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Need Help with building a PC

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Darnell Jacobs

Member
Hi there. Its been 12 years since Ive build a PC last time. I'm not looking for a PC for gaming. No overclocking. I'm looking to build a PC for music. I listen a lot to music on my current old PC. I d/l these large mp3 files that are electronic music sets mp3s. My budget is $3500 CAD. Could someone please help me pick out the best pc parts for this pc. I have no clue about what parts to choose. I don't have a lot of time to do research for pc parts. If someone could write down in this thread the best pc parts for this new PC I would really appreciate your help. Thanks for reading this.
 
$3500 CAD budget, for a PC, just to listen to music? No content creation? Spend $1500 on the PC, and $2000 on audio equipment to make your listening better. Or maybe, $500 and $3000.
 
Ive changed my mind. I will get the PC for gaming too. My new budget is about $4500 CAD. Ive looked at this guide http://www.pcgamer.com/pc-build-guide-high-end-gaming-pc/ and I have a few questions. Will 8700K work with that motherboard. If yes then what cpu cooler should I get.What about memory in the guide . Will that work with 8700k motherboard? What about the case. Is it the right size for the 8700k motherboard. Is the power supply good enough too? Is Also The guide doesn't show what soundcard to get. Does the soundcard come with the motherboard? Also I don't see an optical drive there. 1 more thing. Should I get a sata hd like 3 tb or 4tb for storing these large mp3 files. If yes then what hds are good. Oh could u recommend a decent monitor too.
 
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Good choice on gaming. I'll leave the compatibility to other posters or google.

Most people now rely on motherboards for sound, and many no longer get optical drives - it's easy to find recommendations on either if you want them, including an external optical drive.

Ya, 3tb or even 5tb hard drives are fine - some say 4tb are more reliable than 3tb - big names are good whether western digital black or toshiba. Cheaper are probably ok for mp3 files also - black friday.

Monitor has a lot of variables - that's the place to put the money for what you want. There's a nice 34" widescreen for $500 now on sale, an HP 32" for 250 recently, etc. - also black friday. Two idea links:

http://www.pcgamer.com/the-best-gaming-monitors/

http://www.techradar.com/news/best-gaming-monitor
 
A PC for gaming, everyday use, and music playback is like trying to buy a car that holds 8 people, does 0-60 in 6 seconds and gets 32 MPG - it ain't gonna happen.

Music playback is all about:
1.) The quality of the source material (MP3 is not quality)
2.) The quality of the DAC (Digital Audio Converter) - at least $500
3.) Having at least a quad core CPU.

Gaming is all about money.
 
Billb2 said:
A PC for gaming, everyday use, and music playback is like trying to buy a car that holds 8 people, does 0-60 in 6 seconds and gets 32 MPG - it ain't gonna happen.

Music playback is all about:
1.) The quality of the source material (MP3 is not quality)
2.) The quality of the DAC (Digital Audio Converter) - at least $500
3.) Having at least a quad core CPU.

Gaming is all about money.
Click to expand...

I disagree - I think a PC can easily do all of those.
 
Wow Windows is 182 pounds? Might be worth seeing if you can find someone with a friends and family discount, that makes it about $35.
 
With a budget of 4500 you really can go all-out on a pc. Will some of that budget be used for headphones/dac-amp or do you have that covered?
 
Ketchup said:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-8700K 3.7GHz 6-Core Processor (£433.48 @ BT Shop)
CPU Cooler: Noctua - NH-D15S 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler (£71.08 @ Eclipse Computers)
Motherboard: Asus - ROG Strix Z370-H Gaming ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (£169.49 @ Ebuyer)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory (£177.59 @ Aria PC)
Storage: Samsung - 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£137.99 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£85.59 @ Kustom PCs)
Video Card: Gigabyte - GeForce GTX 1070 Ti 8GB Video Card (£444.00 @ Aria PC)
Case: Fractal Design - Define S w/Window ATX Mid Tower Case (£79.97 @ Box Limited)
Power Supply: Corsair - HX Platinum 750W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£126.99 @ Aria PC)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Pro Full 32/64-bit (£181.97 @ More Computers)
Sound Card: Creative Labs - Sound Blaster Z 30SB150200000 OEM 24-bit 192 KHz Sound Card (£52.94 @ BT Shop)
Total: £1961.09
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-11-13 19:01 GMT+0000
Click to expand...
Thanks a lot for the parts list. Instead of getting western digital 1TB is this a good alternative? https://www.amazon.ca/Toshiba-3-5-I...F8&qid=1510621806&sr=1-1&keywords=toshiba+3tb

Also is this the same soundcard as mentioned here https://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102053
Operating Systems Supported
Microsoft Windows 7 (32/64 bits), Windows 8 (32/64 bits) Will it work with Win 10?

So If I don't have an optical drive how am I going to install software off CDs. How am I going to burn CDS?
 
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Darnell Jacobs said:
Thanks a lot for the parts list. Instead of getting western digital 1TB is this a good alternative? https://www.amazon.ca/Toshiba-3-5-I...F8&qid=1510621806&sr=1-1&keywords=toshiba+3tb

Also is this the same soundcard as mentioned here https://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102053
Operating Systems Supported
Microsoft Windows 7 (32/64 bits), Windows 8 (32/64 bits) Will it work with Win 10?

So If I don't have an optical drive how am I going to install software off CDs. How am I going to burn CDS?
Click to expand...

