$1200 Build

[v12dock]

My friend is looking to build a new computer with a $1200 budget. He manly plays games and streams

If you could help me put a build together that would be great!

 

[lilhasselhoffer]

First, what is the preference for suppliers?

I ask because there's a Fry's in Chicago. Even if you only went once, it's a hell of a thing to go there...


Otherwise, I'm assuming newegg or tigerdirect work?


Edit:
Also, does your friend need windows? Shaving $140 off a build will get quite a bit more bang...

Edit:
Do you need a case?

Edit:
Attached is a build, without case, that just squeaks by under the 1200 mark.

 

[happita]

1. What games does he play, or want to play in the future?

2. Does he need a monitor? Or if he has 1, what resolution is it?

Then I can recommend a build for him

First, what is the preference for suppliers?

I ask because there's a Fry's in Chicago. Even if you only went once, it's a hell of a thing to go there...


Otherwise, I'm assuming newegg or tigerdirect work?


Edit:
Also, does your friend need windows? Shaving $140 off a build will get quite a bit more bang...

Edit:
Do you need a case?

Edit:
Attached is a build, without case, that just squeaks by under the 1200 mark.

^ What he said

 

[v12dock]

No monitor, no keyboard and mouse, 1080p, newegg, need windows 7, would prefer a SSD and need a case

Diablo 3, World of Warcraft, league of legends plus similar future releases. He does not play any games that would be considered a hardcore benchmark.

 

[lilhasselhoffer]

Add a $19.99 case.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811233073

Change the PRO windows 7 to Home Premium
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986

Add 2 sticks of ram, because my stupid self forgot to.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148537

Total: $1,197.89


Wooh, that was close. Nerd cred intact...


Edit:
For about $100 more, you can do the following: double the RAM, move up to 7 PRO, get a bit nicer of a case, and get some aftermarket cooling. For now, the $1200 gets a decent rig, that can be modded in the future to perform much better (under $200 in a couple years would increase the lifespan substantially, with a mild overclock).

Edit:
You'll note I included a 120 GB SSD from the onset. It's not a necessity, but I'm betting light gamers will benefit substantially. If you want to go for more storage you can get a larger 2 TB drive and smaller SSD, though I wouldn't recommend dropping lower than 90 GB.

 

[stayplation3]

here this ram is better and $7 cheaper because of free shipping. G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 ...
and i dont see the point in win 7 pro, dont waste your money just buy home.

 

[lilhasselhoffer]

here this ram is better and $7 cheaper because of free shipping. G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 ...
and i dont see the point in win 7 pro, dont waste your money just buy home.

RAM limitations.

Free shipping doesn't matter. The other components have shipping, so net cost of your replacement is higher.

 

[stayplation3]

no its not lol its the exact same price regardless of shipping. and home premium has a 16gb limit on 64bit.. even home basic has an 8gb limit.
also i highly dont recommend that motherboard based on so many bad reviews, i would recommend you get this BIOSTAR TZ68A+ LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s ... it has great reviews it does everything the other board does and its even recommended by techpowerup

 

[v12dock]

Once you go SSD you never go back, so if possible I would really like for him to get one

 

[lilhasselhoffer]

no its not lol its the exact same price regardless of shipping.
also i highly dont recommend that motherboard based on so many bad reviews, i would recommend you get this BIOSTAR TZ68A+ LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s ... it has great reviews it does everything the other board does and its even recommended by techpowerup

1 cent difference, which isn't much. To that, I'll just let the argument rest there.

Have you read any of the reviews? Most people are having construction issues. They bought the board, but it doesn't fit how they want it to in their cases. Given this is an matx board, you've got to conclude a little bit of inexperience..

Additionally, Z68 versus Z77. If I was willing to settle for a Z68 recommendation, I'd have gone with the Asrock Extreme3 Gen3 board. It's a better value, BUT LACKS PCI-E 3.0 like all Z68 boards. For the same price, you get much greater future expansion with the board I recommended. Their is method to my madness.

