Advice on prebuilt Lenovo system purchase Ideacentre 700-25ish

[sevensboy]

Bear with me, first time poster. I hope I'm asking this in the right place, but I'm looking at purchasing a new PC and wanted to get some feedback. Here's the link: http://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-IdeaCentre-700-25ISHDesktop-Windows-90ED0007US/dp/B014644OJI/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1453476284&sr=1-1&keywords=lenovo+ideacentre+700-25ishdesktop

Lenovo Ideacentre 700-25ISH
Intel Core i7-6700 3.4 GHz Processor
8 GB DDR4 1600 RAM
1 TB 7200 rpm Hard Drive, 120 GB Solid State Drive
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 Graphics
Windows 10

I'd like to be able to play some games and stream to twitch, which it looks like this would handle fine. I can't find anything with this combo of CPU and GPU near this price, but should I be worried about buying a mass-produced computer? I'm guessing at some point I might want to upgrade the PSU and GPU, but I don't think that will be necessary anytime soon for what I tend to play. Is it a huge headache to upgrade these units? Any other advice I should consider before going this route?

Thanks in advance for any responses, and bear in mind that I'm a noob so I apologize for any mistakes / omissions.

 

[TechCIDLC]

Are you interested in building your own computer? Pairing an i7 with a GTX 960 is not a good way to go..

 

[TechCIDLC]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6400 2.7GHz Quad-Core Processor ($183.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.44 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z170 Pro4S ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($82.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($87.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($48.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 390 8GB Video Card ($332.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($83.79 @ Amazon)
Total: $950.15
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-01-22 10:41 EST-0500

These parts can make a more balanced computer than that Lenovo. i5 + R9 390 > i7 + GTX 960

 

[sevensboy]

I have zero experience in building pc's, so I am a little reluctant to go that route. Just out of curiosity, why would you recommend the i5 vs i7? I'm not trying to be a jerk or anything, I really just don't know. Also, that price wouldn't include an OS, right? I have Windows 10 on my current laptop, would it be possible to somehow use that to install on a newly built pc? (I know that's not likely, but why not ask)

 

[naturesninja]

If you ever put together a lego set as a kid, than your PC assembly training is mostly complete. I think you would find it rewarding to put together your own build. Though it may look intimidating, it's super easy, will save you money, and you get higher quality parts! The lenovo isn't bad, per say. Prebuilts will usually have lesser quality motherboards, power supplies, and other parts.

This build includes an OS, i5 6500, and GTX 970 for Shadowplay/twitch. The SP550 is fast and reliable, though not as well known as the Samsung. I would stay away from the Pro4s model of the ASRock personally due to it's lesser quality capacitors than it's Pro4 sibling (mostly for the long term). The MSi is a great alternative falling in at the same price, and even includes a steel series mouse. Of course you will still need a keyboard, but that's more of a subjective part on what you prefer.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($166.00) jet.com 15now promo code
Motherboard: MSI Z170-A PRO ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($82.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws 4 Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2800 Memory ($46.97 @ OutletPC)
Storage: A-Data Premier SP550 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($62.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($48.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card ($277.00) <-jet.com 15now promo code
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($36.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($55.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 OEM (64-bit) ($84.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $862.69
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-01-22 11:54 EST-0500


Can't use windows from another computer, unless it's a retail copy of 7 or 8 usually. Then only one at a time. Windows 10 is tied to your motherboard. You can also swap that i5 out for an i7 6700 on jet.com for another $100 if you plan on doing heavy multitasking, or want a little more head room for demanding games+streaming. You should look into building your own, it usually takes me longer to open all the hardware packages than to actually assemble the build. Good luck!

Edit: Windows 10 is about $3 more.

 

[sevensboy]

alright I've built with legos before, and while I feel like I'm better at building things out of wood than more fragile computer components, I do think it would be enjoyable to build my own rig. So, I guess I should also mention that I like to edit video files and photos on occasion as well, so I think I might want to go with the i7 6700 to make sure I have room to grow all my pc-centered hobbies. A couple of questions I already have:

When it comes to cases, how do you verify that the motherboard and components will fit and mount properly?
What are the key things to look at for a motherboard other than it being compatible with your CPU? Is it PCI slots, ram slots, SATA connections, all the above?
On GeForce video cards, I see several manufacturers and am curious if there's any real differences between say Zotac, EVGA, Gigabyte, etc.?
If I wan to run dual monitors (or maybe more at some point) is that done by using the video cards multiple outputs or is some kind of splitter that is outside of the pc build?

Again, sorry if these are silly questions, I'm still new to all of this. And a big thank you for everyone's help.

 

[naturesninja]

The i7 would be the way to go for video editing.
Most differences between the motherboards, you already stated such as available memory capacity, number of SATA connections, USB type, etc... But there are also some things to look out for, such as the number of power phases a motherboard has for it's VRM's, cooling solutions, and actual available PCI lanes, not just slots (which can be very important for multiple gpu's or extra PCIe cards). Also, certain chipsets will overclock better than others, whereas some won't at all. (ASRock does have good b150 and h170 boards for overclocking, though).

