~$1500-2000 Streaming, content creation, and high-end gaming build

TheBaron87

Honorable
Jul 11, 2012
2
0
10,510
Hi guys,

Brand new poster here, I really like the site. I've found a lot of good information and detailed reviews, but I would still like some second opinions about how to build a new gaming/streaming machine.

I'll start with the template in your sticky here:

Approximate Purchase Date: In the next week

Budget Range: $1500-2000 before rebates, after shipping.

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Livestreaming, content creation, high-end gaming, internet surfing.

Are you buying a monitor: No

Parts to Upgrade: CPU, mobo, GPU. Will possibly re-use Rosewill Xtreme Series RX850-D-B 850W PSU if it will satisfy noise level concerns.

Do you need to buy OS: No, will migrate retail Windows 7 Home Premium

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Would prefer to buy in-store from Fry's, otherwise newegg.com

Location: Fremont and/or Concord, California

Parts Preferences: Whichever satisfies my needs best. I anticipate that will be Intel and nVidia.

Overclocking: Maybe

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe

Your Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080

Additional Comments: I would like the lowest noise level possible that meets performance needs. I don't care about looks at all, airflow and sound dampening are more important. I already have input/output devices, I'm just looking for a tower.

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: My current build doesn't maintain satisfactory framerates while livestreaming, especially in World of Warcraft.

I am currently using a Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition OCed to 3.7 Ghz, 2x4GB DDR3 1600 G.Skill Ripjaws, and an MSI HD6850. I'm not sure what my current motherboard is, I'm not at home at the moment. Just about any game runs great when not streaming, but many begin to stutter and chug once xSplit starts broadcasting. World of Warcraft actually performs the worst while streaming because of the high quantity of add-ons that I run. I drop below 30fps even when not streaming, often below 20 when I attempt to stream. Other games perform better, but I would still like to upgrade.

I'm looking for a gaming PC that can maintain consistently high framerates while livestreaming modern games at ultra settings, 1920x1080 resolution, with the lowest noise profile possible. I use dxtory to capture and xSplit to stream, and I also have Chrome open to monitor chat and Mumble to communicate with my partners. I would like to also be able to run fraps during stream to record high-quality footage fit for Youtube shortly after streaming, however not being able to fraps and stream concurrently is fine if it would mean significant savings. Low temperatures and good content creation abilities are a plus, if cost-effective. I would also really appreciate a set of graphics drivers compatible with older games. My AMD GPU does not play well with DirectX6 games, especially MechWarrior 3, but I hear nVidia cards are less troublesome. Seeing as how GOG.com has yet to adopt a lot of my favorite old games, compatibility would be a big plus for me.

$1500 is what I'm ready to spend on future proofing, up to $2000 if the additional cost is a good value. If I can't achieve my goals for under $2000, then please describe what I would need and what it will cost so I can consider it.

Thank you all very much for supporting this awesome site and giving guys like me a place to ask what we need to build a great PC :)
 

g-unit1111

Titan
Moderator
I think an X79 build would suit this - content creation apps - especially CS5 and 6 - are major resource hogs. The extra RAM capacity and higher cores will help immensely.

Try this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-3820 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($289.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 SE2011 CPU Cooler ($85.09 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus Sabertooth X79 ATX LGA2011 Motherboard ($324.98 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($92.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 1.5TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Samsung 830 Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($124.95 @ B&H)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($407.55 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Switch 810 (White) ATX Full Tower Case ($159.98 @ Outlet PC)
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On IHBS112-04 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 (64-bit) ($124.00 @ Amazon)
Total: $1844.50
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)

You could also upgrade to the 3930K and hit the $2K mark, maybe a little over.
 

TheBaron87

Honorable
Jul 11, 2012
2
0
10,510
I like your build, but just how much would I benefit from adopting LGA2011 now over LGA1155? I toned down a few things with this build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($338.98 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($75.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($184.98 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (FREE from my current setup)
Hard Drive: Samsung 830 Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($124.95 @ B&H)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($417.49 @ CompUSA)
Case: Fractal Design Define R3 Black Pearl ATX Mid Tower Case ($114.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On IHBS112-04 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 (64-bit) ($124.00 @ Amazon)
Total: $1536.35
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)

How big of a performance hit would I see compared to G-Unit's build? Is this one good enough to stay smooth and consistent while streaming? Do you think it's likely to keep up with games 3 or 4 years in the future?
 

boulbox

Honorable
Apr 5, 2012
1,880
0
11,960
from concord to san jose is about 1 hour drive

if you can do that go to microcenter where you can get a deal of an i5 3570k for $190

even if you do not plan on getting the i5 they also have the deal of

"if you buy this(pretty much a list of CPU's i also believe that it includes an i7 2600k and 3570k) then you get $50 off on a motherboard(even though it is limited to certain motherboards you can get a ASUS pro $50 off)

if you think that is worth the money(gas) and time then i would do this
 

g-unit1111

Titan
Moderator


That looks like a winner to me - the 670 should be able to max out everything for the next several years.