51-70k Gaming/Music Production Rig

[akashk]

Hey guys,

As usual, I'm just another newbie asking for help with my first post in this part of the forum.

Q: What is your budget?
60-70K (lesser the better)

Q: What is your existing hardware configuration (component name - component brand and model)
I own a Notebook, Vaio VGN FW46GJ approx 3 years old.

Q: Which hardware will you be keeping (component name - component brand and model)
Just some half decent 2.1 speakers.

Q: Which hardware component are you looking to buy (component name). If you have already decided on a configuration then please mention the (component brand and model) as well, this will help us in fine tuning your requirement.

Processor ------------------ Intel Core i5 2400 OR 2500 OR Core i5 3570k OR i7 3700k (Cant Really Decide)
Motherboard ------------- GIGABYTE-B75-D3H
RAM ------------------ Corsair Vengeance /G.Skill RIPJAWS 8 GB
Hard-drive ------------------ Recommend something between 1-1.5 tb
Optical drive --------------- Liteon iHAS124B OR HP DVD1270i OR HP DvD1270i
Graphics Unit--------------- MSI Radeon HD 7850 2GB Power Edition OC
Monitor ----------------- AOC I2251FW 21.5" Full HD LED (Not sure if this is good quality )
Cabinet ------------ NZXT Gamma
SMPS -------------- Corsair GS 600
Keyboard ----------------- LOGITECH K200 combo
Mouse ----------------- Included in combo
UPS --------------------APC BR1100VA-IN
Soundcard ? ----------------- Not sure if I should get one

Q: Is this going to be your final configuration or you would be adding/upgrading a component in near future. If yes then please mention when and which component

I will probably get a Sound Card within 6-8 months if I need to. Other than that I dont think I will upgrade anything within a year.


Q: Where will you buy this hardware? (Online/City/TE Dealer)
Mumbai, Lamington Road.


Q: Would you consider buying a second hand hardware from the TE market
Yes

Q: What is your intended use for this PC/hardware
Gaming
Multimedia
Download rig, 24x7 operation
Music Production with Ableton Live and Reason 5 DAW's
Graphic Designing with Adobe Photoshop


Q: Do you have any brand preference or dislike? Please name them and the reason for your preference/dislike.
I'm pretty unbiased and I think you guys know better than me about the after sales stuff.
However, I might feel better about myself getting an intel i7 cpu instead of an i5.

Q: If you will be playing games then which type of games will you be playing?
Strategy - Civilization 5, Total War at Medium/High
FPS - COD Black Ops/ MF 2/ Crysis 2 at High
RPG - Skyrim at Medium/High



Q: What is your preferred monitor resolution for gaming and normal usage
Gaming - 1280x728 or 1080p
Desktop - 1080p

Q: Are you looking to overclock?
I dont despise the idea but I've never done it before.. I'll give it a try when I need to.

Q: Which operating system do you intend to use with this configuration?
Windows 7 64 bit


I was planning on getting one of the new i7 laptops but then I leaned towards getting a PC instead because I do not need the portability of a notebook for 2 years. Currently am using a Vaio VGN FW46GJ I bought around 3 years ago from Malaysia. It is decent enough for multimedia viewing/office work/music production but I can no longer play the newer games on it, which is why I'm getting a PC.

Also, I will be using Ableton Live 8 and Reason 5 Digitial Audio Workstations.. However the geek in me isn't sure if I should be investing in a Sound Card or if the on board sound card will be good enough.

I'm also not sure if some component of the system comes with a built in wi-fi receiver or I should get my router moved to wherever I'll install the PC and hook it up with the ethernet cable.

 

[ALPHA17]

@akashk, welcome to TE and hope that you have a pleasant stay.

