Let's Build a Rig!

[mfcfbro]

So, I have been researching for my next build after running my current machine for about 7 years (with upgrades here and there) and the idea dawned on me that maybe it's a great idea to come here and get some advice and maybe turn this into a community build guide as it becomes more complete. My personal priorities are with gaming and audio production in mind. So CPU and GPU are most important, as with most builds.

 

Guidelines

• Budget of less than $1000 if possible, but no more than $1500.
• ATX Mid Tower case.
• Cable management.
• Room for large expansion cards.
• Room for water cooling.
• Intel CPU (Due to performance benefits.)
• Unlocked for overclocking.
• Maximum overclock capabilities with all components.
• Water cooled processor. (GPU if possible.)
• 8 GB RAM at highest speeds that are affordable.
• Quiet operation!
• Future-proof to the highest extent possible on this budget.

My Components

• Corsair Carbide Series® 400R Mid-Tower Case | $99.99
• Cable management is great.
• Designed for space.
• Build quality is great.
• Intel Core i5 3570K | $229.99
• 4 Cores @ 3.5 Ghz
• Socket LGA 1155
• Supports DDR3-1333/1600
• Unlocked multiplier
• AsRock z75 Pro3 | $66.99
• Socket LGA 1155
• 32GB DDR3 - 2800+ (OC) or lower supported
• PCI Express 3.0
• Team Vulcan 8GB (2x4) | 74.99
• DDR3 2400
• EVGA GTX 780 | $499.99
• PCI Express 3.0
• 3 GB 384bit GDDR5
• Corsair H100i CPU Cooler | $119.99
• Designed to fit with the case.
• Performs well.

I have a 750W PSU and hard drives for raid, but for the sake of making things complete we can update for them as things progress.

 

Total:

$1091.94

 

Disclaimer

I am aware that these prices are not rock bottom, as I do not want to include short time offers into the budget since those may change at any time.

I am also aware the RAM listed may not be compatible, but all in all it's an average price that class of RAM.

Also, I would LOVE to upgrade to the GTX 780ti and i7 4790K, but I feel like they are not as efficient on the budget.

 

 

So, I am hoping with your help we can make this design a bit more cost effective per dollar and hopefully help some other people build their machine along the way. What are your thoughts?

Edited July 14, 2014 by mfcfbro

[FMod]

...and the idea dawned on me that maybe it's a great idea to come here and get some advice and maybe turn this into a community build guide as it becomes more complete.

In North America, community builds tend to suck. The prices are very volatile, they can go down 50% one day and up 50% the next, which brings all the community-researched balance out of whack.

 

You will always get considerably better bang for your buck by making exact component selection close to purchase date to take maximum advantage of price volatility.

 

As to your particular build, don't take it the wrong way, but it plain and simple isn't worth recommending. It's OK, as in "I just bought this, did I fail?" - "Nope, it's OK". The CPU is old, cooling not cost-effective, etc.

 

 

As an example, here is the last build I did on this forum:

http://forums.nexusmods.com/index.php?/topic/1861705-new-pc-and-for-gaming-advice/

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/BmB2bv

 

It was $1,035 then. It's $1,153 now.

July 2. How's that for only 12 days since designing it, eh?

 

Let me try and see what went wrong...

I think the video card, the PSU, the case and the cooler all went up in price.

So here's a fixed build for July 14, $1,070:

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/B2rYmG

 

Note that this doesn't include HDD, optical, OS, keyboard and mouse, all commonly reused from older builds. Including them will add about another $150-200, so really this is a $1,250 build.

 

Going up to $1,500, I would actually change almost every component. Only keep the case, choosing between P280 and Fractal XL is entirely up to the user, they're the best for general use and too close to pick.

So $1,250 and $1,500 are two totally separate tasks, and driving it down to $1,000 is a totally separate build again.

[iXenite]

Disregard this post please. Posted by mistake.

Edited August 29, 2014 by DaddyDirection