Input in a semi budget all round PC

[dacons]

Hey all I was hoping I could get some opinions on a build im putting together for my friends old man.
He isnt a gamer so decent GPU,s are out but he wants speed and some future proofing so has asked me to go slightly beyond his needs.
His current and intended uses are basic use some photo editing , he plans to ripp all his DVD,s so he can playback through his smart TV (no NAS at this stage I did ask) so there is a degree of video encoding.

His Budget is £700 but I put this spec together for a little more then £600 so any suggestions are welcome but they have requested a minimum of i5 spec machine.

Intel Core i5 4430
Asus B85M-G
8GB (2x4GB) Corsair DDR3 XMS3
1GB Asus HD 5450 Silent
2TB WD WD2002FAEX Caviar Black
Sandisk ready cache 32GB SSD
21.5" Asus VS228D LED Full HD
CiT Knight, Black Interior, Midi ATX with 500W 12cm Black PSU

As said speed is primary so any suggestions on how to optimise the spec would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Remmy]

If you have around another £100 to play with I'd probably consider getting at least a 64GB SSD, 32GB is really on the small side even just for the OS. Looking quickly, it seems you can get an SSD twice the size for only about £15 extra.

You could upgrade the CPU to the 4670k for £40 extra which would allow overclocking down the line should performance start to degrade.

You could add a decent aftermarket cooler which will perform better than stock and also quieter. Something like the Coolermaster Hyper 212 Evo is a great option.

If he's planning to rip his DVDs, presumably he has a drive already as there isn't one on the list? They're only like £15 anyway.

Are peripherals like mouse/keyboard included in this budget?

Separate case, with a better quality PSU would be preferable, but obviously it's getting really close to the budget at this point, but it's a couple of ideas to get a bit more out of the budget.

 

[Feronix]

No no no no no, don't get a CiT PSU (+ case). Don't.

Best to swap it out for something like a CM N200 or Fractal Design Core 1000 (USB3 if the mobo supports it) and a Corsair CX 430 PSU.

If speed is the main concern, you might as well upgrade to a bigger SSD (120GB) so he can fit all his editing programs on that as well OR upgrade to an i7 4770/ Xeon E3-1230 V3. Don't think the budget allows for both those upgrades.

Lastly, does he use a lot of Adobe software? In that case he'd be better off with an Nvidia card as they have CUDA. AMD only support OpenCL and the CPU will destroy that card in OpenCL applications, rendering the GPU a bit useless...

 

[dacons]

Ok was thinking the case PSU maybe a bit to budget but another forum was pushing the setup that way.

As for the SSD its not actually for the OS its a a Ready Cache drive designed to boost performance without have seperate dedicated drives or expensive hybrid drives.

I decided to go this route because I didnt want to complicate the system with 2 seperate drives as the user whilst compitant will probably end up storing all his files on the main drive and filling it up instead of the large storage drive, so I thought I sticka quick WD black in and boost that with the sandisk drive.

Yeah I have included a disk drive in the build alond with keyboard and mouse but you cant really go wrong with them so didnt see the point in putting them down.

TBH im not sure if he uses alot of adobe stuff but best to say yes and account for it so il look at the Nvidea cards .

 

[Feronix]

Never skimp on a power supply. I'd rather get an i5 with a proper PSU than an i7 with a PSU that is literally notorious for blowing up. Can take the entire system with it as well.

Fair enough on the caching drive. Seperate drives aren't for everyone :lol:

Does the £700 budget have to include the DVD burner, mouse, keyboard and screen or do you already have some of these?

 

[dacons]

Yeah keyboard and mouse are included in budget along with a basic dvd RW drive and if you look at the list second from the bottom I have included a monitor in the spec.

I did suggest a larger SSD then when he has got to grips with the machine get a decent sized NAS for all his movies but my mate thinks it would be over complicating it for his dad so baby steps I guess.

Updated spec as per suggestions so far

Intel Core i5 4430
Coolermaster Hyper 212 Evo
Asus B85M-G
8GB 2x4G Corsair DDR3 XMS3
EVGA GeForce GT 210
2TB WD WD2002FAEX Caviar Black
Sandisk ready cache 32GB SSD
Corsair 430W PSU
Fractal Design Core 1000
21.5" Asus VS228D LED Full HD
LiteOn IHAS124-14 24x SATA Internal DVDRW
Logitech MK270

that brings me in at around £684

 

[Remmy]

That sounds pretty good to me The only thing I would still say, is that despite having 2 drives it's not that difficult to get used to, and having an SSD for OS and common programs makes an unbelievable amount of difference in the speed the user perceives, and would be simpler to put in from the start than swapping the OS onto one later on.

 

[Feronix]

Please don't double post, but use the

button instead. Thanks

Looks like a good build, although you don't reaaally need an aftermarket CPU cooler for a lower end i5. On the other hand, it'll make the pc a fair bit more silent and allows an upgrade to an i7 further down the road.

What speeds does that XMS3 run at? Photo- and video editing software will benefit from faster RAM. Just make sure it's 1600MHz or higher and the CL is 9 maximum.

 

[barnsley]

If that is the same as my xms3 ram, its 1333.

 

[Rastalovich]

Is it worth getting a GT 210, with the Intel HD 4600 igp ?

 

[dacons]

@Remmy I totaly agree I have a deidcated ssd for the main os but il have to see if I can convince them.

@Feronix double post ?
The ram I was looking at is this one

@Rastalovich Il take a look.

 

[Feronix]

@Remmy I totaly agree I have a deidcated ssd for the main os but il have to see if I can convince them.

@Feronix double post ?
The ram I was looking at is this one

@Rastalovich Il take a look.

Caching is probably better for a person that doesn't understand an SSD needs maintenance and you can't just install everything on there.

That RAM is fine btw.

Erhm, the HD4600 is actually faster than a GT 210. It does use some of the memory, but even that will be faster than the memory of the 210 as that one uses DDR2.

Can you bump it up to a GT610 or preferably a GT640. Won't be (much) quicker than the integrated GPU, but at least the drivers are a lot better. Otherwise you could just save some cash and leave the GPU out.

 

[Rastalovich]

I've used 610s in htpc builds, some nice silent ones about.

Don't know if cash spent here is better off spent elsewhere tho ?

 

[dacons]

Ok will have a look at the 610 and 640,s

 

[dev_tomato]

I don't see the need to get GT 610 or GT 640 based on your friend's needs. Given the requirements, I would personally ditch SSD caching altogether and opt for a 3 TB 7200 RPM Hard Disk instead. Most of his DVD rips will not benefit from the spatial locality due to data being sequential anyway and hard drives deliver pretty comparable and good sequential rates.

You mentioned he will be doing some video encoding, and ripping all those dvds so I can foresee 3 TB being more useful to him.

If you realy want to throw in a GT 610 -then this may seem strange from the usual advice given but since he won't be gaming anyway and even video encoding is not going to be done on a regular basis. Does he really need an i5 even? I am seeing some really good deals (on ebay canada anyway) on Q9450 + Motherboard Combo + 4x2GB DDR2 for around $350. That Q9450 was (And still is in my opinion) a very capable chip and paired with a GT 610 IMO will keep him happy for a long time.

 

[NeverBackDown]

Lastly, does he use a lot of Adobe software? In that case he'd be better off with an Nvidia card as they have CUDA. AMD only support OpenCL and the CPU will destroy that card in OpenCL applications, rendering the GPU a bit useless...

If it is adobe then AMD is the only way to go... Cuda is nothing compared to OpenCL.. Which both companies support( along with opengl). No CPU will beat a GPU( a decent one) rendering in OpenCL/GL as far as i am aware.

 

[Feronix]

If it is adobe then AMD is the only way to go... Cuda is nothing compared to OpenCL.. Which both companies support( along with opengl). No CPU will beat a GPU( a decent one) rendering in OpenCL/GL as far as i am aware.

Just looked it up. OpenCL is only supported since CS6. Anything before that will only utilize CUDA unless you're on a Mac. I don't really consider the GT210 a decent GPU tbh, a proper i5/i7 will beat it. Maybe the GT640?

@OP: Might not be a horrible idea to leave out the GPU for now and bump that thing up to an i7 4770(s)? It has HD4600 graphics integrated which will be plenty for regular usage (like editing or movies) and you can always add a GPU later. But for what he wants to use his pc for, the CPU is most important.

If his editing work isn't that intensive (e.g just simple stuff as a hobby) the set-up is fine as it is tbh.

 

[Bobiz192]

If he really does not like the idea of a separate hdd and ssd. Maybe look at a SSHD.

 

[NeverBackDown]

Just looked it up. OpenCL is only supported since CS6. Anything before that will only utilize CUDA unless you're on a Mac. I don't really consider the GT210 a decent GPU tbh, a proper i5/i7 will beat it. Maybe the GT640?

@OP: Might not be a horrible idea to leave out the GPU for now and bump that thing up to an i7 4770(s)? It has HD4600 graphics integrated which will be plenty for regular usage (like editing or movies) and you can always add a GPU later. But for what he wants to use his pc for, the CPU is most important.

If his editing work isn't that intensive (e.g just simple stuff as a hobby) the set-up is fine as it is tbh.

His set up is fine. I was merely pointing out that if he is using adobe that supports opencl then any amd gpu from 7750+ will be better than intel HD graphics. If he has a very large collection then it may be worth investing into to help speed up the process.

 

[dacons]

@Feronix I believe his editing will be limited he is a total novice atm but they have just asked for a best possible spec for the money which will allow an i7 if I drop the GPU or would I be better of going back to the i5 and sticking a better GPU in.

As for hdd I think the 2 TB will be fine for his needs he doesnt have a vast selection.