~$800 Build

R

rjshearan321

n00b
Joined
Aug 23, 2010
Messages
37
Hey all, I need some help putting together a completely new computer as my old dell laptop is running on 6 years and cant keep up.

Im from Australia so not sure if thats a large effect on the pricing.

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc

Gaming (buying skyrim, guildwars 2 and diablo 3 upon release), university work (word, powerpoint, photoshop etc), plenty of music/videos, basically an all round usage of most things.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?

budget is $1000 incl. tax/shipping

3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.

Sydney, Australia

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.

completely new build:
mobo
soundcard
CPU
Ram (preferable 4g+)
Case
Power supply
hard drive
Dvd Drive
all things needed for
Do Not Need: Mouse, Monitor, Keyboard, Speakers etc.

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

completely new build

6) Will you be overclocking?

Don't think so, as I have never build before

7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?

23" widescreen medion

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

Within a Week of today

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video? etc.

USB 3.0 would be nice but not essential.

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

No


Thanks alot :)
 
Are you planning on buying this from a brick and mortar store or online? If it is online what site? I do not know of any Australian tech store sites is all.
 
Check out some of the retailer links in the GenHard FAQ -- there is a list of retailers based in Australia and New Zealand -- and give us a price estimate of the following setup:

Intel Core i5 2500K processor
MSI P67A-C43 (B3) ATX motherboard
(Any name brand) 2x4GB DDR3 1333 1.5V CL9 dual channel memory kit
Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB SATA 3Gb/s hard drive
(The cheapest available name brand) SATA DVD burner
(The cheaper of) Nvidia GeForce GTX 560Ti or AMD Radeon HD 6950 (1GB or 2GB model)
A 620 to 750 watt power supply from Antec, Corsair, XFX, Seasonic, or Silverstone
Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX mid-tower case
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit OEM/System Builder DVD

I don't have enough time to figure out the best Australia-based retailer for your budget, but ARC (IMO) doesn't really have an easily accessible site for finding specific parts.
 
Intel Core i5 2500K processor - ~$220-$240
MSI P67A-C43 (B3) ATX motherboard - ~ $105-$120
(Any name brand) 2x4GB DDR3 1333 1.5V CL9 dual channel memory kit - ~$50-$70
Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB SATA 3Gb/s hard drive - ~$55-$70
(The cheapest available name brand) SATA DVD burner - ~$30-$70
(The cheaper of) Nvidia GeForce GTX 560Ti or AMD Radeon HD 6950 (1GB or 2GB model) - Couldnt find either models prices from websites on the link
A 620 to 750 watt power supply from Antec, Corsair, XFX, Seasonic, or Silverstone - ~$120
Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX mid-tower case - ~$120
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit OEM/System Builder DVD - ~$100-$120

All up - ~$900 not including shipping
 
Based on the GenHard FAQ list, which store(s) are you planning to buy from?
 
PC Case Gear
ITSdirect
MSY Technology Pty
ARC Computers

Any of these 4 are where I got the prices from so I guess one of them.
 
The build is very reasonable. But are you still going to shop at ARC Computers or are you going to buy from all four retailers in post 11?
 
Those prices all seem very reasonable. RAM and DVD burner seem a little high but nothing too crazy if you stay by the low end. For RAM get basic DDR3 1333MHz CL9 (or lower) and especially 1.5V. G.Skill, Corsair, Kingston, Samsung, Crucial, Toshiba or Mushkin should be fine.
 
Antec EA-650 EarthWatts 650W Green Power Supply Unit PSU
$107.80

Cooler Master RC-690 (RC-692) II Advanced Mid Tower Case (No PSU)
$121.00

G.Skill 8GB (2 x 4096mb) DDR3 1333 Ripjaws (PC10666 - F3-10666CL9D-8GBRL) RAM Module Kit
$57.20

Intel Core i5 2500K Quad Core 3.3Ghz Socket 1155 CPU (6mb Cache, Integrated Graphics)
$232.10

*SPECIAL* Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit (OEM)
$101.20
MSI P67A-C43 Intel P67 Chipset B3 Socket 1155 Motherboard
$105.60

MSI ATI Radeon HD6950 2GB PCI Express Graphics Card
$285.45

SONY AD7710H01 SATA Slim Black Internal DVD Burner
$48.40

Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB SATAIII Hard Drive 64mb cache WD1002FAEX
$100.65

Freight: $53.50


Total: $1,212.90


Came out higher than I first expected....any changes you think I should make to get it around to the $1000 mark?

Also, would it even be worth geting a 2gb graphics card or would the 1gb do just fine?
 
Yeah as mentioned already, go with the Samsung F3 1TB hard drive. Its faster and costs less.

http://www.itsdirect.com.au/product...tegory_id/30/Product_ID/6395/sub_category/31/

Is there a reason for a slim DVD drive? If not, then get this cheaper drive.

http://www.itsdirect.com.au/product...egory_id/30/Product_ID/14939/sub_category/29/

RAM seems to be a little on the high side too, in the States you can get 8GB for less than $50.

http://www.itsdirect.com.au/product...gory_id/35/Product_ID/13998/sub_category/114/

You can save more money by going with this GPU instead.

http://www.itsdirect.com.au/product...gory_id/48/Product_ID/15359/sub_category/246/

I've had a LeadTek GPU before in the past and it did me well, but I haven't heard anything good or bad from them, but they do have a 560 Ti for $205.
http://www.itsdirect.com.au/product...gory_id/48/Product_ID/12889/sub_category/246/

I'd wait to see what others have to say about LeadTek before making that change.

Not sure how much that will save you, wont be $212 but it will be a lot closer to $1000..
 
