Building another Rig. Need your advice again.

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cocheese256

Gawd
Joined
Apr 23, 2005
Messages
783
I am building a new system for a friend of mine.

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Gaming will be the primary use. Word processing and web browsing.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
$1300.00. Tax and shipping is included in this price.

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

USA. Rural North Carolina.

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 (preferably 16 gigs)
PSU
GPU
SSD
HD
MOBO
Case
WIFI adapter (Not sure if this is a must but I would like a suggestion but do not factor this into the budget.)

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

6) Will you be overclocking?
No.

7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
Current monitor is a 42" 1920x1080. He may upgrade in the future to a 1920x1200 or a 1440 monitor.

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
ASAP. I would like to order the parts this weekend and build it next 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.
SLI/Crossfire
USB 3.0
Onboard Audio

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
No OS.
He would like a 64 Bit OS. I think he would be happier with Windows 7 since that is what he is familiar with. He is not against Win 8, if it gives a benefit with gaming. I am also more familiar with Win7 and I will be the one who helps him if he has a problem.
 
$190 - Intel Core i5 4570 (included $10 discount promo code EMCWXVL33, expires 11/4)
$75 - MSI B85M-G43
$119 - G.Skill RipjawsX 2x8GB DDR3 1600 (included 15% discount promo code EMCWWXW37, expires 11/7)
$299 - XFX FX797ATDJC HD 7970
$175 - Samsung 840 EVO 250GB SSD
$65 - Western Digital Blue 1TB HDD
$60 - Seasonic M12II 620 Bronze 620W modular PSU (included $20 discount promo code NVEXCLS39, expires 11/4)
$60 - Corsair 200R ATX mid-tower case
$139 - Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit OEM DVD
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$1182 - Subtotal (not including shipping, taxes, or rebates)

Windows 7 Home Premium won't recognize all of your 16GB of RAM. It only recognizes up to 16GB of total system memory, so it also counts the video card's memory towards that total. Windows 7 Pro and Windows 8 (both Pro and non-Pro) doesn't have that memory limitation. But Windows 8 non-Pro costs around $100, if not a bit less, whereas Windows 7 Pro costs around $140. Your friend has to decide whether living with Windows 8's Start Screen is worth saving $40 or $50.

You don't really need much with regards to the wi-fi adapter. Ideally, you want something that can handle dual-band 802.11n or better. Here's one relatively inexpensive option:

$19 - TP-LINK TL-WN881ND PCI-E 802.11n wireless adapter
 
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We don't know enough about BF4 multiplayer to recommend the GTX 770 4GB over the HD 7970 (or the R9 280X, which is essentially a rebranded 7970), or vice versa.

Oh, yeah, we might as well swap out the RAM:

$111 - 2x Crucial Ballistix Tactical LP 8GB DDR3 1600 RAM (included 15% discount promo code EMCWWXW232, ends 11/7)
 
Im not a fan of wireless when gaming, If you have to use wireless, I suggest getting a Linksys/Cisco adapter, well worth the money for the brand.

I suggest getting Windows 8.1, even if you like Windows 7 over 8, which I like 7 over 8 myself but the performance improvements overrides the overall use/look.

I would try to move to an i7 and less video card, the overall length of keeping the PC will be good. Unless you plan on upgrading the processor later, then its good.

Could just use a 128gb SSD for the OS, and put the money towards something else.
 
Mavsfan said:
Im not a fan of wireless when gaming, If you have to use wireless, I suggest getting a Linksys/Cisco adapter, well worth the money for the brand.

I suggest getting Windows 8.1, even if you like Windows 7 over 8, which I like 7 over 8 myself but the performance improvements overrides the overall use/look.

I would try to move to an i7 and less video card, the overall length of keeping the PC will be good. Unless you plan on upgrading the processor later, then its good.

Could just use a 128gb SSD for the OS, and put the money towards something else.
Click to expand...

Nor am I but it is his decision. I would help him wire his house with network cable but neither of us have a lot of free time.
 
Correct, it is his decision, not going against it at all. Its a nice computer setup that will last along time, the choices I have made are not necessarily the best because not everything is the best. If he likes other peoples opinions and wants one, Ill toss one in.
 
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