That HD is fine - you might keep shopping around and look for better deals, for 4tb, keep at least those specs.

You do want an optical drive if you want to install CD's. They're very cheap now.
 
ok did more searching. For the CPU Cooler I found this one https://www.amazon.ca/Noctua-NF-A15...6&sr=8-3&keywords=noctua&tag=linustechti06-20. Lots of good reviews about it.

And this motherboard https://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produ...ASRock+Z370+Extreme4+LGA+1151&N=-1&isNodeId=1

I still don't know if I should get that Case and PSU mentioned there.

What about this Case https://www.amazon.ca/Corsair-Carbi...air+carbide+clear&ascsubtag=pcg-1425246093-20
Do I need to buy fans for this case?


Fractal Design - Define S w/Window ATX Mid Tower Case comes with fans right?

And this PSU https://www.amazon.ca/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=Silverstone+Tek+Strider+Gold+S+Series+850W+ATX12V/EPS12V+80++Gold+Full+Modular+PSU+Power+Supply+ST85F-GS+
Should I replace this PSU with the one mentioned in PCPartPicker part list
Or should I leave it. Do I really need 850W PSU?
 
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850w ps is usually overkill - when you have the parts you can calculate the wattage needed or ask here. Cases come with fans (mine have).
 
Apologies for running the list above incorrectly. And the case you picked is fine, just know that, since it is is a smaller case, things are going to run a bit warming than they would in a full case.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-8700K 3.7GHz 6-Core Processor ($489.99 @ Memory Express)
CPU Cooler: Noctua - NH-D15S 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($99.95 @ Amazon Canada)
Motherboard: Asus - ROG Strix Z370-H Gaming ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($202.99 @ PC Canada)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($259.71 @ Amazon Canada)
Storage: Samsung - 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($199.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($139.99 @ Newegg Canada Marketplace)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1070 Ti 8GB SC GAMING ACX 3.0 Black Edition Video Card ($604.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Case: Corsair - Carbide Clear 600C ATX Full Tower Case ($176.99 @ PC Canada)
Power Supply: Corsair - HX Platinum 750W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($159.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Optical Drive: Asus - DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($22.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Pro OEM 64-bit ($174.50 @ Vuugo)
Sound Card: Creative Labs - Sound Blaster Z 30SB150200000 OEM 24-bit 192 KHz Sound Card ($150.11 @ Newegg Canada Marketplace)
Total: $2682.19
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-11-14 09:22 EST-0500
 
Here's my list for a gaming PC, should you want to spend close to your budget.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-8700K 3.7GHz 6-Core Processor ($489.99 @ Memory Express)
CPU Cooler: Thermaltake - Water 3.0 Riing RGB 360 40.6 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($169.99 @ Memory Express)
Motherboard: Asus - ROG MAXIMUS X HERO (WI-FI AC) ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($336.99 @ PC Canada)
Memory: G.Skill - Trident Z RGB 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-4000 Memory ($394.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Samsung - 960 EVO 500GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($318.25 @ shopRBC)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Black 4TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($222.95 @ shopRBC)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB FTW3 GAMING iCX Video Card ($959.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Case: Thermaltake - View 71 TG RGB ATX Full Tower Case ($249.99 @ Memory Express)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - PRIME Titanium 750W 80+ Titanium Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($209.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Monitor: Acer - Predator XB1 27.0" 2560x1440 165Hz Monitor ($830.99 @ PC Canada)
Total: $4184.12
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-11-14 11:50 EST-0500



I don't know what you like in terms of aesthetics, or what kind of monitor size/resolution you want so I just chose some parts that I think would work pretty well together.

Some of the above parts are a bit excessive and cost can easily be scaled back without sacrificing much power.

You don't need an internal sound card if you're going to be using the FiiO unit, because it functions as an external sound card.

Personally I haven't burned a cd in many years, I just use usb sticks. If cd burning is a big thing for you you're either going to need a different case and a dvd/cd drive, or a usb connected dvd drive.
 
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I'd think that getting a 34" ultrawide monitor that is a base 60 Hz with Freesynch or G-Synch depending on his card for less would be better than spending $830 on a 27" just to get 144 Hz.

I haven't compared them, but we're not talking competitive FPS here - seems most would prefer the extra size and some cost savings to the faster refresh, many can't tell the difference?
 
I mean it's completely up to him what he wants to get as it's mostly a matter of preference, but to me it seems silly to get a 60hz panel with such a high budget (unless that monitor is 4K). A 34" 3440x1440 100Hz monitor is a possibility, though that costs over $1000. 27" 2560x1440 144Hz without Gsync can be had for a bit over $500 canadian.

Everyone can see the difference between 60hz and 100hz+ and appreciate the smoothness, it's not just something that's nice for esports even though it's more critical there. 🙂
 
Campy said:
I mean it's completely up to him what he wants to get as it's mostly a matter of preference, but to me it seems silly to get a 60hz panel with such a high budget (unless that monitor is 4K). A 34" 3440x1440 100Hz monitor is a possibility, though that costs over $1000. 27" 2560x1440 144Hz without Gsync can be had for a bit over $500 canadian.

Everyone can see the difference between 60hz and 100hz+ and appreciate the smoothness, it's not just something that's nice for esports even though it's more critical there. 🙂
Click to expand...

Well, using 60 Hz, I've never seen any shortcoming from it at all, and have seen others say the same. It's not 'silly' when the tradeoff is 27" versus 34", which will be a huge difference all the time.
 
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