System Build on a Budget

[skeeder]

Forefront; my desktop of 5 years died, I'm coming from an X2 939 system...and after a week of attempting to wade through the AMD vs Intel vs Bulldozer vs 1100T items; I figured I would see what I'm missing by having you guys take a look at a system for myself.

I tend to build future proofing as much as possible because I won't have funds for something for a while...I need something that will remain quick for most tasks.

Questions:
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Light Gaming (mostly TF2---though I do love Elder Scrolls...), Lots of Photoshop, going to be doing some video editing in the near future--most likely with bluray in the next two years.
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
$300-500 I'd prefer to stay closer to the $300 mark--but if a system would be most definately better I can push to $500. I build thinking 5 years out...(not for everything...but Mobo/CPU yes...)
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.

Michigan
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.
CPU
RAM
Mobo
Maybe: Video card
Maybe: PSU
Maybe: aftermarket HSF? (I like quiet, but I've been impressed with the new intel HSF's...
Maybe: DVD-RW (I have a PATA)
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
eVGA 8800GTS 320MB (Replace?)
Antec ATX 380 Earthwatt PSU 12V (has a 24pin and a 4pin for mobo vs the 8--its an older version--I did find an adapter for $7...not sure)
Antec P180 Case
Samsung DVD-RW 22X PATA
4 SATA drives (74GB Raptor, 2x 500GB WD's and a 250GB backup)
6) Will you be overclocking?
No--unless it is suitable...
7) 7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
1680x1050--no upgrade planed for several years unless it dies.
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
I need this up and running before January. That being said, since my rig died I need it sooner than later.
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video? etc.
I need 4 SATA minimum, would prefer 6 or more...hell I'd love 8!
I dislike onboard video
I dislike tiny NB fans...they go out and cost me money.
RAID would be nice, once HD costs go back to 'sane' levels.
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
64 bit 7.


I prefer Newegg.

Thank you!
EDIT: Old rig is in Signature.

 

[Dangman]

$180 - Intel Core i5-2300 CPU
$80 - Biostar TH67B Intel H67 mATX Motherboard
$60 - 2 x G.Skill Value Series F3-10666CL9D-8GBNT 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM
----
Total: $320 shipped.

 

[skeeder]

danny, thanks for the response, I noticed you picked an older chipset--should I look at the Z68 chipset over the H67.

 

[E4g1e]

danny, thanks for the response, I noticed you picked an older chipset--should I look at the Z68 chipset over the H67.

The Z68 has a few extra features, including overclocking capability, that the H67 does not have. Those extras make the worthwhile Z68 mobos significantly more expensive than the H67 board suggested by Danny. And IMHO the Z68 isn't worth the price unless you go for an i5-2500K instead of the suggested i5-2300. The i5-2500K plus a worthwhile Z68 mobo would have put you much closer to your stated $500 maximum (for the CPU, mobo and RAM), leaving you with almost no room for a decent PSU and practically no room whatsoever for a worthwhile new GPU.

Oh, by the way, it is kinda pointless to overclock an i5-2300 since its maximum overclockable speed with all four cores in use would be exactly the same speed as an i5-2500(K) at its stock, non-Turbo speed -- 3.3GHz -- even on a Z68 mobo. However, performance with lightly-threaded applications would be a tad slower with an "overclocked-to-the-max" i5-2300 than with a stock-speed i5-2500(K) due to the lower 1- and 2-core Turbo frequencies on the 2300.

And the $60 price for the suggested RAM, as the Newegg link Danny provided pointed out, is for two 8GB dual-channel kits (or $30 for one kit). Thus, you'd have a total of 16GB of RAM for just 60 bucks.

 

[skeeder]

Danni.

Just wanted to let you know after much debate, I agree with your assessment. I did place that order. I did have to get a new DVD drive (no pata) and ended up with different RAM as I missed out on the sale.

thank you to E4g1e and Danni!

 

[Dangman]

Good luck with the build then.