Hardware budget

[EAndrews]

Hey cool people, I'm a total noob here. Not only to your forums but advanced computer stuff in general.

I need a much more advanced computer for my work than the one I have now (6 years old, still chugging along but severely outdated) and I figured it would benefit me to build on myself and get a computer education in the process.

I am still pretty much pre-alpha on this project right now, I'm just trying to do some research and figure out what's possible.

My problem is that I want a really nice machine but I've been hearing budget estimates from PC-literate friends that vary by the thousands. My budget is currently $5k, some friends have told me that is not half the amount I need for a good computer and others have told me there is no reason I need to go above $1k. I'm willing to spend what it takes but I just need a better ballpark estimate.

I want a computer that can handle a lot of stress and can take pretty much whatever I throw at it (video editing, gaming, whatever is at hand). Some hardware I've looked at so far is the Intel Core i7-3930K and Nvidia GeForce GTX 670. As far as stuff like motherboards, heatsinks, cases - still too far behind to figure out what might work for me. Can anyone help me out with about how much money I'll need before the end of this project?

[PoLoMoTo]

5k is way more than enough, my system (over der <--) only cost about 3500 and is a pretty baller system although it is a bit outdated. With a 5k budget you could prolly even go for a dual socket mobo or just an 8 core xeon. Your friends that told you there's no need to go over a grand are right in the ballpark although if your definition of a gaming machine is all games maxed at 60FPS then 2k is closer, anyone that says you need 10 grand needs to check their dealer and consider detox. Oh and welcome!

[EAndrews]

Thank you I'm picking up on about 2% of the tech talk lingo right now, I'm just trying to find some idjit-friendly resources to get myself started. I'll try not to bug you all too much.

[PoLoMoTo]

Lol np, just ask and I'm sure at least one person here will have the answer you're looking for, very helpful bunch of guys we have here

[JamesLT3]

Welcome to PureOC Eandrews!!
Like Polo has said 5k is more than plenty. We can set you up with a $5k build no problem, but do you really need it? You said this comp will be used for work, is this its main purpose? If so than what kind of work will you be doing on the comp?

[SamCR3]

$2500 is enough for a great system. Like James said, please give us a detailed list of what you will use the system for. Oh, and welcome to the site. You'll like it here.

[EAndrews]

Welcome to PureOC Eandrews!!
Like Polo has said 5k is more than plenty. We can set you up with a $5k build no problem, but do you really need it? You said this comp will be used for work, is this its main purpose? If so than what kind of work will you be doing on the comp?

I'm not 100% sure about what's appropriate to mention, but the majority of my work involves live streaming video feed to various websites. Live encoding and streaming can eat up a decent part of my processor power, and running additional programs on top of the live broadcast can be very helpful (something I can't do with my current setup). The hardware I'm looking at right now would more than achieve broadcasting standards, but I have almost no expenses right now and some extra income and I feel I could get a lot of use (and fun) out of a powerful build.

[JamesLT3]

I'm not 100% sure about what's appropriate to mention, but the majority of my work involves live streaming video feed to various websites. Live encoding and streaming can eat up a decent part of my processor power, and running additional programs on top of the live broadcast can be very helpful (something I can't do with my current setup). The hardware I'm looking at right now would more than achieve broadcasting standards, but I have almost no expenses right now and some extra income and I feel I could get a lot of use (and fun) out of a powerful build.

Ahhh i gotcha...Sounds fun! One more question is water cooling an option? When i get off later on today,ill put something together for you!

[Doctor_Death]

How many GPU's are you planning on running ? I would also install a decent SSD and use either a 1TB or 2TB drive for storage. As far as processors, I would go with either a 6 core or 8 core, everyone knows that Intel chips run faster than AMD, but the new AMD FX-8350 is a decent chip, and for an 8 core chip it's under $200
On the Intel side, the Sandy Bridge-E 3930K is a vaet fast 6 core chip, but it costs over $500. When you let us know what processor your interested in, we can help you pick a motherboard. In regards to GPU's, with the budget you have, I would suggest the EVGA GTX690 which costs $1000, the GTX 680 would be your next choice. For AMD take a look at either the HD7970, or if you can find one, the HD7990. However if you can wait a couple of months, new GPU's from both camps will be starting to show up. Do yoo have any idea how much Ram you need, of whould like to install ?

[Cyberburnout]

I could build a monster on a system with a 5k budget. Seems more like a workstation/video server then a gaming system so maybe he should look into a Firepro for endcoding. V9000 or 2 v5800 in Crossfire if you use a PC mobo. A V8700 would work too. If you want to go extreme. You can get a Socket G34 board and Run a 12 or 16 core Opteron. You can get a Dual socket G34 board plus 2 6128 8 cores for around $1000. Cant run Crossfire though. Thats where a V9000 or V8700 helps. At least 16GB of RAM. Fastest the board can support. Or 32gb of something slower. The work he is doing will chew memory up. A SSD is a must.

