$900 Computer Build

[Turkish621]

Yes, that ancient machine in my signature is what I am typing on. No, I do not remember the moon landing. It is time to update this beast. I plan on keeping this new build for a long time, so keeping upgrade options/longevity in mind is key. I want quality parts, and I am kind of picky about cases, so no looking to get a cheap $50 one. Thanks.

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
I don't do much gaming, maybe some unknown at this time, mostly multitasking (spreadsheets, and light video editing, while streaming/playing HD video).
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
$900 +/- $100. Tax and shipping included.
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
Minneapolis, Minnesota
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
Case, CPU, Motherboard, Ram, Optical Drive, HDD, GPU, PSU
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
PCI SB Audigy, if it makes sense. Mushkin enhanced Chronos Deluxe Mx 120Gb SSD drive, if it makes sense.
6) Will you be overclocking?
Not overclocking
7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
1680x1050, Dell S2240M 22"
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
1-3 months
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video (as a backup or main GPU)? UEFI? etc.
USB 3, not sure about anything else? UEFI, I guess?
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
I will need one.

 

[Priller]

Exactly 993.85

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2oZEb

Includes, OS, DVD Writer, Watercooler,fully modular PSU & 3TB HDD.

Some of the parts can be switched out of course depending on preferences.

 

[Turkish621]

Cool, thanks for the suggestions. I am not sure I want/need to go with water cooling since I will not plan on overclocking. Is there a better way to spend that $100?

 

[Priller]

Cool, thanks for the suggestions. I am not sure I want/need to go with water cooling since I will not plan on overclocking. Is there a better way to spend that $100?

Sure.

You could always put a decent air cooler on the system for 30-60 bucks and find a place to spend the rest if you want but you talked about longevity. I imagined keeping it both cool and fairly quite would be worth the price delta.

Also, since you plan to keep it for a while it would allow you to overclock it in the future if you so desire to make it last alittle longer and perform alittle better as well.

 

[Dangman]

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
1-3 months

Can you narrow down that time-frame any further? It doesn't make sense to recommend a parts list if you're not buying within 1-3 weeks since the pricing and availability of PC hardware can change quite rapidly in a month long time-frame let alone 2-3 months. In other words, if you want the most up-to-date build recommendations, please come back when you're only 1-2 weeks away from buying the parts to ask for advice.

With that said, even if you were buying within 1-2 weeks, I would not recommend Priller's build. It's not that good for your needs:
- Overkill PSU
- There are better quality and better looking cases out there.
- Overpriced and effectively useless RAM
- Completely unnecessary liquid cooler.

 

[Priller]

Can you narrow down that time-frame any further? It doesn't make sense to recommend a parts list if you're not buying within 1-3 weeks since the pricing and availability of PC hardware can change quite rapidly in a month long time-frame let alone 2-3 months. In other words, if you want the most up-to-date build recommendations, please come back when you're only 1-2 weeks away from buying the parts to ask for advice.

With that said, even if you were buying within 1-2 weeks, I would not recommend Priller's build. It's not that good for your needs:
- Overkill PSU
- There are better quality and better looking cases out there.
- Overpriced and effectively useless RAM
- Completely unnecessary liquid cooler.

-Yup, but its very cheap for it's wattage and fully modular capability. I use the same exact model in my server.
-A 922 isnt bad, I can stuff alot in that mid tower. I've build using it before.(Do you have personal experience with it?)
-Explain? Allows him to upgrade to 16 GB later. Cas 9 with speed of 2133 is great for AMD especially if he wants to OC later on in life with the FSB. Remember he wants to keep it for a long time.
-I like quiet and at 84 dollars can you argue against saving the $2 dollars and putting a NH-D14 on it instead?

 

[Dangman]

-Yup, but its very cheap for it's wattage and fully modular capability. I use the same exact model in my server.

It is a good PSU for the price but I don't see a reason for the OP to waste money on overkill when a solid 550W PSU will more than likely be enough.

-A 922 isnt bad, I can stuff alot in that mid tower. I've build using it before.(Do you have personal experience with it?)

I do have personal experience with it. Hence why I'm not recommending it considering that I've also experienced other similiar priced yet better quality, roomier, nicer, and/or more refined cases instead like the NZXT Phantom, Corsair 500R, Antec 1100, etc.

-Explain? Allows him to upgrade to 16 GB later. Cas 9 with speed of 2133 is great for AMD especially if he wants to OC later on in life with the FSB. Remember he wants to keep it for a long time.

