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my next pc build($550)

E

elframbo

n00b
Joined
May 28, 2015
Messages
5
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc

Gaming, I also connect my guitar to my pc and record audio so I will be doing audio recording and editing, so the sound card will be important. I'd like to do some video editing, and be able to record/upload good quality video game recordings to youtube using fraps. I also use my computer to stream video to my TV.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?

$550 tax+shipping, but I can put a little more in if the build is done over time. I'd like to have this built by the end of June.


3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.

I live in eastern kentucky.


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.

I need PSU, Case Fan(s),Motherboard, CPU, CPU Cooler/Heatsink with Fan, RAM,Optical Drive CD/DVD
GPU, Sound Card, and case


5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.

Wireless keyboard and mouse, I will also be using a hd TV as a monitor so I will need a gpu with hdmi out. i will be reusing my hdd.


6) Will you be overclocking?
No


7) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?

As soon as I get some feedback, but I can wait till the end of june if I have to for better deals, my current PC is an emachines E1331g-05w and is starting to fail on me and feels obsolete.


8) 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 3.0, SATA 6Gb/s. USB 2.0 might be needed, but if 3.0 is backward compatible then I won't need it.


9) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?

Yes, Windows 7 64bit.


/elframbo
 
 
Hey thanks for the build!

I have a quick question my brother has a Sapphire AMD Radeon HD 6850 1GB PCI-E Video Card in his computer and wants me to ask if it will work with your build. He found some on ebay for under $100 buy it now price or best offer prices. He also said there are some on amazon for $90 used, but we have no idea if it would work with this build.

To be clear he is not giving me his card, but wants me to see if buying the same card is an option and still stay within my budget.

Is that a better card for what I want to do and would it work with this build?

Thanks again for the help!!!
 
elframbo said:
Hey thanks for the build!

I have a quick question my brother has a Sapphire AMD Radeon HD 6850 1GB PCI-E Video Card in his computer and wants me to ask if it will work with your build. He found some on ebay for under $100 buy it now price or best offer prices. He also said there are some on amazon for $90 used, but we have no idea if it would work with this build.

To be clear he is not giving me his card, but wants me to see if buying the same card is an option and still stay within my budget.

Is that a better card for what I want to do and would it work with this build?

Thanks again for the help!!!
Click to expand...
I would not recommend that route since buying used means no warranty on the card if it dies.

Now before I go and provide a build list, something is bugging me: Is your WIndows 7 key the one that came with the Emachines? Or do you have a separate and spare Windows 7 key lying around? Is the hard drive from that eMachines? Finally, how will you be connecting your guitar to the PC?
 
I have a 1tb western digital hdd with nothing on it. I think Emachines ties the hdd to the motherboard so i can't use that one. I also have a transferable copy of windows 7.

I will be connecting the guitar to the pc through a mixer or a external sound card that takes guitar 1/4 inputs, i have tried to use an adapter before it just kills the pins on the pc sound card.
 
In regard with YeuEmMaiMai build, I see a big omission; no sound card is included.

Two quick questions for you :

1) Can you up your budget to say 600$-650$ ? Just to give us some elbow room.

2) What king of games are you playing and at what resolution ? Depending on your answer, a R7 250 card might not be enough for your needs.

A suggestion for the case : http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CUZP0SU/ref=sr_ob_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1432947304&sr=1-1

It has 2 good fans included and has better cable management.

You could also downgrade the CPU to a i5-4460 or even an i3-4160 if necessary (depending on your gaming needs).
 
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I looked at the 6850 GPU again and I have a concern. The dimensions are 6.5 x 3.5 x 11.5 inches. That seems a lot larger than the 250 1gb card. Will it fit in the case? I know warranty is a concern when getting one used, but I'm willing to take that chance.

My budget at $550 is really about as far as I can go I can stretch it out to $585, but going to $650 isn't really an option for me at this point.

