Home Office Video/Audio Build (Budget)

[skyline605]

Hey all..I was hoping to get feedback on what I've come up with. I haven't built a desktop since around 2008, so I'm way behind and trying to catch up. In other words...be kind.

My wife will be using this as her home work computer. She's a programmer, but she doesn't do anything overly taxing. A lot of database work and web development. She just wants something solid and reliable.

All of my gaming is done on my PS3/PS4, so it's really a non-factor here. I do play the occasional RTS (Starcraft II and old Age of Empires games), but they aren't taxing. My main interest is in blu-ray playback and audio. I have an external DAC and headphone amp, so my biggest priority in a motherboard is that it simply is able to get a clean USB and/or SPDIF signal to my external devices. The Gigabyte board I picked seems to be geared towards noise-free audio components.

I should also mention that I have ZERO interest in overclocking, which is why I opted against the Z87 boards.

As for video, my understanding is that I can rely on the integrated graphics to get good and reliable 1080p playback via HDMI. I would like to add a video card, but if I can get by without one then the cost-saving measure would be nice.

So, let me know what you think. If I can trim back in some areas to save money without noticing a hit in performance, then that would be fantastic. Or, if I'm seriously limiting myself and need to step something up to the next level, then I'm open to that as well.

Case: Fractal Design Arc Midi R2 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811352031 - $95

PSU: Fractal Design Integra R2 500W - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817580001 - $60

Motherboard: Gigabyte G1.Sniper B5 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128674 - $100

CPU: Intel i5 - 4670 Haswell 3.4 GHz - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819116898 - $220

Memory: G.Skill Sniper Gaming Series 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 1600 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231609 - $150

Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 1 TB 7200 RPM - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148840 - $65

BD Burner: Pioneer BDR-209 DBK - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827129075 - $80

Total: ~$760 without rebates or price hunting

I have several other cases on my list that I'm considering: Nanoxia NXDS1, Define R4, Obsidian 350D, Antech Three Hundred Two.

Thoughts? What am I missing here?

 

[LoveMachine]

If you can swing an extra $100, a 120GB SSD would make for a nice upgrade in the overall experience. It's by no means a deal breaker, but since audio/video seems to be a priority, it will decrease the amount of noise from the system by at least a bit, since the OS and A/V software would be on the SSD and the platter drive would only grind when pulling the media. Overall, daily use just feels "snappier" with a SSD. Since there is no interest in overclocking, you could drop the CPU a level or two and save a few bucks and likely not see much real world difference. A 4440 is at least a bit cheaper with the same iGPU.
Also, I have the Arc Midi case (older version) and it's quite nice for the price.

 

[skyline605]

I'lll keep my eye on deals for SSD drives and see if anything decent pops up.

Thanks for the tip on the CPU...

 

[Charlie98]

For the price, I would drop the Arc Midi and go with the Define R4... it's a much nicer case and has sound damping material (I don't know if noise is an issue for you.)

If you wanted to save a little space and money, you could drop down to a B85 mATX board and put it in the Define Mini.

And for the same $60 I would fetch the Seasonic 500w PSU.

 

[skyline605]

Yes, the R4 is on my list. I'll probably just add my top 2-3 cases and watch them to see if any go on sale.

I think I'll pass on the Mini. I like to have plenty of space to work with and room to expand if wanted.

Thanks for the Seasonic recommendation. I'll probably do the same with this as I am with the cases.

 

[mfenn]

IMHO an SSD is a minimum requirement for an office PC on a ~$750. Nothing else that you can buy will even come close to the performance improvement over your 2008-era machine. If I had to, I would take an i3 + SSD over an i5 + HDD only any day of the week.

Now that I've stated my point, in your situation you don't actually have to choose between an i5 and an SSD

i5 4430 + Samsung 840 EVO 120GB combo $290
ASRock B85M $73 - you don't need a motherboard with a fancy analog audio subsystem if you already have an outboard DAC
Team DDR3 1600 16GB $140
WD Blue 1TB $60
LG Blu-Ray Burner $65 AP EMCPWHW47
Corsair CX430 $45 - even 430W is ridiculous overkill, this is a 85W PC running flat-out
Fractal Design Arc Midi R2 $95
Total: $768 AP

 

[skyline605]

Thanks for all the suggestions, mfenn.