Once you go SSD you never go back, so if possible I would really like for him to get one

I included a 120 GB Mushkin. I know how nice a 30 second boot is, coming from a 120+ second wait.

 

[stayplation3]

theres only a small difference in performance from 2.0 and 3.0 pcie you wouldnt really notice a difference. you could go for a 3.0 and it would be better but you still shouldnt get that board anyways because its been raped by bad reviews. im sure theres a better one for not much more if you look. and you should keep your eye on this video card GIGABYTE GV-N670OC-2GD GeForce GTX 670 2GB 256-bit... you can overclock it a lot more than the evga FTW because of the better cooling and its $20 cheaper

 

[lilhasselhoffer]

theres only a small difference in performance from 2.0 and 3.0 pcie you wouldnt really notice a difference. you could go for a 3.0 and it would be better but you still shouldnt get that board anyways because its been raped by bad reviews. im sure theres a better one for not much more if you look. and you should keep your eye on this video card GIGABYTE GV-N670OC-2GD GeForce GTX 670 2GB 256-bit... you can overclock it a lot more than the evga FTW because of the better cooling and its $20 cheaper

I can't tell if you're trying to raise my ire, or just not looking thoroughly.

The term "OUT OF STOCK" means that newegg doesn't currently have them. They even put it in all caps, so it's harder to miss.

There is a $10 difference, as there is a mail-in rebate. The factory overclock is higher on the EVGA model.

Claiming PCI-e 3.0 doesn't matter right now is, and I'll be blunt, stupid. You buy a computer with the intent to upgrade in a few years, and extend the lifetime. If you wanted the cheapest high performer right now, I'd have gone Z68 and 2600k. They have a shelf life of a couple more months, but they'd be more cost effective than the 3570 and Z77.

You have to look at the bigger picture though, which is where I think you're falling short. You've recommended all the nice shiny bells and whistles, but haven't fit them together into a coherent jigsaw puzzle. I'm really getting tired of pointing this out, so I'm done responding to whatever you're posting on this thread. You're welcome to suggest whatever you'd like, but my recommendations will stand on their own merit. It's up to v12dock to decide in the end anyways.

 

[v12dock]

My friend will not overclock

 

[happita]

No monitor, no keyboard and mouse, 1080p, newegg, need windows 7, would prefer a SSD and need a case

Diablo 3, World of Warcraft, league of legends plus similar future releases. He does not play any games that would be considered a hardcore benchmark.

If he can find a used GTX670 for around $300, then I would say get it, but if it's retail...I think it is a tad too expensive for his taste, especially with the types of games that he is going to be playing. A 7870 should be good enough. As for your friend not overclocking, all he has to do is go to Catalyst Control Center and move the sliders, very simple. Whatever questions he has in regards to overclocking, I'm sure you can help him since your an avid poster here too

With regards to what CPU he should get...an i5-2400 or greater should be fine.

 

[phanbuey]

if your friend is not OCing then a K series is a waste... also, get him last gen stuff, PCI-3 is going to be completely irrelevant for a long long time, much longer than the time this rig will be around. PCI-E 1 16x is still enough for high end cards (you lose like 2% on average and only on MAX FPS, not when the card is actually stressed).

an i5-2400 like was said would do, a h67 and such... if he ain't oc-ing, then no point in getting premium kit. My build would be perfect for him, and he will love the size .

get him this $80 case

 

[stayplation3]

I can't tell if you're trying to raise my ire, or just not looking thoroughly.

The term "OUT OF STOCK" means that newegg doesn't currently have them. They even put it in all caps, so it's harder to miss.

There is a $10 difference, as there is a mail-in rebate. The factory overclock is higher on the EVGA model.

