Looking for advice with $1200 Canadian Build [Newegg] vs Custom Alienware Aurora

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Algus44

Algus44

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Feb 21, 2014
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Hello everyone!

Instead of buying an Alienware Aurora for around $2200~ with the finance option, I'd like to see what I can get for around $1200 which I have on hand.

The problem is, I'm not sure what is the best way to pick parts and know which ones will be compatible with each other

I know for sure that these are what I would want minimum for the PC:

Intel Processor
Windows 10
Nvidia GPU
16GB RAM
250~ SSD and 1TB~ HD
Blu-ray OD

I'm just not too sure about the Motherboard, Power Supply, Case, and if cooling or anything else is needed.

I use my 40' TV as my monitor, so I'm pretty sure the GPU doesn't need to be spectacular to run in 1080p.

I'd like to be able to use the PC for pretty everything from work to gaming to videos if possible.

I know it'll end up costing more, but I'd like to be able to buy everything I need from Newegg Canada if possible, just for the simplicity in shipping and account management.

If anyone can leave any feedback or advice, I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks!
 
Solution
Chugalug_
Mid tower is fine, but optimally you want to go as small as you can without compromising on quality, if you spend a bit more you can get a much better quality case though.

Here's the mid tower case i'd go with: https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/product/tD38TW/nzxt-case-cas340wbr1
If you want to go small and sleek: https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/product/jw4gXL/fractal-design-case-fdcadefminibl

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-7700 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($410.65 @ Amazon Canada)
CPU Cooler: Deepcool GAMMAXX 400 74.3 CFM CPU Cooler ($24.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B250M-DS3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($99.99 @ Newegg...
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elbert

elbert

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This is what I would suggest. Add the extra stuff later as you can. With the stock wraith cooler you should get a 3.8ghz overclock. That would put this system nearly an equal to the Intel 6900.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD RYZEN 7 1700 3.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($438.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Motherboard: Asus PRIME B350-PLUS ATX AM4 Motherboard ($139.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($129.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB GAMING Video Card ($314.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($69.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Total: $1238.93
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-03-13 19:48 EDT-0400
 
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Chugalug_

Chugalug_

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Ryzen CPUs aren't good for gaming, they're more for rendering, an Intel will be a better buy here.
You get much better value for going a little higher with your budget, I recommend saving a bit more.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-7700 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($389.98 @ DirectCanada)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Pure Rock Slim 35.1 CFM CPU Cooler ($24.15 @ DirectCanada)
Motherboard: ASRock B250M-HDV Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($74.50 @ Vuugo)
Memory: Team Dark 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($119.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Seagate BarraCuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1070 8GB Windforce OC Video Card ($499.98 @ DirectCanada)
Case: Corsair SPEC-02 ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ NCIX)
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 650W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($69.98 @ NCIX)
Total: $1293.56
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-03-13 20:51 EDT-0400
 
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Algus44

Algus44

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Thanks for your reply! I noticed it's missing an SSD, an optical drive, and the ~$100 it would be for windows 10.
This is something I threw together really quick that seems better to me:

http://www.dell.com/ca/p/alienware-aurora-r6-desktop/pd?oc=daar6_f_s1e&model_id=alienware-aurora-r6-desktop#overrides=daar6_f_s1e:6~G1050TI;3~16G241D;8~2561TB;16~BLURAY;116~850LCOD

Unless there's something crucial I'm missing?
 
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Chugalug_

Chugalug_

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Here's some edited builds, put the other one together in a hurry. :)

OCing.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($406.98 @ DirectCanada)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Pure Rock Slim 35.1 CFM CPU Cooler ($24.15 @ DirectCanada)
Motherboard: ASRock Z170 Pro4S ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($100.00 @ Vuugo)
Memory: Team Dark 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($119.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO 250GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($114.98 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Seagate BarraCuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Video Card: Asus Radeon RX 480 4GB Dual Video Card ($231.99 @ PC Canada)
Case: Corsair SPEC-02 ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ NCIX)
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 650W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($69.98 @ NCIX)
Optical Drive: LG WH14NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($59.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Total: $1243.04
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-03-13 21:16 EDT-0400

Not OCing.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-7700 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($389.98 @ DirectCanada)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Pure Rock Slim 35.1 CFM CPU Cooler ($24.15 @ DirectCanada)
Motherboard: ASRock B250M-HDV Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($74.50 @ Vuugo)
Memory: Team Dark 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($119.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO 250GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($114.98 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Seagate BarraCuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Video Card: Asus Radeon RX 480 4GB Dual Video Card ($231.99 @ PC Canada)
Case: Corsair SPEC-02 ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ NCIX)
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 650W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($69.98 @ NCIX)
Optical Drive: LG WH14NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($59.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Total: $1200.54
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-03-13 21:17 EDT-0400
 
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Algus44

Algus44

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This one sounds pretty good!

One problem is I was looking for a Nvidia Video Card, even a lower quality one if needed. Unless the Dual RX would be superior?

