1. #1
    The Lightbringer Lovestar's Avatar
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    Looking for a rough cost estimate based on my needs/goals

    Hi guys. I'm capable of playing LEGOs successfully, and I know what parts do what. But when it comes to the actual details of what components are "correct" for my needs, cost ranges, performance, etc... I'm totally lost. I just don't keep my head in this stuff often enough. So, if you don't mind, I'd like to rely on your better knowledge and experience. =)

    What I want to do, is finally upgrade my horribly old computer. But before I do any serious shopping or component research, I want to get a basic, rough price estimate.

    Basically I have two questions:
    • What kind of build should I be looking for to meet these goals? I have a bad tendency to go "overkill" with stuff; I'd like a more realistic idea of what I actually need.
    • What's a rough price estimate to build a system that meet these goals? I know there will be lots of additional costs (peripherals, OS, software, etc), but right now I'm just asking about the system itself.

    These are the things I want to be able to do:
    • Play current games, since right now my computer bursts into flames if I try to install anything created after Team Fortress 2. (Seriously, I think my smartphone can run more advanced games than my desktop.)
    • Record game footage with the game still remaining nice and playable.
    • Edit and upload video (games and otherwise).
    • Record audio and commentary, too.
    • Keep a billion windows and tabs open, because I can never focus on one thing and constantly multitask.
    • Do general graphics and 3D editing (I use Photoshop and related products a lot, and want to experiment with branching into modeling/texturing).
    • That includes editing big PS images, or having multiple graphics programs open simultaneously juggling different project pieces.

    As far as gaming, these are my preferences if it affects anything:
    • I don't need to be able to run everything on Max settings...
    • But, I would like stuff to perform well on reasonably pretty-to-look-at settings. After years of running everything on Absolute Minimum, I'd like some prettiness.
    • I tend to play action games (FPS, adventure, etc); MMOs have permanently burned me out on slower-paced / target-based stuff. Pew pew.
    • I tend to play big roaming open-world stuff, like Far Cry 3 or GW2.
    • I would like to be able to actually do large-scale coop stuff like raids and large-scale PvP, after years of barely being able to handle 8-10 man content and having 16-25 stuff in different games be totally unplayable.

    And a few other general things:
    • I'm a very impatient person. I hate load times. Oh, god, I hate load screens. So if there's anything I can do to reduce or eliminate loading bars, I'm willing to sacrifice in other areas.
    • I've successfully exploded a lot of different computers and parts via Heat Death™, so I'd like to make sure everything has adequate cooling.

    Thanks to anyone who can look my goals over and suggest a rough price range. It helps me plan. =)

  2. #2
    Guildwars 2 = Intel I5, I7 and usually a slight overclock or bust. With the multi tasking you are going to be doing the I7-4770k is what you are after. You don't need an expensive z87 board. 16GB of ram is overkill for gaming but you might use it. CL9 1600 ram is all that matters in gaming as latency gets bad at higher rates and the performance isn't huge.

    Price depends on what resolution you are going to be playing at and how pretty a case you want. With a OS 700-800 bucks should get you 1080p in most everything. 1440p that price is going up quite dramatically. Also shop at multiple places.

    http://pcpartpicker.com/

    Don't skimp on a cheap PSU or CPU cooling, even if it is something like a 30 dollar evo 212. Haswell's run hot. The I7 runs REALLY hot. If you live near a microcenter, buy the board/cpu there as they are rarely if ever beat on the combo deals.

    Case/monitor is all preference. IPS or not. High HZ or not. I like function on the cheap for a case, you might like aesthetics.

  3. #3
    Deleted
    Something like this, of course room for tweaking + - depending on budget.

    PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

    CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($309.99 @ NCIX US)
    CPU Cooler: NZXT HAVIK 140 90.3 CFM CPU Cooler ($54.99 @ Amazon)
    Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty Z87 Killer ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($109.99 @ Newegg)
    Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($52.99 @ Newegg)
    Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($164.99 @ Amazon)
    Storage: Western Digital RE3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($53.94 @ Amazon)
    Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($329.99 @ NCIX US)
    Case: Corsair 330R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
    Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($77.98 @ Newegg)
    Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
    Total: $1219.84
    (Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
    (Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-12-04 18:23 EST-0500)

    Perhaps a bigger HDD if you're recording a lot.

    Assuming 1080p.

  4. #4
    Deleted
    Quote Originally Posted by deathjester View Post
    Guildwars 2 = Intel I5, I7 and usually a slight overclock or bust. With the multi tasking you are going to be doing the I7-4770k is what you are after. You don't need an expensive z87 board. 16GB of ram is overkill for gaming but you might use it. CL9 1600 ram is all that matters in gaming as latency gets bad at higher rates and the performance isn't huge.
    Given the OP's stated goals, he absolutely does need a Z87 motherboard, as that is how he will get the best usage. In addition, for rendering work (even Photoshop) I would recommend going for 8GB or 16GB of higher-clocked memory than 1600MHz.

