As the title says I’m a complete noob at this. I want to build a PC, but I can’t spend too much. My limit is 700$
I don't plan on using it for gaming, although I would like it to be capable enough to run most games without problems. I'm a guitarist that wants to build a computer to record music. I recently bought a Yamaha Audiogram 6, but it seems my computer is a bit outdated to run programs such as Cubase properly. I've been doing a bit of research on building computers, so I kind of have some stuff picked out on PCpartpicker. As I said before, I’m completely new at this so I’d like some suggestions. So please help this poor idiot out
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/XGs3
GeForce GT 630 is a more modern gpu with similar performance for the same price. i would spend $30 to $50 more to get 7770hd or even 650 gtx .
Buy the RAM as a set and not as individual sticks, will be cheaper and work for sure.
Drop the DVD-Drive who needs that?
The soundcard is horrible, either buy a decent one like the Xonar STX [not cheap] or use onboard sound. [Unless you require special connections that this soundcard provides then nvm]
Try to squeeze in an SSD, will speed up your system a lot.
The GPU is horrible. You wont play a lot with that. Perhaps peak at GPUS starting at 150$+, if you want it to be able to run a game or two. [Lower price brackets usually AMD has the upperhad in performance/$]
You've spent $600 so far, but you've got that 100$ headroom. Pick up an SSD. Install your operating system and your important programs on the SSD, they will load quicker. This will be appropriate for any large music files that you have to write and record, too. I'd recommend about 120GB of SSD space to start with. For light gaming, a middle-tier card would be recommended, to the tune of about $150. Something like a 7850.
[br]The sound card can be added at a later time. It is important to have that clarity when you're working with music. However, in terms of the build, it is the least important component to purchase. You're probably going to have to budget about $50+ for a good ASUS sound card.
there are a couple of combo buys on this page that leave you room for an ssd purchase.
http://promotions.newegg.com/neemail/latest/index-landing.aspx
here is an ssd you could setup as a cache drivewith the intel combo deal.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226246
This is probably the best you're going to get with the budget you have right now:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/XHQx
If you want the absolute best sound quality possible for your recordings, you might want to save some more money and get one of these though:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001OV789U/?tag=pcpapi-20
If you got a Radeon HD 7770 instead of a 7790, that would save you about $50, but you still wouldn't have enough cash for the ASUS Xonar Essence STX, and the Radeon HD 7770 is really the lowest tiered card that I personally suggest for gaming. The ASUS Xonar DX is still a great sound card though.
Thanks to all of you, for your advice and suggestions.
I think I’m going to wait a little on the sound card and buy an ssd instead of the hdd since I have a spare 1T hdd right now. I'm also going to take Vortex's suggestion on the ram and Sapphire Radeon HD 7790 gpu.
One more question though. For the SSD, AData or Samsung?
Samsung 830 or 840 series is a great choice. I believe they're chaper than than the AData ones as well.
Samsung and Intel make the best SSDs. The Samsung 840 pro is the fastest consumer SSD on the market. Would be great to carry from build to build, if you decided to do more computers in hte future. That SSD will last several years.
Ok thanks, I'm glad you both suggested the Samsung since its a bit cheaper.
Another model worth checking out is the Kingston HyperX 3K. That's what I use and I can vouch for how good it is, and I haven't heard anyone else using it have anything negative to say either. You can also check out the review for it by the Tek team here.
I'll check it out.
Do you guys think I can do better on the case while still keeping it within the budget? The one I plan on using is the NZXT Phantom 410 Mid Tower
I agree with this build you also get tomb raider & Farcry 3 Blood dragon
I personally dig that case a lot, I've seen a lot of beautiful builds in it. You've got a yes for me. If you wanted to save on your budget though, you could definitely find a decent case for cheaper. But the case is really up to you man, its your preference. As long as its got good air flow and mounting options, you can't go wrong aesthetically.
And I like thi case because its got the side fans which can blow air to your gpu and keep it cool in case you wanna overclock. I've got an antec eleven hundred and that's what I do with the side fans. You've also got the option for dual 240mm radiator setup options.
My opinion is, get a highly compatible case, because you can change your hardware around, but a case can last a long time. Get something you won't get tired of looking at (:
As far as the SSD goes, I would definitely go with either a Samsung 840 or Samsung 840 Pro.
The Phantom 410 is a really nice case, and it's really up to you which case you want to pick up, but I would personally grab a Corsair 400R instead. I just think it looks a lot cleaner, especially with the white LED fans. Not to mention there's a lot less plastic and doesn't have a door in front of the 5.25" bays. That's just my personal preference though.
One more thing I want to mention really quick is that there are a couple of promotions going on for some Radeon HD 7850s right now.
You can get a Sapphire 7850 for around $140 after using a promo code (which only lasts until may 20th) and after mail-in-rebate:
You can also get an XFX 7850 for around the same price from NCIX after mail-in-rebate:
Keeping what you've said in mind, these are the changes I would make right now:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Y6CF
Obviously, you can take the sound card out if you want hold off on it for now and save up for something like the Xonar Essence STX.