New build under 1k for video editing and games, part list included, advice appreciated

[NewAccount]

Hi,

I'm helping a friend build a computer. I've built one system previously about 2 years ago and my friend has never built a system before.

The computer will be used along with a HD hand held video camera to edit and publish videos on youtube for a small home business. It will also be used to play games.

Approximate Purchase Date: e.g.: We would like to order all parts by the end of this weekend (April 5th)

Budget Range: Under $850.00 if possible

System Usage from Most to Least Important: video editing/publishing, games, surfing etc

We're using the current LCD widescreen monitor.

OS: Windows 7 Ultimate (not factored into price, already owned)

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg and Amazon

Parts Preferences: Intel and Nvidia

Overclocking: no

SLI or Crossfire: no

Additional Comments: Games include Skyrim, Sims, Sim City. We will be salvaging two HDD's from the old computer. We will also be using a media reader (3.5inch bay) from the old computer (needed to read SD cards from the camera). The user wants the media reader built into the computer, not a separate external USB type SD reader.

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: current computer is old, slow, and experience various issues.

Here is the parts list:

Case:
Phanteks “ Enthoo Pro Series “ PH-ES614P_BK Black Steel / Plastic ATX Full Tower Computer Case
99 bucks from amazon and newegg
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811854003&cm_re=Phanteks_PH-ES614p-_-11-854-003-_-Product

PSU:
SeaSonic G Series SSR-550RM 550W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply New 4th Gen CPU Certified Haswell Ready 86.99 amazon and newegg
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151119&cm_re=Seasonic_SSR-550RM-_-17-151-119-_-Product

MB:
ASUS MAXIMUS VI HERO DDR3 2800 LGA 1150 Motherboard socket for 4th Generation Intel Core i7/ i5/ i3/ Pentium / Celeron Processors
176.99, 146.99 after rebate from amazon
http://www.amazon.com/MAXIMUS-VI-HERO-Motherboard-Generation/dp/B00CXIVEA2/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1428076824&sr=1-1&keywords=asus+maximus+vi+hero

CPU:
Intel Core i5-4670K Quad-Core Desktop Processor 3.4 GHZ 6 MB Cache - BX80646I54670K, 239.00 Newegg and Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Intel-i5-4670K-Quad-Core-Desktop-Processor/dp/B00CO8TBOW/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1428076903&sr=1-1&keywords=BX80646I54670K

GPU:
MSI GAMING N750Ti TF 2GD5/OC G-SYNC Support GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB 128-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card
159.00 from amazon and newegg before 15 dollar mail in rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127783&cm_re=MSI_N750TI_TF_2GD5%2fOC-_-14-127-783-_-Product

Memory:
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL
62.99 on Newegg
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231314&cm_re=Model_F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL-_-20-231-314-_-Product

Storage:
Samsung 850 EVO 250GB 2.5-Inch SATA III Internal SSD (MZ-75E250B/AM)
115.00 through Amazon.
We're also going to be using a 1TB and a 500GB HDD from the older computer.
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-2-5-Inch-Internal-MZ-75E250B-AM/dp/B00OAJ412U/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1428077087&sr=1-1&keywords=%28MZ-75E250B%2FAM%29

Other:
SABRENT 2.5 to 3.5 Inches Internal Hard Disk Drive Mounting Kit (BK-HDDH)
6.99 amazon
http://www.amazon.com/SABRENT-Inches-Internal-Mounting-BK-HDDH/dp/B00G57BN1M/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1428077180&sr=1-1&keywords=BK-HDDH

StarTech 3.5-Inch to 5.25-Inch Floppy Mounting Kit Bracket (Black Plastic) (for the media reader) 5.99 amazon
http://www.amazon.com/StarTech-3-5-Inch-5-25-Inch-Mounting-Bracket/dp/B000HLZXH2/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1428077259&sr=1-1&keywords=StarTech+3.5-Inch+to+5.25-Inch+Floppy+Mounting+Kit+Bracket

Total for all parts 952.94
minus rebates of 45.00
total parts minus rebates 907.94

I'm expecting shipping and tax to run another 50-75 dollars.

Am I forgetting anything? Does this look like a decent system for the money? Are there any safe shortcuts I could take to save a few dollars without sacrificing performance or stability?