Well for one, at least with what I've seen with Intel builds, high RAM speeds have little to no real world benefits. Though I haven't seen any reviews or articles that shows otherwise with AMD. Also, why limit yourself to only 16GB of RAM max when you upgrade to 32GB of RAM with that motherboard? Plus he can double the amount of RAM for only $45 more (if he was buying today that is):
$135 - G.Skill Ripjaws Series F3-12800CL10D-16GBXL 2 x 8GB DDR3 1600 RAM

-I like quiet and at 84 dollars can you argue against saving the $2 dollars and putting a NH-D14 on it instead?

Didn't argue for the NH-D14 though. The OP didn't mention anything about low noise at whatever the cost. As such, I would have recommended the $30 Coolermaster Hyper 212+ instead as it has a very good bang for the buck value and is relatively quiet as Silent PC Review has said:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/fenrir-hyper212

 

[Priller]

It is a good PSU for the price but I don't see a reason for the OP to waste money on overkill when a solid 550W PSU will more than likely be enough.

I do have personal experience with it. Hence why I'm not recommending it considering that I've also experienced other similiar priced yet better quality, roomier, nicer, and/or more refined cases instead like the NZXT Phantom, Corsair 500R, Antec 1100, etc.

Well for one, at least with what I've seen with Intel builds, high RAM speeds have little to no real world benefits. Though I haven't seen any reviews or articles that shows otherwise with AMD. Also, why limit yourself to only 16GB of RAM max when you upgrade to 32GB of RAM with that motherboard? Plus he can double the amount of RAM for only $45 more (if he was buying today that is):
$135 - G.Skill Ripjaws Series F3-12800CL10D-16GBXL 2 x 8GB DDR3 1600 RAM

Didn't argue for the NH-D14 though. The OP didn't mention anything about low noise at whatever the cost. As such, I would have recommended the $30 Coolermaster Hyper 212+ instead as it has a very good bang for the buck value and is relatively quiet as Silent PC Review has said:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/fenrir-hyper212

Yup it is overkill for what he wants now and I completely agree with you on that. Since he does plan to keep if for a while being fully modular keeps the cable clutter down and the ability to expand or change his setup later. It also carries a 5 year warranty and it's made by Seasonic. So XFX, Seasonic, and Corsair is what I would recommend and those carry a long warranty period incase of failure down the road. Since PSUs will give up power over time going with something that is 20% higher than his needs are now allow for better upgrade flexibility and the PSU to give up some power over the course of its lifespan and for him to still be ok.

There are several, several cases for him to choose in that price range and it was merely a suggestion hoping he would point out a case that he liked better. The Corsair 500R is a solid choice.

Speed and Cas mean quite a bit with AMD. I can keep my memory multi higher while still using the FSB to OC. Why 16GB? Most AMD CPUs cant run 32GB at 1866. I also see higher performance from 16GB at 1866 then I do from 32GB at 1600. I've tested this in benchmarks and games and typically I would like him to use 2x8GB at 2133 but couldn't find it quick enough and those larger modules typically have a higher CL of 11 as well. I have 2 spare 8GB sticks that I pulled out of my rig because 16GB at a higher speed actually performs better.

A hyper 212+ would be good for bang for the buck but for the price delta, having a 5 year warranty and being able to cool a potential 220 watt TDP if he does decide to OC later while remaining quieter and cooler I would consider worth it for 50 dollars.

 

[Dangman]

Yup it is overkill for what he wants now and I completely agree with you on that. Since he does plan to keep if for a while being fully modular keeps the cable clutter down and the ability to expand or change his setup later. It also carries a 5 year warranty and it's made by Seasonic. So XFX, Seasonic, and Corsair is what I would recommend and those carry a long warranty period incase of failure down the road. Since PSUs will give up power over time going with something that is 20% higher than his needs are now allow for better upgrade flexibility and the PSU to give up some power over the course of its lifespan and for him to still be ok.

The "PSU losing power over time" is true but the effect is greatly exaggerated. With a high quality PSU and proper maintenance, it probably be about a decade before he see a 20% loss in actual power output.

Speed and Cas mean quite a bit with AMD. I can keep my memory multi higher while still using the FSB to OC. Why 16GB? Most AMD CPUs cant run 32GB at 1866. I also see higher performance from 16GB at 1866 then I do from 32GB at 1600. I've tested this in benchmarks and games and typically I would like him to use 2x8GB at 2133 but couldn't find it quick enough and those larger modules typically have a higher CL of 11 as well. I have 2 spare 8GB sticks that I pulled out of my rig because 16GB at a higher speed actually performs better.

