need help with my first computer

[Pwnzyou]

hello all

Budget
1500$

Resolution
1980 x 1080

Games / Settings Desired
i mostly play csgo and wow / best settings

Any other intensive software or special things you do (Frequent video encoding, 3D modeling, etc)
I use autocad, revit, and maybe photoshop

Country
usa

Parts that can be reused
non

Do you need an OS?
nop i think i can get windows for free

Do you need peripherals (e.g. monitor, mouse, keyboard, speakers, etc)?
a monitor for fps games around 150-200$

thanks !

[Arbiter]

When using AutoCAD and Revit, is it safe to assume 2D modeling will be your primary work load? If so, an i7, 16GB of RAM, and a GTX 970 would be great choices and more than enough for those work loads. Only other option within that budget would be to drop down to a cheap case, and non modular PSU and go for the GTX 980 or something but in the end it's not worth the money.

This is what I propose:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($304.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 3 93.3 CFM Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU Cooler ($59.90 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($116.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($147.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($104.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card ($349.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design Define R5 ATX Mid Tower Case ($119.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic G 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($81.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1356.68
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-10 13:12 EST-0500

Some notes to keep in mind:
Noticing that it seems you'd be around this computer a lot with work related things you may enjoy the benefit of silence from the computer so I went with a Dark Rock Pro 3 which offers good cooling if you decide to overclock (you have the option) and is also very quiet. Also went with the new Define R5 that just came out this week. Very quiet case with sound dampening material as well as fan filters. I went with the no window option because some people don't like it, but there is also a windowed option for $10 more as well as color options of White, Titanium, and Black.
You could always drop down to something like a Corsair 200R if you just want a cheap decent quality case as well as a non modular PSU if you don't care too much for excess cabling. probably save you around ~$60. It's all about preference though.

16GB RAM since your type of work can get kind of memory heavy but 16GB would be more than enough. i7 for those work loads as well plus the high stock clock speed will help you in WoW. You can sit your OS, both of those games, and all of your work program on that SSD with room to spare so the HDD is just for additional storage and can be removed if you don't think you need it. Same goes for the DVD Drive. I added it but if you know you won't use any discs ever then feel free to save there. The GTX 970 will handle all current games at the highest settings 1080p for 60+ fps and will continue to do so for a while. More than enough for 2D modeling as well.

There's even enough left in the budget for a Windows 8.1 copy if you end up needing it.

[Pwnzyou]

When using AutoCAD and Revit, is it safe to assume 2D modeling will be your primary work load? If so, an i7, 16GB of RAM, and a GTX 970 would be great choices and more than enough for those work loads. Only other option within that budget would be to drop down to a cheap case, and non modular PSU and go for the GTX 980 or something but in the end it's not worth the money.

This is what I propose:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($304.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 3 93.3 CFM Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU Cooler ($59.90 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($116.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($147.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($104.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card ($349.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design Define R5 ATX Mid Tower Case ($119.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic G 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($81.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1356.68
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-10 13:12 EST-0500

Some notes to keep in mind:
Noticing that it seems you'd be around this computer a lot with work related things you may enjoy the benefit of silence from the computer so I went with a Dark Rock Pro 3 which offers good cooling if you decide to overclock (you have the option) and is also very quiet. Also went with the new Define R5 that just came out this week. Very quiet case with sound dampening material as well as fan filters. I went with the no window option because some people don't like it, but there is also a windowed option for $10 more as well as color options of White, Titanium, and Black.
You could always drop down to something like a Corsair 200R if you just want a cheap decent quality case as well as a non modular PSU if you don't care too much for excess cabling. probably save you around ~$60. It's all about preference though.

16GB RAM since your type of work can get kind of memory heavy but 16GB would be more than enough. i7 for those work loads as well plus the high stock clock speed will help you in WoW. You can sit your OS, both of those games, and all of your work program on that SSD with room to spare so the HDD is just for additional storage and can be removed if you don't think you need it. Same goes for the DVD Drive. I added it but if you know you won't use any discs ever then feel free to save there. The GTX 970 will handle all current games at the highest settings 1080p for 60+ fps and will continue to do so for a while. More than enough for 2D modeling as well.

