First ever build, help/advice is appreciated!

[Turn_Left]

Hi everyone,
I'd like to build a computer, partly because I need one, partly because I want to go through the experience of building one. I've done quite a bit of reading regarding what parts I will need, how to assemble, etc., but still don't have a good sense of what parts would be best for ME. These forums came highly recommended from a few friends, so any help of advice you can offer would be great!

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
95% of the time, this computer will be used for web browsing and office work (Documents, spreadsheets, etc.) The other 5% will be used for HD streaming or HD video (via Blu-ray)

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
$1000 TOTAL, give or take $150 (if a computer can be built to my requirements in much less, please let me know. On the other hand, if $1000 is far too low, also please let me know.)

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

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 truly have no parts to use at all, so if the following list is missing something obvious/vital, assume I probably meant to list it as well.
Case
Power Supply
Case Fan (Does this come with case/do I need?)
Motherboard
CPU
HSF (Should I buy a CPU that comes with one, or buy a separate one?)
Memory
Hard drive (Not sure if HDD or SSD is better for my purposes)
Blu-ray/DVD drive (don't need to burn BD)
GPU maybe? (Do I need a video card if NO gaming will be done?)
Two 23" or 24" 1080p monitors, identical
Sound card? (I don't know what the purpose of this is. I would like to be able to plug headphones into my computer to hear, and I'd like to have the ability to hook it up to speakers in the future.)
Wireless something (I don't have access to an Ethernet cable)

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

6) Will you be overclocking?
I have no experience doing so, and I would prefer not to if I don't have to.

7) 7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
Part of my request is assistance in picking out two monitors, but the size will be 23" or 24", 1080p (or maybe called 1920x1080?) I would also like to be able to connect the computer to a much larger television on rare occassions, Samsung 55" 1080p.

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Hopefully buy 5/4 or 5/5 at in-store location, or any time this week (4/28 on) online. Build 5/5.

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 am unsure if I need any, given what I have listed above. If I don't need a GPU to watch HD video, then I need onboard video. I would like to have HDMI ports if I don't have GPU. USB 3.0 would be nice but not necessary. The Ubuntu website states that if I have UEFI, download the 64 bit OS. (Does this mean that I NEED UEFI?) I am unsure if anything else is particularly necessary.

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
I currently use Ubuntu 12.04 32bit on my laptop, I planned on using 12.04 64bit on this system. If this is a huge mistake for any reason, please let me know, and then include the purchase of the best value Windows OS into my budget.


Very basically, here is my vision for the build: I don't need anything super fancy, but I would like it to do the above tasks decently well. I would like it to run very quietly (most of the computer usage takes place while others sleep in the room) and very cool (I live in a house that will often get hotter than 90 deg F). I would like to connect my monitors via HDMI, and I would like to watch Blu-ray movies. This computer will not be used for any gaming whatsoever. I'd like at least two USB ports (didn't know where to include this above) and headphone+microphone ports.

In the parts listed above, there may be some things that I do not need (HSF, GPU, case fan,...). If my requirements do not need it, please make me aware of this.

My current computer is a HP G56 Notebook laptop. Ideally, my build will do everything this laptop can do AT LEAST as well (but hopefully better).

I would probably be better off buying a pre-built computer given my requests, but a large portion of this build is purely for the experience. Any and all recommendations you give are very much appreciated. If possible, please include a reason for why you may recommend a particular part (it helps me to learn and understand what to look for).

Any questions to clarify that would help you further help me are welcome! I will respond as quickly as possible. Thank you all for your time.

 

[tiraides]

How far are you from a physical Fry's or Micro Center store? One or both of those places could save you some money versus, say, Amazon or NewEgg.

 

[Turn_Left]

About 1 hour no traffic to MicroCenter, 20 minutes to Frys. I'm willing to make the drive to both/either.

 

[tiraides]

The immediate problem is that the sales and specials that are available this weekend will change next weekend.