There are so many options out there, it's hard to keep track. It looks like a SS is now officially on my list. I also like the PSU you pointed out....I picked a high wattage unit just for headroom in case I add a decent video card somewhere down the line, but you're right. It's overkill.

Did you pick a couple of the other components simply to save a few bucks, or do you believe they are actually better products? Specifically the Team memory and LG burner.

Also, I should note that I'm not married to the idea of a B85 board. It just seemed like an economical choice that wouldn't do any harm in terms of performance for my particular use.

 

[Cerb]

Also, I should note that I'm not married to the idea of a B85 board. It just seemed like an economical choice that wouldn't do any harm in terms of performance for my particular use.

Chipset will have no impact on performance of the parts. An h87 can get you 2 more USB 3.0s, usually rear, along with RAID and SRT support. Not a bad idea, IMO, if using the PC for content creation or something similar, where you might want to give SRT or RAID 0 a try one day, to save some time working, even if as a hobby. Otherwise, not too useful.

But, programmer and does DB Development? You can skip the HDD entirely, and move down to an i3, if you need to free up some budget for an SSD, because that SSD will be worth ten times its weight in gold (they don't weigh much ).

 

[skyline605]

Chipset will have no impact on performance of the parts. An h87 can get you 2 more USB 3.0s, usually rear, along with RAID and SRT support. Not a bad idea, IMO, if using the PC for content creation or something similar, where you might want to give SRT or RAID 0 a try one day, to save some time working, even if as a hobby. Otherwise, not too useful.

But, programmer and does DB Development? You can skip the HDD entirely, and move down to an i3, if you need to free up some budget for an SSD, because that SSD will be worth ten times its weight in gold (they don't weigh much ).

Can't skip the HDD I'm afraid. As an audio addict, I've got piles of lossless audio files that take up a good deal of room. And, I may start archiving some of my blu-rays for convenience at some point which can be a pretty big space hog.

1 TB will probably run up faster than I'd like.

But, thaks guys or all the SSD suggestions. That's one development that has passed me by over the past few years, so I'm now including it as a must for my system. In fact, I'll probably just start with that in my initial build and then add the HDD when my budget allows.

 

[mfenn]

Did you pick a couple of the other components simply to save a few bucks, or do you believe they are actually better products? Specifically the Team memory and LG burner.

I picked them because they are equivalent products for less money. There's nothing special about G.Skill memory, they buy DRAM from the same three vendors (Hynix, Samsung, and Micron) as everybody else. Sometimes its priced well sometimes it's not.

For the burner, Pioneer does not actually make it, it's made by Lite-On (you can tell by the shape of the button). Pioneer just slaps their name on it and charges you $20 for the privilege. A Lite-On isn't any better than an LG, in fact some would argue the opposite. In my view, they're pretty much equivalent.

 

[skyline605]

I picked them because they are equivalent products for less money. There's nothing special about G.Skill memory, they buy DRAM from the same three vendors (Hynix, Samsung, and Micron) as everybody else. Sometimes its priced well sometimes it's not.

For the burner, Pioneer does not actually make it, it's made by Lite-On (you can tell by the shape of the button). Pioneer just slaps their name on it and charges you $20 for the privilege. A Lite-On isn't any better than an LG, in fact some would argue the opposite. In my view, they're pretty much equivalent.

Thanks.

I've got a million options now for whenever I start the build. I've basically got 3-4 options for each component now saved in my wishlist and I'll just wait and see what pops up on a good deal.

This has been very helpful in terms of getting my feet back on solid ground.

It's funny that the Pioneer is actually a Lite-On drive. Lite-On was all the rage back when
I was building in the mid-2000s...

