Input before First Build: $1500 Workstation/ Gaming PC

WestyZesty

Reputable
Mar 13, 2015
1
0
4,510
Approximate Purchase Date: Within the month of June 2015 (If possible)

Budget Range: ~$1500 after rebates, can budge up to $100 if it is REALLY worth it.

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Video editing, photo editing, moderate gaming, internet usage (music streaming, video)

Are you buying a monitor: Yes, but included in my PartPicker List.

Do you need to buy OS: Yes, but included in my PartPicker List.

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: The most reliable one I can get from (The preferred on PartPicker looks fine to me).

Location: Rapid City, South Dakota, USA

Parts Preferences: I like intel i7 processors, and NVIDA graphics cards

Overclocking: Maybe

SLI or Crossfire: Yes, once I get an additional card latter on when I upgrade to 4k.

Your Monitor Resolution: 1080p HD at this point... Will upgrade to 4k later...

Additional Comments: Adobe Suite, Steam games

Why Are You Upgrading: I have a Mac that I somewhat regret buying when I was 12 (I am 16 now). No hate on Mac, but I do hate that you can't upgrade the dang things.

Here is my Park Picker List:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($289.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($113.78 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($102.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($97.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB SSC ACX 2.0 Video Card ($329.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Rosewill THOR V2 ATX Full Tower Case ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro OEM (64-bit) ($69.99)
Monitor: AOC G2460PQU 144Hz 24.0" Monitor ($249.99 @ Best Buy)
Keyboard: Cooler Master CM Storm Devastator Gaming Bundle Wired Gaming Keyboard w/Optical Mouse ($27.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $1532.67
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-06-12 01:26 EDT-0400

 
Solution
Blah. The i7 listed is not as good of a choice as a Xeon 1231 v3. I made some other changes that boost performance and made it cheaper. Without loosing performance.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($241.95 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-Gaming 5 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($95.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($98.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($97.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card:...
Blah. The i7 listed is not as good of a choice as a Xeon 1231 v3. I made some other changes that boost performance and made it cheaper. Without loosing performance.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($241.95 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-Gaming 5 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($95.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($98.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($97.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB SSC ACX 2.0 Video Card ($329.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Rosewill THOR V2 ATX Full Tower Case ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro OEM (64-bit) ($69.99)
Monitor: AOC G2460PQU 144Hz 24.0" Monitor ($249.99 @ Best Buy)
Keyboard: Cooler Master CM Storm Devastator Gaming Bundle Wired Gaming Keyboard w/Optical Mouse ($27.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $1462.84
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-06-12 01:42 EDT-0400
 
Solution