Use these gaming pc builds as a starting point for your new computer build or use them part for part. They have all been researched to be working builds, so you don’t have to worry about any hardware being incompatible. To be clear, these are just build ideas to help builders configure a new build, but they are optimal researched builds that can be used as is. If you need a guide that explains how to build a computer check here.
All builds only include the case, motherboard, video card, CPU, power supply and RAM. The rest (hard drive(s), optical drive(s), optional sound card, etc) is highly customizable and is left up to user preference. (Sometimes I will include some of this.) Don’t forget an operating system as well.
Update: January 2012 – I have started to retire some of the older builds. The newest ones start directly below this sentence.
Below, is a $660 Core i3 build – built Feb. 21st 2012
The build (above) uses the most popular gaming processor, a Core i3 2120. I’ve researched this build to harness the most power for the price. Every part I’ve picked is very popular among gaming computer builders – as I said the Core i3 is the most popular gaming CPU, the GTX video card is the most popular budget gaming card, the case has won awards, and the motherboard will easily handle the rest of the build.
Below, is an $1800 build – built Feb. 21st 2012
The build (above) has an i7 2600k Intel CPU (the best there is), 16GB of RAM, and the best single video card available. I’ve also included a 2TB (2000 GB) 7200 rpm hard drive. It’s basically a build for the hardcore gamer. If you have any questions about it, feel free to leave a comment.
This is a build for $500 – It will play every current game – built Feb. 12th 2012
I should note that the case comes with a power supply and fans.
A build for a commenter (Lachy) built Feb. 7th 2012
The build right below this paragraph is for someone who was looking for help with a build. It’s very powerful, with an amazing video card that should easily last three-five more years, without a problem. Here it is (in the Amazon box) -
I’ll explain the above build a little bit more. It contains a very expensive video card, a GTX 580 and should handle any current and near future game very easily. It also has an optional SSD. I also use a full-tower case on this build, because I like them better than mid-tower cases, but that is my preference. If I was spending this much I would probably also swap out the DVD drive for a Blu-ray drive, as they are pretty cheap now. You could also double up on the RAM too, for another ~$90, this would give you 16GB.
A budget gaming build that should play any current game at max settings (In the Amazon Box)
Another more expensive build that will last into the future (In the Amazon Box)
The above build will play any current game at max settings, very easily. I’ve also included two solid-state-drives for very fast load times. This one shouldn’t need any upgrades for a few years, and then it would probably only need a video card upgrade.
Another Gaming Build
Intel Core i7-2600K 3.40 GHz Quad-Core Unlocked ~$300
GIGABYTE Z68X-UD3H-B3 Intel Z68 Motherboard ~$160
Kingston 8GB (2 x 4GB) HyperX DDR3 Memory Kit ~$60
Cooler Master HAF 922M ATX Black Mid-Tower Case ~$100
Thermaltake Toughpower XT 875 Watts Power Supply ~170
Sparkle GeForce GTX 460 OverClocked 1GB GDDR5 ~$190
Total: $980. Keep in mind these prices will probably change a bit from week to week. This is actually a really powerful build that will easily play the latest games.
To get even more power out of it you could consider spending more on a video card or doubling up on that same one, but it is not necessary.
Another Build
- Current as of August 2011
Antec Nine Hundred Steel ATX Ultimate Gamer PC Case
ASUS ENGTX560 TI DCII TOP/2DI/1GD5 GeForce GTX 560 Ti
ASRock P67 Extreme4 B3 Intel P67 ATX DDR3 2133 Motherboard
Intel Core i5-2500K Processor 3.3GHz 6 MB Cache Socket LGA1155
G.SKILL 8GB (2 x 4GB) Ripjaws X Series DDR3 1600MHz PC3-12800 240-Pin Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL8D-8GBXM
Rosewill RBR1000-M 1000-Watt Bronze Series 80 Plus Bronze Certified Power Supply compatible with Intel Core i7 and i5
This PC build runs at a round $1000, give or take a few dollars depending on the sales that are running. Add any hard drives(s), optical drive (DVD, Blu-Ray, etc.), and extra case fans to suit your needs. If you need help building this check out the how to build a computer guide.
