My Workstation PC Part List is ready - Need Expert Opinions

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ryanx

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Hey guys, I finally made the list of the parts which will fit in my budget. My main usage is for my work which is browser intensive and music in background. I dont game at all. The computer will be used 16 hours per day on an average.

Here is the direct link to the parts. Listing them here just for the overview

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3X63Hx
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3X63Hx/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3X63Hx/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($333.98 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($34.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87M-D3H 1.0 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($95.16 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($56.98 @ OutletPC)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: SeaSonic G 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Asus VG248QE 144Hz 24.0" Monitor ($249.23 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Asus VG248QE 144Hz 24.0" Monitor ($249.23 @ Amazon)
Total: $1223.55


Now I have few questions
1) Which case should I go for
Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower
OR
NZXT H440 ATX Mid Tower Case Chassis Cabinet

2) Gigabyte GA-Z87M-D3H 1.0 Micro ATX LGA1150 (Is this the right one or is there a cheaper alternative?)

3) Confused between these 2. Which one to consider?
Seasonic S12II 620 Watts PSU
and
SeaSonic SSR-550RM

4) Do I need to add SSD? I first thought of including "Samsung 840 Series Solid State Drive (SSD) 250 GB" but my budget overshot due to that so thought of skipping it. Kindly let me know if its necessary for my work.

Thanks a lot :)
 
Solution
williamcummins
1- Intel ''K'' series (like i5 4670k, i7 2600k, etc) are made for overclocking. This means the clock speed multiplier of the cores have been unlocked to be easily increased. Since your workstation is not for gaming or video editing or 3d modelling, you won't need to boost your core speed. Stick with the 4570!

2- Stock cooler will be just fine! Don't forget you'll have plenty of air flow in your case considering your CPU will barely work at 50% of it's capacity. If a laptop can handle heat without aftermarket cooler, your workstation can clearly deal with it. BTW, liquid cooling is good looking, but completely a waste of money in your case.

3- You could lower your psu choice. With the money saved, invest in a good SSD (like samsung EVO...
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ryanx

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I am a bit noobish in this so didnt know. I will research a bit on this and make the changes. Thanks for the help :)
 
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ryanx

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Well I need a PC which can work without any lags and hang. I have a macbook air which I work on and it lags sometimes when I open lots of tabs. Also I might be needing it for video editing later on so didnt want to compromise on it. Movies and music is the normal thing while working for me. Can you suggest where should I trim down or what is unnecessary?
 
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4Ryan6

4Ryan6

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Oh OK, if you're getting a case that can house an ATX motherboard then an ATX size motherboard would be what you should go for.

 
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ryanx

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Can You suggest me an alternative motherboard? Hows MSI 970A-G46 Motherboard?

https://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-motherboard-970ag46
 
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williamcummins

williamcummins

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Since the computer you want is for browsing and multi tasking only, acquiring a core i7 is overkill IMO.
1- You could save money by replacing the CPU with an older core i5, replacing the motherboard with a less sophisticated chipset. Since you con't overclock your system, the CPU cooler is clearly not necessary.
2- I think that the mini-ATX is a great idea since it will blend easily in your office. It will also be quiet and easy to move around the office. Bitfenix, Corsair and Cooler Master have great mini-ATX cases that would fit your budget.
3- 650W PSU is super duper overkill. Since won't purchase an aftermarket graphic card, the MAXIMUM power your system will draw is like 250W. There are great 320 semi modular product out there that will suit your needs.
4- SSD is probably the nicest upgrade you could do to your system. Installing your operating system on it will make your computer boot 10 time faster. I personnaly own a 250Gb SSD for my operating system and a 1Tb hard drive for my massive storage (music, pictures, documents, movies, etc.).

Tell me if you need help choosing parts

Cheers
 
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Wisecracker

Wisecracker

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Crucial MX100 256GB Solid State Drive (SSD) : $111
(I suspect it might sell-out fast ...)
ASUS 23-inch HDMI Widescreen IPS Panel : $150 with code EMCPEHA45 before $10 rebate

The 144MHz monitors you spec'ed are primarily for gaming.

Are you editing music? If so, what software are you using. Pretty much the same thing with your video editing -- software is becoming less dependent on CPU cores are more dependent upon GPU acceleration for video editing and output.


