Considering Another New PC Build - Need Help Designing

[ItsMrNumb]

Approximate Purchase Date: Late May/Early June

Budget Range: Idealistically as low as possible. Realistically lets ballpark it around 900 before rebates not including the case

System Usage: Photo editing, Graphic design, Video editing and rendering, and should be able to handle the occasional gaming session with no problems at decent settings

Parts Not Required: Keyboard, Mouse, Monitor, Speakers, Storage (Have a spare 1TB HDD I'm going to format. However I wouldn't be opposed to putting an SSD in it if its in the price range.

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: no preference

Country: USA

Parts Preferences: Intel CPU and AsRock MoBo are the only two requirements I really have

Overclocking: Not a necessity but want the option to. will upgrade CPU down the line for it if needed but system has to be compatible.

SLI or Crossfire: only using one card right now but will probably upgrade down the line so i want the option to.

Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080

Additional Comments: Right now I'm looking to build using the BitFenix Shinobi XL Window (White) ATX Full Tower Case, with the price of the case not included in the purchase. Built my first rig (Build for gaming) last year and its still going strong, so I'm comfortable with building my own rig. But this computer isn't going to be in my primary place of residence so I'll still be using that aswell.

 

[Archaic59]

Maximum potential for your $$. Brand new Intel Skylake Xeon CPU. SSD for OS and programs. Store raw / project files on hard drive and import to SSD to work on them. R9 380 for gaming. Motherboard and power supply are crossfire ready. If you have software that works best with cuda cores you can use GTX 960 instead for about the same price, but motherboard does not support SLI.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1240 V5 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($269.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.50 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock E3V5 Performance Gaming/OC ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($130.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($87.77 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 380 4GB NITRO Dual-X OC Video Card ($174.99 @ Newegg)
Case: BitFenix Shinobi XL Window (White) ATX Full Tower Case ($0.00)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($48.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $877.21 After Rebates
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-04-08 22:34 EDT-0400

View Motherboard

 

[ItsMrNumb]

Definitely a build to consider, I've heard mixed opinions of the Xeon CPU though, what do you think of it? And Bump for New Answers

 

[Archaic59]

The Xeon is a very powerful CPU at its' price point. The i7-5820K is another to consider but pushes the budget higher.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor ($369.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U14S 55.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($69.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock X99 Extreme4 ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($174.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($87.77 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 380 4GB NITRO Dual-X OC Video Card ($174.99 @ Newegg)
Case: BitFenix Shinobi XL Window (White) ATX Full Tower Case ($0.00)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($48.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1056.60
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-04-09 07:24 EDT-0400

 

[ItsMrNumb]

Asfar as the i5 VS Xeon goes, which performs better? And I could be wrong but it was my understanding that the Xeon could not be clocked?

 

[ItsMrNumb]

oh and bumb for more build ideas

 

[Anonymous09]

Yeah, xeons cannot be oc'ed, that's the sacrifice you make for a cheaper processor without integrated graphics and similar performance to it's core ix equivalent.

If you are ever so inclined to dabble in oc'ing, Archaic's build is great. I have an i5 alternative though if you want to take a look, both builds have their merits:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($238.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.50 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z170 Pro4 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($110.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($87.77 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.77 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 380 4GB NITRO Dual-X OC Video Card ($174.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair SPEC-02 ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA P2 650W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($74.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $949.97
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-04-09 23:32 EDT-0400

You could really remove the hdd, I just forgot take that off, because I assume you will be adding your own hdd's to this build as you see fit. I assume you'll need plenty of storage though.

 

[Archaic59]

For editing and rendering you can not get the performance results with an i5's 4 threads that you'll get with a i7 or Xeon that has 8 threads.

 

[Anonymous09]

Oh yes I know, I just stated this as an overclockable build similar to what you posted, I would never claim to say that in the slightest, and I never did.

 

[ItsMrNumb]

Ill look into the Xeon a little more and try and decide between that or the i7 even though it pushes my budget a bit. any other reccomendations?

