First Build - Medium Computing Load - $1K budget

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sapphiresiren

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Dec 27, 2014
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(Sorry about the ridiculously long post!) My current laptop is hella slow and is now crapping out on me. I got money for Christmas and would like to put it towards a custom-built computer. This is my first-ever build. I did a ton of research (mostly on these very forums) all freaking day to find the right parts, and I'd love to hear your opinions on this build before I start buying up parts. I only have about $1K to do so.

I plan on using this computer to play games such as WoW, Minecraft (I want to host a private server for friends), and some other Steam games. I may play some higher-end games with this better computer. I also do a lot of work with the Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign), and I plan on doing a lot of audio recording and editing. I also just wanted a computer that I wouldn't have to worry about if I ever do get into things like video editing or more graphics-intense gaming. I'm purposely going a little bit overkill, but not too much. I'd also like this computer to last me at LEAST 3 years, so I want it to be reliable. I don't plan on upgrading much if possible.

I did not pick or own any of the following: sound card, wired/wireless network adapter, keyboard/mouse, speakers, other fans/fan controllers/thermal compound.

I own a good set of headphones (Logitech G930), and I would love a decent keyboard and mouse other than the generic variety. I also plan on using my TV as my monitor, or just buying one from Walmart. I also highly value good sound/speakers, being a singer.

I'd love to hear:

- opinions on my build as it is and how to modify it to better fit my needs
- ways to cut costs since it's coming out to around $1K
- opinions on other accessories and whether they're necessary, mostly wireless/Bluetooth/speakers/other fans
- Do I really need a z97 chipset, or would a cheaper and more stable z87 work just as well?

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/m2XFpg

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.98 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 3 93.3 CFM Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU Cooler ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($136.98 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Team Elite Plus 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($70.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.85 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 750 1GB Video Card ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Apevia X-CRUISER3-AL ATX Mid Tower Case ($64.33 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG UH12NS30 Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($39.99 @ Micro Center)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $949.05
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-27 03:43 EST-0500
 
Hello

Based on your wants and build.

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.98 @ OutletPC) Good go-to choice. Best price-performance i5.

CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 3 93.3 CFM Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU Cooler ($54.99 @ NCIX US) The stock cooer if fine. This is not needed.

Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($136.98 @ OutletPC) Get a H97 board and add a PCIe x1 WiFi/Bluetooth card. The ASROCK H97M Pro4 is a good budget board.

Memory: Team Elite Plus 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($119.99 @ Newegg) This is CAS 11, get CAS 9 for a little more (Vulcan)

Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($70.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.85 @ OutletPC)

Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 750 1GB Video Card ($79.99 @ Newegg). I'd spend a little more for a GTX 750ti with 2GB.

Case: Apevia X-CRUISER3-AL ATX Mid Tower Case ($64.33 @ Newegg) Personal choice.

Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.98 @ Newegg) Needs to be higher quality. http://pcpartpicker.com/part/seasonic-power-supply-m12ii620bronze This is better in every way and cheaper.

Optical Drive: LG UH12NS30 Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($39.99 @ Micro Center)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $949.05

The advice above will give a better system at about the same price. (actually a little less)

The motherboard has sound, and a basic gaming keyboard system like the Cooler Master Devastator might work for you.
 
Consider the following adjustments:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($242.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Arctic Cooling ACFZ11-LP Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU Cooler ($15.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97-GAMING 3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($97.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: GeIL EVO Veloce Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($104.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card ($119.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Inwin GT1 White ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 360W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($57.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Pioneer BDC-207DBK Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($44.45 @ Adorama)
Total: $907.35
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-27 12:05 EST-0500


The E3 is up to ~30% faster than the i5 in productivity and media-manipulation and creative applications.

With SSDs, 240/256G is the sweet spot for value.

yes the 360W PSU is more than adequate for this system. (the system will never draw more than 200W from the PSU as configured!)
 


While I agree with many of your choices, and you have suggested many improvements, aren't we trying to reduce the cost for the OP? With OS, your system hits $1000.
 
