gaming build for girlfriend ~$500

[andrewbub]

1) What will you be doing with this PC? gaming and web browsing
2) What's your budget? hope to keep it around $500 usd
3) Which country do you live in? usa, portland, or
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? cpu, ram, mobo, video card, hdd, case, psu, os
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? keyboard, mouse, 22" lcd (1680x1050)
6) Will you be overclocking? no
7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? 22" lcd 1680x1050
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC? soonish
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? Mini ITX, Micro ATX.
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? no

so i'm going to try to get my girlfriend to start gaming with me (to cut me some slack).

going to be playing tera with her. max res on the 22" monitor i'm handing down is 1680x1050, and would like to play at max settings or at least close to it, which shouldn't be too hard in this budget. also looking for a good mini itx/micro atx board because i want to use the fractal core 1000 case http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352009 because i love the looks.


cpu - i3 2120 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115077 $128
video card - would something like a 560ti be overkill?
mobo - is z68 necessary since not overclocking? not really up to date with different chipsets for the lga1155 package. remember micro or mini atx
hdd - not really up to date on mechanical tech. prefer performance over size. wish i could put a ssd in here for her, but that would cut too hard in to the budget.
case - Fractal Core 1000 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352009 ($40)
ram - gskill ripjaw ddr3 1600 2x4gb http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231314 ($47) overkill? ram is cheap so don't think getting crappy ram is worth it
psu - no idea here...want something that is affordable (not cheap). don't want to skimp on quality here.
os - win7 ($100)

any help is appreciated to get the old lady off my back!

 

[Dangman]

also looking for a good mini itx/micro atx board because i want to use the fractal core 1000 case http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352009 because i love the looks.

How much do you honestly like the case? I ask because it's not that great of a case for the money. It costs $47 shipped, only has one 120mm fan, and has little to no cable management. $3 more gets you an extra 140mm fan, significantly better cable management, and more room:
$50 - NZXT Source 210 Elite Black ATX Case
$50 - NZXT Source 210 Elite White with Black Front Trim ATX Case

video card - would something like a 560ti be overkill?

Just a little bit. Though I don't think you have room in the budget anyway for the 560 Ti. I think this GPU should be fine:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150561

mobo - is z68 necessary since not overclocking? not really up to date with different chipsets for the lga1155 package. remember micro or mini atx

You would be fine with a H67.

hdd - not really up to date on mechanical tech. prefer performance over size. wish i could put a ssd in here for her, but that would cut too hard in to the budget.

I recommend this drive:
$80 - Hitachi 7K1000.D HDS721050DLE630 500GB 7200RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s Hard Drive

ram - gskill ripjaw ddr3 1600 2x4gb http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231314 ($47) overkill? ram is cheap so don't think getting crappy ram is worth it

That RAM is fine.

psu - no idea here...want something that is affordable (not cheap). don't want to skimp on quality here.

I recommend this PSU:
$66 - SeaSonic M12II 520 Bronze 520W Modular PSU

 

[andrewbub]

thanks for the quick reply. i should be able to start piecing together stuff with this info. now to just wait til tomorrow to see if she'll bite. i aggro'd her pretty hard when i told her i would be playing tera all day!

 

[JosephObrien]

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