Hardware Custom Built PC Time!

[The Riolu]

Finally after some time, I've decided to upgrade from my iMac to a custom built PC.
After seeing pixel anomalies and other issues with my iMac, it's time to put it to rest. I've spent a decent amount of money into it but I'm looking to create my own PC myself.

What is my budget?
My budget at this moment for the computer is a maximum of $1,800 and a minimum of $1,000. (This is including a monitor)

What are you planning to use it for?
I am planning on using this PC for graphic design (3D rendering, video editing, etc.) and 1080p gaming. I'm looking for a decent amount of FPS as well.

After researching for a while, I've came up with a build myself for $1,800.

NEW, MODIFIED BUILD :

Intel Core i7-3770K 3.4GHz-3.9GHz Turbo Quad-Core Processor - $324.23 w/ combo discount
Corsair H60 74.4 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler - $58.99 w/ combo discount and $20 MIR
AsRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard - $129.99
Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory - $47.99 w/ combo discount and $20 MIR
Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal HDD - $69.98
Asus GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB Video Card - $289.99 w/ $20 MIR
Cooler Master HAF 922 Mid Tower ATX Case - $101.97
Rosewill Stallion 500W ATX12V Power Supply - $49.99
Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer - $16.98
Asus VH236H 23.0" Monitor 2ms Response Time - $158.98 w/ $20 MIR

Total: $1,240.36
Permalink to my setup from PCPartPicker: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Hio4

I'd like to elaborate on this setup and whether I should add or replace parts that I have selected.
I do prefer Intel and NVidia rather than AMD, as I have had many problems with AMD before and I am not willing to risk it.

 

[Joe88]

what kind of crazy video editing and modeling are you doing that you need that card?

 

[FireGrey]

The GTX Titan seems way too overkill.
I suggest getting a 680, saving about $500 and spend that on 16GB RAM, an SSD and a good cpu cooler to overclock.

 

[gifi4]

"twice the performance of a GTX 680" Honestly, isn't that a bit OP for a GPU...

Love how all the posts up to this point are about the same thing, the GPU.

 

[Joe88]

as gif4 suggested get the GTX 680 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130768

and switch out the cpu for this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116502

 

[kehkou]

Damn crazy setup man! you making an animated feature?

 

[Celice]

I second getting a lower graphics card. Save the money in a safe place, and down the line use it to jump a huge upgrade when or if needed.

 

[The Riolu]

Alright, what SSD is recommended? Maybe a 120GB ssd would be enough. Sorry for any possible spelling errors, I'm on my nexus 7 now so its not that easy to type

 

[Originality]

As above, first step - step away from the Titan! Get a reasonably priced GPU like the 680.
As above, second step - step up the CPU. You can use the HyperThreading, so get the i7.
Don't forget cooling for that CPU. Gelid Tranquillo or Corsair H60 (or higher) are popular coolers.

Now with the money you've saved from the graphics, get a 250GB SSD like the Samsung 830/840 or Crucial M4 (I prefer Samsung, more reliable). You can get away with 120GB, but the extra space would be a godsend for bigger rendering projects.
Also, get a bigger case. The Antec One is designed for budget-mid-ranged systems or outsourced liquid cooled gaming monsters. Don't ask about the latter part - you can't afford it. There are many other good cases like the Antec 900/1200, HAF series, or the SilverStone Raven RV03. Not to mention that I don't think big graphics cards fit in the Antec One... (266mm is the maximum length graphics card supported, and the Titan is 267mm stock).

 

[The Riolu]

As above, first step - step away from the Titan! Get a reasonably priced GPU like the 680.
As above, second step - stup up the CPU. You can use the HyperThreading, so get the i7.
Don't forget cooling for that CPU. Gelid Tranquillo or Corsair H60 (or higher) are popular coolers.

