1st timer building a PC from scratch

[jloco]

Hi guys, i am brand new here. Hello!
I need to replace my couple year old Dell. I stream netflix, do mild-medium video editing(nothing too intense) and some picture editing, need a multi-card reader, burn DVDs and would like some USB 3 and 2. I am not a gamer, persay.

Generally I was going to buy a Dell XPS with 4th gen I7, 12 or more gigs memory, windows 8.1 professional and I wanted a 120GB SSD drive (or greater) to boot off of and put programs on i guess, I also want another basic terabyte or so hard drive just for storage.

Well, Dell doesn't really do anything like that that I can tell so I started looking elsewhere. Then a friend suggested I could build one myself for less.

I began reading on this site about the processors etc and am just overwhelmed with all the data and particularly, I really don't know how to pick a processor and then marry it with a great mother board and the right memory and video card and case etc. To give an example, if someone said get 16 gigs of memory, I wouldn't even know memory from 10 years ago vs. today so I need to be told the criteria.

Is there a place where I can find some fairly straight forward recommendations or would some people get me started even if just the basics? I'm looking to spend around $1000.00 but am flexible.

Thanks so much in advance. All your input is appreciated.

Josh

 

[Darkbreeze]

Hi Josh. I'll gladly put together a decent system for your requirements for you if you give me about ten minutes. I do need to know if you prefer Intel over AMD and if you have preferences on a GPU with an Nvidia chipset or an AMD Radeon based card? Obviously Intel and Nvidia are more expensive but some people prefer them.

 

[okcnaline]

[PCPartPicker part list](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Pnm26h) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Pnm26h/by_merchant/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [Intel Core i3-4330 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i34330) | $129.99 @ Amazon
**Motherboard** | [MSI H97M-E35 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-motherboard-h97me35) | $79.99 @ Amazon
**Memory** | [Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/crucial-memory-bls2kit8g3d1609ds1s00) | $144.99 @ Amazon
**Storage** | [Crucial M500 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/crucial-internal-hard-drive-ct240m500ssd1) | $109.93 @ Amazon
**Storage** | [Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/western-digital-internal-hard-drive-wd10ezex) | $55.98 @ OutletPC
**Video Card** | [Gigabyte GeForce GTX 760 2GB WINDFORCE Video Card](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-video-card-gvn760oc2gdrev20) | $219.99 @ Amazon
**Case** | [Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-case-300r) | $49.99 @ Micro Center
**Power Supply** | [Corsair RM 450W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-power-supply-rm450) | $79.99 @ Micro Center
**Optical Drive** | [LG WH16NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/lg-optical-drive-wh16ns40) | $54.98 @ OutletPC
| | **Total**
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available | $925.83
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-16 02:20 EDT-0400 |

 

[Obnoxious]

Yes we can include an i7 for a budget of $1,000. Regardless I've decided to include the Xeon E3-1231 v3, which provides similar performance to an i7-4770, yet more affordable. jloco (the OP): You've stated you're "not a gamer, persay" hence my question is, will you still play games?

With all the above said, do you need to purchase an operating system, a monitor, keyboard/mouse, or any other component? If not, then I'd suggest the following which is within your budget, and doesn't consume your entire $1,000.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($247.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 PERFORMANCE ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($85.00 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston Black Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($75.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card ($139.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 750W 80+ Silver Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($100.00 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($13.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $874.92
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-16 16:29 EDT-0400

The processor I've selected is a Xeon E3-1231 v3, as mentioned earlier which provides similar performance to an i7-4770; it's quad-core with Hyper Threading, tied in with the 8GB RAM I've included, you should be able to render videos in 4K (2160p) resolution. I understand you stated you're not going to edit videos intensely, but for your budget you may as well get the top-notch components. The motherboard and power supply I've selected have left room for upgrades in the future: the motherboard supports 32GB RAM (8GB is more than satisfactory anyhow) and the XFX (OEM SeaSonic) 750W PSU should allow you to accept any GPU upgrade in the future. The motherboard supports USB 3.0 and SATA III by the way.

You stated you're not much of a gamer, regardless I've included a GPU (you need a GPU to boot by the way, since the Xeon processor doesn't have integrated graphics). The GPU I've selected is the GTX 750 Ti, which should handle your gaming needs adequately at 1080p. In addition I've included a 256GB Crucial MX100 SSD with a Seagate 1TB HDD, which should be plenty for storage for most users.

All the components are compatible, however the website I used to curate the list doesn't supply details on card readers, hence you'll need to purchase one yourself. Not to worry, with the cost of the build above you should still have funds left to spend within your $1,000 budget.

If you require any changes, please reply back and I'll be happy to assist.

P.S. If you'd like to make the build cheaper, I can compromise on certain components without affecting performance much. I'd downgrade the motherboard, PSU and maybe even the SSD and GPU too (since you're not much of a gamer). With all the downgrades made, you should notice little to no difference with performance with regular tasks, including video editing; gaming performance will however have an impact. You'll also have less room for upgrades, yet on the plus side the cost should be cheaper.

All the best.

 

[Ytyoussef]

I was going to suggest a very similar build until my computer shut off... I'm currently on my phone, but I'll post it when the power is back on. (That Xeon was the first thing that came to my mind when I saw the thread.)

 

[Ytyoussef]

Take your fight elsewehere guys, you're not helping the OP in any way like this....


Anyway, here we go, the power's back:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($247.98 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus H97-PLUS ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($105.24 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($144.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($77.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card ($119.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DVD-E818AAT/BLK/B/GEN DVD/CD Drive ($18.66 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Case Accessory: NZXT Aperture M Card Reader ($30.80 @ Amazon)
Total: $1032.58
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-16 16:39 EDT-0400
This is what I would suggest for you, it includes an OS, a card reader and all the power you need for your tasks.

 

[ex_bubblehead]

I'm only going to say this once. The rules of conduct for this site require you to maintain civility at all times in the forums. A couple of you (and you know who you are) need to reread those rules and commit them to heart. If I see another breech of the rules here I will close the thread and issue appropriate "vacations" to the offenders.

 

[legend001523]

<mod edit>warning duly noted

 

[jloco]

Hi Josh. I'll gladly put together a decent system for your requirements for you if you give me about ten minutes. I do need to know if you prefer Intel over AMD and if you have preferences on a GPU with an Nvidia chipset or an AMD Radeon based card? Obviously Intel and Nvidia are more expensive but some people prefer them.

I am an intel processor fan and don't have any opinion on the GPU at this time. price range $1000 - $1250. Thanks.

 

[jloco]

Thank you very much for all the responses folks. I am going to do some research based off this.