 

[Archaic59]

Ill look into the Xeon a little more and try and decide between that or the i7 even though it pushes my budget a bit. any other reccomendations?

Not really. The Skylake Xeon fits your stated budget perfectly and does the job well. An i7-6700K that you have the option of overclocking would be the next step up and then the 6-core i7-5820K. Past those the prices go sky high.

 

[ItsMrNumb]

With the Xeon build, the MoBo is overclockable correct? Incase I do upgrade down the line to something overclockable such as the i7.

 

[ItsMrNumb]

Yeah, xeons cannot be oc'ed, that's the sacrifice you make for a cheaper processor without integrated graphics and similar performance to it's core ix equivalent.

If you are ever so inclined to dabble in oc'ing, Archaic's build is great. I have an i5 alternative though if you want to take a look, both builds have their merits:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($238.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.50 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z170 Pro4 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($110.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($87.77 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.77 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 380 4GB NITRO Dual-X OC Video Card ($174.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair SPEC-02 ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA P2 650W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($74.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $949.97
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-04-09 23:32 EDT-0400

You could really remove the hdd, I just forgot take that off, because I assume you will be adding your own hdd's to this build as you see fit. I assume you'll need plenty of storage though.

While I do like this build, I have an i5 in my current build, my "Numbomination" and I'm not entirely impressed with how it handles the rendering. Also, I'm not a huge fan of the case as I prefer to stick with Full tower cases in my builds that I plan on keeping for a while so that I have room to expand and upgrade. And I aswell have a main source of storage and would just have the SSD as a secondary for the OS and some programs.

 

[Anonymous09]

Alright, what about this build then?
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($348.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.50 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus Z170-A ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($129.95 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($87.77 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 380 4GB NITRO Dual-X OC Video Card ($174.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair Vengeance C70 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($87.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA P2 650W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($74.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1079.17
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-04-11 20:59 EDT-0400

 

[ItsMrNumb]

I do like that build. But again, while that does seem like a good quality build, it just doesn't seem right for me. As I've previously mentioned I am looking to stick with the full tower cases (Such as the BitFenix Shinobi XL) just because it is a personal preference of mine and am partial towards ASRock MoBo's. Those are two key parts I am looking for in this build.

 

[Anonymous09]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($348.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.50 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming K4 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($128.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($129.95 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($87.77 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 380 4GB NITRO Dual-X OC Video Card ($174.99 @ Newegg)
Case: BitFenix Shinobi Window XL (Black) ATX Full Tower Case ($178.78 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA P2 650W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($74.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1158.95
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-04-11 21:24 EDT-0400

Theres a really great asrock mb.

As for your case, there are much better cases for the same price and less, but whats most important is how you like the look of your case when buying one. I still urge you to look at all the choices of full atx towers out there, like I said, a lotttt of better options imo.

 

[ItsMrNumb]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($348.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.50 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming K4 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($128.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($129.95 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($87.77 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 380 4GB NITRO Dual-X OC Video Card ($174.99 @ Newegg)
Case: BitFenix Shinobi Window XL (Black) ATX Full Tower Case ($178.78 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA P2 650W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($74.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1158.95
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-04-11 21:24 EDT-0400

Theres a really great asrock mb.

As for your case, there are much better cases for the same price and less, but whats most important is how you like the look of your case when buying one. I still urge you to look at all the choices of full atx towers out there, like I said, a lotttt of better options imo.

I definitely do like this build very much and will keep this in mind when deciding between the Xeon and the i7. And I do understand what you mean about the case, aesthetically I like the Shinobi xl but am still open to other cases if i can find another Full tower just as aesthetically pleasing. I also like it because the color theme of this build is white accented with red and the Shinobi XL fits that perfectly swell and is windowed to display the inner "guts" of the rig. Anything similar would work just as well.

 

[Anonymous09]

Virrually all full tower builds have side windows, some have two, some are clear. Theres literally hundreds if not thousands currently available. I would give a look at a good amount before you decide on buying one.

For my current build, I went with the CM HAF X 5 years ago, and it's served me very well ever since, 0 complaints, I love that thing. But your tastes might be different than mine, I liked the all black steel and red look, some people only use white cases, etc.

