Time for a new build after 8 years!

[coolpurplefan]

HOLY X-MAS!
The Gigabyte and Asrock motherboards I mentioned in this thread don't have Linux drivers. What is this a conspiracy? D:

 

[mfenn]

HOLY X-MAS!
The Gigabyte and Asrock motherboards I mentioned in this thread don't have Linux drivers. What is this a conspiracy? D:

They are standard boards with normal chipsets, audio controllers, etc. so they are supported by the same drivers that support ASUS, etc.

 

[crashtech]

Agree 100%. There's no point in posting builds that cost over a grand when the OP's budget is $875. We're here to help the OP find something within his budget, not to upsell him.

Here's an edit to Ken's original build with the recommended parts changes. It comes in under $875.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($197.58 @ DirectCanada)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($82.50 @ Vuugo)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($82.44 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($109.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 270X 2GB TurboDuo Video Card ($179.99 @ NCIX)
Case: Silverstone PS08B (Black) MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Memory Express)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 500W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($104.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Total: $857.45
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

^ That's pretty good! Not a big fan of PowerColor, but if it gets the OP into a nice GPU while retaining the i5, I'm all for it. And I would probably favor the SSD as well, but the limited capacity seems to be a turnoff for some. I think the bigger units are poised to become more affordable in the near future.

 

[coolpurplefan]

The price of the video card includes the rebate however. I read the details once of a rebate and couldn't believe it. They wanted the photocopies/everything within 10 days of the invoice date. Yeah, right. (That means the time it takes to ship to you and you have to ship it to them.)

The OP also wanted a Gigabyte motherboard.

And Corsair may be a respected brand but when I got one with a hum and the fact that I lost a stick of RAM after an electrical outage, I'm hesitant to buy one. That's also a modular model. Who knows what will happen if dust gets in there. lol

The case is butt-ugly.

I also said I read fewer negative comments on Kingston RAM (although my G.Skill in one machine works fine). And as mentioned above, 256GB isn't much these days (for the SSD).

 

[crashtech]

ASRock is bringing the value to budget-constrained builds these days, I have used some and have no problem recommending them. I personally prefer Gigabyte, but sometimes you have to go pretty far up the price ladder to find particular feature sets with them, this is much less so with ASRock.

 

[TerryMathews]

ASRock is bringing the value to budget-constrained builds these days, I have used some and have no problem recommending them. I personally prefer Gigabyte, but sometimes you have to go pretty far up the price ladder to find particular feature sets with them, this is much less so with ASRock.

I've found my Asrock board to be as good as any mid-tier board. it's much better than a certain board I used to own with a $500+ msrp...

 

[mfenn]

The price of the video card includes the rebate however. I read the details once of a rebate and couldn't believe it. They wanted the photocopies/everything within 10 days of the invoice date. Yeah, right. (That means the time it takes to ship to you and you have to ship it to them.)

So you read the details of one rebate this one time and decided that they are all scams? The rebate in question requires submissions to be postmarked (not received) within 25 days of the invoice date, which I think is totally reasonable.

Even if you don't get it, the total price is $887, which is closer than what I've seen you post. If you get an equal card under the budget without a rebate, then by all means post the build.

The OP also wanted a Gigabyte motherboard.

That's fine, but it has been explained many times in this thread that ASRock is a good choice.

And Corsair may be a respected brand but when I got one with a hum and the fact that I lost a stick of RAM after an electrical outage, I'm hesitant to buy one. That's also a modular model. Who knows what will happen if dust gets in there. lol

So do you have any specific evidence that the CX500M is any more or less susceptible to coil whine? You've got to back up your assertions if you want to be taken seriously.

I also fail to see how modularity has anything to do with dust? The main ingress point for dust is going to be the giant fan sucking air in, not the modular connectors.

The case is butt-ugly.

That's a personal preference, but if the OP finds the case ugly, there are plenty of alternatives in the same price range.

I also said I read fewer negative comments on Kingston RAM (although my G.Skill in one machine works fine).

So do you have any specific evidence or just unsourced anecdotes?

And as mentioned above, 256GB isn't much these days (for the SSD).

The OP has an existing SATA drive that he can re-use for bulk storage. No reason to get a new, marginally faster drive when an SSD is 10 times faster. It's also much easier to add new storage drives than it is to migrate the OS to an SSD after the fact.

 

[chusteczka]

So you read the details of one rebate this one time and decided that they are all scams? The rebate in question requires submissions to be postmarked (not received) within 25 days of the invoice date, which I think is totally reasonable.

Regarding rebate deadlines, I have found anything less than a full month to be something to stay away from. A 25 day deadline is similar in concept to a price of $9.99. We tend to think in whole units, not partial units. For example, 1 month and $10. Most companies offer a full month for the mailing date deadline. Any company offering less knows that many people will not submit on time.

I have missed two Thermaltake MIR's because I mailed them on the 25th or 26th day when they had a 20 day deadline. Because of this, I now do not purchase Thermaltake products.

 

[coolpurplefan]

As far as motherboards go, I'm usually a fan of Asus. But I've seen a number of times people saying Asus sometimes has defective models. I had a model that I had researched and researched after buying it (M3A78-EM) and found it was made for Vista which was probably the reason 2D video was laggy. I'm using it right now with Windows 7 and it's fine (was tricky with a number of configurations in XP) . Although I'm generally satisfied, I'm tempted by Gigabyte lately from news/comments I've seen. AsRock was apparently spun off from Asus. I bought my AsRock in a kind of crossing-my-fingers sort of way.
I think I read somewhere about someone who unplugged a connector on a modular power supply and once they plugged it back in, dust made some sparks fly. I can't remember the details though.
The comments I read on RAM were probably a mix of newegg reviews etc. Even if it's not scientific, I don't always completely ignore customer reviews. Actually, I just recalled some comments on various forums were from people saying they had had a number of negative experiences from the same brands.
In reality, I'm not offended if people wouldn't rely on my comments. Some of my comments however, like about the small difference between the black and blue 1TB Western Digital hard drives though I had research enough to not have much doubt about my opinion.

