Could someone help me buy a prebuilt gaming pc for under $400?

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Clay54412

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Hello, I currently have a gaming pc but it's getting old and I need to upgrade... So I just need a prebuilt gaming pc that only has built in the CPU, Power supply, New Hard Drive and motherboard...And I need it to be REALLY fast, under $400 and impossible to get bottlenecked lol. My problem with my current pc is that my cpu is old and my pc overheats a lot. I have an I7 950 @ 3.07 GHZ and people tell me it bottlenecks my 980 Ti..And so I just needed this prebuilt gaming pc so I could just add my ram and 980 Ti and just plug and play...nothing else...I didn't want to build this myself because I hate doing that and I'm scared I might ruin something but I could handle installing simple things like ram and the graphics card...

I already have my mouse, keyboard, monitor and speakers also so I just need the Tower to have a really fast and solid, up to date motherboard, Badass I7 CPU, preferably 2 TB hard drive and 1,100 power supply just to make it future proof(if needed) and for under $400 or as cheap in price as possible AND that blows my current pc out of the water..Could any kind person here help me? Thanks.



My current specs are:
GTX 980 Ti FTW
Intel I7 950 @ 3.07 GHZ
16 GB DDR3 Ram @ 1600 MHZ
1.36 TB Hard Drive
Sabertooth X58 Motherboard
650 Watt Power Supply
 
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TheMailonG

TheMailonG

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"I just need the Tower to have a really fast and solid, up to date motherboard, Badass I7 CPU, preferably 2 TB hard drive and 1,100 power supply just to make it future proof(if needed) and for under $400 or as cheap in price as possible AND that blows my current pc out of the water.."
"I just need a prebuilt gaming pc that only has built in the CPU, Power supply, New Hard Drive and motherboard..."

This was the cheapest. No way u can have i7, top-notch mobo, watercooling and 1100W PSU + 2TB HDD for $400
i5 6500 with unlocked BCLK OC = i7 6700
WD=HGST>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Seagate (The fail 3x more)
U said u need a case
i7-4790K isn't the way if you're overheating
Get 850W only if u want to SLI

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($194.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212X 82.9 CFM CPU Cooler ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming 5 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($139.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($66.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO 250GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($87.10 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.77 @ OutletPC)
Case: NZXT Source 530 ATX Full Tower Case ($83.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA P2 850W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($109.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $770.71
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-04-11 16:53 EDT-0400
 
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N3rdR4ge

N3rdR4ge

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you absolutely arent going to find a pre-made machine with those specs. you'll need to go the custom route.

1) 1100w is not futureproofing. thats overspending. even if you get a second 980 ti, the max you'd need is 1000w. too much wattage means less efficiency and higher power bills.
2) a pre built machine without a gpu is not going to come with more than a 350w psu.
3) a pre built machine in that price range will not have a good enough quality motherboard for overclocking and will have a stock cooler which is also not sufficient. this might be a moot point since you might not be interested in overclocking.
4) if you do end up deciding to go the custom route, the motherboard change will most likely require you to repurchase windows.
5) a pre built machine may not have the right dimensions for your gpu and you would need to make sure the case has sufficient size.

heres what the custom parts you need would cost you with good quality. keep in mind, these are custom upgrade parts and probably are LESS expensive than a pre built machine. i didnt include a case or OS, but you might need that too since we dont know what you have.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($319.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H5 Universal 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($46.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI Z97-GAMING 5 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($122.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($65.89 @ OutletPC)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA P2 850W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($109.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $665.84
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-04-11 16:41 EDT-0400

after taxes and possibly a new windows OS, expect to spend around $700-$800 additional for the type of system you are looking for. you could hold off on the psu and use yours until you are upgrading, unless yours is a cheap low quality one, like corsair CX/CS/VS/CSM.

on a side note, you should highly consider a solid state drive for another $50-$80. if you want speed and an up to date system, an SSD is the way to go. most people split between an OS on a 250gb ssd, and storage/programs on a 1tb HDD.
 
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Clay54412

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Ok, well that sucks... Well, I would prefer to have an I7 CPU if possible...or just the best CPU I could get for a low price...and N3rdR4ge, so those parts that you picked INCLUDE tax just to be sure? I would only have to pay $665.84 and not a penny more? And if you could recommend a case that's large enough to hold those parts with some good ventilation space that'd be great...And with case included, can I just connect my graphics card and ram and just plug and play or would I need to do more?
 
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N3rdR4ge

N3rdR4ge

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here's what i'd recommend NOT including tax or shipping

Keep your PSU, RAM, and GPU.

buy:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($319.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H5 Universal 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($46.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI Z97-GAMING 5 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($122.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial BX200 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($63.88 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($45.89 @ OutletPC)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.99 @ Micro Center)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) ($85.49 @ OutletPC)
Total: $730.21
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-04-11 16:57 EDT-0400

SSD is optional but recommended. you can buy the one i linked previously if you want a 2tb. that will cut costs a bit.
 
