SOSTrooper
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So people have suggested a master thread to rid of all the 'help me build a PC for X amount of money' threads. This thread will be a work in progress, and may or may not be as helpful as we might think. If after a period of time this thread has proven to be useless or unhelpful, we'll kill it. In the mean time, we can give it a try.
Quality part suggestions are welcomed. I may even put up detailed instructions on how to build a PC (with pics and links to videos by other people) in the placeholder posts below. Please be patient as this thread will be updated constantly (usually at night when I'm home).
Please be aware this is not a 'deal' finder thread. Prices merely reflect the retail prices at which Newegg sells the parts for. You can find your own deals or better pricings on another website.
Special thanks to RAMSTORIA, CoffeeEdge, crystalkear64, Hydro2Oxide, Droenixjpn for their builds and insights.
FAQs:
Should I buy X now or wait?!?
You should always wait if you can control yourself. Prices will go down 99% of the time and/or a new platform is always around the corner. Its the way technology works.
Updated 06/06/2010
Components:
Processors: (updated 05/31/2010)
Intel: The Future: Ivy Bridge, the successor to Sandy Bridge is supposed to come out in Q1 2012.
Intel
AMD Future Processors: Llano, a CPU that has a built in GPU is releasing on June 30 in the FM1 socket. Bulldozer, the successor to the Phenom series is being released in Q3 2011, (probably Septemberish, although there were rumors of a late July launch). Bulldozer will use the AM3+ Socket and the 9xx series chipset.
Motherboards: (updated 05/31/2010)
(trusted brands: Gigabyte, Asus, DFI, Foxxconn, MSI, EVGA)
For Intel CPUs
For AMD CPUs
Memory/RAM: (updated 01/08/2010)
(trusted brands: Crucial, Corsair, Patriot, OCZ, Kingston, mushkin, G.SKILL)
DDR2
DDR3
Video Cards: (updated 02/13/2010)
(trusted brands: EVGA, XFX, Sapphire, Diamond, Asus, Gigabyte, MSI, Zotac, BFG)
ATI/AMD
Sound Cards: (updated 06/05/2009)
Use onboard sound to save money.
Hard Drives: (updated 06/05/2009)
Solid State Drives:
(60GB usually boot drives, 100 to 120GB is ok for system)
Optical Drives: (updated 09/26/2009)Power Supplies: (updated 07/03/2009)
(trusted brands: Corsair, PC Power & Cooling, SeaSonic, OCZ, Silverstone, Thermaltake, Antec, Enermax)
Cases: (updated 06/08/2009)
Cases only:
Case + Power Supply Combos:
Media Center Cases:
Monitors: (updated 06/08/2009)
(trusted budget brands: Acer, Asus, Hanns·G; trusted name brands: Samsung, Dell, LG, ViewSonic)
Accessories: (updated 01/08/2010)
Input Devices:
Case Fans:
3rd Party CPU Fans (for overclockers):
Sample Builds:
Here we have provided some sample builds suggested by experienced CAGs for those who don't want to select every single component by themselves. Links are to Newegg's public wish lists, which allow you to add/subtract parts that you may or may not like to have.
For example, if you do not play games, but want to do video editing with $700 budget, simply select a cheaper video card and upgrade the CPU to a Quad core. Also, please add your own DVD burner, I intentionally left them out because when they go out of stock, the build lists become glitchy.
Gaming PCs:
$400
Quality part suggestions are welcomed. I may even put up detailed instructions on how to build a PC (with pics and links to videos by other people) in the placeholder posts below. Please be patient as this thread will be updated constantly (usually at night when I'm home).
Please be aware this is not a 'deal' finder thread. Prices merely reflect the retail prices at which Newegg sells the parts for. You can find your own deals or better pricings on another website.
Special thanks to RAMSTORIA, CoffeeEdge, crystalkear64, Hydro2Oxide, Droenixjpn for their builds and insights.
FAQs:
Should I buy X now or wait?!?
