Non Gaming-centric Build

[YJGUY]

I'm looking to replace my nearly 10 year old iMac with a new PC. I looked at the Core I7 iMacs but I think they are pretty overpriced. I'm not a hardware guy so I went to two local computer chains to see what they would recommend for a custom build, with them doing the assembly.

 

My requirements were:
- Something that will be fairly future-proof 
- Ability to occasionally edit 4k Video from my go pros and camera. (as a hobby for my ATV riding, not looking to be a youtube star) 
- Able to run multiple applications at a time, Have a movie playing and still be able to browse using Chrome and do work tasks such as word or excel. (running multiple chrome tabs and Excel at the same time currently sends my Mac into a stroke)
- Able to run a 34" ultra wide screen and a 4k secondary screen. 
- Not a gamer so that wasn't really a consideration but maybe a driving game could be fun. (Played Doom on PS3 and got vertigo for 2 days so I don't think shooter games are for me)

- Price, no real budget constraints but I don't want to spend money for the sake of it.

- I have a new 4TB drive I never used in my NAS that I'd like to put in the system as well.

- USB type C support. I'm sure everything will be USB C soon so might as well be able to use it.

- Have a SD card reader on the front of the case

 

Things that changed since I gave the stores my requirements list:

- I told them I wasn't too picky about a case, I don't need it to glow like a space ship. But I've decided to get a new desk and now I will be able to see the case so maybe something that has a little more style than a plain black box. 

- I've been reading about overclocking, all the cool kids are doing it so should I? If so, do I need to get liquid cooling? 

Here is what they came back with:

Shop #1 (built off of one of their normal gaming setups)
- Core I7 6700 3.4Ghz
- Corsair Carbide SPEC-01 Red Led Window mid tower 
- Segate Barracuda 1TB drive
- ASUS H170 Pro Gaming 3 Socket 1152 
- Thermal TR2 600w power supply 
- Corsair Vengeance LPX 8GB Ram (1x 8GB stick) DDR4 2400MHz CL16
- Intel 600p 256GB solid state drive
- Windows Home 64bit

$1275 CDN assembled with 1 year warranty


Shop #2 (I showed them the shop #1 build sheet and they thought the fist build was a bad setup)
- ASUS X99-A II LGA2011 mother board
- Core I7-6800k Broadwell processor 3.4GHz 6 Core
- Corsair Vengeance LPC 16GB ram (4x4GB sticks) DDR$-2666MHZ
- Samsung 960 EVO 256GB solid state drive
- EVGA GeForce GTC 1060 Gaming 1506/1708 8GB DDR5 Video Card
- ADATA Premier Premier SP550 960GB SSD
- Microsoft Home 64bit
- Cooler Master Huper 212 EVO heatsink and fan
- BitFenix Nova ATX tower
$2353 CDN

I guess my only comment on this one is if I really need the 6 core processor and the extra 960GB SSD as I have 4TB HD of my own to add. Plus there might be sales on SSD's over xmas and I could add another, faster, one later on. 

Other than reading the reviews for each component on their own, I really don't know what to think. I've watched some videos comparing the I7 6700 to the I7 6800k  and the feeling seems to be if going for that might as well go for the 6 core one or drop down to an I5. Do either one really suit my needs or can I can get away with something a bit cheaper such as an over clocked I5 and whatever mother board pairs up with that. Any opinions? 

 

Thanks!

[masterkickass7]

7 minutes ago, YJGUY said:

I'm looking to replace my nearly 10 year old iMac with a new PC. I looked at the Core I7 iMacs but I think they are pretty overpriced. I'm not a hardware guy so I went to two local computer chains to see what they would recommend for a custom build, with them doing the assembly.

