Multi-Purpose Beginner Build

[indieclique]

Budget & Location

Hi, my name is Douglas. I am from the United States, and I have a budget of around 400-550 dollars. 650 at MOST.

 

Aim

I am a complete beginner at this, so I don't know much. What this computer is going to be used for is lots of video-editing (higher-end programs like Premiere Pro & After Effects), graphic design (Photoshop CS6), and some low-range gaming. I don't play games like Fallout 4 or anything. I play games like Minecraft, The Sims 4, Garry's Mod, you get the picture.

 

Monitors

I don't care too much about graphics quality (about medium on most games is fine with me). I only plan on using one monitor, and I only care that it runs at 1080p. I do not plan to upscale whatsoever. I'm fine with just one

 

Peripherals

 I've got most peripherals covered, like a keyboard, mouse, and headset. I just need a new monitor. I will also need Windows 10 Home which varies in price. 

 

Why am I upgrading?

Right now, I am using an Acer Aspire 5552 laptop. A 4 GB DDR3 Memory, hour-lasting battery piece of junk. I don't think much needs to be said about that. Let's just say that I've been pushing this thing to the limit, using Premiere Pro CS6 and After Effects CS6. It would just be nice for my PC not to take over an hour and a half to render a 3-minute video, or maybe even to have a PC that can at least reach 60 fps on Minecraft, of all games. So yeah, after 5-6 years on this thing, it's time for an upgrade. 

 

Anyway, please help me figure the best value PC build for my budget. Thanks!  

[ChrisCross]

Just now, indieclique said:

 

at your budget i would highly suggest to buy some stuff used. because for video editing you want a powerful cpu (which is not in your budget if you buy new).

i would look for an amd 8350 (better for editing) or an i5 (better for gaming)

[Herman Mcpootis]

$647 without rebates, $630 with rebates. For OS, get from kinguin/reddit for $20-30.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($239.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B85M-DS3H-A Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($49.89 @ OutletPC) 
Memory: Mushkin Essentials 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($48.98 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Toshiba  1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($42.89 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card  ($97.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Case: HEC Vigilance MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($28.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($34.99 @ NCIX US) 
Monitor: Acer G227HQLbi 60Hz 21.5" Monitor  ($85.98 @ Newegg) 
Total: $629.70
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-05-15 04:58 EDT-0400

[ChrisCross]

Just now, herman mcpootis said:

 

he needs os and monitor too. i would suggest to get the os here:

http://www.kinguin.net/category/22175/windows-10-home-oem-key/

 

then search for a cpu, mobo and cooler combo for around 100-150$ and do this:

 

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/VDhryc
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/VDhryc/by_merchant/

Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($27.89 @ OutletPC) 
Storage: A-Data Premier SP550 480GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($108.99 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 380 2GB Double Dissipation Video Card  ($179.99 @ Newegg) 
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($36.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Power Supply: Cooler Master Elite V2 550W ATX Power Supply  ($40.32 @ Amazon) 
Monitor: Acer G227HQLbi 60Hz 21.5" Monitor  ($85.98 @ Newegg) 
Total: $480.16
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-05-15 05:02 EDT-0400

[indieclique]

11 minutes ago, herman mcpootis said:

$652 without rebates, $608 with rebates.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($239.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B85M-DS3H-A Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($49.89 @ OutletPC) 
Memory: Mushkin Essentials 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($48.98 @ Newegg) 
Storage: A-Data Premier SP550 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($33.99 @ NCIX US) 
Storage: Toshiba  1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($42.89 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 950 2GB Video Card  ($119.99 @ Newegg) 
Case: Thermaltake VL80001W2Z ATX Mid Tower Case  ($22.99 @ Micro Center) 
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 450W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($49.99 @ Micro Center) 
Total: $608.71
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-05-15 04:51 EDT-0400

 

4 minutes ago, ChrisCross said:

he needs os and monitor too. i would suggest to get the os here:

http://www.kinguin.net/category/22175/windows-10-home-oem-key/

 

then search for a cpu, mobo and cooler combo for around 100-150$ and do this:

 

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/VDhryc
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/VDhryc/by_merchant/

Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($27.89 @ OutletPC) 
Storage: A-Data Premier SP550 480GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($108.99 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 380 2GB Double Dissipation Video Card  ($179.99 @ Newegg) 
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($36.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Power Supply: Cooler Master Elite V2 550W ATX Power Supply  ($40.32 @ Amazon) 
Monitor: Acer G227HQLbi 60Hz 21.5" Monitor  ($85.98 @ Newegg) 
Total: $480.16
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-05-15 05:02 EDT-0400

 

Would 16 GB of memory be necessary for heavy video editing? Would it help with gaming? I was thinking about maybe getting the Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600. I don't know which is better, though, but reviews on newegg seem high. Also, I don't think that a SSD would be necessary, but who am I to say? I would rather go with HDD since it is cheaper, like the Toshiba Herman commented. 

