Computer Noob here. Help with buying a new PC.

Geothan

Reputable
Jun 8, 2015
4
0
4,510
Sorry if I posted this in the wrong section, I am new here.

My budget is $3,000 USD.

I make a lot of music with FL Studios (first priority), play games usually high settings (second priority), and sometimes use photoshop (third priority).

Some games include: Shadow of Mordor, Starcraft2, Assassins Creed, etc.

One concern of mine is preventing my computer from overheating. I noticed that my current computer gets very hot within hours of use. I feel that for me, liquid cooling is a must.

I would also like to have good graphics while I game, but not have the graphics card become obsolete within a year or two.

If the builds below aren't good, can someone please recommend me their build and which website I should place the order. I know almost nothing about computers, and I don't know how to physically build a computer myself.

Thanks in advance!

CyberPowerPC - $2,551

CyberPowerPC - $2,551

Message: CyberPowerPC Trinity first wave is SOLD OUT! Place your orders now to reserve for our next shipment ETA June 30
Gaming Chasis: DeepCool Tristellar Gaming Case
CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-5930K Six-Core 3.50GHz 15MB Intel Smart Cache LGA2011-V3
Performance Tuning Protection Plan by Intel: None
Venom Boost Fast And Efficient Factory Overclocking: No Overclocking
CPU / Processor Cooling Fan: NZXT Kraken X31 120mm Liquid CPU Cooling System w/ Copper Cold Plate - Extreme Cooling Performance (Single Corsair Air Series AF120 Performance Edition Fan)
Motherboard: ASRock X99E-ITX/AC w/ WiFi, Dual Intel LAN, 1x Gen3 PCIe x16, Ultra M.2, 2x SATA 6Gb/s
RAM / System Memory: 16GB (8GBx2) DDR4/2400MHz Quad Channel Memory (Corsair or Major Brand)
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB GDDR5 PCIe 3.0 x16 Video Card (Maxwell) (Single Card)
Sli Bridge: EVGA Pro SLI Bridge V2 [3-Way/2-Way]
Freebies: FREE! The Batman™: Arkham Knight Game Coupon
Power Supply: 800 Watts - Standard 80 Plus Certified Power Supply - SLI/CrossFireX Ready
Hard Drive: 256GB SANDISK + 3TB SATA III Hard Drive Combo (Combo Drive)
Secondary Hard Drive: None
External Storage: None
USB Flash Drive: None
External Optical Drive: None
Sound: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
LCD Monitor: None
Cables: None
Speakers: None
Internal Network Card: Onboard Gigabit LAN Network
Keyboard: AZZA Multimedia USB Gaming Keyboard
Mouse: AZZA Optical 1600dpi Gaming Mouse with Weight Adjustable Cartridge
Mouse Pad: None
Headset: None
Headset Hanger: None
Gaming Gear: None
External Wireless Network Card: None
Wireless Routers/Hubs: None
Docking Station: None
Bluetooth: None
Flash Media Reader/Writer: None
Video Camera: None
Gaming Tablet: None
Power & Surge Protection: None
External USB ADAPTER: None
Operating System: Windows 8.1
Office Suite: None
Games: None
Ultra Care Option: None
Service: STANDARD WARRANTY: 3-YEAR [3 Year Labor, 1 Year Parts] LIMITED WARRANTY PLUS LIFE-TIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT
Rush Service: CyberPowerPC Trinity first wave is SOLD OUT! Place your orders now to reserve for our next shipment ETA June 30

Origin PC - $3,166

DESCRIPTION
MILLENNIUM
Details
Orientation: Standard ATX
Standard Color: Black
Current Special Offers: Gearup with ORIGIN PC
Current Special Offers: Intel Software Game Bundle
The ORIGIN Difference: ORIGIN PC Millennium- The Best Gaming Experience Guaranteed
Variable Mounting: Standard
Case Lighting: Remote Controlled Multi-Colored LED
Case Fans: ORIGIN High-Performance Ultra Silent Fans - Black
Motherboard: ASUS Maximus VII Ranger
System Cooling: ORIGIN FROSTBYTE 360 Sealed Liquid Cooling System for 1150 Socket
Processors: Intel Core i7 4790K Quad-Core 4.0GHz (4.4GHz TurboBoost)
Thermal Compound: GELID GC-Extreme CPU Application
Power Supply: 1000 Watt Corsair RM1000
Power Supply Sleeved Cable Color: Black Individually Sleeved Cables
Graphic Cards: Single 6GB NVIDIA GTX 980Ti
Memory: 32GB ORIGIN PC powered by HyperX 1866Mhz (4x8GB)
Operating System: MS Windows 8.1 [Free Upgrade to Windows 10]
Operating System Drive #1 (Primary): 2TB ORIGIN PC Approved Hard Drive
Operating System Drive #2: None
Hard Drive Cage: 5 Bay Hot-Swap Cage
Optical Drive One: 12X Blu-ray Reader and DVD Combo
Audio: Creative Sound Blaster Omni Surround 5.1 External USB
Networking: Onboard Network Port
ORIGIN Maximum Protection Shipping Process: ORIGIN Wooden Crate Armor
Warranty: 1 Year Part Replacement and 45 Day Free Shipping Warranty with Lifetime Labor/24-7 Support
ORIGIN Recovery: ORIGIN Recovery USB3.0 Flash Drive
Evolve Part Upgrade Service: No Part Upgrade Service
Total: $3,165.63

Alienware - $2,899

$2,899.99
Processor:
Intel® Core™ i7-5930K Processor (6-cores, 15MB Cache, Overclocked up to 3.9 GHz w/ Turbo Boost)

OS:
Windows 8.1 (64Bit) English

Video Card:
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 980 with 4GB GDDR5

Memory:
16GB Quad Channel DDR4 at 2133MHz

Hard Drive:
128GB SSD 6Gb/s Main + 2TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s Storage

PSU:
Alienware™ 850 Watt Multi-GPU Approved Power Supply

Chipset:
Intel® X99 Express Chipset w/ Unlocked BIOS for Overclocking*, CPU Socket 2011

Processor Cooling
Alienware Premium CPU Liquid Cooling
 
Solution
Definitely do not get the Alienware, only has 128GB of storage in a $3000 machine. The Origin PC seems best to me personally. The I7-4790K is a monster for gaming and so is the GTX 980Ti. The Cyberpower will perform better in Photoshop likely due to its 6-core I7 processor. But Cyberpower won't even state the PSU brand.

Edit: I think it's EVGA
Definitely do not get the Alienware, only has 128GB of storage in a $3000 machine. The Origin PC seems best to me personally. The I7-4790K is a monster for gaming and so is the GTX 980Ti. The Cyberpower will perform better in Photoshop likely due to its 6-core I7 processor. But Cyberpower won't even state the PSU brand.

Edit: I think it's EVGA
 
Solution
All of the above are "boring." Nothing good comes from prebuilt computers.
I would look at dropping the price to 2k and building it yourself. A 980ti and a 5820k are overkill for most gaming setups. I would get a i7 4790k with a 980ti.

All are going to cheap out on some part. Likely the PSU or a offmarket graphics card and or slow ram.

A 1.5k budget is better than a 2k budget for gaming.

My advice is to watch some youtube videos of how to build one or ask a friend who has done it to help you. It is not hard and fun.
 

drtoast

Honorable
May 10, 2013
1,287
0
11,660
cyberpower sems the fairest, you could always contact them for psu spec, failing that its still the better value if you had to fork out a psu after by a couple hundred dollars

although why its giving an sli bridge in a 1 card setup i have no idea