 

My requirements were:
- Something that will be fairly future-proof 
- Ability to occasionally edit 4k Video from my go pros and camera. (as a hobby for my ATV riding, not looking to be a youtube star) 
- Able to run multiple applications at a time, Have a movie playing and still be able to browse using Chrome and do work tasks such as word or excel. (running multiple chrome tabs and Excel at the same time currently sends my Mac into a stroke)
- Able to run a 34" ultra wide screen and a 4k secondary screen. 
- Not a gamer so that wasn't really a consideration but maybe a driving game could be fun. (Played Doom on PS3 and got vertigo for 2 days so I don't think shooter games are for me)

- Price, no real budget constraints but I don't want to spend money for the sake of it.

- I have a new 4TB drive I never used in my NAS that I'd like to put in the system as well.

- USB type C support. I'm sure everything will be USB C soon so might as well be able to use it.

- Have a SD card reader on the front of the case

 

Things that changed since I gave the stores my requirements list:

- I told them I wasn't too picky about a case, I don't need it to glow like a space ship. But I've decided to get a new desk and now I will be able to see the case so maybe something that has a little more style than a plain black box. 

- I've been reading about overclocking, all the cool kids are doing it so should I? If so, do I need to get liquid cooling? 

Here is what they came back with:

Shop #1 (built off of one of their normal gaming setups)
- Core I7 6700 3.4Ghz
- Corsair Carbide SPEC-01 Red Led Window mid tower 
- Segate Barracuda 1TB drive
- ASUS H170 Pro Gaming 3 Socket 1152 
- Thermal TR2 600w power supply 
- Corsair Vengeance LPX 8GB Ram (1x 8GB stick) DDR4 2400MHz CL16
- Intel 600p 256GB solid state drive
- Windows Home 64bit

$1275 CDN assembled with 1 year warranty


Shop #2 (I showed them the shop #1 build sheet and they thought the fist build was a bad setup)
- ASUS X99-A II LGA2011 mother board
- Core I7-6800k Broadwell processor 3.4GHz 6 Core
- Corsair Vengeance LPC 16GB ram (4x4GB sticks) DDR$-2666MHZ
- Samsung 960 EVO 256GB solid state drive
- EVGA GeForce GTC 1060 Gaming 1506/1708 8GB DDR5 Video Card
- ADATA Premier Premier SP550 960GB SSD
- Microsoft Home 64bit
- Cooler Master Huper 212 EVO heatsink and fan
- BitFenix Nova ATX tower
$2353 CDN

I guess my only comment on this one is if I really need the 6 core processor and the extra 960GB SSD as I have 4TB HD of my own to add. Plus there might be sales on SSD's over xmas and I could add another, faster, one later on. 

Other than reading the reviews for each component on their own, I really don't know what to think. I've watched some videos comparing the I7 6700 to the I7 6800k  and the feeling seems to be if going for that might as well go for the 6 core one or drop down to an I5. Do either one really suit my needs or can I can get away with something a bit cheaper such as an over clocked I5 and whatever mother board pairs up with that. Any opinions? 

 

Thanks!

where is this pc gonna be located will there be airflow is there temp issues by you  

[masterkickass7]

14 minutes ago, YJGUY said:

I'm looking to replace my nearly 10 year old iMac with a new PC. I looked at the Core I7 iMacs but I think they are pretty overpriced. I'm not a hardware guy so I went to two local computer chains to see what they would recommend for a custom build, with them doing the assembly.

 

My requirements were:
- Something that will be fairly future-proof 
- Ability to occasionally edit 4k Video from my go pros and camera. (as a hobby for my ATV riding, not looking to be a youtube star) 
- Able to run multiple applications at a time, Have a movie playing and still be able to browse using Chrome and do work tasks such as word or excel. (running multiple chrome tabs and Excel at the same time currently sends my Mac into a stroke)
- Able to run a 34" ultra wide screen and a 4k secondary screen. 
- Not a gamer so that wasn't really a consideration but maybe a driving game could be fun. (Played Doom on PS3 and got vertigo for 2 days so I don't think shooter games are for me)

- Price, no real budget constraints but I don't want to spend money for the sake of it.

