Need help with new build ASAP...

[Proprioceptive]

My wife is breathing down my neck about replacing our aging Gateway desktop. I'd rather build myself since I can, and to my knowledge, it's still a bit more bang for your buck than buying from HP/Dell etc. I just simply don't have the time right now to research what the latest components are and the best configuration to purchase would be. I know it's annoying to have someone just ask you guys to design a build for them, but if you've got the time and interest to help someone out, I'd appreciate it. As requested, I'll provide as much information as possible below:


1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.
- Everyday home computing, online videos, tv shows, light gaming... I'd like to be able to play modern games without going crazy with the settings. I just want them to be playable at a decent framerate and performance. I don't game a whole lot, but it's a nice escape. One of the most important aspects, is that this PC needs to be QUIET! Our current desktop sounds like a jet engine.

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread
- peferably around $400-500

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.
- US

4. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy, ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc.
- I want the best bang for my buck... I'm no fanboy.

5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.
- monitor, mouse, external wifi adapter, speakers, webcam, external HD, OS,

6. IF YOU have searched and/or read similar threads.
- yes

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.
- default speeds... not messing with OCing

8. What resolution YOU plan on gaming with.
- 1680x1050

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?
- NOW

Basically, I need help with these items:

Power supply
Case
Motherboard
CPU
Heatsink/fan for the CPU
Memory
Primary hard drive <--- 1TB or greater
Primary optical drive <--- possibly a BluRay drive if it's manageable with budget
Video card (unless you?re using onboard video)
...anything else you think I may be missing.

 

[lehtv]

Here you go

CPU i3-2100 $110
Mobo Biostar H61MGC $46 AR
RAM 2x4GB G.Skill Value $39
GPU Gigabyte HD6850 $130 after rebate and promo
HDD Hitachi 7K1000.D 750GB $70 <-- grab it NOW before it goes OOS
ODD Samsung DVD-RW $16
PSU Corsair CX430 V2 $27 AR
Case Antec 300 $40 AR

Total = $478 AR

A blu-ray drive will cost you $44 more (Samsung Blu-ray $60), more HDD space will cost you another $70 (i.e. 2x the hitachi hdd, best $/GB at the moment). If you want either of those and still want to stay within budget, you should change CPU and/or GPU to

Pentium G620 $73. This is 0.5GHz slower and no hyperthreading. Would be ok, you get what you pay for. (Or you can consider the higher clocked Pentium G830/840/850.)
XFX 6770 $98 AR. Would be fine depending on how much you game and how much performance you demand. Medium settings at best.

And perhaps you'd be fine with 4GB RAM if you want to pinch pennies.

 

[Proprioceptive]

Much appreciated! I'm open to any other suggestions!

 

[mfenn]

Lehtv's build looks good to me.

I disagree with the statement that building is always better bang for your budget than buying, especially in the low-end space. You can get a Dell from the Outlet for cheap, but it won't have as good of a GPU. You simply cannot beat the big OEMs in terms of noise without spending a decent bit of money on in a custom build.