Need advice for PC

[cerebro]

Hello can someone give me some advice as to what i need to look for when building my next pc. I work from home so i need a computer that can handle 2-3 monitors having a lot of different programs up at the same time. I normally run WOW/Hearthstone .. in my mid monitor and work related stuff on my right monitor and youtube/twitch on my left monitor. The pc I have now is crap and needs to be replaced, but i need to know what i should be investing my money on. Im trying to stay around 1k and I don't really game much outside of blizzard games on my pc.

[Artorius]

Option 1 with current hardware that will be way more than what you probably need just to be safer than safe:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6800K 3.4GHz 6-Core Processor ($433.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock 3 67.8 CFM Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU Cooler ($74.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock X99 Extreme4 ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($174.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($56.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($84.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.49 @ OutletPC)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($47.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 620W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($63.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Other: RX480 4gb ($199.00)
Total: $1184.32
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-06-15 15:48 EDT-0400

Cheaper option that is ~pretty much the same thing:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor ($369.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H5 Universal 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($58.02 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock X99 Extreme4 ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($174.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($56.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($84.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.49 @ OutletPC)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($47.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 620W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($63.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Other: RX480 4gb ($199.00)
Total: $1103.44
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-06-15 15:49 EDT-0400

4 core option with HT that can OC

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($314.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! PURE ROCK 51.7 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($34.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: MSI Z170-A PRO ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($56.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($84.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.49 @ OutletPC)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($47.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 620W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($63.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Other: RX480 4gb ($199.00)
Total: $930.42
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-06-15 15:53 EDT-0400

Cheaper option with 4 cores + HT that can't OC:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1240 V5 3.5GHz Quad-Core OEM/Tray Processor ($266.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-X150-PLUS WS ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($117.31 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($54.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($84.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.49 @ OutletPC)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($47.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 620W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($63.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Other: RX480 4gb ($199.00)
Total: $907.64
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-06-15 15:51 EDT-0400

I put all the options with HT because you mentioned that you'll have "a lot of different programs" at the same time, but maybe an i5 would be enough.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! PURE ROCK 51.7 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($34.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: MSI Z170-A PRO ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($56.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($84.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.49 @ OutletPC)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($47.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 620W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($63.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Other: RX480 4gb ($199.00)
Total: $835.42
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-06-15 15:54 EDT-0400

[Mythbredor]

Hello Neo! I threw this PC together it should do everything you need. The 1070 is overkill for what you're also the price is missleading buy an aftermarket 1070 from MSI or another company for 380$ once prices come down. Or you can wait for the RX480 to come out at the end of the month for 200$. Honestly I'd reccomend the RX480 for what you're doing. I put in an SDD and a HDD I don't know what kind of storage you need or what you already have.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H5 Ultimate 76.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($56.60 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI Z170A GAMING M5 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($144.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($57.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($84.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.49 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 1070 8GB Founders Edition Video Card ($449.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black/Red) ATX Mid Tower Case ($67.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G2 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($86.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1217.01
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-06-15 15:58 EDT-0400

The above is also good haha.

[cerebro]

Thank you Mythbredor and Artorius

[Mythbredor]

Thank you Mythbredor and Artorius

Definitely follow Artorius she/he put alot of work into that. Mine is fairly simmilar to Artorius's last build.

[Eroginous]

No one bothered to read the guys post. They just saw 'Wow and Hearthstone' and figured 'gaming build.' You want X99 my friend. $1000 isn't going to be enough for what you want, imo. You have to build for productivity and then plan to game as an afterthought.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/list/cXmvKZ
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/list/cXmvKZ/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor ($369.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212X 82.9 CFM CPU Cooler ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus X99-M WS Micro ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($263.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Kingston Savage 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($149.99 @ Mac Mall)
Storage: Samsung 950 PRO 256GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($179.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX Titan X 12GB Video Card ($999.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair RMx 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $2083.93
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-06-15 16:35 EDT-0400

Depending on what you do for work, 4 cores isn't going to be enough if you want to run games while running your other programs. Neither is a 1070. While it might be significantly better for gaming than a Titan X, it's still unclear how good a 1070 is going to be for productivity, I'd wager you still want a productivity card, depending on what you do.

[Mythbredor]

We both read it. WoW is going to be fairly GPU intensive come Legion at ultra settings. 4 cores with hyperthreading multitasks fine I have first hand experince with 3 wows open currently at 60 fps im running a 6700k. I have 2 diffrent google chromes open and a firefox no issues. He isn't going to need a titan X plus it doesn't fit his budget. Plus Artorios gave him a build with a 5820k aswell. If he needs 32GB of ram that's easy enough to upgrade later as he needs. Unless he's doing something like bitcoin mining or massive data crunching useing the GPU he doesn't need a Titan X plus we don't know how the 1070 is going to preform on those kinds of tasks yet.

