Looking to buy a new desktop PC

Hey there,

Just like the title says, I am looking to buy a brand new desktop by $2000. I can go slightly over budget (maybe max $2167). I'll be paying cash. I also need someone to handle the actual assembly because frankly, I have no idea how to build one myself.

Don't worry about the monitor, speakers, keyboard, or mouse—I'm all set there.

My current monitor is a Dell UltraSharp Monitor (24'', Full HD at 1920x1080).

Whether it's Intel or AMD doesn't really matter to me. I've used both in my old rigs and they both did their jobs perfectly fine without any headaches. That said, I find myself leaning toward Intel (don't ask me why), but if an AMD setup offers better value or the same performance for less money, then obviously I'll go with AMD.

Regarding graphics cards, I'm totally indifferent between ATI or Nvidia. My main priority is just getting the best possible visuals and detail in my games.

I want 8 GB of RAM.

I'm looking for a build that will allow for easy upgrades in 3, 4, or even 5 years without needing a complete overhaul. You know, maybe swapping in a new GPU later or just adding more RAM sticks.

Good cooling is a must; I don't want to deal with overheating issues.

And a high-quality case with decent sound insulation. My last computer was loud enough to drive me crazy, and I really want to avoid that buzzing noise.

For storage, I prefer an SSD, though I noticed you guys offer those hybrid SSHDs which are cheaper. I could live with that, provided I don't need more than 500 GB. Honestly, I don't need anything larger than that.

Primarily, this machine is for playing the following games at the highest settings possible:
- Grand Theft Auto V - Batman Arkham City - Assassin's Creed IV
- Batman Arkham City
- Grand Theft Auto V - if it ever hits PC
- PC - Skyrim - Dragon Age: Inquisition - Path of Exile
- PC - Skyrim - Dragon Age: Inquisition - Path of Exile
- PC - Skyrim - Dragon Age: Inquisition - Path of Exile
- Maybe some Need for Speed or Madden / FIFA

Also, I'm selling my old desktop. If any of you companies do trade-ins where you take old gear toward the price of a new one, let me know—I'd love to go through a shop like that.

I'm planning on a budget of $2167, but please make sure that includes Windows. I really don't want to mess around with bootable loaders and installers.

Thanks in advance. 🙂

Hope I didn't miss anything important.

1 x ASUS Motherboard, AM3+, AMD 990 x SB950, 4x DDR3
1 x desktop FX-Series X8 8320 3.5GHz, 16MB, 125W, AM3+, FD8320FRHK
1 x Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo, 2011, 1366/1156/775/AM3/ 626g, 13-32dB
1 x DDR3 8GB (2x4GB) Kingston, 1600MHz, CL9, HyperX Genesis, KHX1600
1 x Zalman CNPS10X Optima HDD desktop Toshiba DT01ACA050 7200rpm, SATA 6 Gb/s, 32MB
1 x XFX Core edition 80 550W PSU - EasyRail technology
1 x Samsung SH-224DB sat Bulk Black, SATA
1 x Zalman Z3 PLUS mid tower case. 192(W)x465(H)x430(D)mm. MB standa
1 x MSI GTX 760 Gaming 2GB GDDR5, N760 TF 2GD5/OC, Dual-link DVI

$2029 admin.us

You've got a solid foundation here—it's overclockable and everything else is perfectly balanced.
My advice? Grab an SSD down the road so you can shift some budget toward other components right now. If you want to push your total to $6,500, I'd suggest upgrading the GPU to a Toxic 280 x Toxic 280 x without any extra games included.

