First time PC build for concept art and gaming

Fastbreeze_95

Commendable
Aug 8, 2016
4
0
1,510
Hi,

I'm intending to build a PC for the first time. It will be used for concept art/illustration work and 1080p gaming. My question, then, is what is the cheapest build I could do whilst maintaining some level of capability? I'm thinking around the £1000 mark (including monitor), possibly more, preferably less haha. Also I'm in the UK if that affects pricing.

Thanks in advance!
 
Solution
Depending on the software you are going to use.
You said it will be used for creativity - i assume it includes rendering, so i7 will be better. How much better and if it worth it, you need to look for the benchmarks of the specific software you are going to use.
Generally, more threads are better and kinda gives you a bit more headroom for the future.
Also i picked overclockable parts (as mentioned above) to provide additional performance headroom.
If this computer was intended only for 1080p gaming with GTX 1060, i'd suggest an i5.
Of course if going totally budget, it is possible to reduce the price by ~400 pounds. Are you sure you want to do it ?
The general rule in buying computer/computer parts - get the best thing you can...

Fastbreeze_95

Commendable
Aug 8, 2016
4
0
1,510
Although I have looked at builds around that price myself there is a lot of mixed information on the Internet as to whether an i7 or i5 is necessary for Photoshop, the same goes for ram and gpu. Unfortunately most information on the Internet is gaming centric and the stuff that does apply to productivity is quite technical and beyond knowledge as a beginner. Unfortunately I don't have time to do as much research as I might like seen as the PC is needed asap for work. Hence why I came to a forum to look for answers.
 
Here is your NO COMPROMISES build. without monitor.
You can go with simpler CPU - ~80-100 pounds
Smaller SSD - ~70Pounds
Other case - ~30-40 pounds
So if you really want to, you can save up to 200 pounds.
Pay attention, this computer case is not good for you if you need optical drive - Use Define R5 instead :)

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor (£296.28 @ Aria PC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (£29.99 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: MSI Z170A SLI ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (£95.82 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory (£65.74 @ More Computers)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£125.00 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£41.58 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB SC GAMING Video Card (£248.47 @ BT Shop)
Case: Fractal Design Define S w/Window ATX Mid Tower Case (£74.99 @ Novatech)
Power Supply: Corsair RMx 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£85.44 @ CCL Computers)
Total: £1063.31
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-08-08 13:20 BST+0100
 

Fastbreeze_95

Commendable
Aug 8, 2016
4
0
1,510


Thanks for the suggestion, that's the sort of build I was thinking myself :) if I were to downgrade the CPU to the i5 6600k what sort of losses should I expect?
 
the i5 and i7 cpu are the same core cpu. what you lose is the hypertheding or the virtual cores on the i7.
the poster above posted parts for a higher end gaming rig and parts to overclock and sli/crossfire.
if the pc is for work or if your never going to overclock or use two gpu. you can go with a b/h micro atx mb and a locked inte lcpu to save some money.
 

Fastbreeze_95

Commendable
Aug 8, 2016
4
0
1,510


Okay, thanks for the help. Would the hyper threading be useful for Photoshop then? Or can I do without it?
 
Depending on the software you are going to use.
You said it will be used for creativity - i assume it includes rendering, so i7 will be better. How much better and if it worth it, you need to look for the benchmarks of the specific software you are going to use.
Generally, more threads are better and kinda gives you a bit more headroom for the future.
Also i picked overclockable parts (as mentioned above) to provide additional performance headroom.
If this computer was intended only for 1080p gaming with GTX 1060, i'd suggest an i5.
Of course if going totally budget, it is possible to reduce the price by ~400 pounds. Are you sure you want to do it ?
The general rule in buying computer/computer parts - get the best thing you can COMFORTABLY afford.
 
Solution