AJ needs a new Desktop

[cat3]

Hi all,

New guy here and I need a new PC. I'm currently working for the USAF in Germany so my options for buying a pre-built PC are interesting.
The base BX has a horrible selection of PC's. No 3rd gen cpu's and all are pretty low end spec. So scratch buying one on base.
I can buy out on the German economy but I'd rather not have a German spec PC so that's pretty much out.
Some online stores will ship a new system (via USPS) to a military APO box but I ran into enough troubles trying to order that I gave up.

Shipping parts to an APO isn't an issue for many online retailers (like Newegg) so I am leaning towards building a system but could really use some advice.

Approximate Purchase Date: This week!

Budget Range: Under $1200 would be nice

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Digital photo processing, maybe some video editing. Websurfing, Office Doc's, Netflix streaming video (to a display and/or HDTV), maybe some gaming but not a lot. Option for a second display would be nice.

Are you buying a monitor: No

Parts to Upgrade: Enitire system

Do you need to buy OS: Yes, leaning towards Windows 7 instead of 8.

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Have had very good luck with Newegg.

Location: City, State/Region, Country: Germany. Plan on ordering everything online and shipping via USPS.

Parts Preferences: by brand or type: Intel CPU is the only brand that I am set on.

Overclocking: Maybe but probably not.

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe

Your Monitor Resolution: 1920 x 1080.

Additional Comments: Looking to build a nice, solid desktop that will last for a couple of years with the ability to upgrade parts if needed.

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: Current PC is an old tank that is slowly dying on me.

I have been thinking about:

Intel i5 – 3570K

ASRock Z77 Extreme 6 or ASRock Z77 Pro 4

I have no idea on graphic cards. There are so many choices and since I'm really not doing any gaming, no idea what to choose. Help!

For a case, I was thinking along the lines of a CoolerMaster HAF 912. Dust filters are a must (2 cats in house, non stop furballs to deal with).

The Corsair CX600 power supply seems to get very nice reviews http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139028

8 GB of memory, haven't decided on a brand name.

Have had very good results with Seagate drives so was thinking about a 1TB Barracuda. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148840

Add in a Lite-On DVD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289

What am I missing? CPU cooler? Would that be needed for a non-gaming build?

I know that there are a lot of posts asking the same questions. There are so many parts to choose from and it's a bit bewildering on where to start.

Any/all advise is very much appreciated.

Thanks and best regards!

AJ

 

[AMD Radeon]

if it is not for OC-ing, 3570k is a waste, get cheaper i5 or this xeon cpu, it is rebranded i7 without iGPU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117286&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

 

[g-unit1111]

if it is not for OC-ing, 3570k is a waste, get cheaper i5 or this xeon cpu, it is rebranded i7 without iGPU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117286&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

No reason to get a Xeon for a gaming rig. Stick with the i5-3570K. Overclocking is not that big of a deal as long as you don't change the voltages - you can achieve 4.3GHz with a simple change of the multiplier on a Hyper 212.

The Corsair CX600 power supply seems to get very nice reviews http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817139028

You can't judge products from store reviews - they are to be taken with massive grains of salt. The positive ones don't really go into much detail and the negative ones and DOAs could be prevented 90% of the time had the users taken the right precautions prior to installation, I can't emphasize this enough.

If you're ordering from Germany, it's far better to buy locally than internationally due to customs fees, import taxes, shipping fees, and things of that nature. If you don't know a local store the link in my signature will point you in the right direction.

 

[groundrat]

Check out Ibuypower. You can buy them through the exchange website.

 

[smorizio]

when your building your pc sit down and look at your build dollars and what you want this pc to do and how long do you want it to last. you can go cheap like a dell if your not going to game..problem with dell/hp is to hit there low price the cut back on how good of parts they use. you may get 2 years out of a dell/hp before the power supply or mb dies. also going cheap on some parts like the video card..if you do try to game the game may or may not run there a lot of games out there that the low end 600/7000 cards and the onboard gpu chips cant run or the frame rate so low it sucks to play. with the build bucks you want build a system that has some future proof in it. with pc hardware now every few months to a year intel/amd/nvidia are dropping new cpu and gpu. the issue with new hardware is if your the first to buy when it drops your going to pay a premium for the parts and that most hardware will still have some bugs. also for the money you pay for the new hardware is there a gain that you can see in games/video editing. look back at when the ivy bridge chips dropped. ib is slightly faster then sb but at the time the extra $$ intel wanted for ib was not worth it. that why amd still makes cpu and sells them. there chips might not game as well as the intel cpu but there better in real world aps and at a lower price point.