New build under $1,250?

Timothy Kim60 said:Honestly, his only real complaint is that there isn't a dedicated cutout for water cooling tubes.

If he really wants some RGB glow, he should look at this instead. It’s a completely different, minimalist vibe—no built-in LEDs, but at least it has a window.

If lighting is his main priority, why not just grab one or two illuminated radiators and have them installed? He could put one at the bottom and one at the back, or if he only wants one, just stick it in the rear!

- http://www.newegg.com/p/details/product...0017-bled.aspx

As for those radiators they took off, they could just mount them at the top or wherever there's actually enough clearance!

It’s high quality, but man, it’s way more expensive... hmm. I’m heading out to buy today, so if anyone has any more tips, let me know.

I'll be making the purchase on Monday because of some scheduling issues. Here is the final configuration before we close this thread:

-CPU: Intel i5 4440.....$455
-MOBO: ASRock B75 PRO3M.....$169
-RAM: KINGSTON 8GB 1600MHz White Series.....$224
-GPU: Gigabyte R9 290.....$959
-SSHD: SEAGATE HDD 1TB 64MB 7200 SATA 6Gb/s.....$156
-PSU : Fortron Aurum S PSU 600W, 80+ GOLD.....$242
-OPTICS : LG SATA Bulk Black 24x.....$45
-CASE : Thermaltake Commander MS-I USB3.0x1.....$133
-AUDIO : Logitech Speaker System Z313.....$95
-KEYBOARD: Zalman K400G.....$61
-MOUSE: Genius X-G500.....$47
-MONITOR: ACER 23" LED IPS.....$375

-The total comes out to $2961, including shipping from Best Buy... and maybe a trip to Denny's...
-I know I overspent by $133... if any part is unnecessary, like the motherboard, could I just go with an H81 instead? That would lower the price. I think it's worth paying extra for a high-quality power supply like this one.
-Also, is the case large enough to fit everything?
-The monitor is 1080p with an IPS panel. It should be decent quality even though it was about a thousand bucks.
-If I were buying this today, I'd pull the trigger. But that's how it is.

briskmason6 said:Buying this Monday since I ran into some issues. Here's the final build list before I close this thread, yeah:

-CPU: Intel i5 4440.....$455
-MOBO: ASRock B75 PRO3M.....$169
-RAM: KINGSTON 8GB 1600MHz White Series.....$224
-GPU: Gigabyte R9 290.....$959
-SSHD: SEAGATE HDD 1TB 64MB 7200 SATA 6Gb/s.....$156
-PSU : Fortron Aurum S PSU 600W,80+ GOLD.....$242
-OPTICS : LG SATA Bulk Black 24x.....$45
-CASE : Thermaltake Commander MS-I USB3.0x1.....$133
-AUDIO : Logitech Speaker System Z313.....$95
-KEYBOARD: Zalman K400G.....$61
-MOUSE: Genius X-G500.....$47
-MONITOR: ACER 23" LED IPS.....$375

-Total cost is about $2961, Amazon...Denny's..
-I know I went over budget at $133...if anything is useless, like the motherboard, could I just grab an H81 instead? Just to cut costs. I think it's worth paying extra for a solid power supply though.
-Also, is the case big enough for everything?
-Monitor is 1080p with an IPS panel, should be decent even if it was only a couple hundred bucks.
-If I were buying today, this is what I'd go with.. but whatever.

You're overkill on a few things here...
You don't need to blow your whole budget. You'll end up with a PC that performs better in certain areas than this list, and you'd save a good chunk of change.

@Robert Rodriguez2 Those GPU prices he’s listing are pretty wild 😉 So I guess yours is roughly ~$2867

But looking at that build above, the CPU isn't even compatible with the motherboard, so that's a problem regardless 😛

crimsonstag84 said:@Robert Rodriguez2 He’s just looking at GPU prices 😉 So your estimate is about ~$2867

But even with that, the CPU in that build above won't fit the motherboard anyway. 😛

Still hasn't even hit the $400 mark, more like $33 😬

It's good enough 😳

I honestly find it baffling how Zalman hasn't pulled that Z3 model from the shelves yet. There must be millions of complaints regarding that power button; I've seen so many people just rerouting their power switch to the reset button instead.

Wtf.

Robert Rodriguez2 said:I think you’re definitely overdoing it on a few things here...
You don't actually need to blow through your entire budget. You could end up with a machine that outperforms what you've listed right now, all while saving several hundred bucks.

