Friend Wants to Build A New PC

[Richardc269]

I have a friend who would like to build a new PC for himself. His budget is around $1500. (He lives in LA & I live in a different city). He'll more than likely buy the parts either at a store or an online website, I won't be building it for him though. I am just going to give him a list of recommended parts. I have not really kept up with the newer hardware within the last 3 or so years.

I was thinking maybe you guys could give me a good list of PC hardware.

I figured a Gigabyte motherboard, either Kingston or Coursair RAM would do well together (seeing as that's what I have, and I haven't really had any problems with it). I was also thinking of him getting an Nvidia card (maybe 500 series or better), depending on the prices of the Video cards. I know that this will be the most expensive part to buy than the other hardware. RAM is extremely cheap. I don't know if he'll need more than 4 Gigs yet, so it'll be either 4 Gigs or higher. I just know that Coursair & Kingston are good brands.

As for the CPU, I am thinking 2.8Ghz or more is probably recommended. Maybe even 3Ghz. He'll more than likely be using Windows 7. I think maybe an i7 or better would be a good idea (my CPU is also an i7, and it's a good CPU still after 4 years). I just don't know which brand is good for the i7 at the moment.

The PSU of course will be important & needed, & a certain wattage will be required. 700-800 maybe? Just depends on the parts.

Not really sure yet if he wants a DVD drive/Bluray yet (or even a burner), but maybe not the burners. I'll find out when I come back home.

I will be out of my house for the next few hours at the most, so I can't really look for a good list at the moment. I figured he could buy the parts from Newegg.com or something.

I don't know yet if he wants the onboard sound, or a slotted sound card. So that'll have to wait for the moment.

As for the case, doesn't really matter so much, as long as the parts fit inside the case. I don't really think they'll care that much about it, but you never know. Having a list of cases would be good anyway, just in case they want a fancy one. I just know it will also need good cooling for all the parts.

Anyway...I have to go now. I'll check the forum when I come back home, and I promise anyone that helps will get a +1 from me. All I really need is a list of hardware for him to buy (and I don't think the source really matters as long as he can buy it, but I think newegg would be an ideal place, since it's a respectable business). And please don't get a list from Alienware. Since I heard that Dell bought it out, I'd rather stay away from it.

Thank you for the help. It is appreciated.

 

[kbrady1979]

It would be easier if you could find out what sort of tasks he will be doing with this computer. Is he a gamer, does he just surf the web and check his email, does he do serious video editing or use scientific programs? Find that out and we'll work on what components to get.......it will make things much easier.

 

[essenbe]

He can build a decent computer in that price range, if like Kbrady said, we know what it will be used for. Just whatever he buys, get quality parts. Corsair is good ram although I always swear by G Skill, for a PSU, I always recommend Seasonic, Corsair or Antec. Don't skimp there, it is the heart of the computer. Watch the sales and you can pick up a great graphics card reasonable. Some of the 500 serise cards are as much as the 600's. You'll get better performance and lower power consumption from the 600's. AMD make some good cards too. I'm not a fanboy of either. I have both in fact. With most any of the Cooler Master HAF cases, you won't have to worry about air flow, and they are some of the better cases too. We're just talking generalaties here until we know what he uses it for, does he game, do video encoding, like to overclock? It all makes a big difference.

 

[fireberd]

My recently built system hardware is listed in "My System Spec's". It was built for about $1200, mostly with parts from newegg.com It is used for my recording studio system and for some internet.

The purchased parts were the CPU, case, motherboard, memory, video card, power supply, one SSD, H80 liquid cooler, two CD/DVD burner drives and an OEM copy of Win 7. The keyboard/mouse, monitor and a hard drive were reused as they were all relatively new. The second SSD listed was added later for dual booting with Win 8.

 

[Cr00zng]

As kbrady said, it depends on the intended purpose of the PC. I also agree with essenbe, as long as the memory is GSkill or Corsair, you'll be fine. With today's 8 GBs memory prices around fifty bucks, there's no reason not to have 8 GBs memory, unless the OS will be 32-bit.

I have the GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-UP5 TH motherboard that has plenty going for, including dual Thunderbolts ports. For quite PC, I like the Antec P183 case, but I believe that it is being replaced by P280 series. In my system the case fans were replace by Noctua case fans to reduce noise. For heatsink, the Noctua NH-D14 is quite and efficient. The temperature in my system is at idle ~27 degree Celcius and doesn't hit 50 when playing games.

