newbie Newbie First Build: Gaming/Video Editing PC £1200 Config!

[BionicMushroom]

Hi there!

 

So turning 18 in a week, I will be coming into money and my plan which I've adamant about for over a year is to buy and build my own PC for gaming and video editing. Gaming will be for fun of course, and the video editing will partially be for university where I will be studying film production, as well as dabbing into YouTube content creation as well a little bit.

 

This configuration as changed and transformed dramatically over a year and a half, and with all of the changing and spamming the hell of YouTube videos regarding these budget builds, this is the configuration I have been satisfied with and haven't tinkered with it in over 3 months. I am not getting cold feet per say, but I though I would consult the you wonderful people of the LinusTechTips forum to help and guide me, and reassure that my config is the best balance of performance, sexiness and overall bad-assery.

 

This PC is a balance of 50% performance and 50% looks, yes I'm shallow but I want this to look beautiful as well as function incredibly well.

 

Here is the "Build Plan Thread Recommendations" pinned thread and the answers I've given:

 

1. Budget & Location - My location is the United Kingdom (Great British Pound £) and my budget is between £1200 - £1300 with £100 of that going towards peripherals. So tower budget alone is £1200.

 

2. Aim - The aim for this PC is for me to be able to video edit as well as doing some medium-to-intense gaming, I will also be using this as my driver for University as I will be studying film production and will need this to work on in my dormitory.

Gaming includes games such as Battlefield 1, Overwatch, Call Of Duty Etc.

Video Editing will include using Adobe Programs such as Premiere, Photoshop and Encoder. Animation is not the aim of using these editing programs, and I severely doubt I will be editing in anything more than 1440p at MOST.

 

3. Monitors - For now I plan on running only one monitor which I am currently using, which is a AOC 26" 1440p IPS display running 60Hz.

 

4. Peripherals - I will also be needing to purchase a keyboard, mouse, speakers and Blue LED Lighting but my mind has been made up about these and will not be changing. I will be using Windows 10.

 

5. Why are you upgrading? - This is not me upgrading, this is my first PC ever, and I shall be building it on my own so wish me luck...

 

I will also mention that I will only be purchasing parts off of Amazon.co.uk and only on products that are delivered through Amazon Prime.

 

So without further endue, here is my configuration:

 

PCPartPicker part list: https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/ZdyVf8
Price breakdown by merchant: https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/ZdyVf8/by_merchant/

 

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor  (£315.95 @ Amazon UK) 
CPU Cooler: Corsair H80i v2 70.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  (£89.99 @ Amazon UK) 
Motherboard: Asus SABERTOOTH Z170 S ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (£141.31 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Corsair Dominator Platinum 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  (£115.49 @ Amazon UK) 
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  (£86.99 @ Amazon UK) 
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£46.78 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB Dual Video Card  (£264.98 @ Amazon UK) 
Case: NZXT H440 (Glossy White/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  (£92.94 @ Amazon UK) 
Power Supply: Fractal Design Edison M 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  (£53.40 @ Amazon UK) 
 

(Amazon Prime) Total Price: £1,207.83

 

Well, that's it!

 

One of the things you will notice is that I have gone for a white colour build, which is what I've always wanted.

 

Things that I am not willing to change/The Rules of the build:

• The case. The H440 in white is a design that I have simply fell in love with, and with the peripheral budget I will also be purchasing official NZXT Blue LED lighting strips to accompany the case.
• Intel i7 processor, for me it has to be Intel, and it has to be an i7 or and i5. If you wanna suggest other models of the i7 or i5 that's fine
• Corsair Dominator RAM is a design that I like and am willing to pay extra for looks, also because of the video editing tasks 16GB is a minimum requirement.
• Graphics Card must be from the GeForce GTX line and no lower than a GTX 970 model.7

 

Things to note and keep in mind:

• Yes, my OS, program files and project files will be loaded onto the SSD and that will be my boot drive, the terabyte HDD is purely storage of everything else. Constant file management will be taking place.
• Regarding power supply, "PC Part Picker" says I need 340 Watts to run the system, so I've chosen 550 Watt power supply as Corsair offers semi-modular cables and I want very tight cable management with my build.
• Although the Motherboard is rather flashy and a bit over the top but, it's IO is exactly what I need and all the ports on this motherboard are ones I will actually be using.
• Regarding RAM however I am aware of the 3000MHz speed I have chosen but I am willing to settle for a lower speed if you can tell me why!

