Sub $800 Gaming/Video Editing/Entertainment PC **WITH INCENTIVE$**

chichagof

Honorable
Aug 14, 2012
35
0
10,530
Hey All,

I know you guys must get sick of people asking you to hand pick PC set-ups for them, but alas I am here to do the same. I used to build my own computers years back, but I haven't dabbled too much in the area for quite a while. I went out and bought a laptop, which i thought i would never do, but it just doesn't cut it for gaming.

As an incentive/reward for your help, if I pick the setup you suggest, I will paypal you $10 upon purchasing the computer!


so here's the copypasta:

Approximate Purchase Date: e.g.: 1-2 months

Budget Range: PC: 900-1200 (willing to go over, if it makes me happier!) Monitor: 200-300

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Video Editing/Gaming/Music/Blu-Ray/Movies/Surfing

Are you buying a monitor: Yes. I'm going to want a full HD widescreen, with the ability to play older games in 4:3 utilitizing letterboxing so as to maintain the aspect ratio without any distortion


Parts to Upgrade: THE WHOLE DAMN THING!

Do you need to buy OS: YES! Windows 7 ~~ whatever ultimate/home/blah blah blah

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg/Amazon!

Location: Los Angeles, CA 90292

Parts Preferences: I love Intel and NVIDIA!

Overclocking: I'm hoping I won't have to!

SLI or Crossfire: If I can afford it!

Your Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080

Additional Comments: Cool, quiet, and powerful. Doesn't have to look like a work of art, but, if the budget allows it :) Also, I'll be buying speaker separately so a good soundcard would be grand! I forgot to add that I was looking for a 256GB SSD to boot from and install games, and a 1+ TB Hard Drive for file storage!

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: I want a desktop! I've been without for quite a while, and I want to start enjoying gaming and the like as much as I used to!
 

snorri788

Honorable
Aug 7, 2012
72
0
10,630
How about this? Just over $1000 but does the lot. Awesome PC if I say so myself. Ability to add a 7770 later on and crossfire it if you want! Let me know if it needs tailoring a little bit towards your specific needs or if there are parts that you would rather go for.

There was no storage specified so I went for 2TB :)


http://pcpartpicker.com/p/eBFp
 

Nw333

Honorable
Jun 24, 2012
1,026
0
11,310

Looks good, but Id drop the 2TB storage as no one really consumes so much space lol. 500GB-1Tb should suffice, and with the money from the lesser HDD, a better video card could be within reach. -7850-
 

regina_49

Honorable
Jun 26, 2012
437
0
10,810
http://www.amazon.com/Antec-One-Computer-Case/dp/B006TVQU6C/ref=sr_1_23?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1344317121&sr=1-23 $49.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Antec One Computer Case


Rosewill HIVE Series HIVE-650 650W 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Power Supply$84.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
http://www.amazon.com/Rosewill-Series-HIVE-650-BRONZE-Certified/dp/B005ILWYJQ/ref=pd_rhf_dp_p_t_1

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1026255 $261.98 save: $13.00 FREE SHIPPING
Intel Core i5-3470 Ivy Bridge 3.2GHz (3.6GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2500 BX80637i53470
GIGABYTE GA-B75M-D3H LGA 1155 Intel B75 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231544 $43.99 FREE SHIPPING
G.SKILL Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-1600C9D-8GAO

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-AD-7280S-0B-Internal-Drive-Black/dp/B0057FRTPW/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1344214515&sr=1-1 $16.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25
Sony AD-7280S-0B 24x SATA Internal DVD+/-RW Drive (Black)

http://www.amazon.com/Seagate-Barracuda-3-5-Inch-Internal-ST1000DM003/dp/B005T3GRNW/ref=pd_cp_e_2 $80.14 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Seagate Barracuda 7200 1 TB 7200RPM SATA 6 Gb/s NCQ 64MB Cache 3.5-Inch Internal Bare Drive ST1000DM003

http://www.amazon.com/Windows-Premium-64bit-System-Builder/dp/B004Q0PT3I/ref=pd_bxgy_e_text_b $90.48 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64bit (Full) System Builder DVD 1 Pack

http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Optical-Gaming-High-Precision-910-002277/dp/B0055QZ216/ref=pd_cp_e_0 $35.31 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Logitech Optical Gaming Mouse G400 with High-Precision 3600 DPI Optical Engine (910-002277)


http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-JQD-00001-SideWinder-X4-Keyboard/dp/B002ZV51DI/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1344055509&sr=1-1&keywords=Microsoft+SIDEWINDER+X4+Wired+Gaming+Keyboard $47.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Microsoft SideWinder X4 Keyboard

