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Help with mid-tier PC

A

adavbn

n00b
Joined
Jul 4, 2011
Messages
10
Hey all,
am going to be building a desktop within the month and was just looking for some input on where I can save money. I plan to have this based on a LGA 1155 platform (just preference, I know AMD gives more bang for the buck). I'm finding in potential builds that I do the processor or the video card ends up being the most expensive part. So if I can save money on one (or both) that'd be nice. Another thing, I will be getting an SSD (Crucial m4 64gb most likely). Again, silly for a "budget build" but I will be upgrading some parts (likely the processor or video card) later this year to make it a pretty powerful PC.

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Web surfing, gaming (Skyrim, BF3.. doubtful it can max them but should just be sufficient.)

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included? Around $700 with T&S included.

3) Where do you live? Toronto, ON. I live near an ++++ store. Can order online though.

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? SSD, RAM, DVD Drive, CPU, Video card, Power Supply, HD, Motherboard.

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Monitor, case, keyboard/mouse.

6) Will you be overclocking? No.

7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have? Have a 24" 1080p display.

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC? Within the month.

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? USB 3.0/SATA 6gb/s. Don't really care for the z68 features.

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? Already have Windows 7 64bit.
 
Core i3 2100
MSI P67A-G45 Intel P67 ATX Motherboard
4GB DDR3 1333 RAM (single stick rated at 1.5V) from G.Skill
Crucial 64GB SSD
Western Digital WD5000AAKX 500GB hard drive
Corsair 650TX V2 650W PSU

How much does the above total costs?
 
Gonna be a stretch to get the guts of a machine that's capable of running 1080p with all the bells and whistles for your budget. What do you have for a video card now? And power supply?

And I really wouldn't buy a mostly new rig now and then upgrade it in the fall. You could get 4-8gb ram, 2500k +z68 board, the crucial ssd, dvdrw and maybe a 500gb-1tb drive for your $700 budget. A good power supply is going to run you close to $100 and right now I'd suggest a 560ti for around $200 for a vid card.

Before trying any ****.com price matching,

intel 2100 + Gigabyte GA-P67A-D3-B3 combo
4gb G.SKILL Ripjaws
Crucial M4 SSD Micron C400 64GB
1gb WD black hd
dvdwr

Comes out to $520 before shipping + taxes (13% in Ontario?) that doesn't give you much room for a good PS, let alone a vid card.
 
Well I guess I'm going to have to stretch that budget a bit. I actually just bought a 560ti 2gb because I found one at $199. I think an i3 would be a good choice for now, but I'll be upgrading the processor when the Ivy Bridges come out. I should have made that more clear, I wasn't intending to upgrade again in the fall more like in early 2012 (so not later this year lol). I've decided on pretty much all the parts that keep the build pretty cheap. The motherboard is what I'm still not sure. Since I won't be overclocking, I don't think I need the more expensive boards, so I guess what I'm looking for is something reliable that is also future proof (to an extent).
 
I say ditch the SSD requirement. I think the resulting PC would leave you a lot happier. Also, 1TB Samsung F3 should be around $15 less than a WD Black at your etailer of choice. Use savings from those two things on a better video card.

Add SSD later.
 
adavbn said:
Well I guess I'm going to have to stretch that budget a bit. I actually just bought a 560ti 2gb because I found one at $199. I think an i3 would be a good choice for now, but I'll be upgrading the processor when the Ivy Bridges come out. I should have made that more clear, I wasn't intending to upgrade again in the fall more like in early 2012 (so not later this year lol). I've decided on pretty much all the parts that keep the build pretty cheap. The motherboard is what I'm still not sure. Since I won't be overclocking, I don't think I need the more expensive boards, so I guess what I'm looking for is something reliable that is also future proof (to an extent).
Click to expand...

****.com has a i3 2100 + p67 combo for $250

Or get the cpu for $130 and Gigabyte GA-P67A-D3-B3 for ~ $110.

What are you upgrading from? or did you already have the case and want to build from scratch?
 
DarthV said:
****.com has a i3 2100 + p67 combo for $250

Or get the cpu for $130 and Gigabyte GA-P67A-D3-B3 for ~ $110.

What are you upgrading from? or did you already have the case and want to build from scratch?
Click to expand...

I'm building the machine from scratch. I've slowly added components piece by piece when I think I've found a great deal. The Corsair case for example was $100. The overall cost of the machine with everything factored in will probably be around 900-1000. But I'm just making sure that the parts I've listed here is ~700.

I will say this I feel kind of silly looking at an empty 600t in my room lol.
 
Yep, your only options would be to go with AMD or go with the lower end sandy bridge & 1155 boards to make it. At least your next upgrade will have things to build on and should be cheaper!
 
DarthV said:
Yep, your only options would be to go with AMD or go with the lower end sandy bridge & 1155 boards to make it. At least your next upgrade will have things to build on and should be cheaper!
Click to expand...

I have no problem with going the i3 2100 route. Maybe I'd stretch the budget just to get a motherboard I won't feel the need to upgrade soon. Thanks for the help!
 
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