But, for the sound card I have a solution with an external sound card for the guitar needs, and I can always upgrade that later. However, if you have a suggestion for a sound card please post it because I can always come back in a couple of months and get it.

Thanks again for the help everyone, I'm still looking at everything and am open to suggestions.
 
$190 - Intel Core i5-4460 CPU
$77 - ASRock H97M Pro4 Intel H97 mATX Motherboard
$56 - Crucial Ballistix BLS8G3D1609ES2LX0 8GB DDR3 1600 RAM
$145 - Sapphire 100364L Radeon R9 270X 2GB PCI-E Video Card
$66 - XFX TS Series 550W PSU
$50 - NZXT Source 210 Elite White with Black Front Trim ATX Case
----
Total: $583 shipped plus tax.

Key differences between YeuEmMaiMai's build and mine are:
- My setup has only half the RAM. However, RAM is usually the cheapest, easiest, and most cost effective way of upgrading a PC. It's significantly more costly to upgrade any other part after the fact from a price to performance standpoint.

- Slightly slower CPU. Although it's just a 5% loss. Considering how tight your budget is, that $10 was better used elsewhere. If you still need to save cash, drop the CPU down to this for $12 in savings and another 5% loss in performance:
$178 - Intel Core i5-4430 CPU

- More up to date motherboard that has a better track record that's actually cheaper. No reason to get that Gigabyte motherboard at all.

- Significantly faster video card. The R9 270X will significantly outperform the HD 6850:
http://anandtech.com/bench/product/1077?vs=1043

- Cheaper yet better performing PSU that's also not overkill.

- Far far better cooling case with better cable management, front panel USB 3.0, and has plenty of room for future upgrades. Modifying the cardboard box your computer parts came in to be a computer case would be a superior option than getting that InWin mATX case from any standpoint. Better just spend the extra $30 for a better case.
 
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^ you know, you sounded pretty good right up to this part

you said:
- Far far better cooling case with better cable management, front panel USB 3.0, and has plenty of room for future upgrades. Modifying the cardboard box your computer parts came in to be a computer case would be a superior option than getting that InWin mATX case from any standpoint. Better just spend the extra $30 for a better case.
Click to expand...

InWin Cases are solid and they last no reason for him to waste money on a case when he could take that $30 and get a better video car aka Sapphire Radeon 280.... currently retailing for $180 or less.
 
YeuEmMaiMai said:
InWin Cases are solid and they last no reason for him to waste money on a case when he could take that $30 and get a better video car aka Sapphire Radeon 280....
Click to expand...
I've worked with enough cheap InWin cases, especially in the last few months as a result of work, to know that's not true. They're cheap low quality pieces of crap. Again, a cardboard box modded to be a case would better than that cheap Inwin.

Inwin can make good cases, But you didn't recommend any of the good Inwin cases.
 
^ lol whatever you say... (no, not really) I have had my case since 2008 and it still works just fine...

the man is on a BUDGET and as such the best area to make a compromise is the case. It is good enough for him to use in his build and at the same time put the extra $30 elsewhere
 
YeuEmMaiMai said:
^ lol whatever you say... (no, not really) I have had my case since 2008 and it still works just fine...

the man is on a BUDGET and as such the best area to make a compromise is the case. It is good enough for him to use in his build and at the same time put the extra $30 elsewhere
Click to expand...
Good for you. Unfortunately, I've seen similar Inwin cases not last that long nor provide sufficient cooling.

I understand that he's on a budget. But the problem is that the case isn't good enough to use in his build. If he's gonna drop down that low in quality and cooling, he might as well reuse the eMachines case. It's just as bad as that Inwin and it'll save him $20.
 
Hey everyone,

Thanks for all the suggestions for a build it really helped a lot. Ultimately I went with Dangman's build after researching the graphics cards, and the case mattered a bit more to me than I thought it would because I helped my brother build his PC and I have big hands so the extra for the case was worth it to me for the hand room on the build.

Thanks again everyone I really appreciate it.

/elframbo
 
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