Rate my build? (Video Games and light video editing)

[Ryze]

Hi, so soon I will be building a new computer with a focus on playing video games, writing novels, and video editing. My budget (as you can tell from looking at my links below) is the lower $1,000 range. I want to go as low as I can so that's where I have 2 builds listed.

IMPORTANT DETAILS

Gaming wise, I play World of Warcraft, Skyrim, Oblivion, Fall Out 3, Hearthstone, Dragon Age: Origins, and soon ES:O once it comes out.

Video Editing is my largest concern but most un-common hobby for me. Let me put this out now, and consider this when telling me which one to use, I don't give 2 craps about the rendering time to render a video, if necessary, I will just let it render over night when I go to sleep!

I run Sony Vegas to make 3-5 minute long gaming videos, or AMVs / Machinimas.

The only thing I care about is Sony Vegas running smoothly when the clips have a few effects on them. Again, don't care about Render times. I don't video edit all that often, maybe 1 video a week.

I also do a lot of multitasking.

At the same time, I will always be running:

1 main program (IE: A Game, Sony Vegas, or Microsoft Word)
1 or 2 chat programs (AIM, Skype, Raidall, so on)
Music
Firefox

So what would do it fine for me? I want to go as cheap as I can to get the computer asap. Yes, going I5 / 8gb to I7 / 16 GB will have that large of an effect on waiting time.

I5 / 8 GB?
I5 / 16 GB?
I7 / 8 GB?
I7/ 16 GB?

Here are my I5 / 8gb and I7 / 16 gb builds to give you an idea of what they look like.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2MkcV

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2NZRy

 

[apcs13]

Both builds are fine, but if you can afford the i7, why not go with that one, there's not much reason not to if you have the funds to do so. If you don't WANT to spend so much money the i5 build is great as well, I have the 6350 and the 2GB GTX 770 and it plays games and renders videos like a champ. You can't go wrong either way, but the i7 and 16GB may help with future proofing.

 

[Ryze]

Accidental double post.

 

[Ryze]

Both builds are fine, but if you can afford the i7, why not go with that one, there's not much reason not to if you have the funds to do so. If you don't WANT to spend so much money the i5 build is great as well, I have the 6350 and the 2GB GTX 770 and it plays games and renders videos like a champ. You can't go wrong either way, but the i7 and 16GB may help with future proofing.

Thanks for the fast answer.

The thing is, I'm a college student in my 2nd semester, I've been saving up for this computer since my last semester of Highschool. (So literally 1 year to be exact) and I'm getting close to done. If I move up to the I7 / 16 GB Ram, that will add another month of two to my saving up time. So to avoid waiting another two months, I want to make sure I actually need those things.

It would suck to save up those 2 extra months, and then never even make use of the I7 / extra ram if you get what I'm saying, but when I say it outloud, "I7 and 16 gigs" it almost sounds worth the wait, whether I do make use or not.

 

[Tom Tancredi]

For multitasking I found I needed to double my RAM, as I kept hitting my limit. So I would agree the i7/16GB would be the best solution as well.

 

[unclemao]

This build is perfect for you, http://pcpartpicker.com/user/unclema0/saved/3Eo6. 16gbs and 8 cores helps multitasking. And 8 cores, 16gbs and a 250gb ssd helps yours video editing efforts.

 

[vmN]

For multitasking I found I needed to double my RAM, as I kept hitting my limit. So I would agree the i7/16GB would be the best solution as well.

For multitasking 8GB is still fine.
I can run 2-4 VM's and still do some multitasking before hitting the limit of 8GB.

This build is perfect for you, http://pcpartpicker.com/user/unclema0/saved/3Eo6. 16gbs and 8 cores helps multitasking. And 8 cores, 16gbs and a 250gb ssd helps yours video editing efforts.

Tell me how a SSD helps with video editing?
8 cores sure sound nice, sadly they share resources. I like to call it "hyper-coring".
16GB sure is nice when rendering, but as he said, he didn't care about rendering time.
I would recommend an i7 with 8GB 2133MHz with a CAS latency on 9(CL9).
That would be the best of both world.

 

[unclemao]

For multitasking I found I needed to double my RAM, as I kept hitting my limit. So I would agree the i7/16GB would be the best solution as well.

For multitasking 8GB is still fine.
I can run 2-4 VM's and still do some multitasking before hitting the limit of 8GB.

