Approximate Purchase Date: e.g.: ASAP
Budget Range: ~$1250
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming
Are you buying a monitor: Yes
Parts to Upgrade: None, starting from scratch
Do you need to buy OS: Yes
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Preferably NCIX because I can pick it up instead of paying for shipping.
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Parts Preferences: None
Overclocking: No
SLI or Crossfire: No
Your Monitor Resolution: I would like it to be 1920x1080 and be >21 inches
Additional Comments: I'd like a cool-ish looking case with some colour if possible.
And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: My old laptop isn't cutting it for me anymore.
I'd appreciate any help, I've never built my own computer before but I'm pretty stoked about it.
Edit: After reading some of the replies, here is what I came up with. I have room to spend around $75 more if there is something that can be upgraded that will make a significant difference in gaming performance.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks
CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($226.99 @ Newegg Canada)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ NCIX)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($104.99 @ NCIX)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($48.49 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($97.99 @ NCIX)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($67.50 @ Vuugo)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7870 2GB Video Card ($209.99 @ NCIX)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($38.88 @ Canada Computers)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($79.99 @ Canada Computers)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.79 @ DirectCanada)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($97.99 @ NCIX)
Monitor: Asus VS238H-P 23.0" Monitor ($119.99 @ NCIX)
Keyboard: AZIO Levetron Wired Gaming Keyboard ($26.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Total: $1167.57
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-04-25 21:29 EDT-0400)
Budget Range: ~$1250
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming
Are you buying a monitor: Yes
Parts to Upgrade: None, starting from scratch
Do you need to buy OS: Yes
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Preferably NCIX because I can pick it up instead of paying for shipping.
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Parts Preferences: None
Overclocking: No
SLI or Crossfire: No
Your Monitor Resolution: I would like it to be 1920x1080 and be >21 inches
Additional Comments: I'd like a cool-ish looking case with some colour if possible.
And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: My old laptop isn't cutting it for me anymore.
I'd appreciate any help, I've never built my own computer before but I'm pretty stoked about it.
Edit: After reading some of the replies, here is what I came up with. I have room to spend around $75 more if there is something that can be upgraded that will make a significant difference in gaming performance.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks
CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($226.99 @ Newegg Canada)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ NCIX)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($104.99 @ NCIX)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($48.49 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($97.99 @ NCIX)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($67.50 @ Vuugo)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7870 2GB Video Card ($209.99 @ NCIX)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($38.88 @ Canada Computers)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($79.99 @ Canada Computers)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.79 @ DirectCanada)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($97.99 @ NCIX)
Monitor: Asus VS238H-P 23.0" Monitor ($119.99 @ NCIX)
Keyboard: AZIO Levetron Wired Gaming Keyboard ($26.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Total: $1167.57
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-04-25 21:29 EDT-0400)
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