Another Gaming Build - Current as of August 2011
AMD Phenom II X6 1090T Processor, Black Edition 6 CORE PROCESSOR
ASUS Sabertooth 990FX Motherboard
Kingston HyperX 12GB Kit (3x4GB Modules) 1600MHz DDR3 DIMM Desktop Memory
2X Sapphire Radeon HD 5850 XTREME 1 GB DDR5 HDMI/DVI-I/DP PCI-Express Graphics Card
PC Power and Cooling Silencer Mk II 750W High Performance 80PLUS Silver SLI CrossFire ready Power Supply
Antec Nine Hundred Steel ATX Ultimate Gamer PC Case
This is another powerful computer build that comes in at around $1000. It features an AMD 6 core processor and two powerful graphics cards. I’ve used the Antec 900 case again, as it is my favorite mid-tower case, but feel free to use any other mid to full-tower ATX case. If I had to choose a full tower case, I would choose this one AZZA Solano 1000 CSAZ-1000 Full Tower.. For my personal builds I almost always use full tower cases, just because they are easier to cool and installation of the hardware is much easier.
Remember, if you need to learn how to build a computer, check out the guide, here.
{ 65 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m doing a custom build for my senior project, but I’m trying not to spend too much money. I do want a good gaming desktop, so that my computer wont be as slow as this laptop for doing everyday work, but then I would also want to do some gaming with it too. Is there anything that is still good, as in 8ish GB of RAM, 500GB hard drive, and good video cards, but still fairly cheap?
Hey Jonathon,
I’m not sure what you consider fairly cheap, but here is the start of a build, below –
Western Digital Caviar Blue WD5000AAKX 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5″ Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
ZOTAC ZT-50401-10L GeForce GTX 550 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL (You’ll need two of these for 8GB)
GIGABYTE GA-Z68A-D3H-B3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Intel Core i5-2400 Sandy Bridge 3.1GHz (3.4GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52400
This is about $600, so far, and you’ll need a case and a power supply. If you want to get even cheaper you could go with an i3 processor instead of an i5. Just be sure it is an LGA 1155 socket type.
I’ve included a very decent video card and you could always add another one to run in SLI. Although, I do always recommend spending more on one video card instead of more on two lesser cards.
If you want to get even cheaper than this, let me know, but this way you should be at “ok” to play the latest games. There is nothing more frustrating than building a new PC that can’t keep up.
Good luck.
Hi Man
I’m actually looking to build my first gaming PC pretty soon. I’m looking at something with an i5 and 4GB’s of ram. 1TB hard drive too probably. Hopefully around the 700-900 dollar range. Any thoughts?
Thanks
I was also wondering if on the first build listed here, if switching down to an Intel i5 2500k would still be compatible?
Liam,
You could easily switch to the Intel i5 2500k and be just fine. As far as a hard drive, just choose any internal 1TB hard drive, they are pretty cheap. Try to get a 7200 (or 10,000 rpm, but that would be more expensive) rpm one, though.
To save more money on the first build, just use 4 GB of RAM, although I would just bite the bullet and stay with 8GB. You could also choose a cheaper Intel Z68 motherboard. I think I just chose that one because it was SLI compatible. If you never plan on using more than one video card, then don’t worry about choosing an SLI or Crossfire compatible motherboard.
Looking at building my first computer in about 11 years.
I keep trying to open the new build in the amazon box, but everytime I open it none of the actual items show on the amazon page. Are the six items that show up the only ones in the build? I didn’t see a motherboard there.
Thanks,
Max
Hey, I’m sorry about the missing motherboard, I can’t believe I forgot that as all of my builds start with the motherboard as the base. I’ve added one now, but feel free to add any LGA 1155 socket motherboard to that build.
I’m not sure why when you click on the items that they are not opening properly as it’s working for me. Just try searching for the names of the items at Amazon. They are all still there, so you should be able to find them one way or another.
So any recommendations on how I can save some money on the first build? I am looking for ways to save money, but ones that won’t compromise the performance too much. They can even just be alternatives that are easily upgradeable in the next year or two. So perhaps a slower cpu for the time being and a lesser graphics card perhaps?
Thanks,
Max
Max, I’ve added another build, which you might want to look at. It’s a lot cheaper and should be able to play almost any new game at maximum settings.
However, if you want to modify the one that you were looking at, just go for an i3 processor and downgrade the video card. You should also get rid of the solid state drives and just get a regular hard drive. You could also get a cheaper full-tower case. I think Amazon has some for around $100.
