago, georgebyrom said:

Would it be worth upping my cpu cooling and overclocking? Would the mobo be up to it?

Luckily, mo-bos don't really change overclocking apart from allowing it or not. If you're determined a 212 evo has amazing cooling performance at only about 30£. just make sure it'll fit in your case, my friend had some problems and had to return his. But anyway, with that you're not gonna have a problem overclocking.

[Epiclol86]

2 minutes ago, georgebyrom said:

Would it be worth upping my cpu cooling and overclocking? Would the mobo be up to it?

this motherboard has a really basic chipset that's still capable of overclocking BUT it will be weaker then with a higher-tier chipset (i really don't know much about AMD chipsets, so i feel i woulnd't be the best advice on which one to pick). going with a classic Hyper 212 EVO cpu cooler is your best option on a budget. This whole upping would be about 30 to 40 pounds more than currently i think. you have to choose if you want to do it, knowing it could bring you up to 30% more cpu capability...

[georgebyrom]

2 minutes ago, Oishter said:

Luckily, mo-bos don't really change overclocking apart from allowing it or not. If you're determined a 212 evo has amazing cooling performance at only about 30£. just make sure it'll fit in your case, my friend had some problems and had to return his. But anyway, with that you're not gonna have a problem overclocking.

 

Just now, Epiclol86 said:

this motherboard has a really basic chipset that's still capable of overclocking BUT it will be weaker then with a higher-tier chipset (i really don't know much about AMD chipsets, so i feel i woulnd't be the best advice on which one to pick). going with a classic Hyper 212 EVO cpu cooler is your best option on a budget. This whole upping would be about 30 to 40 pounds more than currently i think. you have to choose if you want to do it, knowing it could bring you up to 30% more cpu capability...

How about this? http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/qqVqD3

£400 is a bit too much over though, any way I could bring it down a little?

[Oishter]

Just now, georgebyrom said:

 

How about this? http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/qqVqD3

£400 is a bit too much over though, any way I could bring it down a little?

Dunno if it's a mistake or not, but keyboard is £44? I could recommend this coolermaster devastator keyboard and mouse. It really is excellent.  http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cooler-Master-SGB-3010-KKMF1-UK-Devastator-Keyboard/dp/B00CUBQH3G/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1456342947&sr=1-1&keywords=coolermaster+devastator

[Epiclol86]

1 minute ago, georgebyrom said:

 

How about this? http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/qqVqD3

£400 is a bit too much over though, any way I could bring it down a little?

first, and this has been SCREAMING at me: you don't need a 45 £ worth keyboard! don't buy a keyboard on a store for gamers, it WILL be overpricec as HELL! just go on amazon and find something basic that suits your needs. I'm sure you can find something around 10 to 15 pounds that will suit you as well as what you currently have on this build. (be sure to look at the reviews though, as cheap keyboards can be hit or miss). just give me more time to look at more mobos

[georgebyrom]

1 minute ago, Epiclol86 said:

first, and this has been SCREAMING at me: you don't need a 45 £ worth keyboard! don't buy a keyboard on a store for gamers, it WILL be overpricec as HELL! just go on amazon and find something basic that suits your needs. I'm sure you can find something around 10 to 15 pounds that will suit you as well as what you currently have on this build. (be sure to look at the reviews though, as cheap keyboards can be hit or miss). just give me more time to look at more mobos

 

2 minutes ago, Oishter said:

Dunno if it's a mistake or not, but keyboard is £44? I could recommend this coolermaster devastator keyboard and mouse. It really is excellent.  http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cooler-Master-SGB-3010-KKMF1-UK-Devastator-Keyboard/dp/B00CUBQH3G/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1456342947&sr=1-1&keywords=coolermaster+devastator

Yeah, I'm ditching the keyboard! I really don't need a gaming kepboard or anything fancy, I'll just get something from my local Maplin (Electronics store in UK).  Maybe I'll upgrade at another date.

[georgebyrom]

Btw, any recommendations for a wireless adapter? I know wired is better in most cases, but in my house there's no way I'm going to be allowed to drill holes through ceilings and floors.  

[Oishter]

6 minutes ago, georgebyrom said:

 

Yeah, I'm ditching the keyboard! I really don't need a gaming kepboard or anything fancy, I'll just get something from my local Maplin (Electronics store in UK).  Maybe I'll upgrade at another date.

 

[Epiclol86]

1 minute ago, georgebyrom said:

Btw, any recommendations for a wireless adapter? I know wired is better in most cases, but in my house there's no way I'm going to be allowed to drill holes through ceilings and floors.  

you could try internet plugs. these are things you plug in the electric outlets of your house, one near your router and you plug an ethernet cable into it. then it uses the wiring for electricity to carry the signal to the other plugs you plug in the electrical outlet you want all over your house (i'm using them at my place, works like a charm). You would have one where your pc would be plugged in the wall, and get cabled ethernet from there, and no holes!