$600 build - gaming/cad

[imgneevrythng]

I made a thread a couple of weeks ago about a $700 build. I mentioned I wouldn't be able to purchase the parts until after the holidays. Well, it is now after the holidays, and I plan on purchasing everything in 2 weeks on January 18th. Also, the budget is now $600



So here goes:

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Mostly gaming, however I work as a designer and use Adobe Illustrator as well as 3D software like Solidworks, so it would be nice to be able to take work home with me.
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
Budget is $600 max, shipping and tax included
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
USA, more specifically New Jersey
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.
I'm going to need a new case, cpu, motherboard, ram, power supply.
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
I purchased a Radeon 6870 last October, so I would like to use that for the time being. I also already have a harddrive and CD drive I could use.
6) Will you be overclocking?
Not right away. I haven't really ever overclocked before, but would consider it down the road
7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
I have a two monitor set up: 1 23in monitor at 1920x1080 (primary) and 1 21in monitor at 1680x1050
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
I plan on buying/building all of the components on January 18th
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.
TBH I'm not really sure exactly what I would need, as I've never really used features like RAID before, but I might and I would like to have the best motherboard possible while staying within budget.
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Windows 7 64bit

I should mention that recently a Microcenter opened up ~10minutes from where I live. The location of the Microcenter is Paterson, NJ. I would really like to get everything from that store, since it's apparent they have A LOT and I wouldn't have to deal with waiting 5-7 days for shipping. Also, sales tax is only 3.5% at that location.

I took at a look at what they have, and saw this Core i7 3770K 3.5GHz for a better price than I can find anywhere online.

I've been told thats a very good cpu for what I would need it for (gaming/CAD) and an excellent price.

 

[sheesh721]

First, my experience with the Paterson Microcenter has been pretty good. The employees there tend to know their stuff better than most. Huge step above Geek Squad. Just go to the back support counter and approach the most socially awkward looking kid you can find. He'll know his stuff and know the current deals for the products they sell.

The 3770k and 3570k are great deals from there and they still have their $40 mobo combo on those CPUs I believe.

The case is subjective. I'd personally look for something that has USB 3.0 ports on the case like an Antec Three Hundred Two or a Cooler Master Storm Scout 2. If you're buying from Microcenter one huge advantage is you'll be able to see them all in person and take them apart to see which one you like best.

An Asrock Extreme 6 is a good $150 mobo. Not sure how much you're looking to spend there.

For PSU you can probably get away with something smaller, but a Corsair 600w should be reliable and cheap might want to splurge a little more depending on your future systems growth or overclocking decisions.

And for RAM I would probably start off with a 2 x 4GB Corsair kit. They have a rebate on a DDR3-1600 kit making it $29.99.

My math after rebates:
CPU: 3570k - $170 | 3770k $230
RAM: $30
Mobo: $150
Case: $75
PSU: $60
less $40 CPU/mobo combo savings: $505 for the 3770k or $445 for the 3570k before 3.5% sales tax. I know you said your budget was $600, but I don't see a reason to spend more than $450-550 on these parts with these CPUs if you won't be overclocking. I'd personally drop the mobo down to a $100 unit to save an extra 50 bucks, but I know a lot of people like to spend more on their mobos and if you want to get into high level overclocking in the future you'd be better off with a better overclocking board.

 

[Dangman]

Is that CD drive SATA or IDE? Same question for the HDD as well.
Which version of Windows 7 do you have?

 

[imgneevrythng]

Is that CD drive SATA or IDE? Same question for the HDD as well.
Which version of Windows 7 do you have?

The CD drive is SATA.

I'm not sure what version of Windows 7 you mean, I mentioned in the OP I have Windows 7 64bit. Do you perhaps mean the edition? If thats the case, then I have the Home edition.

 

[Dangman]

Yeah I meant edition.

All right here's what I recommend:
$230 Intel Core i5-3770K CPU
$135 - Asus P8Z77-V LK Intel Z77 ATX Motherboard
$74 - 2 x Kingston KHX1333C9D3B1K2/8G HyperX blu 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM
$55 - Antec NEO ECO 520C 520W PSU
$60 - Corsair Carbide Series 300R ATX Case
---
Total: $554 shipped plus tax

Notes:
- The above Kingston RAM is the only Kingston I'd recommend from Microcenter's website. Do not get this Kingston RAM if they offer it to you as it's rated at 1.65V which is harmful to the CPU:
http://www.microcenter.com/product/...el_Desktop_Memory_Kit_(Two_4GB_Memory_Modules)

- Yes the PSU and case isn't from Microcenter but that's for a good reason: Microcenter doesn't have good pricing or selection of good PSUs or cases. Just to get anywhere near the quality of the above Antec PSU, you'd have to spend almost twice as much at Microcenter. Getting the case and PSU online saves you enough money to get 16GB of RAM. The above PSU and case selection is really that good of a deal.

 

[imgneevrythng]

Yeah I meant edition.

All right here's what I recommend:
$230 Intel Core i5-3770K CPU
$135 - Asus P8Z77-V LK Intel Z77 ATX Motherboard
$74 - 2 x Kingston KHX1333C9D3B1K2/8G HyperX blu 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM
$55 - Antec NEO ECO 520C 520W PSU
$60 - Corsair Carbide Series 300R ATX Case
---
Total: $554 shipped plus tax

Notes:
- The above Kingston RAM is the only Kingston I'd recommend from Microcenter's website. Do not get this Kingston RAM if they offer it to you as it's rated at 1.65V which is harmful to the CPU:
http://www.microcenter.com/product/...el_Desktop_Memory_Kit_(Two_4GB_Memory_Modules)

- Yes the PSU and case isn't from Microcenter but that's for a good reason: Microcenter doesn't have good pricing or selection of good PSUs or cases. Just to get anywhere near the quality of the above Antec PSU, you'd have to spend almost twice as much at Microcenter. Getting the case and PSU online saves you enough money to get 16GB of RAM. The above PSU and case selection is really that good of a deal.

Is that 520w psu powerful enough for everything? Also if I want to overclock later on down the road, would I have to upgrade the psu?

I never really how much wattage is needed when building a pc. It's something I try to understand, but just fail to.

Also, what exactly makes that case a good deal?

 

[Dangman]

Yes. No.

That case normally costs $80. Now it is $20 cheaper. It is of higher quality than most other $60 cases out there.