Here's a rough draft (using Amazon, for now) of what you should be looking for:

$336 - Two Asus VS247H-P monitors (at $168 each, with 1920x1080 resolution, LED backlighting, IPS panel)
$50 - NZXT Source 210 Elite ATX mid-tower case
$55 - Corsair CX500 500 watt power supply
$134 - Intel Core i3-3225 (3.3GHz, Ivy Bridge, Socket 1155, dual-core with Hyper Threading)
$29 - Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus CPU cooler (tower style with 120mm fan)
$75 - AsRock H77M (Socket 1155, Intel H77, micro-ATX)
$48 - Corsair Value Select 8GB DDR3 1333 (single DIMM, CL9, 1.5V)
$67 - WD Blue WD10EZEX 1TB hard drive (SATA 6Gb/s)
$53 - LG UH12NS29 internal SATA BD-ROM and DVD/CD burner combo drive
=====
$847 - Subtotal (not including shipping, taxes, or rebates)

Don't get fixated on the final price: Where you buy from, and what you specifically buy, will influence what the final price will be. As for my individual choices:

Monitor - The Asus VS247H-P is one of many monitors that uses an IPS panel, which displays more accurate color and has a wider viewing angle than the TN panel that is used in other, cheaper monitors.

Case - The NZXT Source 210 Elite has several good features (a 120mm and a 140mm fan, room for several more fans, one front-mounted USB 3.0 port) for its price. Another good alternative for the money is the Corsair 200R. You don't get as many features on cheaper cases, and some of the more expensive cases aren't necessarily better features-wise. (I can't tell you whether the fans on either the Source 210 Elite or the 200R would be enough for your room. Then again, you could always buy more fans later on.)

Power supply/PSU - I went with a safe choice in the Corsair CX500. You won't need that much power, but it won't kill your budget.

Processor - The Ivy Bridge-based Intel Core i3-3225 is a fast dual-core chip with Hyper Threading. Given your relatively meager needs, it's more than enough. Micro Center has a in-store special where you get $40 off any Socket 1155 board purchased alongside it -- but I don't know whether or not that deal will continue onto May. The i3-3225 also comes with onboard graphics that is good enough for viewing and streaming 1080p quality videos, and it supports dual monitors. The only reason why you would need a standalone video card is if you really need dual HDMI support. (Most Socket 1155 motherboards have at least one DVI port, but more on that in a moment.)

CPU cooler - The Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus offers quieter, better-than-stock-HSF cooling for under $30. There's no need to make things complicated here.

Motherboard - I went with the AsRock H77M for its onboard HDMI, DVI, and VGA ports. The board, along with the i3-3225 processor, supports dual monitors, but you can't use all three ports simultaneously. (Could you live with one monitor on HDMI and one on DVI?)

Memory/RAM - Nowadays, 8GB is the minimum that we recommend for most systems. I went with one stick of RAM (or DIMM) primarily because it was cheaper than a dual-channel kit of the same brand. (You wouldn't notice any performance hit by going single channel versus dual-channel.)

Storage - I went with another safe pick in the Western Digital 1TB hard drive. Depending on your final budget, you could increase the capacity by buying a 2TB drive in place of the 1TB drive, or you could pick up a faster (in comparison) SSD (for example) to supplement the 1TB drive. How you ultimately go about this depends on your immediate funds and your long-term plans.

Blu-ray drive - I basically found the cheapest Blu-ray combo drive I could find. While that sounds like a cop-out, part of my problem is that I don't know what you're using for Blu-ray playback, let alone whether you need to buy some software. (I believe that the majority of the media software bundled with retail Blu-ray drives only work with Windows.)

Again, this is not the final list of what you should buy. I want to wait for next weekend to arrive so I can see what the May specials are for both Fry's and Micro Center. But I don't know Ubuntu that well, so please let me know if any of those parts are incompatible or don't work well with the OS.

 

[Turn_Left]

Thanks for all of the detailed information on each specific part. It really is a huge help.

I certainly could live with two different ports for my monitors, so long as they still act the way they are supposed to (I really don't know much about the differences between HDMI and DVI).

As far as the Blu-ray playback/part compatibility with Ubuntu goes - I really hadn't even considered until now that there may be issues here. After a quick readthrough on the Ubuntu site, it appears that Blu-ray playback is somewhat complicated (perhaps due to making it work on an open-source OS?). Regardless, if there ends up being issues with part compatibility or Blu-ray playback, I would be fine with purchasing Windows, as the list you provided has me coming in well under-budget! If this were the case, then would I be safe in assuming that all of the parts you have listed certainly do work for 64 bit Windows 7/8? That way, I can try it out on Ubuntu, and if I run into problems, I can just buy Windows and call it a day.