ASUS VW246H Glossy Black 24" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 ASCR 20000:1 (1000:1) Built-in Speakers $179.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236049#top
or....
Asus VG236H 23" 2ms 1920x1080 Full HD HDMI multimedia Height & Swivel Adjustable WideScreen LCD 120Hz 3D Monitor w/nVidia 3D Vision Kit hard bundle 400 cd/m2 100,000:1 (ASCR)
NVIDIA 3D Vision,Glasses Include,HDMI,ARR Serv $359.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236092#top

http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-Mini-HDMI-Lifetime-Warranty-012-P3-1570-AR/dp/B004EHZD5W/ref=pd_rhf_dp_p_t_1 255.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping.EVGA GeForce GTX 570 1280 MB GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 2DVI-I/Mini-HDMI SLI Ready Limited Lifetime Warranty Graphics Card, 012-P3-1570-AR
 
Put that money away, I do this for fun and for free.

On that budget you will have to choose either good gaming or good editing, as its going to be difficult/nigh impossible to have both. Also you may have to drop your Intel preference, as for editing on a budget, an AMD FX-8150 is the best option IMO.

I'l assume you go with editing, as then its an easy upgrade to a gaming rig, just slot in a good GPU.

CPU: AMD FX-8150. $200
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103960
It will get close/exceed an i7-2600k for multi-threaded performance, at $100 less. You can overclock this thing as well.

Motherboard: AsRock 970 Extreme3. $85
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157280
Its a decent budget board.

RAM: G.Skill Ares 16GB 1600Mhz CL9 1.5v. $89
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231545
16GB of low profile RAM at fairly standard speeds. The low profile heatsink will let you add any size cooler you want to the CPU.

PSU: Corsair Builder series 600W. $70
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139028
Should be enough for this build, if lacking in features. If you want to dual Crossfire/SLI, you will need a 750W.

HDD: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200RPM. $110
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148834
I presume you will need the storage on an editing rig, downgrade to the 1TB if you think you don't.

Case: Zalman Z9+. $53
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811235027
Fairly decent case for its price, has most of the features of higher end cases and actually looks decent.

Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit OEM. $100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986
No need for anything above Home Premium unless your a business user who needs the niche features.

That leaves you with $100 for a GPU (which you need since neither the mobo nor CPU have integrated). So it wont be the greatest card ever, I wouldnt expect much performance from it.
Gigabyte GTX550Ti. $120
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125410
This card is somewhat old, and wasn't all that special then. I would just use it as a display out and maybe for light gaming until you can put something proper in there.

Total: $717
You still got $200 worth of wriggle room if you want a CPU cooler, better case, motherboard or GPU. Maybe add an SSD in (I recommend the OCZ Vertex 4).

As for monitors, I don't keep up with them so I don't know what separates a decent from a great monitor. All I know is 1920x1080/1200 is the resolution to get, look for response times at or under 5ms, and IPS panels reproduce colours better. I'm sure someone here will know what to suggest.
 
Here's my suggestion, busting the budget a bit. This is because I picked a great case and monitor since they'll last you for years. I also opted for a SSD + HDD storage solution since you said you could go over budget if it made you happier - I'm quite certain it will.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3450 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($149.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: ASRock Z75 Pro3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($43.98 @ Outlet PC)
Storage: Mushkin Callisto Deluxe 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($94.98 @ Outlet PC)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($77.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: HIS Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($239.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($104.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair 600W ATX12V Power Supply ($51.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.98 @ Outlet PC)
Monitor: Dell U2412M 60Hz 24.0" Monitor ($289.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($90.86 @ Amazon)
Total: $1247.72
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-08-14 07:47 EDT-0400)
 

snorri788

Honorable
Aug 7, 2012
72
0
10,630


Perhaps for video editing a 990 chipset board would be worth the extra $20 . Also gives better crossfire options.



