Low/mid range gaming build

[vvtc]

New here! Seeking advice for a completely new PC build.

1) What will you be doing with this PC?
Gaming, will be mostly Starcraft 2. Some Photoshop use as well.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
~$600 preferably with tax/shipping included.

3) Where do you live?
San Francisco, CA

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
Literally "everything". Have no parts to re-use.
CPU, motherboard, case, power supply, RAM, hard drive, optical drive, video card, network card, sound card. Maybe a media reader/hub but not necessary.

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
None

6) Will you be overclocking?
No

7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
Have a 24" monitor already

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Now/anytime soon in the future.

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? etc.
No requirements. But would prefer the option for future upgrades if it does not drive the cost up too much.

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? 32bit or 64bit?
Yes, Windows 7 64-bit

I would really prefer an Intel build, but I know AMD is the cheaper/budget friendly route. I am open to options.

Thanks for any help!

 

[Dangman]

$100 - AMD Phenom II X2 555 CPU
$90 - Gigabyte GA-880GM-UD2H AMD 880G HDMI mATX Motherboard
$125 - PowerColor AX5750 1GBD5-H Radeon HD 5750 1GB PCI-E Video Card
$90 - Corsair TW3X4G1333C9A XMS3 2x2GB DDR3 1333 RAM
$45 - Western Digital WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$26 - LG GH22NS50 DVD Burner
$75 - Seasonic S121II 520 520W PSU
$40 - Cooler Master Elite 330 RC-330-KKN1-GP ATX Case
----
Total: $591 shipped

Went with Amazon.com since they don't charge shipping nor tax for CA residents.

 

[vvtc]

Thanks for the input! Any other suggestions?

 

[cbliss1000]

The 555 can unlock to become a quad-core: if you'd rather have a quad right out of the box, you can get the 640 for $7 more.

There's an alright sale on the Antec 300 right now, but it involves an MIR - not much of a deal if you don't like those.

 

[llmercll]

That looks a lot like the build I made for my brother. I would probably get a 5770 though. Comes out to be $20 more than the 5750 that danny linked, but if you're going on be on a 24" monitor (presumably 1080p?) it might be worth it. It also has the double lifetime warranty and free game!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150447

 

[vvtc]

Thanks for the inputs!

So a good Intel build with $600 budget is probably out of the question huh? Would $700 make any difference?

 

[Dangman]

So a good Intel build with $600 budget is probably out of the question huh? Would $700 make any difference?

Yes. That extra $100 will get you an Intel build:
$195 - Intel Core i5 750 CPU
$105 - Gigabyte GA-P55M-UD2 Intel P55 mATX Motherboard
$125 - PowerColor AX5750 1GBD5-H Radeon HD 5750 1GB PCI-E Video Card
$90 - Corsair TW3X4G1333C9A XMS3 2x2GB DDR3 1333 RAM
$45 - Western Digital WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$26 - LG GH22NS50 DVD Burner
$75 - Seasonic S121II 520 520W PSU
$40 - Cooler Master Elite 330 RC-330-KKN1-GP ATX Case
----
Total: $701 shipped

Though you're better off spending that extra $100 on a significantly faster video card and slightly faster AMD CPU:
$140 - AMD Phenom II X4 945 CPU
$90 - Gigabyte GA-880GM-UD2H AMD 880G HDMI mATX Motherboard
$90 - Corsair TW3X4G1333C9A XMS3 2x2GB DDR3 1333 RAM
$200 - eVGA 768-P3-1360-TR GeForce GTX 460 768MB PCI-E Video Card
$45 - Western Digital WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$26 - LG GH22NS50 DVD Burner
$75 - Seasonic S121II 520 520W PSU
$40 - Cooler Master Elite 330 RC-330-KKN1-GP ATX Case
---
Total: $706 shipped