Quality 2-d Animation Build?

[atc482]

Hey folks! I feel bad making this my first post-typically I introduce myself and get more known in a forum before requesting something but forgive me.

I've been sans an animation PC for 5 months ever since my Dell Studio 1555 burned out-and after months of unsuccessfully finding something that fit me prebuilt for under $1,300 I've settled on building. However it's my first time ever doing so. Thanks for any help.

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
HEAVY loads of animating. A minimum of 4 hours a day in Photoshop, Flash (working with thousands of frames), Aftereffects, Adobe Audition, and FL Studio. Web=heavy YouTubing. Audio editing too (recording, mixing,etc.) Only game I play on PC is TF2 (though I wouldn't mind the potential for an upgrade for stuff like Skyrim or Generations) and I don't do work in Maya or Max so if this lets me lower the budget in the graphics department let me know (dedicated though).
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
$800 range (can go a little over but preferably that's my max) not counting shipping and rebates.
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.

US. Spring Hill, FL.
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.
Motherboard (I've looked at ATX H77s but if micro's fine let me know), i7-3770 preferred (won't be overclocking) but if 2600 gets the job done let me know (only a $15 price difference though), 8 GB RAM, case:Help?, power supply:Help?, 500GB-1TB HD, CD/DVD-R drive, haven't the slightest idea about fans/heatsinks/cooling.
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
Will transfer a 250GB HD, TV Tuner, USB ports, network card, and sound card. Still using my fallen laptop's 500 GB as an external SATA drive.
6) Will you be overclocking?
No.
7) 7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
Not positive of resolution (believe it's 1080i) but it's a 13" 2006 Polaroid. Would like to upgrade (but this can wait)
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
ASAP-I get paid for this and my revenue's been down-I've also got people who've paid in advance waiting on commissions. :-( Shooting for an October 1st deadline.
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.
HDMI support, lots of USB ports, ports for SATA (but optional as I've currently got one hooked up by the USB ports).
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Not positive-I'll have to look into this. Win7 Pro 64bit was preinstalled on the dead Dell so I don't know if I can transfer it.


Upon searching I found this in another thread and wondering if this is a good build for what I do (as it fits my budget):
£149 - Intel Core i5-2400 CPU
£79 - Gigabyte GA-Z77-D3H Intel Z77 ATX Motherboard
£30 - Corsair CMV8GX3M2A1333C9 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM
£85 - MSI GTX 550 TI 1GB PCI- Video Card
£52 - Western Digital WD5000AAKX 500GB 7200RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
£50 - Antec NEO ECO 520C 520W PSU
£35 - NZXT Source 210 Elite White with Black Front Trim ATX Case
----
Total: £480 ($771)

Also if it's better I still buy a pre-built, I've found this:
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicat...c_o=-KeCjC2ybfwBCjCqHa-q7HaGW7CjC-_zEpBE 2zyf

It meets all my criteria save having i7-2600 instead of 3770 (and has dedicated graphics instead of integrated which is what really caught my eye).

So what do you guys recommend? Thanks for all your help.

 

[Dangman]

Considering that you need an OS key as well (you can't transfer the Windows license from the Dell to another PC), you're better off with that Asus prebuilt

 

[atc482]

Hmm, well I might be able to work W7 into the budget (long as each piece is bought per separate payday). Still I wouldn't mind getting the ASUS (though I was excited about building my first one). Reviews are glowing for it, I just want to know if the 2600 is going to handle what I want to do or is the 3770 still better?

 

[Dangman]

Reviews are glowing for it, I just want to know if the 2600 is going to handle what I want to do or is the 3770 still better?

Yes to the first part. The 3770 is only 3% to 5% faster than the 2600.

 

[atc482]

Okay, thank you so much-saves me a lot of trouble. All I need to do is hope they don't run out of stock as I continue to save up (I get declined for Preferred Account).

 

[atc482]

Change of plans-I can indeed pay the $120-200 for a copy of Windows 7 (well not me, my grandma but..w/e-I don't have as much of a say in the matter as I'd like). Can I get some build help?

 

[Dangman]

$412 - Core i7-3770 CPU + MSI Z77A-G45 Intel Z77 ATX Motherboard
$75 - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series F3-10666CL9D-16GBXL 2 x 8GB DDR3 1333 RAM
$63 - EVGA 01G-P3-N988-TR GeForce 9800 GT HDMI 1GB PCI-E Video Card
$89 - Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$23 - LG GH24NS90B DVD Burner
$57 - Antec NEO ECO 520C 520W PSU
$50 - NZXT Source 210 Elite White with Black Front Trim ATX Case
$140 - Windows 7 Professional SP1 64bit OEM
----
Total: $909 shipped

Key differences between the above and the Asus:
- 3% faster CPU
- Slightly faster GPU
- Longer warranty on most of the parts
- More RAM support: Windows 7 HP only supports up to 16GB of RAM. Windows 7 Pro supports up to 192 GB of RAM. So with that mobo and that RAM, you'll be able to max out with 32GB of RAM.

 

[atc482]

Thanks so much Danny.