Regarding the purchase of these parts - I know they are all linked to Amazon, but am I likely to find all of these pieces at a Fry's or MicroCenter? Or am I better off calling ahead of time and seeing what they have in stock?

Thank you again for the recommendations! I really had no idea what would be good enough for my purposes, and through your descriptions, you have really enlightened me.

 

[tiraides]

If you end up needing Windows, you should be just fine with either Windows 7 Home Premium or Windows 8. Unless you plan on using more than 16GB of RAM, you don't need Windows 7 Professional or Windows 8 Professional. Regardless, stick with the 64-bit OEM copy to save money.

You'll find parts similar to what I recommended earlier in ether Micro Center or Fry's. Their websites aren't as well-designed as either Amazon's or NewEgg's (though I believe that NewEgg is the best-organized site for the purpose of researching parts).

I can't confirm what parts work well with Ubuntu or which ones don't work at all. Given my inexperience with Ubuntu, I focused my build more on your budget than OS compatibility. (The parts will work with Windows, though you'll need to install a few motherboard drivers to make everything function properly.)

Assuming that you'll make some changes, let us know what you're planning to buy before you actually do so. Otherwise, I'll come back to this thread next weekend and help you narrow down your final choices.

 

[Hagrid]

Thanks for all of the detailed information on each specific part. It really is a huge help.

I certainly could live with two different ports for my monitors, so long as they still act the way they are supposed to (I really don't know much about the differences between HDMI and DVI).

As far as the Blu-ray playback/part compatibility with Ubuntu goes - I really hadn't even considered until now that there may be issues here. After a quick readthrough on the Ubuntu site, it appears that Blu-ray playback is somewhat complicated (perhaps due to making it work on an open-source OS?). Regardless, if there ends up being issues with part compatibility or Blu-ray playback, I would be fine with purchasing Windows, as the list you provided has me coming in well under-budget! If this were the case, then would I be safe in assuming that all of the parts you have listed certainly do work for 64 bit Windows 7/8? That way, I can try it out on Ubuntu, and if I run into problems, I can just buy Windows and call it a day.

Regarding the purchase of these parts - I know they are all linked to Amazon, but am I likely to find all of these pieces at a Fry's or MicroCenter? Or am I better off calling ahead of time and seeing what they have in stock?

Thank you again for the recommendations! I really had no idea what would be good enough for my purposes, and through your descriptions, you have really enlightened me.

As always, Dannys suggestions rock.
He listed Amazon, but if there are sales at Microcenter, then you would save quite a bit of $$ with bundles and such.
I havnt used Blu-ray on linux, but it works great on Windows 7 64b.(3rd party software of course) You can choose Win 7 or 8, both will work.

 

[Deleted member 88227]

As always, Dannys suggestions rock.
He listed Amazon, but if there are sales at Microcenter, then you would save quite a bit of $$ with bundles and such.
I havnt used Blu-ray on linux, but it works great on Windows 7 64b.(3rd party software of course) You can choose Win 7 or 8, both will work.

Danny bui hasn't posted in this thread.

 

[tiraides]

As always, Dannys suggestions rock.

Gee, thanks....

He listed Amazon, but if there are sales at Microcenter, then you would save quite a bit of $$ with bundles and such.

The immediate problem is that the sales and specials that are available this weekend will change next weekend.

Micro Center has a in-store special where you get $40 off any Socket 1155 board purchased alongside it -- but I don't know whether or not that deal will continue onto May.

Yeah, what he said....

I certainly could live with two different ports for my monitors, so long as they still act the way they are supposed to (I really don't know much about the differences between HDMI and DVI).

Simply put, DVI carries a digital video signal while HDMI can carry both digital video and digital audio. However, if you plan on using the onboard (analog) audio (by plugging the 3.5mm jack for your headphones or speakers into the ports in the back), then both DVI and HDMI perform the same role (carry digital video).

 

[Quartz-1]

If you end up needing Windows, you should be just fine with either Windows 7 Home Premium or Windows 8. Unless you plan on using more than 16GB of RAM, you don't need Windows 7 Professional or Windows 8 Professional. Regardless, stick with the 64-bit OEM copy to save money.

A nitpick, but Windows 7 Pro or Ultimate maybe needed if MSTSC or Bitlocker are required.

Faced with such a limited requirement, I'd see what Dell and HP have to offer.