- I have a new 4TB drive I never used in my NAS that I'd like to put in the system as well.

- USB type C support. I'm sure everything will be USB C soon so might as well be able to use it.

- Have a SD card reader on the front of the case

 

Things that changed since I gave the stores my requirements list:

- I told them I wasn't too picky about a case, I don't need it to glow like a space ship. But I've decided to get a new desk and now I will be able to see the case so maybe something that has a little more style than a plain black box. 

- I've been reading about overclocking, all the cool kids are doing it so should I? If so, do I need to get liquid cooling? 

Here is what they came back with:

Shop #1 (built off of one of their normal gaming setups)
- Core I7 6700 3.4Ghz
- Corsair Carbide SPEC-01 Red Led Window mid tower 
- Segate Barracuda 1TB drive
- ASUS H170 Pro Gaming 3 Socket 1152 
- Thermal TR2 600w power supply 
- Corsair Vengeance LPX 8GB Ram (1x 8GB stick) DDR4 2400MHz CL16
- Intel 600p 256GB solid state drive
- Windows Home 64bit

$1275 CDN assembled with 1 year warranty


Shop #2 (I showed them the shop #1 build sheet and they thought the fist build was a bad setup)
- ASUS X99-A II LGA2011 mother board
- Core I7-6800k Broadwell processor 3.4GHz 6 Core
- Corsair Vengeance LPC 16GB ram (4x4GB sticks) DDR$-2666MHZ
- Samsung 960 EVO 256GB solid state drive
- EVGA GeForce GTC 1060 Gaming 1506/1708 8GB DDR5 Video Card
- ADATA Premier Premier SP550 960GB SSD
- Microsoft Home 64bit
- Cooler Master Huper 212 EVO heatsink and fan
- BitFenix Nova ATX tower
$2353 CDN

I guess my only comment on this one is if I really need the 6 core processor and the extra 960GB SSD as I have 4TB HD of my own to add. Plus there might be sales on SSD's over xmas and I could add another, faster, one later on. 

Other than reading the reviews for each component on their own, I really don't know what to think. I've watched some videos comparing the I7 6700 to the I7 6800k  and the feeling seems to be if going for that might as well go for the 6 core one or drop down to an I5. Do either one really suit my needs or can I can get away with something a bit cheaper such as an over clocked I5 and whatever mother board pairs up with that. Any opinions? 

 

Thanks!

https://pcpartpicker.com/user/masterkickass7/saved/#view=RLZwP6

this should be fine for your needs since your not gaming i'd say maybe a zeon instead of a i7 because your rendering and editing if you may ever decide to game the gpu in there would probably would be best for 1080p i didn't include the parts you already had or the monitor setup and get windows 10 for kiguin for $30ish dollars  

[aries757]

On 12/10/2016 at 9:12 AM, masterkickass7 said:

where is this pc gonna be located will there be airflow is there temp issues by you  

use snip instead,

[YJGUY]

Thanks for the replies. I haven't bought a new desk yet but I'll probably just get a simple rectangular slab to replace my current, huge V-shaped desk so the computer will most likely be sitting on the floor beside my desk. It can have lots of room in front and behind for air flow. I want a simple and clean desk top. I'll probably VESA mount the monitors too, just to save some space.  

 

Thanks for the spec sheet. I'll take a closer look at that. 

 

[Hydraxiler32]

something like this would be very good for editing, and pretty good for gaming at 1080p.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/GpcZ9W

If you want to save money you could go with less RAM, a 6700k, smaller SSD, cheaper cooler and buying windows off of Kinguin, eBay or r/microsoftsoftwareswap.

[Mello]

https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/wtGmm8

USB type-c

850 evo 250GB SSD

SD card reader

and 1050 ti for editing.

