Please build me a system...

Timpey

Timpey

Timpey

Associate
Joined
26 Feb 2012
Posts
28
Hi guys,

It has been a long time since i've built my own PC. I did it probably 10 years ago in my first year of uni and it was when the 2500 Bartons had just come out. Since then i've just used work pc's, my laptop I use for work and I use my consoles for gaming.

My current pc/laptop is a Dell 11z connected to a kb/mouse and 21 inch widescreen.

The time has come when I now have the itch for a super quick desktop to replace my work laptop with. I am now massively out of date with the current components, cores and pci-express type things and don't want to make a costly mistake so this is where you guys come in.

Must be:

Pretty quiet - my last PC was overclocked to the max etc and had a billion fans etc. This is a no go really. I don't mind a few but its main location at the moment is our lounge as I work from home and if its really noisy it will become a nuisance.

Fast - CPU/RAM etc must be plentiful and quick. It will primarily be a work PC but I will also use it for video editing and streaming my xbox etc. I only had a 1.6mb upload so I want it to be able to handle as much video encoding as possible so that it frees up some upload. I also do some graphic design etc. which is intensive. I run lots of applications from work and while my laptop (Dell 11z) is okay for this, I would like a bit more.

Storage - I have a small PC acting as a storage server but would like that built into here for convenience. Thinking at least 4TB. Is a solid state worthwhile for the OS and apps? Is the performance worth it?

Graphics - Not bothered about this at the moment but would like the option to stick something decent in, in the future if I like. I use my consoles for gaming.

Network - 10/100/1000 is fine for me and I have my own wireless card.

What do you suggest and thanks for helping. I don't want the VERY latest and greatest as I know you pay top dollar for this but whats the very best bang for buck at the moment?
 
what is the overall budget?

we can suggest specs for suitable components if you want to build it but WE can't build it for you ;)

as for wanting 4tb hard disks, the prices of hard disks have been through the roof since like October after the floods in Asia and still haven't come back down to the pre-flood levels. for the time being if you have a spare hard disk you can use then it wold be best if you do or as you have a system for backups get the biggest ssd you can fit in budget.
 
Just a thought about the GPU. You say your not bothered about it because you do your gaming on your consoles but seeing as you do video editing and intenseive graphics design you should really consider getting a decent GPU! I think most people will suggest 8gb RAM but considering the price of RAM and your video editing as well as multi applications I think you be daft not to get 16gb!!

As for the SSD you would 110% see the benefit! If you install your OS + your most used applications/programmes onto it you would not regret paying the money for it! I would suggest a 120gb+ SSD.

I'm not 100% sure about this but I think the i7 hyperthreading comes in very useful for video editing so I would suggest the i7 2600/2600k......but if I'm wrong you might as well get the i5 2500k, hopefuly someone can clarify this.

I'm with fowler002 on the HDDs, they will cost you a small fortune at the moment but I think they are slowly coming down!

As long as you buy decent fans they should be fairly quiet.
 
Budget i'm not sure about. As always, as little as possible for the fastest kit out there right? :P

Good call on the HDs. I have a 1TB and a 500GB SATA in my storage server so can re-use those for the time being.

Would you suggest AMD or intel? I always favoured AMD in the past as you got the same or similar speeds for less cash.

I'm fine with actually putting it together if you mean that. 16GB memory I think would be very nice.
 
I would recommend intel, they are running away with the competition at the moment! I think the i5 2500k is probably the best bang for your buck but if someone can clarify the hyperthreading potential with regards to video editing then I would suggest you spend a bit extra on the i7 2600/2600k.

I'm sure you already know this but just in case, make sure you have a 64-bit OS.
 
YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i7-2600K 3.40GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail £239.99
1 x Crucial RealSSD M4 128GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive (CT128M4SSD2) £136.99
1 x Asrock Z68 PRO3 Gen3 Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £99.98
1 x XFX 650W XXX Edition Modular '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £81.98
1 x Kingston HyperX Genesis 16GB (4x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual/Quad Channel Kit (KHX1600C9D3K4/16GX) £66.95
1 x BitFenix Shinobi Gaming Case - Black £48.98
1 x Gelid Tranquillo CPU Cooler (Socket 754/939/940/AM2/AM2+/AM3/LGA775/LGA1155/LGA1156/LGA1366) £25.99
1 x OcUK 22x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £17.99
Total : £732.96 (includes shipping : £11.75).



Use your existing HDD's, and the SSD included in the spec. Can add a decent GFX card for £150+.

Edit: Minor change to spec.
 
Last edited:
 
Yeah no HDMI in on the monitor unfortunately. Only DVI and VGA.

Would a simple HDMI to DVI convertor/cable work without losing quality?

Is the difference in motherboard worth it?
 
Like the guys say, if you have an HDMI to DVI cable handy then grab the Gigabyte, otherwise the Asus stulid suggested will be fine. Either way you'l save a few quid. Best of luck!
 
Not sure what exactly your planning on editing but I think you would see the benefit of a GPU if your editing video/graphic designing instead of using the onboard graphics. So my suggestion would be go with the gigabyte mobo and get a decent GPU.
 
YOUR BASKET
1 x HIS HD 6950 IceQ X Turbo 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card with FREE Deus Ex PC Game £209.99
1 x Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - OEM £161.99
1 x Crucial RealSSD M4 128GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive (CT128M4SSD2) £136.99
1 x Gigabyte Z68AP-D3 Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard REV 1 £84.98
1 x Kingston HyperX Genesis 16GB (4x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual/Quad Channel Kit (KHX1600C9D3K4/16GX) £66.95
1 x Akasa Venom 550w Modular '80 Plus' Power Supply £64.99
1 x Xigmatek Midgard Midi Tower Case - Black £54.98
1 x Be Quiet Shadow Rock Top Flow CPU Cooler (Socket Intel: LGA 775/1155/1156/1366/AMD:AM2/AM2+/AM3/754/939/940/FM1) £37.99
1 x OcUK 22x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £17.99
Total : £851.86 (includes shipping : £12.50).




Under budget, whack it up to a 2600k. Over budget, drop the graphics card and get a 6850.
 
Good info guys, very helpful.

The video editing is more of a luxury really. Would just be doing montages from gaming when I get round to it. The graphic design is really only web based so as long as it can kick photoshops arse at website sized graphics i'm happy.

I'd rather spend more money on the mobo etc than graphics at the moment but would like the option to chuck in a decent card in a year or so.

What would you suggest now?

P.S. I have a XFX GeForce 6800 XTreme 256MB DDR3 AGP in my old PC if its worth anything?? Prob useless now but you never know.
 
Timpey said:
Good info guys, very helpful.

The video editing is more of a luxury really. Would just be doing montages from gaming when I get round to it. The graphic design is really only web based so as long as it can kick photoshops arse at website sized graphics i'm happy.

I'd rather spend more money on the mobo etc than graphics at the moment but would like the option to chuck in a decent card in a year or so.

What would you suggest now?

P.S. I have a XFX GeForce 6800 XTreme 256MB DDR3 AGP in my old PC if its worth anything?? Prob useless now but you never know.
Click to expand...

In that case forget the i7 and get the i5 2500k! If you have the budget for a GPU and you really feel like you want one then get one, but I would say you don't really need it. It's all down to your budget, if you have enough money set aside just for this project then why not get a GPU with the i7 2600 but for your needs it's overkill......but their's no harm in futureproofing if you have the funds!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom