New surfing/media build help request

[dworld]

Hello,

I'd like some help on my first build. I've been strictly a laptop guy and would like to build an actual workstation.

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Virtual Machine (would like to max out on RAM for this purpose), web development.
Final Cut/Ableton(not recording, but playing with lots of samples. Not sure if this requires a dedicated sound card or just the processor).
Not a big gamer but I would like to be able to play some new games on reasonable settings.
One thing I definitely want to be able to do is work in one screen and have a movie/stream going in the second.
My place is small, so I'd like it to be cool and quiet.
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
$800-1100, including monitor
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.

Boston,MA, USA
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.
CPU, RAM, case, HDD/SSD, GPU, power supply, mobo. This will be a from-scratch build; I even need keyboard/mouse/chair but I can probably handle that.
Don't really feel any need for DVD or optical drive.
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
Just a monitor: ASUS VH242H Black 23.6", and I'll be getting a second (or equivalent).
6) Will you be overclocking?
No.
7) 7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
23.6" 1080p

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Within the next month.
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.
Just HDMI outs to 2 monitors. I'd like 3-4 USB ports.
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
yes, Win 7 64bit


I hope I haven't forgotten anything. I live near a MicroCenter and have Amazon Prime, if those things affect shipping concerns. Any advice is appreciated.

 

[Dangman]

What's the likelihood of you being able to spend ~$400 on certain parts before February ends?

 

[dworld]

What's the likelihood of you being able to spend ~$400 on certain parts before February ends?

100%

 

[LateraLex]

I can't be of much help, but a few questions that might help the others:

• Does your $800-$1000 budget include the new monitor?
• I'm guessing you will need a DVD drive to install your OS?
• Does case size matter to you? It's more expensive to get a quiet case that is small, versus a gigantic one like mine which was inexpensive (Antec P280).

 

[dworld]

I can't be of much help, but a few questions that might help the others:

• Does your $800-$1000 budget include the new monitor?
• I'm guessing you will need a DVD drive to install your OS?
• Does case size matter to you? It's more expensive to get a quiet case that is small, versus a gigantic one like mine which was inexpensive (Antec P280).

Thanks for pointing those out.
-Not exactly, budget including the monitor would be 1000-1100.
-Oh yeah, good point. I guess I just mean its not a huge priority, but yeah I should get one.
-Quiet is more important than size, and its just going to be sitting under the desk so a giant one is not really an issue.

Thanks!

 

[Dangman]

I gotta go to bed so no time for me to come up with a solid build yet. If no one comes and provides one for you, I'll be back later to do so. With that said, in the mean time, check out these quiet cases and tell us which one you want to buy:
$110 - Antec P280 ATX Case
$110 - Fractal Design Define R4 Arctic White ATX Case
$136 - Corsair Obsidian Series 550D ATX Case
$144 - Silverstone RV03B-W ATX case
$144 - Silverstone RV03B-WA ATX case

Also, just to get things clear, what's the likelihood of you spending your entire $1100 for the entire PC before February 28th?

 

[dworld]

I gotta go to bed so no time for me to come up with a solid build yet. If no one comes and provides one for you, I'll be back later to do so. With that said, in the mean time, check out these quiet cases and tell us which one you want to buy:
$110 - Antec P280 ATX Case
$110 - Fractal Design Define R4 Arctic White ATX Case
$136 - Corsair Obsidian Series 550D ATX Case
$144 - Silverstone RV03B-W ATX case
$144 - Silverstone RV03B-WA ATX case

Also, just to get things clear, what's the likelihood of you spending your entire $1100 for the entire PC before February 28th?

The Fractal Design white is great.
I can certainly buy all the parts before the 28th.
Thanks for your help, Danny.

 

[singe_101]

NCIX US has the white Fractal Design R4 for $80 right now Link

 

[Dangman]

$265 - Intel Core i5 3570K CPU + Asus P8Z77-V LK Intel Z77 Intel Motherboard Microcenter combo
$81 - Corsair XMS CMX16GX3M2A1333C9 2 x 8GB DDR3 1333 RAM
$195 - Gigabyte GV-R785OC-2GD Radeon HD 7850 2GB PCI-E Video Card
$113 - Plextor PX-128M5S M5S 128GB SSD
$74 - Western Digital Blue WD10EZEX 1TB 7200RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$18 - LG iHAS124-04 DVD Burner
$90 - Seasonic G Series SSR-550RM 550W Modular PSU
$80 - Fractal Design Define R4 Arctic White ATX Case
$155 - Asus VH232H 23" LCD Monitor
-----------
Total: $1071 shipped plus tax on the CPU and motherboard.

Right on budget. Not maxed out on RAM unfortunately but 16GB of RAM should be enough for starters. I'd highly recommend buying the SSD and case today as those are the most likely parts to sell out within a few days.

 

[dworld]

$265 - Intel Core i5 3570K CPU + Asus P8Z77-V LK Intel Z77 Intel Motherboard Microcenter combo
$81 - Corsair XMS CMX16GX3M2A1333C9 2 x 8GB DDR3 1333 RAM
$195 - Gigabyte GV-R785OC-2GD Radeon HD 7850 2GB PCI-E Video Card
$113 - Plextor PX-128M5S M5S 128GB SSD
$74 - Western Digital Blue WD10EZEX 1TB 7200RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$18 - LG iHAS124-04 DVD Burner
$90 - Seasonic G Series SSR-550RM 550W Modular PSU
$80 - Fractal Design Define R4 Arctic White ATX Case
$155 - Asus VH232H 23" LCD Monitor
-----------
Total: $1071 shipped plus tax on the CPU and motherboard.

Right on budget. Not maxed out on RAM unfortunately but 16GB of RAM should be enough for starters. I'd highly recommend buying the SSD and case today as those are the most likely parts to sell out within a few days.

Looks great, orders placed Thanks so much Danny, this was extremely helpful.