New Build - Help on my first build

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FlyingSwami

Honorable
Aug 11, 2012
29
0
10,530
Hi Everyone,

Butremor helped suggest the following build which I modified slightly. Can you let me know if this build looks good for my use:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/pw8X


What I'm looking for in my build:
I'm looking for some help for a web design/gaming PC. My wife does a lot of web design, and I use the PC for more fun reasons (gaming/drawing). I generally keep my PCs for 4 years. I was hoping you could help find a PC that gives good performance now, with the ability to upgrade in the future.

Approximate Purchase Date: As early as this week but definitely by December

Budget Range: After Rebates; After Shipping $750-$1000 (I would be curious to see what different price points could get me)

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Web Design, digital art, Gaming, web browsing/streaming, media streaming (I use bluetooth to connect to sound system)

Are you buying a monitor: Yes (see detail below)

Do you need to buy OS: Yes

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: I am good with any reputable vendor. However, for more expensive parts, Amazon is preferred as I have a credit available there.

Location: City, State/Region, Country - Greer, SC, USA

Parts Preferences: N/A

Overclocking: I would say no - from what I've read on this forum, it seems overclocking does not give a significant performance boost though it does significantly increase heat - requiring more fans/cooling - resulting in more noise.

SLI or Crossfire: No - would just upgrade to a better card

Your Monitor Resolution: Do not have one, but 27" monitor preferred, touch screen a plus (for windows 8 and drawing purposes) - I would be curious to see this priced out separately in case I need to budget an additional amount. As for resolution, not sure what would be best for a 27" monitor and my use; I would think 1920xXXX and perhaps IPS could be useful.

Additional Comments:
Software - Adobe CS6 suite, Games - new releases (I have not gamed in a while as my current laptop cannot keep up).
Aesthetics - I wanted to note that for the pc and monitor aesthetics are important. I don't want a case or tower that looks super gamer-y (no case lights, avoid windows if possible). I like the looks of the Lenovo A720 a lot, but it's overpriced and underpowered.
http://www.lenovo.com/products/us/ [...] /a-series/
Quiet - I would be keeping this PC in the living room, so I want to make sure the PC will be quiet, even under a heavy load.

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading:
My wife and I currently have two 2-4 year old laptops that struggle to keep up with the adobe suite or can't even play newer games. Our plan is to purchase a solid desktop for work/games, then replace our laptops with tablets (most likely android) while on the go.

Thanks for your help!
 

FlyingSwami

Honorable
Aug 11, 2012
29
0
10,530
These are my power supply options that are less than $100:
500 Watts - Corsair CX500 V2 80 Plus Certified Power Supply [-9]
600 Watts - Standard 80 Plus Certified Power Supply - SLI/CrossFireX Ready [-13]
600 Watts - Corsair CMPSU-600CXV2 Builder Series CX600 V2 80 Plus Certified Power Supply
650 Watts - Corsair CMPSU-650TXV2 80 Plus Power Supply - Quad SLI Ready [+38]
700 Watts - Standard Power Supply - SLI/CrossFireX Ready [-25]
750 Watts - Corsair CMPSU-750TXV2 80 Plus Power Supply - Quad SLI Ready [CyberPower Monday Mega Sale] [+38]
750 Watts - Corsair Professional Series CMPSU-AX750 Gold 80 Plus Power Supply [+104]
750 Watts - Thermaltake Smart Series SP-750M 80 Plus Bronze Modular Power Supply [+37]
30750 Watts - Thermaltake Toughpower Grand TPG-750M Gold Modular 80 Plus Power Supply [+116]
800 Watts - Standard Power Supply - SLI/CrossFireX Ready [+2]
800 Watts - Standard 80 Plus Certified Power Supply - SLI/CrossFireX Ready [+2]
850 Watts - Thermaltake Smart Series SP-850M 80 Plus Bronze Modular Power Supply [+61]
 
Oh well then yea the 680 is a good free upgrade then. Yea I would go with the 650 Corsair TX unless you intent to go with SLI or Crossfire in the future otherwise id get the 750 (cyber monday sale makes the 750 a Amazing deal). I take it you are going through a pc builder site what are your options price wise with the SSD's. I'm not to familiar with the Sandisk SSD's I would say Kingston, Corsair, or my personal Favorite Samsung for SSD's.
 

FlyingSwami

Honorable
Aug 11, 2012
29
0
10,530
SSD Options, I have changed my SSD to the OCX Vertex 4:
120GB Corsair Force GT Series SATA-III 6.0 Gb/s SSD - 555MB/s Read & 515MB/s Write (VR Zone Editor’s Choice 10/10) (Single Drive) [+3]
120 GB Intel 330 Series SATA-III 6.0Gb/s - 500 MB/s Read & 450 MB/s Write (Single Drive) [-20]
120 GB Intel 520 Series SATA-III 6.0Gb/s - 550 MB/s Read & 520 MB/s Write (Single Drive) [+2]
120 GB Kingston HyperX 3K SATA-III 6.0Gb/s SSD - 555MB/s Read & 510MB/s Write (Single Drive) [+13]
128GB ADATA SP900 SATA-III 6.0Gb/s - 550 MB/s Read & 520 MB/s Write (Single Drive) [-27]
128GB SanDisk SATA III 6.0Gb/s SSD - 490 MB/s Read & 350 MB/s Write [CyberPower Monday Mega Sale - Free upgrade from 64 SanDisk III SSD (Double SSD Capacity - Single drive only)] (Single Drive) [-67]
128 GB OCZ Vertex 4 SATA-III 6.0Gb/s - 535 MB/s Read & 200 MB/s Write
Single Drive
128GB x 2 (256GB Capacity) Raid 0 Extreme Performance [+132]
128GB x 2 (128GB Capacity) Raid 1 High Performance with Data Security [+132]
128GB x 4 (512GB Capacity) Raid 0 Extreme Performance [+396]
128GB x 4 (256GB Capacity) Raid 0+1 Extreme Performance with Data Security [+396]
180 GB Intel 330 Series SATA-III 6.0Gb/s - 500 MB/s Read & 450 MB/s Write (Single Drive) [+36]
180 GB Intel 520 Series SATA-III 6.0Gb/s - 550 MB/s Read & 520 MB/s Write (Single Drive) [+82]
 
I agree with above. Vertex 4 is my favorite SSD overall, but they have not bee pricing aggressively like Samsung and Crucial have been over the last few days. There aren't many Black Fridays and Cyber Mondays where I see price increases, so OCZ really ddint' make me happy with their price hikes. I can get a Samsung 830 256GB more than $40 cheaper than an OCZ Vertex 4 256GB. It's a slightly inferior drive in overall performance and especially in write performance, but what choice do you have at that point? It's a whole $40. That could buy me a few cheese burgers along with a memory upgrade for my laptop and some good thermal paste.