Building Editing and Surfing System, up to $850 +OS

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
S

solarcat

Reputable
Mar 5, 2014
3
0
4,510
Greetings, everyone. I've never built a PC from scratch before, though I've done enough upgrading to be comfortable mucking around inside the case.

I'm looking to build a new system that won't be overclocked or used for gaming, but will work well at multitasking, including photo editing and occasional video editing. I've listed two alternative builds, one AMD, one Intel, that are approximately the same price, around $800 without OS. My selection method was simply to look for a price/performance sweet spot for each component that fit in my budget.

I'm looking for advice about how well these components go together and about which build will likely perform better for my intended purposes. Any suggestions for saving a little money here or there without compromising performance and longevity would also be great.

A few notes. I'm happy to be challenged or advised on any of my choices. I chose low-to-mid video cards because I believe this will not be the most important component for my purposes. I added an SSD with the intention of installing the OS and swap file there, and most everything else on the HDD. (Maybe selected programs on the SSD.) The main reason I selected 2 x 4GB RAM for the AMD build is that it might perform a little better, plus that mobo has 4 slots, so I could upgrade to 16GB later without replacing RAM. The Intel mobo has only 2 slots, so I went with 1 x 8GB. There are different video cards in the builds because -- well I don't know. I felt that an AMD system should have an AMD chipset video card, and I have no idea what chipsets play best with Intel.

Approximate Purchase Date: April 1, 2014
Budget Range: $700 - $850 +OS
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Watching video, surfing, photo editing (18 MP RAW), word processing, sound editing, video editing
Parts Not Required: monitor
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg
Country: U.S.
Parts Preferences: n/a
Overclocking: no
SLI or Crossfire: I don't know what this is
Monitor Resolution: 1680 x 1050, but I'll want to upgrade to 1920 x 1080 sometime soon
Additional Comments: comparing an Intel to an AMD build

AMD Build


Intel Build

Thanks very much!!

Edited to add:

After reading several other threads, I'm changing the motherboard for the AMD build from the Gigabyte one listed above to this ASUS board, which is said to be sturdier and to have better voltage regulation:
ASUS M5A97 R2.0 AM3+ AMD 970 + SB950 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard with UEFI BIOS

A few more notes: I've chosen better-than-minimum solutions for the case and PSU because I'm going for maximum stability and longevity, and I feel that lower temperatures will help with that. I've read that the AMD CPU should run cool enough with the stock heatsink and fan, but I'm open to other opinions.

I'd really appreciate some feedback. Thanks!
 
Lutfij

Lutfij

Titan
Moderator
Oct 7, 2009
54,048
4,741
173,390
Welcome to Tom'sHardware newcomer!

I'll begin from the top and work my way down with the parts you've chosen and your intended path.
1| Although your intention to add more ram in the future may be harmless but in reality it is. Usually in order for ram to run optimally over multiple dimm slots, they need to be of similar timings, frequencies and in most cases off of the same assembly line(usually identified by their serial numbers). Buying ram (kits) of the similar capacity but of different make and model will often result in your machine crashing out of programmes, freezing up or even worse may not boot at all or not show properly in BIOS.

Since you're editing and will effectively use Adobe's CS, I'd suggest going for the highest amount of ram possible for purchase and forget about adding more later on.

2| What you will need however is alot of scratch disk space so a small capacity SSD will cripple your work when you'll move up on higher res image work like say 1440p or higher imagery workloads.

Here's my take, just swap out the corresponding parts from your lists above:
Case; Fractal Node 304 white - $90
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352033
APU; A10-7850K - $185
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113359
Mobo; Asrock A88x-itx - $99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157464
Ram: Kinston HyperX Beast 16GB 2133MHz - $170
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104371
PSU; XFX TS 550W - $70
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207013
SSD; Crucial M500 240GB - $130
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148694

I didn't include any fans since you simply don't need them and since there is no place for an optical drive, you'd have to forgo installing OS via a disk. Instead download an ISO[/ur](assuming windows 7), and [url=http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/get-windows-product-key#get-windows-product-key=windows-7]contact Windows regarding purchasing a license key - the OS issue is solved :) so just add your HDD($60) to the mix and you're off.

I also assumed you're not going to be gaming on this system, but be primarily an entry level editing workstation grade machine.

If you're going for more horsepower and an upgrade path then the Intel will give you an advantage but for getting a beefier card even with a H61+non K cpu, it would limit your options severely.