I was looking at the first build you have and was wondering what hard drive would you recommend for that build.If possible a link to one?
How about this? “Western Digital Caviar Green 2 TB Desktop Hard Drive WD20EARX” Just search for that exact thing at Amazon, without the quotes. Honestly though, you can just choose any SATA hard drive (they almost all are); just pick one that is big enough for you and in your price range.
Also what wifi card would you recommend?
Search for “TRENDnet 54Mbps Wireless G PCI Adapter TEW-423PI” without the quotes at Amazon.
BTW, I want to say this is a great find. Pictures and all (I never built a PC) are really helpful. Is there a better video card I can get for the low end build than what is listed? Watching Bioshock Infinite trailer has me thinking I should play it on PC and I would like to experience a good performance but at affordable price. Thanks in advance for your response. And for the second build, I could have two SSD drives and a HDD installed for kicks, correct?
Thanks, hopefully I can add some videos soon, too. Yeah, you can add a regular HDD too, without a problem. As far as adding a more powerful video card – if you’re talking about the first build – you could try a EVGA GeForce GTX 570 Superclocked 1280. It’s $345 as I write this. If you want to get even more expensive, and more powerful, just search for “GTX” and buy a card that is in your price range. I picked that card because you’ll be able to play anything on it, without a problem. Once the new consoles come out, the next Xbox, etc, I’m guessing that PC builders might have to upgrage again anyway.
I want to build a PC but i have never done it before and i dont know too much about parts.
Im not a hardcore PC gamer but id like to get into it. I want to be able to play smoothly on Max Settings and high fps.
I also render video/ images for work a bit also.
this is what iv come up with.
Noctua NH-D14 CPU Cooler$95.00
Intel Core i7 2600K$329.00
ASUS PCE-N15 Wireless N PCIe Adaptor$45.00
Corsair Hydro Series H80 CPU Cooler $139.00
Pioneer DVR-219L DVDRW OEM $29.00
Corsair HX-750 Power Supply $189.00
ASUS P8Z68-V Pro Gen3 Motherboard $239.00
G.Skill Ripjaws X F3-12800CL8D-8GBXM (2x4GB) DDR3 x2 $170.00
ASUS Radeon HD7970 3GB$749.00
Crucial M4 SSD 128GB$219.00
Corsair Carbide 400R Black Mid-Tower Case$135.00
Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB WD1002FAEX$139.00
I’ve been told that last HDD is noisy and hot. Any suggestions for a different one?
I’ll look into your build, give me a few minutes.
Lachy, I made a build for you, it is now the first one on this page (in the Amazon box), I’ve modified yours a bit –
Your build included two CPU coolers, you can only have one. I left them both out, but if you do choose to get one, get the Noctua. The reason I left them out was because the i7 comes with a decent stock cooler. I’ve personally never had a problem with stock CPU coolers.
Your build came to ~2500 with the coolers, mine came to ~1900, and for your needs I feel it is just as good, if not better. (Not bragging, just happy to save you some money) I changed the video card to a GTX 580 fermi, this thing is a beast. It will last you for years. I also saved you a bit on your RAM and your SSD.
I also put a full-tower case into the build instead of a mid, this is just my preference, you can certainly go with your mid-tower. The reason I like full-towers better is because the installation of everything is just a little easier. The HDD (hard-drive) you chose is the one I would choose, as well. Some say it’s noisy and hot, but it really is the best one out there. It’s what I’ll use in my next personal build that I’m going to use for my video tutorials. It should run cooler in the full-tower case, too.
I think I’ve covered everything, let me know if you have any other questions.
thanks mate
just relised i have 2 CPU coolers
Corsair HX-750 Power Supply $189.00
dont worry about this one
i have heard the Noctua CPU Coolers are better
Corsair Hydro Series H80 CPU Cooler $139.00
^^ i ment this one…
thank you for the awesome response time and the effort you went to to prive me with the best information.
Not a problem, good luck with the build.
why the EVGA GeForce GTX 580 3072 MB GDDR5
over the ASUS Radeon HD7970 3GB
It’s almost personal preference, I guess. You wouldn’t really not notice a difference between the two, and the GTXs have very good reputations. Probably, by the time you would notice a difference between the cards it would be time to upgrade to the newer (uninvented tech as of now) anyway. You can certainly go with the Radeon, though. I was just trying to save you a little more $.