One more questions regarding memory. Any real world difference that I'll notice between 16 and 32 GB of DDR3 1600 memory? The motherboard you linked maxes out at 16. This option from ASrock has 32 (it's H87):

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157384

 

[Charlie98]

Unless you are running programs that actually will utilize all that RAM, you could probably get by with 8GB. Because of what your wife does, 16GB is a safe option... I wouldn't waste my time with either more RAM or faster RAM.

 

[skyline605]

Unless you are running programs that actually will utilize all that RAM, you could probably get by with 8GB. Because of what your wife does, 16GB is a safe option... I wouldn't waste my time with either more RAM or faster RAM.

Gotcha, thanks.

I may get a board with 32 as an option just as a safeguard in case I buy a video card sometime down the line and try a game or two.

 

[ChaiBabbaChai]

If you want solid and reliable, you don't buy a $60 PSU.

I agree on Gigabyte boards, I'm a total Gigabyte fanboy. They make great stuff.

I disagree with Charlie98. I would stick with 16Gb of RAM, actually. I utilize nearly all of my 12Gb at times and it's fairly cheap. I game, and leave tons of Chrome tabs open. Plus run a server, and various programs in the background, though.

I'd DEFINITELY get an SSD. 128Gb is kinda small and you'll run out of room if you install games on it, eventually. You don't want to utilize over around 75% of an SSD.

I don't like Seagate. WD has been great, though... the WD Black line or WD RE is the shiz to get if you want a reliable, long lasting, and fast HDD.

 

[skyline605]

Well, here's my updated build list if anyone cares. Took a lot of ideas from mfenn with a few adjustments.

Case: Corsair Obsidian 350D - $99
PSU: Corsair CX430 - $45
MB: ASRock H87M Pro 4 - $73
PSU: i5 4440 - $189
Memory: Team 16GB DDR3 1600 - $140
Solid State: Samsung EVO 128GB Sata III - $90
Hard Drive: WD Blue 1TB - $60
Blu-ray: LG 16x - $70

Should be able to fit all of this in under $800...

 

[ChaiBabbaChai]

TERRIBLE CHANGES. OMG... no, my OCD is freaking out!

FWIW, I guess the case isn't bad, but I just did a build with a Cooler Master Storm Enforcer, and that was my favorite case to build in. And I've used some good cases.

 

[Doppel]

Well, here's my updated build list if anyone cares. Took a lot of ideas from mfenn with a few adjustments.

Case: Corsair Obsidian 350D - $99
PSU: Corsair CX430 - $45
MB: ASRock H87M Pro 4 - $73
PSU: i5 4440 - $189
Memory: Team 16GB DDR3 1600 - $140
Solid State: Samsung EVO 128GB Sata III - $90
Hard Drive: WD Blue 1TB - $60
Blu-ray: LG 16x - $70

Should be able to fit all of this in under $800...

go to pcpartppicker.com. Go to power supplies, look up corsair cx600. It is $38 from newegg with the code mentioned at pcpartppicker. Ordered one today

 

[Charlie98]

If you want solid and reliable, you don't buy a $60 PSU.

So... my G620 and G3220 aren't reliable?

I disagree with Charlie98. I would stick with 16Gb of RAM, actually. I utilize nearly all of my 12Gb at times and it's fairly cheap. I game, and leave tons of Chrome tabs open. Plus run a server, and various programs in the background, though.
.

You may utilize all of your RAM, I don't believe the OP will based on his description. As I said, he could probably work with 8GB and be golden, but 16GB is OK, too. It certainly won't hurt.

 

[Charlie98]

Well, here's my updated build list if anyone cares. Took a lot of ideas from mfenn with a few adjustments.

Case: Corsair Obsidian 350D - $99
PSU: Corsair CX430 - $45
MB: ASRock H87M Pro 4 - $73
PSU: i5 4440 - $189
Memory: Team 16GB DDR3 1600 - $140
Solid State: Samsung EVO 128GB Sata III - $90
Hard Drive: WD Blue 1TB - $60
Blu-ray: LG 16x - $70

Should be able to fit all of this in under $800...

