$1000 gaming build

[greentaylorsims]

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Gaming: Diablo 3, League of Legends, Tribes Ascend, maybe something like Borderlands 2 down the line.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
$1000 roughly, no sales tax here (OR)

3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
OR - Corvallis, nothing nearby

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.
CPU, RAM, Mobo, Case, GPU, PSU, DVD, SSD if possible

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
750GB WD Caviar Black

6) Will you be overclocking?
I never have, but am open to the idea.

7) 7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
1920 x 1080 - 23"

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
ASAP

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

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
No, I will need a copy of Win7

 

[Dangman]

Is that copy of Win7 part of that $1000 budget?

 

[greentaylorsims]

I would say so, but I'm fairly flexible so if there's a sort of breakpoint that requires going over by the cost of win7 I could be ok with that.

 

[Dangman]

Here's a prelim setup:
$230 - Intel Core i5-3570K CPU
$135 - MSI Z77A-G45 Intel Z77 ATX Motherboard
$38 - G.Skill Value Series F3-10600CL9D-8GBNT 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM
$358 - Asus HD7870-DC2-2GD5 Radeon HD 7870 2GB PCI-E Video Card
$22 - Lite-On iHAS424-98 DVD Burner
$65 - Antec Earthwatts EA650 Green 650W PSU
$55 - NZXT Tempest 210 ATX Case
$100 - Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64bit OEM
----
Total: $1003 shipped

 

[Prav]

I think there is better GPU value by picking a 7850 for much less or a 7950 for slightly more. 7870s especially the premium versions are very poorly priced. You could buy a SSD with the savings from dropping down to 7850 and you will still be able to OC to nearly the same performance as the 7870OC. Similarly adding $40 to get to a 7950 opens up a card with tons or headroom.

Personal preference but if I am spending 1k+ on a rig I am chosing a case I wont hate looking at for the next couple years so maybe budget more for that item.

 

[Dangman]

I think there is better GPU value by picking a 7850 for much less or a 7950 for slightly more. 7870s especially the premium versions are very poorly priced. You could buy a SSD with the savings from dropping down to 7850 and you will still be able to OC to nearly the same performance as the 7870OC.

The reason why I didn't go with that route was because there wasn't enough room in the budget for a HD 7850 from a reputable manufacturer or a well priced SSD. It was totally possible to grab a SSD and HD 7850 for that same amount of cash but it would either require you to grab a HD 7850 card from a not-so reputable manfuacturer (This HIS 7850) or a poorly priced SSD (the Crucial m4 64GB)

But if the OP is willing to go over budget by another $34, then I definitely recommend the route you suggested:
$125 - Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2 2.5" 128GB SSD
$267 - Gigabyte GV-R785OC-2GD Radeon HD 7850 2GB PCI-E Video Card
---
Total: $392 shipped

Personal preference but if I am spending 1k+ on a rig I am chosing a case I wont hate looking at for the next couple years so maybe budget more for that item.

Correct. There wasn't enough room for a better case. At least, not if he wanted the ability to OC.

 

[Prav]

The reason why I didn't go with that route was because there wasn't enough room in the budget for a HD 7850 from a reputable manufacturer or a well priced SSD.

As usual you were right. The $250 7850 I had in mind are out of stock on Amazon. I probably would still opt for the Gigabyte785OC you selected before I bought the 7870 from earlier. OP has some decisions to make at least. There is also that 6950 deal for a few more hours if he wants to cut the GPU down further for SSD or case options.

 

[J Macker]

There's a Fry's electronics in Wilsonville, which is about 70 minutes northeast of you.

 

[greentaylorsims]

But if the OP is willing to go over budget by another $34, then I definitely recommend the route you suggested:
$125 - Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2 2.5" 128GB SSD
$267 - Gigabyte GV-R785OC-2GD Radeon HD 7850 2GB PCI-E Video Card
---
Total: $392 shipped

I like this option.

As far as the case goes, I'm not too concerned with aesthetics.

 

[greentaylorsims]

There is also that 6950 deal for a few more hours if he wants to cut the GPU down further for SSD or case options.

I saw this and was interested in it, but I really don't know enough about current hardware to know if that would be a better option.

SSD and Case aside, do you think it's worth the $60 to go with the 7850?

 

[greentaylorsims]

There's a Fry's electronics in Wilsonville, which is about 70 minutes northeast of you.

This is true. I suppose if there is some incredible deal it could be worth the trip.

 

[Prav]

I saw this and was interested in it, but I really don't know enough about current hardware to know if that would be a better option.

SSD and Case aside, do you think it's worth the $60 to go with the 7850?

I would buy the 7850. Even though the difference at stock speeds may not be worth $60. The OC ability of the 7850 makes it a far superior card on performance and overclocking these days is ridiculously easy thanks to software. 7850 also runs cooler and uses much less power. It is a tough call based on pure budget but only because that 6950 sale.