Donkey,

You're right, I shouldn't be offering such good suggestions to improve on the build for the same price-to-the-door as the original build, how awful of me.

Sorry,
Eric
 
First off do not purchase an Apevia case - they are among the worst you could possibly buy, there's far better cases for $60. Second, if you're not going to overclock the additional cooler is not necessary, you can run off the stock cooler and be perfectly fine. The BD-R drive isn't really necessary either.

I would do something like this for your budget:

.PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4430 3.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($178.95 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($78.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2400 Memory ($74.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 770 2GB TWIN FROZR Video Card ($289.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($76.66 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Directron)
Total: $896.53
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-27 16:12 EST-0500

That gives you much better components for the price and a better GPU.
 


I'm not trying to be snotty, but you did leave the OS out to get to your number, and I agreed that your build is an improvement. It challenged me to go back and try again.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($242.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($80.98 @ OutletPC)
Memory: GeIL EVO Veloce Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($104.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB FTW ACX Video Card ($114.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Antec GX500 ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec EarthWatts Green 380W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($13.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $867.77
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-27 20:27 EST-0500

This includes a lot of rebates, but without them costa almost the same as the OP's build..
 
CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($78.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2400 Memory ($74.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($70.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.85 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card ($119.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: -
Power Supply: SeaSonic 360W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($57.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Directron)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $741.74 (+ ~$30-60 for a case once I pick one: $771.74-801.74)

Thank you so much for the quick replies! I went ahead and edited my list and recalculated.

If I can, I'd prefer to go cheaper at the cost of squeezing a bit of performance. I have very little idea what I'm doing, and I actually want to buy this computer fairly soon.

I'm actually pretty firm on the CPU I originally picked; that was where most of my research went into. I also read that in terms of gaming, the i5 and Xeon E3 are pretty similar, so I'll go cheaper. It's exactly what I want, and no, I don't plan on overclocking.

I took out the CPU cooler for this reason and will be going with the stock version!

It sounds like I could go with the H97 easily and get the same power out of it, so I did that. I still have no idea about the PCIe x1 WiFi/Bluetooth card, and I DO want Bluetooth and WiFi capabilities.

I changed to the cheapest memory you guys suggested. Memory is something I was a bit confused on (CAS 11/9? Huh?), and I figured that getting something top of the line wasn't as important as the CPU, mobo, and GPU.

The SSD/HDD combo is going to be for boot/media storage respectively. I see no purpose in getting a 240 GB drive for a boot/run-a-few-programs drive or spending an extra $20 for a step-up model. I kept the HDD the same simply because it's about a dollar or two difference.

I also went with Eric's suggestion for video card, since I knew I needed to spend a bit more on that. (To be perfectly honest? The GTX 770 was red and black, and I don't want red. I'm that petty, yes.)

I'll have to look into cases again myself because I really want something cool-looking and not so "black box"y or all sharp angles or something. I'd like something where I have at least 2 external 3.5" bays, a good working interior, and enough bays for all I need, plus maybe one or two for expansions down the road. I don't need that many bays. I also LOVE blue, like royal blue. I wanted a blue/white/black/silver case and the innards to match.

Also went with the cheapest power supply suggested. I don't think I need all that extra power, but I'm not sure if I'll add in anything later on. It sounds like even if I throw in an extra drive or whatever that I'll have enough power anyway. I was expecting this to run around 500W when it was done, not ~200W.

I do have Blu-Ray discs, but I guess I can use my PS4 for playing those. I DO want a DVD/CD read/write optical drive, however.

This is looking SO much better, and I love you guys! (This was written before Donkey's second post, so I'll take a look at that later. Thanks!)
 
Hi Donkey,

I didn't "leave it out" to get a number. I left it out because it's a pointless redundancy, we all know it needs to be included and we know what it costs. My goal was to post a build that improved on the quality and performance, I was not trying to make anything cheaper. Some corners aren't worth cutting.

-------

sapphiresiren,

The E3 adds ~7% to the cost of the build, and increases performance by up to ~30%.

