New build on an 800-1000 dollar budget

[GoVols]

Approximate Purchase Date: After Christmas at some point.

Budget Range: (e.g.: 300-400) 800-1000 (with monitor and OS)

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, Casual internet browsing/netflix, Word processing/powerpoint

Are you buying a monitor: Yes, I would like to factor that into my budget range



Do you need to buy OS:Yes, Windows 7

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg or Amazon

Location: Knoxville, TN.

Parts Preferences: by brand or type: Intel/Nvidia preferred

Overclocking: Should I? Unsure of the benefit or if i will even ever do it.

SLI or Crossfire: Not familiar with what these are.

Your Monitor Resolution: 1920X1080- would like to get the best deal possible.

Additional Comments: I would just like the PC to be able to run games like battlefield 3 on ultra and play any game that comes out on the max settings, at least for the time being.

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: Sick of playing games on a windows partition on a crappy macbook Pro. haha.

 

[DeusAres]

Well, there's tons of options out there. If you want an Intel/Nvidia option, I would recommend this...

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($214.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z75 Pro3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Patriot Intel Extreme Master, Limited Ed 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($40.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($67.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB Video Card ($269.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Antec Three Hundred Illusion ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($39.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.89 @ Outlet PC)
Monitor: Acer G245HQLbd 60Hz 23.6" Monitor ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1014.78
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-20 18:24 EST-0500)

If this breaks the budget too much, then I'd recommend stepping the GPU down a little bit to the HD 7870.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($214.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z75 Pro3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Patriot Intel Extreme Master, Limited Ed 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($40.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($67.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7870 2GB Video Card ($239.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Antec Three Hundred Illusion ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($39.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.89 @ Outlet PC)
Monitor: Acer G245HQLbd 60Hz 23.6" Monitor ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $986.78
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-20 18:26 EST-0500)

You can also save cash by getting a smaller and cheaper monitor.

 

[g-unit1111]

Deus has some good suggestions but if you're not going to overclock or are on the fence about it, don't. It'd be better to play it safe if it's your first time building.

I'd suggest something like this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($149.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: ASRock H77 Pro4/MVP ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($87.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($35.57 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($88.98 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card ($251.97 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 520W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($74.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.89 @ Outlet PC)
Monitor: Asus VE247H 23.6" Monitor ($154.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1011.90
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-20 18:46 EST-0500)

 

[GoVols]

I appreciate your advice! I am still trying to decide and think i'm sold on the gtx 660 ti for the GPU. What is the difference between the i5 3470 vs 3570?

 

[DeusAres]

The i5 3570k has an unlocked multiplier and makes overclocking your CPU easy. It'll allow you to boost the performance of your PC significantly.

I'd recommend you read some of the overclocking stickies here on Tom's Hardware Forums. It's a great place to start. If it seems to be something you're interested in, I'd definitely look into getting the 3570k. You don't have to overclock right away. You can wait until you feel comfortable and gain a better understanding of the concept.

Link to overclocking sticky:

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/265056-29-2600k-2500k-overclocking-guide

Link to overclocking guide taken from OCN

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/279408-29-bridge-overclocking-guide-3770k

These tips all apply to the i5 3570k as well, not just the i5 2500k, i7 2600k and the i7 3770k.

 

[GoVols]

Best answer selected by GoVols.