New Build: $800

[Monkey King]

1) What will you be doing with this PC?

• Gaming: Black Ops 2 and League of Legends
• General: need a computer that can handle having multiple programs open at once. Will be doing a lot of video streaming, web browsing, email, Facebook, etc.

2) What's your budget?

$800 including shipping.

3) Which country do you live in?

Minneapolis, MN, USA. I live near a Microcenter.

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget?

CPU, RAM, CPU cooler, Motherboard, RAM, Optical Drive, HDD, Graphics Card, PSU, Case. I'd like to have Liteon Litescribe to burn CD/DVDs.

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing?

None. Building from scratch.

6) Will you be overclocking?

Not initially. May want to down the line.

7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?

Planning on a 19". Would like to have HDMI monitor. **Do not include in pricing.

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

ASAP. It's a Christmas present.

9) What features do you need in a motherboard?

Not sure, but I'd like to have 16GB of memory. Ability to upgrade in future would be nice.

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license?

Yes, Windows 7 x64


So, in essence, I'm looking for a straight gaming computer that can handle multiple programs open at once. Looking forward to your suggestions. Let me know if you need more clarification.

Thanks!

Monkey King

 

[Dangman]

Wait, so you don't have a monitor yet? That kinda determines what GPU you should be getting.

 

[Monkey King]

I do, but it's a generic Dell monitor, 19". But I'll be getting rid of that soon since I want an HD monitor. So would it help if we went off of that? But still not including it in the $800 budget.

 

[Dangman]

I do, but it's a generic Dell monitor, 19". But I'll be getting rid of that soon since I want an HD monitor. So would it help if we went off of that? But still not including it in the $800 budget.

Yes if you can get that new 1080P monitor soon. Here's what I recommend:

$337 - Intel Core i5 3570K + MSI Z77A-GD55 + G.Skill Ripjaws Series F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL 2 x 4GB DDR3 1600 RAM Combo
$185 - PowerColor AX7850 2GBD5-DH Radeon HD 7850 2GB PCI-E video Card
$80 - Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$30 - Lite-On iHAS424-98 LightScribe Support
$58 - Antec NEO ECO 520C 520W PSU
$65 - Corsair Carbide Series 300R ATX Case
$30 - Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus HSF for LGA 1366 and LGA 1156
----
Total: $785 shipped

Add the combo to the cart and that G.Skill 8GB RAM will show up. I highly recommend buying that CPU + mobo + ram combo TODAY since it's an utterly fantastic deal for a good quality mobo. Also, get that case as I've never seen that particular case for that low of a price. So buy those four parts TODAY!'

EDIT: Shit just realized you live near a Microcenter. Hmm get the same CPU from MC, the RAM from Newegg but the Asus P8Z77-V LK from MC.

 

[Monkey King]

Great. So if I'm getting this right:

$170 - Intel Core i5 3570K (Microcenter)
$120 - Asus P8Z77-V LK (Microcenter)
$40 - G.Skill Ripjaws 2x4GB Ram (can I get 2 of these so I have 16GB of RAM? will mobo support that?)
$185 - PowerColor AX7850 2GBD5-DH Radeon HD 7850 2GB PCI-E video Card (How good of a card is this one? I didn't see too many reviews on Newegg.)
$80 - Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$30 - Lite-On iHAS424-98 LightScribe Support
$58 - Antec NEO ECO 520C 520W PSU
$65 - Corsair Carbide Series 300R ATX Case
$30 - Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus HSF for LGA 1366 and LGA 1156

With Cyber Monday coming up, would it make sense to wait until then or won't these be on sale?

Thanks Danny

 

[Dangman]

Great. So if I'm getting this right:

$170 - Intel Core i5 3570K (Microcenter)
$120 - Asus P8Z77-V LK (Microcenter)

Actually, if you buy the CPU and mobo at the same time in-store, MC will knock off $40 off the total of those two parts.

$40 - G.Skill Ripjaws 2x4GB Ram (can I get 2 of these so I have 16GB of RAM? will mobo support that?)

Yes and yes. However that RAM is a bit overpriced now that I think about it. If you really want 16GB of RAM, I recommend this RAM set:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233270

Do note that if you have Windows 7 Home Premium, you're limited to 16GB of RAM max. Windows 7 Pro will you let upgrade to 32GB of RAM or more later on.

$185 - PowerColor AX7850 2GBD5-DH Radeon HD 7850 2GB PCI-E video Card (How good of a card is this one? I didn't see too many reviews on Newegg.)

For the money, it's one of the better bang for the buck GPUs out there. If you want a faster card, then you're looking at this Gigabyte HD 7870:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125418

With Cyber Monday coming up, would it make sense to wait until then or won't these be on sale?

The only part that might not be on sale would be the case, HSF, RAM, and GPU. The rest of the parts are at their normal pricing/deals. Totally up to you if you want to wait.