This was just quickly thrown together, but it's at least a start. I'm relatively happy with it--super excited! I also managed to get parts that were all on Amazon Prime, so it's all free 2-day shipping! http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2jz5d
CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory 9 CAS
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler
Optical Drive: Sony AD-7280S-0B DVD/CD Writer
Case: NZXT Phantom (White) ATX Full Tower Case
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - OEM (64-bit)
Total Cost: $1163.33
Mouse: Razer Deathadder 2013
Keyboard: Corsair Vengeance K60
And here is the copied/pasted list of things from the how to ask for build advice thread ^_^
Approximate Purchase Date: ASAP, within 1 week definitely.
Budget Range: Anywhere between $1,000 and $1,300. There's definitely wiggle room for shipping and for upgrades if they're cost effective.
System Usage from Most to Least Important: High-end gaming, surfing the internet, graphic design, watching movies
Are you buying a monitor: Not at first--sacrificing a second monitor for a few weeks so that I can get comfortable with the computer initially and also have more to spend on the performance. But, I will definitely be using 2 monitors in the future, so keep that in mind if it matters at all. I'll be playing Dark Souls on one monitor and streaming Parks and Rec on the other! Things like that
Do you need to buy OS: Yes. I have no preference between Windows 7 or 8 really. I heard that Windows 8.1 is better for memory and games run better on it, so I'm leaning more toward that.
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Amazon w/ Amazon Prime, but it's not a deal-breaker if there's a much better deal elsewhere.
Location: Asheville, NC, USA
Parts Preferences: No real preference, just what all will come together to be even in performance with no bottle-necking!
Overclocking: No, I don't think so. I don't think I should need to bother with overclocking with how much I'm spending--definitely don't want to risk and PC damage since I'm a novice at overclocking and it should be able to run any game with decent settings at a solid framerate.
SLI or Crossfire: Maybe, depending on whether or not SLI/Crossfire are really worth it performance-wise and don't sacrifice any reliability.
Your Monitor Resolution: I've always used 1920 x 1080, but if anyone has a case for anything bigger than that and if it's worth it, I'm happy to listen.
Additional Comments: I'll just really need a lot of back & forth on each component. I'm sorry, I don't want to be needy or bothersome, but I need to be super confident in my build! I'll need to know how/why each component is good, what it does, and why it's better than others or is a better fit for the build. Otherwise, here is a link to my steam library of games (most of which I haven't played yet, due to my current PC not being able to handle them). Plus I play Diablo 3 and Starcraft II. Other than that, I don't run any significant software, just things like Spotify, Skype, and Steam. I will say that I would really love a decent sized SSD for my OS and my main games to be on, so if that could be factored into the budget, that'd be great. Maybe even just go solely with SSD for everything, keeping in mind that I don't keep music, tv shows, or movies on my computer. All the space on my harddrive is pretty much just video games! But, if the SSD sacrifices too much in the way of other components, then we can leave it for later.
One last thing is that I want to reiterate that I have no experience actually building a PC! I'll need to be absolutely certain that are components are compatible, the tower is spacious enough for the components and allows for all ports to be accessed, and I'll need advice on how to build it of course. Granted, we can cross that bridge when we get to it, so for now I'll just need to be doubly sure that everything is compatible and perfect before I purchase it.
And that's all for now! Like I said, if there are any questions at all, shoot! I'm ready to dedicate tons of time to this research. Thanks so much for all your help! I look forward to building this PC
CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory 9 CAS
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler
Optical Drive: Sony AD-7280S-0B DVD/CD Writer
Case: NZXT Phantom (White) ATX Full Tower Case
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - OEM (64-bit)
Total Cost: $1163.33
Mouse: Razer Deathadder 2013
Keyboard: Corsair Vengeance K60
And here is the copied/pasted list of things from the how to ask for build advice thread ^_^
Approximate Purchase Date: ASAP, within 1 week definitely.
Budget Range: Anywhere between $1,000 and $1,300. There's definitely wiggle room for shipping and for upgrades if they're cost effective.
System Usage from Most to Least Important: High-end gaming, surfing the internet, graphic design, watching movies
Are you buying a monitor: Not at first--sacrificing a second monitor for a few weeks so that I can get comfortable with the computer initially and also have more to spend on the performance. But, I will definitely be using 2 monitors in the future, so keep that in mind if it matters at all. I'll be playing Dark Souls on one monitor and streaming Parks and Rec on the other! Things like that
Do you need to buy OS: Yes. I have no preference between Windows 7 or 8 really. I heard that Windows 8.1 is better for memory and games run better on it, so I'm leaning more toward that.
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Amazon w/ Amazon Prime, but it's not a deal-breaker if there's a much better deal elsewhere.
Location: Asheville, NC, USA
Parts Preferences: No real preference, just what all will come together to be even in performance with no bottle-necking!
Overclocking: No, I don't think so. I don't think I should need to bother with overclocking with how much I'm spending--definitely don't want to risk and PC damage since I'm a novice at overclocking and it should be able to run any game with decent settings at a solid framerate.
SLI or Crossfire: Maybe, depending on whether or not SLI/Crossfire are really worth it performance-wise and don't sacrifice any reliability.
Your Monitor Resolution: I've always used 1920 x 1080, but if anyone has a case for anything bigger than that and if it's worth it, I'm happy to listen.
Additional Comments: I'll just really need a lot of back & forth on each component. I'm sorry, I don't want to be needy or bothersome, but I need to be super confident in my build! I'll need to know how/why each component is good, what it does, and why it's better than others or is a better fit for the build. Otherwise, here is a link to my steam library of games (most of which I haven't played yet, due to my current PC not being able to handle them). Plus I play Diablo 3 and Starcraft II. Other than that, I don't run any significant software, just things like Spotify, Skype, and Steam. I will say that I would really love a decent sized SSD for my OS and my main games to be on, so if that could be factored into the budget, that'd be great. Maybe even just go solely with SSD for everything, keeping in mind that I don't keep music, tv shows, or movies on my computer. All the space on my harddrive is pretty much just video games! But, if the SSD sacrifices too much in the way of other components, then we can leave it for later.
One last thing is that I want to reiterate that I have no experience actually building a PC! I'll need to be absolutely certain that are components are compatible, the tower is spacious enough for the components and allows for all ports to be accessed, and I'll need advice on how to build it of course. Granted, we can cross that bridge when we get to it, so for now I'll just need to be doubly sure that everything is compatible and perfect before I purchase it.
And that's all for now! Like I said, if there are any questions at all, shoot! I'm ready to dedicate tons of time to this research. Thanks so much for all your help! I look forward to building this PC