Desktop PC build for $750?

What kind of prices are those—are they pre-tax? There is no way an i5 3350p is $325 when even through wholesale it is the cheapest option click, and an R9 280 via $500 costs even more...
Including tax, that is way above $1667

On another note—you actually ended up with a newer version of the same processor. Right now, the 4460 is actually cheaper than the 3350p anyway. Plus, you got a pricier, superior ATX motherboard (it has a newer socket, so you can upgrade to Broadwell later), a better ATX case, and the ASUS version of the graphics card, which comes with a year's extra warranty. As for gaming performance (and overall performance), it stays exactly the same.

Bradley Wright47 said:I went ahead and ordered the build based on your recommendation. I'm not actually picking up the parts until this week, but in the meantime, my budget bumped up by about $267. I told the guys at the shop to take that extra cash and put it toward something that would actually boost the PC's performance.

Question:

Below are the old and new quotes. Could you let me know if they actually $267 improved the machine, or if they just swapped things out for more expensive versions of the same stuff? Also, what do you think would be the best way to spend that extra $267?

1. Original Quote

ASUS Prime B75M with 1155 socket
$131
CPU i5-3350P 3.1GHz 1155 Ivy Bridge
$325
DDR3 8 GB (2x4GB) Kingston Fury 1600
$147
Sapphire R9 280 3GB DDR5
$426
XFX 550W PSU
$122
Dell Monitor DVDRW SATA
$36
Toshiba 1TB SATA3 32 MB
$111
Zalman ZM-T2 micro tower
$48

TOTAL: $1.75

2. New Quote

Gigabyte GA-H97-HD3
$184
CPU i5-4460 3.2 GHz 1150 Haswell
$369
DDR3 8GB (2x4 GB) Kingston Fury 1866
$170
ASUS R9 280-DC-3GD5 3GB
$493
XFX 550W PSU
$125
Dell Monitor DVDRW SATA
$34
Toshiba 1TB SATA3 32 MB
$111
Coolermaster N400 midi USB3.0
$104
TOTAL: TOTAL: $2.00

Thanks again.

Nope, way too expensive. Here's the exact same setup from Micro Center. 🙂

1 x Intel Core i5-4460 Processor (3.20GHz, 1MB, 6MB, 84 W, 1150) Box
1 x ASRock H97-PRO4, s1150, Intel ® H97, 4 x DDR3, 1 x PCI Express
2 x DDR3 4GB (1x4GB) Crucial, 1600MHz CL11
1 x Gigabyte R9 280 3GB WF3 OC, 3GB GDDR5 384bit, GV-R928WF3OC-3GD
1 x Toshiba 1TB, 7200rpm, SATA 6 Gb/s, 32MB, Toshiba DT01ACA100
1 x XFX 430W P1-430S-XXB9 PSU, TS series
1 x LG GH24NS DVD burner, DVD±RW, 24x DVD±R ,8x DL , 40x CD-R
1 x Zalman Z1 mid tower case. 199(W)x432(H)x457(D)mm. MB standard

$1791

Timothy Kim60 said:Where are you getting those prices? Are they pre-tax? There's no way an i5 3350p is $325 when even the cheapest wholesale option on is more, or an r9 280 via $500 and so on...
With tax included, that's way over $1667
.
Besides, you’re actually getting a newer version of the same processor—the 4460 is cheaper than the 3350p right now anyway. You also get a better, more expensive ATX motherboard (newer socket, so you can upgrade to Broadwell later), a nicer ATX case, and the Asus version of the GPU which comes with a year extra of warranty. As for gaming performance—or any performance for that matter—it stays basically the same.

Yeah, my bad. Those prices were before tax, so with tax added, it's closer to $2.00. The price is fine with me, but what you said really stuck with me: that gaming and overall performance stay the same. So, even without adding extra $267, we're getting almost the exact same thing.

Would it be worth spending those extra $267 on more RAM or something else to bump up the gaming performance?

Anyway, I have to buy this from the same vendor who gave me a quote five months ago, so I'm not looking to hunt down the absolute cheapest shop out there.

So you're looking at that second build from $1983 plus the sales tax? That's a massive chunk of change; they’ll really clean you out. It's actually pretty similar to what $1767 put together for

As far as the parts go, it's solid. You don't need extra RAM for gaming these days. The i5 + R9 280 combo is great; your only real issue is the markup at the retail store—you're going to get overcharged big time.

My bad, there was a little mix-up regarding the pricing.
I was transcribing everything and accidentally listed individual prices without sales tax, even though I included tax in the total price for the full PC build.
So, basically, I have two different quotes. One is roughly $1667 and the other is about $1933.
At the end of the day, if I’m reading this right, there isn't much of a technical difference between the first and second options. There’s really no reason to shell out $5,800 when I can get almost the exact same thing for around $5,000.
That was my main dilemma.