Looking into my first build project from scratch. The first build that you have listed; is there a reason you chose that gigantic Cooler Master case for that build over the AZZA Solano 1000? I want to be sure I have enough room in the case before I start buying parts willy nilly.
Ideally, I wouldn’t even need to include a case in these builds, but people ask for them, so I just pick one that I would use. And I love huge cases. You could use the AZZA Solano without a problem. You could use almost any full-mid-tower case. It’s really up to you.
Hey So i just purchased these parts. knocked the price down a tad.
Do i need to purchase seperatly any fans of colling devices?
(never done this before and dont knwo what it comes with)
CPU: Core i7 2600 Quad Core
Mobo: ASUS P8Z68-V LX
RAM: 8GB (2 x 4GB) PC3-12800 1600MHz DDR3 RAM
GPU: PowerColor Radeon HD 6950 – 2GB
ODD: 24x DVD+-RW Dual Layer DVD Burner
SSD: TBC
HDD: 500GB 7200rpm Serial ATA-III-6Gb/s HDD
Case: Antec Twelve Hundred Full tower
PSU: Corsair 550W Enthusiast Series Modular TX550M
OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional
Did you buy through Amazon? The details are a little sparse on the fans it includes on Amazon’s product page, but I think it does imply that it comes with 5 120mm fans and one 200mm fan. I also confirmed that the 5 fans were included at other places where this case is sold. So, you should be all set, I don’t think you’ll need to purchase anything else. I’m glad you saved yourself some more money, I put that more expensive build up because it seemed like you had a pretty big budget, but what you built would be more along the lines of how much I would spend.
Just go slow when you start your build. And never plug in anything if you’re not quite sure if it’s the correct spot to plug it into. Also, many people will forget to plug the power supply into the motherboard. I’m not sure why this is, but it’s very common and causes a lot of confusion, so I thought I should mention it. Keep in touch; let me know how it goes.
Hi, all of these builds are out of my price range. Could you recommend something for me? I would love to have a rig with Win 7, i3/5, 8 gig ram, 64 bit os, and at least a 1 gig video card. My Budget is $500 max. I would love to find something under $400.
Any help would be awesome!
I’ll get back to you in a few minutes.
I put a build up for you, it’s the first one on this page. I went with an AMD setup instead of the i3, because it’s cheaper. You’ll not notice a difference in performance anyway. I think the build came out to be $508 and it includes everything you need to build it, even the operating system (which I usually never include in my builds).
Hi I’m looking to build my 1st pc ever I have a budget of about $1000 that’s including the monitor. I already have a case and a hard drive so i was wondering if you could help me out with a build for around $750-800 for the rest of the parts =)
Hey there, I would use the second build on this page, but swap out the i3 for an i5 and the video card for this one – EVGA GeForce GTX 560 Ti Superclocked 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express 2.0
Here is a link to the i5 – Intel Core i5-2500K Processor
That brings the build to $677, without a monitor, just add your preferred monitor and you are good to go.
Thanks for the advice 1 more question about the build the motherboard for the 2nd build is only getting okay reviews do you have any other suggestions for a different motherboard ?
Try this one: ASRock MB-P67E4G3 LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
It’s a few more dollars, but it’s a great board.
Hey Gbuilds. I have never built a PC from scratch before, but I am up for it if it means making sure I can put together a gaming PC build with a budget. I am moderately familiar with PC hardware, I’ve helped my dad build his computer. I am still in High School, and do not have a job yet. But with your help, I can have the items/build in mind, when I come across money and save it. That being said, to put it bluntly, I want anything you could throw at me for playing any game at max settings, and to be able to handle HD movies without a problem, all capped at about $650-700. I am a patient fellow, without a job (and the probability of me having one soon or not) I have accepted the wait. Which could be around 1 year for me to save all this money, but I do not mind.
The second build on this page (it won’t always be the second build, so the i3 build for $660) is the one I would recommend for you. Since you’re not close to building one yet and you say that might be a year away, I’m not going to recommend any changes to the build, because in a years time the parts will likely be different.
However, just to give you an idea, you could upgrade the video card to a GTX 560 or maybe a refurbished 570 for a few extra dollars.