I went with a 550W PSU because from what I've read it is best to match your power requirements to your hardware so that you'd be running at about 75% load. I used the Cooler Master power calculator and with the parts I've listed it tells me I'm running about 304 watts. It seems as 550 may be slight overkill but I know it's safer overpowered than under powered. I'm sure some will say I'm still under powered.

Should the PSU come with everything I need to power up the SSD and the two other HDD's? I have an SSD and two HDD's on my computer and I can't remember if my PSU had everything I needed to hook up all three drives or if I had to purchase one more. Not a huge deal but I'd like to get the parts and put it together without any last minute runs to the computer parts store.

I'm open to everyone's opinion. This will be the second build I'm involved in. I'll consider it successful if I learn as much as I did with the first build and if the computer comes out at least as good as my first.

Thank you!!!!

John

 

[TofuLion]

well, if you don't plan to overclock, the K series cpu and high quality z87 motherboard won't be necessary. this Xeon cpu would be much better for video encoding, as it is able to use hyper-threading to allow the cores to act as if they were each two cores. also, the h97 motherboard would be good enough for what you need.

550 watts is about right, but the 80+ gold rating only improves the efficiency of how much power it consumes, meaning you would only be saving on your power bill every month (only pennies i'm sure). the antec hcg series is made by seasonic, i believe, and this unit is about half as much as the one you selected. also, either one should have plenty of power cables to run everything you need in this system.

the case you selected is very nice, and this is usually personal choice so i left it there. be aware that most cases (including this one) have mounts for at least one 2.5" ssd, so you won't need the extra mounting bracket. you might also consider one that already has an external 3.5" drive bay to save some there, but $6 isn't enough to be a deal breaker.

the 850 EVO is a monster, and don't forget to install the samsung magician utility and enable RAPID mode. it significantly increases the speed of the drive, but uses RAM as a cache, so you might not get the full benefit with only 8 GB of system ram, but the drive is fast enough as it is that you won't notice much difference at all.

and finally, the 750ti is probably not the best choice, even for light to moderate gaming (depending on your screen resolution of course). for full HD 1080p i recommend something stronger yet affordable and that's where AMD comes into play with the r9 280X - excellent price/performance.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($259.98 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus H97-PLUS ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($104.80 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($105.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280X 3GB Video Card ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 520W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($48.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $864.72
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-03 23:17 EDT-0400

EDIT: scratch that 520 watts isn't enough with the 280X. this unit is much better and the same price after a $30 rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371073&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

 

[Bossyfins]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($239.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($83.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Gaming Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($94.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($105.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card ($319.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Enermax OSTROG ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Directron)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 520W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($48.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $933.82
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-03 23:24 EDT-0400

 

[NewAccount]

well, if you don't plan to overclock, the K series cpu and high quality z87 motherboard won't be necessary. this Xeon cpu would be much better for video encoding, as it is able to use hyper-threading to allow the cores to act as if they were each two cores. also, the h97 motherboard would be good enough for what you need.

550 watts is about right, but the 80+ gold rating only improves the efficiency of how much power it consumes, meaning you would only be saving on your power bill every month (only pennies i'm sure). the antec hcg series is made by seasonic, i believe, and this unit is about half as much as the one you selected. also, either one should have plenty of power cables to run everything you need in this system.

the case you selected is very nice, and this is usually personal choice so i left it there. be aware that most cases (including this one) have mounts for at least one 2.5" ssd, so you won't need the extra mounting bracket. you might also consider one that already has an external 3.5" drive bay to save some there, but $6 isn't enough to be a deal breaker.

the 850 EVO is a monster, and don't forget to install the samsung magician utility and enable RAPID mode. it significantly increases the speed of the drive, but uses RAM as a cache, so you might not get the full benefit with only 8 GB of system ram, but the drive is fast enough as it is that you won't notice much difference at all.

and finally, the 750ti is probably not the best choice, even for light to moderate gaming (depending on your screen resolution of course). for full HD 1080p i recommend something stronger yet affordable and that's where AMD comes into play with the r9 280X - excellent price/performance.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($259.98 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus H97-PLUS ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($104.80 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($105.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280X 3GB Video Card ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 520W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($48.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $864.72
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-03 23:17 EDT-0400

EDIT: scratch that 520 watts isn't enough with the 280X. this unit is much better and the same price after a $30 rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371073&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

Thanks. We went with your suggestions after we researched the parts. Appreciate it.

 

[TofuLion]

Glad to be of assistance. hope everything goes smoothly with the build.