I was wondering if someone could help me put together a build at Best Buy, or perhaps another retailer, where I could take advantage of interest-free installments using an American Express card.
I would also like to include $1833 some peripherals along with a larger monitor—ideally at least 24 inches—that represents a solid best buy for around $500. Additionally, I am hoping to find a computer that runs relatively quietly. My usage will likely be split about 60% for web browsing and 40% for gaming. Since I already own a PS4, I'll probably play certain titles on that console, while reserving the PC for games that feel more natural when played with a mouse.

1 x Acer G247HLbid 24" LED Monitor
1 x Sharkoon VS3-V Chrome Tower, no power supply, black, USB3.0
1 x HDD SEAGATE Barracuda (3.5",1TB,64MB,SATA III)
1 x GIGABYTE GA-970A-DS3P, AM3+
1 x Processor AMD FX X6 6300 3.5Ghz (4.1GHz) box
1 x LC POWER LC-CC-97, socket 775/1155/1156/AMD
1 x MSI R7 260 OC, 1GB GDDR5, VGA, DVI, HDMI
1 x MS IMPERATOR gaming mouse
1 x Logitech K120 keyboard, USB, OEM, black (920-002642)
1 x Crucial Module 8GB, 240-pin DIMM, DDR3 PC3-12800, CL=11, Unbuffered, NON-ECC
1 x Fortron Hexa+ 400W, 80+, active, 12 cm

Total for cards: ~$1843 Futura-IT

1 x Acer G247HLbid 24" LED Monitor
1 x Sharkoon VS3-V Chrome Tower, no power supply, black, USB3.0
1 x HDD SEAGATE Barracuda (3.5",1TB,64MB,SATA III)
1 x LC POWER LC-CC-97, socket 775/1155/1156/AMD
1 x MS IMPERATOR gaming mouse
1 x Logitech K120 keyboard, USB, OEM, black (920-002642)
1 x Fortron Hexa+ 400W, 80+, active, 12 cm
1 x Inno3D Geforce GTX660 2GB GDDR5
1 x Crucial 4GB DDR3 1600 MT/s (PC3-12800) CL11
1 x Processor AMD Athlon ii x4 860 k 1 x MSI A78M-E35
1 x MSI A78M-E35 (Sck. FM2+,DDR3,SATA III,USB3.0) mATX

Total for cards: ~$1810 Futura-IT

crimsonstag84, how much of a difference am I actually going to see in games between this first card and the second one? I noticed this one mentions being an OC model, though I don't really have any intention of overclocking or messing with the settings too much. My general plan is to run this setup for maybe three or four years before eventually selling it off to upgrade to something newer; that’s usually how I handle my hardware cycles.
I think I would lean toward the option with the more powerful processor—since I've mostly been using an i5 up until now, I wouldn't want to step down to something inferior. Honestly, I don't mind spending a little extra if it makes sense.

Portio offers 12 interest-free installments on American Express

Logitech keyboard + mouse, wireless, black, USB
ASROCK H81M-DGS motherboard
PC-12800 memory, 4 GB, PATRIOT Signature
1000.0 GB Toshiba DT01ACA100 hard drive
BITFENIX Merc Beta case
24" LED Samsung S24D390HL monitor
Intel Core i5 4460 BOX processor
300W power supply, LC Power Silver Shield Pro-Line Series
PCI-E GIGABYTE AMD RADEON R7 260x OC Windforce graphics card, 2GB DDR5

$1872
portio

Ryan Hayes82 5500 + 1500 monitor

When I mentioned that it shouldn't be any weaker than my old setup, I was referring to my previous Intel Core i5-4460 @ 2.67GHz

So, I suppose an AMD processor would also work, provided it outperforms that specific model.

And, I must say, I really find myself missing having decent speakers included in these recent builds I've put together.

So, that brings the total to about $7,000...

Dell 24-inch monitor SAMSUNG S24D390HL
Logitech MK520 wireless Combo keyboard and mouse
GENIUS SP-HF800A speakers, 20W
Intel Core i5-4460 processor, LGA 1150, 3.2GHz
PC-12800 RAM, 4 GB, PATRIOT Signature
XFX AMD RADEON HD 7850 graphics card, 2GB DDR5
1000.0 GB TOSHIBA DT01ACA100 hard drive
120.0 GB INTEL Series 520 SSD
430W power supply, CORSAIR CX Series, CX430
LG GH24NSB0 DVD+/-RW
ASUS H81M-Plus motherboard
ASUS H81M-Plus case COOLERMASTER K280

$2356
portio