$700-800 Decent Gaming PC

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Neocentric

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Dec 13, 2011
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Right now I currently have a pretty crappy Compaq. It runs alright, but I am looking for better.

Approximate Purchase Date: Will be buying parts individually paycheck to paycheck as my money allows.

Budget Range: $700-$800 before shipping and after rebates

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, some video editing/recording

Are you buying a monitor: No, I already have one.

Parts to Upgrade: Maybe a new Hard Drive. Already have a 500gb 7200 rpm hard drive though.

Do you need to buy OS: No

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: No real preference...newegg seems to be nice though.

Location: Currently in Portsmouth, VA USA but being military that can change anytime.

Parts Preferences: No preference

Overclocking: Yes, but not majorly

SLI or Crossfire: Yes, but not right away....would like a system that would be ready for that second GPU.

Your Monitor Resolution: 1920 x 1080

Additional Comments: Can't re-use Compaq case as it is a mini tower and would like at least a mid-tower

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: Would really like to play Minecraft with those big 256x256 texture packs as well as playing games like Skyrim at atleast medium settings. Just want something that I can play 8+ hours a day and wont give up on me.
 
Solution
DeusAres
Do you plan on purchasing upgrades in the future?

I'd go with this build...
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/dd4Y

Then when your budget allows, upgrade the CPU to the i5 3570k. I wouldn't even bother putting the aftermarket cooler on the i3 2120. Just put the stock cooler on it, save up for the i5 3570k, sell the i3 2120 and purchase the 3570k. Then begin saving up for a hd 7950 or gtx 670. Or you can just save for another 7870 and put 'em in crossfire.

[Edit]
Sorry, disregard my crossfire comment. That would be a huge strain on the PSU I suggested. I wouldn't recommend doing any crossfire or SLI setup with that PSU. Just go with a single, powerful card such as the hd 7950, 7970, or the gtx 670 (if you upgrade in the future). If you...
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avenseth12

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Jun 9, 2012
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Here you go:

CPU: Intel Core i3-2120 Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz LGA 1155 $124
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115077

Cooler: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus $19
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065

Mobo: ASRock Z77 Pro3 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 $94
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157297

GPU: EVGA 01G-P3-1556-KR GeForce GTX 550 Ti $124
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130625

PSU: Rosewill Green Series RG630-S12 630W $59
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182200

Case: Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower $59
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129066

RAM: EVGA SuperClocked 02G-P3-1469-KR GeForce GTX 560 (Fermi) 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 $
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130662209

DVD: ASUS 24X DVD Burner $19
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204

OS: Windows 7 64 bit $99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986

Total = $735

This will play minecraft with no problems

 
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avenseth12

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I have that card in a build and its real nice. It blows games out of the water. You wil get nice performance from the i3 and 6950. The case was a guess on my part. You have to find one that you like but that one gets real nice reviews
 
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Neocentric

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Dec 13, 2011
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I keep hearing things back and forth, positive and negative about ASRock mobos...how about Biostar mobos? Searching around I found one for $135. Im looking for a mobo that will make overclocking easy...I know Asus pretty much takes the reigns in that department but they are pretty expensive.
 
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DeusAres

DeusAres

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Jun 4, 2012
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Do you plan on purchasing upgrades in the future?

I'd go with this build...
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/dd4Y

Then when your budget allows, upgrade the CPU to the i5 3570k. I wouldn't even bother putting the aftermarket cooler on the i3 2120. Just put the stock cooler on it, save up for the i5 3570k, sell the i3 2120 and purchase the 3570k. Then begin saving up for a hd 7950 or gtx 670. Or you can just save for another 7870 and put 'em in crossfire.

[Edit]
Sorry, disregard my crossfire comment. That would be a huge strain on the PSU I suggested. I wouldn't recommend doing any crossfire or SLI setup with that PSU. Just go with a single, powerful card such as the hd 7950, 7970, or the gtx 670 (if you upgrade in the future). If you want, you can get a PSU such as this and still do crossfire/SLI...

PC Power and Cooling Silencer Mk II 750W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703027
 
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Solution
DeusAres

DeusAres

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Jun 4, 2012
1,603
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20,160


Asrock makes great motherboards. Nothing wrong with 'em. Asus likes to make you overpay for their boards; however, if you don't like asrock, I can give you a recommendation for a comparable asus board...

ASUS P8Z77-V LK
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131837&Tpk=asus%20z77%20lk

You won't be able to overclock these i3 CPUs we're recommending (as I'm sure you already know), but you'll be able to overclock the i5 3570k if you decide to upgrade in the near future when you obtain the cash.
 
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Neocentric

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Dec 13, 2011
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I worked something out on newegg and came up with this...what do you guys think?

GPU: SAPPHIRE 11188-22-20G Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card (OC Edition)

Case: Rosewill CHALLENGER Black Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Mobo: BIOSTAR TZ77XE3 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS

PSU: Antec BP550 Plus 550W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

CPU: Intel Core I5-3570K

Memory Kingston HyperX 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model KHX1600C9D3K2/8GX

CPU Cooler: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO

If anything, I would either buy a second 6950 (if it stays at that price) or upgrade to a 670. I don't really want to have to swap CPU's too much. If I were to upgrade the CPU I would also upgrade the mobo.
 
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DeusAres

DeusAres

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Looks good, except...

You won't be able to add a second 6950 if you go with that PSU, though. If you plan on crossfiring, you'll want to get at least 750watts. You'll also want to make sure it's 80 plus certified.
 
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