 

[tiraides]

A nitpick, but Windows 7 Pro or Ultimate maybe needed if MSTSC or Bitlocker are required.

I think it's safe to assume that, since the OP uses Ubuntu and made no mention of either terminal servers or drive encryption, he'll be fine with Windows 7 Home Premium or Windows 8.

 

[Hagrid]

Gee, thanks....







Yeah, what he said....



Simply put, DVI carries a digital video signal while HDMI can carry both digital video and digital audio. However, if you plan on using the onboard (analog) audio (by plugging the 3.5mm jack for your headphones or speakers into the ports in the back), then both DVI and HDMI perform the same role (carry digital video).

Sorry Tiraides! Yours rock too!

 

[Dangman]

Gee, thanks....
.

Well that sucks. LOL!

 

[tiraides]

I didn't think it was that long since I last gave some good recommendations....

 

[Turn_Left]

Tiraides-
I have looked over each of your selections very carefully, and I plan to stick fairly close to your suggestions. I do have just a few more questions, if you (or someone else) would be so kind as to answer them.

After looking at a number of different motherboards around the price of the one you listed ($75), many of which have HDMI+DVI ports, I am curious to know if there is a reason why that specific one was chosen. I have absolutely no issues with it, I just didn't know if there was much more you were considering, such as it being the lowest priced, best reviewed, some other feature that helps, etc.

For video, the motherboard says it supports it so long as the CPU has integrated graphics. I just wanted to make sure that the CPU listed (Intel Core i3-3225 (3.3GHz, Ivy Bridge, Socket 1155, dual-core with Hyper Threading)) DOES have integrated graphics, as the details listed on Amazon and Newegg make no specific mention.

For the hard drive: After looking at the WD Blue you listed, I saw a link to the WD Green series, which (according to the company descriptions) appears to run quieter and cooler. Is this just a sort of gimmick, or could I stand to benefit from buying a WD Green instead? A WD Green 1TB is virtually the same price as a WD Blue $71

Lastly, if I were to go ahead and buy Windows, does your recommendation of BD-ROM change? Or was that choice more dependent on what I'll be playing the movie in rather than what OS I am using?

Thanks again for being so patient with me. I am very excited that this is all coming together!

 

[E4g1e]

For the hard drive: After looking at the WD Blue you listed, I saw a link to the WD Green series, which (according to the company descriptions) appears to run quieter and cooler. Is this just a sort of gimmick, or could I stand to benefit from buying a WD Green instead? A WD Green 1TB is virtually the same price as a WD Blue $71

The WD Green is ill-suited to being the only drive in any system due to its permanently enabled spin-down-to-a-complete-stop feature and its very slow spindle speed (only 5400 RPM) and extremely slow random access speed (well over 25 ms, compared to the 15 ms random access speed of the typical 7200 RPM hard drive these days). It is of use only as a backup drive on a system that already has a faster HDD or SSD as the system/programs drive. That particular WD Green (when used as the OS/programs drive) is one sure way to make that i3 perform slower than an old Core 2 Duo in real-world overall application performance that involves a lot of random accesses (not gaming).

 

[Turn_Left]

I see, thank you very much.

 

[Dangman]

After looking at a number of different motherboards around the price of the one you listed ($75), many of which have HDMI+DVI ports, I am curious to know if there is a reason why that specific one was chosen. I have absolutely no issues with it, I just didn't know if there was much more you were considering, such as it being the lowest priced, best reviewed, some other feature that helps, etc.

That AsRock has a solid enough track record to be considered for recommendation.

For video, the motherboard says it supports it so long as the CPU has integrated graphics. I just wanted to make sure that the CPU listed (Intel Core i3-3225 (3.3GHz, Ivy Bridge, Socket 1155, dual-core with Hyper Threading)) DOES have integrated graphics, as the details listed on Amazon and Newegg make no specific mention.

Yes the Core i3-3225 does have integrated video.

Lastly, if I were to go ahead and buy Windows, does your recommendation of BD-ROM change? Or was that choice more dependent on what I'll be playing the movie in rather than what OS I am using?

It wouldn't. That choice is more dependent on whether or not you want to watch blu-ray movies on your PC.

 

[Zenshi]

Have to say it .... Tiraides' comments rock...and so does Danny Bui's.

