Compatability Check/Advice On $800 Video Editing/3d/Gaming PC

[wakamonkey]

My current incredibly weak $300 computer has pissed me off way to much, so I'm planning on building my own. Keep in mind I am 16 so don't get too techy with me. This is also my first build.



Approximate Purchase Date: Early to mid April.

Budget Range: $800 and under

System Usage from Most to Least Important: 3d Work, Rendering, Video Editing, Gaming ( All at relatively same importance)

Parts Not Required: Keyboard, Mouse, Two oldish Hard drives (350gb and 250 gb), Monitor, Speakers.

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: I'm going to my local Microcenter. http://www.microcenter.com

Country: U.S.

Parts Preferences: Nvidia Video Card, Intel CPU, Asus Motherboard, Mid-Tower Case.

Overclocking: Maybe in the future.

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe in the future.

Monitor Resolution: 1440x900

Additional Comments: This computer needs to last a long time.
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What I have so far:

CPU - Intel Core i5 2500k LG 1155 - http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0354589]

Motherboard - Asus P8Z68-V LX LGA 1155 Z68 ATX Intel Motherboard - http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0371775]

RAM - Corsair XMS3 8GB DDR3-1600 (PC3-12800) CL9 Desktop Memory Kit (Two 4GB Memory Modules) - http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0347306]

Video Card - EVGA NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 Superclocked 1024MB GDDR5 PCIe 2.0 x16 Video Card - http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0381819]

PSU - Thermaltake TR2 Series 600 Watt ATX Power Supply - http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0365238]

Case - Cooler Master HAF912 Mid Tower ATX Computer Case - http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0343331]

OS - Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0361170]

Questions:

1. First of all I'd like to know if it will all even work together?
2. Will this all last for a long time?
3. Is the power supply good enough and trustworthy?
4. Instead of spending $100 on the OS, should I get the Windows 8 Consumer Version and wait till October for Windows 7 prices to drop, or maybe upgrade to Windows 8?
5. Anything I can do to get it cheaper but still powerful?
6. Will it all fit in the case?

 

[obsama1]

Yes, everything is compatible. I have Win. 8. It's OK, but incompatible with some programs. It's very good. Also, if you buy from MC, they'll give $50 off the motherboard, so the motherboard is actually cheaper. But, get this mobo instead:
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0384988

Pcie 3.0 and will let you SLI in the future.

You can get an i5 2400 and invest in a better GPU like the 6870.
And the RAM? Here's the same RAM, but without the hassle of a rebate:
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0360526

 

[striker410]

Hi! Welcome to the forums.

Good build! I like it. I do however have a few tweaks to suggest.

-Go with this motherboard instead: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0384988 Ordering it online might make more sense since you don't have to pay sales tax. Your call.

-The GTX 460 is a good choice. However, the one you selected is a neutered 192-bit version. Don't get it, it's performance will not be as good as a full 256-bit version.
Instead, I'd recommend picking up a 6870: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102948 I suggest ordering it, as it's $30 cheaper on Newegg without even factoring in sales tax.

-The ram you selected is 1.65V RAM. Sandy Bridge CPU's are designed to operate with 1.5-1.6v RAM. If you use 1.65v, you run the risk of burning out your CPU. The chance is slight but it's still there. Get this ram: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0382101 Save $10 and have peace of mind.

-Thermaltake's TR2 series of PSUs are not the best. I would swap the PSU for this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817256061 Again from Newegg, where the price is lower.

Your case and CPU selection are excellent, however. Questions!
1. With the tweaks I suggested above, it should be just fine.
2. This depends on your definition. Will it continue functioning in 5 years? Yes. Will it be blazing fast and play the latest games? No.
3. See above.
4. Not sure, this is your call. I sometimes wear an eyepatch when acquiring my OS.
5. Nope, this is an excellent combination.
6. Yes.

 

[vyreon]

I don't know about the AMD card, not because i'm an nvidia fanboy (which i'm not. But some video editing/rendering profit from CUDA, and since only nvidia cards have CUDA, you might want to check if the software you use profits from it.

 

[obsama1]

Well, he says 3D work, so he'll probably benefit from CUDA.

 

[wakamonkey]

striker410,

Wow that's pretty good advice, I might consider buying some parts from Newegg. But with the AMD Video Card... I can't use because I use Blender for 3d and the new render engine only works with Nvidia and CUDA. So I'll see about going for a better Nvidia Card, maybe the Gtx 560?

 

[obsama1]

The 560 is good. Same price as the 6870 and the same performance.

 

[striker410]

Ah, gotcha. Guess my head wasn't screwed on straight at the time

I have a 3 tiered pricing approach for you. The cheapest is the GTX 460 256-bit, the most expensive a GTX 560 Ti. performance scales with price for the most part. I would avoid the GTX 460 though, as it's a "hunter class" (Nvidia's words, not mine) card which focuses on gaming performance at the expensive of Compute performance.

GTX 460 $150
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130752
GTX 560 $180
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127592
GTX 560 Ti $210
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814187150

Pick what's best for you. 560 or 560 Ti are my recommendations though.

 

[wakamonkey]

I'll probably get the 560, because of the 50 dollars off on motherboard.
Thank you both striker410 and obsama1.

 

[obsama1]

No problem.

 

[striker410]

Good luck with your build! If you have any questions, feel free to shoot me a PM.