Pre-built comp for friend

[Rooble91]

UPDATE: So, I convinced my friend to actually build a comp rather than going pre-built. (Yay!) Edited list below for what he needs specifically.

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
***Gaming (BF3 and MW3) and web browsing
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
***$600-800 with taxes and shipping. Prefer ordering off Amazon but can go Newegg too
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
***Santa Cruz, California
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.
***Computer case, Mobo, CPU, RAM, Video card, PSU, HDD and a monitor and windows 7
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
***Reusing an old keyboard and mouse
6) Will you be overclocking?
***No
7) 7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
***Needs a monitor
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
***Next week or two
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)? etc.
***Nothing specific
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
***Needs windows

 

[Dangman]

Short of going with the shit-tactcular Cyberpower and iBuypower companies, I'm not sure if what your friend wants is possible within that budget with a prebuilt PC. I'll look around though and see if I can dig up anything.

 

[Rooble91]

I took a quick look at cyberpower and ibuypower just to get an idea for prices, and realistically I'm not sure if it's going to be possible, especially since he needs a monitor too while staying under his price range.

 

[Tsuyoi]

Yeah that budget is a bit tight. While iBuypower and Cyberpower are pretty low end, they aren't completely un-usable. I picked one up for my wife to introduce her to gaming pcs and to replace her 6 year old Dell, and it's been working no problems out of the box for a year now. I cost around $600 during a newegg sale, came with a phenom x 2, 8 gig ram, 1 TB HDD, and a 5670 GPU. It obviously won't be the most impressive in terms of performance, and probably has some shitty MoBo/PSU, but for regular use/casual gaming it suffices.

I'm able to play Skyrim and MW3 at 720p resolutions with medium-high settings no problem. For his budget, you can probably find a similarly specced one (possibly with a 6670 if you catch it on sale), then get a monitor for $150, and the total'll be $750. Just make sure you inspect the internals before using it, there's been cases when they forget to connect wires, or the GPU/ram isn't seated properly. But for a budget gaming pc, honestly your only other choice would be to go used.

 

[Rooble91]

Anyone else have any thoughts or direct links to something?

 

[PiSquared]

Anyone else have any thoughts or direct links to something?

Do you have experience building computers? If so, maybe give him a late Christmas/holiday/etc. present of showing him how to assemble his own computer? Knowing how to do that is incredibly useful.

If yes, you can get a very usable computer for that price. If not, you're really getting what you pay for given the low margins for businesses that assemble systems...

 

[Rooble91]

Yea I can build comps but as I originally said I don't have the time to help but that is irrelevant now since I convinced my friend to go with a custom built comp. He has a friend that can help him out apparently so I updated the original thread slightly to reflect what he needs.

 

[Deleted member 88227]

I recommend sticking with Amazon entirely, they wont charge you tax.

Does he happen to be a college student with a .edu email address, if so he can get Windows 7 Pro for $65. This will help with making that budget last a little longer.

 

[BrooksyX]

I recommend sticking with Amazon entirely, they wont charge you tax.

Does he happen to be a college student with a .edu email address, if so he can get Windows 7 Pro for $65. This will help with making that budget last a little longer.

My university gives it out for free through the msdnaa. Well I guess I wouldnt consider 'free' because I am paying for it through my tuition but I guess its one perk of going to school

 

[Rooble91]

I recommend sticking with Amazon entirely, they wont charge you tax.

Does he happen to be a college student with a .edu email address, if so he can get Windows 7 Pro for $65. This will help with making that budget last a little longer.

Yea, I would really prefer sticking with Amazon. Unfortunately he does not have a .edu email or access to one.

 

[Dangman]

$120 - Intel Core i3-2120
$65 - Biostar H61MU3 Intel H61 mATX Motherboard
$18 -Patriot Signature PSD34G13332 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM
$160 - Asus EAH6850 DC/2DIS/1GD5/V2 Radeon HD 6850 1GB PCI-E Video Card
$84 - Seagate Barracuda ST500DM002 500GB Hard Drive
$20 - Liteon DVD Burner
$56 - XFX PRO450W 450W PSU
$50 - NZXT Source 210 Elite White with Black Front Trim ATX Case
$100 - Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64bit OEM
$118 - Asus VH202T-P 20" LCD Monitor
----
Total: $791 shipped

Note:
- If you can't buy the above Seagate drive before December 31st, forget about it and go with any Samsung and Hitachi 500GB drive you can find for cheap whenever you're buying. After December 31st, Seagate and Western Digital is planning on cutting down their hard drive warranties to one year.

 

[Rooble91]

Thanks for the list Danny. What kind of settings do you think he should expect regarding BF3?

 

[Dangman]

Thanks for the list Danny. What kind of settings do you think he should expect regarding BF3?

Medium settings without AA