Looks pretty good to me. Why the change in the mobo? I would probably take the B85 over the H87...

 

[ChaiBabbaChai]

So... my G620 and G3220 aren't reliable?




You may utilize all of your RAM, I don't believe the OP will based on his description. As I said, he could probably work with 8GB and be golden, but 16GB is OK, too. It certainly won't hurt.

Everything is relative. If something is worth doing, it's worth doing right. Why buy more RAM later? And why risk it with a cheap PSU? Sure it might work fine for years, or maybe a Seasonic X-series might be DOA out of the box, but why push your luck? He said he wanted reliable. You get what you pay for most of the time...

 

[Charlie98]

If you want solid and reliable, you don't buy a $60 PSU.

So... my G620 and G3220 aren't reliable?

Whoop... my bad. That's what I get for reading without my glasses.

I'll rephrase...

So... my 2 $19 CX430's aren't reliable? For a general purpose build it would be silly to spend $60 for a PSU...

 

[skyline605]

Looks pretty good to me. Why the change in the mobo? I would probably take the B85 over the H87...

Which B85 are you referring to?

 

[ChaiBabbaChai]

Whoop... my bad. That's what I get for reading without my glasses.

I'll rephrase...

So... my 2 $19 CX430's aren't reliable? For a general purpose build it would be silly to spend $60 for a PSU...

The PSU is like the food & water you eat everyday. It feeds your entire system. It's NEVER silly to buy a high-end PSU. High-end does not equal high wattage. People who are too cheap to do things right suffer the consequences. I've heard so many times about systems dieing because they didn't appreciate the PSU enough to spend the money on a decent one.

 

[Torn Mind]

$60 can buy a high-quality PSU. The Rosewill Capstone 450 or the Seasonic G-360 are living proof. The Seasonic M12II or an XFX 550 sometimes migrates to that price level too.

It is indeed silly to make suggestions, even if out of goodwill, based on non-factual assumptions. Yes, cheap out too much and you will get a bad PSU because extra components, circuitry, and copper costs more money. But never has the PSU upseller been able to substantiate the "how" behind PSU failures nor the "what" in makes a PSU "good". This why the conclude errorneously that quality increases linearly with price when it most certainly does not. Quality increases discrete by the presence of "better" components and proper ratings.

Cheap Diabloteks can kill a whole computer because the user is misled by the specs listed on the PSU and overloads an internal part within the PSU, such as pulling to many amps for the Schottky rectifier to handle. This is common on Diabloteks. Other times, inadequate protection circuits.

The CX430, on the other hand, while cheap and more prone to failure, is unlikely to destroy the entire computer. Voltage regulation and ripple control are good.

 

[ChaiBabbaChai]

$60 can buy a high-quality PSU. The Rosewill Capstone 450 or the Seasonic G-360 are living proof. The Seasonic M12II or an XFX 550 sometimes migrates to that price level too.

It is indeed silly to make suggestions, even if out of goodwill, based on non-factual assumptions. Yes, cheap out too much and you will get a bad PSU because extra components, circuitry, and copper costs more money. But never has the PSU upseller been able to substantiate the "how" behind PSU failures nor the "what" in makes a PSU "good". This why the conclude errorneously that quality increases linearly with price when it most certainly does not. Quality increases discrete by the presence of "better" components and proper ratings.

Cheap Diabloteks can kill a whole computer because the user is misled by the specs listed on the PSU and overloads an internal part within the PSU, such as pulling to many amps for the Schottky rectifier to handle. This is common on Diabloteks. Other times, inadequate protection circuits.

The CX430, on the other hand, while cheap and more prone to failure, is unlikely to destroy the entire computer. Voltage regulation and ripple control are good.

Well, this is a whole separate topic that already has it's own thread(s) here... I was merely making generalizations to make a point. I know the OP doesn't care, and I'm not going to change his mind, but it bothers me, so I assert my opinions.

In other words, you will have to do your research on each individual unit to know whether it's statistically reliable or not, on your own - IF you care enough.