Lemme know if my assumptions were off, a change in your heart regarding this expenditure or a distaste for the parts I chose :)
 
S

solarcat

Reputable
Mar 5, 2014
3
0
4,510
Thanks very much, Lutfij. I appreciate the welcome and the suggestions.

Deleting the optical drive isn't an option. I can't give up the ability to rip and burn. Also, the mini-ITX case, judging from some of the Newegg reviews, isn't so easy to work with. As a first-time builder, I'd rather go for easy.

I appreciate the points about the RAM and the SSD. I wasn't considering scratch file space. Good point.

To be clear, you're recommending deleting the graphics card and using the built-in graphics of the Kaveri processor, right? I've always felt there was something deficient about those hybrids, but with the new Kaveris maybe that thought is obsolete. Are there tradeoffs in non-graphical CPU performance that I should consider?

I'm not sure I fully understood this bit. Could you amplify a little, please?

If you're going for more horsepower and an upgrade path then the Intel will give you an advantage but for getting a beefier card even with a H61+non K cpu, it would limit your options severely.
Click to expand...

Thanks!
 
Lutfij

Lutfij

Titan
Moderator
Oct 7, 2009
54,048
4,741
173,390
You're welcome. Now,

1| Deleting the optical drive from your cases internal layout can be an option if you consider picking up an external; writer/burner since the weakest part in an optical drive is its lens. Now considering how many optical drives I've been through I'm flat out going to say, that an optical drive and large 3.5" devices are what had left us with larger than life sized cases to work with.

2| Larger cases tend to be a burden around a workspace and if you're like me who tends to work with an open mind with very little table clutter then the SFF case is the route to go since you can stow it away under your desk or maybe on a bookshelf - do not take this as my way of influencing you though.

3| Newegg reviews IMO are something you should add salt with in order to consume them. As far as systembuilding is concerned, I've seen newcomer builders work without hassle on any fractal cases. The trend these days is watching youtube videos to progress with builds - I'd suggest you can do that too but in all fairness, fractal and other reputed case makers always think about newcomers as well as the enthusiast builder :) You should be fine with that case.

4| Right! For your needs the Kaveri has plenty of umph to get you though your needs and if you'd like to game, you can do so with some reduced details but at a sustained 1080p resolution. Best of both worlds if you'd ask me. Your concern is possible but if it were 5~6 years ago, I'd have said: "you're absolutely right", but its not 2009 :)

As far as I've seen and worked with, adobe's CS has a healthy support on AMD's side and if you'd want more out of the software, you'd need to dip your fingers into workstation grade GPU's since we need to account for your no gaming stance.

The mobo chosen does have a PCI-E x16 slot so you can drop in a GPU that is more beefier than the iGPU of the A10-7850K, and as a standalone CPU, its capable of getting you through your chores easily. Tradeoffs are marginal when we take into account the sort of software's you'll be using since alot of high end hardware end up crippled merely due tot the fact that the software maker had poorly optimized/supported/written programmes. If you're working for a professional grade of editing output machine then the Intel would help you get through chores much faster than any AMD FX/APU can muster.

5| The initial i5 you've chosen is the non overclockable version. Processors from Intel with a K suffix are those with unlocked multipliers allowing users to overclock their systems when the need may arise(not to be confused with Turbo Boost frequency). Purely from a performance stand point, intel wins hands down but that route ends up being costly to anyone investing with a small capital but if we were to look at the aspect of components chosen for future proofing, then your intel build also has its limitations. How? a| the H61 chipset does not allow any sort of overclocking, and b| the power delivery around the CPU socket area isn't robust thus would fail if you did manage to bypass intels locks and overclock that board. Lets consider that you won't overclock but will invest in a beefier GPU like a GTX 780 later down the road(consider a Quadro or Firepro grade GPU) , say in 6 months time, at that point you'll see a bottleneck on the CPU side.

It is possible to build a well balanced machine with the budget at hand, but as time moves forward, your balance shifts towards the negative. So what do you take out of all the pointers? Build the system that you feel will serve you better but I see no need in investing in a gaming grade GPU for professional grade work which will warrant a workstation grade GPU ,at the least , turning your budget upside down fast.

In case you were wondering:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Txb6onTWorE‎
a review and build of the Mode304 case.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YvT1ybPg9Y
Hope this helps
:)
 
S

solarcat

Reputable
Mar 5, 2014
3
0
4,510
Thanks! Very helpful. I'm going to ponder for a bit before deciding what to order. It'll be a big step up from any prebuilt system I've ever had, that's for sure.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom