Complete beginner looking to build

[iFelon]

Hey guys, im looking to build a gaming computer that runs windows 7. My budget is 1000. Atm i have nothing, no monitor or keyboard either :|

Any pointers or suggested builds would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[lehtv]

Welcome to Anandtech. That's 1000 US dollars, right?

 

[iFelon]

O sorry about that, 780 us. $1000 nz :s

 

[lehtv]

What NZ shops would you buy from? Kinda difficult to mock up a build, I have no idea where to buy stuff in NZ and what hardware costs there.

 

[iFelon]

http://www.pricespy.co.nz/ you can find most prices on there

 

[theory816]

Check out my build. It was around 1k without monitor

 

[lehtv]

Ooookay. This is what I came up with

mobo asus p8h61-m le $90
CPU Pentium G620 $85
RAM 4gb corsair $35
HDD 500GB $85
DVD DVD-writer $35
GPU HD7770 $200
case Antec One $70
PSU XFX 450W $90
OS win 7 64bit OEM $135
mouse&keyboard basic $30
monitor samsung 20" $170

= $1025

It's not much but it can run most games at decent image quality settings @ 1600x900. I tried to pick reliable components, no cheapo crappy brands. It'll be easy to upgrade this build later. The mobo can support an Ivy Bridge Core i5-3450 after a bios update (buy used in a couple of years), as well as additional RAM. The PSU is powerful enough for any midrange graphics card now or in the future.

 

[iFelon]

Thanks a bunch, ill be sure to keep you updated on how i go :>

 

[Kristijonas]

20 inch display? I'd rather take a shittier 23

 

[lehtv]

I think I made the right compromises in that rig. 1600x900 is a lot easier on the hardware, and a 23" display is going to be 1080p. It'd also cost more so you'd have to skim somewhere else - hopefully not the video card.

 

[Kristijonas]

Oh. Must be New Zealand prices then. In my country there is a large selection of 23" displays for sub 200usd

 

[Pia]

Buying a whole used computer might give you better return on investment.

lehtv's recipe sounds good considering that this seems like a difficult budget. You have to sink a good amount of money to get something solid that works, but you don't have much left for performance. Spending just a bit more would be a good idea, IMO. In particular I'd try to cram in a decently powerful CPU like the i5-2500k, so that when you upgrade the GPU in the future, there's no need to up CPU at the same time. As is, you'll probably have to upgrade both if you upgrade one, because the other will bottleneck so badly.

Try to look for a cheap used display. That's one place where you should be easily able to save.

 

[mfenn]

Ooookay. This is what I came up with

mobo asus p8h61-m le $90
CPU Pentium G620 $85
RAM 4gb corsair $35
HDD 500GB $85
DVD DVD-writer $35
GPU HD7770 $200
case Antec One $70
PSU XFX 450W $90
OS win 7 64bit OEM $135
mouse&keyboard basic $30
monitor samsung 20" $170

= $1025

It's not much but it can run most games at decent image quality settings @ 1600x900. I tried to pick reliable components, no cheapo crappy brands. It'll be easy to upgrade this build later. The mobo can support an Ivy Bridge Core i5-3450 after a bios update (buy used in a couple of years), as well as additional RAM. The PSU is powerful enough for any midrange graphics card now or in the future.

:thumbsup: to this build. NZ prices are typically horrendous compared to the US, so $1000 with everything doesn't go to far. This will give you decent gaming performance at lower-middle resolutions.

 

[iFelon]

Ok guys i've got 2 problems, the HDD and the PSU are out of stock, any suggestions on replacements that are still comparable and close to the price?

Many thanks :>

 

[lehtv]

HDD : Seagate 500GB (next on the list of least expensive 500gb+ hdd's online)

PSU : Antec EA-500D or Antec Neo Eco 400C. The latter is less expensive and will run your current system perfectly but it's doesn't have as much room for the future. You'll need to buy a power cord separately (Antec likes to make customers use their existing power cords, gets them better margins I guess.)