Unfortunately that's all anecdotal. Not to mention that synthetic benchmarks are also useless. As such, still not a solid enough reason IMO to recommend higher-speed RAM.

A hyper 212+ would be good for bang for the buck but for the price delta, having a 5 year warranty and being able to cool a potential 220 watt TDP if he does decide to OC later while remaining quieter and cooler I would consider worth it for 50 dollars.

He hasn't said he's planning to overclock. So I don't see a need to have him spend extra money on a "possibility" of overclocking.

 

[Turkish621]

Thanks for the input. How about I put it this way, is there anything that makes me want to wait 3 months to do an upgrade? Or is there really nothing that spectacular "just around the corner" so I might as well pull the trigger now?

Good point about the noise. I like a quite machine, but I don't need silence. Are stock coolers any good these days?

 

[Dangman]

Thanks for the input. How about I put it this way, is there anything that makes me want to wait 3 months to do an upgrade? Or is there really nothing that spectacular "just around the corner" so I might as well pull the trigger now?

Since you're not gaming, you might as well pull the trigger now.

Good point about the noise. I like a quite machine, but I don't need silence. Are stock coolers any good these days?

Stock coolers do the job but they're fairly loud. I would recommend getting a 3rd party HSF.

 

[JayJapanB]

With that budget and requirements please don't buy a HAF922.

 

[Priller]

The "PSU losing power over time" is true but the effect is greatly exaggerated. With a high quality PSU and proper maintenance, it probably be about a decade before he see a 20% loss in actual power output.


Unfortunately that's all anecdotal. Not to mention that synthetic benchmarks are also useless. As such, still not a solid enough reason IMO to recommend higher-speed RAM.


He hasn't said he's planning to overclock. So I don't see a need to have him spend extra money on a "possibility" of overclocking.

Im basically saying that he wouldn't have to touch it once it's built.

Agree and that is why I've tested the ram difference in Handbrake and gaming and noticed the difference, I have it documented. So there is reason.

Yeah I have heard that as well. Then some time passes and that changes.

With that budget and requirements please don't buy a HAF922.

I was going to say an R4.

 

[Dangman]

Im basically saying that he wouldn't have to touch it once it's built.

Yes but that exact same argument can be used with good quality 450W+ PSU though.

Agree and that is why I've tested the ram difference in Handbrake and gaming and noticed the difference, I have it documented. So there is reason.

Not really. Again, it's still basically anecdotal. Do you have any non-forum articles or reviews by professional or semi-professional websites that back up what you're saying?

Yeah I have heard that as well. Then some time passes and that changes.

And I have heard the opposite as well. So I'd rather err on the side of saving money.

 

[JayJapanB]

I was going to say an R4.

Much better. That or a cheap Lian Li if it is staying put most of the time. PC-9F

 

[Priller]

Yes but that exact same argument can be used with good quality 450W+ PSU though.


Not really. Again, it's still basically anecdotal. Do you have any non-forum articles or reviews by professional or semi-professional websites that back up what you're saying?

And I have heard the opposite as well. So I'd rather err on the side of saving money.

I don't need any reviewer, I test everything myself. It the same sense of I prefer to buy a car and not have one sold to me.


Furthermore, I would like for you to put together a build for the OP. So far I am the only one that has, so I would like to see you make one.

 

[Dangman]

I don't need any reviewer, I test everything myself. It the same sense of I prefer to buy a car and not have one sold to me.

In this case, you're the one trying to sell a car (faster RAM) with nothing besides your anecdotal evidence. To me, it's akin to me asking "How many miles per gallon can this car hit in the streets?" and your response being "It's good."

Furthermore, I would like for you to put together a build for the OP. So far I am the only one that has, so I would like to see you make one.

I will as soon as the OP states that he/she plans on buying the PC within the next 1-3 weeks. As I said earlier:

Can you narrow down that time-frame any further? It doesn't make sense to recommend a parts list if you're not buying within 1-3 weeks since the pricing and availability of PC hardware can change quite rapidly in a month long time-frame let alone 2-3 months. In other words, if you want the most up-to-date build recommendations, please come back when you're only 1-2 weeks away from buying the parts to ask for advice.

So I'm not going to waste the OP's time or mine by posting a build list that will more than likely be out-of-date or become not that good when he buys a month or three months later.