First time Building Computer

[Luecian]

I am building my first computer, I already have a select few parts which I will list at the very bottom. But this computer is being build mostly from scratch.

Approximate Purchase Date: This week or next week. LOnger if need be but I would like it as soon as I could really. (I would not need rush shipping, standard 3 day is fine.)

Budget Range: (e.g.: 300-400) 900 dollars is my cap after rebates, S&H and everything I do not already own.

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, internet browsing.

Are you buying a monitor: Yes


Parts to Upgrade: Explained below

Do you need to buy OS: No

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg.com, I know the website but I am open to suggestions

Location: Nashua, New Hampshire, United States of America.

Parts Preferences: I have a prefference for Intel, and Asus/Nvidia Graphics cards

Overclocking: Maybe

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe (I am not sure what these terms mean...sorry.)

Your Monitor Resolution: I am not to picky as long as it is nice.

Additional Comments: The big things I use are Skyrim (Highest end game), I also play games like Civ 5, and Medieval Total War II, along with Minecraft here and there. Eventually I will probably expand into other games, but as long as the card is good enough to play Skyrim on higher settings with some mods added without a drop in performance (Least not a major drop), then it will be good enough.

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: My current computer is not a gaming Machine and my Framerate on games is terrible, and being that it is a laptop the Graphics card is not upgradable in my model.

Parts I have:
Western Digital WD Green WDBAAY5000ENC-NRSN 500GB SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136801
Razer Naga Gaming Mouse
http://www.razerzone.com/gaming-mice/razer-naga
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116713



I am new to this, and my friends who know have not been helpful, it does not help I have about 4 different opinions from my friends so I am not sure what to do. With hope you guys will be able to help my choose what would make the best Gaming PC for my money.

 

[Someone Somewhere]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-3220 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($119.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: MSI Z77A-G41 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($38.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Hitachi Deskstar 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB Video Card ($299.99 @ CompUSA)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($41.98 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Asus VS239H-P 23.0" Monitor ($164.99 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Microsoft SIDEWINDER X4 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $850.91
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

Use the remaining $50 for your choice of case. I would suggest getting a 7870 or 7950 over the 660Ti, but it's your choice.

 

[lighter17]

Here's a build with an i5 that fits within your budget:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3450 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($186.97 @ CompUSA)
Motherboard: ASRock H77M Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB Video Card ($299.99 @ CompUSA)
Case: Antec Three Hundred Two ATX Mid Tower Case ($54.98 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Antec Neo Eco 520W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($46.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS90 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Acer S220HQLAbd 21.5" Monitor ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Microsoft Keyboard 200 Wired Standard Keyboard ($10.54 @ Amazon)
Total: $847.42
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

 

[excella1221]

Skyrim benefits more from AMD cards, so you might wanna consider that.

 

[Someone Somewhere]

I think that might be more the 8xAA, but yes. I was thinking about recommending a 7950 instead.

 

[Luecian]

I thank you guys for the advice, and I will probably take you up on the Video card selections. While I am fairly computer savvy it is more software than hardware.

 

[Luecian]

I am going to go with the Radeon 7870, seems to be about the best bang for my buck I can find, and will let me run on High or Ultra without mods without worrying about my Framerate, the computer I run it on now runs at 10-20 FPS. So running in the 70s-90s is a vast improvement.

 

[excella1221]

Here you go, this is all from Newegg for your convenience.
If you're fine with buying some components from other stores for slightly cheaper prices, please click the "Price breakdown" link.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3450 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($194.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock H77 Pro4/MVP ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($87.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($38.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($88.98 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Asus Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card ($244.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill CHALLENGER ATX Mid Tower Case ($38.25 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec Neo Eco 520W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($46.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($22.98 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Acer S220HQLAbd 21.5" Monitor ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $883.70
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

This is a well balanced build. We didn't have to cut cost on other components since you saved alot on the GPU without losing performance.

For some reason though, everything on Newegg suddenly had a price increase.
My theory is the upcoming Black Friday sale. Might wanna wait for that.

 

[Luecian]

I will probably end up having to wait anyway, I was informed today that this week (Only my second week at new job), the 40 hours they had me working will be cut back down to about 20. May make em end up looking into a part time evening job.

 

[Luecian]

Best answer selected by Luecian.