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Hi guys, it's been a few years since I've had to do anything from the ground up so I feel like I'm a bit out of the loop. My current Phenom II system feels like it's getting kind of long in the tooth and doesn't seem to like the SoCal summer heat at all; now that I have the money from a job promotion it's time to move on and donate this older system to my little cousin. Any help would be greatly appreciated 
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Gaming and general stuff like word processing, web browsing. I figure I should be optimizing exclusively for gaming and the rest will fall into place since i t's nothing major.
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
Probably $500-600 for the parts I need, though I'm flexible on going up on that if it's warranted.
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
Los Angeles, CA. I have access to both Microcenter and Fry's, and will in all likelyhood be utilizing the former for their CPU/Mobo combo deals. Feel free to mix and match from web sites all you like; I don't mind.
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
Case, CPU, mobo, RAM, power supply, CPU cooler, SSD; I hope I'm not missing anything after accounting for reused parts below.
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
HD7870, DVD drive, 3TB HDD, maybe an old PCI X-Fi if the onboard sound doesn't cut it.
6) Will you be overclocking?
I will, but I'm not interested in trying to eek out every last drop. Whatever I can get without too much effort and time spent in voltage tweaking and whatnot. Temperature/heat are an issue in a room that can't realistically fit an air conditioner in it
7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
39" 1080p TV which works surprisingly well as a monitor.
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
I can start as early as tomorrow, but almost definitely within a week.
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA?
1x USB 3.0 is enough, eSATA would be nice but not necessary. At least 1x PCI slot for the old X-Fi would help too. Don't care for CFX/SLI. For the SSD, I'm not going to install games on it; only OS and work programs like Office, I think 120/128GB will be fine unless there's good reason to get something bigger. The SSD can probably wait for a good sale; I'm not in a rush for one.
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Yes, Windows 7 HP x64 retail.
What I have in mind after doing some quick looking around:
i5-3570k + Gigabyte Z77-DS3H for $245
Crucial Ballistix Sport DDR3-1600 2x8GB for $65 (there's a single stick Ballistix 16GB for the same price but IIRC going dual channel is better, right?)
Samsung 840 (not Pro) 120GB for $79
CM Hyper 212 for $30
Corsair CX430 for $36 - $20 MIR (dunno when this sale will end, pull trigger now? kinda sad I apparently missed the Antec Eco 620 for $30 AR)
Corsair Carbide 200R for $45 - $10 MIR
Totals out to $545 before rebates with 9% CA tax from Microcenter/Newegg. TBH though I haven't kept up with mobos, cases, and CPU coolers at all so I'm just taking potshots at them; recommendations would definitely help on those, as well as anything else like SSD. Definitely want the system to stay quiet and comfortable to work with (IE toolless, large space, etc.) if possible and wouldn't mind paying a bit more for that, whether it means the case needs to change or I should consider different fans or whatever else.
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Gaming and general stuff like word processing, web browsing. I figure I should be optimizing exclusively for gaming and the rest will fall into place since i t's nothing major.
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
Probably $500-600 for the parts I need, though I'm flexible on going up on that if it's warranted.
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
Los Angeles, CA. I have access to both Microcenter and Fry's, and will in all likelyhood be utilizing the former for their CPU/Mobo combo deals. Feel free to mix and match from web sites all you like; I don't mind.
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
Case, CPU, mobo, RAM, power supply, CPU cooler, SSD; I hope I'm not missing anything after accounting for reused parts below.
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
HD7870, DVD drive, 3TB HDD, maybe an old PCI X-Fi if the onboard sound doesn't cut it.
6) Will you be overclocking?
I will, but I'm not interested in trying to eek out every last drop. Whatever I can get without too much effort and time spent in voltage tweaking and whatnot. Temperature/heat are an issue in a room that can't realistically fit an air conditioner in it
7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
39" 1080p TV which works surprisingly well as a monitor.
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
I can start as early as tomorrow, but almost definitely within a week.
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA?
1x USB 3.0 is enough, eSATA would be nice but not necessary. At least 1x PCI slot for the old X-Fi would help too. Don't care for CFX/SLI. For the SSD, I'm not going to install games on it; only OS and work programs like Office, I think 120/128GB will be fine unless there's good reason to get something bigger. The SSD can probably wait for a good sale; I'm not in a rush for one.
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Yes, Windows 7 HP x64 retail.
What I have in mind after doing some quick looking around:
i5-3570k + Gigabyte Z77-DS3H for $245
Crucial Ballistix Sport DDR3-1600 2x8GB for $65 (there's a single stick Ballistix 16GB for the same price but IIRC going dual channel is better, right?)
Samsung 840 (not Pro) 120GB for $79
CM Hyper 212 for $30
Corsair CX430 for $36 - $20 MIR (dunno when this sale will end, pull trigger now? kinda sad I apparently missed the Antec Eco 620 for $30 AR)
Corsair Carbide 200R for $45 - $10 MIR
Totals out to $545 before rebates with 9% CA tax from Microcenter/Newegg. TBH though I haven't kept up with mobos, cases, and CPU coolers at all so I'm just taking potshots at them; recommendations would definitely help on those, as well as anything else like SSD. Definitely want the system to stay quiet and comfortable to work with (IE toolless, large space, etc.) if possible and wouldn't mind paying a bit more for that, whether it means the case needs to change or I should consider different fans or whatever else.
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