Same here. More money to spend on the build too.

How about this as an AMD build instead? Cheaper ($950) and comparable performance. Includes OS and display http://pcpartpicker.com/p/eBJ8
 


I'l admit a 990 board would be better, but I think that on this budget that Crossfire/SLI would be a waste. And on my build, you will see a much bigger performance jump by swapping the card out for something newer than adding another card in.

My build was $717, its cheaper even after taking the monitor out of your build.
For video editing (especially if they use After Affects) you need a ton of RAM. Your build only has 8GB.
Only (seems so weird to say "only", its still a lot) 1TB of storage, video editors will have a ton of raw and rendered video on their machine, so you need the added storage.
You have a HD7770 as your GPU, while it would make sense on a budget gaming rig, for editing you need Nvidia cards. Its CUDA cores can help in the editing process.
 

snorri788

Honorable
Aug 7, 2012
72
0
10,630


Here's another revision, this time with a 2GB EVGA GTX 550Ti, 2TB of storage and 16GB of memory. $926.53 after rebates and includes a display.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/eBQL
 

snorri788

Honorable
Aug 7, 2012
72
0
10,630
Also, this features a DVDRW drive, which is not included in manofchalk's build. If you have one spare then that saves another $18.

Getting it down as low as possible is quite a fun game. Your turn manofchalk :)
 

mastrom101

Distinguished
Jun 12, 2010
1,477
0
19,660
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/eC4P

I had to borrow a bit from the monitor, but i think i got you a nice build thats just within your budget.

The 7850 is a very powerful card and will allow you to play on max settings on most games.

The 3570K is a good chip all around.

I wasn't able to fit in a SSD, so i chose the Momentus XT Hybrid Drive to give you some added performance.

Monitor is very good, 24 inches, LED, 2ms

Good Mobo, Reliable and fast RAM, High-Quality PSU

I think this will suit you well,
Good luck on your purchase :)

 

snorri788

Honorable
Aug 7, 2012
72
0
10,630


manofchalk mentioned that for video editing you really need 16GB of RAM and 2TB of storage. Since vid editing was priority 1 then these are a bit of a must. There's not that much of a benefit running a hybrid drive since you will be moving large, raw, video files into and out of memory and the cache on those drives are simply not big enough. It's better to either get a whole SSD or not at all.
 

loops

Distinguished
Jan 6, 2012
801
0
19,010
At 800 bucks, I am not sure that you can have do everything rig. The builds seem to be more about editing than about gaming.

IMO if you want to enjoy the latest and most demanding games out you need a gtx 480, 570, 7850 level card. Given the budget a HD 6950 is one of the best options....a good card that will let you enjoy some higher lvl eye candy.

I'd hold off till the gtx 660 hits the market as prices may fall.

AMD vs Intel in a more than gaming rig is a more interesting thing to talk about but I'd still have to go with intel at this point unless you have a program and benckmark that supports the AMD pick. I'd pick up an i7 for your rig but an i5 will have to do given the price constraints.

Once you have that figured out the rest of the rig is easy.
 

mastrom101

Distinguished
Jun 12, 2010
1,477
0
19,660
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/eCt2
Basically my first build revised.

I scratched the 750GB Hybrid drive, and added a 2TB HD and a 60GB SSD to boot off of. This should be enough for your cause.

Secondly, I removed the 8 GB of RAM and replaced it with 16GB of 1866Mhz RAM, which i found for a great price. This will give you extraordinary speeds while still maintaining the 16GB you wanted.

I kept the 7850 in my build, I think that is the perfect card for you. However, if necessary, you can always switch it for a cheap 7850 (I suggested one of the better but also more expensive models) or for a 560ti.

