$1200 budget. need to build a performance desktop

droopydog

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I have 1100 to 1200 dollar budget. i want to build a performance desktop pc. i am not much of a gamer so the video card is not that important. just an ok one in the market would be fine. i do watch blu ray movies on the pc and use photoshop too. could u guys help me build one?
 
All prices newegg.com:

Antec 300 case $54.99 shipped
Corsair 750w CMPSU power supply $89.99 after rebate shipped
gigabyte GA-MA790GP3-UD3H motherboard $108 after rebate shipped
AMD phenom II 955 black edition $165 shipped
Corsair xms3 1333 2x2 gb ddr3 $89.99 shipped
powercolor ax5770-1GBD5-DH video card $162 shipped
Western digital caviar GP 1 TB Sata 3.0 retail boxed hardrive $120 shipped
Samsung 22x DVD burner $37 shipped
PPA card reader $16 shipped
Pixxo black wireless keyboard and mouse $32.55 shipped
Microsoft windows 7 64 professional oem $140 shipped
Logitech s-220 speaker kit 17 watts $31 shipped

Total: about $1046 including shipping

Whatever hardrive you get, pay extra for the retail box. It's less likely to arrive damaged, due to the extra packaging.
 

droopydog

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thanks o1die, i forgot to mention. i need intel processor. would it be possiple to put something together with a i7 920? along with liquid cooling?
dont need keyboard, mouse and speakers. i have all of those. dont need a dvd burner either.
 
Frys has a 920 combo with msi x58m board for $279 after rebate today, but it's in stores only. Get the same combo for around $459 at newegg. I don't recommend liquid cooling if you're not overclocking. If you're not a gamer, you don't need to overclock.
 

werxen

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you are the biggest fail on toms.

1) with a 1200 budget go intel corei7 not p2
2) he does not need a 750 watt psu for a simple gpu + cpu solution
3) he does not need all the other 'crap' that you put on there just to beef up the system ie: speakers, keyboard, mouse

ignore o1die's post completely - total WASTE of money and crap build for $1200.
 

yannifb

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Wow overreacting aren't we? That is not close to a crap build, its actually perfect for what he wants since it saves him some money since he can afford to use an even cheaper PSU and like you said, it already has a keyboard and mouse included.

And since he said he watches blu ray which any quad handles easily, and uses photoshop which, again, any quad can handle. Even more so now with the GPGPU acceleration with that 5xxx series card.
 

werxen

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You make no sense. How does it 'save him money' if he needs a smaller psu yet you consider this the 'perfect build'.

It is not the perfect build - if you have 800+ go i7 build not p2. This is ridiculous. I would post you a system that would kick the crap out of that one but I am too lazy to swing by theegg and get the pricing. Trust me - 1200 you get the exact same stuff except a better processor and a more efficient power supply that will last you longer.
 

yannifb

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Two things:

If you are too lazy then you shouldn't even be here, since he asked for build suggestions, not complaining.


And secondly for his uses who in their right mind would get an i7, or even a PII for that matter. I mean $1200 for a blu ray and photoshop PC is too much.

EDIT: Oh yeah and that corsair PSU he suggested is top notch.
 

werxen

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If it is too much then why are you supporting a, quote, "Total: about $1046 including shipping" system as perfect? You make absolutely no sense. If I had my way I would tell his dude to get an athlon x4 with a 4850 and call it a night but he said his budget was $1200. We are not playing 'save the money' we are playing what system can you build to maximize performance with the budget given. i7 destroys p2 in EVERY category hands down. And btw, you may think that I have not noticed but in every one of your threads you support an AMD build - stop being a fanboi because you are stinking up threads left and right. i7 > p2.
 

AMW1011

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1) That would depend on what the price difference could buy. At $1200, you get a Phenom II or LGA 1156 build, period. An LGA 1366, or the triple channel memory to be more specific, will never show more performance in his intended uses, however he could get an X3440 for an LGA 1156 board and save a good $100+.
2) A great quality 750w PSU for a decent price is never bad. I always recommend spending 10-15% of your budget on a PSU which gives him about $120 to work with.
3) This depends on what he currently has. If he has some crappy speakers then he should really invest some money into some decent ones since he is an avid Blu-Ray viewer.

Regardless I recommend this:

Intel X3440, has Hyperthreading and overclocks as well as an i7 860:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117225&cm_re=x3440-_-19-117-225-_-Product

Biostar T5 XE:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138162&cm_re=p55-_-13-138-162-_-Product

Great G.Skill RAM (2 of these):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231303

Beautiful Lian-Li case:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112239

Great Power Supply, Silver 80+ rating:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151084

All the Video card you need:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125300&cm_re=5850-_-14-125-300-_-Product

Cooler:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233023
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233039

Hard drive:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145276

Great system for about $1200
 

yannifb

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Thats a cool build but for his uses are you sure he needs the server cpu?

