First time building a PC and I got a $1200 budget and I need help

OORAYZA · May 10, 2014

So I'm going to college soon and I'm going to build myself a computer for gaming and animation (3D/2D). I have a budget of $1,200, I need some help on some missing pieces and in general opinions on the parts I picked. I know this may make things more difficult but if you're giving me suggestions can it be these brands I trust: Intel, Asus, Corsair, Hitacht/Western Digital, and Nvidia if not please tell me why because I need to understand.

Intel Core i5 (don't know which one)

ASUS Sabertooth X79 LGA 2011: $329.99
http://tinyurl.com/7s98vz3

Western Digital Black WD1003FZEX 1TB: $78.99
http://tinyurl.com/lesxxzh
Or
HITACHI 1TB 7200: $65.00
http://tinyurl.com/n44ofza

Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3: $57.06
http://tinyurl.com/k7h2zt5

NZXT Phantom 530 CA-PH530-W1: $99.99
http://tinyurl.com/lajkwdf

I still need a Graphics Card and a Power Supply. I've been looking at the Graphic card and I can't decide which one I need now because I want the best performance yet I know I can upgrade later when I earn more money.

schau314 · May 10, 2014

I can help you out a little bit. First off in you don;t overclock an 100 dollar motherboard is fine. Also there are no lga 2011 i5's, only socket 1150 is viable for that build. Do you want me to supply a possible build. also what resolution do you play.

CTurbo · May 10, 2014

Do you need to buy windows and monitor with that budget?

OORAYZA · May 10, 2014

CTurbo :

I don't need to buy a monitor or Windows 7

OORAYZA · May 10, 2014

schau314 :

At least a 1080p, 60 fps, I defintley want to be able to overclock one day, and I would like a suggestions.

schau314 · May 10, 2014

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3Hwvt
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3Hwvt/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3Hwvt/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI Z87-G43 Gaming ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($111.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($79.99 @ Micro Center)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.43 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 770 2GB TWIN FROZR Video Card ($313.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($47.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($47.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $962.33
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-10 16:42 EDT-0400)

schau314 · May 10, 2014

The i5-4670k is the only sensible overclocking chip that is new.
The motherboard depends on the needed features, but most z87 are fine.
The ram is negligible, any 1600 seems fine unless overclocking the ram.
An ssd is nice
A 1 tb hard drive is standard.
The 770 is great for 1080p, the 760 would also work. There are some good amd offerings like the 280x also.
case is personal preference, but the haf 912 is a great budget case.
The 550w is fine but maybe an overclock could push it close. I don;t think it will be a problem though.
Optical drive is cheap and fine.
Opinions, suggestions, or any criticism that is helpful is recommended.

CTurbo · May 10, 2014

Here is my take. I know you said you wanted to be able to overclock, but I think you would benefit more from an i7 with hyperthreading for your animation tasks, and it's cheaper than overclocking an i5 anyway. I added a very reliable ssd for windows and a 2TB hdd for plenty of storage.
I also upgraded to the GTX780 with money saved from not overclocking.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3HwZL
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3HwZL/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3HwZL/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1230 V3 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($244.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI Z87-G55 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($104.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial M500 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($66.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($83.97 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 780 3GB TWIN FROZR Video Card ($492.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: Antec EarthWatts Green 650W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($76.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $1200.86
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-10 16:56 EDT-0400)

OORAYZA · May 10, 2014

I'm just wondering I thought that a Nvidia Graphic Cards are one of the better brands and you and the schau314 suggests msi is there a difference in price or power? Also I never heard of an intel Xeon can you tell me more about that.

schau314 · May 10, 2014

The xeon is basically a server chip usually. That xeon is what i recommend if not overclocking. It is basically an i7 without any graphics or special unneeded commands. Nvidia and amd make the cards. Certain people make the cooler, msi and evga are examples. Either works fine, decide the card first and then the cooler or maker.

schau314 · May 10, 2014

Each maker adds a price premium warranty and heat and fan as well as a small power difference.

CTurbo · May 10, 2014

Every GTX video card is made by nvidia. Just about every major company sells their version of each GTX. They all start out as the same base card and then each manufacture tweaks it to their liking. Usually the cooling system is the biggest difference between the brands.

That specific Xeon is a re-badged i7 4770. It is a four core cpu with turbo and hyperthreading, and would perform just like any other desktop i7. The biggest differences between the 1230v3 and the 4770 is that the 1230v3 doesn't have integrated graphics and is down clocked 100mhz. The reason I recommend the Xeon so much is that it's like $70-80 cheaper than the i7 4770 and it's cheaper to use than the i5 4670k.

I could have chosen a cheaper B85 or H87 motherboard to go with it, but I went with that Z87 to give you the option of adding a 2nd GTX780 in the future for SLI. Also, I'm pretty sure that MSI Z87 has the multicore enhancement feature which would allow the Xeon to run @ 3.7ghz on all cores all the time.

schau314 · May 10, 2014

The H87 fatality is also good for features but no overclocking. It does cost a bit for no overclocking and it doesn't have sli functions.

OORAYZA · May 10, 2014

CTurbo :

Wait I thought that integrated graphics is an important factor especially for someone like me who wants to play games at 1080p/60 fps.

CTurbo · May 10, 2014

No. Integrated graphics is the built-in graphics on the cpu which is NOT used in gaming. That's why you buy a video card like the GTX770 or GTX780.

Integrated graphics is only good for watching videos or playing flash games and for very low end low setting gaming.

schau314 · May 10, 2014

Any other concerns.

OORAYZA · May 10, 2014

schau314 :

Nope you two pretty much helped me out thanks allot guys.

Vic 40 · May 10, 2014

My view on things,

PCPartPicker part list

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($334.98 @ Best Buy)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master RR-T612-20PK-R1 82.9 CFM Rifle Bearing CPU Cooler ($20.00 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($124.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: AMD Radeon R9 Gamer Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($71.72 @ NCIX US)
Storage: PNY XLR8 240GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.43 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 290 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($380.00 @ Newegg)
Case: Enermax ECA3310A-W ATX Mid Tower Case ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Cooler Master Silent Pro M2 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1191.09
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-10 17:40 EDT-0400)

A bigger ssd,for that a smaller hdd.
A different case,just as an example of what is around.You really should pick one you like.
A very good gpu which is about $100 cheaper than the gtx 780 and has the same performance.
Stil a cpu with hyper threading,but this one can be overclocked,
The motherboard i chose supports it also and is a good choice.
The ram i don't know,but the specs i like.
The psu should keep this system running fine as a single gpu system.

OORAYZA · May 10, 2014

schau314 :

Oh yeah one more thing why do I need a Solid State Drive when I'm already getting an internal hard drive, also I should've mentioned that I have 1 tb external hard drive that I keep all my music/pictures/movie/tv shows.

Vic 40 · May 10, 2014

An ssd speeds up the whole system,for instance starting up or installing programs or even virusscans,just to mention some things.

CTurbo · May 10, 2014

It's best to install windows and all programs on a ssd and then use a regular hard drive for all data like music, movies, doc files, etc...

schau314 · May 10, 2014

Also a gtx 770 and xeon is the cheapest and most cost effective while not losing ability. A gtx 780 for 1080p is pouring 200 down the drain. A small ssd is a great choice for putting an os, browser, and most used small data programs on.

OORAYZA · May 10, 2014

What do you guys think of this build?

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3HDmj
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3HDmj/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3HDmj/benchmarks

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1230 V3 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($244.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI Z87-G55 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($104.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: A-Data Premier Pro SP920 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($70.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 4GB Dual Superclocked ACX Video Card ($399.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Zalman Z11 Plus ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: Cooler Master Silent Pro M2 850W 80+ Silver Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($144.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $1180.88
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-10 20:13 EDT-0400)

schau314 · May 10, 2014

A couple problems. The psu should not be above 550w. the xfx 550w or seasonic 620 are usually great and cheap and give headroom
Second go with the z87 if you really want, but the h87 is the same without overclocking which the xeon can't do.
Third the 4gb version is useless unless you have more than 3 monitors, and the 770 cant really use that 4gb on its technology, and also no games will use 4gb of vram before the 770 becomes completely obsolete.

schau314 · May 10, 2014

So go for your favorite and best warrantied 770 and save around 60-80. And go with that xfx 550w for 50 to knock another 100 of that build.
Your total spent is now around 1030. I do like the wd black hard drive but I see no point in buying an expensive harrdrive, but that is my inner pennypincher talking.

First time building a PC and I got a $1200 budget and I need help

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