Building an Editing/Gaming PC

[TheGameNinja]

I am going to be putting together a PC soon. It's the first time I've ever put one together myself, so I'm not too sure what I'm doing. But here's what I need it to do: run video editing software well. I have Sony Vegas right now, but I'm going to invest in Premiere once I'm out of school in a few months. I would also like it to be able to run games. This is a secondary objective, since I will hopefully be using this machine for work. But being able to play at least some new PC games would be nice for once. What do I need? Where do I begin? I have $500 right now to work with and I'll probably have more after graduation.

[ShadowsOfSilver]

k, I'm the right guy to talk to about this. You have skype or something? it'd be easier to help you out on there.

Currently sending this from my custom build, basic specs:

AMD Phenom II X4 965 BE @ 3.4 GHz
8 GBs of RAM
Nvidia GTX 650 Ti 2 GB Overclocked
450w PSU (which I need to upgrade soon)

the rest isn't important to list.

but yeah pm me your skype, I'll help you out

[Wolfy]

Currently sending this from my custom build, basic specs:

AMD Phenom II X4 965 BE @ 3.4 GHz

^firstly, the AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition(which i currently have as well) has been discontinued, so I would avoid that as well as the need to use an outdated motherboard socket.

Nvidia GTX 650 Ti 2 GB Overclocked

The performance gap between a 650 and 660 Ti is quite large so I would suggest getting a newer classed card instead, especially the new GTX 760, which is currently about $250. If you can save up, it'll be well worth the investment.

Before you buy RAM, you should know the clock speed. The average RAM clock speed is usually 1333MHz, but if you want better performance you should go for something like 1600 or 1866MHz. 8GB is a perfectly fine amount for everything you would need though.

Power supply is simple. You should always get a PSU that's safely over the amount of power you need in case you're ever looking to upgrade. High-efficiency PSU's are nice too, much more merciful on your power bill.

As for processors, the new i5 processors have been released and those are showing some pretty neat results. They use the newer motherboards(socket LGA1150) for better performance out of your GPU and RAM with PCIe 3.0 and are typically about ~$170 in price. Worth it if you can make the stretch. Check them out here: http://ark.intel.com/products/series/75035

the rest isn't important to list.

Why would you say that? You completely missed two crucial parts, the motherboard and case. For instance, your motherboard needs to be for the correct socket before you end up getting one that your processor won't even fit in. There's also the need to get one that supports the extra features of your processor so the performance boosts aren't minimal. Along with that, there's the need to choose a proper case to cool down your motherboard, and any extra cooling components you may need. You need to account for the prices of these as well, since good ones can get pretty expensive.

Your setup IS quite nice, ShadowsOfSilver, but it won't run newer games well enough unless the settings are drastically lowered. In terms of price, I calculated it would be just over $500(including motherboard/case) so it does stay on the cheap side. My own rough estimates with the components I suggested go up to about $760 but in the end, it's your choice TGN.

[ShadowsOfSilver]

^firstly, the AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition(which i currently have as well) has been discontinued, so I would avoid that as well as the need to use an outdated motherboard socket.
The performance gap between a 650 and 660 Ti is quite large so I would suggest getting a newer classed card instead, especially the new GTX 760, which is currently about $250. If you can save up, it'll be well worth the investment.

Before you buy RAM, you should know the clock speed. The average RAM clock speed is usually 1333MHz, but if you want better performance you should go for something like 1600 or 1866MHz. 8GB is a perfectly fine amount for everything you would need though.

Power supply is simple. You should always get a PSU that's safely over the amount of power you need in case you're ever looking to upgrade. High-efficiency PSU's are nice too, much more merciful on your power bill.

As for processors, the new i5 processors have been released and those are showing some pretty neat results. They use the newer motherboards(socket LGA1150) for better performance out of your GPU and RAM with PCIe 3.0 and are typically about ~$170 in price. Worth it if you can make the stretch. Check them out here: http://ark.intel.com/products/series/75035
Why would you say that? You completely missed two crucial parts, the motherboard and case. For instance, your motherboard needs to be for the correct socket before you end up getting one that your processor won't even fit in. There's also the need to get one that supports the extra features of your processor so the performance boosts aren't minimal. Along with that, there's the need to choose a proper case to cool down your motherboard, and any extra cooling components you may need. You need to account for the prices of these as well, since good ones can get pretty expensive.

Your setup IS quite nice, ShadowsOfSilver, but it won't run newer games well enough unless the settings are drastically lowered. In terms of price, I calculated it would be just over $500(including motherboard/case) so it does stay on the cheap side. My own rough estimates with the components I suggested go up to about $760 but in the end, it's your choice TGN.

yes, it was built a year ago.

However, what you said about it not running new games is false, runs every game I've tried on high settings at 45-60 FPS.

I was listing the basics, not everything.

[TheGameNinja]

$500 is the minimum, it's how much I have right now to spend on it. I can't go over that right now, but I'll have more cash after graduation.

I don't even know what some of those parts do so...

[Wolfy]

yes, it was built a year ago.

However, what you said about it not running new games is false, runs every game I've tried on high settings at 45-60 FPS.

I was listing the basics, not everything.

What games specifically?

$500 is the minimum, it's how much I have right now to spend on it. I can't go over that right now, but I'll have more cash after graduation.

I don't even know what some of those parts do so...

Let me try as best as I can to clear this up:

Your motherboard is where you start building your computer. It's where all the parts unite.
Your RAM(well you probably already know this) controls how many applications you should be able to run at once.
Your GPU/Video Card/Graphics Card processes all things related to graphics and videos. A higher-end graphics card will let you run games at higher settings with a better performance.
Your case is what is used to enclose your motherboard.
Your power supply regulates the power your computer receives. You need to know the wattage of all your components in order to make the right decision on this.
And your processor generally handles everything. It has some effect in games and a very large effect in video editing.

I hope that helped, somehow.

[TheGameNinja]

What games specifically?Let me try as best as I can to clear this up:

Your motherboard is where you start building your computer. It's where all the parts unite.
Your RAM(well you probably already know this) controls how many applications you should be able to run at once.
Your GPU/Video Card/Graphics Card processes all things related to graphics and videos. A higher-end graphics card will let you run games at higher settings with a better performance.
Your case is what is used to enclose your motherboard.
Your power supply regulates the power your computer receives. You need to know the wattage of all your components in order to make the right decision on this.
And your processor generally handles everything. It has some effect in games and a very large effect in video editing.

I hope that helped, somehow.

It does. I'll want to invest in a good processor then?

[Wolfy]

Yes. Better processors and GPUs are typically key to shorter render times for video editing and such. Some games don't take much advantage of processors since they can manage to run fine with just a good card but some like Battlefield 3, Skyrim, and Minecraft rely on them heavily. Sonic Generations does as well (my laptop runs an i7 and a 650, i get 45-50fps. my desktop runs a phenom II x4 965 be and a 560 ti, and my desktop is always 60fps. same settings.) As for editing software, it's been ages since I last used one so I know less about them then most, aside from what I shared earlier.

[Tanassy]

I'm sorry, but at $500, you simply can't buy a PC that can do any of those things well. Save up at least 1000 to 1500 before even considering a PC for editing and secondary gaming. It's serious CPU intensive work, take it from me.

[TheGameNinja]

So, make that $1000. I don't want to spend that much but it's what I have.

[Wolfy]

You could always try the Computer Building thread. I have a decent build there for under $1000, if you're interested.