Project "Overkill?"

[ejsky1]

Hi Folks!

My laptop has just died, and now I'm considering to build a PC as replacement. The station is intended to be used for video editing, some graphics stuff (PS, Illustrator, Lightroom), light compositing (After effects) and 3D (Cinema 4D). I don't consider myself as a gamer, but it'd nice if I could do some gaming on it although not obligatory. To be honest, I'm currently quite on tight budget, but I'd prefer if the upcoming system be long-lasting (at least for the next 4 years). And I have no intention to overclock as well.

I've drafted out 3 sets of specs:

Option 1:

MB : ASUS P8Z77 V-LK + i7 3770
HDD (Storage): WD 1 TB 64MB Caviar Blue 3.5"
(OS + Apps): WD Black 16MB/7200RPM 2.5"
Memory : G-Skill RipJawX1600MHz CL9 DDR3 16GB
VGA : MSI GTX660 Twin Frozer 2GB DDR5
Optical Drive : Samsung SH-224 24x DVD+/RW
Case : Thermaltake Commander MS-I USB3.0
PS : Seasonic S12II 520W 80+
Cooler : Enermax T.B Silence PWM Fan

Option 2:

MB : ASUS P8Z77 V-LK + i7 3770
HDD (Storage): WD 1 TB 64MB Caviar Blue 3.5"
(OS + Apps): Sandisk 120GB Extreme SSD
Memory : G-Skill RipJawX1600MHz CL9 DDR3 8GB
VGA : MSI GTX660 Twin Frozer 2GB DDR5
Optical Drive : Samsung SH-224 24x DVD+/RW
Case : Thermaltake Commander MS-I USB3.0
PS : Seasonic S12II 520W 80+
Cooler : Enermax T.B Silence PWM Fan

Option 3:

MB : ASUS P8Z77 V-LK + i5 3570
HDD (Storage): WD 1 TB 64MB Caviar Blue 3.5"
(OS + Apps): Corsair Force 3 SSD 120GB
Memory : G-Skill RipJawX1600MHz CL9 DDR3 8GB
VGA : ASUS GTX650Ti 1GB DDR5
Optical Drive : Samsung SH-224 24x DVD+/RW
Case : Thermaltake Commander MS-I USB3.0
PS : Seasonic S12II 520W 80+
Cooler : Enermax T.B Silence PWM Fan

Option 1 & 2 is slightly out of my budget, whereas option 3 is within budget (this will provide cash to get a Dell IPS monitor). I personally like the specs in option 1, but I can't afford having an SSD in this setup (which I really love to get).
For option 2, I'm not sure if the combination of SSD and 8GB RAM will perform as fast as option 1 (16GB RAM and 2.5" WD Black 7200RPM).
With both option 1 & 2, I'll have to temporarily use my existing LG E2040T 1600 x 900 px monitor, before I can afford an IPS Monitor.

I'd really love to get feedback from all of you,... how I can switch around the components to get the best combination without breaking the bank.

Thanks for your attention!

 

[LongBigBronzeElephantFish]

what's your budget?

 

[ejsky1]

SGD 1.5K, max SGD 1.7K

 

[LongBigBronzeElephantFish]

can i assume ur aiming for a nvidia card because after effects support CUDA? If im not wrong C4D only supports CPU rendering...

 

[ejsky1]

yeah... I'm going for Nvidia.

 

[LongBigBronzeElephantFish]

any reason why ur going for z77 mobo?

 

[ejsky1]

well..... To be honest, no idea. I just thought this would be sufficient to accommodate the CPU and GPU? Suggestions are always welcome though. Thanks

 

[LongBigBronzeElephantFish]

Unless ur looking into ovecloking or maybe SLI in the future, else B75/H77 would be enough...

would u be building it yourself or need help in assembling?

 

[ejsky1]

Most probably have it assembled.... Yeah, I just read about it too. Definitely not overclocking, but SLI..... maybe not at the moment. But in terms of performance, will it make significant difference?

 

[LongBigBronzeElephantFish]

Most probably have it assembled.... Yeah, I just read about it too. Definitely not overclocking, but SLI..... maybe not at the moment. But in terms of performance, will it make significant difference?

Performance wise would be the same...

 

[LongBigBronzeElephantFish]

Do you need Windows OS?

 

[ejsky1]

If I can still install my Win 7 (from my previous laptop) on the new station, I wouldn't need one. I'll have to check it.

 

[LongBigBronzeElephantFish]

Here's the base specs that I recommend, then u can upgrade/downgrade from there:

Cpu + Mobo: Xeon E3-1245v2 + Asus P8B75-V @ $479
Xeon same performance as 3770 but cheaper. If no need SLI etc... B75 would be sufficient
SSD: Intel 330 Series 120gb $117
HDD: Western Digital Carviar Blue 1TB @ $93
RAM: 2x4GB G.Skill RipJawX 1600 MHz CL9 @ 67
VGA: MSI GTX660 Twin FrozrII 2GB @ $365
ODD: Samsung 24X DVD RW @ $25
Case: Thermaltake Commander MS-I USB 3.0 @ 75
PSU: Seasonic S1211 520W @ $78
Monitor: Dell U2312HM 23" IPS LED @ $255

Total: $1554

Everything buy and assemble at PC Themes, Intel SSD and Dell monitor get from Tradepac.

 

[LongBigBronzeElephantFish]

If I can still install my Win 7 (from my previous laptop) on the new station, I wouldn't need one. I'll have to check it.

May not be doable cause if it came preinstalled cause that would be OEM. Windows 7 Home Premium is @ $120
Windows 8 I cant remmember, but it's cheaper i think...

 

[ejsky1]

Thanks for the info! I'll definitely check them out.

Btw, I upgraded my OS to Win 7, the default was Vista. But, well, we'll see whether it works or not.

 

[LongBigBronzeElephantFish]

Oh... and i think u should have posted in the main hardware clinic forum and not in this sub forum...

 

[ejsky1]

Ah.... I see. Maybe I should move this, shouldn't I? Hahaha...

Btw, I couldn't seem find shops that sell Xeon processor, or there is?

 

[LongBigBronzeElephantFish]

Yup.. I think u need a mod to move it...

I think the only shop selling the Xeon is PC Themes...

Btw, I don't think the Black 2.5" will outperform the Blue 3.5"

The Asus P8B75-M has 4 Ram slots, so if you wanna add more RAM now/next time, you can...

Actually if you assemble yourself, it'll be cheaper. And if you know someone who knows any shop in SLS, you should get him to help, usually can get more discounts...

Btw, do you need such a high end gpu??

 

[ejsky1]

Good tip! Yeah, I'll consider assembling it myself. Anyway, thanks for the suggestion. I'm gonna check it out @ Sim Lim tmr (today actually... ahahaha).

 

[LongBigBronzeElephantFish]

Good tip! Yeah, I'll consider assembling it myself. Anyway, thanks for the suggestion. I'm gonna check it out @ Sim Lim tmr (today actually... ahahaha).

haha yup =D
If you're assembling yourself, you can try getting from the shops that are cheaper and bargain abit more =D