I see! I might want this exact build, except my own choice on the case. But, in your opinion? What is the best video card? I just don’t want to upgrade it anytime soon, so If i have to save up more cash, then I will. I saw you talking about the GTX 580 fermi, how much better is it then the one in the $660 build? Also, I want the largest-range wifi card/adapter.
The GTX 580 fermi is quite a bit better than the one in the $660 build. You just have to consider what turning up the graphics to Ultra from medium, on some games, is worth to you. The card in the $660 build will play a lot of the newest games at very close to max settings. The 580 fermi will play everything at max, and probably will for another couple of years. For a wireless card, try TRENDnet TEW-623PI Wireless N Adapter.
To me, it will be a big deal. But it looks like too much cash, and I’ve a decent amount of research and comparison videos of games on the maxed out settings.
I have a couple of questions. Could you calculate how much this build would cost me?
-Intel Core i5-2500K Processor
-ASRock MB-P67E4G3 LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
-G.SKILL 8GB (2 x 4GB) Ripjaws X Series DDR3 1600MHz 240-Pin PC3-12800 Desktop Memory F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL
-XFX AMD RADEON HD 6970 2GB
-Corsair Enthusiast Series 850-Watt Power Supple
-Apevia X-Trooper mid tower with large side window, top USB/eSATA/audio ports – Green
In terms of SSD, or HDD? Which one is better? Which one is cheaper, which one delivers a good performance/for a cheaper price? I read many reviews on OCZ Technology 60 GB Agility 3 SATA III Solid State Drive AGT3-25SAT3-60G, and many users had many issues. I want to leave that one out, and want the next best thing (SSD, or HDD, I don’t mind) at a reasonable price.
That being said, how much would all of that cost me in total? Because I realized that if it exceeds my “budget” then I might aswell extend it, since I’m most likely going to have that kind of money anywhere between 6-8 months from now. Just figured might aswell get better performing components, so I wouldn’t find the need to “upgrade” as soon as I buy it all and put it all together.
Please ignore my other posts, and thanks.
Also, I have Windows 7 Ultimate. I don’t need the OS, just the PC and it’s components. If it helps, I have the 64-bit edition, and I want my new gaming PC to handle a lot of background tasks. Mainly because I am looking into having Dual-Screns. I know this is probably not in your expertise, but you know a lot about hardware, but maybe you can give me some insight on some questions I have?
Which monitor (for dual screens) would you recommend? I want them to be fairly big, around a 22 or higher inch range. Accompanying my PC gaming build, I also want to know what Mouse + Keyboards you would recommend for PC gaming, as well as headphones.
Thanks in advance, Gbuilds!
Ah, I hate tripple posting, but I forgot to add a few things!
If you could get me the build i’m looking for, but with a cheaper price, that would be awesome! Also, I have Wifi at home. Would I need a Wifi card? If so, please throw that in there! I don’t mind buying an expensive Wifi card, because where my gaming PC is — it’s quite far — and I don’t want to experience lag spikes of any sort when streaming HD netflix and especially playing multiplayer.
Again, sorry for the triple post. I just have a hard time gathering all my thoughts.
I guess my comment got consumed.
I’ll try this again. Gbuilds you have a great site here, wish I would’ve seen it before I ordered my rig last Sunday. I’d like to know if you have any tips or tricks for me as I’ve never built a computer before and never seen it done either. Your guide is the best I’ve seen. So here goes.
ASUS P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3 Intel Z68 Board – ATX, Intel Z68 Express, Socket H2 (LGA1155), 2200MHz DDR3 (O.C.), SATA 6.0 Gb/s, RAIS, 8-CH Audio, gigabit LAN, USB 3.0, PCIe, CrossFireX/SLI, Bluetooth
EVGA 015-P3-1580-AR GeForce GTX – 580 Video Card – 1536MB GDDR5, PCI – Express 2.0, Dual DVI, Mini HDMI, SLI, DirectX 11
Corsair TX – 850w PSU 80 Plus
Intel Core i7-2700k BX80619i72700k Unlocked Processor – Quad Core, 8MB L3 Cache, 1MB L2 Cache, 3.50GHz, (3.90GHz Max Turbo), Socket H2 (LGA1155), 95w, Fan
Seagate Serial ATA Hard Drive – 2TB, 7200RPM, 64MB, SATA-6G
OCZ AGT3-25SAT3-120G Agility 3 Series Solid State Drive – 120GB , 2.5″ SATA III, 6Gbps
Corsair CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B Vengeance Desktop Memory Kit – 16GB, PC3-12800, DDR3-1600MHz, 9-9-9-24 CAS Latency, Intel XMP Ready, Unbuffered
Corsiar CWCH100 Hydro H100 CPU Liquid Cooler – 120mm Fan
Cooler Master RC-932-KKN5-GP HAF 932 Advance Full Tower Case – ATX, Black, SuperSpeed USB 3.0
2 Each AreoCool Shark 120mm Case Fans, 1500RPM
Windows 7 Premium Home Edition
Static Electric Bracelet
Masscool STARS-700 Silver Color Thermal Grease – Not sure what this is for
If there are any tips you have I look forward to hearing them. Again, awesome site and I can’t wait to build my rig using it.
