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Looking for opinions on my first PC build

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June 22, 2014 8:38:50 PM

Hello everyone,

So far I've been usually buying some pre-made PCs with slight alterations I'd do with the seller before buying but this time I'm trying to build a PC on my own, considering all parts.

The computer will mostly be used for Photoshop (professionally) using many photos/layers at time. It will be also used for gaming.

That basically means that the PC should be as good as possible due to the needs for the above mentioned use.

My budget is around $1,000-$1,200 which means that I have to pick wisely and not go for the best and most expensive parts.

So far I've created a 'draft' of my components and I would really appreciate if you could give me some suggestions as to what you think should be modified and why.

I know that for heavy Photoshop use I'd need at least 2 SSDs and 2 HDDs (ideally 4 SSDs and 2+ HDDs) but due to my limited budget I'm thinking about going with 1 SSD and 1 HDD to start with and later on I might add 1 SSD to have my OS running on one SSD and using the other SSD as Photoshop Scratch Disk.

I've never overclocked a PC and I'm thinking about going the same way this time. However, seeing how easy it is to overclock and get a better performance with overclocking for a small raise in the overall price, I might consider buying components that allow overclocking in case I need it in the near future.

To make this short, here is my 'draft' pick so far:

MBO: I'd go with the 'Z97' motherboard if OC or 'H97' if not. Now I've seen dozens of models by different manufacturers and I'm still not sure which one would fit me best. I know that I discarded the ones that support 16GB of RAM because even tho I'll go for 16GB at the beginning, I'll probably upgrade to 32GB of RAM in the future. Basically, the differences are not that big and I guess I couldn't be too wrong by going with any of the available Z97/H97 motherboards.

CPU/GPU: This one was quite tough for me and at the end I'm considering going for the 'Intel Core i7-4790K, 3.60GHz up to 4.00GHz, 8MB, LGA1150, Haswell, GPU HD4600' if the budget allows or the 'Intel Core i7-4770K Box 3.50GHz, 4C/8T, FSB 1600MHz, 84W, 22nm 8MB cache, VGA HD 4600, socket 1150' as alternative. I know I could go for even 'lower' CPUs but I'd like to have a newer generation for the future since I'm usually using the same PC for at least 3-5 years.

Graphic Card: Here the options are infinite and for gaming this is the most important thing so the budget will probably determine for which one I'll go but basically I'm about to pick the 'NVIDIA GeForce, GTX760' because it's quite better than the GTX750 and quite cheaper than the GTX770 so I placed it in the 'golden spot'. Now, I'v seen again dozens and dozens of different models with price tags which vary a lot so I'm not really sure which exact model would be the best so I'll need help on that as well.

RAM: I've read a lot of compatible RAM memories with CPU/MBO but not quite sure if I know where to look in order to check this. Basically I'm going for 16GB of RAM because of my Photoshop needs. The thing is that my friend has 2 spare 16GB RAM memories which would be good for me and I'd be able to get them for a better price than any other. Those RAMs are 'Kingston HX316C10FB/8 HyperX FURY 8GB 1600MHz DDR3 Black'. Due to the offer I have, I haven't looked too much into it but if you know that those specific RAMs are not good or even bad of incompatible for some reason, I'd like to know before getting them.

SSD: I was looking at the 'Kingston SV300S37A/120G, SSD V300 120GB' for quite some time but after reading a lot on the web and checking the benchmarks and tests, I switched to 'Samsung SSD 128GB 840 Pro Series Basic, MZ-7PD128BW' which is a bit more expensive (around 30-40% here) but much better. I will probably use the SSD for both OS and Photoshop which might not be the best solution but it will be the one until I get the second SSD and leave the first SSD running the OS and use the other one for Photoshop Scratch Disk.

