1. What is the purpose of the computer? What all applications and games are you going to run?
Ans: Playing video games primarily, listening to music and watching videos, some light workstation work such as 3D modelling, rendering etc.
Games I play range all the way from the light indie titles to the graphically intensive ones such as Crysis 3.
Rendering software I will use include the Autodesk suites, Zbrush, blender etc.
2. What is your overall budget? If you can extend a bit for a more balanced configuration, then mention this too.
Ans: As low as possible and as high as necessary. Preferably in the Canadian $1600-$1700 mark, and lower if possible without compromising performance.
3. Planning to overclock?
Ans: Yes. But only slightly. ~4 or 4.2Ghz to a haswell chip. Decided on Noctua U12S heatsink because of it's excellent performance without intruding with RAM. Alternatives welcome.
4. Which Operating System are you planning to use?
Ans: Dual boot Windows 7 and Windows 8.
5. How much hard drive space is needed?
Ans: I am reusing ye olde HDDs and SSDs.
6. Do you want to buy a monitor? If yes, please mention which screen size and resolution do you want. If you already have a monitor and want to reuse it, again mention the size and resolution of monitor you have.
Ans: Yes. Size not more than 24", but resolution must be at least 1080p/1200p, and there should be good colour clarity and performance. Asus PA series monitors or equivalent preferred (like PA238Q, PA248Q). 10-bit colour space not needed. Factory calibration preferred.
7. Which components you DON'T want to buy or which components you already have and plan on reusing?
Ans: HDDs, SSDs, PSU, ODD, OS, mouse.
8. When are you planning to buy the system?
Ans: After moving to college, i.e. in september.
9. Have you ever built a desktop before or will this be done by an assembler?
Ans: All assembly to be done myself.
10. Where do you live? Are you buying locally? Are you open to buying stuff from online shops if you don't get locally?
Ans: I live in Kolkata but I am moving to Toronto in late August for college. So naturally, my purchases will be done in Canada.
11. Anything else which you would like to say?
Ans: Yes.
I've designed two systems at PCPartsPicker.com, but I want to decrease costs over there without losing performance:
MicroATX: *ca.pcpartpicker.com/user/duelistgamer/saved/1UDh
Mini-ITX: *ca.pcpartpicker.com/user/duelistgamer/saved/1VPF
Note that the parts marked with a $0.00 price tag are those that I will reuse from my current setup.
Also, all parts other than laptop should be within the specified budget. For laptop, go as cheap as you are able to while also keeping the size small.
Ans: Playing video games primarily, listening to music and watching videos, some light workstation work such as 3D modelling, rendering etc.
Games I play range all the way from the light indie titles to the graphically intensive ones such as Crysis 3.
Rendering software I will use include the Autodesk suites, Zbrush, blender etc.
2. What is your overall budget? If you can extend a bit for a more balanced configuration, then mention this too.
Ans: As low as possible and as high as necessary. Preferably in the Canadian $1600-$1700 mark, and lower if possible without compromising performance.
3. Planning to overclock?
Ans: Yes. But only slightly. ~4 or 4.2Ghz to a haswell chip. Decided on Noctua U12S heatsink because of it's excellent performance without intruding with RAM. Alternatives welcome.
4. Which Operating System are you planning to use?
Ans: Dual boot Windows 7 and Windows 8.
5. How much hard drive space is needed?
Ans: I am reusing ye olde HDDs and SSDs.
6. Do you want to buy a monitor? If yes, please mention which screen size and resolution do you want. If you already have a monitor and want to reuse it, again mention the size and resolution of monitor you have.
Ans: Yes. Size not more than 24", but resolution must be at least 1080p/1200p, and there should be good colour clarity and performance. Asus PA series monitors or equivalent preferred (like PA238Q, PA248Q). 10-bit colour space not needed. Factory calibration preferred.
7. Which components you DON'T want to buy or which components you already have and plan on reusing?
Ans: HDDs, SSDs, PSU, ODD, OS, mouse.
8. When are you planning to buy the system?
Ans: After moving to college, i.e. in september.
9. Have you ever built a desktop before or will this be done by an assembler?
Ans: All assembly to be done myself.
10. Where do you live? Are you buying locally? Are you open to buying stuff from online shops if you don't get locally?
Ans: I live in Kolkata but I am moving to Toronto in late August for college. So naturally, my purchases will be done in Canada.
11. Anything else which you would like to say?
Ans: Yes.
- I will need a new Keyboard. Thinking of getting the Cherry MX Red switches version of Steelseries 6GV/2.
- Please look at canadian prices when advising. I'm open to all manufacturers and companies for products.
- Also need a very cheap and very tiny laptop exclusively for college work (taking notes and finishing assignments). Planning to run a frugal linux distro on it, so preferred without OS. Laptop screen should be as small as possible and laptop should be easy to carry around campus. Please advise on distros I should check out for this. Distro should be able to run libreoffice or something similar.
- Note that I will be bringing the desktop home with me during holidays so a small case is preferred. Monitor and keyboard will go into luggage and the system will be carry-on luggage.
- I will use this setup for my entire four college years. So please do not advise against a 780 just because a GTX 770 can handle today's games at 1080p just fine.
I've designed two systems at PCPartsPicker.com, but I want to decrease costs over there without losing performance:
MicroATX: *ca.pcpartpicker.com/user/duelistgamer/saved/1UDh
Mini-ITX: *ca.pcpartpicker.com/user/duelistgamer/saved/1VPF
Note that the parts marked with a $0.00 price tag are those that I will reuse from my current setup.
Also, all parts other than laptop should be within the specified budget. For laptop, go as cheap as you are able to while also keeping the size small.