Now with the money you've saved from the graphics, get a 250GB SSD like the Samsung 830/840 or Crucial M4 (I prefer Samsung, more reliable). You can get away with 120GB, but the extra space would be a godsend for bigger rendering projects.
Also, get a bigger case. The Antec One is designed for budget-mid-ranged systems or outsourced liquid cooled gaming monsters. Don't ask about the latter part - you can't afford it. There are many other good cases like the Antec 900/1200, HAF series, or the SilverStone Raven RV03. Not to mention that I don't think big graphics cards fit in the Antec One... (266mm is the maximum length graphics card supported, and the Titan is 267mm stock).

Alright, I'm willing to keep this PC for a while so would the 680 handle future gaming?
And I will switch the case as well.

 

[Scuba156]

Alright, I'm willing to keep this PC for a while so would the 680 handle future gaming?
And I will switch the case as well.

Near future yes, kind of hard to tell for how long for but that goes with any hardware that you buy. The money you save from the titan should easily cover the cost of the next GPU you buy when the time comes to it. There's no point over spending now on overpowered hardware.

 

[Originality]

To put it into perspective, a GTX 460 can still handle modern games. My GTX 560 Ti will definitely handle modern games for several years to come. GTX 660 Ti, 670 and 680 are actually overkill for modern games at 1080p. It only makes more of a difference in gaming when you start adding bigger screens, multiple screens, and expecting to max out AA/AF and whatever other fancy post-processing the games support.

That said, for animation, rendering, and other graphic desktop work, the more powerful the GPU(s), the quicker it will complete your projects. This is pretty much one of the only two reasons to have multi-GPU systems - either to get graphic work done faster, or to make modern games playable at 5760x1080p (triple monitor widescreen) with all the settings maxed out.

I'll also add one more tip incase you didn't read it in any of the other threads I've commented in. When it comes to storage, the ideal combination is SSD (for OS and demanding apps like your animation suite) and a "green" storage HDD (e.g. 3-4TB drive for storing all your data that isn't time-dependant, like pics, music, etc) or two. Some people also like to use the SSD for their Steam drive, but my Steam collection is too big for that (and I'm not so reckless as to buy a couple of those 1TB SSDs just for Steam games).

 

[The Riolu]

To put it into perspective, a GTX 460 can still handle modern games. My GTX 560 Ti will definitely handle modern games for several years to come. GTX 660 Ti, 670 and 680 are actually overkill for modern games at 1080p. It only makes more of a difference in gaming when you start adding bigger screens, multiple screens, and expecting to max out AA/AF and whatever other fancy post-processing the games support.

That said, for animation, rendering, and other graphic desktop work, the more powerful the GPU(s), the quicker it will complete your projects. This is pretty much one of the only two reasons to have multi-GPU systems - either to get graphic work done faster, or to make modern games playable at 5760x1080p (triple monitor widescreen) with all the settings maxed out.

I'll also add one more tip incase you didn't read it in any of the other threads I've commented in. When it comes to storage, the ideal combination is SSD (for OS and demanding apps like your animation suite) and a "green" storage HDD (e.g. 3-4TB drive for storing all your data that isn't time-dependant, like pics, music, etc) or two. Some people also like to use the SSD for their Steam drive, but my Steam collection is too big for that (and I'm not so reckless as to buy a couple of those 1TB SSDs just for Steam games).

Well, I'm most likely only going to play on a 23" 1920x1080 Widescreen Monitor, I really am not a fan of the double/triple monitor setups. Also, I have updated the first post with a new and modified build. Tell me what you think about it

 

[Originality]

And this is why I said 660 Ti and above are overkill (for that size monitor that is).

For the motherboard: I don't like AsRock at all (others will disagree with me on this). I prefer the Asus Maximus V Gene - it's one of the highest rated motherboards in terms of performance/features/value (Maximus V Formula and Extreme exist too, which are full ATX instead of mATX).
EDIT: Even if it is more pricey than the AsRock.

