PC and Monitor Setup ($900 Budget)

Hey there.

My rough budget is $2000. I need a case and a monitor (23" if we can fit it in the budget while meeting my requirements, otherwise at least 21") along with peripherals (keyboard and mouse). I also need to include genuine Windows in the price. There's a chance this machine will be used for office work, and I don't want to deal with the headache of reinstalling everything later just to get legal software installed. I'd rather pay the extra cash upfront and have some peace of mind (I'm leaning toward Windows 7 because it feels less buggy).

Here’s what I need this thing to handle:

-Silent operation. I don't want to hear any constant humming when I'm listening to music at lower volumes.
-HD movies and streaming live events.
-Online poker. I run a poker client with about 10 tables open simultaneously across different tabs, plus several tracking and helper programs, all while running torrents, browsing, and playing music in the background. Since I'm switching tabs every few seconds, everything needs to stay smooth, even with all that background activity.
-Gaming isn't really my thing anymore—haven't played in years—but I'd like a graphics card capable of running at least the latest Total War, since that's the only game I might actually touch. It doesn't matter if the setup struggles with newer titles three years from now, but having some room for an upgrade down the line would be nice.
-Smooth performance in Photoshop and other hardware-intensive software.
-I'd definitely go with an SSD for the system drive, and 500GB should be enough for everything else. Maybe a terabyte if the price difference isn't massive.

Also, please suggest stores that allow for installment payments via credit card (like a Visa or similar).

Thanks.

1 x OEM Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Service Pack 1
1 x AOC 21.5" Wide LCD, 6ms, 16:9, IPS
1 x Intel Core i5 4440
1 x Asrock H81M-HDS, Socket 1150
1 x Kingston DDR3 HyperX Blue, 1600MHz, 8GB
1 x Samsung 120GB 840 EVO Basic SSD
1 x Seagate 1TB HDD, 7200rpm, SATA 6, 64M
1 x LG GH24NS SATA Bulk Black 24x Optical Drive
1 x POV GTX 650 1GB GDDR5 bulk
1 x MS PHOENIX Case (No PSU)
1 x Corsair CX430 PSU, 430W, CX Series

Total: $2053 (cash price + 10% for installments) at Futura. To drop the price to 3, swap the i5 for an i3 and it will be 5700 (for cash).

I believe all the major retailers accept these cards—places like Best Buy, Walmart, Staples, and even Amazon... (same price for cash or installments)

Just a quick follow-up:

I’ve been thinking, and I’m leaning toward a 24" Full HD monitor. For me, having decent viewing angles without the image quality tanking is non-negotiable. I’d be willing to bump the budget up slightly to cover it—maybe around $650. Also, regarding the hard drive, I don't actually need 1TB. 500 GB will do just fine.

And honestly, the payment method doesn't matter for the graphics cards. Cash is perfectly fine, and it keeps all the local shops on the table. Plus, the pricing is usually different that way anyway.

1 x AOC i2470Swq 23.8", IPS WLED, HDMI, 6ms
1 x OEM Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Service Pack 1
1 x Intel Core i5 4440
1 x Asrock H81M-HDS, Sck 1150
1 x HDD SEAGATE Barracuda 7200 (3.5",500GB,16MB,SATA III-600)
1 x SSD SAM 120GB 840 EVO Basic
1 x Kingston DDR3 HyperX Blu, 1600MHz, 8GB
1 x MSI Video Card Radeon R7 250 GDDR5 1GB/128bit, 1000MHz/4600MHz,
1 x XFX Pro 450W, 80+
1 x LITE ON IHAS122 DVD-RW 22x Super Multi, SATA, Black, Bulk
1 x MS PHOENIX case without PSU

$2163
Best Buy

You could also go with this 23" Acer ($67 it's the cheaper option); it features an IPS panel, which is top-tier, and comes with a 3-year warranty
If you grab that, you can fit in a slightly more powerful graphics card like the GTX 650. Beyond just being great for gaming, it’ll really help out with Photoshop, too. Plus, you'll get a case that includes a USB 3.0 front port
.

I ended up ordering this build from Amy Vaughn12, though I swapped out their case for a Zalmanov one.

Thanks for the hand.

wearyjackal3 said:Just a quick follow-up:

I’ve been thinking, and I’m leaning toward a 24" Full HD monitor. For me, having decent viewing angles without the image quality tanking is non-negotiable. I’d be willing to bump the budget up slightly to cover it—maybe around $650. Also, regarding the hard drive, I don't actually need 1TB. 500 GB will do just fine.

And honestly, the payment method doesn't matter for the graphics cards. Cash is perfectly fine, and it keeps all the local shops on the table. Plus, the pricing is usually different that way anyway.

1 x AOC LCD 23.8", IPS WLED, HDMI, 6ms
1 x Gigabyte GK-KM5300 keyboard+mouse combo, USB, Black
1 x Kingston DDR3 HyperX Blue, 1600MHz, 8GB
1 x SSD disk ADATA 128GB, XPG SP900, 2.5" SATA 3
1 x Western Digital HDD, 500GB-7200RPM-SATAIII
1 x LG GH24NS sat Bulk Black 24x
1 x MS LOGIC A32 case without PSU
1 x Zalman 500W GS Series Retail
1 x R7 260X 1G GDDR5 PCI-E HDMI / DVI-I / DP OC VERSION, 1050MHz / 1500MHz, 128-bit, 2 slot active, LITE
1 x Asus M5A97 R2
1 x AMD FX-Series X6 6300 AM3 box 1
1 x CPU Cooler Raijintek Aidos, 92mm, PWM
Total: $2009
Best Buy

Everyone missed the keyboard and mouse, right? 😁

Robert Rodriguez2 said:1 x AOC LCD 23.8", IPS WLED, HDMI, 6ms
1 x Gigabyte GK-KM5300 keyboard+mouse combo, USB, Black
1 x Kingston DDR3 HyperX Blue, 1600MHz, 8GB
1 x SSD disk ADATA 128GB, XPG SP900, 2.5" SATA 3
1 x Western Digital HDD, 500GB-7200RPM-SATAIII
1 x LG GH24NS sat Bulk Black 24x
1 x MS LOGIC A32 case without PSU
1 x Zalman 500W GS Series Retail
1 x R7 260X 1G GDDR5 PCI-E HDMI / DVI-I / DP OC VERSION, 1050MHz / 1500MHz, 128-bit, 2 slot active, LITE
1 x Asus M5A97 R2
1 x AMD FX-Series X6 6300 AM3 box 1
1 x CPU Cooler Raijintek Aidos, 92mm, PWM
Total: $2009
Best Buy

Everyone missed the keyboard and mouse, right? 😁

Yeah. And there’s still a little extra padding left in the budget from when we placed the order. 😁