[masterkickass7]

 

1 minute ago, Mello said:

https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/wtGmm8

USB type-c

SD card reader

and 1050 ti for editing.

assuming he dosen't know how to oc just go zeon or a 6700 nonk

[Mello]

25 minutes ago, masterkickass7 said:

 

assuming he dosen't know how to oc just go zeon or a 6700 nonk

Yeah I thought the same thing, but the motherboard has a Turbo mode, just one click and restart. (I have the motherboard)

[Quaker]

1 hour ago, YJGUY said:

- I've been reading about overclocking, all the cool kids are doing it so should I? If so, do I need to get liquid cooling?

No, you shouldn't overclock unless you are "into it". But, if you do, you can probably just use a basic CM Hyper 212 instead of liquid cooling, unless you want to go to a very high overclock.

 

You don't need a 6-core processor. The only thing that would do for you would be to reduce the render times of your occasional video edits. It's not worth the extra expense unless you do editing on a daily basis and have time constraints (e.g. pro or semi-pro).

 

I'd suggest :

- i7-6700 or 6700K

- Either the stock cooler or a CM Hyper TX3 - or a CM hyper 212 if you want to OC.

- A motherboard with a B150 or H170 chipset - or Z170 if you want to overclock. There are various motherboards available with a USB-C connector. You should also get one with an M.2 connector.

- A 250-500 Gig SSD for the OS and apps - preferably M.2 PCIe

- A GTX-1070 graphics card. If you do try any gaming, you will need a good graphics card to drive those displays.

- 16Gigs of DDR4-2133 or 2400 (2x 8Gig)

- Corsair CX550M power supply

- Windows 10 Home 64-bit.

 

For a case, get whatever floats yer boat, as they say. You can get anything from a full ATX tower to an mATX mid tower, to a mini-ITX case such as the Corsair 250D. Just be sure to get a motherboard that fits the case.

 

 

[Spudbilly]

32 minutes ago, Quaker said:

No, you shouldn't overclock unless you are "into it". But, if you do, you can probably just use a basic CM Hyper 212 instead of liquid cooling, unless you want to go to a very high overclock.

 

You don't need a 6-core processor. The only thing that would do for you would be to reduce the render times of your occasional video edits. It's not worth the extra expense unless you do editing on a daily basis and have time constraints (e.g. pro or semi-pro).

 

I'd suggest :

- i7-6700 or 6700K

- Either the stock cooler or a CM Hyper TX3 - or a CM hyper 212 if you want to OC.

- A motherboard with a B150 or H170 chipset - or Z170 if you want to overclock. There are various motherboards available with a USB-C connector. You should also get one with an M.2 connector.

- A 250-500 Gig SSD for the OS and apps - preferably M.2 PCIe

- A GTX-1070 graphics card. If you do try any gaming, you will need a good graphics card to drive those displays.

- 16Gigs of DDR4-2133 or 2400 (2x 8Gig)

- Corsair CX550M power supply

- Windows 10 Home 64-bit.

 

For a case, get whatever floats yer boat, as they say. You can get anything from a full ATX tower to an mATX mid tower, to a mini-ITX case such as the Corsair 250D. Just be sure to get a motherboard that fits the case.

 

 

Best reply so far is this one. 

 

1. What applications do you use for editing. One thing that really helps with video work is applications that can use a gpu for some form of hardware acceleration. Hard to make a recommendation without knowing the software used. I.e. is use Adobe premiere elements. It's gpu hardware acceleration only uses Intel HD 2000 or newer. Some apps like cuda(Nvidia) and some open CL(AMD)

2. For what you want... You NEED an i7 with fast storage. So pcie x4 m.2 with whatever capacity works for you. The gtx 1050ti, gtx 1060, Rx 470, Rx 480 would all serve you well. 16gb if ram is all you need. Anything more is excessive for your described needs and your just spending money.

[NTDaws]

I think you meant socket 1151 for the 1st rig

[YJGUY]

Thanks again, yes I'm leaning to the I7 6700K with an ASUS Z170-A mother board. That and ditching the second 960GB SSD will save me enough to buy the 34" monitor.  