This build is perfect for you, http://pcpartpicker.com/user/unclema0/saved/3Eo6. 16gbs and 8 cores helps multitasking. And 8 cores, 16gbs and a 250gb ssd helps yours video editing efforts.

Tell me how a SSD helps with video editing?
8 cores sure sound nice, sadly they share resources. I like to call it "hyper-coring".
16GB sure is nice when rendering, but as he said, he didn't care about rendering time.
I would recommend an i7 with 8GB 2133MHz with a CAS latency on 9(CL9).
That would be the best of both world.

1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7AYtfSkPQw#t=211

 

[vmN]

You now how SSD are faster than HDD?
They can response faster, when you are pulling rather larger files you wont notice the big difference.
SSD is great at smaller faster task.

So please put some word behind it and explain why.

 

[unclemao]

You now how SSD are faster than HDD?
They can response faster, when you are pulling rather larger files you wont notice the big difference.
SSD is great at smaller faster task.

So please put some word behind it and explain why.

He runs 3-5 minute sony vegas videos that would be considered as a fairly small file and as you said ssds are good at doing smaller tasks faster

 

[vmN]

You now how SSD are faster than HDD?
They can response faster, when you are pulling rather larger files you wont notice the big difference.
SSD is great at smaller faster task.

So please put some word behind it and explain why.

He runs 3-5 minute sony vegas videos that would be considered as a fairly small file and as you said ssds are good at doing smaller tasks faster

You now how SSD are faster than HDD?
They can response faster, when you are pulling rather larger files you wont notice the big difference.
SSD is great at smaller faster task.

So please put some word behind it and explain why.

You now how SSD are faster than HDD?
They can response faster, when you are pulling rather larger files you wont notice the big difference.

They can response faster

 

[vmN]

in the end we are talking about 15 sec difference, which I dont see it been worth.

 

[unclemao]

in the end we are talking about 15 sec difference, which I dont see it been worth.

What about the boot difference and game loading time difference,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQpiZ44GyYU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIrjwx6umdg

 

[vmN]

in the end we are talking about 15 sec difference, which I dont see it been worth.

What about the boot difference and game loading time difference,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQpiZ44GyYU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIrjwx6umdg

Does that require a 256GB SSD?
No.
a 32GB is enough for the system alone.
a 64GB is enough for the system and a few programs which are used often.
a 128GB is enough for the system and a few program which are used often and games.

 

[unclemao]

in the end we are talking about 15 sec difference, which I dont see it been worth.

What about the boot difference and game loading time difference,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQpiZ44GyYU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIrjwx6umdg

Does that require a 256GB SSD?
No.
a 32GB is enough for the system alone.
a 64GB is enough for the system and a few programs which are used often.
a 128GB is enough for the system and a few program which are used often and games.

Look at the price $130 that's a little over 50 cents a gb and that's what a 128gb ssd would cost

 

[vmN]

I modified your build slightly:
Big changed: Added one of the best aircooler for better overclocking.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($146.49 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($74.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock 970 PRO3 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Crucial M500 240GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($122.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.66 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: PNY GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($309.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG UH12NS30 Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($42.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1042.05
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-02-06 04:34 EST-0500)

 

[unclemao]

I modified your build slightly:
Big changed: Added one of the best aircooler for better overclocking.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($146.49 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($74.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock 970 PRO3 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Crucial M500 240GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($122.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.66 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: PNY GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($309.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG UH12NS30 Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($42.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1042.05
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-02-06 04:34 EST-0500)

Nice you could probably hit 4.7-5 ghz with that cooler

 

[apcs13]

I modified your build slightly:
Big changed: Added one of the best aircooler for better overclocking.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($146.49 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($74.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock 970 PRO3 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Crucial M500 240GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($122.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.66 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: PNY GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($309.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG UH12NS30 Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($42.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1042.05
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-02-06 04:34 EST-0500)

That's a good build, but if the OP is serious about overclocking and wants to bump their 8320 up to 4.5 GHz or more, don't you think that a 990FX board would benefit them in the long run?

What I think they should do, is get a 990FX board, the great cooling, and the 8320, and then get a GTX 760 4GB (extra VRAM for the future), so that they can run an SLI configuration later for blazing fast gaming, and they can overclock that CPU to their heart's content to keep up with the GPU power.