There's even enough left in the budget for a Windows 8.1 copy if you end up needing it.

hey thanks for replying
for autocad i think i'm only using 2d modeling thats what I have used so far, and for revit it is going to be 3d modeling. I won't be using those programs professionally, they're just for my architecture classes.

and for the case, is it fine to use a different one? that one looks ugly to be honest I have noticed that most people suggest cases like that, is there any cons with the cases that looks nice?

[Arbiter]

hey thanks for replying
for autocad i think i'm only using 2d modeling thats what I have used so far, and for revit it is going to be 3d modeling. I won't be using those programs professionally, they're just for my architecture classes.

and for the case, is it fine to use a different one? that one looks ugly to be honest I have noticed that most people suggest cases like that, is there any cons with the cases that looks nice?

Of course. There are plenty of cases. That case is plain but tends to be used mostly for silence and dust filtering because it's honestly damn good in that area. Quite a few people on these forums have the previous version of that case.

You want a case with a window or what? Mid tower? It's hard to know what you think looks nice.

And I wouldn't think that 3D Modeling in Revit would have any issues on that build, but I've never personally used it. Only CAD. If it's for school and they expect people to be able to run it on their PCs, I'm not seeing it be so demanding that you would need anything more. I only see you having the benefit of being able to work faster than most if not all of your classmates.

[Pwnzyou]

Of course. There are plenty of cases. That case is plain but tends to be used mostly for silence and dust filtering because it's honestly damn good in that area. Quite a few people on these forums have the previous version of that case.

You want a case with a window or what? Mid tower? It's hard to know what you think looks nice.

And I wouldn't think that 3D Modeling in Revit would have any issues on that build, but I've never personally used it. Only CAD. If it's for school and they expect people to be able to run it on their PCs, I'm not seeing it be so demanding that you would need anything more. I only see you having the benefit of being able to work faster than most if not all of your classmates.

alright thanks for the help

[Arbiter]

alright thanks for the help

You didn't say what you were looking for in a case :P

I could link you some suggestions but that list would add up if I don't have anything to go by.

[Zerroth]

I'd go with a Hyper 212 EVO instead of that new cooler, just because it's more recognized, documented, and proven.

[Arbiter]

I'd go with a Hyper 212 EVO instead of that new cooler, just because it's more recognized, documented, and proven.

Umm...212 EVO is a good cooler for the price you pay but it no means a high end or a silent cooler. The only air cooler I'd honestly recommend over the one I suggested is Noctua, although they are more expensive and if you do end up using a Windowed case they are a pretty ugly brown.

I honestly prefer the standard Dark Rock 3 for more silence but it's less effective cooling and for some reason currently more expensive which is why I didn't suggest it.

Just because YOU may not recognize it doesn't mean it's not a damn good air cooler. As for "documentation" and being "proven". A simple google search would give you everything you need to know.

[Zerroth]

Sorry, going to trust a cooler that has 2943 reviews almost all 5 stars than a cooler that's priced more with 6.

[Pwnzyou]

You didn't say what you were looking for in a case :P

I could link you some suggestions but that list would add up if I don't have anything to go by.

i think ill be going for r5 with black/titanium window

[Deleted]

Sorry, going to trust a cooler that has 2943 reviews almost all 5 stars than a cooler that's priced more with 6.

Im going to make a wild guess that is based on newegg/amazon reviews. Which most people on this forum find not that interesting. Plus I find those no real reviews, just user experiences.

Plus, the EVO is most likely out longer, is cheaper etc which means it gets bought more often ending up in more "reviews".

[Pwnzyou]

I just took a look at both cpu's, and I think i'm going for EVO since it is a little bit smaller. this is going to be my first time building a pc dark rock 3 seems to be pretty big compared to EVO and could be harder for me to install it.

[Bolson13]

I just took a look at both cpu's, and I think i'm going for EVO since it is a little bit smaller. this is going to be my first time building a pc dark rock 3 seems to be pretty big compared to EVO and could be harder for me to install it.

Cooler for me was the most figety part the first time but for those very common coolers you can always find a video online just as a reference:

[Remilia]

Sorry, going to trust a cooler that has 2943 reviews almost all 5 stars than a cooler that's priced more with 6.

It ain't silent. It's a good price per performance but it's not silent nor the best performer. It's a decent budget cooler, that's it.

[Arbiter]

I just took a look at both cpu's, and I think i'm going for EVO since it is a little bit smaller. this is going to be my first time building a pc dark rock 3 seems to be pretty big compared to EVO and could be harder for me to install it.

