Looking to build a gaming capable Intel desktop, Under $700

[zatic]

Hello, I am looking to get a new computer that I will use for schoolwork and gaming. My budget is strictly under $700. I looked at laptops but I think that I can build and excellent desktop for cheaper. I can get a Lenovo laptop with a quad-core i7 and GT 640M for $650 so I'm looking for a comparable if not much better desktop.

Approximate Purchase Date: this month (possibly)

Budget Range: Under $700 with tax/shipping/and rebates

System Usage from Most to Least Important: multitasking, programming , gaming

Are you buying a monitor: Yes



Parts to Upgrade: Everything

Do you need to buy OS: Yes

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg because of no tax, free shipping on most products, and credibility. I will buy from other reliable sources though.

Location: Near New York, NY United States

Parts Preferences: Quad Intel Ivy Bridge CPU (3570k?) and decent video card in top 100

Overclocking: No

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe

Your Monitor Resolution: Anything 1366x768 and above, HD is possible.

Additional Comments: I need a PC for a decent amount. I will have more money saved up over time so I could hold out on some parts and/or upgrade things later. I DO need an OS and Screen, graphics card is optional but the price should be less than $550 if it's not included.

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: Old laptop has 1st gen i3 and is too slow

 

[djangoringo]

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/rf8v
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/rf8v/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/rf8v/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-3350P 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI B75MA-E33 Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($53.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($35.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition 1GB Video Card ($111.97 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 430 ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On IHAS324-98 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Zalman MZ215ED 21.5" Monitor ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $711.87
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)


Just the mobo, hdd and the os from different sites, but they're reliable.
And it reaches 711$, it's hard to do better, without sacrificing the cpu, gpu and monitor.

Or this one with i3 ivybridge cpu but better gpu, overall better performance, it will be much better for gaming than that laptop :


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

CPU: Intel Core i3-3220 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($109.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: MSI B75MA-E33 Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($53.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($35.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7850 1GB Video Card ($162.55 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 430 ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On IHAS324-98 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Zalman MZ215ED 21.5" Monitor ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $692.45
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)


NCIX US, amazon, outlet pc are trusted vendor sites.