Skillz said:
Yeah as mentioned already, go with the Samsung F3 1TB hard drive. Its faster and costs less.

http://www.itsdirect.com.au/product...tegory_id/30/Product_ID/6395/sub_category/31/

Is there a reason for a slim DVD drive? If not, then get this cheaper drive.

http://www.itsdirect.com.au/product...egory_id/30/Product_ID/14939/sub_category/29/

RAM seems to be a little on the high side too, in the States you can get 8GB for less than $50.

http://www.itsdirect.com.au/product...gory_id/35/Product_ID/13998/sub_category/114/

You can save more money by going with this GPU instead.

http://www.itsdirect.com.au/product...gory_id/48/Product_ID/15359/sub_category/246/

I've had a LeadTek GPU before in the past and it did me well, but I haven't heard anything good or bad from them, but they do have a 560 Ti for $205.
http://www.itsdirect.com.au/product...gory_id/48/Product_ID/12889/sub_category/246/

I'd wait to see what others have to say about LeadTek before making that change.

Not sure how much that will save you, wont be $212 but it will be a lot closer to $1000..
Click to expand...



Thankyou very much!
You were alot of help!

im not so good with pricings/set-ups....haven't built before.

Do you think that It would be worth the extra $100 for a 2gb graphics card or stick with the 1gb?
 
Unless you plan to play at resolutions greater than 1920x1080, then yes. Otherwise, if you wanna get as close to your budget as possible then save you're $100. If you can spare it, then yes go with the 2Gb video card as games in the near future will most likely make use of more VRAM.
 
Cheaper from ARC Computers website, with a few minor changes.

Would this still run smoothly?

Antec Earthwatts 650W PSU 80Plus $92.98

Samsung Dual Layer Burner SATA Black 22x 24x writer $25.30

Coolermaster CM690 II advanced RC-692-KKN2 $110.64

G.Skill DDR3 1333 8GB (4GBx2) KIT 9-9-9-24-2N RL2X4GB
10666CL9D-8GBRL $57.26

Intel CORE i5 2500K/3.30GHz/6MB CACHE/LGA1155 CPU $217.45

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit oem $91.81

MSI P67A-C43B3
P67,4DDR3,2133OC,RAID,GBLAN,PCIE16,SA3,ATX,L1155,USB3 $102.96

HIS 6950 Fan 2GB GDDR5 PCI-E HDMI,800/5000 MHz,Dual-Link DVI, D-Sub,
HDMI, 2x DP, DX11, Fan $260.59

Samsung 3.5" SATA2 1TB 7200RPM 32MB SPINPOINT (HD103SJ/UJ)
$57.75

Total Inc: *1,016.74 (Not incl. Delivery)
 
RAM still seems high at $57. Can you not find any under $50? Should get you a lot closer to your $1000 mark.
 
rjshearan321 said:
Cheaper from ARC Computers website, with a few minor changes.

Would this still run smoothly?

Antec Earthwatts 650W PSU 80Plus $92.98

Samsung Dual Layer Burner SATA Black 22x 24x writer $25.30

Coolermaster CM690 II advanced RC-692-KKN2 $110.64

G.Skill DDR3 1333 8GB (4GBx2) KIT 9-9-9-24-2N RL2X4GB
10666CL9D-8GBRL $57.26

Intel CORE i5 2500K/3.30GHz/6MB CACHE/LGA1155 CPU $217.45

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit oem $91.81

MSI P67A-C43B3
P67,4DDR3,2133OC,RAID,GBLAN,PCIE16,SA3,ATX,L1155,USB3 $102.96

HIS 6950 Fan 2GB GDDR5 PCI-E HDMI,800/5000 MHz,Dual-Link DVI, D-Sub,
HDMI, 2x DP, DX11, Fan $260.59

Samsung 3.5" SATA2 1TB 7200RPM 32MB SPINPOINT (HD103SJ/UJ)
$57.75

Total Inc: *1,016.74 (Not incl. Delivery)
Click to expand...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...BESTMATCH&Description=690+ii+advanced&x=0&y=0
 
rjshearan321 said:
Skillz;
I havent found any significantly different prices...maybe max $5
Click to expand...

Is there a reason why you are buying from a single retailer? Shipping that expensive to you that you can't order from a different location? At itsdirect.com it's only $48.95 for 8GB of DDR3, 1333.
 
To get everything under $1000 AUD, you can drop the processor and case down to cheaper components without reducing the overall performance levels. For example, you could switch processors from the i5-2500K to the i5-2400, but you would lose the ability to overclock the processor. Then again, without the need to overclock anything, you could also omit the third-party Hyper 212 Plus as you could get by (unless you live in a very hot environment) with the stock Intel HSF.

You can also save some money by going with a cheaper case. Here are a couple of examples:

$71.28 - Cooler Master Gladiator 600 (NewEgg link)
$92.98 - Lian Li Lancool PC-K58 (NewEgg link)
 
The first set of links (on the price) direct you to the ARC page. I should have said this in my last post, but the NewEgg links are for further details about the cases.
 
Thanks Tiraides.

I have changed the case to Antec Three Hundred 300 Tower - $59.00 to save me some money, and added a wireless card, as I will be moving soon and using the computer a fair way away from the router.

Total now: : $994.80 pickup.

I dont think there is much else I would change from the help you guys have given me.

Hopefully this all runs smoothly.

Thanks again for all the help with this, I'll post again to say what goes down
 
rjshearan321 said:
I have changed the case to Antec Three Hundred 300 Tower - $59.00 to save me some money
Click to expand...

Not a smart move at all. The Antec 300 case is not that good on account of its limited cable management and cramped interior.
 
no go for that case then. thanks.

Im just trying to find a way to limit it as close to $1000 as I can.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top