The case specs will usually tell you how large of a GPU or cpu cooler will fit. It should also let you know what form factor will work, such as ATX mATX, ITX, etc... Most ATX Mid towers will fit ATX, mATX, or ITX motherboards. most mATX cases will only fit mATX and maybe ITX. ITX cases will only fit itx motherboards. Full towers generally have all the mounting points needed for any application.

As for the GPU brands, there are usually no differences in cards that have a reference cooler(single fan, all look the same). Outside of that, they usually use custom pcb's which will not only change the cooling solution, but some other features as well like more power phases, number and type of video outputs, multiple BIOS, etc... Non reference designs also usually have higher overclocking capabilities while running cooler, due to the better cooling solutions.

Some brands have better warranties and better customer service as well. For the GTX 970, I recommend EVGA FTW as the top dog followed by MSi, ASUS, Zotac, and Gigabyte. Those are just my opinions based on experience. Gigabyte, while a good company overall, has kind of been less than optimal with consistency this generation of graphics cards, which is why I put them last. If you can afford the EVGA FTW, I would go that route. Otherwise, the Zotac is actually pretty good.

You can run multiple monitors from a single card using it's various outputs. Take a look at what offerings the card you're interested in has for video output. Multi-hdmi outputs are rare if that is a concern of yours. They usually all have some type of dvi output, which can be used with an adapter to hdmi that comes with most graphics cards if needed.

Edit: I also recommend 16GB of RAM for video editing.

 

[sevensboy]

Thanks for the answers. I think I'm already over my head when I hear you talking about power phases for VRM's and PCI lanes vs slots. And I've never overclocked anything (current laptop doesn't seem capable of it), but I've already searched out and am reading articles on here for noobs on picking the right motherboard. Besides the GPU, what else would need a PCI slot? The MSI Z170-A PRO ATX LGA1151 Motherboard you put in the hypothetical build seems to have everything I would need, but not sure if I'm missing something that I might need to be able to add / upgrade down the road.
On a different note, I really like the looks of some of the builds I've seen with NZXT S340 and Phantom 240 cases. Especially when paired with some LED lighting. Anything good or bad to say about those cases? I mean if I'm going to build one, I want to make sure it looks good too.

 

[naturesninja]

There are sound cards, wifi adapters, and high end SSDs to name a few that can take up a PCIe slot. Both cases you inquired about are good choices. The S340 doesn't have a bay for a DVD drive, and should fit any GPU for the most part without having to remove HDD/SSD cages. The Phantom 240 is great also, but will require an adapter for the SSD to mount properly (less than $10), and has less room for larger GPUs without removing the drive cages. Mostly everything else is subjective to what you like as far as looks. Either has options to add more fans if cooling becomes less than optimal.

 

[g-unit1111]

Thanks for the answers. I think I'm already over my head when I hear you talking about power phases for VRM's and PCI lanes vs slots. And I've never overclocked anything (current laptop doesn't seem capable of it), but I've already searched out and am reading articles on here for noobs on picking the right motherboard. Besides the GPU, what else would need a PCI slot? The MSI Z170-A PRO ATX LGA1151 Motherboard you put in the hypothetical build seems to have everything I would need, but not sure if I'm missing something that I might need to be able to add / upgrade down the road.
On a different note, I really like the looks of some of the builds I've seen with NZXT S340 and Phantom 240 cases. Especially when paired with some LED lighting. Anything good or bad to say about those cases? I mean if I'm going to build one, I want to make sure it looks good too.

If you have never overclocked before, I would say don't do it though if you get a motherboard from Asus or MSI they have auto overclocking functions that allow you to overclock with just a couple of clicks in the BIOS. But for your budget you can get a pretty decent system with solid components if you do it yourself:

This is a bit over the $750 budget but you can't go wrong with this setup:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6400 2.7GHz Quad-Core Processor ($183.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock H170M-ITX/DL Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard ($92.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($42.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($87.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($48.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 960 4GB Video Card ($219.99 @ Micro Center)
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA GS 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($16.88 @ OutletPC)
Total: $803.47
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-01-22 16:09 EST-0500

 

[sevensboy]

Didn't even think about not having a DVD drive of some kind with the S340. I guess you could just use an external one when you needed it (I think I still have an external Blu Ray one in a drawer somewhere), right? Or would I need a drive to install windows?

 

[naturesninja]

You can use a USB or an external DVD/Bluray drive for installation. You can even temporarily hook up your drive to the power and sata ports to install windows.

 

[g-unit1111]

Didn't even think about not having a DVD drive of some kind with the S340. I guess you could just use an external one when you needed it (I think I still have an external Blu Ray one in a drawer somewhere), right? Or would I need a drive to install windows?

You need to have something to be able to install Windows - and Windows 10 ships on USB drives, but Windows 7 and 8 both install from USB. You can absolutely use your external drive on most modern motherboards if you enable it in the BIOS to recognize the external drive. I have an NZXT H440 (pretty similar design to S340) and to be honest I really don't miss the CD drive since I can use my external and it's there when I need it and not there when I don't.