 

Aaaaaaaaaaaand we're done!

 

Thank you so much if you've managed to read and follow all of that, I really appreciate it!

 

What I'm looking for is for people to reassure me that this build is the best I can do with the budget I have while balancing performance, bling/looks, and will serve my gaming and video editing needs sufficiently.

 

I am open to suggestions that don't get in the way of my "Rules" (Lack of a better word) and want to know if, for a newbie and a first timer to PC building, if this build will make me happy and do what I need it to!

 

Thanks again,

 

- BionicMushroom  

[Matias_Chambers]

If you can wait for AMD Ryzen. Even if you don't buy it, it should push prices down on Intel CPU's. 

[Matias_Chambers]

How's this? It's a bit over budget but has a GTX 1070 and still has a good color scheme.

 

PCPartPicker part list: https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/McDJBP
Price breakdown by merchant: https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/McDJBP/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor  (£289.98 @ Aria PC) Much cheaper than on Amazon
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i v2 70.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  (£93.99 @ Amazon UK) 120 mm AIO's aren't really worth it, this is better.
Motherboard: MSI Z170A KRAIT GAMING 3X ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  (£131.98 @ CCL Computers) Still looks great for a cheaper price
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LED 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  (£89.99 @ Ebuyer) LED RAM and much cheaper
Storage: Intel 600p Series 256GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  (£92.21 @ More Computers) About 3 times faster read speeds than the EVO
Storage: Toshiba 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  (£35.94 @ Aria PC) More storage for a cheaper price
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB ACX 3.0 Video Card  (£384.00 @ Aria PC) White LEDs and will be much better for your 1440p monitor
Case: NZXT H440 (White/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  (£92.94) 
Power Supply: Fractal Design Edison M 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  (£53.40 @ Amazon UK) A bit better quality than the CXM
Total: £1264.43
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-12-28 15:51 GMT+0000

[GeorgeKellow]

Weclome to the Forum! 

 

Looks like a nice build! I would use PcPartPicker so all of the other users can chop and change stuff to suggest to you (Makes it easier for us!) 

 

The PSU you have chosen isn't the best. I would look at this list to pick from either Tier 1/2 

Try to get a 1070 if your budget allows!  

[BionicMushroom]

15 minutes ago, Matias_Chambers said:

How's this? It's a bit over budget but has a GTX 1070 and still has a good color scheme.

 

PCPartPicker part list: https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/McDJBP
Price breakdown by merchant: https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/McDJBP/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor  (£289.98 @ Aria PC) Much cheaper than on Amazon
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i v2 70.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  (£93.99 @ Amazon UK) 120 mm AIO's aren't really worth it, this is better.
Motherboard: MSI Z170A KRAIT GAMING 3X ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  (£131.98 @ CCL Computers) Still looks great for a cheaper price
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LED 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  (£89.99 @ Ebuyer) LED RAM and much cheaper
Storage: Intel 600p Series 256GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  (£92.21 @ More Computers) About 3 times faster read speeds than the EVO
Storage: Toshiba 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  (£35.94 @ Aria PC) More storage for a cheaper price
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB ACX 3.0 Video Card  (£384.00 @ Aria PC) White LEDs and will be much better for your 1440p monitor
Case: NZXT H440 (White/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  (£92.94) 
Power Supply: Fractal Design Edison M 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  (£53.40 @ Amazon UK) A bit better quality than the CXM
Total: £1264.43
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-12-28 15:51 GMT+0000

Thanks for the reply! As stated I will only be buying through Amazon Prime but that being said, I really do like the look of the MSI Motherboard you chose, and the RAM seems good enough for my needs and as you said it is cheaper. Also, as someone has said, I will definitely be changing the power supply with the one you have suggested!

 

SSD wise, I never really considered using an M.2 slot but I suppose that's a me problem, I will look into M.2 options though in place of a SATA connected SSD.

 

If my budget allows, I will also definitely look into getting a 1070 in place of the 1060 I chose!

 

Thanks again!

 

-BionicMushroom

[BionicMushroom]

11 minutes ago, GeorgeKellow said:

Weclome to the Forum! 

 

Looks like a nice build! I would use PcPartPicker so all of the other users can chop and change stuff to suggest to you (Makes it easier for us!) 

 

The PSU you have chosen isn't the best. I would look at this list to pick from either Tier 1/2 

Try to get a 1070 if your budget allows!  

Thank you! Ah right, yeah I should have figured that would have been best, I'm still trying to figure out how to import the list the way Matias Chambers has done it above (It's probably me being a moron most likely)

 

Thanks on the shout regarding the PSU, I have now changed it to the one suggest by Chambers above thanks!

 

I am now looking into getting a 1070 now for definite, I can go over budget but only by so much. I'm trying to view this as making this one investment and hopefully not having to upgrade for a good few years.

 

Thanks again!

 

-BionicMushroom

[Matias_Chambers]

6 minutes ago, BionicMushroom said:

Thank you! Ah right, yeah I should have figured that would have been best, I'm still trying to figure out how to import the list the way Matias Chambers has done it above (It's probably me being a moron most likely)

 

Thanks on the shout regarding the PSU, I have now changed it to the one suggest by Chambers above thanks!

 

I am now looking into getting a 1070 now for definite, I can go over budget but only by so much. I'm trying to view this as making this one investment and hopefully not having to upgrade for a good few years.

 

Thanks again!

 

-BionicMushroom

In PCPartpicker press the T and then copy the list.

[BionicMushroom]

11 minutes ago, Matias_Chambers said:

In PCPartpicker press the T and then copy the list.

AH! Thank you! I've now edited the original post with the list, thank you!

[Guest]

1 hour ago, BionicMushroom said:

Thanks for the reply! As stated I will only be buying through Amazon Prime but that being said, I really do like the look of the MSI Motherboard you chose, and the RAM seems good enough for my needs and as you said it is cheaper. Also, as someone has said, I will definitely be changing the power supply with the one you have suggested!

 

SSD wise, I never really considered using an M.2 slot but I suppose that's a me problem, I will look into M.2 options though in place of a SATA connected SSD.

 

If my budget allows, I will also definitely look into getting a 1070 in place of the 1060 I chose!

 

Thanks again!

 

-BionicMushroom

I would avoid the Intel 600p SSD as is isn't that great. If you want an NVMe SSD then I would go with one of the Samsung drives.

[Matias_Chambers]

10 minutes ago, lee32uk said:

I would avoid the Intel 600p SSD as is isn't that great. If you want an NVMe SSD then I would go with one of the Samsung drives.

Well if it's the same price as an 850 EVO and has 3 times faster read speeds? Of course it's not really a match for something like a 960 PRO. It's not in the same price range either. 

[BionicMushroom]

3 hours ago, Matias_Chambers said:

Well if it's the same price as an 850 EVO and has 3 times faster read speeds? Of course it's not really a match for something like a 960 PRO. It's not in the same price range either. 

While I'm now more inclined to use a M.2 Mounted SSD as my boot drive, I still think I would be better suited using Samsung's 128GB M.2 SSD as it's only around £60 which is saving me £25. Peoples reviews are stating an average of 5-8 second boot up time which is completely fine with me, them sort of speeds are more than satisfactory for me personally.

[BionicMushroom]

New Configuration people  

 

PCPartPicker part list: https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/L48byf
Price breakdown by merchant: https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/L48byf/by_merchant/

 

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor  (£299.95 @ Aria PC) 
CPU Cooler: Corsair H80i v2 70.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  (£83.99 @ Ebuyer) 
Motherboard: Asus SABERTOOTH Z170 S ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  (£184.31 @ BT Shop) 
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LED 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory  (£109.98 @ Amazon UK) 
Storage: Sandisk SSD PLUS 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  (£68.89 @ Alza) 
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  (£46.64 @ CCL Computers) 
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB Dual Video Card  (£264.95 @ More Computers) 
Case: NZXT H440 (Glossy White/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  (£92.94 @ Amazon UK) 
Power Supply: Fractal Design Edison M 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  (£53.40 @ Amazon UK) 

 

Total: £1205.05

[Matias_Chambers]

36 minutes ago, BionicMushroom said:

While I'm now more inclined to use a M.2 Mounted SSD as my boot drive, I still think I would be better suited using Samsung's 128GB M.2 SSD as it's only around £60 which is saving me £25. Peoples reviews are stating an average of 5-8 second boot up time which is completely fine with me, them sort of speeds are more than satisfactory for me personally.

Well the point of getting the M.2 in this case is that you are getting much faster read speeds at the same pricepoint, and the 256 GB Intel 600p costs the same as the 250 GB 850 EVO but the 600p has 3 times faster read speeds. The 60£ Samsung M.2 isn't any faster than the regular SATA SSD. And by the way the 600p also comes in a 128 GB config and it only costs 52. In the future you will be happy you got a 256 GB model trust me. 

[Guest]

6 hours ago, Matias_Chambers said:

Well if it's the same price as an 850 EVO and has 3 times faster read speeds? Of course it's not really a match for something like a 960 PRO. It's not in the same price range either. 

It isn't that great though if you look at the reviews for it. 

[BionicMushroom]

9 hours ago, lee32uk said:

It isn't that great though if you look at the reviews for it. 

I've decided on the Sandisk SSD 240GB model after reviewing and looking back on possible ssd solutions.

 

It's price per gig is one I'm more than happy to pay for and plus the 2.5" drive will make use of the NZXT H440s drive bays located on top of the PSU shield and will display nicely as well as making better use of the cable management the case offers. Also SanDisk is a company that hasn't let me down yet so I'm more than comfortable going with them.

[BionicMushroom]

Just a quick update, currently starting to wonder whether or not to go with the Sabertooth Motherboard because although it does have all the ports I want and need, I'm looking at the Z170 PRO which has virtually the same ports, but is cheaper and still looks good and keeps the black and white colour scheme.

 

Asus Intel Lga1151 Z170 Sabertooth S ATX Motherboard - £177.89

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Intel-Lga1151-Z170-Sabertooth-Motherboard/dp/B01ARORJF2/

 

Asus Z170 Pro Motherboard (Socket 1151, Z170, DDR4, S-ATA 600, ATX, SupremeFX, Sonic Radar ll) - £133.98

https://www.amazon.co.uk/ASUS-Z170-Skylake-CrossFire-Motherboard/dp/B016ADLARW/

 

If anyone can find any images of how both these boards look in the H440 White case for perspective that'd be really helpful.

 

-BionicMushroom

[BionicMushroom]

It's done... I've ordered all the parts. Here's the final config:

 

PCPartPicker part list: https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/GfLzpb
Price breakdown by merchant: https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/GfLzpb/by_merchant/

 

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor  (£305.94 @ Aria PC) 
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i v2 70.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  (£107.97 @ Amazon UK) 
Thermal Compound: ARCTIC MX4 4g Thermal Paste  (£3.95 @ Amazon UK) 
Motherboard: Asus SABERTOOTH Z170 S ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  (£188.42 @ More Computers) 
Memory: Corsair Dominator Platinum 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  (£115.49 @ Ebuyer) 
Storage: Sandisk X400 128GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  (£50.40 @ Kustom PCs) 
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  (£45.96 @ BT Shop) 
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB Dual Video Card  (£267.95 @ Aria PC) 
Case: NZXT H440 (Glossy White/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  (£92.94 @ Amazon UK) 
Power Supply: Corsair RMx 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  (£88.44 @ Amazon UK) 

 

Total: £1267.46
 

That's it! Thanks so much to the guys above who helped me and gave me much needed advice.

 

I shall keep you updated and let you know how the build turns out! Until next time.

 

-BionicMushroom

[BionicMushroom]

So the case came yesterday, and well it's built! My word does it look sexy. 

 

I may end up creating a thread about the build tonight and post pictures. The white colour scheme is just superb I will say.

 

-BionicMushroom