$600-700 Home office / moderate gaming PC - Looking at Newegg DIY Kit

Forum Systems : New Build $600-700 Home office / moderate gaming PC - Looking at Newegg DIY Kit

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Before 12/31
BUDGET RANGE: 600-700 After Rebates
SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Internet, Photoshop, HD Media, MS Office, games that aren't good on consoles (like the new Stracraft, SimCity 4).
PARTS NOT REQUIRED: keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Newegg, but I don't care where
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: U.S.
PARTS PREFERENCES: Intel processor, whatever video card you think is best, whatever size tower you think is best (I'd like it to last a long time and allow for upgrades)
OVERCLOCKING: No idea, I don't really know the benefits, but I doubt I'll be maxing out the system.
MONITOR RESOLUTION: I'm looking at upgrading to the Samsung 24" HDTV/Monitor T240HD, which is 1920x1200.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: This isn't to show off or to do any LAN gaming (I have an xbox for that). Rather, it's for use as a law school/home PC that I can use for general tasks, high resolution photo editing, maybe some video editing, some RTS-type gaming, and hopefully HD media viewing as that becomes more commonplace online. I'd also like this to last a long time and allow for upgrades.

As I have never built a computer before (though I know my way around them fairly well), I have spent some time reading up on it here and on other sites. It seems to me that most of these reviews are focused on hardcore gaming PCs, which just isn't what I'm looking for. However, I also don't want to deal with any subpar performance during the times that I do use CPU/memory intensive applications.

Thus, I have really taken an interest in this kit: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.306543

What do you think about it? The processors and motherboard seem solid, though I am somewhat concerned about things I've seen saying that Intel will be moving away from this socket. How much memory do I really need, and how much can I expect to pay for DDR3 above 4GB? Does this 700W power supply appear to be sufficient and of good quality? Is the case big enough for future expansion? Other than a video card and optical drive, what else would I need to buy to make this system complete? Finally, what kind of video card solution would you recommend to me given the uses I have mentioned above?

Thank you VERY much for your help in advance, I really appreciate it!

Reply to awrhodes84

The barebone combo is good except for the psu. I'm sure someone will say he's used the same brand of psu fine. I'm not looking for just fine, but quality, longevity & efficiency.

Also, StarCraft II will be a demanding game, judging by the screenshots we saw. I'm pretty sure it's a new engine with 3D units. You'd need a semi hardcore pc for that game in its glory.

Do you want me to put together a build for $700? Do you need an OS?

Reply to p55ibexpeak

That would be great, if you wouldn't mind. I can get Win 7 Home 64 bit through my .edu email address for $43, so that isn't a need.

I really appreciate it, thanks man.

Reply to awrhodes84

Rosewill has an earned reputation for PSU problems. I am always wary of that, even though this PSU model did pass 80+ certification. They seem to be trying to get their PSU manufacturing under control, but I wouldnt trust them without some professional reviews showing power stability and good components. I could not find a professional review of that model.

Reply to dndhatcher

My cart:
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quantity of item 1

SAMSUNG CD/DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S223C

SAMSUNG CD/DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S223C - OEM
Item #: N82E16827151192
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

Protect Your Investment (expand for options27-151-192|hide options27-151-192)

Service Net Replacement Extended Warranty Plan

The product will be replaced and shipped directly to you at no charge(more info27-151-192.0.18)

* 1 year: $6.99
* 2 year: $11.99

$26.99

select item 2 quantity of item 2

Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3500418AS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5

Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3500418AS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Item #: N82E16822148395
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

-$10.00 Instant

$59.99
$49.99

select item 3 quantity of item 3

SAPPHIRE 100286L Radeon HD 4860 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

SAPPHIRE 100286L Radeon HD 4860 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card - Retail
Item #: N82E16814102866
Return Policy: Limited Replacement Only Return Policy

Protect Your Investment (expand for options14-102-866|hide options14-102-866)

Service Net Replacement Extended Warranty Plan

The product will be replaced and shipped directly to you at no charge(more info14-102-866.0.18)

* 1 year: $16.99
* 2 year: $25.99

$129.99

select item 4 quantity of item 4

Antec Basiq BP500U 500W Continuous Power ATX12V Version 2.01 Active PFC Power Supply

Antec Basiq BP500U 500W Continuous Power ATX12V Version 2.01 Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
Item #: N82E16817371004
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

-$20.14 Instant

$69.99
$49.85

select item 5 quantity of item 5

OCZ Gold Edition 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1066 (PC3 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ3G10664GK

OCZ Gold Edition 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1066 (PC3 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ3G10664GK - Retail
Item #: N82E16820227346
Return Policy: Memory Standard Return Policy

-$15.00 Instant

$89.99
$74.99

select item 6 quantity of item 6

GIGABYTE GA-P55A-UD3 LGA 1156 Intel P55 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

GIGABYTE GA-P55A-UD3 LGA 1156 Intel P55 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16813128412
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

Protect Your Investment (expand for options13-128-412|hide options13-128-412)

Service Net Replacement Extended Warranty Plan

The product will be replaced and shipped directly to you at no charge(more info13-128-412.0.18)

* 1 year: $16.99
* 2 year: $25.99

-$5.00 Instant

$139.99
$134.99

select item 7 quantity of item 7

Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80605I5750

Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80605I5750 - Retail
Item #: N82E16819115215
Return Policy: CPU Replacement Only Return Policy

$199.99

Subtotal: $666.79
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All prices in USD. All parts at newegg.com

This is by no mean a high-end gaming rig. The HD 4860 just came out of production line. It sits somewhere between 4850 & 4870 in terms of performance. Not a bad card by any means. It's good for RTS at your resolution. If it feels laggy, lower the image quality in game. Your bottleneck is your budget. $700 for i5 is pushing it. If you don't mind AMD, they're the best bang for under 1K.

You can pick out a case for less than $40. Rosewill PSUs may not be good, but their cases are popular at newegg.

http://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCat [...] uter-Cases

Reply to p55ibexpeak

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$600-700 Home office / moderate gaming PC - Looking at Newegg DIY Kit

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