[Eroginous]

We both read it. WoW is going to be fairly GPU intensive come Legion at ultra settings. 4 cores with hyperthreading multitasks fine I have first hand experince with 3 wows open currently at 60 fps im running a 6700k. I have 2 diffrent google chromes open and a firefox no issues. He isn't going to need a titan X plus it doesn't fit his budget. Plus Artorios gave him a build with a 5820k aswell. If he needs 32GB of ram that's easy enough to upgrade later as he needs. Unless he's doing something like bitcoin mining or massive data crunching useing the GPU he doesn't need a Titan X plus we don't know how the 1070 is going to preform on those kinds of tasks yet.

He said he needs a computer for work that he can game on. Build him a PC for work that he can game on. Not a PC for gaming that also does web browsing.

[Mythbredor]

He said he needs a computer for work that he can game on. Build him a PC for work that he can game on. Not a PC for gaming that also does web browsing.

Did you not look at Artorios's builds? All 4 of those builds are fine for heavy multi tasking and gaming.

[Eroginous]

Did you not look at Artorios's builds? All 4 of those builds are fine for heavy multi tasking and gaming.

W/e you say captain. Maybe ask the guy what he's doing for work and what he currently has that is 'running like crap' before you determine what his multitasking actually looks like. Only the guy using the PC is going to know if it's good enough, and he even says he has a lot of programs (aside from his games) open at once.

[Mythbredor]

Hello can someone give me some advice as to what i need to look for when building my next pc. I work from home so i need a computer that can handle 2-3 monitors having a lot of different programs up at the same time. I normally run WOW/Hearthstone .. in my mid monitor and work related stuff on my right monitor and youtube/twitch on my left monitor. The pc I have now is crap and needs to be replaced, but i need to know what i should be investing my money on. Im trying to stay around 1k and I don't really game much outside of blizzard games on my pc.

What exactly do you do for work? If you don't mind asking. And what components did your old pc contain?

[cerebro]

What exactly do you do for work? If you don't mind asking. And what components did your old pc contain?

Sorry for causing chaos :s ..

I work using a program called citrix, so basically it remote accesses programs on my work server. Right now its using 206,796 K memory , the citrix alone.

Operating System: Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit (6.1, Build 7601) Service Pack 1 (7601.win7sp1_gdr.160211-0600)
System Manufacturer: Alienware
System Model: Alienware X51
BIOS: BIOS Date: 11/04/13 18:59:29 Ver: 04.06.05
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-2600 CPU @ 3.40GHz (8 CPUs), ~3.4GHz
Memory: 6144MB RAM
Available OS Memory: 6038MB RAM
Page File: 3188MB used, 8884MB available
Windows Dir: C:\Windows
DirectX Version: DirectX 11

Card name: NVIDIA GeForce GT 545
Manufacturer: NVIDIA
Chip type: GeForce GT 545
DAC type: Integrated RAMDAC
Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_1241&SUBSYS_091D10DE&REV_A1
Display Memory: 3742 MB
Dedicated Memory: 979 MB
Shared Memory: 2762 MB
Current Mode: 1920 x 1080 (32 bit) (60Hz)
Monitor Name: HP w2338h Wide LCD Monitor
Monitor Model: HP w2338h
Monitor Id: HWP281B
Native Mode: 1920 x 1080(p) (60.000Hz)
Output Type: HD15



... I know my current pc is crap.. but it is managing to run citrix + wow for now.

- - - Updated - - -

Thanks @Eroginous

[Eroginous]

So, you'll definitely want to consider a workstation setup, 6 cores should be minimum for doing that, you'll want do dedicate a couple cores just to running a VM for citrix and your remote access. Keep in mind that workstation gaming is no different than gaming on a standard board, it's just built to be a beefier platform for multitasking. You'll be afforded additional PCIe lanes so you can run VMs without competing for bandwidth and forcing your machine to choose between gaming processes and other work related processes.

Traditionally, it's been a matter of picking the hardware to match the workload, but if you're accessing your work server remotely, that changes things considerably. If you get a regular gaming board and CPU, it could be just fine for your needs. I can't really say for sure until I'm sitting in your chair and experiencing your work load first hand. All I can say is that workstation grade hardware will be a little more expensive (CPU/mobo in particular) but it will be harder to saturate and cause performance degradation than gaming hardware, especially in a multi tasking environment. It may be the case that you end up needing more than 6 cores and have to budget around that.

The only good news I see out of this is that you shouldn't need to invest more than $300 into a GPU, it doesn't sound like you're needing the extra power from say a Titan GPU to leverage in floating point simulations or 3D application development. Hell, you could probably even go with a $200 card (say a 1060 or a 480) when those launch, and budget more towards productivity.