    Here's the build I'd propose, though it's much more expensive than Notarget's, which is adequate for your basic needs:

    PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

    CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($309.99 @ NCIX US)
    CPU Cooler: NZXT HAVIK 140 90.3 CFM CPU Cooler ($49.99 @ Amazon)
    Motherboard: Asus Z87-PRO ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($189.99 @ NCIX US)
    Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($52.99 @ Newegg)
    Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($164.99 @ Amazon)
    Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($118.30 @ Amazon)
    Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($518.99 @ SuperBiiz)
    Case: Corsair 330R ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ Newegg)
    Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF120 Quiet Edition 39.9 CFM 120mm Fan ($14.99 @ Amazon)
    Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF120 Quiet Edition 39.9 CFM 120mm Fan ($14.99 @ Amazon)
    Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF140 Quiet Edition 67.8 CFM 140mm Fan ($18.99 @ Amazon)
    Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($94.99 @ NCIX US)
    Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
    Total: $1604.19
    (Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
    (Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-12-05 03:14 EST-0500)

    1) The change in board is for stability purposes, as the PRO has a more refined power phase design than the Killer;
    2) the GTX780's RAM size is going to be useful for rendering work;
    3) the RE3 is good, but I suspect that the Caviar Black will be a better choice in the long run;
    4) I included 3 case fans to improve airflow, as that seems to be an issue where you are.

    You can get a perfectly viable gaming/workstation PC for a few hundred $ less, but I feel that this is going to be a quality build for your purposes.

  5. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by tenangrychickens View Post
    Given the OP's stated goals, he absolutely does need a Z87 motherboard, as that is how he will get the best usage. In addition, for rendering work (even Photoshop) I would recommend going for 8GB or 16GB of higher-clocked memory than 1600MHz.

    Here's the build I'd propose, though it's much more expensive than Notarget's, which is adequate for your basic needs:

    PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

    CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($309.99 @ NCIX US)
    CPU Cooler: NZXT HAVIK 140 90.3 CFM CPU Cooler ($49.99 @ Amazon)
    Motherboard: Asus Z87-PRO ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($189.99 @ NCIX US)
    Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($52.99 @ Newegg)
    Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($164.99 @ Amazon)
    Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($118.30 @ Amazon)
    Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($518.99 @ SuperBiiz)
    Case: Corsair 330R ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ Newegg)
    Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF120 Quiet Edition 39.9 CFM 120mm Fan ($14.99 @ Amazon)
    Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF120 Quiet Edition 39.9 CFM 120mm Fan ($14.99 @ Amazon)
    Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF140 Quiet Edition 67.8 CFM 140mm Fan ($18.99 @ Amazon)
    Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($94.99 @ NCIX US)
    Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
    Total: $1604.19
    (Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
    (Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-12-05 03:14 EST-0500)

    1) The change in board is for stability purposes, as the PRO has a more refined power phase design than the Killer;
    2) the GTX780's RAM size is going to be useful for rendering work;
    3) the RE3 is good, but I suspect that the Caviar Black will be a better choice in the long run;
    4) I included 3 case fans to improve airflow, as that seems to be an issue where you are.

    You can get a perfectly viable gaming/workstation PC for a few hundred $ less, but I feel that this is going to be a quality build for your purposes.
    Didn't mean he doesn't need A z87 board, just not an expensive one.

    Any CL9 1600 will do 1866 with loose timings. You picked out some good 1866 though and that price is pretty crazy (low). Love me some Gskill and the ARES is low profile to boot . Very nice find. Even my z87 g-41 will do 3000 memory speeds though, and that thing was basically free with a combo. If this was Ivy or Sandy I would get a premium board. They are basically useless now, unless you can't overclock manually and want to rely on a motherboard to do it (bad idea unless you have watercooling imo, and still a bad idea, but if you are going to do it, the Asus auto overclocking is prob the best). Power phases don't mean very much on Haswell (on cpu die VRM). Literally the most expensive board I would go on Haswell is a Asrock Extreme 4 or something. Even that is complete overkill as far as power phases, but it does SLI and some of the cheaper z87s (like mine) don't. Even the cheapest mini itx board's with horrible powerphases can OC the same as the premium boards and run just fine. This wasn't the case with older series and still isn't with AMD.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeuJAOVRoA0

    Definitely agree with you on 16 gigs of ram (said same thing earlier). Gaming don't need it but he could use it for professional stuff. Overclocking is supposed to be better with memory now, but sometimes you still can't get it working right. . I would rather have clock speed then ram (games), but memory might be a lot better in rendering. You could be right and I could be wrong on that. Maybe someone did a test on what he is looking to do.

  6. #6
    The Lightbringer Lovestar's Avatar
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    Guys, that is so helpful. Thank you. =)

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