1st Build Video Editing (GoPro)/CAD/GIS/Photoshop $1000

[FireRock]

Hello All,

Contemplating an attempt at my first ever PC build. I have tinkered before, swapping drives, PSU, Memory, etc. but nothing of this magnitude or cost. I have been looking at AVA Direct for the build, but it is more than I want to spend. I did glance at the $1400+ Video editing build and have based mine off of that one. My current PC, an old Dell, is down...and need to replace. I am located in Richmond, VA, USA.

My main objectives for this PC build will be to edit my GoPro videos in either Windows Movie Maker or Sony Vegas Pro. I use multiple GIS programs from the ArcView and DeLorme suites, Adobe Photoshop, MrSid Viewers, etc. Lastly, my goal this year is to acquire some version of AutoCAD for my use as well. Generally speaking though, I tend to do a lot of map work and manipulation.

CPU: Intel i7-3770k
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LK ATX LGA1155 Motherboard
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 650 2GB Video Card
Case: Antec P280 ATX Mid Tower Case
Boot Drive: Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk
Data Drive: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer
Cooler: Zalman ZM-CNPS14X CPU Cooler
PSU: Antec Basiq Plus 550W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply
OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit)

VIA pcpartpicker I am at $1250.70. Same build is $1530.45 shipped via AVADirect.

Things I would like, an additional 1TB drive and water cooling of the CPU. But, I have already blown my budget...

My biggest concerns: Not putting together proper components and system for my needs. Making a mistake with the Mobo while attaching the CPU (heatsink?). Generally screwing this up.

These concerns are based upon an acquaintance of mine throwing those concerns out there from personal(?) experience.

This is my first post, please be gentle. Any and all input would be greatly appreciated. I have spent about 2 days putting this together. Any guidance on tutorials and other places to look would greatly appreciated as well.

Thanks,
Rick

[jason]

Hi

I cant advise much on the build so will leave that to the pro's here

the reason that i am posting is to reassure you that building a pc is not that difficult, just be gentle when installing and dont force anything
the hardest part is generally software and drivers, its better to install certain drivers before others etc, but its not bad at all sure someone here could advice you correctly on that, alternatively there are loads of tutorials around

[sam.cpcr]

Component wise, everything looks good to me. You should be fine. Just make sure to read the instructions carefully when you're installing the CPU cooler and you shouldn't have any issues.

You don't really need a high end water cooler especially if you're not doing much overclocking. As for the extra 1TB hard drive, you could always add more in the future as your budget opens up. That's a very easy upgrade.

You could probably save a couple bucks by going with this PSU and heatsink though.

Amazon.com: Antec VP-450 450 Watt Energy Star Certified Power Supply: Electronics

Amazon.com: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus - CPU Cooler with 4 Direct Contact Heat Pipes (RR-B10-212P-G1): Electronics

Also, I like this GTX 650 better.

Amazon.com: MSI Computer Corp. NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 1GB OC GDDR5 2DVI/Mini HDMI PCI-Express Video Card N650-1GD5/OC: Computers & Accessories

[FireRock]

Thanks sam.cpcr,

Could you please explain the difference between the two GPU's? I choose my original one because of the 2GB of GDDR5 under the impression that it would process movies more efficiently.

Thanks for that additional input!

Rick

[sam.cpcr]

Thanks sam.cpcr,

Could you please explain the difference between the two GPU's? I choose my original one because of the 2GB of GDDR5 under the impression that it would process movies more efficiently.

Thanks for that additional input!

Rick

There's not much of a difference. The MSI's heatsink is a bit better, the card is cheaper and it's clocked slightly higher from the factory. Video memory actually doesn't affect CUDA processing much with lower end cards. What does matter is the number of CUDA cores and the bus width.

If you have highly intensive CUDA applications, I'd rather have you spend an extra $10 over the EVGA GTX 650 2GB and go with the EVGA GTX 650 Ti 1GB. It has more than double the CUDA cores of the 650 and will process videos a whole lot faster.

Amazon.com: EVGA GeForce GTX 650 Ti 1024MB GDDR5 128bit, Dual Dual-Link DVI, Mini HDMI, Graphics Card (01G-P4-3650-KR) Graphics Cards 01G-P4-3650-KR: Electronics