1000-1500$ AutoCAD Civil 3d Drafting / Gaming PC

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foozballd53

Honorable
Apr 18, 2012
7
0
10,510
Approximate Purchase Date: this week

Budget Range: 1000-1500 after Shipping

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Office Drafting using Civil 3D Design Suite http://, personal gaming

Are you buying a monitor: No

Parts to Upgrade: New Build

Do you need to buy OS: Yes - Windows 7 Professional 64-bit

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com or equiv

Location: Nashville, TN

Parts Preferences: Intel CPU

Overclocking: Doubtful

SLI or Crossfire: Doubtful

Your Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080

Additional Comments: Need this to be a reliable PC foremost, I will be using it for work as well as gaming on the side. Also, a quiet rig is ideal.

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: My current PC is a piece of junk I bought at staples just to run simple Autocad. However, now that I have upgraded my design software to Civil 3d - the PC just cannot handle it and my productivity level has dropped tremendously. Also, I'd like to run some of the new PC games on this guy at high/ultra settings. Used to be a huge gamer in college, and miss the hobby tremendously.
 
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JackNaylorPE

JackNaylorPE

Titan
BANNED
Oct 30, 2004
32,255
14
99,960
As ya might guess by the letters at the end of name, we have similar interest and needs

I'm leaving ya room for upgrade to SLI and high overclocks on everything. Drop to the alternate case / PSU combo with the 650 watter if ya sure ya never gonna go this way and of course drop the cooler / TIM ...if my math is right, you'll save about $175

$20 off w/ promo code TECH4LESS10, ends 4/29 on case + $20 MIR
$10 off w/ promo code APRCT10, ends 4/29 on PSU + 410 MIR

Case - $210 - Corsair 500R White http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1278902
PSU - inc w/ above - Corsair HX850 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207011
MoBo - $285 - ASUS P8Z77-V LK http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1270852
CPU - Included - Intel Core i5-3570k Ivy Bridge http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072
Cooler - $80 - Phanteks PH-TC14PE http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835709001
TIM - $5 - Shin Etsu http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835150080
GFX - $390 - MSI N670 PE 2GD5/OC http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127685
GFX - later - MSI N670 PE 2GD5/OC Same
SSD - $140 - Samsung 840 Pro http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147192
HD - $160 - WD Caviar Black 5 yr warranty 2 TB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136792
DVD Writer - $60 - Asus Blue Ray Burner http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135252

OS - $140 - Win 7-64 Pro http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116992

Total $1,470

Here's the alternate case / PSU combo $190 - $40 in MIRs - $10 off w/ promo code EMCXSVR23, ends 5/1 on PSU and $20 off w/ promo code TECH4LESS10, ends 4/29 on Case ...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1278878
 
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foozballd53

Honorable
Apr 18, 2012
7
0
10,510


Thanks a lot my man! This helps me out a lot. One question though - what about RAM? Forgive me if I skimmed over it.
 
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Transmaniacon

Transmaniacon

Distinguished
Nov 3, 2008
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If you want a quiet rig, I would take a look at the Fractal Design Define R4 or Cosair 550D.

As for RAM, really any DDR3-1600 by Corsair, Kingston, Crucial, or G.Skill will work fine. An 8GB kit is plenty.

I would suggest a modular PSU, they are much easier to work with and reduce a lot of clutter inside the case. SeaSonic and Corsiar have good options, 650 watts is plenty.
 
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foozballd53

Honorable
Apr 18, 2012
7
0
10,510
I do like the corsair 550d case, however - seeing as my original budget is around 1500 bucks, that case + ram breaks my budget a bit. With that said - i'm curious as to what the difference in sound would actually be. As long as the 500r does't sound like a freight train, I'm cool with it.

Also, does anyone have any information as to the benefit of running the OS and important programs off of SSD vs a standard HD? I know there is a difference, but is it really all that noticable?
 
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Transmaniacon

Transmaniacon

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Nov 3, 2008
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Well the 500R is designed for good airflow, and the stock fans that come with it aren't the quietest. I would say if you compare both cases stock, the 550D will be noticeably quieter. This is not to say the 500R will be loud, but if silence is important I would get a case designed to be quiet.

There is a big difference in having an SSD, and it is something I would probably prioritize over the case. This way you don't need to install windows again if you do add an SSD later, and can just put your guts in a new case if you want to.
 
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foozballd53

Honorable
Apr 18, 2012
7
0
10,510
Thank you guys for your input so far!

One final question before I put in my order.

As far as the GPU is concerened, do ya'll know if it will run idle fairly well. I will be using this PC part of the day just running CAD and things like that - nothing very graphic intensive until I get into 3d modeling. With that said, I sure wouldn't want this thing to be working at gaming speeds during these times, it could get annoying.

Thanks again for everyones input!
 
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foozballd53

Honorable
Apr 18, 2012
7
0
10,510
Good deal! Order has been placed and the components are on their way! With that said, it has been a while since I built a computer from scratch (and even then, I had folks who had a little more experience talk me through it) so if anyone has any tips or maybe a post to read - that would be fantastic.

More specifically, I had planned on going ahead and getting all the drivers download to speed up the process, but really don't know where to begin, especially with the MoBo - there a billion different downloads at the ASUS website for this MoBo and I'm not sure exactly which ones to get.

thanks again guys, I have really appreciated everyone input and help so far.
 
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Transmaniacon

Transmaniacon

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Nov 3, 2008
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I would check out YouTube for a guide on how to assemble a computer. There are dozens of very helpful videos, and you can see it actually being done instead of just looking at pictures.

Your motherboard will come with a driver disc and you can install everything from there, though windows is pretty good about finding most everything you need on its own.

This should make for a nice computer, best of luck with it.
 
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