~$1500 Creativity + Gaming system (Movie editing / effects, music production, 3D modeling and rendering)

PaToTo

Honorable
Nov 21, 2013
1
0
10,510
I really shouldn't be building a computer to this magnitude, but I'm sick of being limited by my hardware in amateur movie / music production, and with a better system maybe i'll get back into PC gaming.

This is my first build, and I think its easy to fall into the habit of slowly bumping a budget up looking at threads speaking of the virtues of x piece of hardware. Do I really need the 4gb gtx 770? Or the ASUS Hero motherboard? A voice in the back of my head is telling me I might be starting too fast.

I've been referring to tomshardware forum posts alot while looking around, hopefully I can get some personal advice now. Thanks!



Approximate Purchase Date: By the end of the month, hopefully sooner

Budget Range: $1500-1800 all in (after tax / shipping)

System Usage from Most to Least Important:
1) Video editing (Sony vegas with multiple HD video tracks) and effects (After effects)
2) Music production (FL Studio with many tracks and VSTs)
3) Gaming (flight simulators, arma, strategy games)
4) 3D modeling (3ds max)

Are you buying a monitor: No


Do you need to buy OS: Yes (intending on Windows 8.1 64bit, but can be swayed otherwise)

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: (e.g.: newegg.com, ncix.com, amazon.ca, canadacomputers.com)
[Note: See my link at the end for my current list]

Location: Kingston, ON, Canada

Parts Preferences: Intel i7 processor (seems to be most popular for gaming and fast video rendering), Nvidia graphics (for CUDA and adobe products, which i have only seen mentioned and do not know anything about)

Overclocking: Maybe*

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe*

Your Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080

Additional Comments: I don't care how it looks, as long as its functional. Quiet is good in terms of music production (recording).

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: Trying to do anything significant with after effects is terrible on my laptop.

* I've seen these terms thrown out a lot, and would appreciate a concrete / brief answer: will these matter to me if i'm not intending on creating a gaming rig (but if I game, I would like to at least have a nice HD, responsive experience)


*********This is what I came up with: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/26iTh ********

It is nearing the ceiling of my budget. Mainly, I would like to know if I really need the 4gb gtx 770, and other parts I might be able to scale back. Even if i get into gaming on my pc, I highly doubt I will be going dual monitor 1080p at full settings.
 
Solution
PCPartPicker part list: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/26k9D
Price breakdown by merchant: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/26k9D/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/26k9D/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($319.99 @ Amazon Canada)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.79 @ DirectCanada)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-PRO ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($186.50 @ Vuugo)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($161.48 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($99.79 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Seagate Constellation CS 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($139.50 @ Vuugo)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 770 4GB Video...
PCPartPicker part list: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/26k9D
Price breakdown by merchant: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/26k9D/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/26k9D/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($319.99 @ Amazon Canada)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.79 @ DirectCanada)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-PRO ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($186.50 @ Vuugo)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($161.48 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($99.79 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Seagate Constellation CS 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($139.50 @ Vuugo)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 770 4GB Video Card ($404.99 @ NCIX)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Titanium Grey) ATX Mid Tower Case ($119.99 @ NCIX)
Power Supply: SeaSonic G-750 750W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($129.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Optical Drive: LG WH14NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($73.50 @ Vuugo)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (32/64-bit) ($111.52 @ DirectCanada)
Total: $1777.04
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-21 21:40 EST-0500)
 
Solution