I suggest that you forsake the over-clocking feature and go for a sound-card with the cash saved --
Intel Core i5 3450 ~12500/-
GIGABYTE-B75M-D3H ~4500/-
Corsair Vengeance 4GB x2 1600MHz ~3600/-
AMD HD7770 GHz edition ~9500/- OR AMD HD7850 2GB ~16500/-
Seagate Barracuda 7200.14 1TB ~4800/- [add another TB drive if this fails to be sufficient for your needs]
HP optical drive ~1000/-
ASUS Xonar DX ~4500/- [OR better if you feel the need, contact these guys --> @PristineNote http://www.proaudiohome.com/]
Seasonic S12II 520W OR Corsair GS500W ~4000/-
NZXT Gamma ~2500/-
DeLL ST2220L ~8500/-
APC BR1100VA-IN ~5000/-
[audio components of your choice as I am not good at suggesting those]

Hope this helps. Cheerio!

P.S. -- noticed that you are a TOTAL WAR player, may I know your STEAM iD for the same, mine is ALPHA17I.

 

[akashk]

Thanks Alhpa17 ! If you resided around Mumbai I would personally deliver you a cookie for your contributions. However, I'm passing by Delhi in a week and heading for a 10 day Ladakh tour... will be procuring the components after that, around 3 weeks from now.

 

[Jakob]

Intel i5 3550-13.5k
GIGABYTE-B75-D3H-4.5k
Corsair Vengeance OR G.Skill RIPJAWS 4GBX2 1600mhz-3.5k
Segate 1TB 7200RPM-4.7k
Sapphire/MSI Radeon HD 7850 2GB OC-16k
Corsair TX650V2-5.4k
Corsair Carbide 400R-5k
Dell ST2220L-8.5k
APC 1.1kVA-4.5k
OCZ Vertex 4 128GB SSD-8.5k
Samsung OR HP ODD-1k
If you want to overclock then-
Intel 3570K-15k
Asus P8Z77M-PRO-12.5k
Everything else same as above.
Hope this helps.

 

[akashk]

Not sure how to edit previous posts. I want to know if AMD HD7770 is good enough for my gaming needs. The price is appealing but I dont mind blowing off extra 6-7k if the graphic card serves me well for at least 2 years. Also, I will want to occasionally move the rig around to hook it up with my 46" tv for gaming if the possibility exists. I haven't owned a desktop since I hit puberty so I dont know how it would be like to move the newer computers around.

 

[ALPHA17]

Not sure how to edit previous posts. I want to know if AMD HD7770 is good enough for my gaming needs. The price is appealing but I dont mind blowing off extra 6-7k if the graphic card serves me well for at least 2 years. Also, I will want to occasionally move the rig around to hook it up with my 46" tv for gaming if the possibility exists.

Go for the HD7850 2GB if you want peace of mind and good performance for 2 years, the HD7770 will not last more than Q2 2013 in my opinion for 1080p gaming with medium detailing.

Hmmm... you will need to go for m-ITX builds if you want portability off this RIG and that means ~7000/- quid increment in the price of the motherboard. m-ITX boards are rare and have few of the connectivity, PCIe ports that their slightly larger brethren offer.

You will need to prioritize on quality --> portability of the desktop.

OCZ Vertex 4 128GB SSD-8.5k

More than an SSD I prefer OP to get a decent sound-card for his working. SSD can come later and be cheaper (hopefully).

 

[akashk]

Go for the HD7850 2GB if you want peace of mind and good performance for 2 years, the HD7770 will not last more than Q2 2013 in my opinion for 1080p gaming with medium detailing.

My thoughts exactly.

Hmmm... you will need to go for m-ITX builds if you want portability off this RIG and that means ~7000/- quid increment in the price of the motherboard. m-ITX boards are rare and have few of the connectivity, PCIe ports that their slightly larger brethren offer.

You will need to prioritize on quality --> portability of the desktop.

Portability is not THAT much of a concern. I dont think its reasonable to spend an additional 7k for a more portable rig and I do prefer quality. I assume the config you recommended can still be moved around although it will not be very comfortable to do so. I only want to move it around maybe once a week and I can probably get a wheeled computer table that will suit the purpose. So I just have to slide the table around and hook up the TV via the GPU hdmi output. (I hope thats how it is)

More than an SSD I prefer OP to get a decent sound-card for his working. SSD can come later and be cheaper (hopefully).

