First Timer Build Advice

Primes1022 · Dec 18, 2013

Approximate Purchase Date: Next Week or so.

Budget Range: ~$1500 ( Give or take a little but would really prefer not to)

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, Audio/Music work (Pro Tools, Finale Printmusic, BiaB), Infrequent vfx, Movie Streaming (i.e. Netflix, Amazon instant), web browsing, etc.
Are you buying a monitor: No (But I may in the near future, any suggestions?)

Parts to Upgrade: Everything

Do you need to buy OS: No

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg, Amazon, Bestbuy

Location: Norfolk, Virginia, US

Parts Preferences: Really like Asus and Corsair. Intel CPU

Overclocking: Maybe down the road

SLI or Crossfire: No

Your Monitor Resolution: Current monitor is 1680x1050, When I go to upgrade, 1920x1080.

Additional Comments: Games: SWTOR, BF4, TF2, STO, MC, to name a few. Programs: Previously stated audio programs, photoshop, after effects, Office.

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: My current desktop system has become outdated and was used when I got it.

I would prefer a smaller form factor because I need a powerful system that I can take with me for shows and LAN parties. WI-Fi is also a must.

Here is what I have come up with: http://pcpartpicker.com/user/Primes1022/saved/2mNk'

fil1p · Dec 18, 2013

Overall its pretty solid. Do you intend to keep it as a Mini ITX build? That could prevent you from expanding in the future, but if you don't mind that then go ahead. The one thing I would change is the power supply. Corsair makes some very nice PSU's but the CX series is their budget line and some of their capacitors on that PSU are not the best. I would suggest a better power supply, perhaps even a modular one. Keep in mind its a tight squeeze when fitting in a PSU in to that case, the space is pretty limited. The shorter the PSU the easier it will be for you to install it. Also I suggest you get a hard drive for mass storage. An SSD is great for the OS and applications, but for storing files I would suggest you get a hard drive to go along with that.

Also have you thought of getting an aftermarket CPU cooler? If you intend to overclock your system than it is essential to get one, but keep in mind that space is limited in the Prodigy, so make sure the cooler is compatible and also doesn't interfere with the RAM heatsink.

Hope this helps, good luck on your build!

ssddx · Dec 18, 2013

solid parts but i would go mATX instead of ITX form factor.

that would mean upgrading to a different case as well.

you will also end up needing a 1tb or larger storage drive as the 250gb will get filled up quick. remember take 20% capacity off the top then subract 30gb and that is the space you have to put files on.

edit: i would go with an xfx or seasonic psu .

blade of grass · Dec 18, 2013

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($319.98 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87MX-D3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($122.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($151.29 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($89.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($335.30 @ SuperBiiz)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WDN4800 802.11a/b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($42.92 @ Amazon)
Case: BitFenix Prodigy M Midnight MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($89.99 @ Microcenter)
Case Fan: Cougar Vortex PWM 70.5 CFM 120mm Fan ($15.99 @ Newegg)
Case Fan: Cougar Vortex PWM 70.5 CFM 120mm Fan ($15.99 @ Newegg)
Case Fan: Cougar Vortex PWM 70.5 CFM 120mm Fan ($15.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($114.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1422.35
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-12-18 17:33 EST-0500)

I personally recommend mATX over mITX as mITX is very limited in what you can do.

This is personally what I would spend my money on for a LAN party/music & video editing build. Although you may get a little less performance with the 770, you won't be able to notice it on a single 1080p display. An i7 will benefit you greatly when it comes to audio and photoshop work.
A real cooler will aid you alot, and although the fans have some orange accents, you won't be able to see them and the fans perform very well (quiet and move quite abit of air).
The PSU is a top-of-the-line OEM SeaSonic X-Series, 80 Plus Gold, fully modular. Should last you a lifetime

ssddx · Dec 18, 2013

one thing to keep in mind is that the cooling is quirky on the prodigy m. it is meant to flow from top to bottom hence defies thermodynamics (and is less efficient because of it).

agree with blades build except.... i'd go with an asus mobo and different case.