 

[sevensboy]

Appreciate all the help guys. Now I just have to see if I can make this work with my budget (one reason I was going through amazon is due to having about $400 worth of points I can redeem there). If I can save a little bit of money by building though, I can start bugging everyone about monitors

 

[naturesninja]

You can always pick up parts through Amazon as well. They have it all! Good luck.

 

[g-unit1111]

Appreciate all the help guys. Now I just have to see if I can make this work with my budget (one reason I was going through amazon is due to having about $400 worth of points I can redeem there). If I can save a little bit of money by building though, I can start bugging everyone about monitors

I will say do not buy your case through Amazon because it's packaged in a ton of extra cardboard that you'll most likely throw away. But otherwise I'm all for saving money just about everywhere!

 

[sevensboy]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($329.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI Z170-A PRO ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($82.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Patriot Viper 4 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: A-Data Premier SP550 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($63.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($48.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB SSC ACX 2.0+ Video Card ($309.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: NZXT Phantom 240 ATX Mid Tower Case ($65.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) ($87.95 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1114.64
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-01-23 00:36 EST-0500

Well after playing around on different sites tonight, this is where I've ended up. I'm planning to use the jet.com promo to save money on the CPU and GPU, but the 15now code seems to be maxed at $30 savings. I think I'll buy each of those seperately and save $30 on each one if I can make that work by having the wife do the shopping for one of them since it's only good for your first order. See any problems with these parts?

 

[g-unit1111]

Well after playing around on different sites tonight, this is where I've ended up. I'm planning to use the jet.com promo to save money on the CPU and GPU, but the 15now code seems to be maxed at $30 savings. I think I'll buy each of those seperately and save $30 on each one if I can make that work by having the wife do the shopping for one of them since it's only good for your first order. See any problems with these parts?

Looks good except for the power supply. The EVGA B series are not good units. You can get the EVGA GS for $69 and that's a much better unit as it's built by Seasonic: http://www.ncixus.com/products/?usaffiliateid=1000031504&sku=107145&vpn=220-GS-0550-V1&manufacture=eVGA

I think I'd also swap the SSD for a Samsung 850 Evo - much better unit than a ADATA.

I might suggest a system like this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($329.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock H170 Pro4S ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($93.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($94.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($84.34 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($48.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card ($329.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($64.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($81.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1129.05
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-01-23 01:11 EST-0500

 

[sevensboy]

Looks good except for the power supply. The EVGA B series are not good units. You can get the EVGA GS for $69 and that's a much better unit as it's built by Seasonic: http://www.ncixus.com/products/?usaffiliateid=1000031504&sku=107145&vpn=220-GS-0550-V1&manufacture=eVGA

So the 750w EVGA GS unit is actually a couple of bucks cheaper than the 650w on amazon, so I think I'm going to go ahead and go that route as I'll have more headroom for the same price. Is there a negative side to having overkill on a PSU?

 

[sevensboy]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($329.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI Z170-A PRO ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($82.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($84.34 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($48.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB SSC ACX 2.0+ Video Card ($309.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: NZXT Phantom 240 ATX Mid Tower Case ($65.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) ($87.95 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1164.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-01-23 18:50 EST-0500

Here's where I've ended up. Hopefully now I can actually build this thing and figure out how to set it up properly.
I ended up saving a ton of money on the processor and GPU with Jet's promo codes, and found a few other amazon and newegg codes to keep everything ordered from just those 3 places and to take full advantage of my points with amazon.

 

[g-unit1111]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($329.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI Z170-A PRO ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($82.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($84.34 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($48.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB SSC ACX 2.0+ Video Card ($309.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: NZXT Phantom 240 ATX Mid Tower Case ($65.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) ($87.95 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1164.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-01-23 18:50 EST-0500

Here's where I've ended up. Hopefully now I can actually build this thing and figure out how to set it up properly.
I ended up saving a ton of money on the processor and GPU with Jet's promo codes, and found a few other amazon and newegg codes to keep everything ordered from just those 3 places and to take full advantage of my points with amazon.

I'd cancel the order on the power supply and get the GS that you mentioned in the previous post. The GS is manufactured by Seasonic, the Nex is manufactured by HEC. Seasonic - tier 1 unit, HEC - tier 4 unit.

 

[naturesninja]

G-unit1111 is correct. Here's an easy link to help choose your PSU:http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html Pick from tier 1 or 2, whichever falls within your budget.

 

[sevensboy]

So I really should have ordered the GS version on the PSU? Crap, I thought I had found the same series at a really great deal. I'll see if I can swap it out before they ship it.
Edit: got it swapped out for the 650w GS series and it only cost me about $10 more. Looks like I'll have everything in within the next week. Excited to start this project.

 

[BenDaniels]

Are you interested in building your own computer? Pairing an i7 with a GTX 960 is not a good way to go..

I'm looking at a similar model from Costco. What is the effect of pairing an i7 with the GTX 960?

 

[TechCIDLC]

There are better options. A cheaper processor and costier GPU, like an i5 with a GTX 970, is a more balanced combo. And it'll give you more performance in gaming.