 
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ryanx

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Thanks. That makes a lot more sense. Just the answer i needed. It would be great if you could list me the parts too :)
 
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ryanx

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No I am not editing music. Just listening to them. I dont run any softwares as such on my PC as I got VPS for that. So most of my work is browser related. It can be done on laptop too but I think its more productive if done on PC which is why I am considering getting one. I opted for high end specs considering I might try video editing later on but I guess its an overkill right now so maybe I can stick with lower specs. Will try to research those
 
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IHaveDaBestPC

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You build a workstation, so i7 4770k and 144Hz monitor are overkill
You can take a look at this build:
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/b6GsmG
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/b6GsmG/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/b6GsmG/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($228.98 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-WS ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($296.13 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.43 @ OutletPC)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Monitor: Asus VS247H-P 23.6" Monitor ($144.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Asus VS247H-P 23.6" Monitor ($144.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1149.46
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-06-03 09:43 EDT-0400)
 
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ryanx

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Hey thanks for that. I made some changes but I am confused over which Motherboard to go for. Max budget for that is $200. Can't I use Gigabyte GA-Z87M-D3H Motherboard (Micro ATX)? If not is it worth spending more than $200 on it? I thought spending on processor is more important

Anyways here are my other options. Please let me know if they are good

Gigabyte GA-Z87-D3HP Motherboard
Asus H87-Pro Motherboard

Or should I increase my budget slightly for Asus Z87 Pro Motherboard?
 
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williamcummins

williamcummins

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No need for K series since you won't overclock. Here's a nice mini-atx build you could start with :
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/B7hsmG

CPU : core i5-3340 (has nice clock speed and fully integrated graphic) 190$
Mobo : Gigabyte GA-H77N-WIFI (has great audio, solid chipset and integrated wi fi connection) 105$
Ram : Kingston HyperX 8GB (has low profil to fit best in your mini atx case) 70$
SSD : Sandisk Ultra Plus 128G (this is where you will install your OS for great boot time and lightning fast updates) 75$
HDD : WD Caviar Green 1TB (Mass storage! I know it's not the fastest, but there's no need for 7200rpm when you have SSD) 65$
Case : Bitfenix Prodigy (This is my favorite mini ATX case because of it's strenght, versatility and price) 70$
PSU : Corsair CS 430M (It is semi modular and helps to build small systems. Also 80+ gold certified which is great for power saving) 53$
Monitors : HP W2371d (Monitor is a very personnal choice. I have these at home and are great for movies. Anti-glare, sharp look, small price, 23 inches) 2x129$

Total : 886$
 
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R

ryanx

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Okay so I have finalized it

Case : NZXT H440 ATX Mid Tower Case "
Motherboard : Gigabyte GA-Z87-D3HP Motherboard
CPU : Intel 3.2 GHz LGA 1150 4570 i5
CPU Cooler : Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing
RAM : Corsair Vengeance DDR3 8 GB (1 x 8 GB) PC RAM (CMZ8GX3M1A1600C10)
HDD : WD Blue WD10EZEX 1 TB Internal Hard Drive
Power Supply : Seasonic S12II 620 Watts PSU
Monitor : Dell S2240L 21.5 inch LED Backlit (2 of them)

Few questions

1) Now the reason I chose that Case was because it looks cool and hardly $60 more than 200R and maybe in future if I plan on liquid cooling so I dont have to change. Not sure though, should I save these $60 and spend it on "Intel 3.4 GHz LGA 1150 4670K i5 " as its just $60 more. Would like you opinions.

2) Should I go ahead with the CPU cooler or stick with the stock cooler? I am confused

3) Anything I am missing out?(Except video card which I dont plan to put now)
 
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williamcummins

williamcummins

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1- Intel ''K'' series (like i5 4670k, i7 2600k, etc) are made for overclocking. This means the clock speed multiplier of the cores have been unlocked to be easily increased. Since your workstation is not for gaming or video editing or 3d modelling, you won't need to boost your core speed. Stick with the 4570!

2- Stock cooler will be just fine! Don't forget you'll have plenty of air flow in your case considering your CPU will barely work at 50% of it's capacity. If a laptop can handle heat without aftermarket cooler, your workstation can clearly deal with it. BTW, liquid cooling is good looking, but completely a waste of money in your case.

3- You could lower your psu choice. With the money saved, invest in a good SSD (like samsung EVO series). Installing your OS on a SSD will make your boot time 10x faster. 120Gb is good if you keep an eye on your data storage. 250Gb is a good choice if you don't want to deal to much with your storage.

P.S. Using 2 sticks of ram (2x4Gb) instead of one (1x8Gb) will make your system faster as it will be able to manage data simultaneously.

 
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Solution
williamcummins

williamcummins

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Oh and by the way. the NZXT has no 5.25'' bay for optical drive. This means you will need a USB version of your operating system (OS). Or transfer the information of the installtion disk into a USB, then use the USB to install your OS in your new computer.
 
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Wisecracker

Wisecracker

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You should go with a 9-series motherboard for next-gen CPU (Broadwell) compatibility.

And, just to be clear, even an i5-4570 is over-kill for browsing. An i3 (or an AMD APU) will work just dandy. Even a Haswell Pentium with an SDD will be quite 'snappy'

AND ... just so you understand ... over the next few months the Intel "Haswell" CPU line is being refreshed with new models. Unless you feel an over-whelming urge to jump right now, waiting for the new chips (with fresh deals) may not be such a bad idea.

And ... again: If you go with Intel, snag a 9-series motherboard.

edit: You don't need an optical drive bay ... external USB optical drives work just dandy.

 
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