First Custom Build (Video-Editing, Gaming)

supersebey

Reputable
Mar 14, 2014
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4,510
Hello everyone!

I don't know much about computer parts so it would be very helpful if you gave me some advice on the following question.

So I recently decided I want to build my first computer even though I am very new to this topic. I want a good computer that can handle HD-Video Editing (Sony Vegas or Pinnacle Studio -not too intense-, not AE) and play maybe some games (only stuff like Minecraft or Gmod). Here is the build I came up with:

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/39gqp
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/39gqp/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/39gqp/benchmarks/

CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-DS3P ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($79.78 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Corsair XMS3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($83.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($69.99 @ Microcenter)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($57.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7870 2GB Video Card ($205.66 @ Newegg)
Case: Inwin GT1 Black ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $822.35
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-14 12:22 EDT-0400)

That is really all the money I have at the moment and I cannot purchase anything more expensive than 850$.

I am really not sure enough if the GPU and CPU will be good enough for video-editing and I wanted to know if I could get anything better than this build with the money or maybe save money somewhere. I am open to suggestions and hope to find some good advice. Thank you!
 
NVIDIA GPU would be better for this application. The 660 can get you High in 1080p. The cooler I selected is much better and will keep the CPU much cooler and quieter, allowing for better overclocking. Also, SSD really isn't needed, so went with a really fast BLACK drive, and got you 16GB of RAM (you'll definitely want that).

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($71.99 @ Mwave)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-DS3P ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($79.78 @ OutletPC)
Memory: PNY XLR8 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($125.00 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($83.99 @ Adorama)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card ($179.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Inwin GT1 Black ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $835.70
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-14 12:45 EDT-0400)
 
Overall not a bad start. Should have no problems doing basic editing and decent gaming on a rig like that.

A few things to do research on:
1) Check for hardware optimization. I am familiar with Premiere, not Vegas. Premiere works best on an Intel/nVidia setup, so you may want to check Vegas to see what it tends to run best on. I believe it prefers AMD CPUs, but I could be wrong. Hardware acceleration can make a decent difference in export times, which is not a big deal for occasional editing, but becomes a big deal when doing larger projects on a regular basis.
2) Ram is kind of a big deal. 8GB should be fine, but definitely leave room to upgrade to 16GB in the future.
3) Your HDD setup is probably the most important thing for your editing setup.
For your system drive you want it to be big enough for your OS and programs. If running a SSD (as it seems you are) then you also want it large enough to use as a scratch drive for editing. If using a HDD for the system drive then you absolutely want your scratch drive on something other than your system or content disc.
I highly suggest running at least 2 2TB drives in RAID1 for an editing rig. 2TB drives are only marginally more expensive than 1TB drives while offering much more storage, and generally better performance. Having a RAID1 will protect you from drive failures, which happens more often than you would think, and never at an opportune time. WD Blue drives are not made for RAID, so you would need to move up to WD Black or Red drives, or move over to Seagate as all of their drives play nice with RAID setups.

4) GPUs are typically not used for video editing. I have built many a dedicated video editing rig that only use onboard Intel graphics, many of which are much more capable at editing than my rig at home which has a dedicated GPU. Editing is all about the CPU, RAM, and HDD throughput. Adobe Premere only touches the GPU for specific filters and effects, most of which are useless (except for color correction and green screen filters which it does a very good job at speeding up). While I am not familiar with Vegas, I am sure that it similarly only uses the GPU for very specific things, and generally will ignore it, but by all means do your own research to check this.
Your GPU should be mostly for your gaming, and as you are looking to do very basic gaming a $200 card may be overkill. Overkill is perfectly fine... but if you need to cut some budget, then that would be where to do it unless you plan on playing bigger/newer games down the road.

5) Save a bit of money.
For the moment, go find yourself a piece of junk case to cram your parts into. Surely you have a friend or relative with a spare ATX case laying around? Cases are one of those things you try to get for free when starting out, and then go buy a really nice one down the road... just don't let it eat into your initial build budget.
Also, use the stock cooler for the moment. I love my Hyper 212, but it is something easy enough to add down the road. You wont need to OC the system for basic gaming and editing, so that is $30 you can save for now and upgrade later when your budget isn't so tight.


Everything else seems fine! Best of luck!