1 x ASUS Motherboard, AM3+, AMD 990 x SB950, 4x DDR3
1 x desktop FX-Series X8 8320 3.5GHz,16MB,125W,AM3+, FD8320FRHK
1 x DDR3 8GB (1x8GB) Kingston, HyperX Blue, 1600MHz, CL10
1 x HDD Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB, 1000 GB, SATA3,64 MB, 3,5", 24mj
1 x Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo,2011,1366/1156/775/AM3/ 626g,13-32dB
1 x Zalman Z1 mid tower case. 199(W)x432(H)x457(D)mm. MB standard
1 x ASUS DRW-24F1ST/BLK/B/AS SATA, DVD-R 24x, DVD-RW 6x, DVD+R 24x
1 x SILVERSTONE Strider 500W, Essential ST50F-ES AC 90-264V, 47/63Hz
1 x MSI GTX 760 Gaming 2GB GDDR5, N760 TF 2GD5/OC, Dual-link DVI

$2007

redpilot14

FX 8320-
ENERMAX ETS-T40 BLACK TWISTER
- ASUS M5A97 R2.0 EVO
- TRANSCEND 2X4 GB 1600 MHZ (8GB)
- SEAGATE 3,5 1TB SATA 3 SSHD
- MSI GTX 760 2GB TF IV GAMING OC
- LG GH24NS95 SATA
- FORTRON FSP 550W 80+ SILVER
- ZALMAN Z3 PLUS

$2180 - Futura IT (free assembly and shipping)

It’s a pretty similar suggestion to what the other guys posted, just with some better perks—like an upgraded motherboard, a nicer cooler, and a faster primary drive (sadly they don't have the 500GB SSHD available right now), plus you get better warranties on the PSU and the hard drive.

Honestly, this hits everything you were looking for... the only thing left to do down the road would be swapping in a beefier GPU.

Thanks for the help, everyone.

I’ll most likely go with the build graniteharbor85 suggested.

Quick question: for gaming, is Windows 7 or Windows 8 better? I read somewhere that 8 supports a newer version of DirectX that 7 just doesn't handle.

Honestly, it doesn't matter—both systems are basically identical when it comes to performance right now, so there’s zero real difference. Windows 8 has full support for DirectX 11.1, but at the end of the day, it all comes down to whether game developers actually decide to push those features hard enough for us to notice it in the future.

I'd probably go with this:

ASUS M5A97 evo R2 motherboard
desktop FX-Series X8 8320 (3.5GHz, 16MB, 125W, AM3+) box
Zalman Z3 black mid tower case
Samsung SH-224DB sat Bulk Black optical drive
Zalman CNPS10X Optima HDD desktop Toshiba DT01ACA050 cooler with 120mm fan
Seagate Barracuda 500 GB (3.5", 500GB, 32MB, SATA III-600)
Raider 550W PSU, 80+
Sapphire Radeon R9 280 x Toxic, 3GB GDDR5, Full Retail
Kingston DDR3 8GB 1333MHz, KVR1333D3N9/4G

Total: $6,506.02Downtown USA

+$27 maybe for two bundles(?). You're getting a card that's almost on par with an R9 290. The trade-offs are just losing out on a 1TB SSHD and getting a slightly weaker cooler, but since the price gap between a 500GB HDD and that drive is basically half the cost of a 120GB SSD, I guess you should just stick to an SSD later on and prioritize a significantly stronger graphics card right now.🙂

Just a quick heads-up, looks like the Toxic 280 x isn't available at the Downtown store right now.

The first link says 😬

So, maybe there's a mistake?

I actually went ahead and asked about it, but no luck—it's just not available. Honestly, there were hardly any of those models to begin with, so they pretty much flew off the shelves immediately.

Is there actually a massive speed gap between an SSHD and a standard 7200 rpm HDD?
Is that performance boost even worth the extra cash?
I've been doing some digging, and I saw someone on an international forum arguing that for a desktop setup, you won't even notice much of a difference between the two.
So, I'm seriously considering ditching the SSHD in graniteharbor85's rig and just swapping in a basic 7200 rpm HDD instead. Then, maybe in two years, if prices finally tank, I'll just throw in a 500 GB SSD.

If I were in your shoes, I’d start with a standard HDD and then upgrade to a 120GB SSD in the near future.

Timothy Kim60 said:If I were you, I'd grab a basic HDD first, then upgrade to a 120GB SSD pretty soon after.

That’s probably how it’ll go down.

But why only 120GB? That seems tiny for a desktop. My desktop storage usage always sits somewhere between 250-320GB.