Yeah, SSD is not a primary requirement. I can always get it somewhere in the future when things are cheaper and cost/benefit ratio is more justified. I have studio level headphones so I should probably get a sound card for better sound.. besides I think the sound card also helps with reducing the latency between MIDI keyboard inputs and the digital audio workstation processing.

 

[Jakob]

Yeah,That's a requirement for OP,He can go with what his primary objective is,Xonar DX is a very good sound card,Good choice for OP.

Go for the HD7850 2GB if you want peace of mind and good performance for 2 years, the HD7770 will not last more than Q2 2013 in my opinion for 1080p gaming with medium detailing.

Hmmm... you will need to go for m-ITX builds if you want portability off this RIG and that means ~7000/- quid increment in the price of the motherboard. m-ITX boards are rare and have few of the connectivity, PCIe ports that their slightly larger brethren offer.

You will need to prioritize on quality --> portability of the desktop.



More than an SSD I prefer OP to get a decent sound-card for his working. SSD can come later and be cheaper (hopefully).

 

[akashk]

@akashk, welcome to TE and hope that you have a pleasant stay.

I suggest that you forsake the over-clocking feature and go for a sound-card with the cash saved --

Agree

P.S. -- noticed that you are a TOTAL WAR player, may I know your STEAM iD for the same, mine is ALPHA17I.

[/quote]

I dont have a Steam ID and the last time I played good amount of Total War was Medieval II some years ago. I didn't play it online though, but the proposition sounds appealing. After I build this PC shogun II will be on my download list. Will I have to *buy* it through steam if I want to play online ?

I have been doing my gaming on the xbox and miss the FPS/RTS action I used to have earlier. PC games are certainly a lot cheaper than xbox games and I might buy a few good ones to support capitalism & play online.

Yeah,That's a requirement for OP,He can go with what his primary objective is,Xonar DX is a very good sound card,Good choice for OP.

Yeah, 4.5k sounds like a deal. Thanks for your input too, Jakob

 

[ALPHA17]

Portability is not THAT much of a concern. I dont think its reasonable to spend an additional 7k for a more portable rig and I do prefer quality. I assume the config you recommended can still be moved around although it will not be very comfortable to do so. I only want to move it around maybe once a week and I can probably get a wheeled computer table that will suit the purpose. So I just have to slide the table around and hook up the TV via the GPU hdmi output. (I hope thats how it is)

Yes, you can do that with the RIG I and Jakob have suggested you.

After I build this PC shogun II will be on my download list. Will I have to *buy* it through steam if I want to play online ?

No you do not have to buy the STEAM copy, if you can get the retail-disc edition somewhere then buy that and register on STEAM. Although buying in the STEAM summer / winter sale is highly advised as the prices of the games goes down to ~$5 -->$10 and this is incredible value for money in my opinion.

 

[terence_fdes]

Currently am using a Vaio VGN FW46GJ I bought around 3 years ago from Malaysia. It is decent enough for multimedia viewing/office work/music production but I can no longer play the newer games on it, which is why I'm getting a PC.

Also, I will be using Ableton Live 8 and Reason 5 Digitial Audio Workstations.. However the geek in me isn't sure if I should be investing in a Sound Card or if the on board sound card will be good enough.

What is the level of "music production" work that you do....... is it a hobby or professional/commercial work too? Do you require external audio devices to be patched to your system (Input/Output connectors/ports for recording live sounds). This is what I was using for many years - creative sound blaster audigy 2 platinum & it cost me 15K in 2003 or so.

If music production is your primary objective then you simply cannot depend on the onboard sound - you will need a separate sound card with ASIO driver support (especially for Ableton Live 8).

Today, on the primary consumer level the Asus cards are better (driver support) than Creative - although both of them do not offer any additional 5'25" drive for the external I/O connections.

