Just got $1000, and it's time for a build!

[joe_coolish]

All right, I've been lurking on this site for a bit, and I think it is time to pull the trigger.

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.

This will be the family computer

Also:

- Secondary dev box (C# for web and both phone and windows stores)
- Windows Media center (Over The Air TV recording) and Plex Server to send to my devices
- Where I do my Photoshop and edit/encode family videos. Nothing professional, just hobby.

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread

$900 - $1,000 USD

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.

USA

5. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy, ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc.

- Intel, either i7 or Xeon (I run dual Xeons at work and love'm)
- I've ran off-brand graphics cards in the past, and I haven't had any issues, so I'm not afraid of no-name
- No loyalties anywhere else

6. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.

I have a TV Tuner card (WinTV-HVR-2250) but if there is anything out there that is better/more compatible with Win8, I'm all ears. I've had my current rig BSOD because of it a couple of times.

I have a 2TB HDD that I just bought a couple of months ago, so I won't need any more than 256 GB for an SSD.

I will be reusing my DVD drive

My peripherals (keyboard, mouse, monitors, speakers) are going to be reused. My speakers are 5.1 if that means anything.

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.

No need

8. What resolution, not monitor size, will you be using?

Currently I'm running dual 1920x1200. This computer might get some new monitors later in life, but currently dual 1920x1200

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?
Note that it is usually not cost or time effective to choose your build more than a month before you actually plan to be using it.

My computer crapped out last night, and the wife authorized up to $1,000 for a new computer, so I need to act as soon as possible before she takes it back! :whiste:

X. Do you need to purchase any software to go with the system, such as Windows or Blu Ray playback software?

Nope!

I've been reading the Attention Mid-Range System Builders thread and I've gotten some good ideas. Hopefully with


Also, If there is a tower that can hold at least 2 HDDs, a DVD drive AND an SSD, that would be best. I don't know if that is unrealistic or not.

 

[mvbighead]

Something like this ought to be pretty darned good:

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/nsyBGX
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/nsyBGX/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($307.15 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock B85 Pro4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: PNY XLR8 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($139.00 @ Amazon)
Storage: Sandisk Ultra Plus 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R7 260X 2GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($119.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: EVGA 430W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (32/64-bit) ($102.71 @ NCIX US)
Total: $913.80
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-07-23 14:18 EDT-0400

As for OTA tuning, I would highly recommend the HDHomeRun network tuner. No blue screens and nothing physically in your computer. Can also be shared to tablets and other devices if desired with very little effort.

I have the older version of this and it is terrific:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-015-_-Product

 

[joe_coolish]

As for OTA tuning, I would highly recommend the HDHomeRun network tuner. No blue screens and nothing physically in your computer. Can also be shared to tablets and other devices if desired with very little effort.

I have the older version of this and it is terrific:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-015-_-Product

That looks awesome! I didn't even know that existed! Thank you!

 

[mfenn]

Something like this ought to be pretty darned good:

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/nsyBGX
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/nsyBGX/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($307.15 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock B85 Pro4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: PNY XLR8 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($139.00 @ Amazon)
Storage: Sandisk Ultra Plus 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R7 260X 2GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($119.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: EVGA 430W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (32/64-bit) ($102.71 @ NCIX US)
Total: $913.80
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-07-23 14:18 EDT-0400

As for OTA tuning, I would highly recommend the HDHomeRun network tuner. No blue screens and nothing physically in your computer. Can also be shared to tablets and other devices if desired with very little effort.

I have the older version of this and it is terrific:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-015-_-Product

This looks pretty good. I think that the Xeon E3-1230 V3 at $250 is a better value though. It saves $57, and only loses 300 MHz and the IGP (which is not needed given the discrete GPU).

 

[mvbighead]

That looks awesome! I didn't even know that existed! Thank you!

Yep, and if you keep an eye on newegg flyers, you can sometime snag one for $59 or $69. That may be harder to do as it seems the older model is gone in most places, but it may still be doable from time to time.

 

[joe_coolish]

Yep, and if you keep an eye on newegg flyers, you can sometime snag one for $59 or $69. That may be harder to do as it seems the older model is gone in most places, but it may still be doable from time to time.

I went on Amazon and got the latest one for $119. It was only $20 more than the NewEgg deal (it was $99 when I checked), and this is how we watch TV so I can't really wait for the sale. I'm hoping that this will be able to DLNA to my TV so we can watch live w/o going through WMC


As for the rig, I bought everything on Amazon because of the free shipping and the return policy.
I stuck with the Intel Core i7-4790 and dropped the video card. I'm hoping that the integrated graphics will hold me over until my brother wants to upgrade, then I can buy his cards off him 😎
If I can't get Plex transcoding to stream my OTA to my Roku, then I'll get one sooner, but that is the only need as far as graphics go. I run Photoshop just fine on my Ultrabook and it has the HD 4400.

I had to get some other misc things (better fan, Arctic Silver, SSD caddy, etc.) and I wanted a bigger power supply, so in the end I came out $1,002.25 shipped for a pretty sweet (hopefully) ride!

Thanks for all the help!

 

[mfenn]

Let us know how it goes! 🙂