Can someone help me Build A gaming PC for about 700?

[ladydedlock]

I am going to have a PC built for me. Actually, I am going to get to help and learn while it is built. I have done simple upgrades such as putting in GPUs, power supplies and the like, but not building from scratch.

What I am looking for is a good rig that will play games on high settings (good FPS), play media (I would like a Blue-Ray player but if this bumps price up, I'd rather have a better processor/GPU and get a regular DVD/DVDr) and run some animation and editing programs (Maya, Adobe suite software, etc). I don't really play too many games, but the ones I do play, I would like to be able to really enjoy them. Examples are Skyrim, Sims 3 with all expansions and Civ.

I am interested in an Intel processor, and would like it to be over 3.0. As far as a GPU goes, I am open to Nvidia or AMD/ATI. I currently have a new Radeon 6670, but want a better card than this. I have been looking at the GTX 560 Ti, GTX 660 and the Radeon HD 6950 2GB.

The only component I have purchased is an Antec 650w PSU. This is new - only about 3 weeks old and I popped it into my current system but was planning on using it for my new rig, so I don't need this. I paid about $70 for it, but am not including it in the price since I already bought it.

I would like at least a 1 TB hard drive - for sure. I use a lot of large files in editing so size is important for me.

Memory - at least 8 GB, but would like more if possible.

Any suggestions are welcome. I have up to 700 to spend. Thank you for any help!

 

[ctomster]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/gd5i
or
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/hkLK

you can mix and match. do you have a monitor?

 

[ladydedlock]

I do have a monitor, so no worries there. Actually, right now I just plug my current PC into my HDTV and use that as my monitor but I also have a regular 20 inch monitor and a Cintiq as well.

Thanks for the links! And both have PSUs, which I already have so that takes a nice chunk of the prices. Thank you for taking the time to make those build, truly appreciated.

 

[TopMark]

This one has a blu-ray drive and cost $30 less then your budget. You could use the extra money to get get a better processor or GPU depending on your requirements, maybe an aftermarket heatsink if you are worried about heat. Also the case is preference mostly so you could change that to a different one if you would like to. http://pcpartpicker.com/p/ieoP (Its about in the middle of the above builds)

 

[ladydedlock]

This one has a blu-ray drive and cost $30 less then your budget. You could use the extra money to get get a better processor or GPU depending on your requirements, maybe an aftermarket heatsink if you are worried about heat. Also the case is preference mostly so you could change that to a different one if you would like to. http://pcpartpicker.com/p/ieoP (Its about in the middle of the above builds)

Thanks so much for this one! I truly, truly thank everyone who answered me. The good news is I just found the Radeon 7850 2GB at Frys for 188.00 so I am going to buy it and I'll have 2 parts for my PC already.

If anyone else looks at this thread - what about case cooling? What type of case fans should I bet looking for - any suggestions?

 

[TopMark]

Thanks so much for this one! I truly, truly thank everyone who answered me. The good news is I just found the Radeon 7850 2GB at Frys for 188.00 so I am going to buy it and I'll have 2 parts for my PC already.

If anyone else looks at this thread - what about case cooling? What type of case fans should I bet looking for - any suggestions?

The case in my build supports up to 6 120mm fans and it comes with one included. You really only need 1-4 of them and its probably best to build it first to get an idea if you need any extra fans beyond the one that comes with the case. If you do want more there are many fans to chose from ( http://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCategory.aspx?SubCategory=573&name=Case-Fans ) It all depends on your preference of budget, noise level, air flow, looks (LED's), and longevity. This fan looks like a good one http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185054. Also I am not 100% sure on the width of the fans that case can have but it looks like it would fit. I would do a little more research before buying though.

Good luck with your build!

 

[ladydedlock]

Thanks once again for your help, Topmark. This is all so helpful. I know enough about certain things to know what I want, but not enough to trust myself, if that makes sense. I've spent a lot of time browsing on here, and on Newegg reading reviews on PC components, but to be able to pick out parts that work together? Nope. I would probably end up buying a MB that doesn't fit the case, or some other mistake such as that.

I am very excited. I've had many "brand" PCs -some great, some not so great and I've had one custom built by a friend. I've been wanting to do a custom build for a long time, but with work and life, I just didn't have time to do it the past few PCs. I didn't get to be a part of the build process last time (again with the life and the working) but this time I will, so I am pumped. I would love to get to the point where someday I can build my own. I know there is more to it than just snapping in the parts, and even that part would be rough for me beyond the basic parts.

Thanks also to ctomster for his builds as well. When I get this bad boy up and running, I'll come back and let you all know what I ended up building. That's not to say I won't be back here asking more annoying n00b questions!

Thanks again - nice to find some friendly folks who don't mind helping.

 

[ladydedlock]

Best answer selected by ladydedlock.