I am currently out of touch with audio, however if your interest is much more than a hobbyist then you can check out advice at hifivision | and also the following http://www.soundtempest.net/downloads/How%20to%20Pick%20a%20DAW%20Computer.pdf (this may be dated slightly) |

 

[akashk]

What is the level of "music production" work that you do....... is it a hobby or professional/commercial work too? Do you require external audio devices to be patched to your system (Input/Output connectors/ports for recording live sounds). This is what I was using for many years - creative sound blaster audigy 2 platinum & it cost me 15K in 2003 or so.

If music production is your primary objective then you simply cannot depend on the onboard sound - you will need a separate sound card with ASIO driver support (especially for Ableton Live 8).

Today, on the primary consumer level the Asus cards are better (driver support) than Creative - although both of them do not offer any additional 5'25" drive for the external I/O connections.

I am currently out of touch with audio, however if your interest is much more than a hobbyist then you can check out advice at hifivision | and also the following http://www.soundtempest.net/downloads/How%20to%20Pick%20a%20DAW%20Computer.pdf (this may be dated slightly) |

I have started to learn digital music production and am doing it as a hobby. The main purpose for learning is to express myself and share it for free & I dont have any commercial intentions as a music producer. For this purpose, I think the ASUS Xonar DX is good enough. Currently the only input device I will be using is an M-Audio MIDI Keyboard and I have Klipsch Image One headphones which are not exactly studio level but almost there. As I get better with production and my needs expand, I can always upgrade to better hardware.

Out of curiosity, terrence, what kind of Music do you work with ?

And, @ALPHA17 : I'm not sure if the HD 7850 is worth the money. At the current prices I'm leaning towards 7700 Ghz edition.. I'll be back from my vacation in 2-3 weeks and if by then the price of HD 7850 drops a little I might reconsider it. The reason for this change of heart is the Sapphire HD 7870 being sold on Flipkart for 19.8k ...a mere 3.3k more than the 7850. It makes more sense to buy the 7870 but then the budget gets a little too stretched :unsure:

 

[ALPHA17]

And, @ALPHA17 : I'm not sure if the HD 7850 is worth the money. At the current prices I'm leaning towards 7700 Ghz edition.. I'll be back from my vacation in 2-3 weeks and if by then the price of HD 7850 drops a little I might reconsider it. The reason for this change of heart is the Sapphire HD 7870 being sold on Flipkart for 19.8k ...a mere 3.3k more than the 7850. It makes more sense to buy the 7870 but then the budget gets a little too stretched :unsure:

Your call Akash even though I suggest that you go for the HD7850 2GB (on street it is priced ~16500/-) and the HD7870 ~22000/- flipkart I have no idea how they priced the HD7870 so well, now (over there the HD7850 retails for ~18500/-). If it is reflected on ground then the same HD7870 model will retail for no more than ~18500/- (inclusive taxes).

So there is a slight chance that the prices may undergo a change. But do not get your hopes up.

Once again I would like to reiterate is that if possible getting the HD7850 2GB as a minimum go for it because, the HD7770 GHz is not going to last long for 1080p gaming. Another thing I forgot to account for is that the nVidia GTX660 (direct competitor to HD78** series cards) is releasing on 12[SUP]th[/SUP] September if that is prices well (anything below ~18000) you might want to give that a look.

Hope this helps, Cheerio!

 

[terence_fdes]

I have started to learn digital music production and am doing it as a hobby. The main purpose for learning is to express myself and share it for free & I dont have any commercial intentions as a music producer. For this purpose, I think the ASUS Xonar DX is good enough. Currently the only input device I will be using is an M-Audio MIDI Keyboard and I have Klipsch Image One headphones which are not exactly studio level but almost there. As I get better with production and my needs expand, I can always upgrade to better hardware.

Out of curiosity, terrence, what kind of Music do you work with ?