You should always wait if you can control yourself. Prices will go down 99% of the time and/or a new platform is always around the corner. Its the way technology works.
Updated 06/06/2010
Components:
- This list contains quality parts delicately selected and strongly recommended by your fellow CAGs for your computer build. These selections are based on a) brand reputation, b) price, and c) features.
- If you want to check out the 'actual' building process before contemplating on building your own, please refer to 2nd post.
- Many items may have Mail-In-Rebates (MIR) involved, clicking on the item will bring you to Newegg's site which will give you the most updated price. Other websites such as Amazon, ZipZoomFly, eWiz may have better prices due to sales. There is also cashback available via www.bing.com. So you should do your own research on the best prices when you're ready to take the plunge.
Processors: (updated 05/31/2010)
Intel: The Future: Ivy Bridge, the successor to Sandy Bridge is supposed to come out in Q1 2012.
Intel
LGA775 (out of date socket)
LGA1156
- Intel Core i3-530 Clarkdale 2.93GHz LGA 1156 73W Dual-Core - $115
- Intel Core i3-540 Clarkdale 3.06GHz LGA 1156 73W Dual-Core - $145
- Intel Core i5-650 Clarkdale 3.2GHz LGA 1156 73W Dual-Core - $190
- Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core - $200
- Intel Core i7-860 Lynnfield 2.8GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core - $290
LGA1366
AMDAMD Future Processors: Llano, a CPU that has a built in GPU is releasing on June 30 in the FM1 socket. Bulldozer, the successor to the Phenom series is being released in Q3 2011, (probably Septemberish, although there were rumors of a late July launch). Bulldozer will use the AM3+ Socket and the 9xx series chipset.
Socket AM3 (will work on both AM2+ and AM3 motherboards)
- AMD Sempron 140 Sargas 2.7GHz Socket AM3 45W Single-Core - $38
- AMD Athlon II X2 245 Regor 2.9GHz 2 x 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core OEM - $45
- AMD Athlon II X3 450 Rana 3.2GHz Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Desktop Processor ADX450WFGMBOX AMD Athlon II X3 450 Rana 3.2GHz Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core-$80
- AMD Athlon II X4 640 Propus 3.0GHz Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core - $100
- AMD Phenom II X4 840 3.2Ghz Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core - $105
- AMD Phenom II X2 555 Black Edition 3.2GHz Socket AM3 80W Dual-Core - $88
- AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core - $114
- AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core - $130
- AMD Phenom II X6 1055T 2.8GHz Socket AM3 125W Six-Core - $260
- AMD Phenom II X6 1090T 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Six-Core - $180
(trusted brands: Gigabyte, Asus, DFI, Foxxconn, MSI, EVGA)
For Intel CPUs
LGA775
LGA1156
- MSI P55M-GD41 LGA 1156 Intel P55 Micro ATX - $100
- GIGABYTE GA-P55-USB3 LGA 1156 Intel P55 USB 3.0 ATX - $116
- GIGABYTE GA-P55A-UD3 LGA 1156 Intel P55 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX - $120
- GIGABYTE GA-H55-USB3 LGA 1156 Intel H55 HDMI USB 3.0 ATX - $125
- ASUS P7P55D EVO LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX - $155 (MIR)
- EVGA P55 FTW SLI 132-LF-E657-KR LGA1156 Intel P55 ATX - $180
- ASUS P7P55 WS SuperComputer with NF200 LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX - $200
LGA1366
- Foxconn FlamingBlade GTI LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX - $170
- GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX - $175 (MIR)
- DFI LANPARTY JR X58-T3H6 LGA 1366 Intel X58 Micro ATX - $190
