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$1000 Comp build

Kentalsin

n00b
Joined
Oct 16, 2012
Messages
19
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Gaming, watching movies, web browsing and typical college essay work.

Gaming mainly Wow, firefall, d3 and some older style games D2. NWN etc.
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
$1000 and yes.
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.

U.S. Michigan, Canton

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, Power supply, Motherboard, Graphics card, CPU, memory, dvd/cd r/rw, SSD

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
Western Digital 500GB HDD.

6) Will you be overclocking?
Maybe.

7) 7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
1440 x 900 19" Hanns-G HB191D

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
This week.

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.
Prefer to have USB 3.0 other than that don't need any of that other stuff.

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Yes, Vista 64bit

Some companies I prefer are Nvidia, Asus, coolmaster..
 
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Do you plan on buying a new monitor as well? Because you can max out those games with a mere $400 budget at that resolution :p
 
Yes well aware of this, waiting till after the holidays to do that. My current comp is in bad shape and isn't going to last that long. I've been over this a month ago when I posted on here, was told to come back closer to a purchase date to post. I've heard and understand all the I would get a better os and monitor now objections.
 
Are you planning on buying a new monitor and OS then? And what resolution? Because that might alter our recommendations.
 
No on the OS, and for the price range I will be willing to spend I'm looking at 1920 x 1080 resolution 21-24" monitor. Also forgot to include I do not mind driving 1 hr -1 1/2hr to pick up/purchase something.
 
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The good news is that you have a Micro Center store in Madison Heights. A quick check on Google Maps suggests that you could reach it in about 45 minutes one-way.

I have some additional questions:

- Do you plan on playing any of today's games (e.g. Call of Duty)?

- How many (visual) bells and whistles do you use while gaming?

- Could you live without overclocking, especially if you can save more money?

- Do you really want a new monitor with this build?

- Are you willing to wait until Black Friday to buy parts?
 
I knew there was a Micro center near by so I am not to concerned about the drive IF it would be worth the save.
I do not plan on playing like blackops2.
Like I stated I plan on playing Fire fall which is still in beta so I would count that as an today's game lol.

Right now I don't run high graphics with my current comp because I can't support it, but it would be nice. I know with certain games like WoW on ultra it can look kind of funny. But I feel that a visually appealing game like Fire Fall it would be nice to have a better graphic on it.

I can live with out over clocking.

Yes I planned on buying a new monitor but not included in this price I want to purchase it after the holidays. I know I wouldn't be maximizing my graphics with the monitor I current have but I do not see the point in getting a graphics card that suits the monitor I have and then upgrade the monitor later and still have a less than optimal G card. I figure waiting another month or so and buying a new monitor after I already have the PC built with a G card to support the new monitor would suit better. The monitor I have has a small resolution, the monitor itself is small. It fit it's needs when I bought it almost 4-6 years ago.

I am willing to wait for Black Friday deals, I am not willing to stand in line on Black friday for deals. I will not be in town on Friday and don't have that option.
 
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I don't know how long I should be waiting to here back but I know a lot of stuff is going through the mail this week, so would like to get the ball rolling and see what people come up with. Don't mean that as an insult spit in the face/looking a gift horse in the mouth kind thing.
 
I'm still waiting for you to tell us you actually are getting a WD 500GB drive from someone or not.
 
I was not aware of this, A friend of mine that lives in new jersey said they would give me one. From what I could see they run like $65 dollars, so about 15$ for shipping it out to me and thats saving me about 50$. Sounds like I will go ahead and tell my friend to ship it to me.
 
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This sounds pretty similar to the build I'm putting together right now. I have the advantage of paitence, so I'm kinda buying things as the come on sale, but this is what I'm looking at for me:

i5 3570k: $230.00 ( Note: you can get this for $170 at MC)
Asus P8Z77-V: $179.00 ( Note: you can get this for $140 at MC if you buy the 3570k)
8GB DDR3 1600 CAS 9 RAM: $35.00 (various brands on sale for this amount -- newegg has some on sale in the hot deals thread right now)
AMD 7950 $300.00 (You can save some money here if you want -- 660 Ti for $250 AR)
128GB SSD $70.00 ($70 on sale, more if you can't wait for sale)
500GB: $0.00
Corsair TX650: $60.00 (wait for something on sale -- usually you can find something in the 650W range for this price)
Case w/ USB 3.0: $60.00 (I got the Fractal Design Arc Midi on sale for this price, AR)
BD-Burner: $60 (no real advice here, about to start a thread)
CM Hyper 212: $25.00
 
I am more concerned about running out of a computer here shortly. I have finals and things coming up and I get a housing allowance etc for having been in the military as part of my GI bill. Can not and Do not have the option of having to pay that back because something as silly as computer dieing and not being able to get the parts I need for another one.