The 360W is fine if you stay with GPUs that only require 1X 6 pin power connection (or none). If you wanted an upgrade path to more powerful GPUs that require up to 2x8pin connectors, you'd want a 450W unit (the seasonic G is also available as such for a few bucks more).

120GB is a major restriction on space for programs and OS. You'll be amazed how fast that disappears. Furthermore, there are performance penalties and wear-and-tear issues with running SSDs near full capacity. If you think you need 100GB of space for your apps and OS, then 200GB is an appropriate size. OS alone will be ~25GB, and will grow and grow with updates over time. Productivity suites are huge. Your swap file will always default to the system drive any time a secondary drive isn't available on boot, so you have to provision for enough free space for a swap file to be generated on the system drive that is as large or larger than the size of the memory installed.
 
What you have posted is now a gaming machine, that can do some productivity tasks. You are heading in a different direction to your original request.

I agree 100% with mdocod in his recent post.

1. The E3 1231 is MUCH better for the productivity tasks you have mentioned.

2a. My new system has a 256 Gb SSD. It is already 50% full and it has almost no data on it, only OS, applications, and scratch files.
2b. To run its TRIM (data space recovery) efficiently an SSD needs about 20% of free space. For what you said you want 240+ Gb is better.

3. So long as the PSU is big enough and good enough, things can be made to fit.

4. 16Gb will speed up your productivity tasks significantly.
 
I needed the OS posted in so I know how much I'm spending total. I literally only have $1K to spend that I got for Christmas. And no, I didn't know how much it cost because I've tried to avoid that crap OS like the plague, even though I know it runs better than Windows 7. I thought it might have been a little cheaper, to be honest, but oh well. I can't stand the new start menu and it requires so much modification just to be able to have admin rights. I had another laptop that I returned because I couldn't stand all the work I had to do just to get Windows 8 to look, feel, and behave like Windows 7. However, it's more efficient, so I'll try to work with it again.

I'm confused as to how the CPU I picked would be worse if it's good for gaming. My laptop right now can handle Photoshop and Illustrator at the same time with a bit of lag and long start up times, and it has a Intel Core 2 Duo CPU T6600 2.20 GHz. (I'm currently on a HP G71-US laptop.) This one I picked is a lot better and has more cores. I'm having a hard time justifying an extra $60 for the processor. I'm already not entirely certain about the video card, as I don't need to run games on max settings, just pretty good settings. With this laptop, I'm running things on the lowest settings and everything lags like crazy.

I use Photoshop, Illustrator, OpenOffice Writer and Calc, and Audacity mainly, and this laptop can handle them, but it's starting to near the end of its life and lag quite a bit. I'm looking at some stuff for it, and the main benefit I see is hyper-threading, which, after a bit of reading, I determined I didn't really need with a quad-core. I still think either one would run faster than the one I have now.

Sorry, I'm not trying to start a fight or anything, but I'm just really confused about the CPU. I'm also not sure about the graphics card at all and if an extra $40 really makes a big difference in quality. I'll definitely consider the higher storage SSD, though. I can see how my choice would become an issue. I might also go with a 450W unit as that sounds about right to me. Good for some upgrading, but nothing too crazy.

But yeah, I was hoping you guys could give me suggestions that were just as good or better for cheaper. I DO want to "cut corners." I'd rather not blow $1K on a computer, but I'd like something a little bit above going out and buying one pre-made. So yeah, I'd rather cut costs in spite of performance if possible. If that's not possible, I'll just stick to a factory computer for now like I always have.

Thanks a lot!
 
That's OK. We understand that you are a bit uncertain.

The i5 is a CPU good for gaming. It has four powerful cores and almost all current games do not use more resources than the i5 can provide. They do use more resources at time than the dual core i3 can provide.

The Xeon is as good for gaming as the i5. Where it shines is in many productivity tasks where software can use both the four powerful physical cores and the four virtual cores provided by Hyperthreading. This will result in significant speed improvements, as mdocod has mentioned. In your initial post, it seemed that these tasks were important to you. If you are telling us that you think the benefit of the i5 is enough and you would rather save the money, we just want to make sure that you realize what your decisions mean.