- ASUS P6T SE LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX - $205
- EVGA 121-BL-E756-TR LGA 1366 Intel X58 Micro ATX - $210
- EVGA 141-BL-E757-TR LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX - $220
- ASUS Rampage II GENE LGA 1366 Intel X58 Micro ATX - $220
- ASUS P6T LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX - $240
- EVGA E758-A1 3-Way SLI (x16/x16/x8) LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX - $280 (MIR)
- ASUS P6T Deluxe V2 LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX - $290
Socket AM2+
- GIGABYTE GA-MA74GM-S2 AM2+/AM2 AMD 740G Micro ATX - $50
- MSI 785GTM-E45 AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 785G HDMI Micro ATX - $70
- GIGABYTE GA-MA78GM-US2H AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G HDMI Micro ATX - $75
- GIGABYTE GA-MA770-UD3 AM2+/AM2 AMD 770 ATX - $75
- GIGABYTE GA-MA785G-UD3H AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD HDMI ATX - $90
- GIGABYTE GA-MA790X-UD4P AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 790X - $110
Socket AM3
- ASUS M4A77TD Pro AM3 AMD 770 ATX - $80 (MIR)
- GIGABYTE GA-MA785GMT-UD2H AM3 AMD 785G HDMI Micro ATX - $90
- ASUS M4A785TD-V EVO AM3 AMD 785G HDMI ATX - $100
- GIGABYTE GA-MA790XT-UD4P AM3 DDR3 AMD 790X CrossFireX ATX - $125
- MSI 790FX-GD70 AM3 DDR3 AMD 790FX CrossFire ATX - $165
- ASUS M4A79T Deluxe AM3 DDR3 AMD 790FX - $180
(trusted brands: Crucial, Corsair, Patriot, OCZ, Kingston, mushkin, G.SKILL)
DDR2
- G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel - $50
- Kingston 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel - $51
- CORSAIR XMS2 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel - $80 (MIR)
- Patriot Viper 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel - $82 (MIR)
- G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel - $86
- mushkin 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel - $88 (MIR)
- CORSAIR XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) - $93
- G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) - $94
- mushkin 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel - $95
- G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) - $97
- OCZ Gold 6GB (3 x 2GB) DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel - $145
- G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Triple Channel - $145
- CORSAIR XMS3 6GB (3 x 2GB) DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel - $150 (MIR)
(trusted brands: EVGA, XFX, Sapphire, Diamond, Asus, Gigabyte, MSI, Zotac, BFG)
ATI/AMD
Lower Mid-Range:
nVidia- XFX 6770 1GB GDDR5(From what I understand, this is essentially a 5770) - $125/105AR
- XFX Radeon 6850 1GB GDDR5 - $165/140AR
- HIS Radeon 6870 1GB GDDR5 - $185/165AR
- MSI Radeon 6950 2GB GDDR5 (May be unlockable to 6970) - $280/255AR
- SAPPHIRE Radeon 6950 1GB GDDR5 - $243/223AR
- HIS Radeon 6970 2GB GDDR5 - $335/315AR
- ASUS EN9600GSO/DI/512MD3/V2 GeForce 9600 GSO 512MB GDDR3 - $40 (MIR)
- SPARKLE SFPX95GT512U2HP GeForce 9500 GT 512MB 128-bit GDDR2 - $45
- Galaxy 24GFH8HX2PUG GeForce GT 240 512MB DDR5 - $70 (MIR)
- GIGABYTE GV-N240D3-1GI GeForce GT 240 1GB 128-bit DDR3 - $85 (MIR)
- MSI TwinFrozr 1G OC GeForce GTS 250 1GB 256-bit GDDR3 - $115 (MIR)
- Zotac GeForce GTX 260 OC Core 216 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 - $160
- EVGA GeForce GTX 260 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 - $180
- EVGA GeForce GTX 275 896MB 448-bit DDR3 - $255
- EVGA GeForce GTX 285 1GB 512-bit DDR3 - $360
- BFG Tech BFGEGTX2851024OCBE GeForce GTX 285 1GB 512-bit GDDR3 - $398
Use onboard sound to save money.