 

[tiraides]

After looking at a number of different motherboards around the price of the one you listed ($75), many of which have HDMI+DVI ports, I am curious to know if there is a reason why that specific one was chosen. I have absolutely no issues with it, I just didn't know if there was much more you were considering, such as it being the lowest priced, best reviewed, some other feature that helps, etc.

At the time of my parts selection, I chose the cheapest board I could find with both HDMI and DVI. Please keep in mind that none of the parts I mentioned are "final answers." Depending on where you go to buy your parts, as well as what parts are in stock and what is on sale, my recommendations may vary greatly from my original list.

What you should look for in a motherboard is a Socket 1155 board that supports Ivy Bridge processors right out of the box (the chipsets to look for are B75, Z75, H77, and Z77). I wouldn't recommend any H61 motherboards as I don't know whether or not the ones in store can natively support Ivy Bridge without a BIOS update.

For video, the motherboard says it supports it so long as the CPU has integrated graphics. I just wanted to make sure that the CPU listed (Intel Core i3-3225 (3.3GHz, Ivy Bridge, Socket 1155, dual-core with Hyper Threading)) DOES have integrated graphics, as the details listed on Amazon and Newegg make no specific mention.

NewEgg's the better place to go for information on the processor. Head to the NewEgg page on the i3-3225 and look in the Details tab. There, you'll see what integrated graphics the i3-3225 has, which is "Intel HD Graphics 4000."

Without going into too much detail, multiple reviews and benchmarks on the Ivy Bridge processors in general have shown that the onboard graphics is capable of viewing 1080p video well.

For the hard drive: After looking at the WD Blue you listed, I saw a link to the WD Green series, which (according to the company descriptions) appears to run quieter and cooler. Is this just a sort of gimmick, or could I stand to benefit from buying a WD Green instead? A WD Green 1TB is virtually the same price as a WD Blue $71

E4g1e explained this better that I could, but to recap: No. Stick with the WD Blue.

(But consider the Seagate Barracuda HDD instead, if it's available for less than the WD Blue.)

Lastly, if I were to go ahead and buy Windows, does your recommendation of BD-ROM change? Or was that choice more dependent on what I'll be playing the movie in rather than what OS I am using?

Actually, it would, to a certain degree.

The drive that I picked out was an OEM model, which I believe (but don't quote me) didn't come with any media playback software. Typically, many of us recommend OEM or barebones optical drives (and HDDs) as they're cheaper and you normally already have the software and/or accessories (like SATA cables) you need to make them operational. In the case of Blu-ray drives, regardless of whether they can read or write, we recommend the retail kits, which contain software that can play Blu-ray (and DVD) movies.

In other words, if you were going to buy a copy of Windows, I'd recommend this drive instead. (It's the retail version of the drive I picked out in my first post.)

 

[Turn_Left]

The comments are very much appreciated, thank you. Now that we are into May, and I intend to make my purchases this weekend, are there any changes you might make to the items that were recommended earlier?

I will be shopping online at either Amazon or Newegg (those seem to be the two most popular) or in-store at Fry's Woodland Hills, Burbank, or Oxnard (although I'd prefer not Fry's, as they have poor customer service) or MicroCenter at Tustin.

Thanks again everyone, you have been a tremendous help!

 

[tiraides]

I'll wait until tomorrow or Saturday. Hopefully by then, we'll see the monthly (and weekend) sales and specials for all stores.

 

[tiraides]

Here's your Micro Center shopping list for tomorrow:

$320 - Two Acer H236HL 23" 1920x1080 60Hz e-IPS panel LED backlit monitors (at $160 each)
$60 - Corsair 200R ATX mid-tower case
$70 - Corsair CX600 600 watt power supply
$120 - Intel Core i3-3225 Socket 1155 dual-core processor
$30 - Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO tower-style CPU cooler
$30 - MSI B75MA-G45 Socket 1155 Intel Z77 micro-ATX motherboard (includes $40 instant discount when purchased alongside the i3-3225)
$60 - Crucial Ballistix Sport 2x4GB DDR3 1600 CL9 1.5V dual-channel RAM kit
$60 - Asus BC-12B1ST Blu-ray combo drive (retail package)
$90 - Seagate Barracuda STBD2000101 2TB SATA 6Gb/s 3.5" internal HDD (retail package)
$100 - Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit OEM
=====
$940 - Subtotal
+$76 - Tax (based off MC site for Tustin, CA)

$1016 - Total (rounded up to the nearest dollar, not including rebates)

I went a little higher than what I originally "estimated"...