I would certainly go heavier on ram (16GB is probably the minimum) and I'd look for a CPU that supports Hyperthreading, Virtualization, and has more than 4 cores. I don't think I would necessarily go for highest single core performance in this case, so you don't need to spend a lot of money for the best options, just spend enough money to leverage the extra multitasking workstation hardware will provide.

As a PC, your machine isn't crap, it's just older and not optimal for the work you need it for. I can tell you that your current CPU is actually not terrible, considering it's age. It's still a decent option for programs that can leverage Hyperthreading, I'm just not sure it's possible to salvage anything from your build to save costs, I certainly can see how the combination of a GT 545 GPU and a 1080p monitor can make it seem like your machine is junk. Do some leg work to find the best options within your budget, I'll help you figure out what you can reuse if you can post more details of the specific hardware in your build. Lastly, have you considered an upgrade to Windows 10? It's free until the end of July for users running Win 7, and could be an improvement for your older hardware. I would at least get the upgrade, even if you don't use it, to save you $150 later on when they start charging users for upgrades (Win 7 won't be supported forever). The upside to Win 10 is that it's a much more robust version of Windows than 8/8.1, while maintaining the look and feel of Win 7. It's also less resource intensive, so it runs better on older hardware.

You might not need a whole new machine, and might be better off investing your budget into just the components you need to make this one better. But, I don't know what else is under the hood yet, so far I can only see the CPU specs and GPU specs. Everything else is a mystery, considering Dell reuses the model X51. If you can post the rest of your specs (ram model, mobo model, hard drive models, PSU) we can do a better job figuring out what your upgrade path will be.

[Mythbredor]

I still don't think he needs a "workstation" to run this. From what he's said unless it's absolutely murdering the CPU he's only using 206,796k ram. The 6800k and the 5820K builds Artorios linked are fine for heavier work loads and 16GB of ram would be more than enough. 2600k definitely is showing it's age in multithreaded tasks. I've had no issues multitasking with my 6700k and I run a lot of crap. He should definitely just get a RX 480 when it comes out that card will do everything he needs. Sure sticking a xeon in there would be fun and all and you would be able to multitask all you want... But he doesn't need that and it would cost a lot more.

[cerebro]

I still don't think he needs a "workstation" to run this. From what he's said unless it's absolutely murdering the CPU he's only using 206,796k ram. The 6800k and the 5820K builds Artorios linked are fine for heavier work loads and 16GB of ram would be more than enough. 2600k definitely is showing it's age in multithreaded tasks. I've had no issues multitasking with my 6700k and I run a lot of crap. He should definitely just get a RX 480 when it comes out that card will do everything he needs. Sure sticking a xeon in there would be fun and all and you would be able to multitask all you want... But he doesn't need that and it would cost a lot more.

Is my current PC as terrible as I think it is? I was hoping I could just do upgrades on it.. like add more RAM.

[Mythbredor]

Is my current PC as terrible as I think it is? I was hoping I could just do upgrades on it.. like add more RAM.

Your pc isn't "Terrible" you could overclock your CPU to get that extra edge. Your GPU is a bit out of date but I don't think that's your issue. And I don't think RAM is your issue. If you don't have an SSD that would help your load times and make everything feel significantly smoother while mutlitasking.

[Denpepe]

Your pc isn't "Terrible" you could overclock your CPU to get that extra edge. Your GPU is a bit out of date but I don't think that's your issue. And I don't think RAM is your issue. If you don't have an SSD that would help your load times and make everything feel significantly smoother while mutlitasking.

GPU a bit out of date? it's a GT 545 it's not even ment for gaming, it's an antique multi media card, add a RX 480 which will launch in a good week and you should see an enormous increase in graphics power. Now if that will suffice for his work needs is another question.

[cerebro]

GPU a bit out of date? it's a GT 545 it's not even ment for gaming, it's an antique multi media card, add a RX 480 which will launch in a good week and you should see an enormous increase in graphics power. Now if that will suffice for his work needs is another question.

Currently have windows installed on Samsung SSD 840 EVO 250GB ATA Device

[Mythbredor]

Currently have windows installed on Samsung SSD 840 EVO 250GB ATA Device

Cool no need to buy an SSD then. I would definitely upgrade your GPU to the RX 480 when it comes out. The GT 545 is out of date but it should still run wow just not on ultra.

[cerebro]

GPU a bit out of date? it's a GT 545 it's not even ment for gaming, it's an antique multi media card, add a RX 480 which will launch in a good week and you should see an enormous increase in graphics power. Now if that will suffice for his work needs is another question.

Yea but will that graphics card be compatible with my alienware? The case is very small, would it be possible to buy a bigger case and move all the alienware parts to it, with a bigger graphics card.