Decent Multi-Purpose Desktop Build?

Origin Saint

Origin Saint

Well-Known Member
Hi all,
As per the goal I set for myself at the beginning of 2012, I will be building my own custom PC through the 2013-2014 years. I realize that parts can change in that time period and there are innumerable variables that can effect my build between now and the time I put it together. However, I am designing this build based on the technology and prices as of now, and I will alter it as I get closer to actually purchasing the parts. This rig will be used for just about everything under the sun. I want it to be able to play most current-gen games on high/ultra-high, I need lots of storage for video playback and editing and anything entertainment media related. I don't care much about the peripherals (monitor, keyboard, mouse), and those are subject to change as I move further along as well. I need to be able to multi-task efficiently, and being able to render 3D animations in the program Blender is a big plus. I'd also like it to be relatively quiet, and energy efficient, but still leave room to upgrade odds-and-ins later on. So now that you kind of know what I'll be using it for, I'll show the build parts that I picked out. Please give a honest, yet fair, unbiased opinion of each part and the machine as a whole.

OS: Windows 7 Professional 64-bit - $280
CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K - $220
MOBO: ASRock Z77 PRO4 - $110
GPU: Sapphire 100355OCL Radeon HD 7850 2GB - $210
RAM: G.SKILL RipJaws X Series 8GB - $50
HDD: Seagate Barracuda ST2000DM001 2TB, 7,200rpm - $110
PSU: SeaSonic SSR-450RM - $80
Case: Rosewill Challenger-U3 - $55
Optical Drive: ASUS Black Blu-Ray Burner - $100
Sound Card: ASUS Xonar DSX - $65
Monitor: ASUS VK228H-CSM 21.5" - $160
Input Devices: Logitech G110 - $50
Mionix Naos 3200 Wired Optical Mouse - $52


Total Price: $1,542

Now this is about $342 over the budget I had set for myself, so if anyone could make suggestions on what to maybe get rid of and get at a later date or what to do away with or what to change to make more cost efficient, please don't hesitate to let me know. Any questions, please ask, I thank you for reading and responding.
 
Sorry to say this, but a 450W PSU is insufficient. You will need 600W to be safe from a quality manufacturer.
 
I would love to know where you are pulling those prices from.

OS: Windows 8 or the highway. $140. Does everything windows 7 does, and does it faster. Start8 will fix the display, and that adds $5 to the price.

CPU: This is fine. Get a good cooler to match it.

Motherboard: That sucks arse. Gigabyte z77x-ud3h or above or P8Z77 -V LE or above will be far better. Price difference is $30, which is covered by going to windows 8.

PSU: you need something in the lines of 600 watts. I would suggest corsair, OCZ ZT/ZX, Seasonic, or Silverstone for the brand.

Sound card: If you can, get a DS over the DSX, or go to HT|Omega.
 
Why are you getting a Blu-ray burner? I can see why you'd want a Blu-Ray ROM for watching Blu-ray movies, but when are you ever going to need to burn a Blu-Ray disc?

It all looks pretty good otherwise. I'd get a better board though, Z77X-D3H would be good, or the UD3H.

OS is a personal decision, I'd stick with 7 myself, just because I don't like 8.

Not sure if you'd need a sound card to be perfectly honest.
 
And if you do get Windows 8 and want a start button, You can download a free program called Classic Shell, instead of paying 5.00 for Start 8.
And if you buy a cpu cooler, ripjaws has pretty high spreaders. Might interfere with the cooler.
 
AlienMenace said:
And if you do get Windows 8 and want a start button, You can download a free program called Classic Shell, instead of paying 5.00 for Start 8.
And if you buy a cpu cooler, ripjaws has pretty high spreaders. Might interfere with the cooler.
Click to expand...

My ripsjaws fit under mine, and I don't think he needs a that big cooler.
The ripsjaws should be fine paired with an hyper 212 or true spirit 120/140.
 
I currently have Windows 8, and it's subject to change for this this build. As of right now, I would not buy Windows 8, but if they release a SP before I do this build, then I might get it. I already know about Classic Shell and Start8, because I already have Windows 8. Thanks for pointing out the PSU problem and the Blu-Ray writer, I didn't notice that to be honest lol. @Wolfeking: I'm puliing these prices from Newegg.com as of yesterday. I might ditch the sound card for the initial buy, and I'll look into different motherboards. Can anyone suggest one that has 6 USB2.0, 2 USB3.0, Z77 chipset, 1 PCI 3.0x16, 1 PCI 2.0x16, 3 PCI, 1 PCI Express, and with 4 3Gb/s ports and 4 6Gb/s ports? I liked that board because of the port capabilities, so something with the same amount would be great.

Thanks for all the replies mates, hope I keep receiving help like this along the way.
 
Alright, I've looked into every suggestion so far and modified my build accordingly. The only concern I have with it is buying a OEM version of Win. 7. Are OEM's a OK choice? I've always been scared to get one because I've heard they can only be used with one system and if the system crashes, you don't get it back or something like that. But anyway, here's the new build:

OS: Windows 7 Professional 64-bit OEM - $140
CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K - $220
CPU Cooler: Arctic Cooling ACFZ130 - $30
MOBO: Gigabyte GA-Z77-D3H ATX - $145
GPU: Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 GHz Edition - $240
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series DDR3-2133MHz - $50
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7,200rpm - $110
PSU: SeaSonic 620W ATX12V / EPS12V - $90
Case: Rosewill Challenger-U3 - $55
Optical Drive: LG UH12NS29 - $55
Monitor: Asus VE228H 21.5" Monitor - $145
Input Devices: Cooler Master Storm QuickFire Rapid Wired Gaming Keyboard - $67
Zalman ZM-M400 Wired Optical Mouse - $17


TOTAL PRICE: $1,364 with no warranties.

Now, to me, this build looks near perfect for my needs, but if I was going to decide on my own, I wouldn't be on here, so what do you guys think about this new build set-up? And I said no warranties on the total price, because I plan to buy the maximum warranties available through Newegg at the time of purchase, also, some of these items may be cheaper on their website, because the prices I used are the base prices without any rebates or savings. I'm really happy with the price as well, because it's extremely close to my set budget. I did away with the sound card, and I'll probably buy one in the future. If anyone knows a good brand of RAM that clocks at 2133MHz and offers a 8GB set for the same price as the RipJaws but has a Blue color, please point it out. That's purely aesthetics though, just because the Rosewill has a blue fan and the Gigabyte is blue. Thanks for your help, look forward to hearing replies.
 
It's attached to the motherboard. You can reinstall as many times as you want on that motherboard, but you can't transfer it if you change motherboards or anything like that. It's a helluva a lot better deal than buying the full version when you'll probably only end up using it for one build anyway.
 
Denther, you are a savior lol. Thanks for that info, I'll be sure and tell my friend who thought the same thing as me. Just for that, I think I'll friend you lol.
 
The only real reason was possibly being able to encrypt my files through windows explorer, but I might do away with the Pro and go with Home Premium to save some cash.
 
Why windows 7 professional? Home premium does everything you need it to do. Only reason to go to pro is if you are getting more than 16GB of RAM, which will most likely not be needed in the lifespan of this computer.

Bah, didn't see the second page.
 
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