$900 Gaming Desktop Computer

novalys

Distinguished
Jul 25, 2010
36
0
18,530
Approximate Purchase Date:
June 2013

Budget Range:
800~1000 but would like it to be around 900 unless is something that is really worth it.

System Usage from Most to Least Important:
Gaming, MMORPG (GW2, Aion, League of Legends).

Are you buying a monitor:
No

Parts to Upgrade:
Full System

Do you need to buy OS:
No

Preferred Website(s) for Parts:
Only know newegg.com tigerdirect.com but as long as they ship to Texas I'm okay with any website.

Location:
El Paso, Texas, US.

Parts Preferences:
I would like intel/nvidia, but if for my price going amd/ati is better in terms of performance I'm ok with it.

Overclocking:
Not really.

SLI or Crossfire:
Would be nice, but not that important.

Your Monitor Resolution:
1920x1080

Additional Comments:
A nice case would be cool, white would be awesome, but again, this is just being greedy, not really that important. Games would be mostly MMORPG like Guild Wars 2, Aion, League of Legends...

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading:
Currently using a ASUS PC like 4 years old, it is time for an upgrade.
 

Fulgurant

Distinguished
Nov 29, 2012
585
2
19,065
This is what I could come up with, keeping your preferences in mind: a non-overclocker Intel/Nvidia build with a white case (and with no OS/monitor):

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($184.17 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus P8B75-M/CSM Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($78.24 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($56.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 830 Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($67.24 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($369.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: NZXT Source 210 Elite (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($42.79 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($75.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($18.49 @ Amazon)
Total: $1008.87
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-05-29 21:07 EDT-0400)

If you have a Microcenter nearby, you could save some money on CPU/motherboard. Likewise, you could get a marginally better graphics' card (HD 7970 3GB) in the same price range if you didn't mind going with AMD. But I'm not sure the difference is worth considering; eventually the extra video RAM might give you a noticeable benefit.

You could also downgrade the graphics' card to a 7950 to save ~$50. That card also has 3GB of VRAM, btw, but the 2GB 670 nevertheless performs about 17% better on average. And obviously, if you really wanna save money, you could cut out the solid-state storage.

Here's a review I found of the chassis; it's a little old (and not from one of my favorite review sites), but the conclusion is favorable: http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/4331/nzxt_source_210_elite_white_mid_tower_case_review/index2.html

Unfortunately there aren't a lot of options in white. The next case up the logical ladder cost more than twice the money.