Also, can all these be obtained though Newegg Canada? I can probably wait a little bit before ordering the parts to increase the budget a little for simpicity.

Yeah, Amazon works as well. If you can, I'll go with the 1060 Nvidia :)
 
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Chugalug_

Chugalug_

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Nvidia is great and all, but AMD isn't bad this generation, they have some fantastic value cards as opposed to the commercial failure that was the 300 series.
The RX 480 performs the same as the 1060 3GB for $20 less, and the dual has solid cooling.
it is simply the best performance value skew for what you're doing.
If you can increase the budget by about $400 I can put in a GTX 1070 and a 144hz 1080p monitor, and I can put in more improvements if you go for a further $100 increase like a 7700k and better mobo.
Any budget increase helps though. ;)

If you want it all from Newegg i'll make some adjustments, just a minute.
Edit: Could you go Amazon as well? Newegg alone is pretty expensive.
 
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Chugalug_

Chugalug_

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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-7700 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($410.65 @ Amazon Canada)
CPU Cooler: Deepcool GAMMAXX 400 74.3 CFM CPU Cooler ($24.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B250M-DS3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($99.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Memory: Team Dark 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($119.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($119.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Seagate BarraCuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon RX 480 4GB Red Dragon Video Card ($229.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Case: Rosewill RANGER-M MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($54.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Optical Drive: LG WH14NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($59.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Total: $1205.56
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-03-13 21:41 EDT-0400
 
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elbert

elbert

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Your going from an 8 core 1700 that can easily be overclocked to match the 8 core 6900 down to an i5. Your also stepping down from a way more powerfull 1060 6GB to a 1050ti about half as powerful. You really dont need the SSD unless your going to be starting your system a lot so I suggest putting it off a bit. You can install the OS without an optical drive so really an addon. Also the PSU and the motherboard on the one I suggest is very good. Cant say the same for the dell motherboard and psu as they are their brand or unknown. Know that the 1700 OC on the stock wraith cooler can match the i5's and none k i7's even with a bad windows 10 thread scheduler so its way better over all. Once windows 10 is fix it should beat them all.
 
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schaft

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@chugalug_ I fixed a bit of your build. I omit the heatsink because i7-7700 included with standard heatsink. It should suffice against RX 480. Instead i put the money on 520W seasonic psu which ensure its power supply on the system.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-7700 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($389.98 @ DirectCanada)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B250M-DS3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($98.70 @ shopRBC)
Memory: Team Dark 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($119.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($119.98 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Seagate BarraCuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ DirectCanada)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon RX 480 4GB Red Dragon Video Card ($229.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Case: Rosewill RANGER-M MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($69.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Optical Drive: LG WH14NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($59.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Total: $1173.59
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-03-13 23:15 EDT-0400

And to OP, RX 480 4GB is not that bad against GTX 1060, some game even favor 480. Its really a good card.
 
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Algus44

Algus44

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@elbert: Thanks, that's a lot of good information. I'm glad that I decided to ask here first, didn't realize how much of a down-grade I was putting myself in for the higher price!

@Schaft: Thanks for your input! I think I could push the budget a little bit if I wait, so do you think it's possible to keep the extra Cooler? Also, I'm not too big a fan of the Mini Case, is there a mid tower case that can work as well? Or is it generally better to have a smaller case?

Thanks for everyone's continued input! I really appreciate it!
 
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Chugalug_

Chugalug_

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No, that cooler was there for a reason, the 7700 gets really toasty with the stock one.
Leave it in.
Also 430w is fine, the system will draw MAX 300w under load.
You've also sourced from places other than Newegg and Amazon.
@OP, you never got round to answering whether you were open to buying from Amazon as well, so I included it in my pricing. Newegg CA doesn't have great prices on everything, and some components need to come from elsewhere.

 
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Algus44

Algus44

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Yeah, sorry about that. I had just edited my post above your's that's it's all right from Amazon too.

Taking your latest build into account, what do you think of a mid tower case? Also, I'd still have to pick up Windows 10 right?
 
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Chugalug_

Chugalug_

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Jan 28, 2016
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Mid tower is fine, but optimally you want to go as small as you can without compromising on quality, if you spend a bit more you can get a much better quality case though.

Here's the mid tower case i'd go with: https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/product/tD38TW/nzxt-case-cas340wbr1
If you want to go small and sleek: https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/product/jw4gXL/fractal-design-case-fdcadefminibl

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-7700 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($410.65 @ Amazon Canada)
CPU Cooler: Deepcool GAMMAXX 400 74.3 CFM CPU Cooler ($24.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B250M-DS3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($99.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Memory: Team Dark 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($119.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($119.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Seagate BarraCuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon RX 480 4GB Red Dragon Video Card ($229.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($54.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($54.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Optical Drive: LG WH14NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($59.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Total: $1230.56
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-03-14 00:55 EDT-0400

 
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Solution
Algus44

Algus44

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Everything looks good! I'll probably go with the mid case that you suggested.

Thanks for all your help and once everything comes in, hopefully I can put it together :p
 
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