Thanks for the praise. I’ll get back to you a little more in-depth a bit later, but it looks like a good build. Also – The thermal grease is what you apply to the top of your CPU before you put the fan (heat sink) on top of the CPU.
Thanks G. Well half of my gear is here, and the other half should be here when UPS runs today according to my shipping tracker. I have the Mobo and it’s very itimidating to say the least, I also have the Video Card but didn’t open it up.
I’ll admit this looks much simpler reading your guide, than it does when peering at the Mobo and all the wires that came with it. I’ll say this though, that’s a serious looking Mobo and the pictures on TigerDirect do not do it justice.
Does this build make any sense? Please comment.
Motherboard
GIGABYTE GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 Intel Z68
CPU
Intel Core i7-2600K
Corsair CWCH60 cooler
RAM
Corsair Vengeance DDR3 8GB (2x4GB)
Video Card
EVGA GTX 560 Ti 1GB
Sound Card
Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy 7.1
Hard Drive
Seagate Barracuda 1TB
Optical Drive
Sony Optiarc 24x DVDRW Drive
Case
Not sure
Power Supply
Corsair Builder Series CX600 (600W)
Go with the Rosewill RCX-Z300 for a CPU cooler, if you must have one. Otherwise, yes, it does make sense. I noticed that you’ve decided to spend a lot on the CPU, you might want to consider upgrading your video card, if your budget allows. As far as a case goes, pick any of the ones that I’ve used in my builds, on this page (besides the $500 build).
I didn’t install the Hydro Liquid cooler on my CPU at first, and it ran around 95-98F. I tore it back down and installed it and now it doesn’t get over 82-84F.
It was a great experience building that rig, almost better building it than using it. lol
Nice, I’m glad everything worked out. It’s a nice feeling using a computer that you built, especially the first one.
Hey GBuilds! Great site man! I am getting a tax refund for the first time in a few years, so I have decided to build my first PC. If I copy your sample build, it’s the second one down just under the $1800 build, all I will need is a monitor right? Secondly, I am an IT student so I am real excited about this, but a little nervous could you send me by email some specific instructions on how to build your sample build in the 500 buck range and recommend a monitor. I have a sneaking suspicion I am about to get addicted to building computers from scratch, but I do not want to screw up my first build.
Yeah, I’m off to work right now, but I’ll get back to you. How big do you want to go with the monitor?
Thanks a lot for setting up this great resource – I knew very little about building desktops before I started reading, and now I feel ready to attempt my own.
This is my first try, so any assistance would be appreciated with regard to assessing whether this is a reasonable combination of parts. I don’t have a very good sense of proportion at this point.
CPU: AMD Phenom II X6 1035T Processor
Motherboard: BIOSTAR N68S3+ AM3 NVIDIA MCP68S
Video: HIS Radeon HD 6750
RAM: Corsair Vengeance Desktop Memory Kit – 2x4GB
Power Supply: Thermaltake TR2 Series 430W
Hard Drive: OCZ Agility 3 Series Solid State Drive – 60GB
Case: Apevia X-Trooper Jr Mid Tower Case
I know I’m missing an optical drive and a hdd, but I figured that those could be left until later.
That processor is a little outdated at the moment; perhaps I could recommend you some other parts if you let me know what your budget is. The rest of the build does look ok, but I’d go with a different processor, in which case you’ll need a different mobo, but I don’t have time to look right now, I’m off to work! So, give me your budget and I’ll get back to you.