I hope that build was perfect for you and GL building :)

EDIT

This build also gives you overclocking potential, a high-quality mobo with a lot of features (its a Z77), and an amazing monitor. With a $200-300 monitor budget, I don't see why people are suggesting $100 monitors. The RAM is faster than all the others suggested, the GPU is beefier, and this build includes an SSD. It is, however, $17 over budget.
 

chichagof

Honorable
Aug 14, 2012
35
0
10,530
Thank you guys for all the replies, I really appreciate all the help! I will be reading over everyones suggestions, looking at reviews and the like.

I did forget to mention, and have edited the original post to mention, storage wise, I'm looking for a 256GB SSD to boot from/install games, and a 1+ TB Hard Drive for file storage!

(mastrom picked a 60GB SSD for $49 that I could possibly boot off of, and then maybe I could buy a 256GB SSD for games and programs + a 2tb HDD for storage? 3 hard drives? is that insane?)

I have also upped the budget from 900-1200, not including the monitor unless absolutely possible!

again, thank you so much for the replies!

p.s. some of you may not want the 10 dollar incentive, but it's 10 dollars I've set aside to thank you guys for taking the time to help me. it's not enough money that i cant duplicate another 10 bucks towards a better brand name stick of RAM or something!
 
Now we are talking, this kind of cash will get you a great editing and a mid end gaming machine. Though the 256GB SSD is quite excessive, 128GB will easily hold you (I'm actually having trouble filling mine).

CPU: i7-2600k. $290
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115070
I realize the 3770k would be a better CPU (especially in this Ivy optimized rig), but it was too difficult to include the 3770k at this budget without compromising something.

Mobo: AsRock Z77 Extreme4. $130
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157293
Great board, has all the features you would need.

RAM: G.Skill Ares 16GB (4x4GB). $89
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231545
Same kit as before.

PSU: XFX Core edition 650W, 80+ Bronze. $85
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207014
This will power the rig as it stands quite nicely. You could add in another GPU on this PSU, but I would advise upgrading to 750W before you do so (and going up to a GTX670 will be the better upgrade anyway)

GPU: Sapphire HD7850. $230
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102998
The HD7850 dominates the mid-range IMO, Nvidia just doesn't have a good competitor at its price (This may change with the 660Ti, but its not out yet).

SSD: OCZ Vertex 4 128GB. $115
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227791
Currently fighting for the fastest SSD on the market, very reliable so far.

HDD : Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200RPM. $110
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148834
A single drive isn't ideal for editing though. When you get some more cash, buy another. This is why.
You have one drive to hold your OS and programs (The SSD), another to hold raw footage (a 1TB drive) and the other to have footage rendered too (the other TB drive). This is so during rendering, data isnt being written to and read from the same drive, which will slow things down a bit.

Case: Corsair 300R. $80
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139011
Very good mid tower.

OS: Windows Home Premium 64bit OEM. $100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986

Optical: $19
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118031
Any $20 drive will do nowadays, no one uses discs anymore except for installing Windows and old games.

CPU Cooler: Coolermaster Hyper 212 EVO. $35
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099
Great budget cooler, wouldn't be surprised if half the forum had this in their machine.

Total: $1283 (Not including rebates or shipping)
Its a bit over budget, but that will serve as a great machine for editing and will play modern games at max with a decent FPS, especially overclocked.
I am sure the total cost will decrease if you look around for deals or different suppliers, or include rebates (Which I dont, too hard to get to be relied on).

Again, for monitors I have no idea. But I know that a 1920x1080 monitor wont cost $300, so you could siphon a bit of cash into the build.
 


Oh god, that $717 build was already scraping the bottom of the barrel without getting into unacceptable components. I guess I could point out it didn't incorporate rebates or promo's, of which $75 of yours rely's on.