- Western Digital Caviar SE 320GB 7200 RPM SATA - $50
- Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 7200 RPM SATA - $57
- Western Digital Caviar Black 500GB 7200 RPM SATA - $70
- Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB 7200 RPM SATA - $75
- Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 750GB 7200 RPM SATA - $75
- Western Digital Caviar Black 750GB 7200 RPM SATA - $80
- SAMSUNG Spinpoint F1 1TB 7200 RPM SATA - $80
- Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB SATA - $85 (not recommended to use as boot drive; used for storage only)
- Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 7200 RPM SATA - $95
Solid State Drives:
(60GB usually boot drives, 100 to 120GB is ok for system)
- Kingston V100 64GB (Low End) $65 AR
- Corsair Force 3 60GB (SATA6) $80 AR
- OCZ Agility 3 60GB (SATA6) $85 AR
- Kingston V100+ 96GB (Mid End) $105 AR
- OCZ Agility 3 120GB (SATA6) $160 AR
- Patriot Pyro 120GB (SATA6) $180 AR
- OCZ Vertex 3 120GB (SATA6) $200 AR
(trusted brands: Corsair, PC Power & Cooling, SeaSonic, OCZ, Silverstone, Thermaltake, Antec, Enermax)
- Thermaltake Purepower W0100RU 500W - $40
- CORSAIR CMPSU-400CX 400W 80 PLUS Certified Compatible with Core i7 - $40
- BFG Tech GS-550 550W SLI Ready CrossFire Ready - $45
- OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ600MXSP 600W SLI Certified CrossFire Certified Modular - $60
- OCZ StealthXStream OCZ700SXS 700W SLI Ready CrossFire Ready - $60
- CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified - $80
- Antec EA650 650W Continuous Power SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified - $90
- CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified - $110
- PC Power & Cooling S61EPS 750W SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified - $110
- SILVERSTONE ST60F 600W SLI Ready Modular - $110
- CORSAIR CMPSU-850TX 850W SLI Ready CrossFire Ready - $120
- CORSAIR CMPSU-620HX 620W SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular - $120
- Antec TPQ-850 850W SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular - $165
Cases only:
- Rosewill R101-P-BK 120mm Fan MicroATX Mid Tower - $25
- Rosewill R6426-P BK ATX Mid Tower - $25
- COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 - $50
- Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower - $55
- COOLER MASTER Mystique Black Aluminum/ SECC ATX Mid Tower - $75
- Thermaltake LANBOX Lite VF6000BNS Black SECC Gaming Cube - $85
- COOLER MASTER Storm Scout Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower - $100
- Antec Nine Hundred Two Black Steel ATX Mid Tower - $140
- COOLER MASTER HAF 932 Black Steel ATX Full Tower - $150
- COOLER MASTER COSMOS 1000 Black/ Silver Steel ATX Full Tower - $170
- SILVERSTONE RAVEN RV01-BW Black Steel / Plastic ATX Full Tower - $250
- HEC Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Case w/ 585W PSU - $60 (thanks RAMSTORIA)
- Rosewill ATX Mid Tower Case w/ 450W PSU - $65
- Antec Sonata III 500 Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Case w/ 500W PSU - $120
(trusted budget brands: Acer, Asus, Hanns·G; trusted name brands: Samsung, Dell, LG, ViewSonic)
- Acer X223Wbd Black 22" 5ms Widescreen LCD - $150
- Hanns·G Hi-221DPB Black 22" 5ms Widescreen LCD - $150
- ASUS VH226H Black 21.5" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD - $150 ($20 MIR)
- Acer X233Hbid Black 23" 5ms HDMI Full 1080P Widescreen LCD - $180
- ASUS VH242H Black 23.6" 5ms HDMI Full 1080P Widescreen LCD - $195
- ASUS VW246H Black 24" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD - $230
- Acer H243Hbmid 24" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD - $230
- SAMSUNG 2343BWX High Glossy Black 23" 5ms 16:9 Widescreen LCD - $230
- SAMSUNG TOC T240 Rose Black 24'' 5ms HDMI Widescreen LCD - $280
- Hanns·G HG-281DPB Black 27.5" 3ms Widescreen HDMI LCD - $350
- Dell UltraSharp 2408WFP 24" 6ms HDMI Widescreen LCD - $420 (for photo editing)
Input Devices:
- Logitech MX518 - $40
- Logitech G5 - $50
- RAZER Diamondback 3G - $50
- RAZER DeathAdder - $50
- Logitech G500 - $57
Socket 775/AM2+/AM3
- Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - $9 (you'll need this if you use any 3rd party CPU fan listed below)
- XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 - $32
- OCZ Vendetta 2 - $36
- Scythe MUGEN-2 - $37
- Thermaltake CL-P0114 120mm Big Typhoon - $45
- Sunbeam Core-Contact Freezer - $45 (Socket 775 only)
- Noctua NH-U9B - $50
- Vigor Monsoon III - $56 (good for 1366 as well)
- COOLER MASTER V8 - $60 (good for 1366 as well)
- Noctua NH-U12P - $65
- Prolimatech Megahalems - $65 (good for 1366 as well, fan sold separately)
Socket 1366
***********************************************Sample Builds:
Here we have provided some sample builds suggested by experienced CAGs for those who don't want to select every single component by themselves. Links are to Newegg's public wish lists, which allow you to add/subtract parts that you may or may not like to have.
