Gaming Rig (starcraft)

[Corban227]

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
This rig is for a bud of mine. He will be starting with only starcraft and then possibly branching out to other games. No photoshop or video processing. 75% Gaming and 25% web browsing
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
I am shooting to keep it between 500-700. I would prefer to stay on the cheaper side. I am giving him an old 19in monitor, but I would prefer to give him a new one if it can fit in the budget.
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
I live in Southern california, OC specifically. I am about 30 minutes away from a microcenter and a frys if parts would be cheaper than online.
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 am building from scratch. Case, Power supply, HDD/SDD (Depending on price), Ram, Video Card, Sound Card, DVD Drive, Monitor (this part is optional. It would be great if someone has a better build with no monitor and a lesser build with a monitor)
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
No parts being re used
6) Will you be overclocking?
no
7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
Right now it is a 19in, not sure the resolution. If I were to get a monitor, would probably lean towards a 22-24in
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
1 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.
None of the above
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
No unfortunately...


I am building the rig as a gift but he knows about it, so I will be able to ask questions if you guys have specific questions to ask. Mostly he will be using it for SC and then branching out from there. Possibly going the battlefield route in the future but not for a while probably. This computer will most likely be built and not changed or added to till it needs to be. My friend does not like to tinker.

Thanks

 

[tiraides]

Let's start with the cheap route for now. Here's the tower:

$120 - Intel Core i3 3225 (MC in-store special)
$30 - MSI B75MA-P45 (instant $40 discount when purchased with processor)
$40 - Patriot PSD38G13332H 4GB DDR3 1333 DIMM
$60 - Toshiba DT01ACA100 1TB HDD
$16 - LG GH24NS95 SATA DVD burner
$55 - Corsair CX500 500W PSU
$60 - Corsair 200R ATX mid-tower case
=====
$381 - Subtotal (not including sales tax or rebates)

Grab the case and RAM from Fry's but go to Micro Center for everything else.

For the OS, you can choose between Windows 7 Home Premium or Windows 8, either of which will cost you around $100. Make sure that you get the 64-bit OEM/System Builder disc.

For a 19 inch monitor, you don't really need much in terms of a video card. A cheap card like the GTX 650 or the HD 7770 should be more than enough, regardless of the resolution.

You can buy a larger monitor with a 1920x1080 resolution for under $200, but you may have to spend at least the same amount (most likely more) for a video card good enough for medium settings at that resolution. For StarCraft II, a GTX 660 (non-Ti) or an HD 7850 would be enough (both cards start at around $200 each), but for most first-person shooters, you should "start" by looking at the GTX 660 Ti or the HD 7870 (though you'll probably spend upwards of $300 on each card).

 

[mda]

^ In addition to what tiraides mentioned, I'd prefer nvidia cards for purely starcraft 2.

SC2 is heavily intel/nvidia biased.

 

[Tradio]

if you plan on playing more demanding games than SC 2 i would suggest getting a 7870 gpu

 

[Corban227]

Awesome, Thanks.

 

[tiraides]

Damn; the i3-3225 appears to be out of stock at your local MC.

You could go with the i3-3220 instead, or you could go with the quad-core i5-3470, which offers a bit of a performance boost. Regardless, the MSI board is now $70 instead of $30, which does limit a few options.

I know your friend doesn't like to tinker with completed builds, but is he considering upgrading the monitor any time within the next six months?

 

[Corban227]

Not sure, I will ask.