On a side note I would like to stay away from AMD G cards if I could. I like Nvidia and have had bad experiences with AMD in the past.
 
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SSD wise, go for the Crucial M4 128GB or Samsung 830 128GB series SSDs.

GPU wise, go for the GTX 670 or GTX 660 TI, whichever is in budget.
 
So far I am looking at:
Gtx 670 http://www.microcenter.com/product/...X_670_FTW_2048MB_GDDR5_PCIe_30_x16_Video_Card
ASUSP8Z77-V LK LGA 1155 Z77 ATX Intel Motherboardhttp://www.microcenter.com/product/393422/P8Z77-V_LK_LGA_1155_Z77_ATX_Intel_Motherboard
Core i5 3570K 3.4GHz LGA 1155 Processorhttp://www.microcenter.com/product/388577/Core_i5_3570K_34GHz_LGA_1155_Processor
Cooler Master RR-B10-212P-GP Hyper 212 Plus CPU Cooler http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4950641&sku=C283-2054
Blue rayhttp://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2043563&sku=L12-1380 OEM
Corsair CMPSU-650TXV2http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7195036&sku=C13-2800


I wasn't sure about
Kingston HyperX KHX1600C9D3K2/8GX 8GB Desktop Memory Kit - DDR3http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7104116&sku=K24-9917
OR
Patriot G2 Series PGD38G1600ELK Division 2 Edition Desktop Memory Kit - 8GB (2 x 4GB) PC3-12800, DDR3http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7114146&sku=P33-5305


Also if this is the case you mentioned
Fractal Design Arc Midi Black High Performance PC Computer Case w/ USB 3.0 and 3 x Fractal High Performance 140mm fanshttp://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352007

All that other stuff I have found at TD for cheaper/ better deals. I5 is 39.99 after mail in rebate. So should I stick with this case and just get it from New Egg or should I find something else maybe at Microcenter or TD since thats were I'm getting my bulk of stuff.
 
Only the Patriot RAM is worth getting since it's not going to harm your CPU like that Kingston may do. That case is fine.
 
You're not doing anything to justify that CPU upgrade. Did you include the $40 off deal for the mobo when purchased with the Core i5 3570K? Did you also include any rebate into that price? If so, please give us the actual price and not the magical MIR price.
 
Gonna try this and hope the link works if it doesn't ill go back repost and fix.
$29.99 Cool Master hyper 212
$39.99 Patriot G2 Series 8 GB DDR3
$79.99 Corsair 650txv2 It is 49.99 after MIR
$49.99 Lite-on iHES112-04 BR player
$79.99 Fractarnal Design arc
$144.99 Asus p8z77-v $129.99 after MIR
$169.99 Core i5 3570k
$369.99 GTX 670 after MIR $349.99
0$ Western Digital 500mb
For a total of 964.92 if I did my math right. My tiger direct shopping cart doesn't show a tax on it with a $10.64 2 day shipping fee. New egg has no charge for a 3 day shipping fee. I have 70$ in MIR that I would like to eat up.
 
Go for this RAM and GPU combo instead:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1122995

It's $15 cheaper than your planned GPU and RAM setup yet includes two new video games worth $40 to $50 apiece: Borderlands 2 and Assassin's Creed 3. Thats a bloody steal man.

Your math is still off: You missed the instant $40 off deal for that mobo since you're getting that mobo with the Core i5 3570K from the same place. So your total, with the above GPU + RAM combo and without TD shipping, is $910. With that much spare cash, get a SSD. Keep an eye out for a deal for either the Samsung 830 128GB or Crucial M4 128GB since they sometimes go for as little as $80 shipped. So you might see a similar deal on BF. Then again, at their normal price of $100 to $110, they're still really good deals.
 
Is that suppose to be all hard prices before MIR? I got 908.92 before all MIR.
If you're talking about the SSDs, yes the prices I quoted are PRE-MIR prices. And I was only off by $1.08 for the total:p
 
So is there an disadvantage to including the MIR in my price range, I'm not so worried about going over the $1000 budget for MIR. Unless you know something that I don't when it comes to these. Which very well could be the case. If I didn't miss anything that's 838.92 after MIR and before shipping.

So if I have 70$ of MIR right now upgrade a few things that don't change that and I end up spending 1020$ i'd end up with it only costing me $950 after MIR.
 
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So is there an disadvantage to including the MIR in my price range, I'm not so worried about going over the $1000 budget for MIR. Unless you know something that I don't when it comes to these. Which very well could be the case. If I didn't miss anything that's 838.92 after MIR and before shipping.