With cooling, A case, Hdd and Power supply you may be close to 4k.

[PoLoMoTo]

Or he could get Asus's dual 2011 mobo for 500 and put in two E5-2650s with a FirePro or two and probably still have some spare cash for 4 250GB SSDs in raid for a 1TB SSD

[Solara2xb]

$5k is a pretty high budget, you can pretty much get top of the line components and still have room for other stuff..
You can build a pretty decent rig for all of the above mentioned for under $2500-$3000..

[Cyberburnout]

Exactly. With a 5k budget the options are endless. We will need some feedback from him to help norrow it down some.

[EAndrews]

Ah, crap. Everyone is being helpful and I can understand like 30% of what you guys are talking about. Let me do my best...

@JamesLT3, water cooling is an option. I am completely unfamiliar with the best types of cooling/heat management stuff so if that's the best way to go then I'm up for it.

@Doctor_Death, how many GPUs do I need? I was originally looking at the EVGA GTX690, mistyped it as the 670 in my original post. I feel like right now I'm comfortable planning on having just the one with room for more if the budget allows it in the end. The processor I was looking at was the Intel Core i7-3930K. I pretty much just googled around and found it, I have no idea if it's overpriced or if I could get something almost as good for a lot less. As far as RAM, 16gigs would be really nice and is something I am hoping to get, but in the end 8 at the very least. I mean... what's the limit of RAM you can cram in there? Is that dependent on the mobo?

@Cyberburnout, some video editing and encoding is on the plate for me but I feel that the stuff I'm looking at right now will more than cover those needs. Honestly a $700 rig off the shelf would probably more than do it for me, but I'm pretty young and currently able to waste money on cool stuff I don't need. I'm sure this is going to be obvious, but what's Crossfire?

@PoLoMoTo, this sounds like a pretty nifty idea, also I understood it all the way through.

@Solara2xb, thanks I am definitely not opposed to going under budget on this project.

To try and be more specific, I am not doing any extreme computing that would necessitate a machine as powerful as the one I want to build. I want a well-rounded computer and I don't really need to put a lot of focus in to making it really good at one particular thing.

I don't have all the money to start working on this thing just yet, my current goal is to start buying parts at the end of March. Is there a pretty good chance new technology will be available by then?

[Cyberburnout]

Ah, crap. Everyone is being helpful and I can understand like 30% of what you guys are talking about. Let me do my best...

@JamesLT3, water cooling is an option. I am completely unfamiliar with the best types of cooling/heat management stuff so if that's the best way to go then I'm up for it.

@Doctor_Death, how many GPUs do I need? I was originally looking at the EVGA GTX690, mistyped it as the 670 in my original post. I feel like right now I'm comfortable planning on having just the one with room for more if the budget allows it in the end. The processor I was looking at was the Intel Core i7-3930K. I pretty much just googled around and found it, I have no idea if it's overpriced or if I could get something almost as good for a lot less. As far as RAM, 16gigs would be really nice and is something I am hoping to get, but in the end 8 at the very least. I mean... what's the limit of RAM you can cram in there? Is that dependent on the mobo?

@Cyberburnout, some video editing and encoding is on the plate for me but I feel that the stuff I'm looking at right now will more than cover those needs. Honestly a $700 rig off the shelf would probably more than do it for me, but I'm pretty young and currently able to waste money on cool stuff I don't need. I'm sure this is going to be obvious, but what's Crossfire?

@PoLoMoTo, this sounds like a pretty nifty idea, also I understood it all the way through.

@Solara2xb, thanks I am definitely not opposed to going under budget on this project.

To try and be more specific, I am not doing any extreme computing that would necessitate a machine as powerful as the one I want to build. I want a well-rounded computer and I don't really need to put a lot of focus in to making it really good at one particular thing.

I don't have all the money to start working on this thing just yet, my current goal is to start buying parts at the end of March. Is there a pretty good chance new technology will be available by then?

You picked a good CPU. 16 GB is almost the norm now. Most boards Max at 32GB some can do 64GB. Crossfire is AMD term for using two or more video cards in one system. Polomoto stole what i said except turned it into Intel Parts instead of AMD. He is a Hater!

[PoLoMoTo]

You picked a good CPU. 16 GB is almost the norm now. Most boards Max at 32GB some can do 64GB. Crossfire is AMD term for using two or more video cards in one system. Polomoto stole what i said except turned it into Intel Parts instead of AMD. He is a Hater!

:P I'm not a hater you're just wrong XD AMD is as dead as the dodo imo, they'll be doomed if intel gets a hold of nVidia