Custom Built Gaming PC under $1000

[CluelessBuilder]

I want to build a custom computer for my sons 16th birthday but I have no clue as to what I need to buy. My budget is preferably $1000 but I don't mind going over by $100-$200. I would go to the local computer shop but I want it to be a surprise so I want the parts to be ordered online but shipped there but back on topic, please list good parts preferably with a link. Thank you for any help that is given.

 

[killerhurtalot]

I'd rather get the 670.

Fit that into a $1200 budget including a monitor and os (and also provide headroom for tax and shipping charges) without going cheap on things...

 

[Why_Me]

http://www.amazon.com/Antec-Three-Hundred-Two-Gaming/dp/B006TVQTHW/ref=sr_1_6?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1345274094&sr=1-6 $69.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Antec Three Hundred Two Gaming Case, Black

http://www.amazon.com/XFX-ATX-550-Power-Supply/dp/B004RJ8EKI/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1345274739&sr=1-1 $65.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
XFX ATX 550 Power Supply - P1550SXXB9

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1026118 $266.98 save: $13.00
Intel Core i5-3470 Ivy Bridge 3.2GHz (3.6GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2500 BX80637i53470
ASRock B75 PRO3 LGA 1155 Intel B75 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231544 $43.99 FREE SHIPPING
G.SKILL Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-1600C9D-8GAO

http://www.amazon.com/Seagate-Barracuda-3-5-Inch-Internal-ST3500641AS-RK-Retail/dp/B000EY5F5C/ref=sr_1_8?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1345274239&sr=1-8 $69.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Seagate Barracuda 500 GB 7200RPM SATA NCQ 16 MB Cache 3.5-Inch Internal Desktop Hard Drive ST3500641AS-RK-Retail Kit

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127697 $299.99
MSI N660Ti PE 2GD5 GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-AD-7280S-0B-Internal-Drive-Black/dp/B0057FRTPW/ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1345272330&sr=1-2 $17.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25
Sony AD-7280S-0B 24x SATA Internal DVD+/-RW Drive (Black)

http://www.amazon.com/Windows-Premium-64bit-System-Builder/dp/B004Q0PT3I/ref=pd_bxgy_e_text_b $90.76 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64bit (Full) System Builder DVD 1 Pack

http://www.amazon.com/VS228H-P-21-5-Inch-Full-HD-Monitor-Black/dp/B005BZNDOO $136.40 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
ASUS VS228H-P 21.5-Inch Full-HD LED Monitor (Black) | LED Backlit with 50,000,000:1 ASUS Smart Contrast Ratio; Full 1080P with HDMI

Total: $1,062.08 *not including shipping & rebates

 

[Nw333]

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/eVE3
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/eVE3/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/eVE3/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($45.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB Video Card ($307.55 @ Newegg)
Case: Antec Three Hundred Illusion ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec 550W ATX12V Power Supply ($57.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Monitor: Acer S220HQLAbd 21.5" Monitor ($128.96 @ CompUSA)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($90.33 @ Amazon)
Total: $1113.77
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-08-18 01:20 EDT-0400)

All that build needs is a cooler for future OCing and its good to go 😀

 

[Nw333]

of all the people i've helped in real life and online, they got the hardware to do it but got too lazy to do it... even though i/otherpeople provided them with tutorials....

Well, if they them good hardware with OC capability, its their fault for not taking advantage of it.

Thats as simple as it gets for me. 😀

 

[Why_Me]

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/eVE3
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/eVE3/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/eVE3/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($45.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB Video Card ($307.55 @ Newegg)
Case: Antec Three Hundred Illusion ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec 550W ATX12V Power Supply ($57.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Monitor: Acer S220HQLAbd 21.5" Monitor ($128.96 @ CompUSA)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($90.33 @ Amazon)
Total: $1113.77
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-08-18 01:20 EDT-0400)

You have a board up there meant for dual cards yet a psu meant for a single 660 ti. Also does the OP have a Microcenter in his area seeing how that cpu is a walk in only deal at that price.