Best bang for buck?

[Abrie]

Female here. I'm heavy into graphic design with photoshop, illustrator and other resource hogs. Also, extremely interested in pc gaming. I dabbled a bit years ago on a friends comp and now that I have $800-1000 to spend (preferably $900 atm) I am looking for the best bang for my buck in a desktop, concerning specs that support these endevours, and will for a very long time to come. I DO NOT care to build my own system. I just want it to come to me in a pretty little package ready for me to destroy. I considered a Mac, but there's so much lacking for what I need that a pc can bring 10 fold cheaper.

Here's what I think I know I need:
i7 CPU
Flash storage
6-8 gb ram
And then whatever the best graphics support is out there.

Is it realistic to want to pay $800 for this without building it myself? What can I change and still end up with something that will still be eye candy for my soul? I am a heavy mulitasking resource hog and right now I have a dying HP from 2007 that I have lost my last nerve with. Thanks in advance.

 

[valdier]

Well, here is your problem... you are asking for a $1500 pc for $900, and you want it pre-built.

You want the top of the line processor, enough memory to drive the system and a gaming GPU that will last you for years.

So, you can't have all of those basically.

Maybe this cyberpower? but it won't last forever and it won't be top of the line for games. It will be mid-range out of the gate.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=Property&N=100019096%20600014723%20600014697%20600014693%20600014720%20600014698%20600014715%20600014713%20600014709%20600493416%20600337526%20600014722%20600493418%20600030537%204022&IsNodeId=1&bop=And&Order=RATING&PageSize=90

 

[fport]

You are going to have to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty or you get to go to the computer store and get taken once again.
Anything you buy off the rack is going to be lower quality, lesser power and un-upgradable, them's just the facts.
You buy a Mac and you pay for the name. You might be able to find a suitable laptop on clearance or refurbished.

Having said that - what is the model of computer you are working with now and its specs.

You are not a heavy multitasking resource hog on a 2007 HP, you are scraping by and making do.

You are way below the performance of a current i5 most likely. And therein lies the start of the solution.

$900 can be done but it will be a laptop or an upgradable machine that you can add to in the future.

 

[RazerZ]

I agree with f port. With $900 I would definitely build your own system. It is not hard at all. No soldering of any sort involved, just screwing in components and connecting parts. There are videos out there that guide you step by step so you really can't go wrong. It will be much more powerful and reliable compared to anything you can buy off the shelf and prebuilt.