For 1,500 bucks, one could get a decent ultrabook, maybe that's all what your friend needs...

 

[Erick Aguilar]

Here, this could give you a good startup point when it comes to price for performance in different builds.

http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/_...de-dec2012.png/1000px-Falconguide-dec2012.png

 

[Richardc269]

Okay, he finally told me the use of the PC will be "Video & Audio editing". Still waiting on an answer for DVD/Bluray inquiry (he takes forever to respond *rolls my eyes*). Anyway...main use, like I said, Audio/Video editing.

Just need a good list of parts for it, and I'll send it to him. I am at least competent enough to comprehend what will sound good (but again, haven't really kept up with recent hardware). And I'll +1 the people who give me a nice list of what they think will be good for helping out. I'm not quite sure what would be good for Audio/video editing (I know a better idea for gaming than audio/video editing seeing as I've never owned a pc for video editing, nor have I done any video editing). Thanks again!

 

[essenbe]

Video encoding is very ram and CPU intensive. I think go with a good Z77 board, 17-3770K, 16GB of good high speed ram, a good video card like the 660TI, 670 or the AMD equivelant and a Corsair, Seasonic, or Antec PSU in a range that will utilize no more than about 60% of it's actual capacity. A good SSD would be great and save some for a good sound card for the Audio. The rest will take care of itself. Any of the HAF cases will give excellent airflow and a good aftermarket CPU cooler. I think you could do that within the budget.

I think you have already decided on a Motherboard, I would consider a Corsair AX or HX PSU or a Seasonic X serise PSU in the 750-850 range, You probably won't use that much but it will last longer and create less heat, For the ram, I like G Skill Sniper maybe 1600-1866 and get 2X8GB sticks rather than 4X4. It's easier on the CPU and also allows for expansion later, if he needs it. If he does video encoding, he should get a higher end card. Check the performance with the Passmark ratings. Sound cards can be quite expensive, but if you look, you can find some good performing ones at a reasonable price. And, watch the sales on Newegg. You can pick up some good items on their sales. Also, spend the time reading user reviews on the parts you are considering, it can pay off in the end.

 

[kbrady1979]

Essenbe hit the nail on the head with his parts list. I'll give you a list with links to the parts I would use for such a build.....this is not a definitive built list, just some high quality parts that will do the job.

CPU: Intel i7-3770K

MOBO: Asus Z77 Sabertooth

RAM: Corsair Vengeance 16GB Kit

GRAPHICS CARD: EVGA GTX 660Ti

PSU: Corsair AX750

SSD: Samsung 840 Pro 256GB

That is a very basic list of components. If he plans on overclocking at all, consider a closed loop water cooler. The case is more subjective and maybe he has a certain look he wants, or needs to be silent. As far as a sound card, any Asus Xonar would probably be more than enough. Like I said before, that is just a list of quality components I came up with and there are plenty of other good options besides what I have listed.

 

[essenbe]

Nice list, Kelly. But, I think he has already said he had picked a Gigabyte Board. But, that's a very good list.

 

[kbrady1979]

Nice list, Kelly. But, I think he has already said he had picked a Gigabyte Board. But, that's a very good list.

OK.....Gigabyte makes good boards too. I wasn't sure if he was locked into a board already or was just considering one.

 

[Richardc269]

Essenbe hit the nail on the head with his parts list. I'll give you a list with links to the parts I would use for such a build.....this is not a definitive built list, just some high quality parts that will do the job.

CPU: Intel i7-3770K

MOBO: Asus Z77 Sabertooth

RAM: Corsair Vengeance 16GB Kit

GRAPHICS CARD: EVGA GTX 660Ti

PSU: Corsair AX750

SSD: Samsung 840 Pro 256GB

That is a very basic list of components. If he plans on overclocking at all, consider a closed loop water cooler. The case is more subjective and maybe he has a certain look he wants, or needs to be silent. As far as a sound card, any Asus Xonar would probably be more than enough. Like I said before, that is just a list of quality components I came up with and there are plenty of other good options besides what I have listed.

