First Build for Music Production and Gaming

CianSmyth

1. What is your budget? €750

2. What will be the main purpose of the computer? Its main purpose will be a hub for my music production as I use a Macbook Pro at the moment but want to have a permanent place to produce. I also would like to be able to play pretty much any game with relative ease. (Witcher 3/Upcoming Fallout 4 ect.)

3. Do you need a copy of Windows? Yes

4. Can you use any parts from an old computer? No

5. Do you need a monitor? Yes, but this can be an additional cost to the €750

5b. If no, what resolution is your current monitor and do you plan to upgrade in the near future?

6. Do you need any of these peripherals? No

7. Are you willing to try overclocking? I would like to have the option.

8. How can you pay? Paypal/Visa

9. When are you purchasing? I would like to purchase as soon as possible but could wait if it was a good idea.

10. If you need help building it, where are you based?

Basically, this PC will be used as a place to finalise my various projects that I create on my Macbook, I have an external audio interface already, studio monitors and other equipment. I would love for it to have the best gaming quality for the price but to be honest I don't really know much about all this. Initially, I had planned on just building a gaming PC but I assume there is not much difference in both builds.

Thanks

Digital Solitude

I don't know the first thing about music production but if a Mac worked then this should too

i5 4460 €175
ASRock Pro4 €80
1tb HDD €50
500w PSU €60
Nanoxia DS3 €70
Crucial 8gb RAM €55
R9 280X €240

Totals at 750 or so. Prices from hardwareversand after geizhals affiliate site

CianSmyth

Thanks for the quick reply! I'll look into it now. By the way is there much difference besides price in AMD and Intel chips?

Digital Solitude

Intel chips are better for gaming due to single core performance.

When all cores are being used 100% then AMD win out price/performance but Intel wins hands down for gaming

CianSmyth

Okay, thanks for the info

CianSmyth

So after researching some more I pretty much decided to opt for the build you suggested with the addition of an AOC i2369Vm monitor. I dont really know much about monitors either but it seemed cheap enough and had good reviews. Would it be alright for gaming?
I also have thought about upping my budget to a total of €1000 with monitor included if it would have any effect on the performance of my build. Would the extra €100 make much difference in anyway ?

Article No. HV20I546DE
Intel Core i5-4460 in-a-Box
ready for dispatch

178,89 €

Article No. HV1138RVDE
ASRock Z97M Pro4, Sockel 1150, mATX
available within 2-3 business days

99,89 €

Article No. HV1038MSDE
MSI R9 280X GAMING 3G mit MANTLE und Gaming Evolved Client, 3GB DDR5
ready for dispatch

232,89 €

Article No. HV20MI48DE
8GB-Kit Crucial Ballistix Sport Series DDR3-1600, CL9
ready for dispatch

52,09 €

Article No. HVR630TCDE
Thermaltake Berlin 630W
available within 2-3 business days

58,99 €

Article No. HV13W1CBDE
WD Blue 1TB 6Gb's
ready for dispatch

50,70 €

Article No. HV203HSCDE
Nanoxia Deep Silence DS 3 Dark Black, ohne Netzteil
ready for dispatch

69,99 €

Article No. HVALTATKDE
AOC i2369Vm Value
available

152,16 €

Total:
895,60 €

Digital Solitude

Get the H97 ASRock Board, it's €80 or something.

You could add an SSD, or get an R9 290 or a GTX 970, but I'd prioritise the SSD if you don't plan on upgrading

CianSmyth

Was choosing the Z97 so I could have an overclock option. Not sure if I ever will as I'm new to all this.

I was thinking about an SSD, is it worth it?

Or would it be worth it to go for either the R9 290 or the GTX 970?

Also would this monitor be okay?

Sorry for all the questions!

Thanks again

Digital Solitude

You can't over clock the i5

Pick an SSD, Crucial BX100 250gb is €83 or something, and see how far away you are from going over budget for a 290.

Drop to Antec One case to save another €30 if you wanted but I'd keep the Nanoxia too

CianSmyth

It makes sense now! haha

If I choose a Samsung 850 EVO 120Gb SSD along with a €20 coupon I can bring the total to just under €1000 with the MSI R9 290 Gaming 4G.

Would this make much of a difference to my gaming? Or should I just go with my original plan as it's my first build. I'm fully prepared to spend €1000 if it means a much better system.