You haven't recieved the rebate nor are the rebates guaranteed discounts. As such, I see no reason to include MIR into the total price until you actually receive those MIR. In my experience, people tend to include MIR into their total price tag before those rebates are received. As such sometimes they go over their actual budget and may end up with a part that wasn't good for the money at all if the MIR for that part wasn't received. Therefore, they would have been better off in the first place spending that money on actual good parts.

For example, say there's a $20 rebate on a $70 PSU. At that particular PSU's normal $70 price tag, it's a poor choice for the money. At its $50 AR price, it's may be decent deal. However if the person doesn't receive that $20 MIR, then that person just wasted money since he could have bought a significantly better PSU with that $70. Since rebates aren't guaranteed discounts, there's always the chance that one will not receive that rebate.

Hence why I don't include the MIR until its actually received and therefore judge parts on their actual price, not their MIR price. A lot of parts are just plain bad for the money once you don't factor in that MIR.
 
Ok I see where you are coming from.
So right now I am sitting at 908.92 with NE and TD shipping that's an additional. 15.48 leaving me at. 924.40. So what could I do to maximize my price range and burn up the $75.6
 
Like I said, just wait for a SSD deal for the Samsung 830 or Crucial M4 128GB SSDs. That'll be your best bang for the buck option. Avoid OCZ SSDs if you see them on sale.

Though if you don't care about performance increases or just can't wait for a good SSD deal, just go for a higher-end case like the following:
$100 - Antec 1100 ATX Case
$100 - Corsair Carbide Series 500R ATX Case
$110 - Antec P280 ATX Case
$120 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001BK Black ATX Case
$120 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-002OR Black Finish w/Orange Trim Full Tower ATX Case
$120 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-002OR Black Finish w/Green Trim Full Tower ATX Case
$120 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001WT White ATX Case
$120 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-002OR White Finish w/Red Trim Full Tower ATX Case
$123 - Corsair Vengeance Series C70 Gunmetal Black ATX Case
$125 - Fractal Design Define R4 Arctic White ATX Case
$135 - Fractal Design Define R4 with Window Black Pearl ATX Case
$135 - Fractal Design Define R4 with Window Arctic White ATX Case
$135 - Fractal Design Define R4 with Window Titanium Grey ATX Case
$130 - Lian Li PC-7HX Black Aluminum ATX Case
$135 - Corsair Obsidian Series 550D ATX Case
$140 - Corsair Vengeance Series C70 Arctic White ATX Case
$144 - Silverstone RV03B-WA ATX case
$145 - Thermaltake VN300M1W2N Chase MK-1 ATX Case
$160 - Silverstone TJ04B-EW ATX Case
$160 - Corsair Graphite Series 600TM ATX Case
$175 - Corsair Obsidian Series 650D ATX Case
$180 - Corsair Special Edition White Graphite Series 600T ATX Case
 
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$79.99 Fractal Design arc case
$144.99 Asus p8z77-v LK LGA MOBO
$169.99 Core i5 3570k
$29.99 Cool Master hyper 212
$79.99 Corsair 650txv2
$393.98 http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1122995 + Kingston HyperX Blu 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3
$17.99 Lite-on DVD/CD rw
0$ Western Digital 500mb
$109.99 SSD
for a total of 986.91 +15.48 shipping= 1002.39 with 90$ MIR assuming I get my money back would be 902.39.
I didn't really wan't/need the BR player and it gave me enough money back to add too and get the SSD.
 
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Someone was telling me that I might want to consider going with a 660ti and consider a better quality ram. As they put it. The ram tagged with the deal they said is 1330 ram speed and I should look for something closer to the 1600 ram speed that the mother board is built for.
 
Someone was telling me that I might want to consider going with a 660ti and consider a better quality ram. As they put it. The ram tagged with the deal they said is 1330 ram speed and I should look for something closer to the 1600 ram speed that the mother board is built for.
You won't notice an iota of difference between DDR3 1600 and DDR3 1333 RAM in real world apps and games. So no point in spending the extra cash for DDR3 1600 RAM.

As for the GTX 660 TI, if you absolutely need to save $100, then yes downgrade the GPU to the GTX 660 TI. Considering that you're still in budget with the GTX 670 AND have a SSD, really no point in saving $100 unless your budget suddenly dropped to $900 or you won't be getting a monitor with a resolution of 1920x1080 within a month or two. If it's gonna be 3-4 months before you can buy a larger monitor, downgrade the GPU to the GTX 660 TI as that extra $100 spent was basically wasted during that time.
 
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