This will be a good list. Now I just need some links for a good DVD/Bluray Reader/Burner combo. Are there any Bluray/DVD reader/burners in 1 drive? Or will he need 2 separate ones? He will also need a PC case with a good cooling system, no doubt. Could you do me a small favor and give me a link to a list of cases that would be good with cooling? They can pick the case themselves. I won't be the one building the PC (unless they want to bring all the parts to my house from LA (lawl) and have me do it here and then pick it up later or something, or unless they know someone else who would do it in LA).

As for the hard drive, I'm not entirely sure how much space he'll need for Audio/Video editing. 256gb might not be big enough. Anyhoo...thank you for the list! I'll give him the list as soon as I get the case list & DVD/Bluray thing.

How about a good sound card? I know that the onboard sound (even todays) aren't as good as a slotted sound card. I think Soundblaster is still good these days, aren't they? I used to have the Audidy 2, and only one game I owned didn't like it out of all the other games I played. He'll need a really good sound card for audio editing.

Edit: He hasn't bought anything yet. This is just a list I'll recommend to him so he CAN buy the parts for the PC he wants for his younger brother. Neither of them, I don't think are very PC literate when it comes to hardware & putting one together. Since he knows that I can put a PC together and am competent with hardware, he's asked me as a favor to get him the list of parts.

 

[essenbe]

As far as cases any of these would be a good coice. Probably the 932 or HAF X are the best.
These are good cases too.

 

[kbrady1979]

I had spent 30 minutes typing a response with links to hardware and was just about to push Submit Reply and the power blinked out. So here is the short version.

Case: Any of the cases Essenbe linked to will work just fine. I like the Corsair cases, and I am recently starting to appreciate some of the Fractal Design cases. Many people who do video/audio editing are sticklers for quiet PC's, so you might want to ask him if that is something he is interested in.

DVD/Blu-Ray: Find out if he needs something to READ blu-ray discs or something to BURN blu-ray discs. For a DVD/Blu-Ray reader, I'd go with this one: LG Blu-Ray Drive

Hard Drive: Seagate 2TB The OS and programs will go on the 256GB SSD and his video/audio files, along with pictures and documents will go on the 2TB HD.

Sound Card: I would tell him to use the onboard HD Audio and see if that fits his needs. Onboard Audio has came a very long way recently and sound cards aren't as important as they used to be. If he does need a sound card, have a look at something like this: Asus Xonar DX

CPU Cooling: Video/Audio editing is very CPU intensive and he will need something to keep his temps under control. A good closed loop water cooler will be very beneficial in keeping his CPU cool, and will be very quiet as well. This component will largely depend on what kind of case he decides on. There are several options including single 120/140mm Radiator, and dual 120/140mm Radiator designs.

The main decision is whether or not he will want a "quiet" editing machine because that will dictate what case/cooler solution he needs. Hope that answers some of the questions you have.

Kelly

 

[bobafetthotmail]

the Gigabyte Sniper m3 has the best integrated sound in town, it uses a Creative chip, the ones used in sound cards and has audio-grade capacitors. Its PCB is very very tidy and the sound PCB area is protected by a small EMI shield so there is very little interference on that audio. It should be cheaper than Sabertooth while more or less the same. PCIe slot positioning is kinda weird for a mATX case, but as long as he isn't using two GPUs in a mATX case it's a non-issue.

 

[kbrady1979]

the Gigabyte Sniper m3 has the best integrated sound in town, it uses a Creative chip, the ones used in sound cards and has audio-grade capacitors. And its PCB is very very tidy so there is very little interference on that audio. It should be cheaper than Sabertooth while more or less the same. PCIe slot positioning is kinda weird for a mATX case, but as long as he isn't using two GPUs in a mATX case it's a non-issue.

I knew there was a motherboard with a Creative chip, but for the life of me I couldn't remember which one it was. All of the higher-end motherboards have the audio hardware isolated on the motherboard, which helps tremendously. One that comes with an onboard chip or the Asus with SupremeFX IV is probably the best in terms of Audio. I would still let him run with the onboard HD audio regardless of what motherboard he ends up with, to see if he actually needs a better sound solution. I wouldn't spend the money until I had a legitimate need to.

 

[bobafetthotmail]

technically there is also its bigger sister, the Sniper 3, that has the same sound hardware and setup, although it's debatable that anyone would really need 4 PCIe 3.0 8x slots anyway and dump so much cash for it.