PC build for $4000-$4500?

Time for a new PC build, I just need a case since I have everything else. My budget is around $4,000-$1500. Money is a bit tight right now, though... mostly for multimedia and gaming. It's important to me to get everything from one single shop, just to be safe.

I checked out some local stores nearby:

Vemil:

Best Buy:

Which of these looks best? Maybe there's something better for that price? I have a friend who can put the parts together if needed, but I really need to buy from one store.

Thanks in advance...👍

1 x Asrock M3A770DE, AM3 - Intel Chipset + Intel Chipset, ATX, FSB2600, Dual Core
1 x Intel Core i3, socket AM3, BOX , 2Mb cache, 95W
2 x DDR3 2048MB ( 2GB ) Kingmax, 1333MHz, CL9, FLFE85F-B8EE9
1 x HDD WD 500GB, 5000AAKS, SATA II, Buffer 16MB, 7.200 rpm , 8,9 ms
1 x Napajanje CORSAIR 430W, CX Series CMPSU-430CXEU, 12cm vent
1 x Samsung DVD Drive, DVD±RW, 22x DVD±R ,8x DL , 40x CD-R
1 x Sapphire HD 5770 Vapor-X, 1GB GDDR5 128bit, Dual DVI + HDMI,PCIX
1 x CoolerMaster Elite 334, black, (W)187 x (H)421 x (L)485 mm, 6kg
$1322

Don't even bother with that junk... it's not worth a dime.
www.newegg.com Use this instead. You just order it, pay the bill, and if you spend over $667 they'll ship it to your house for free. It comes pre-built and tested.

Don't buy pre-built PCs. That's just how stores offload their old, outdated inventory on naive customers.

The deal includes free assembly and shipping, plus decent pricing.

1 x MSI MAG series motherboard, LGA 1155, NVIDIA GeForce GT 700 series, SB710, BUS 5200MHz, DDR3
1 x Intel Core i7-2600K Processor, LGA 1155, BOX, C3
1 x DDR3 4GB (2x2GB) Crucial, 1333MHz, FLFE
1 x Gigabyte GTX 460 1Gb GDDR5 256bit, DVI+VGA+HDMI, PCI-X 2.0
1 x HDD WD 500GB, 5000AAKS, SATA II, Buffer 16MB, 7.200 rpm, 8.9 ms
1 x Samsung DVD Writer, DVD±RW, 22x DVD±R, 8x DL, 40x CD-R
1 x EVGA Power Supply 500W, Essential ST50F-ES AC 90-264V, 47/63Hz
1 x CoolerMaster Elite 334, black, (W)187 x (H)421 x (L)485 mm, 6kg
$1654

This setup absolutely crushes what you listed. It'll run games at max settings for the next three years easy.
Yeah, I went over budget, but you're buying a computer to last a long time. I wouldn't cut corners just to save a few hundred bucks.

EDIT:

It's basically the same thing, just slightly more than $33 cheaper at Best Buy.

MSI MAG series motherboard LGA 1155 - $189
Intel Core i7-2600K Processor (3.2GHz, 8MB, 125W) box Black Edition - $350
DDR3 1333MHz 4GB, 2x2GB, Crucial, CL9.0, 128Mx8, FLFE - $165
MSI N460, Cyclone, 1GDDR5, 2DVI, HDMI, DX11 - $502
HDD SATA II 500 GB WD Caviar Blue 7.200 rpm, 16MB, WD5000AAKS - $94
Dell Optical Drive 24x SATA black - $49
EVGA Power Supply 500W - $149
Corsair Carbide series Case - $118

Total: $1616

I have nothing but respect for Protis, but they don't offer free shipping—and they won't put a PC together for you either...

It’s not even just that; they’ve got these arrogant clerks who make you want to turn around and walk out of the store immediately, yet if you actually try to budget, suddenly there's zero flexibility.

The first conference was run by the admins, and honestly, they're the ones I'd trust with the job.

Thanks everyone, you guys were a huge help... I think I'll definitely stick with the admin side. 👍

I was thinking about another option, though it's maybe a bit off-topic: do you think it's better to just keep this old PC for browsing and movies... and maybe grab a console like an Xbox for gaming instead? What do you guys think about that, or is a PC still the way to go? I don't really know much about consoles. 🤷

Christian Vaughn3 said:Thanks everyone, you guys really helped me out... I’m definitely heading toward admin.👍

I was thinking about another option, though it's a bit off-topic: do you think it's better to just keep this old rig for browsing and movies... and maybe grab a console like an Xbox for gaming instead? What do you think? Is the PC still king? I don't know the first thing about consoles.🤷

Depends on what you actually like playing...
In my book, PC is best, but you have to consider that an Xbox is more cost-effective...

The reason? Once you buy it, everything will run fine for years (if you get a newer model)... plus, you don't deal with that "oh, my graphics card sucks" nonsense. Just plug it in and go.

Why not? A lot of games work great on Xbox, but it's not quite the same...
I played COD 4, COD 6, and Army of Two... all good, but when you're shooting with a joystick, there's that aim assist—kind of like a built-in aimbot—where it helps you find the target. It's there because spinning an analog stick for ten minutes just to line up a shot would be ridiculous. It's not exactly "fun," but for sports games? Basketball, FIFA, Madden? It's perfect.