Digital Solitude

An SSD is night and day compared to HDDs, you'll never be able to go back.

I boot from one SSD, and it takes about 17 seconds from pressing the on button, and most games have loading screens of 4-5 seconds on Ultra.

290 delivers 15-20 more frames than the 280X according to Anandtech on most of the games they tested. Means nothing now, but it'll give you a good while longer before you need to upgrade a card

CianSmyth

Right, well I think I'm sold on the SSD! I will have a think about the 290 and decide before I buy.
My final question is whether it matters if I choose the h97m (micro atx) or h97 (atx) or should either be able to fit into the case?

Seriously appreciate the help, wouldn't have got anywhere on my own!

Digital Solitude

Either will work, I recommend the ATX, more RAM slots and USB ports.

Monitor should be grand by the way

CianSmyth

Grand, Thanks for everything. Probably will order everything by the weekend

Digital Solitude

No bother, best of luck with the build

TerrorFirmer

People tend to overstate the 280X, it's a good card but it's not infallible, some games will push it hard at 1080p now. The 290 is the right choice to make for a game like the Witcher 3, 280X would struggle a bit now at 1080p at high-max settings.

CianSmyth

Have to wait until Wednesday to order so I'm still looking. At the moment I have 3 builds all under €1100 I will put them up tonight so I know what's the best. Two have MSI R9 290 with having either a 290x or gtx 960.

Digital Solitude

Not worth cutting something for the 290X, pick it if you're going over budget again.

960 is weaker than 280X so I assume you mean 970, which is a nice card for 1080p.

280x is only grand for 1080p yeah, speaking from experience its already slowing at Max, a 290 is probably worth it if you're willing to pay

CianSmyth

Here are the 3 builds I'm looking at.

Build 1
-Intel Core i5-4460 in-a-Box
-8GB-Kit Crucial Ballistix Sport Series DDR3-1600, CL9
-Thermaltake Berlin 630W
-WD Blue 1TB 6Gb's
-Nanoxia Deep Silence DS 3 Dark Black, ohne Netzteil
-AOC i2369Vm Value
-Samsung SSD 850 EVO SATA 6Gb/s 120 GB
-ASRock H97M Pro4, Sockel 1150, mATX
-MSI R9 290 Gaming 4G mit MANTLE und Gaming Evolved Client, 4GB DDR5
€1041

Build 2
-Intel Core i5-4690K Box, LGA1150
-ASRock Z97M Pro4, Sockel 1150, mATX
-8GB-Kit Crucial Ballistix Sport Series DDR3-1600, CL9
-MSI R9 290 Gaming 4G mit MANTLE und Gaming Evolved Client, 4GB DDR5
-WD Blue 1TB SATA 6GB/s 9,5mm
-Nanoxia Deep Silence DS 3 Dark Black, ohne Netzteil
-AOC i2369Vm Value
-Samsung SSD 850 EVO SATA 6Gb/s 120 GB
-Thermaltake Berlin 630W
€1130

Build 3
-Nanoxia Deep Silence DS 3 Dark Black, ohne Netzteil
-AMD FX-8320 Prozessor, Boxed, Sockel AM3+
-ASRock 970 Extreme3 R2.0, AM3+, ATX
-MSI R9 290X Gaming 4G mit MANTLE und Gaming Evolved Client, 4GB DDR5 or MSI
-8GB-Kit Crucial Ballistix Sport 4GBx2 DDR3 PC3-12800 1600 240pin
-AOC i2369Vm Value
-Samsung SSD 850 EVO SATA 6Gb/s 250 GB
-Thermaltake Berlin 630W
-WD Blue 1TB SATA 6GB/s 9,5mm
€1150/1180 depending on graphics card

None of the totals have been run through Geizhals.de

TerrorFirmer

Build 2 hands down.

AMD CPU's are decent for certain non-gamnig applicatons but they're comparatively poor in the majority of games, slower than a basic i3 usually. I'd take build 1 over build 3 either.

Digital Solitude

Agreed with Terror, 2 is the best but value wise I'd go 1, 2, 3

CianSmyth

Probably going to end up going with Build 2. Announcement on the new AMD cards looking likely at E3 so that might mix things up a bit for me. Never thought it would be so difficult to settle!