I don't know.... I prefer my own peripherals... maybe I'll take that monitor though... I'm going to grab the Thermaltake Commander MS-I case because it looks better than yours—it has LEDs and a large window, and the price is basically the same... also, you didn't include an SSHD... the only thing I'd consider is suggesting a weaker power supply if it keeps the performance steady while gaming, or maybe a lower-end motherboard... but everything else is non-negotiable. haha xD

A more budget-friendly power supply:
http://www.newegg.com/p/details/power-supply-unit-650w-80

As for motherboards—if you were looking for something cheaper than what you have now, you’d probably end up with an H81 model. But there's a catch: you'd lose that internal USB 3.0 header (unless you go with an ASRock HDS board), and you'd be stuck with only two RAM slots instead of four. If you do go that route, just grab a single 8GB stick. Honestly, if you've already paid a premium for your current board, I’d say stick with it. It's the smarter move.

The TT Commander isn't exactly top-tier quality, but it fits your specific requirements...

Timothy Kim60 said:Cheaper PSU:
http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-PowerSupply-650W-80-Plus/dp/B00P7S6K5I

As for the motherboard—if you went with a cheaper H81 instead of what you have now, you’d lose that internal USB 3.0 header (unless you grab an HDS board from ASRock) and drop down to two RAM slots instead of four. If you go the two-slot route, just stick to a single 8GB stick. Honestly, if you’re already paying this much, I'd just stay with the current board.

A Thermaltake Commander isn't top-tier stuff, but it hits the mark for what you want...

I intentionally went with a Silicon Valley build😁 because, in my book, they're the best of the best.😁

♥ Hey, sorry to bother you! But would you mind sparing just three minutes to check out my blog over on Stardoll if you have a moment? 😁 It would truly mean the world to me. Thank you! 😉 ♥

Keith Wright2 said:♥ Oh, sorry if I'm interrupting! Would you mind taking just three minutes to check out my blog here on Stardoll if you're interested? 😁 It would honestly mean the world to me. Thank you! 😉 ♥

Wait, I didn't write this... did someone hack my account or something???

Let me lay out the facts for you:

-An EVGA r9 290 simply isn't going to fit within your budget, even if you were to strip back every other component just to afford the peripherals you listed.
-Your choice of case is essentially dictated by the graphics card because of its length; you're either looking at a Cooler Master Z3, or if you insist on sticking strictly to your requirements, you'll have to hunt for something pricey around $267 which is the kind of selection you'd find at a local big-box retailer.
-So, what's the move? Either bump your budget up to $3167, switch to an r9 280 graphics card to stay within your limits, or scrape together some extra cash to pay for the build upfront. That way, you could actually grab everything you want without breaking the bank, since right now $250 is ending up being a cheaper configuration overall.

Robert Rodriguez2 said:I went out of my way to grab the Silver Series😁 because, honestly, they're the absolute best😁

Silver Series + Gold rating + fully modular😁

Of course it's superior; he's just saying he wants to push it to the limit.

Keith Wright2 said:Let me give you the reality check here:

-An EVGA r9 290 isn't happening on your budget, even if you stripped every other part down to nothing just to afford the peripherals you listed.
-Your case choice is basically handcuffed by the GPU length. You're stuck with either a Cooler Master Z3 or some overpriced boutique tower from $267 like they have downtown.
-Either bump the budget up to $3167, swap to an r9 280 to stay within your limits, or find some extra cash so you can actually afford the build you want without ending up with a $250 budget rig that underperforms.

What are you even talking about?
Look up. There are two builds listed above with zero bottlenecks using an r9 290...

Back when I first started out at the Micro Center, I put together three separate builds featuring top-tier cases, an EVGA r9 290, premium peripherals, and high-end monitors. Honestly, nobody has managed to assemble a better setup for that price point since🙂.

Plus, you're buying everything directly from an authorized distributor here in the States🙂

And just forget about that Cooler Master z3; you’d be much better off picking up something from Logitech or SteelSeries.

Robert Rodriguez2 said:What on earth are you talking about?
Just look at the posts above; there are two builds listed without any bottlenecking using an EVGA r9 290...

Who even brought up a bottleneck???
My point was simply that his peripheral setup is going to blow through his budget.

Tomorrow is finally the day
- i5 4440
- Kingston 8 GB White HyperX (1x8GB)
- 1 TB Seagate Barracuda SSHD
- LG monitor
- EVGA 600W power supply
- AOC 23" LED IPS
- K400G keyboard
- X-G500 mouse
- EVGA r9 290
- MSI H81-P33 motherboard
- Logitech Z313 audio system
- I'll pick out a case later once I get to the store

- Looking at about $650; I won't kill myself over an extra $30
- I'll post some photos once everything is set up

🙂 thanks

Man, I would love to get my hands on an EVGA r9 290 🙂

haha, I just hope they actually release a few decent cases that can even fit a 40 cm card... that thing is massive. anyway, does anyone know if there's a place where I can drop off my old PC? A lightning strike fried the whole thing, obviously. Wondering if anyone would be willing to take it off my hands and swap it for some cash.