Claiming PCI-e 3.0 doesn't matter right now is, and I'll be blunt, stupid. You buy a computer with the intent to upgrade in a few years, and extend the lifetime. If you wanted the cheapest high performer right now, I'd have gone Z68 and 2600k. They have a shelf life of a couple more months, but they'd be more cost effective than the 3570 and Z77.

You have to look at the bigger picture though, which is where I think you're falling short. You've recommended all the nice shiny bells and whistles, but haven't fit them together into a coherent jigsaw puzzle. I'm really getting tired of pointing this out, so I'm done responding to whatever you're posting on this thread. You're welcome to suggest whatever you'd like, but my recommendations will stand on their own merit. It's up to v12dock to decide in the end anyways.

lol the factory clock is higher? wooo big deal, open afterburner on the gigabyte and watch it fly past the evga, and in case you dont know, out of stock means they dont have any at the moment. im sure theyl get a new load of them within a week, thats why i said keep your eye on it but i guess you cant read very well. and hes building a $1200 rig, getting pci 3.0 is indeed a waste since a max of 2 gpus will take that 3% difference and make it an un-noticable 6% difference. so yea if your still making this build you dont need to waste on a z77 and yea get the gigabyte 670 with the hardcore cooling on it cuz you can overclock it so easy with a few clicks

 

[phanbuey]

^ I prefer more GPU power, but if you want the i5-2400 and a lesser GPU you can do that. I don't think the 2400 is that much more, so if you can stretch that 1200 another $15 bucks, you're golden.

 

[v12dock]

He was able to obtain a copy of windows. I put a build together myself please feel free to comment. He is also quite adamant about the case I have chosen

 

[Jetster]

Nevermind Im retarded

 

[phanbuey]

He was able to obtain a copy of windows. I put a build together myself please feel free to comment. He is also quite adamant about the case I have chosen

http://img.techpowerup.org/120613/W85496C.jpg

yeah that is a sick build... very nice.

 

[stayplation3]

just dont get that evga card if you actually buy this stuff. the gigabyte has awesome cooling and ownage reviews on newegg and you can oc it a lot more.
http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/foru...705-gigabyte-gtx-670-windforce-oc-review.html

edit: well would you look at that... the gigabyte card is in stock. gogogo! thinking of buying myself one too >.>

 

[v12dock]

just dont get that evga card if you actually buy this stuff. the gigabyte has awesome cooling and ownage reviews on newegg and you can oc it a lot more.
http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/foru...705-gigabyte-gtx-670-windforce-oc-review.html

edit: well would you look at that... the gigabyte card is in stock. gogogo! thinking of buying myself one too >.>

My friend has no interest in overclocking

 

[stayplation3]

My friend has no interest in overclocking

you dont have to overclock it

 

[brandonwh64]

RAM limitations.

The ram Limitations of Windows 7 Home X64 are 16GB and most people just gaming wont need more than 8GB

 

[lilhasselhoffer]

The ram Limitations of Windows 7 Home X64 are 16GB and most people just gaming wont need more than 8GB

Ok, apparently there has been a disconnect.

I always suggest Pro, because there is no feasible ceiling. If you upgrade later, you could well end up with 8GB sticks of RAM. 4*8=32 GB. Thus, you either don't populate all slots, or you can't use everything.

I'm doing this because I still remember installing 2GB in a couple of XP machines. Having to buy a whole new set of RAM to upgrade sucked, but what sucked worse is that the eventual upgrade to 2GB sticks meant that half of RAM was worthless (given, this was due to 32 bit rather than artificial MS limitations). Buying a second OS would have cost as much as the RAM, so I had to make due.


Also, 8GB for RAM is all current gamers generally use. The problem, again, is looking forward. Games and programs are switching over to 64 bit programming, evidenced by having substantial motivation as 64 bit OSs become standard (though 32 bit compatibility will prevent 100% adoption for some time).


All of this aside, I eventually switched to Home Premium. When cost is a hard limit, it's a reasonable compromise.