- I assumed that you needed a copy of Windows, which added an additional $100. (Windows 8 is out of stock at Micro Center, so if you want it, you have to go to Fry's... or online.)
- I went with the retail version of the Blu-ray player I recommended earlier, which costs more than the barebones drive.
- I spent a little more on the PSU as it costs only a bit more than the CX500.
- I "splurged" and chose a 2TB hard drive for not much more than the 1TB drive.
- Micro Center didn't have the NZXT Source 210 Elite case, so I went with the Corsair 200R.
- RAM costs a little more at Micro Center than, say, Amazon. (NewEgg has the exact same RAM for more.) Then again, you can find a single 8GB stick for a bit less.
- I went with a different monitor due to what Micro Center has available. If I had to choose, however, I'm more comfortable with the Asus monitor (but it would cost considerably more).

The only reason I was able to "go off the rails" as I did was because of Micro Center's amazing processor-and-motherboard bundle deal.

The only other thing I can recommend, reluctantly, is three additional 120mm fans. Two of them are for the case (one side intake and one top exhaust) and the third is for the CPU cooler. Depending on what you buy (the CPU fan, ideally, should be different from the two case fans), they may cost considerably more than a cheap multi-pack of fans.

EDIT: If you want to cut the total down to below $1000 after taxes:

- Drop the PSU down to the CX430M (what's available in-store) ($10 savings)
- Get the single 8GB stick of Crucial Ballistix Sport RAM instead of the dual channel (2x4GB) kit ($5 savings)
- Drop the hard drive down to the 1TB model ($25 savings)
- Get a cheaper case, like (for example) the Thermaltake V3 Black Edition ($35) (up to $40 savings, depending on the case, and not counting the cost of extra fans)
- Get a pair of cheaper monitors, like (for example) the Acer S230HL ABD ($99 each, $198 per pair) (up to over $100 savings, but you lose on image quality and other monitor features, depending on the monitor chosen)
- Omit the Windows license ($100 savings)

 

[Turn_Left]

The list is great, tiraides. I think I will go with everything recommended, but drop the hard drive down to the 1TB model (I don't have any music/movies/pictures to save onto it), and look at the two recommended cases in person, and decide from there.

You (and the rest of the [H]ard|Forum community) have been a huge help to me. Thank you so much!

 

[tiraides]

No problem.

Tell us what the shopping trip resulted in....

 

[Turn_Left]

So, I made my purchases and got it all hooked up successfully. Now I'm just working out a few kinks related to some software, so I was pretty pleased with how well my first build went together.

As for the parts I bought, I stayed pretty close to the list tiraides provided, with only a few changes: I did not get Windows or a Blu-ray drive at all, as this particular Microcenter did not have the BD-rom listed. I figured I could live without either of these pieces, given that I use Linux anyway. The motherboard in the final list did not have an HDMI port, which I needed for my dual monitor setup, so I instead went with the first recommended motherboard, the Asrock H77M (came out to the same price anyway). Lastly, and I hate calling audibles because I like to research things extensively before I buy them, I bought a 120GB Samsung 840 SSD instead of the HDD. The salesman really talked me into it tbh, and I don't save any music/video/pictures on my computer anyway, so I figured that it wouldn't hurt to have this instead (unless there are some glaring problems with it).

The list turned out to be:
Corsair Carbide 200r case: $60
2 x 23" Acer H236HL monitor: $320 (I got the last two!)
Corsair 600W CXMOD PSU: $75
Asrock H77M 1155 Motherboard: $30 (orignally $70, $40 instant savings with the CPU)
Intel i3-3225 CPU: $120
Coolmaster Hyper 212 EVO HSF: $30 (salesman insisted I didn't need it, I asked if it would hurt, he said no, so I said I'd rather be safe and spend the $30)
Crucial 2x4GB D3 1600 RAM: $50
120GB Samsung 840 SSD: $80
-------------------------------------------------------
Total after taxes, before rebates: $825
I spent another $70 on a keyboard/mouse and wireless adapter, but left there spending only $900, so I was pretty pleased.

Thanks again everyone!

 

[Dangman]

If 120GB is actually more than enough for you, then it wasn't a bad call at all.