[strike]Drop Windows 7 for Vista?[/strike] No! Thats unacceptable. Ubuntu?
AsRock 970 Pro3 is $10 less.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157319&Tpk=asrock%20970%20pro3
Save $10 on horrible looking RAM, same specs.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231608
Could get a Spinpoint drive, but they are slower than the Barracuda's, so no.
You could get an AMD FX-8120, with an overclock it would be around an FX-8150 for performance.
If you have the know-how and ability, you could just mount the whole thing to bit of plywood and bolt that to the wall. Save $40 on a case :lol:. I wouldn't actually mind doing this.
http://www.techradar.com/news/computing/pc/how-to-wall-mount-your-pc-1090142

Your turn.
 

snorri788

Honorable
Aug 7, 2012
72
0
10,630


http://pcpartpicker.com/p/eGo7 $703 is about as low as I could get without comprimises. Using linux does limit you software wise (video editing), and I don't know about your house but having my PC on the wall would likely attract a lot of dust.

If you can get any lower than that then you deserve the gold :)

Back to the topic though, that i7 build that manofchalk showed off was excellent. Awesome machine!
 
How the hell did you do that? Thats a good editing rig including a monitor for $700 (not including OS because Linux is a possibility).

Oh thats right, I can get 1.65v RAM since its an AMD build. That'l save me 20c. (that Patrot kit is actually the cheapest on Newegg, damn. Cant find any 2x4GB kits that are less than half of that one, double damn)

450W PSU is cutting it very fine, but it will support the build I made before. Will give 408W on the 12V, so -125W from CPU and say 100W (probably less) from the GPU, then the 30W or so motherboards consume. Got 153W to spare, so it will work. The other rails will be sufficient even without looking.
XFX 450W. -$17
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207018

Minus the optical since you can install Windows/Linux from a USB. Heres the instructions on Win 7 to prove its possible. You will need another working PC though. -$19
http://www.intowindows.com/how-to-install-windows-7vista-from-usb-drive-detailed-100-working-guide/

We are getting desperate.
Savings compared to your FX-8120 rig: $36

Your turn.

Edit:
Why do you always bold my name? Is it so that people wont confuse who you are talking about or are you insinuating something?..

 

snorri788

Honorable
Aug 7, 2012
72
0
10,630


The $703 doesn't include the monitor BTW, however that rig is now redundant as well. Feast your eyes on this: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/eGtU

Drop Windows 7 (maybe re-use a licence on the current machine that is being retired) - or go open source and you have got a editing machine with gaming capabilities for $709 (and that does include a monitor).

And yeah, I bold the name so that people notice who i'm talking about. just trying to be a nice guy. That and your builds look great so bigging you up a bit too :p
 

chichagof

Honorable
Aug 14, 2012
35
0
10,530
I absolutely love your guys' enthusiasm! obviously the cheaper the better, and the sooner I can make a purchase haha.

I don't necessarily need the top of the line. I'm looking to play BF3 at the highest settings possible without spending 2 stacks on a machine. As far as I know, that's the most graphically demanding game I play right now.

I do not currently use a desktop right now, seeing as the one I have is in storage, and I'm between apartments so bringing it out isn't a priority.

It has a 7950GT in it, and a Core 2 Duo, so that should tell you how old it is!

as i said, the most power i can get for the cheapest amount is preferable, but quality is quality, and that's what i'm looking for, even if a few hundred dollars more gets me there!

also i forgot to add, i meant to clarify that video editing and gaming are pretty much equal when it comes to preference. i may have been a complete spaz and thought it was more important, but I suppose something that will help right in the middle would be great!

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/eGEI


this is something i threw together just because i figured i'd give it a shot. any idea if this is any good? and if so, how to shave off a few bucks without compromising the performance?

also i havent picked a soundcard because honestly i dont know if i need one, or which one to get!
 

mastrom101

Distinguished
Jun 12, 2010
1,477
0
19,660
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/eHl2

It's just under your total budget of 1200+300. Again, I took $100 from the monitor and set it aside for the hardware.

I think that this rig has everything you need. Plenty of storage and a large SSD, a super fast i7 processor with a CPU cooler to overclock it, a generous 16GB of RAM, A massive 24 inch 1080P LED monitor, and best of all, the fastest GPU on the planet: the 7970 GHZ Edition. All the other configs used mid-end cards. That's fine, but for demanding games like BF3 (and BF4 when it arrives), you need the best of the best.

Your getting an amazing build unheard of at your price point. Why settle for any less?

Good Luck