Some of the decisions you make are 'forever', some are 'for the moment'. For example, if you get a motherboard that supports four memory sticks (most of the ones suggested do) that is 'forever'. If you put 8Gb as 2 x 4 Gb on the board now, at any time in the future, you can increase that by another 2 x 4Gb to help speed up productivity tasks, many of which can use the extra memory. Overall, 4 x 4 cost a bit more than 2 x8, but the cost is later, if you ever need it.

An SSD will make your system very 'snappy'. My system boots from power on to cursor in about 9 seconds. However, an SSD is something that you could add later. It will be a bit of a pain to rearrange everything, bit it is doable.

So here is how I would 'cut corners'

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($242.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($80.98 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.00 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB FTW ACX Video Card ($114.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Antec GX500 ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($13.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $726.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-28 09:17 EST-0500.

The Xeon will help with the productivity. You are free to replace it with an i5 4460 if you need to save more.
You don't need a CPU cooler
The motherboard is good enough, although there are other choices.
The memory will do for gaming and will be an improvement, and you can double it if you need to later.
An SSD can be added later. I would choose to have one from the start, but it is a cuttable corner.
HDD. Go-to standard (or WD Caviar Blue, whichever is cheapest)
GPU Lower medium GPU that will play many games very well and all or most games at decent resolution.
Case is decent with three fans. If you want 'pretty' then it's a choice you can make. Offer us three or four options and we will tell you which ones we think are best. Case choice is a personal decision.
PSU. Costs 50$ and fully modular to make your build both easier and neater and will handle any expansion. It is significantly bigger than you need, but there is nothing smaller and cheaper I like that much in the 450W range. However, prices change every day. On the day, or day before you buy, post again and we can check what the 'deals of the day' are.

This build has a lot of rebates, to save money, but it's still a lot cheaper than where we started.
 


Oh my god, this is awesome. I'm sorry to be so picky and throw so many demands at you guys! I just want to feel like every dollar of my computer was worth it, and this seems like it will be! Thank you for putting up with me, lol.

It also feels like if/when I decide to upgrade (when I get more money), I can easily go with a better graphics card. I REALLY do want that dual drive SSD/HDD, so I might throw that in to save myself some hassle later on.

As for cases, I get the feeling that I can't go 'pretty' if I want to go 'less expensive,' as is most things in life.

Here's my pick, though. I was looking for something with at least three external bays (with no more than 1 being 3.5"):

Thermaltake VM30001W2Z
Thermaltake Commander MS-I ID
Apex PCV-588
Enermax ECA3280A-BL (This one's my personal favorite out of the lot.)
Antec GX500

I REALLY, REALLY appreciate all this work you and mcocod did. It really helped me reconsider a lot of things. One more question, however. Should I buy up all the parts at once, or sit and wait for prices to drop? Seems to me that might take a year or so. If I happen to get my job I've been looking for, I might also be able to go a bit higher in the price, but that won't happen until at least next month. I'm mostly planning for now, then I did plan on reposting this list to see if anything changed. I think my laptop can make it a few more months.
 
Of those cases I think the enermax looks like the best option.

-----

As far as whether to sit and wait or buy everything at once...

Most of the parts you are in the market for are going to have relatively stable but steadily declining prices over the long haul, as they are in the mainstream, and there is continuous price competition among them. Day to day fluctuations in pricing on that sort of stuff won'y typically be more than 10%.
 
If you are going to buy over an extended period (and I would try to avoid that), buy the 'conservative' parts first. I don't expect significant changes in the motherboard, HDD, ODD, PSU or RAM markets, other then the general decline mdocod has mentioned. New products will be for new technologies.

New CPUs and GPUs may change the market pricing in 2015 and the SSD market is still dynamic. Windows 10 is supposed to be coming soon too and there is always the 'flavor of the month' case.
 
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