The case looks good - plenty of room on for a GTX 680 (although I wonder if it can fit a 690 properly, but that's not relevant) and it can even support a Corsair H100.

 

[The Riolu]

And this is why I said 660 Ti and above are overkill (for that size monitor that is).

For the motherboard: I don't like AsRock at all (others will disagree with me on this). I prefer the Asus Maximus V Gene - it's one of the highest rated motherboards in terms of performance/features/value (Maximus V Formula and Extreme exist too, which are full ATX instead of mATX).
EDIT: Even if it is more pricey than the AsRock.

The case looks good - plenty of room on for a GTX 680 (although I wonder if it can fit a 690 properly, but that's not relevant) and it can even support a Corsair H100.

I like the mobo that you suggested, but it does break the budget by about $21. What could I remove/replace with a lower option for it to fit my budget?

 

[Originality]

You can shave off the cost by getting:

a GTX 670 instead of 680
120GB SSD instead of 250GB
600/650W PSU instead of 750W
Cheaper RAM
or Core i5 instead of Core i7
A different motherboard

I'm not saying you have to downgrade all those parts I mentioned - it's about creating a balance.

And don't forget to get either an air cooler or a liquid cooler.

 

[trumpet-205]

You can definitely go cheaper on GPU. GTX 680 is overkill for 1080p. That said, you mentioned video editing, so I have to ask, how serious? To be honest if this is work related you probably have to pick gaming or work. Usually to get things done efficiently you have to go for Quadro, not GTX. Quadro is not for gaming.

I actually disagree with Originality with motherboard. An overclocked i7 (excluding sub-zero benching) does not place a lot of stress on VRM, even budget Z77 motherboard (with analog VRM like 4+1+1) can do the job. Unless you like the look of Maximus V Gene I wouldn't go there. Only when it comes to AMD processor (which consumes a lot of power) that it is wise to go for premium quality motherboard.

PSU is overkilled. My setup (3570K OC'd 4.4 GHz + HD7850) didn't even consume more than 250 W. I think 500 to 600 W PSU is more suitable (i'm using 450 W Rosewill Capstone). Using overkilled PSU with efficient setup is not a good combination, since 80 PLUS only measures efficiency at certain point of consumption.

 

[The Riolu]

Alright, I updated the first post once again, replacing the 750W PSU with a 650, as well as downgrading to a 128GB SSD. I also downgraded from 16GB of RAM to 8.

 

[Originality]

I actually disagree with Originality with motherboard. An overclocked i7 (excluding sub-zero benching) does not place a lot of stress on VRM, even budget Z77 motherboard (with analog VRM like 4+1+1) can do the job. Unless you like the look of Maximus V Gene I wouldn't go there. Only when it comes to AMD processor (which consumes a lot of power) that it is wise to go for premium quality motherboard.

PSU is overkilled. My setup (3570K OC'd 4.4 GHz + HD7850) didn't even consume more than 250 W. I think 500 to 600 W PSU is more suitable (i'm using 450 W Rosewill Capstone). Using overkilled PSU with efficient setup is not a good combination, since 80 PLUS only measures efficiency at certain point of consumption.

Just because Maximus V Gene is the best rated, doesn't mean he has to go for it. That's why I also added an MSI Z77A-G45 as an alternative in my above post.
Likewise, that's why I recommended 600-650W instead of 750. Strictly speaking, 550W is enough, but GTX 670 and 680 recommends 600W.

 

[The Riolu]

Just because Maximus V Gene is the best rated, doesn't mean he has to go for it. That's why I also added an MSI Z77A-G45 as an alternative in my above post.
Likewise, that's why I recommended 600-650W instead of 750. Strictly speaking, 550W is enough, but GTX 670 and 680 recommends 600W.

Honestly, I might even switch to the 670 FTW. Based on what I play, I'm just looking forward to record 3D modeling and Photoshop work, as well as playing BO2, Crysis 3, and BF3 at reasonable FPS @ 1080p.