And holy crap now that i look again that seems way to good for 1200
 

werxen

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He does not need a 5850 that's for sure. *smashes head into wall*

get a core i7 920, aftermarket heatsink, 6 gigs ddr3, 620 wat psu, 4850 or 4870. call it a night already.
 

AMW1011

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The X3440 allows great overclocking and hyperthreading for much less than the i7 860



Again, there is no use for him to get the 920 as triple channel RAM is useless to him. Refer below for the GPU



Agreed a 5850 is not required in the slightest, but will do great in games and apps today and will hold up for years to come. Remember, time is not stationary and games and apps will require much more in the future. A 5770 will fit his needs great, but I wouldn't put that money towards any other part in the system since it is basically maxed out.

Having money does not mean it must be spent. Out of curiosity, what monitor and speaker set up do you have droopydog?
 

yannifb

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Yeah thats what I was getting at. Oh and sorry if I sounded a bit hostile, didn't mean too :)
 

sabot00

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Why is werxen bent on fitting a i7 920 in everything? I admit the CPU is sick, very powerful, very pricey.

I think due to OP's style of posting he is new to the Built-it-yourself world. He will probable expect everything that comes with retail PC's for $1200, meaning monitor, windows, mouse, keyboard, speakers, etc.
 

someguy7

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You guys are suggesting spending way to much money on the GPU.

Even a card like this more than enough. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102854. Basically any video card that you would put in a HTPC is worth considering.

Get a high quality PSU not over 500w. There is no need to have PSU that can deliver almost the twice the wattage that you machine will ever need. Like the 750w model suggested.

Look at getting a SSD drive as. Any current build that is built for performance should include a fast SSD drive.



 

cyberkuberiah

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radeon 4600 can do picture in picture with all post processing turned up for any format 1080p . the 4670 is around 65-70 , it is all that the OP needs for bluray .

if ure gaming lightly , get a 5750/5770 and use the rest of money elsewhere . 5850 = waste .

use that money to get 8gb for photoshop .

550vx corsair is going to be more than enough even if u overclock the cpu with air cooling and your 5700 video card .

go for a simple $55 case like antec 300 , you would do fine with it . $99 cases like antec 900 or lian li mentioned above are useless .

and lastly , whatever one's usage , there is no need to spend the entire amount if you can get the performance you want . you have 1200 , why spend all of it ? im sure everyone of us can use money elsewhere in other important things . and 1200 is a good budget for even gaming heavily in most cases , so you should end up saving some beans !!
 

cyberkuberiah

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for a more direct list-like suggestion :-

ram : uses only 1.35 volts , less heat when using 4 modules , u should get 8gb .

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231326

mobo : p7p55d-e , great single gpu with 7 atx expansion lots , sata 6gb/sec , usb3.0

case : antec 300 steel black , 54$ shipped .

psu : corsair 550vx .

video card :-

for everything blue ray and light gaming : radeon 4670
for mid range gaming (your limit) : 5750 or a faster 5770 , your call depending on what games u really play if at all .

now , if u use photoshop professionally , get the xeon or 860 .
otherwise , get i5 750 at microcenter/newegg for 160/200 dollars . at has impressive performance .

an i7 920/x58 platform is really usefull for extreme overclocking and best performance with dual gpu's in sli/cf , but you dont need that AT ALL , so dont waste your money .

also , get 4gb ram first , you can always get another 4gb if you feel the need to do so after trying it out . installing more ram is easy and hassle free .

i would suggest $30 cooler master hyper 212+ , good enough for even 3.6-3.8 ghz with antec 300's sound airflow .
 
I read his first post carefully; my suggestions were pretty well spot on for his budget, especially since he wants an i7 (which puts him right at $1200), but he didn't mention it until later. I've been building systems for 19 years, and shop frys and newegg frequently, so I know who has the best price between the two. I don't take criticisms personally, so let em fly.
 

droopydog

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I ha
ve 240 watts logitech 5.1 speakers. I am at work right now. But i will definitely check out the links everyone gave so far. i am planning on buying the pc right after new years.

I am not sure if i will overclock. Somepeople here said i dont need to if i am not a gamer. I do play games on my pc occasionally. not everyday though. maybe two three times a month.
 

werxen

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Hilarious especially since I started the thread "Why all the AMD hate" and considering I do not have either the p2 or the i7 and you clearly do.

pot. kettle. black indeed sir.