blade of grass · Dec 18, 2013

ssddx :

I don't really like any of ASUS's motherboards anymore (colour scheme is horrible), and I went with the case because it looks like the normal prodigy

ssddx · Dec 18, 2013

asus has some rather nice color schemes on most of their boards. only a few are ugly (as are some other brands i might add). certainly no reason to not use them anymore.

i know why you picked the prodigy m (its the prodigy but for mATX mobo). i was just listing issues with the case.

blade of grass · Dec 18, 2013

ssddx :

I personally dislike ASUS's gold/tan/brown/whatever colour scheme, and wouldn't use one of those boards when their competitors have board of equal quality but look nicer.

ssddx · Dec 18, 2013

looks to be black&yellow (or black&gold) which looks perfectly fine. the rog boards are black&red.

in any case i think it looks better than the gigabyte with "ultra durable" plastered in big letters on it haha.

personal opinion. leave it up to the op to decide, its their build.

Primes1022 · Dec 18, 2013

fil1p :

Thanks for the feedback! I was initially planning on getting a Corsair HX650. Although, I was worried about the fit. As for a CPU cooler, I was just planning on leaving it as is until I actually go to overclock. And thirdly, I have a 1TB WD Blue here at the house I'm planning on throwing in there for storage. Sorry, I forgot to put that in there. Thanks Again!

Primes1022 · Dec 18, 2013

I definitely understand what you mean about the 4770k. Do you know of any mATX Mobo's that have integrated wireless capabilities? That is actually one of the reasons that swayed more towards the mini itx build. And a part of me still wants that mammoth of a 780!

Thanks for the feedback. With what you've suggested will help me go back to the drawing board and make sure it works out.

blade of grass · Dec 18, 2013

ssddx :

Primes1022 :

On board wireless solutions are usually subpar, sadly. You'll get better speeds with a PCI-E WiFi card.

Primes1022 · Dec 19, 2013

Ok! Thanks for the feedback and advice from everyone! I've kind of re-imagined it and came up with this: http://pcpartpicker.com/user/Primes1022/saved/3bku
Note: I do have a 1TB WD Blue I'm going to use as a storage drive.

Since I've added an after market cooler. Anyone have any guess of how high of an overclock I could get on this? Thanks everyone for your help.

ssddx · Dec 19, 2013

the hyper 212 isnt that big of a cooler. modest overclocks at best.

instead of the corsair 350d (which is a nice case dont get me wrong) what are your thoughts on the corsair 540?

the psu should be fine for a single gpu and oc however if you plan to get another gpu in the future to sli... get a 750w instead (there is a nice fully modular xfx one for about $110... which is made by seasonic)

everything else looks okay

FALC0N · Dec 19, 2013

I have always felt that your first build should be something really cheap. Better to make mistakes on $150 worth of parts than $1500 worth of parts. Can't tell you how many first time builders i have seen throw $1000+ at their first builds only to have the project blow up at some point because of inexperience. But that's just me, I guess.

ssddx · Dec 19, 2013

stop being such a pessimist.

my first build from scratch was $1500 years ago. i've helped hundreds of people on here and never saw any problems.

as long as you are careful and ASK or WATCH A VIDEO when you dont know the answer instead of rushing forward you are fine.

the biggest issue is electrostatic discharge.... but if you touch the case before you touch every part every time... you're fine.

edit:

in any case asking the experts on here is helping to prevent a build blowing up in their face.... in terms of incompatibilities or possible issues.

Primes1022 · Dec 20, 2013

I think I'm going to stick with the 350d. The 540 has a nice look, but I'm a sucker for those obsidian cases!

Even despite dropping the GPU to the 770 rather than 780, I don't think I'm going to go SLI at all in the very near future, let alone on this build. And as for the cooler, I wasn't expecting anything huge on it. But just enough to help get the best bang for buck. I'm kind of liking where it is all right now. When I go to get it, I'll definitely be posting pics. Thanks again!

FALC0N · Dec 20, 2013

Ssddx, you aren't looking very hard if you have never seen problems. Threads about first time builds not functioning are not uncommon. There is no substitute for actually doing it. You are taking a risk when you start with a $1500 build.

My first build went fine as well, but i started with a cheapie $100 setup and learned a whole lot about the system and build preferences from it that can only be learned from doing. But it's your money. Do what you want with it.

ssddx · Dec 20, 2013

i've never seen problems..... with any of the builds that i was involved in. perhaps i should have been more specific there.

yes, i've seen the trouble upon trying to post for the first time threads but keep in mind that some of them are due to faulty hardware which needed to be rma... and not because of bad assembly.

while i agree messing around with parts not worth anything is a good thing... its not worth spending any money on such things. if you can get some parts for free (often people just trash older pii/piii/p4/amd computers) then yes play around with them. keeping in mind that hardware has changed a bit so it wont be the same and you might make more mistakes by doing it the old way first (like not realizing the motherboards take quite a few power cables).

as long as you are prepared... ask questions up front (or read the countless how-to threads we have on here) and watch some videos.... its not a big deal. i've been involved with builds where a 14 year old kid assembled it on their own and if they can do it... so can pretty much anyone.

i do agree with you to a point... but there is no reason to make it seem like its such a horrible dangerous risky thing. the risk is very small if you dont go blind into it.

FALC0N · Dec 21, 2013

ssddx :

Or is it? Its always interesting that such a percentage of RMA's come from novice builders. I suspect the motherboard that was shorted out on the standoff suddenly becomes the "defective motherboard" or the cpu that "came with bent pins" was really installation error.

I was just helping a novice builder who admitted he bent the cpu pins on installation. But I think it happens a lot and people just don't realize they were at fault or don't admit it. Better to learn that lesson with a $20 cpu than a $300 cpu. Not to mention ESD issues that could cause problems down the line.

But your right. It isn't a requirement by any means. And I would only do it if you can get the parts dirt cheap. In my case, I manage to build an entire pc for $150, and reasonably modern for the time. This was years ago when parts were more expensive. It made a wonderful birthday gift for a friend too.

Primes1022 · Dec 21, 2013

Extra Note: This is my first time, and I'm only 17. Although, I have been constantly reading and watching how-to's and such for over a year now getting ready. In addition, when I go to actually build it, I'll be doing it with my brother who has done it before and his profession is computer work for a University in the area. I see what you all mean about novice builders making the errors and potentially wasting the money. Although, I feel pretty confident about jumping into this. Thanks again to all of the feedback from all of you. Positive or negative, it all helps gains a grander perspective on things.

ssddx · Dec 21, 2013

@primes

i've had people 14 years old or younger complete their own builds sucessfully. in fact i wasnt too much older than you when i built my first one myself (which kick started me getting more into tech).

i wouldnt pay too much mind to the negatism. while completely true that you need to be careful he almost makes it seem like a certainty that something will go wrong. its a good thing your brother is helping you. you should learn quite a bit!

good luck. have fun. if you have problems post back here and when you get the system done post pictures and feedback!

FALC0N · Dec 22, 2013

SSddx, my advice was to build 2 machines. One the basically a practice machine followed by the full build. How is that negativity? Recommending cautious execution is not negativity.

But you did remind me of one reason I had forgotten about. Your right about it getting a person exited about tech. Very right.

Primes, when your done, its going to be a great feeling. You will NEVER want to go back to crappy pre-build systems again. And I suspect you will feel another feeling: You will want to do it again, NOW.

When I was done with the practice build, all those years ago, I wanted build another machine right away. It was so much fun. As much as any of the practical reasons, wanting to do it again right away, is one reason I make that recommendation. I was so excited on the second build, I went to the UPS office and intercepted the parts before the truck could even deliver them to my home. I still feel that way to this day when I build. I just don't run to UPS anymore.

So whatever path you choose, just remember to have respect for the fact that are dealing with electricity. It can be dangerous, and it only takes one mistake. Just move slowly and take safety seriously, and you will be fine.

Other than that, have fun. And is really is fun. Your going to have a blast.

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