PC Build recomendations needed

[stitchmanz]

I would like some help in figuring out what parts to get for a PC I will be building.


1: What will you be doing with this PC: Gaming (RPG – not online, action/ adventure), watching videos, lots of photo editing

2: What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included: $2,000 includes tax and shipping

3: Which country do you live in: WA, USA

4: What exact parts do you need for that budget: Case (front USB 3.0 ports), CPU, Motherboard, Memory, PSU, Video card, Cooler, Hard drive (1 SSD, 1 other), DVD Drive/burner, Windows 7 Home, keyboard

5: If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing: N/A

6: Will you be overclocking: probably not

7: What is the max resolution of your monitor: 24-inch, 1920x1080

8: When do you plan on building/buying the PC: By the end of the month

9: What features do you need in a motherboard: USB 3.0, not sure of any other features

10: Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license: Yes


As I live in WA state, I would prefer to buy at New Egg since I would have to pay sales tax (almost 10% !) at Amazon.

Thanks for your help

Stitchmanz

 

[Deleted member 88227]

What software are you using for photo editing and how serious are you about getting it done?

Here is a prelim build for you:

$299.99 - Intel i7 2600
$124.99 - ASUS P8Z68-V LX LGA 1155
$79.99 - G.SKILL Ares Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333
$89.99 - CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX650 V2
$289.99 - EVGA 012-P3-2078-KR GeForce GTX 560 Ti - 448 Cores
$149.99 - HITACHI Deskstar 7K1000.D HDS721010DLE630
$339.99 - Crucial M4 CT256M4SSD2 2.5" 256GB
$15.99 - LG 22X Super-Multi DVD Burner 22X

Total shipped so far: $1,400.25

-If you are serious about photo editing, then stick with the 2600 I set you up with. If photo editing isn't that important, then go with an i5 2500 or i5 2400 CPU instead. Do note, that since you are NOT overclocking do not worry with the "K" versions of the processors as they only provide overclocking abilities. Due to this, I also didn't give you an aftermarket cooler. The stock one is fine, unless you live in a very warm climate. If you just want a better cooler, then search for the Coolermaster 212+. Its ~$30 shipped. Best bang for the buck cooler around.

-Stick with the nvidia GPU if you are using at least CS5 for photo editing. Otherwise, you wont benefit from the CUDA technology. If you aren't using something that's CUDA accelerated, then go with a 6950 2GB.

-I gave you a 256GB SSD to start with. Plenty of space to not worry about moving stuff later. If you don't want that big, then stick with the 128GB version of the same SSD (Crucial M4) I also stuck in a 1TB hard drive. It's the fastest mechanical drive out right now.

-16GB of RAM. Do not worry about the speed or timings. Sandy Bridge does not benefit from them. RAM is cheap and your photo editing will benefit from the extra room.

-I did not list a case. Simply because the case list is on my computer at home, Danny will probably chime in before I get home. It's his list anyway.

 

[Dangman]

Zee case list:
$88 - Lian Li Lancool PC-K58 ATX Case
$90 - Lian Li Lancool PC-K58W ATX Case
$90 - Lian Li Lancool PC-K7B ATX Case
$98 - Cooler Master CM690 II Advance ATX Case
$100 - Corsair Carbide Series 400R ATX Case
$100 - Lian Li PC-7B Plus II ATX Case
$130 - Lian Li PC-9F ATX Case
$120 - Fractal Design Define R3 Arctic White ATX Case
$125 - Fractal Design Define R3 Black Pearl ATX Case
$130 - Fractal Design Define R3 Silver Arrow ATX Case
$130 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001WT White Full Tower ATX Case
$130 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001BK Black Full Tower ATX Case
$130 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-002OR Black Finish w/Orange Trim Full Tower ATX Case
$140 - Antec P280 ATX Case
$140 - Antec Performance One Series P183 V3 ATX Case
$143 - Cooler Master HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP ATX Case
$144 - Silverstone RV03B-WA ATX case
$160 - Corsair Graphite Series 600TM ATX Case
$160 - Silverstone RV02B-W ATX case
$164 - Corsair Special Edition White Graphite Series 600T ATX Case
$178 - Silverstone RV02B-EW ATX case
$170 - Corsair Obsidian Series 650D ATX Case
$230 - Silverstone FT02B ATX Case
$270 - Corsair Obsidian Series 800D CC800DW Full Tower ATX Case

If you're using Photoshop and are serious about it, grab a second SSD for use as a scratch disk. The 64GB version of the SSD that Skillz linked to should be fine:
$105 - Crucial M4 CT064M4SSD2 2.5" 64GB SSD