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$1000 build - general use PC

H

Hassle2

n00b
Joined
Jul 18, 2013
Messages
9
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Infrequent photoshop, infrequent video editing, infrequent virtualization of systems, occasional gaming, frequent web browsing
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
$1000 USD. Tax + shipping included
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.

Rockford IL - No Microcenter / Frys within an hours drive.
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
Case, RAM, CPU, MB, Video, PSU, Heatsink/fan, HD(s), Bluray burner, possible sound card
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
Keyboard + mouse. I have an Auzen X-Fi Prelude I may reuse. Currently have a Klipsch Promedia GMX a-2.1 setup.
6) Will you be overclocking?
Maybe... Current Q6600 has been running a mild OC at 2.7Ghz for 6 years now. Not opposed to it but prefer stability + longevity.
7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
Currently 1680 x 1050. 22". Contemplating a 24" or 27" for under $200 outside of the above $1000 budget.
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
1-2 weeks
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video (as a backup or main GPU)? UEFI? etc.
USB 3.0 for future proofing, SATA 6Gb/s to take advantage of hard drive speeds.
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Have legit non-oem Windows 7 + 8 Pro 64 bit licenses.




Current system that I've got can be found here:
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1285934&highlight=

The system is a little over 5 years old and due for a replacement. The current computer gets used from very infrequent photo editing, very infrequent video editing, some VMs for Proof of Concept work, and light gaming.

For this new build, I'm guessing an i5 Haswell (4670k). Had contemplated the i7 for the HT, but on this budget build, the extra $100 could be used better elsewhere?

Newegg is running a nice combo deal including the motherboard. Would like to hit 16GB of ram, only for the fact that current system has 8GB.

Looking at the GTX 760. No idea on make or model outside of that.

I am not opposed to overclocking but want something that is as stable as possible. I work in IT. I do not want to have to work on a PC when I get home.

Want an SSD. Perfectly ok with having a separate data drive.

Any thoughts / advice would be greatly appreciated!
 
What exactly do you mean by "light gaming"? I ask because light gamers don't require a GTX 760 card unless they're talking about infrequent gaming with the latest AAA games.
 
Infrequent is a better term. Last game I played was Skyrim. My 8800GTS could touch that game on low. Planning on playing Bioshock Infinite,Metro, AC3, Dishonored, and BF4. If actual free time allows, I'll be lucky to get to one of those :)
 
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So what exactly is the main use of this PC? Everything you've listed so far is "infrequent." Also, how exactly is your current system no longer meeting your performance needs besides gaming?

EDIT: When exactly are you getting that larger monitor? I ask because the GTX 760 is complete overkill for your current monitor. However, it would not be overkill for a new monitor with 1080P resolution.
 
Main use of the PC is web surfing. As that is the only thing that has any frequency. If I work on a project, I'll be doing video editing for a few weeks but won't pick it up again for months. Same applies to gaming or anything else that comes up.

PC is capable for the other stuff but gaming. Had planned on doing just a video card upgrade and bump up the overclock, but the IP 35 Pro motherboard is PCIe 1.x. And yes I know that it 'should' be backwards compatible. But if it's not, I would need a modern motherboard to handle a modern graphics card.

The Q6600 would be delegated to media server, file share, and other another random VM or two.
 
[Strike=1]If there is an outstanding deal on a larger screen, I'll bite. Would love for a quality screen bigger than 24" but I am dreaming for it under the $200 price tag.[/s]

I'll skip it for now :)
 
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Well, the "outstanding deal" on LCDs these days is a Qnix QX2710 LCD purchased on Ebay for around $300.

That gets you a 27" LCD that runs 100Hz - 120Hz, 2560x1440 and Samsung PLS (current gen IPS).

For $300, that's simply amazing.
 
The 27" J Macker posted looks enticing. But I would consider a monitor purchase a month or two out. And definitely an impulse move.
 
$350 - Intel Core i5-4670K + Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD4H Intel Z87 Motherboard Combo
$59 - Corsair CMX8GX3M1A1333C9 8GB DDR3 1333 RAM
$260 - Gigabyte GV-N760OC-2GD GTX 760 2GB PCI-E Video Card
$99 - Samsung 840 120GB SSD
$68 - Western Digital Blue WD10EZEX 1TB 7200RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$16 - LG GH24NS95B DVD Burner
$90 - SeaSonic M12II 620 Bronze 620W Modular PSU
$60 - Corsair Carbide Series 200R ATX Case
$28 - Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus HSF for LGA 1366 and LGA 1156
---
Total: $1030 plus tax.

A little over budget and unfortunately doesn't include a blu-ray burner since that would have been even farther past your budget. Again, that GTX 760 is complete overkill for your current monitor. So get a new monitor soon so that video card is justified.
 
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Excellent! I know that I didn't mention it, but I've got a handful of DVD burners laying around so I can scratch the included one. Also, current system is in an Antec P182. Is the P182 still a viable case? I may swap the stuff...
 
Hassle2 said:
Excellent! I know that I didn't mention it, but I've got a handful of DVD burners laying around so I can scratch the included one. Also, current system is in an Antec P182. Is the P182 still a viable case? I may swap the stuff...
Click to expand...
The Antec P182 is still a viable case. As such, drop the Corsair case and RAM that I recommended and get this 16GB set of RAM instead:
$123 - Crucial BLS2CP8G3D1609DS1S00 Ballistix Sport 2 x 8GB DDR3 1600 RAM

As for the DVD burners, are those SATA or IDE?
 
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Burners are SATA. If an additional 100 - 200 could be allocated, is there anything you would adjust? Upgrade the SSD to 256GB or 840 Pro? Heatsink? Step up from the WD Blue?
 
Well for $200, I'd add a monitor:
$170 - Asus VS239H-P Black 23" LED IPS Monitor
 
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Pretty much as you said:
$169 - Samsung 840 Series 250GB SSD
$92 - Seagate Barracuda ST2000DM001 2TB 7200RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s Hard Drive
 
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Of course it's my luck... the Newegg deal had died before I pulled the trigger. Price aside, what would you recommend for a motherboard now?
 
I'd recommend this mobo:
$150 - Asus Z87-A Intel Z87 Motherboard
 
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I can't recommend anything from Asus after reading numerous horror stories about their customer service.
Most recently, there's a large thread going on in the AMD subforum about a [H] user's Asus video card catching fire and Asus has denied the RMA.

Neither of the Asus reps on the forum have rectified the situation.
MSI is FAR above Asus on my recommendation list.
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1764403

More Asus horror stories:
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1713025
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1699092
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1707888
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1708613
 
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Then recommend a specific MSI, AsRock, Or Gigabyte motherboard.
 
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