 

As for overclocking, I've watched a few videos on it, it seems ASUS has some software that basically does a bunch of stress tests and figures out the settings for you so I don't have to be super involved. If I ever felt the I7 6700k was lagging I guess I'd just do that. 

 

HD Memory, I had to look and see what pcie was all about, I had no idea they had hard drives that plugged in like that, very cool. I assumed it would be a little brick that plugged in like a normal HD. But yes, the second build did spec that kind of memory so I'll stick with that. It was a Samsung 960 EVO 256GB which he said was the latest. 

 

For software, I don't have any yet but was assuming I'd use Adobe Premier Pro, star wipe here I come! I just picked up a new GoPro and I think my wife got me a second one for xmas. Was also going to pick up a point and shoot that takes decent 4k as well. Will be nice to record my ATV trips and boating at the cottage etc. I like my toys.  But again, this is for making videos for family and friends, not looking to be the next Casey Neistat. 

 

One last question, can I assemble this thing myself or should I just pony up the $75 for them to put it together? They are backlogged so it will be dec 23 or 24 until they can get it done, if I order it on Monday. Otherwise I won't get it until after xmas. 

 

I guess this is where I'm at now. 

- I7 6700

- Asus Z170-A mother board

- Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO

- 2x8GB sticks of RAM

- Samsung 960 or 950 256 GB PCIe boot drive

- Windows 10 home 64bit

- Corsair Obsidian 750d Case

- 1070 or 1060 graphics card

 

[Mello]

https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/B2ymm8

[jeremymwilson]

12 hours ago, YJGUY said:

Thanks again, yes I'm leaning to the I7 6700K with an ASUS Z170-A mother board. That and ditching the second 960GB SSD will save me enough to buy the 34" monitor.  

 

As for overclocking, I've watched a few videos on it, it seems ASUS has some software that basically does a bunch of stress tests and figures out the settings for you so I don't have to be super involved. If I ever felt the I7 6700k was lagging I guess I'd just do that. 

 

HD Memory, I had to look and see what pcie was all about, I had no idea they had hard drives that plugged in like that, very cool. I assumed it would be a little brick that plugged in like a normal HD. But yes, the second build did spec that kind of memory so I'll stick with that. It was a Samsung 960 EVO 256GB which he said was the latest. 

 

For software, I don't have any yet but was assuming I'd use Adobe Premier Pro, star wipe here I come! I just picked up a new GoPro and I think my wife got me a second one for xmas. Was also going to pick up a point and shoot that takes decent 4k as well. Will be nice to record my ATV trips and boating at the cottage etc. I like my toys.  But again, this is for making videos for family and friends, not looking to be the next Casey Neistat. 

 

One last question, can I assemble this thing myself or should I just pony up the $75 for them to put it together? They are backlogged so it will be dec 23 or 24 until they can get it done, if I order it on Monday. Otherwise I won't get it until after xmas. 

 

I guess this is where I'm at now. 

- I7 6700

- Asus Z170-A mother board

- Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO

- 2x8GB sticks of RAM

- Samsung 960 or 950 256 GB PCIe boot drive

- Windows 10 home 64bit

- Corsair Obsidian 750d Case

- 1070 or 1060 graphics card

 

Good choices. Get the 950 pro (960 would be more expensive and I doubt you would notice the speed improvements as it will be very fast already). And get the 1070 for the reasons already stated - better for when you game and for the monitor/resolution you want. 

 

As for building it, how confident are you? How many build videos have you watched? Do you have a friend to help if necessary? It's  not rocket science but your first build is always very tricky, not least because you are putting together very expensive components. If you decide to go for it, the forum is always here to help. 