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Clay54412

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@N3rdR4ge, Well it was partly prebuilt...I bought it from a friend a while back and I just upgraded the ram and the graphics card but left untouched everything else...that is why I still have that old I7 950 and that barely passable power supply...I currently have a Windows 8 disc so I don't think I would have to worry about that right? If I'm not missing anything, those parts you recommended would only need the gpu and ram and that's it? With the case, it would already have the cd disk drive ect.?
 
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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New motherboard may mean new OS license.
No, it won't have a CD drive

Lastly, you are actually building the whole thing. Those parts do not come preinstalled in the case.
 
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Clay54412

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Ok, honestly I have no idea how to hook up the power supply and would prefer a slightly more powerful one already prebuilt because my graphics card uses a little more wattage because it's the FTW version...and 650 is barely passable...IDK.. And I would also prefer a 2 TB hard drive because I got a lot of games lol..Could you update that with a second recommendation with those in mind?
 
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N3rdR4ge

N3rdR4ge

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if you'd like to spend as little as possible, this build has less upgradeability, no ssd and no overclockability. will only hold a single gpu, so no second one down the road.

650w is fine in most cases, what model do you have?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($299.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M PRO4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($77.88 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($65.89 @ OutletPC)
Case: Cougar Spike MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($33.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) ($85.49 @ OutletPC)
Total: $563.24
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-04-11 17:03 EDT-0400
 
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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There is no 'prebuilt' with the specs/parts list you desire.
 
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Clay54412

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Ok USAFRet, with that in mind now..if I may need a new OS license, what build do you have in mind? Like, what build could you recommend that doesn't have ram and graphics card pre-installed but has everything else including the case?
 
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TheMailonG

TheMailonG

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Here you are:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($309.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming 5 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($139.99 @ Micro Center)
Storage: Western Digital Blue 2TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($74.74 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA P2 850W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($109.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $634.71
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-04-11 17:07 EDT-0400

 
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N3rdR4ge

N3rdR4ge

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he needs new ram if he is going to a skylake platform and that board.
 
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Clay54412

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Ok, what is the main thing I have to upgrade? Because I really was only interested in spending less than $400 so could I just use my current case and just get a new motherboard and CPU? OR could I just get a bigger or better case with a little more space(because mines crowded) with the CPU and motherboard and leave everything else as is??? Or with a new motherboard comes new ram???(hope not)
 
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N3rdR4ge

N3rdR4ge

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this is about the least your gonna spend with an i7 unless you want to go with an i5. i already posted this previously. has all the parts you will need.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($299.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M PRO4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($77.88 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($65.89 @ OutletPC)
Case: Cougar Spike MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($33.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) ($85.49 @ OutletPC)
Total: $563.24
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-04-11 17:03 EDT-0400


with an i5:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($174.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M PRO4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($77.88 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($65.89 @ OutletPC)
Case: Cougar Spike MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($33.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) ($85.49 @ OutletPC)
Total: $437.74
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-04-11 17:19 EDT-0400


it is possible you could keep your case. is it from a pre-made machine? what is the case model, or the model of the pre-made machine? not too important because the case i linked is $33. might as well just get that.
 
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Clay54412

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That price is pretty reasonable but earlier someone said that I would need a new OS or something? So basically that case includes everything I need and I would only need to put in my 16 GB DDR3 ram and 980 Ti and that's it? Nothing else? And it would be plug and play after installing my GPU and ram? And it wouldn't be a better idea to just get the CPU, case and motherboard only or would that be too complicated? Very sorry for so many questions...I would just hate to make the wrong decision here lol...
 
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Clay54412

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Is that I7 a lot better than that I5? And also, I noticed you listed a case that was called "mini"... Would that be tiny? lol I would prefer a case with good space and airflow but you would know better so whatever you recommend...And how could I check what my case is?
 
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N3rdR4ge

N3rdR4ge

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in terms of gaming, an i5 is plenty sufficient. the i7 would definitely give you a frame rate boost up to 10fps on games that favor it, but you'll still be very happy with the i5/980 ti combo. some games won't benefit from the i7 at all. the i5 won't be a bottleneck.
 
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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You will have to put everything together. It does not come preassembled.
 
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TheMailonG

TheMailonG

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Maybe u won't need a cooler... I put same RAM as you have:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($309.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212X 82.9 CFM CPU Cooler ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming 5 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($139.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($58.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Blue 2TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($74.74 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $623.70
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-04-11 17:29 EDT-0400
 
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