 

[ItsMrNumb]

I knew that a majority of them came with windows but when i was narrowing down the list in my search of full towers the Shinobi was one of the only ones that came up and as I said, it was visually appealing to me. Granted though I didn't do as much searching around this time through as when I pieced together my first build. Ill continue to search around for a more reasonable alternative though as you suggested to before I start building this time around.

 

[Anonymous09]

Yeah thats a good idea, like I said, there are waaaay too many to look at all of them. Take a look at the popular ones, then start siftin down the lists. You can't humanly look at all of them, but I can almost guarntee you'll find something to compete with the bitfenix case, if not replace it as your primary pick.

 

[ItsMrNumb]

After some dabbling this is what I came up with, bit above ideal range but not out of this world. Not too sure about the coolant system though, thoughts?.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($348.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: LEPA AquaChanger 240 103.6 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($77.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming K4 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($139.19 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($32.08 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($87.77 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 380 4GB NITRO Dual-X OC Video Card ($188.28 @ Newegg)
Case: Inwin 707 BLACK ATX Full Tower Case ($106.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA P2 650W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($74.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1056.27
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-04-11 23:53 EDT-0400

 

[riccardan-humiliato]

After some dabbling this is what I came up with, bit above ideal range but not out of this world. Not too sure about the coolant system though, thoughts?.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($348.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: LEPA AquaChanger 240 103.6 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($77.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming K4 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($139.19 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($32.08 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($87.77 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 380 4GB NITRO Dual-X OC Video Card ($188.28 @ Newegg)
Case: Inwin 707 BLACK ATX Full Tower Case ($106.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA P2 650W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($74.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1056.27
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-04-11 23:53 EDT-0400

I wouldn't bother with an overclock-capable Intel i7. You can find cheaper ones (without the K-suffix). Overclocking an Intel i7 is largely pointless. You can get away with a much cheaper CPU cooler in that case, like the Hyper 212 EVO. You can then go with a H170 motherboard. This will allow you to put more towards a faster video card if you want, or a hard drive to go with your SSD.

 

[riccardan-humiliato]

After some dabbling this is what I came up with, bit above ideal range but not out of this world. Not too sure about the coolant system though, thoughts?.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($348.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: LEPA AquaChanger 240 103.6 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($77.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming K4 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($139.19 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($32.08 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($87.77 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 380 4GB NITRO Dual-X OC Video Card ($188.28 @ Newegg)
Case: Inwin 707 BLACK ATX Full Tower Case ($106.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA P2 650W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($74.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1056.27
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-04-11 23:53 EDT-0400

I wouldn't bother with an overclock-capable Intel i7. You can find cheaper ones (without the K-suffix). Overclocking an Intel i7 is largely pointless. You can get away with a much cheaper CPU cooler in that case, like the Hyper 212 EVO. You can then go with a H170 motherboard. This will allow you to put more towards a faster video card if you want, or a hard drive to go with your SSD.

 

[Anonymous09]

OP has stated he wants to oc in the future, otherwise I wouldn't have posted that build.

 

[ItsMrNumb]

I wouldn't bother with an overclock-capable Intel i7. You can find cheaper ones (without the K-suffix). Overclocking an Intel i7 is largely pointless. You can get away with a much cheaper CPU cooler in that case, like the Hyper 212 EVO. You can then go with a H170 motherboard. This will allow you to put more towards a faster video card if you want, or a hard drive to go with your SSD.

For the extra $30 its listed as for retail on pc part picker I'll swing for the overclock-able version of the i7 (if I end up going with the i7 at all) since that was part of the goal to begin with. I already have an extra 1TB HDD lying around that I'm going to format to go with the SSD as I said in the initial post. I considered the liquid cooling to keep the build a bit quieter, and as far as the card goes, I'm still deciding on one. But right now I am leaning towards the R9 380 the most. The next in line would be the GTX 960 but I'm still browsing around. No decisions are final till that final checkout button has been clicked lol.