Hi guys. I'm a big fan of this website and want to ask your suggestion on a good flexible gaming build. I'm looking for an all-round mobo in case I want to upgrade my CPU, video card in the future. Also I'm quite a noob in terms of building/buying computer parts (usually I can't figure out whether the parts are compatible to each other or not), so your help is greatly appreciated!
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
70% gaming (I plan to play games like Civ 5, Mass Effect, Total War Series) and 30% statistical programming (Stata, Matlab, Fortran, etc).
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
$900 not including tax and shipping.
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
Chicago, IL.
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.
Motherboard, CPU, GPU (at least 2 gb), PSU, Case, SSD, RAM (hopefully 16 gb)- essentially the tower and its contents. No peripherals needed.
EDIT: I already have SSD and HDD, and they are not part of the $900 budget.
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
I have a Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2 128GB, so I don't need to buy another SSD. The SSD is not part of the $900 budget. I also have a 320 GB harddrive lying around, 5400 RPM, but don't remember the model.
EDIT: HDD is Seagate Momentus Thin 320GB Thin 7200RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 2.5-inch HDD ST320LT.
6) Will you be overclocking?
No but I don't mind learning.
7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
24", 1920x1080.
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
By the end of July or early August.
EDIT: I prefer the month of July.
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.
USB 3.0. I prefer Crossfire or SLI support. I also would like the motherboard/soundcard to support a 5.1 surround sound system.
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
I'll have Windows 7, 64 bit.
Thanks again for your time and expertise. I don't mind paying slightly less (or more) so feel free to list a few alternatives for each part. Sometimes it's good to see the tradeoffs. I look forward to hearing your advice! You are awesome!
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
70% gaming (I plan to play games like Civ 5, Mass Effect, Total War Series) and 30% statistical programming (Stata, Matlab, Fortran, etc).
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
$900 not including tax and shipping.
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
Chicago, IL.
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.
Motherboard, CPU, GPU (at least 2 gb), PSU, Case, SSD, RAM (hopefully 16 gb)- essentially the tower and its contents. No peripherals needed.
EDIT: I already have SSD and HDD, and they are not part of the $900 budget.
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
I have a Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2 128GB, so I don't need to buy another SSD. The SSD is not part of the $900 budget. I also have a 320 GB harddrive lying around, 5400 RPM, but don't remember the model.
EDIT: HDD is Seagate Momentus Thin 320GB Thin 7200RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 2.5-inch HDD ST320LT.
6) Will you be overclocking?
No but I don't mind learning.
7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
24", 1920x1080.
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
By the end of July or early August.
EDIT: I prefer the month of July.
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.
USB 3.0. I prefer Crossfire or SLI support. I also would like the motherboard/soundcard to support a 5.1 surround sound system.
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
I'll have Windows 7, 64 bit.
Thanks again for your time and expertise. I don't mind paying slightly less (or more) so feel free to list a few alternatives for each part. Sometimes it's good to see the tradeoffs. I look forward to hearing your advice! You are awesome!
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