First Build Gaming Rig - $600-800 Range

[penismightier]

Hello All,

I've been browsing the forums for a month ago and decided that building my gaming PC would give me the best bang for my buck.

Approximate Purchase Date: this month

Budget Range: $600-800 After Rebates

System Usage from Most to Least Important: (gaming, surfing the internet)

Parts Not Required: keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: best deals

Country: USA

Parts Preferences: Best for money

Overclocking: Maybe

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe

Monitor Resolution: 1680x1050

Additional Comments: I don't currently have an OS, would I need to buy one or could I find someone with a legal copy I can use, and is there a difference? Also, I'm pretty technologically savvy but have no experience building or upgrading PCs, is building my own still a good idea?

Thanks in advance for all your help!

 

[tlmck]

This system should suit your needs.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/core-i5-overclock-performance-gaming,3097.html

 

[erikalikesfire]

Case: Rosewill Blackbone Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower ($40)

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core ($220)

HSF: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler ($30)

MB: ASRock Z68 PRO3 GEN3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX ($102)

RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 ($30)

GPU: HIS Radeon HD 6870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 ($140)

PSU: OCZ ModXStream Pro 500W Modular ($30)

OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM ($100)

ODD: LITE-ON 24X DVD Writer - Black SATA LightScribe Support ($19)

HDD: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500 GB SATA III 7200 RPM 16 MB Cache ($85)

Total: $796

This total includes the $50 in mail-in rebates, as well as the $15 gift card that can only be used at Newegg. It does not include $11.20 in shipping charges because I couldn't decide what to downgrade, so I am instead choosing to assume you'll sign up for a free 30-day ShopRunner trial and get free 2-day shipping

That power supply in particular is a steal at $30 with mail-in rebate and Newegg gift card until 1/18. That power supply is usually $60-$65; it hit $50 on Black Friday. They email the gift card four days after invoice, so my suggestion is to buy the power supply now so you can use the gift card when you buy the rest of your parts.