Advice on new rig

[maddude]

Dear [H], I never thought this would happen to me. Asking for build advice. I used to build computers all of the time, but the economy makes fools of us all and I haven't really built a new computer since late 2007. The rig in my signature have done me well, but are long in tooth. I have fallen out of the know, and need some help!

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
General web and email, work related tasks, heavy Word, Excel, Powerpoint... Some gaming, I want to be able to play Just Cause 3 when it come out, Far Cry 3 & 4, various Source engine games.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
$1,00.00 including all taxes and shipping. If I can build a rig that fits my needs for less, even better!

3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
USA Columbus OH. Fairly close to MicroCenter

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.
MB, CPU, RAM, SSD, GPU. Possibly a new PSU. I am using a Corsair HX620. I have been using it since I built the rig, so about 7 years. I have a X-Fi XtremeGamer PCI soundcard. Do people even use soundcards anymore, or is onboard good enough?

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
I want to keep my case, COOLER MASTER CM Stacker STC-T01-UWK. I will be reusing my optical drives, monitors, keyboard, mouse, speakers..

6) Will you be overclocking?
Maybe. I always have in the past, but I have not done and OCing for 7-8 years. The game has changed. I don't know if I can, or if it is worth it.

7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
I run 3 monitors at 1920x1200. I have 2 GPU's now to run the extra monitors. If I can run 3 monitors from one card, that would be great. I do not use all 3 for gaming, I just use 1. The others are used for documents, spreadsheets, all of that fun stuff.

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Within 2-3 months, unless there is a compelling reason to wait.

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.
I have no need for RAID or Firewire anymore. I don't want to run Crossfire or SLI. I imagine most everything comes with USB3 and SATA6 anymore. I don't need onboard video, but it appears most MB's include it now.


10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
I have legit Win 7 & 8 keys, both 64bit. I will probably upgrade to 10 when it is released.

I really have no brand preferences. I have used AMD, Intel, Nvidia, Western Digital, Seagate, more motherboard brands than I can name...

Thank you in advance for all of your help!

 

[Dangman]

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Within 2-3 months, unless there is a compelling reason to wait.

If anything, you're actually planning too early. Build lists that we recommend this month may not be the same builds we recommend the next month let alone three months from now. The computer hardware market is relatively volatile so certain (or all parts) can become outdated, overpriced, outperformed, or obsolete within a short period of time. So if you want the best chance at an up-to-date build list with the minimal time spent, then wait until you're 1-2 weeks away from buying and ask for advice. It really doesn't help planning so far in advance.

Though I can answer some general questions though:

3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
USA Columbus OH. Fairly close to MicroCenter

How long is the drive?

Possibly a new PSU. I am using a Corsair HX620. I have been using it since I built the rig, so about 7 years. I have a X-Fi XtremeGamer PCI soundcard. Do people even use soundcards anymore, or is onboard good enough?[/COLOR]

I would recommend using a new PSU for this system. People still get sound cards if they have mid to high-end speakers or headphones. For below that, onboard audio is fine.

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
I want to keep my case, COOLER MASTER CM Stacker STC-T01-UWK. I will be reusing my optical drives, monitors, keyboard, mouse, speakers..

That case.....honestly, Coolermaster hasn't released a case with that kind of refined look in quite some time. You should be good to go to reuse that case.

7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
I run 3 monitors at 1920x1200. I have 2 GPU's now to run the extra monitors. If I can run 3 monitors from one card, that would be great. I do not use all 3 for gaming, I just use 1. The others are used for documents, spreadsheets, all of that fun stuff.

Pretty much any mid to high-end video card can run three monitors with no problem.