Lol my interest in Music too was as a hobby (since I was not interested in Gaming I could blow up some money on an audio card then) .... I have been in the TV & Film industry for almost 18 years. My primary work has been as an editor/compositor/colorist & I've always had pro-level sound recording studios around me (along with the best Video & FX post-production suites)....... At home I have a huge collection of Vinyl's; my audio devices (music system/record player) were all connected to the sound-blaster (input & output). I enjoyed mixing & creating new tracks/ processing sound from the vinyl's; ocassionaly friends used to come with their Guitar's or Keyboards (which were directly connected to my sound-blaster)....... so we used to record & then process it to our liking. Lastly for all those home-video's .....creating audio tracks & mixing. Most of all those days 2003 onwards - onboard sound was pathetic, that's why I invested in a Dolby & THX certified card.

Of late .... past 3-4 years I have hardly used my sound blaster as my Comp is too damm slow. I am hoping that when I get my new RIG for Diwali this year that I would continue to use this same card (hoping that driver support is there with 64-bit).

Ciao & enjoy your music muxing & DJing

terry

 

[akashk]

Hope this helps, Cheerio!

It helps a lot mate. I will keep an eye on the nVidia GTX660 too. So when the day of final judgement shall arrive, I will go with the best 16-18k deal I get at any of the many IT vendors at Lamington road. Here's hoping daddy doesn't inquire about the break down of the pc cost. :cloud9:
Cheers !

- - - Updated - - -

Of late .... past 3-4 years I have hardly used my sound blaster as my Comp is too damm slow. I am hoping that when I get my new RIG for Diwali this year that I would continue to use this same card (hoping that driver support is there with 64-bit).

Ciao & enjoy your music muxing & DJing

terry

Sounds like a fun line of work you have there. I enjoy video editing too & Sony Vegas Pro 9 was the last piece of software I used.

Back in the day with slower computers the softwares had more limited features and it was easier to understand and master some aspects of the software in weeks.. Nowadays we can keep messing around with the latest pro Music Production Softwares for Months and still feel like a noob.

All the best with the new rig & have a nice day fine sir.

 

[Claire14]

My reccomended set-up:

Intel i5 3550-13 k
GIGABYTE-B75-D3H-4.6k
Kingston HyperX Blu -2.5k
Seagate 1TB 7200RPM-4.8k
Corsair TX650V2-5.4k
Corsair Carbide 400R-5k
Dell ST2220L-8.5k
HP ODD-1k approx
APC 1.1kVA-4.5k
Kingston Hyper SSD 120G -9k

- - - Updated - - -

Just noticed that others have already shared their suggestions. Sorry, didn't read the others' opinions before I posted.

 

[akashk]

Here's an update.
I'm back from my Ladakh tour & visited Lamington Road to inquire about the parts.
The Radeon 7850 2 GB Power Edition retails for 16,900 & nobody is willing to go lower than that.
On the other hand, MSI GTX 660 TI Power Edition was available for Rs 22,000, which seems more tempting but is a bit on the expensive side. If I decide to spend more, I will rather go with the GTX 660 TI spending 5k more ..or else I will go with the ASUS EAH5850 which retails for a little less than Rs 11,000 and seems more VFM to me. :unsure:

Also, is the Cabinet good enough for my needs ?

Thanks again for those helping me. :happy15:

 

[Carbon]

That's the bare minimum cabinet needed for your config. If you want to go further up the then you could also look at the Bit Fenix range(on Flipkart) or the usual CM HAF series or NZXT Tempest 410.

If you want a Full Tower case then it starts at 9k.

 

[akashk]

That's the bare minimum cabinet needed for your config. If you want to go further up the then you could also look at the Bit Fenix range(on Flipkart) or the usual CM HAF series or NZXT Tempest 410.

If you want a Full Tower case then it starts at 9k.

If I need to then I will go for the NZXT Tempest Evo, but if NZXT Gamma does the job then I'll stick with it

 

[Carbon]

Gamma is like the Shrek of Cabinets. It's ugly, but does the job. Better take a pick among Tempest Evo or Carbide 400R.