HDD: I need a lot of space for all the photos/projects I work on so I was thinking in getting 2TB and forget about the storage for some time. I have plenty of external 1TB/2TB HDDs for backups but I think I'd go for 2TB HDD for my PC at the beginning and probably split it into 2-3 drives for easier organization. The HDD I have in mind is the 'Seagate Barracuda ST2000DM001 2TB, 7200 SATA I/II/III, 64MB cache, 7200rpm'. I'm sure there are better HDDs out there but I've read a lot of positive reviews on that one and I feel that it's good enough.

CASE+PSU: The last thing I did not decide completely is the PSU. I have a good offer for 'LC Power PRO-925B - ATX Pro-Line, LC600H-12 V2.31 600W, USB 3.0' which is a case with the PSU of 600W included. That's like a 'budget' option which I guess should work but not really sure if that's the case. I don't know how much power the above mentioned components will drain, especially after a (probably slight) overclock. Do you think I should go for more power like 750W or 600W will do the work?

As for the case, I'm fine with the one from the offer because I'm not a fanatic for cool-looking cases as long as they do the job of keeping all the components sitting nicely inside. But in case I need more power or bigger parts I might consider getting a bigger/better case.

In that regard, I was not planning on getting a separate air-cooler but I'm not sure if that's a wise choice. Do you think I'd need a big cooler to keep all the components cool since the air-coolers provided are usually crappy? If so, which ones would be enough and the 'best-for-the-bank' option?


I think that would be all.

Thanks in advance for any comments/suggestions you might have.

Fidel

More about : opinions build

June 22, 2014 9:27:06 PM

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/VZGYQ7
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/VZGYQ7/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($239.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 EXTREME4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($128.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($154.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($109.99 @ Best Buy)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($77.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 760 2GB DirectCU II Video Card ($229.99 @ Micro Center)
Case: HEC 6C28BBX585 ATX Mid Tower Case w/585W Power Supply ($67.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($14.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1054.88
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

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CPU: i5-4690K has a good performance for the price. It should do well for years to come. Also costs -$90 than i7 alternatives
CPU Cooler: Hyper 212 EVO is best bang for buck
Motherboard: Future-proof. Good for overclocking.
Memory: The Ram you mentioned wasn't compatible so I picked an alternative
Storage: OK
Video Card: OK
Case: The case you mentioned wasn't compatible so I picked one with a psu included
Optical Drive: Just your standard optical drive. Nothing fancy
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June 22, 2014 9:32:32 PM

That is a very nice looking build, but I would drop the case+psu and get this graphics card instead, http://pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-video-card-r9280atdfd it will have much better performance that that gtx 760 at less or equal cost. For the power supply I would go for this http://pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-power-supply-p1550sxxb... and whatever case you think looks nice. Power supplies that are integrated into cases are usually fairly low quality. If you are not overclocking you don't need an aftermarket cooler, unless you want it to be quieter or cooler. But the stock one will get the job done. If you are overclocking for a budget cooler go with the cooler master hyper 212 evo.
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June 23, 2014 2:37:44 AM

Thanks for the replies guys.

iceblitzed said:

CPU: i5-4690K has a good performance for the price. It should do well for years to come. Also costs -$90 than i7 alternatives

I'm sure the i5 would do a good job but since I'm not upgrading my computer often (like I said, at least 3-5 years) I would go for the i7 as the newest available generation even if I have to stretch an additional $100 for it.

iceblitzed said:
Memory: The Ram you mentioned wasn't compatible so I picked an alternative

Why the RAM I picked is not compatible? I selected that very RAM on the 'System Build' and I haven't seen any compatibility problems with that RAM. Could you explain, please?

iceblitzed said:
Case: The case you mentioned wasn't compatible so I picked one with a psu included

When you say the case is not compatible are you talking about the space available or something else?

P.S. When I selected your case I've got the following: "ASRock Z97 EXTREME4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard has an onboard USB 3.0 header, but the HEC 6C28BBX585 ATX Mid Tower Case w/585W Power Supply does not have front panel USB 3.0 ports." which is not a huge incompatibility, but ut is something to consider since the MBO's 3.0 USB header is wasted, right?

Thanks again,

Fidel

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