[Castdeath97]

Wait for polaris in June?

[ChrisCross]

8 minutes ago, indieclique said:

 

 

Would 16 GB of memory be necessary for heavy video editing? Would it help with gaming? I was thinking about maybe getting the Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600. I don't know which is better, though, but reviews on newegg seem high. Also, I don't think that a SSD would be necessary, but who am I to say? I would rather go with HDD since it is cheaper, like the Toshiba Herman commented. 

16gb is not necessary for gaming. and it helps with editing but not with rendering. i would put the money somewhere else. 

you want that ssd! 

[indieclique]

1 minute ago, ChrisCross said:

16gb is not necessary for gaming. and it helps with editing but not with rendering. i would put the money somewhere else. 

you want that ssd! 

What are the major improvements between SSD's and HDD's? 

[Herman Mcpootis]

12 minutes ago, indieclique said:

What are the major improvements between SSD's and HDD's? 

Ssds are faster than hdds but cost more per gb. If you don't have enough money, get a hdd. Its slower but more than enough for storing everything you need, and ssds are still abit of a luxury item, not required if you're on a low budget.

[ChrisCross]

16 minutes ago, indieclique said:

What are the major improvements between SSD's and HDD's? 

without an ssd you cant record 1080p gameplay at 60fps and it makes the whole pc just faster. games load load faster and programs are more responsive. 

[indieclique]

2 minutes ago, ChrisCross said:

without an ssd you cant record 1080p gameplay at 60fps and it makes the whole pc just faster. games load load faster and programs are more responsive. 

But is it really worth spending almost double when I'm on a budget? I'm not looking to record games, so I think I'll be okay. I have a LOT of files that need to be stored, including photos and projects I'm working on. 

[indieclique]

9 minutes ago, ChrisCross said:

without an ssd you cant record 1080p gameplay at 60fps and it makes the whole pc just faster. games load load faster and programs are more responsive. 

Alright, I've edited the list a bit. What do you think? Anything you would change? 

 

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/fDf4t6
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/fDf4t6/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor  ($98.95 @ Amazon) 
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($24.89 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: MSI 970 GAMING ATX AM3+ Motherboard  ($89.99 @ B&H) 
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($30.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($46.98 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 950 2GB Superclocked+ ACX 2.0 Video Card  ($119.99 @ Newegg) 
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case  ($44.99 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: Cooler Master Elite V2 550W ATX Power Supply  ($29.99 @ Newegg) 
Monitor: Asus VS228H-P 21.5" Monitor  ($99.99 @ Best Buy) 
Total: $586.76
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-05-15 05:44 EDT-0400

[ChrisCross]

17 minutes ago, indieclique said:

But is it really worth spending almost double when I'm on a budget? I'm not looking to record games, so I think I'll be okay. I have a LOT of files that need to be stored, including photos and projects I'm working on. 

than go for 120gb ssd for os and programs and a 1tb hdd. im not building any computer without a ssd nowadays. 

[Herman Mcpootis]

10 minutes ago, indieclique said:

Alright, I've edited the list a bit. What do you think? Anything you would change? 

 

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/fDf4t6
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/fDf4t6/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor  ($98.95 @ Amazon) 
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($24.89 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: MSI 970 GAMING ATX AM3+ Motherboard  ($89.99 @ B&H) 
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($30.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($46.98 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 950 2GB Superclocked+ ACX 2.0 Video Card  ($119.99 @ Newegg) 
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case  ($44.99 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: Cooler Master Elite V2 550W ATX Power Supply  ($29.99 @ Newegg) 
Monitor: Asus VS228H-P 21.5" Monitor  ($99.99 @ Best Buy) 
Total: $586.76
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-05-15 05:44 EDT-0400

Change the psu to something better, like a CX x50M or xfx/seasonic. Go for an i5 if you can or fx 8 core if you really cant afford it.