Is this setup decent?

http://www.futura-it.com/catalog/computer-parts/toshiba-dt01aca050/

Yeah, it's just you evo $3.25—it's more expensive, but you get more warranty coverage as the years go by.

redpilot14 said:I think that’s exactly how it’ll turn out.

But honestly, why settle for 120 GB? That feels way too small for a desktop setup—for me, my desktop storage usually hovers somewhere between 250 and 320 GB.

Generally speaking, when you pair an SSD with an HDD, the SSD handles all the heavy lifting regarding speed—meaning you set it up to boot Windows, while the HDD takes care of everything else (like bulk storage and so on). Some folks even try to cram their programs onto the SSD (though how many will fit really depends on the drive's capacity), but most people end up frustrated because they run out of space so quickly. Looking at the trends, about 70% of users grab those 60-120 GB SSDs, and hardly anyone touches the 250 GB+ models because the price jump can be pretty steep. So, if you want that lightning-fast SSD experience where you can actually keep your OS and your software together, you really ought to aim for at least a 250 GB drive—which is basically the absolute baseline—or ideally a 500 GB SSD. You can usually find a 250 GB SSD for around $400, whereas a 500 GB one goes for roughly $833... and, of course, it’s always a smart move to grab an HDD, whether internal or external, for your long-term storage; the Western Digital Caviar Green series is a fantastic choice for that.

Since you're working with a tighter budget, your best bet is probably sticking to that first option: a 120 GB SSD paired with a 500 GB or 1 TB HDD. It’ll serve you well, and I promise you'll feel like you've got a massive wind at your back the moment you hit that power button on your PC...

Best regards,

Hey everyone, I'm looking at picking up a new PC—just trying to decide which of these three builds makes the most sense. The only real difference between them is the graphics card:

http://www.zaslike.com/files/mhjjglvqmtfyv56i16u6.jpg
http://www.zaslike.com/files/tizf0l4r0bqdaqy0l0it.jpg
http://www.zaslike.com/files/f0sdlpfkbzddjnbt6vec.jpg

The monitor supports full 1080p.

I think this setup makes more sense. You end up getting a beefier graphics card along with Battlefield 4, plus you're looking at a higher quality case and power supply here.

1 x Intel Core i5-3350P 3.1 GHz (Max Turbo FQ 3.3 GHz), 6MB
1 x MSI B75MA-E31, Socket: 1155, microATX, Intel B75, 2xDDR3 1066
1 x Seagate Barracuda 500 GB 7200rpm 16MB cache SATA II
1 x MSI R9 270 GAMING 2GB GDDR5 256bit + Battlefield 4, 28nm
1 x DDR3 8GB (1x8GB) Kingston, HyperX Blue, 1600MHz, CL10
1 x XFX Core edition 80 450W PSU - EasyRail technology
1 x Zalman Z3 PLUS mid tower case. 192(W)x465(H)x430(D)mm. MB stand

$1549
admin.com

coastalcrane53 said:http://www.zaslike.com/files/mhjjglvqmtfyv56i16u6.jpg
http://www.zaslike.com/files/tizf0l4r0bqdaqy0l0it.jpg
http://www.zaslike.com/files/f0sdlpfkbzddjnbt6vec.jpg

The monitor supports Full HD resolution.

By the way, you might need a hammer to get that CPU onto that motherboard; I think the sockets don't actually match up.😛

Signature based on Amy Vaughn12's build...

Kingston HyperX Blue 8GB DDR3 (1x8GB) 1600MHz CL10
Samsung SH-224DB SATA Bulk Black DVD Burner, SATA
Seagate Barracuda 500 GB 7200rpm SATA II
MSI B75MA-E31, Socket: 1155, microATX, Intel B75, 2xDDR3 1066
MSI R9 270 GAMING 2GB GDDR5 256bit + Battlefield 4, 28nm
XFX Core edition 80 450W PSU - EasyRail technology
Intel Core i5-3350P 3.1GHz (Max Turbo FQ 3.3 GHz), 6MB
Zalman Z3 mid tower case. 192(W)x465(H)x430(D)mm. MicroATX standard

Ordered - $1594

Thanks