Then again, some games are Xbox exclusives and others are PlayStation exclusives, so you've got to see what catches your eye. You'll be limited to whatever platform you pick.🙂

As far as I'm concerned, gaming belongs on PC. With this GPU, you'll probably be able to crank everything to max for about three years before you have to start dialing back the settings. We'll see how long it actually lasts.
You might want to pick up an extra terabyte drive for your media later on. 500 GB is going to fill up fast, and nobody wants to deal with deleting movies or shows.

No shooter out there can touch what a PC is capable of—unless, of course, it’s some garbage console port like the new MOH, which is total trash.

It really depends on what you play, but consoles do have their charm. For me, it's strictly because of three titles: God of War, Gran Turismo, and Metal Gear Solid. Sony basically paid off the developers to keep those exclusive to their hardware.

In every other category, consoles just can't compete with a PC. But hey, that's just my take. I know some people will just say "pfffff" and tell me to stop whining.😁

Sell that old rig and get yourself a 24'' LCD if you haven't already. You need a decent monitor to actually utilize that graphics card.

I guess you guys convinced me... I mostly stick to strategy games, maybe a shooter here and there, and plenty of Madden. My wife is more into RPGs like Dragon Age or The Witcher. So, yeah, a PC is probably the way to go, I just needed that extra nudge. I still have my old PS2 for God of War and Gran Turismo. 😉

I've got an Acer x223w 22" monitor, so I'll probably just start with that... taking things one step at a time.

Thanks again for all the help. 🙏

Christian Vaughn3 said:Alright, you convinced me... I mostly stick to strategy games, the occasional shooter, and tons of Madden. My wife loves those RPGs like Dragon Age or The Witcher. So yeah, PC is definitely the move; I just needed someone to tell me so. 😉

I've got an Acer x223w 22", so that's what I'm working with for now... taking it one step at a time.

Thanks again for the help. 🙏

For those kinds of games, Xbox and PlayStation don't even stand a chance against you. 👍
PC is king for all that. 😉

Hey everyone, popping back into this thread after three years. I finally finished paying off my PC, so I guess it's time for some upgrades. 🙄

So, I'm working with the build mentioned in the third post here, though mine uses an Asrock motherboard.

Do you think it makes sense to upgrade this so I can play games smoothly for another 2 or 3 years, or maybe it's just better to buy a whole new rig?

If upgrading is doable, I'd love some part recommendations or a full build list... you guys were such a huge help last time.

Thanks in advance! 👍

Christian Vaughn3 said:Hey everyone! I'm popping back into this thread after like three years. I finally finished paying off my PC, so I guess it's officially time for some upgrades. 🙄

So, I'm basically looking at the build from the third post in this thread, except mine has an Asrock motherboard.

Do you think it's worth upgrading so I can play games normally for another couple of years, or should I just bite the bullet and buy a whole new rig?

And hey, if an upgrade is doable, I'd love some part recommendations or even a full build suggestion... you guys were super helpful last time.

Thanks in advance! 👍

With a Phenom, you could toss in a GTX 650 Ti Boost, a Radeon 7850, or maybe an R7 260 x. igrati.
It'll probably hold up for another year or two—you might just have to turn down the settings on the really demanding titles, but that's about it.

Grab an aftermarket cooler too, then you can overclock that CPU 🙂

What's your budget looking like?

Budget? Well, the smaller the better, I guess...😁

I'm not really an expert when it comes to overclocking. I don't know much about that stuff, maybe. 🤷

So, just a new graphics card and we're set? Or should I look into adding more RAM too?

Christian Vaughn3 said:Budget? Smaller is always better...😁

I'm no overclocking expert. Honestly, I don't get that stuff. 🤷

So just grab a new GPU and call it a day? Still need to deal with RAM too?

Isn't that old Phenom build loud as hell?

If you're getting a card, just go for a GTX 650TI boost

about $367

Of course it doesn't work anymore 😬

I guess you're looking at a 750 Ti, R7 265, or an R9 270 now

Since you’re still rocking a decent PC,
you've basically got these options left:

this one

or this:

or maybe this—it's last gen, but honestly, it's still a solid way to go 🙂

If you want my take, just grab the first or second one 🙂 out of the bunch.

Thanks guys, I'll probably grab one of those when I get the chance. :-)

Hey everyone, back again so soon. I ended up grabbing that AMD Radeon R7 265 based on your advice and it's actually working great, thanks again! 👍

But now I'm noticing that some of the newer games, like Assassin's Creed Unity or the new Dragon Age, and just stuff I play at home, they seem to need at least 4GB of RAM, sometimes 6GB... and the recommended specs say 6 or 8GB. I've only got 4GB right now.

My setup is from that third post in this thread, and I'm running: 1 x DDR3 4GB (2x2GB) Kingmax, 1333MHz, FLFE

I guess I'm wondering what kind of memory I should look for if I want to keep things pretty cheap? 😲

Just download CPU-Z and grab a screenshot of the Memory section and the SPD tab.



Basically, I just need to see the part number.