Smaller doesn't mean easier. It's usually the mounting bracket that makes the difference. Only differences between the 2 is that the EVO will be louder and be less effective at cooling your CPU, which the cooling is still better than stock but you won't be doing anything more than mild overclocks to it. Nothing wrong with either one though, just one is a budget cooler and the other isn't.

- - - Updated - - -

It ain't silent. It's a good price per performance but it's not silent nor the best performer. It's a decent budget cooler, that's it.

This, and it's not "priced more than 6" if you're referring to 6 EVOs. It's only double the price of a single EVO ($30 to $60) and it's well worth that price in silence and effectiveness. The amount of reviews on an item just means it's popular. It says nothing about it's performance and reliability. You want an actual review of a product find a reputable tech website dedicated to reviewing products.

Dark Rock Pro 3 Review from Linus:

[Zerroth]

Smaller doesn't mean easier. It's usually the mounting bracket that makes the difference. Only differences between the 2 is that the EVO will be louder and be less effective at cooling your CPU, which the cooling is still better than stock but you won't be doing anything more than mild overclocks to it. Nothing wrong with either one though, just one is a budget cooler and the other isn't.

- - - Updated - - -



This, and it's not "priced more than 6" if you're referring to 6 EVOs. It's only double the price of a single EVO ($30 to $60) and it's well worth that price in silence and effectiveness. The amount of reviews on an item just means it's popular. It says nothing about it's performance and reliability. You want an actual review of a product find a reputable tech website dedicated to reviewing products.

Dark Rock Pro 3 Review from Linus:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIx0JFEyLuQ

More than 6? I said with 6 reviews.

[Arbiter]

More than 6? I said with 6 reviews.

"priced more than 6"

The intent of the statement wasn't very clear which is why I brought it up. Number of reviews means nothing either way. It's a very good cooler, but obviously a 212 is going to have more reviews because it's budget. Not everyone cares about silence and not everyone is going to care about performance of cooling. It's popular because it's cheap and it works better than the rest of the similar priced alternatives. Plus, BeQuiet! hasn't been popular in America for very long IIRC. Regardless there are a lot of high quality items that are well worth it that don't have a ton of reviews and some even don't have a ton of stars for various reasons.

Reading a reputable review will give you better information than the average uninformed consumer who bases his review off of it working, not a comparison against other items with performance. Motherboards are the worst offenders when it comes to consumer reviews on websites.

[Deleted]

Come on you are arguing for evo and dark rock3. There is no comparison. Evo is the cheapest decent cooler and it stops there. The rock pro 3 is different league like d-15, h100 etc...

[Zerroth]

"priced more than 6"

The intent of the statement wasn't very clear which is why I brought it up. Number of reviews means nothing either way. It's a very good cooler, but obviously a 212 is going to have more reviews because it's budget. Not everyone cares about silence and not everyone is going to care about performance of cooling. It's popular because it's cheap and it works better than the rest of the similar priced alternatives. Plus, BeQuiet! hasn't been popular in America for very long IIRC. Regardless there are a lot of high quality items that are well worth it that don't have a ton of reviews and some even don't have a ton of stars for various reasons.

Reading a reputable review will give you better information than the average uninformed consumer who bases his review off of it working, not a comparison against other items with performance. Motherboards are the worst offenders when it comes to consumer reviews on websites.

"Sorry, going to trust a cooler that has 2943 reviews almost all 5 stars than a cooler that's priced more with 6. "

I'm sorry, but did you even read what I said?

I don't care. I don't want some crappy product that costs twice as much and is a little bit quieter, while cooling less, according to specifications.

It's irrelevant. I OC my i7 3770k to 4.5ghz on stock cooler and it hasn't throttled yet or crashed once after benchmarking and its been 2 years.

[Remilia]

"Sorry, going to trust a cooler that has 2943 reviews almost all 5 stars than a cooler that's priced more with 6. "

I'm sorry, but did you even read what I said?

I don't care. I don't want some crappy product that costs twice as much and is a little bit quieter, while cooling less, according to specifications.

It's irrelevant. I OC my i7 3770k to 4.5ghz on stock cooler and it hasn't throttled yet or crashed once after benchmarking and its been 2 years.

Seriously, look at benchmarks.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/b...ck_Pro3/6.html