Building a video editor and gaming rig

[PRyan0417]

I'm building a PC for video editing and gaming. I have a tight budget, so I'm trying to go small right now and upgrade over time. I'm having trouble deciding where I should skimp on the front end though. Also, I've only built one other PC, and that was 10 years ago, so I know there's probably things I'm not thinking about or am over looking. Video editing is my priority and it's light editing at best. I'm looking to do some things for YouTube, some podcasting (video and audio), and maybe branch out into doing local commercials.

I don't care if my games look amazing, as long as they run at an acceptable frame rate at 720p I'm good. I'm primarily a console gamer and I'm not looking to change that, but I understand some games are just better suited for a PC. If I can run something like The Stanley Parable and Final Fantasy XIV smoothly, I'll be happy.

Here's what I've got so far:

AMD FX 4100 4-Core Processor, 3.6 4 Socket AM3+ FD4100WMGUSBX

Gigabyte AM3+ Micro ATX Motherboard GA-78LMT

Gigabyte GeForce GTX 650 OC 2GB GDDR5 PCI-Express 3.0

Kingston Technology HyperX Blu 8GB 1333MHz DDR3 Non-ECC CL9 DIMM (2x4gb)

WD Blue 1 TB Desktop 7200RPM Hard Drive

Logisys Corp. 550W Power Supply PS550E12

Thermaltake V3 Black Edition VL80001W2Z No PS Mid Tower Gaming Case (Black)

Lite-On Super AllWrite 24X SATA DVD+/-RW Dual Layer Drive - Bulk - IHAS124-04 (Black)

Windows 8.1 64-bit System Builder


I plan to add or upgrade to the following at a later time:

Kingston Digital 60GB SSD SATA 3 2.5 (7mm height) with Adapter (for the OS)

AMD FX-8150 8-Core Black Edition Processor Socket AM3+ or some other more powerful CPU

A better graphics card (I could use some advice selecting one)


First of all, how am I doing so far? Like I said, it's been a decade since I've done this and my last video editor was a Mac (I will never do that again), so I'm a little rusty.

Secondly, will I regret not just starting with the SSD, better CPU, and better GPU?

Lastly, I want to be able hook up to a home theater system and have audio and video both run through the HDMI. Does the graphics card send audio? I'll probably wind up with some sort of external audio solution for my production stuff, but for gaming I want to be able to output to my theater system.

Thanks, everyone. Any help is much appreciated.

UPDATE: I forgot to include a budget. Ooops. I'd love to come in around $500, but I realize that may not be realistic. I can't spend more than $750.

 

[sportfreak23]

It'll help if you provide a budget for us to work with

SSD's are getting very cheap as time goes on and probably another sale around christmas if your buying your computer around that time. I would go with atleast a 120gb tho.

For the processor if you want something more future proof, I honestly would buy a 6300 or even 8320 now, then upgrade other things like the GPU or SSD as you need.

 

[PRyan0417]

It'll help if you provide a budget for us to work with

SSD's are getting very cheap as time goes on and probably another sale around christmas if your buying your computer around that time. I would go with atleast a 120gb tho.

For the processor if you want something more future proof, I honestly would buy a 6300 or even 8320 now, then upgrade other things like the GPU or SSD as you need.

Ooops. I went and added it to the original post. Thanks.

 

[sportfreak23]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2gL9l

^

I Picked the 8320 as it will last you a longer time imo. You can choose to go eith a 6300 which is 6 cores, both are good for your budget and you can overclock them quite easily later on when you buy a cooler. The 6300 saves you $20 ish and the 4100 saves you $30.

I picked the 7850 as it performs kinda like a 650 TI boost but a bit more expensive then the 650. GTX 650 is pretty low end so in a year or so you will probably want to upgrade. the 7850 gives a bit more future proofing.

 

[realchaos]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-D3P ATX AM3+/AM3 Motherboard ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($58.13 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - OEM (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $676.03
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-12-07 21:04 EST-0500)


I took sportfreak's build but modified a few things:
-Cheaper motherboard. The Gigabyte one should be fine.
-Cheaper RAM, same performance. The difference in ram speeds is negligible.
-Much stronger gpu.
-Better quality case and psu.

I would buy the 7870 now. Prices on AMD cards are going up and a lot of them are out of stock because of bitcoin miners. Almost all of the 7850 and 7870s are out of stock right now. This Asus one is one of the cheapest 7870 and it's in stock. Don't miss your chance.

 

[sportfreak23]

I think you cheaped out on the motherboard too much. He'll need to buy another one if he wants to overclock his 8320 when the time comes.

The RAM is just $10 more so its worth the speed boost, as FX series supports up to 1866mhz so why not.

For the game he plays, I think the 7850 will be good enough. The $40 price difference is a bit much.

You also don't need 600w for those single card solutions. 500wattz is good enough for both those gpu's . I have to agree on the case tho, but I just picked the one the OP picked.

 

[realchaos]

-Yes I know a 7850 is good enough, but all of the 7850s are out of stock right now. I checked it already. The 7870 is not out of stock, which is why I put it in.
-The difference betwen 1600mhz and 1866mhz is negligible. Only APUs will show a performance increase from faster ram.
-The Gigabyte motherboard is fine, even when overclocking the 8320. However, I just noticed that it is out of stock, so go for this one instead: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-970extreme3r20
-The Antec 620w is a high quality psu on sale. The standard XFX 550w is $59.99. The Antec is only $5 more and it's semi-modular with an extra 60w. I would not go for the Corsair CX series because they use lower quality capacitors.

 

[sportfreak23]

Good looking to see if they are all out of stock. Guess nothing we can do there. That motherboard is a better then the last for sure.

Well since he's video editing,The ram speed could prove useful it'll help a bit with the memory bandwidth. This isn't just for gaming.

I'm not saying the Antec is a bad quality PSU, the CX is great for the price and its really all the power he needs. I never had a problem with there CX line. But this is just brand bickering now.

 

[realchaos]

The Corsair CX series are actually Corsair's worst psu series. The CX series are cheaper than their other psus for a reason. They are meant for budget builds, but at this budget I wouldn't consider it. It uses lower quality capacitors so it dies fairly quicker than the other higher quality psus. Also, the Antec 620w can handle any upgrade the OP wants in the future. The extra money is definitely worth the extra quality and upgrade-ability.

 

[sportfreak23]

I see, well I haven't had one failed on me yet, maybe just plain luck.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2gNUj

^ reposted your link with the motherboard switch, for the OP.

I'm gonna go buy me some of this RAM before its all soldout like everything else lol ;p

 

[PRyan0417]

Thanks, everyone.

I cobbled together something I like from all of your suggestions. Some of those decisions were dictated by what was available on Amazon and New Egg. I have Prime and wanted the free 2-day shipping and was willing to pay a couple bucks more for the product or pick something comparable to get it. I did go with the graphics Asus 7870 and a similar set of RAM by the same manufacturer (the set recommended was sold out), both from New Egg. I think I've got a good system here.

Also, I just wasn't convinced I need to spend the extra cash on a case and the power supply. My wattage is well within what the Logysis 550 will handle and I have no plans to overclock.

Thanks, again everyone.

 

[realchaos]

No. Do NOT get that psu. It advertises 550w, but it is probably only a 300-400w psu with high ripple. A psu is a place where you never want to cheap out on. A low quality psu, like the Logysis one, can blow up on you and destroy everything in your computer. You always want a good or high quality psu.