[YJGUY]

Ok, I'm getting closer to finishing this. Here is what I've got:

 

Intel Core I7 6700K Processor

ASUS Z170-A 

G.SKILL Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM DDR4 2666 

EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 FTW GAMING ACX 3.0, 08G-P4-6276-KR

EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 SC Gaming

Corsair Hydro Series H100i V2 Liquid cooler

Samsung 960 EVO 500GB boot drive (backordered but I'll use a standard HD for now)

Windows 10 Home (Flash Drive)

4TB Barracuda HHD (already have on hand)

 

My last set of questions for you guys:

 

I can't decide between the two GeForce cards. Beyond the LED lights I don't know what the differences are between the cards, I've seen them, I just don't know if/how they matter. There is a price difference of $25 between them right now so maybe its worth it just for the adjustable LEDs. 

 

Up in the air for a case. At first I didn't care but with my new desk I'll be staring at it so I'd like something that's white. I also didn't care about LED lights but if components have them and they are adjustable that's fine. I won't be adding light strips. 

 

Power supply, someone recommended one a post or two up. Suppose I'd just stick with that. 

 

For the RAM I specced, they have it at Newegg but not NCIX where I'll be picking everything up. Should I stick to 2666 or does it matter if I go down to 2400? I don't mind spending a few buck more if it helps. 

 

Do I need anything else? Do I need a sound card or something to support my bluetooth headphones? 

 

I think I will put this thing together myself, not so much to save the build fee, just the two weeks I'd have to wait. I watched a few videos and the biggest pain seems to be loading the OS and drivers. I'll get the OS on a flash drive so I don't need a CD Drive installed. 

 

Thanks again, you guys have been very helpful!

[jeremymwilson]

8 hours ago, YJGUY said:

Ok, I'm getting closer to finishing this. Here is what I've got:

 

Intel Core I7 6700K Processor

ASUS Z170-A 

G.SKILL Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM DDR4 2666 

EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 FTW GAMING ACX 3.0, 08G-P4-6276-KR

EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 SC Gaming

Corsair Hydro Series H100i V2 Liquid cooler

Samsung 960 EVO 500GB boot drive (backordered but I'll use a standard HD for now)

Windows 10 Home (Flash Drive)

4TB Barracuda HHD (already have on hand)

 

My last set of questions for you guys:

 

I can't decide between the two GeForce cards. Beyond the LED lights I don't know what the differences are between the cards, I've seen them, I just don't know if/how they matter. There is a price difference of $25 between them right now so maybe its worth it just for the adjustable LEDs. 

 

Up in the air for a case. At first I didn't care but with my new desk I'll be staring at it so I'd like something that's white. I also didn't care about LED lights but if components have them and they are adjustable that's fine. I won't be adding light strips. 

 

Power supply, someone recommended one a post or two up. Suppose I'd just stick with that. 

 

For the RAM I specced, they have it at Newegg but not NCIX where I'll be picking everything up. Should I stick to 2666 or does it matter if I go down to 2400? I don't mind spending a few buck more if it helps. 

 

Do I need anything else? Do I need a sound card or something to support my bluetooth headphones? 

 

I think I will put this thing together myself, not so much to save the build fee, just the two weeks I'd have to wait. I watched a few videos and the biggest pain seems to be loading the OS and drivers. I'll get the OS on a flash drive so I don't need a CD Drive installed. 

 

Thanks again, you guys have been very helpful!

You won't notice any performance difference between the 2 1070s so just go with what looks better in your case or whichever is cheaper.  

 

Same with the ram, 2400 or 2666 it doesn't matter. If you went for higher speed ram like 3200 you'll get maybe a small performance increase but again not really noticeable. 

 

The motherboard has onboard audio, you won't need a sound card. As for the Bluetooth headphones did they come with a Bluetooth dongle for your pc? Because I doubt your motherboard has built in BT or wifi, usually they only come with higher end boards. 

 

And a good idea to go for installing via USB, that's what I did and it went very smoothly, no driver issues for me at all. 

 

Lastly, the one bit of advice I'll give you from my own build, don't worry at first about cable management, just get it working!

 

Good luck!

[YJGUY]

 

Thank you, the build went fairly smoothy except an issue I'm having with the cooling fan. I made a new post about it over in the cooling section.