Well, my intention was to stay south of $600. Even if the CPU is a little old, my requirements are very modest, seeing as I don’t think I’ll be playing anything more demanding than Mass Effect 3 or Fallout 3 (plus, the CPU/motherboard bundle I’m looking at looks like a good deal). My build has changed somewhat since yesterday, and I’m very close to pulling the trigger on these parts, mainly because most of them have rebates that expire soon.
[Prices are after rebate]
CPU: AMD Phenom II X6 1035T 2.60GHz ($120 bundled with motherboard at TigerDirect)
Motherboard: ECS A880LM-M1 AMD 760G
Video: HIS Radeon HD 6790 Video Card – 1GB ($120 at TD)
RAM: Patriot Extreme Performance Sector 5 G Series 2x4GB ($15 at Micro Center)
Hard Drive: Patriot Torqx 2 Solid State Drive – 64GB ($60 at TD)
Power: Thermaltake TR2 430W ($28 at MC)
Case: Apevia X-Trooper Jr Mid Tower ($30 at TD)
OS: Windows 7 Home 64 bit ($100 at TD)
DVD: LG Optical Media 24x Internal DVD-RW Drive ($18 at TD)
I know it’s not the prettiest amalgamation of parts, but it sure was fun bargain-hunting through various websites. If I’m doing my math correctly, the total comes out to $491, after rebates and before tax/shipping.
Actually, that is a good deal. I’m not sure what I was thinking (I just woke up when I wrote that) when I said the processor was outdated, because it’s not. Are you going to use it for gaming, primarily? If so, you might want to consider switching to an Intel i3 build; games won’t make much use of those 6 cores. You wouldn’t notice a huge difference, but it would be there. If you’re looking to stay under $500 though, that’s a good build. Are you going to add a regular hard-drive too? I haven’t made the switch to SSDs yet.
Yes, I’m just going to use it for gaming. I have a laptop that I use for day-to-day things, hence the 64gb SSD on the build. I figure Windows 7 will take up 30gb or less, leaving enough space to have a few games installed at any given time. I don’t have a good sense of what this pc will be able to do, so maybe once I build it and get a feel for how it runs I’ll add a regular hard drive and make it my primary computer. I recently finished college, and so it’s been a very long time since I’ve used anything other than a laptop.
Thanks for the feedback!
I see that the Core i3 2120 build is showing AMD processor and MB. Has this build been changed to take advantage of better equipment or by accident? I am wanting to build up a computer for my work and would like to see what you could do in a smaller form factor. I am new to building computers but have always upgraded video cards and modems, sound cards so I am not completly new to the insides of the machines. Thanks and great site.
Hey, thanks for pointing that out for me, I’m not sure when it happened, but the Core i3 build got deleted and that existing paragraph was in the wrong spot. I put the i3 build back up.
As far as a smaller form factor; are you thinking micro-atx? If so, why? I’m just curious.
To find out how much the build will cost you, simply search for the parts at Amazon or Newegg and then add up all of the prices. I’m not going to go into detail on SSDs, as they are expensive right now and your build might be a year away. With that said, I wouldn’t concentrate so much on specific parts right now, if that is the case, because a year from now every part you’ve picked will have a better replacement.
Also, have you considered any other video cards? This – EVGA GeForce GTX 560 1GB GDDR5 SC Video Card
– would be a pretty decent boost over the one you’ve chosen, for a bit more $.
The more I think about your build, the more concerned I am with your motherboard. It’s actually a micro-atx board, and isn’t of the highest quality. I guess what I am trying to say is that you might want to consider using all of that $600 budget and upgrading a bit. There is nothing worse than building a gaming computer and only being able to play newer games on the lowest settings. Here is a possible combo pack from Tiger – ASUS P8H67-M LE B3 and Core i3-2120 CPU Bundle – it adds another $100 onto the build, but it would be very worth it. I’m not trying to force you or anything, it’s just something to think about.
Thanks for catching that – I hadn’t looked at the motherboard very closely, but now I agree with your feeling about it. I’ve decided to swap out the motherboard and video card for these ones:
ASUS M5A78L-M LX PLUS AMD 760G ($60 at TD)
MSI R6850 Cyclone PE Radeon HD 6850 ($145 at TD)
That brings the total cost of the rig to $556, and the motherboard is still a micro ATX, but it looked like enough of an improvement for me to go ahead and order everything. Hopefully assembly goes well!
Looks good, good luck.