New build / Upgrade ~$500

[nub_king]

Been browsing thru the forums looking for some advice on my build/upgrade. I just ordered a Dell XPS 8500 which will end up costing me ~$670 with the following specs.

i7-3770 processor
8GB DDR3 SDRAM AT 1600MHZ-2x4GB
NVIDIA GeForce GT 640 1GB GDDR5
1TB SATA Hard Drive 7200 RPM
Dell Wireless 1703 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth v4.0+LE
16X DVD+/-RW
plus the case, OS, etc. etc.

I already have some parts I can scavenge from my current rig so if I can get the comparable components for less, I might go that route. Not really into overclocking, already messed around with that a while back hence my Dell purchase.

Main uses: Movies, internet, photo editing.

My necessary components are as follows:
1. Processor
2. Motherboard
3. Memory
4. Video Card
5. Case
6. Power supply
7. Any extra cooling

Vendors: TigerDirect or Newegg, but I'm in CA so Newegg would tax me, but I have Shoprunner so that might offset shipping.

Whatever components should be at the minimum comparable to what I would get from the Dell. Let me know if I miss any details

Thanks for the input!

 

[Proximon]

At $670 with a warranty and all, that seems like a good deal. And you say you already ordered it. Does the board come with 6GB/s SATA III? And USB 3.0? If not, that might be a reason to build it yourself.

 

[nub_king]

Yes, already ordered the system but it's still in production for a couple of weeks so I can still cancel it.

It is basically this system: http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?oc=dxdwps2&model_id=xps-8500&c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&link_number=17970622

It does have SATA3 6Gb/s connection and 4 USB 3.0 ports. For the price, I don't think I could have done any better on my own.

But then again, that's why I'm here.

 

[Proximon]

I very much doubt I could beat that.

 

[nub_king]

Thanks for the honest reply. I've been racking my brain as well. I guess it will be a decent upgrade from my 6 year old computer.

 

[nub_king]

Best answer selected by nub_king.