For example, if you do not play games, but want to do video editing with $700 budget, simply select a cheaper video card and upgrade the CPU to a Quad core. Also, please add your own DVD burner, I intentionally left them out because when they go out of stock, the build lists become glitchy.
Gaming PCs:
$400
$600
$1200
Non-Gaming PCs- Intel: 1) E6500 + GTS 250 Build (updated 06/04/2010)
- AMD: 1) Athlon II X2 240 + 5750 Build (updated 06/06/2010)
$600
- Intel: 1) i3-530 + 5750 Build (updated 05/31/2010)
- AMD: 1) AMD Athlon II X4 635 + 5770 Build (updated 06/06/2010)
- Intel: 1) i3-530 + 5770 Build (updated 05/31/2010)
- AMD: 1) Phenom II X4 925 + 5770 Build (updated 06/06/2010)
- Intel: 1) i5-750 + 5770 Build (updated 05/31/2010)
- AMD: 1) Phenom II X4 965 + 5830 Build (updated 06/06/2010)
- Intel: 1) i7 860 + 5830 Build (updated 05/31/2010)
- AMD: 1) Phenom II X6 1055T + 5850 Build (updated 06/06/2010)
$1200
- Intel: 1) i7-930 + 5850 Build (updated 05/31/2010)
- AMD: 1) Phenom II X6 1055T + 64GB SSD + 5870 Build (updated 06/06/2010)
- Intel: 1) i7 930 + 5870 + SSD Build (updated 05/31/2010)
- AMD: 1) Phenom II X6 1055T + 128GB SSD + 5870 Build (updated 06/06/2010)
$200 (Possible? Mmm not so much anymore.)
Media Center PCs- Intel: 1) $240 Intel Dual-Core Celeron Build (updated 09/26/2009)
- AMD: 1) RAMSTORIA's AMD Athlon 64 X2 Build (updated 03/08/2010)
- Intel: 1) E5200 Build (updated 02/13/2010)
- AMD: 1) Athlon II X2 240 Build (updated 02/13/2009)
- Intel: 1) i3 530 Build (updated 01/19/2010)
- AMD: (updated 06/04/2009)
- Intel: 1) i5 750 Build (updated 01/19/2010)
- AMD: (updated 06/04/2009)
$400
- Intel: 1) E6500 + HD 5450 + Blu-ray HTPC Build (updated 06/04/2010)
- AMD: 1) AMD Athlon II X2 250 HTPC Build (updated 02/13/2010)
- Intel: 1) i3 530 HTPC Build (updated 06/04/2010)
- AMD: 1) Athlon II X4 620 + 9600GT HTPC Build (updated 02/13/2010)
- Intel: 1) i3-530 + HD 5450 + HTPC Build (updated 06/04/2010)
- AMD: 1) Phenom II X2 550 + 5570 + Blu-ray HTPC Build (updated 02/13/2010)
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