 

[coolpurplefan]

Regarding rebate deadlines, I have found anything less than a full month to be something to stay away from. A 25 day deadline is similar in concept to a price of $9.99. We tend to think in whole units, not partial units. For example, 1 month and $10. Most companies offer a full month for the mailing date deadline. Any company offering less knows that many people will not submit on time.

I have missed two Thermaltake MIR's because I mailed them on the 25th or 26th day when they had a 20 day deadline. Because of this, I now do not purchase Thermaltake products.

There were ENTIRE threads on hardforum on HIS video card rebates. Even I did not get mine. On the other hand, the one I had was so incredibly silent (HD4670 with IceQ cooler) that I probably wouldn't hesitate in buying one again (although I'm more tempted by the video rendering on the Nvidia models). HIS I noticed only sells AMD cards.

 

[coolpurplefan]

I know this looks like a radical depature but since we all strayed away from the original budget...
GIGABYTE GV-R726XOC-1GD video card
$138 http://www.shoprbc.com/ca/shop/product_details.php?pid=105863
AMD FX 6300 3.5GHz CPU
$125 http://www.shoprbc.com/ca/shop/product_details.php?pid=96696
Antec Basiq VP-450 PSU
$43 http://www.shoprbc.com/ca/shop/product_details.php?pid=74601
Antec VSK-4000E-U3 case
$40 http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=6_112&item_id=061841
Seagate 1TB HD
$58 http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=15_1086_210_212&item_id=042240
Gigabyte GA-78LMT-USB3 mobo
$70 http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=26_1207_1205_335&item_id=052729
8GB RAM $80 would be (without counting optical drive and Windows)
$138 + $125 + $43 + $40 + $58 + $70 + $80 = $554

 

[crashtech]

coolpurplefan, you have posted about 8 different builds in this thread. I don't want to seem unappreciative of your efforts, but at some point you might be defeating your own purpose if your posts just start looking like "noise" to other users. Many might just stop looking at them or even put you on ignore.

All that said, I'm not a mod or self-appointed post police. Just a "concerned citizen." I'll keep looking at your posts even though the last one in particular I can find little to agree with.

 

[Ketchup]

Coolpurplefan, I have to ask why. This thread has convinced the OP to upgrade to a system that is drastically faster than what he had. This last one doesn't even have an SSD. Let the OP make up his own mind. He has plenty of choices already.

 

[Torn Mind]

AsRock split off from ASUS about a decade ago, was in the "bargain bin" tier during the C2D, but they seem to have been moving their way up the ranks, especially after the Ivy Bridge generation.

ASUS makes 97-99% working stuff, but the unfortunate 1-3% who lands a non-functioning product from them can expect terrible support from them.

One of the things about making mobos is that the bad solder joint, a bad chip, circuit board defect, or something else is going to happen even with the big box brands.

 

[coolpurplefan]

coolpurplefan, you have posted about 8 different builds in this thread. I don't want to seem unappreciative of your efforts, but at some point you might be defeating your own purpose if your posts just start looking like "noise" to other users. Many might just stop looking at them or even put you on ignore.

All that said, I'm not a mod or self-appointed post police. Just a "concerned citizen." I'll keep looking at your posts even though the last one in particular I can find little to agree with.

I was trying to come up with an alternative to what was shown before because we veered the OP off-budget.

That being said though, I did re-look some benchmarks. The AMD CPU I listed may compete with an i3 CPU but to really "move up" for the lowest reasonable cost, it might take an Intel i5-4460 and socket 1150 mobo.

OK, let's see if the OP is completely lost by now and will even post. lol

By the way, I never implied the OP can't decide on their own. That's what doing a build is all about right? I mean I posted various case models so...

The same build above could be done with an SSD and the i5-4460 (and socket 1150 mobo). And the OP can always re-examine all the vid cards already mentioned in this thread.

EDIT: Let's get even more weird and throw in some mini-ITX in there.
mini-ITX case: SilverStone Sugo Series SG05BB-LITE
$50 http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...-231-_-Product
mini-ITX mobo: GIGABYTE GA-B85N
$95 http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...-680-_-Product
The lowest-cost Gigabyte H97 motherboard though is $90: GIGABYTE GA-H97M-HD3
The total cost with GIGABYTE GA-H97M-HD3 and Intel i5-4460 is $639
The total cost with an SSD is $691
So, with Windows the total cost would be $654, $739 and $791. With 12.5% tax: $735, $831 and $889. This means you could change to a more powerful video card if you wanted and still be under $1K.
NOTE: You'd have to look up the CPU compatibility on the mini-ITX and Haswell refresh CPUs.
Actually, I could add...
Thermaltake Versa II $9 more
Gigabyte GV-N75TOC-2GI $34 more
Seasonic S12 520 watt $27 more
$70 more $78 with tax so still under $1000.
FINAL COULD BE:
Thermaltake Versa H22 case
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16811133250
Seasonic S12 520 watt power supply
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16817151094
GIGABYTE GA-H97M-HD3 motherboard
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...-731-_-Product
Intel i5-4460 CPU
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...-302-_-Product
Kingston 8GB RAM HX318C10FRK2/8
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16820104452
Gigabyte GV-N75TOC-2GI video card
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...-502-_-Product
Crucial MX100 SSD
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...-820-_-Product
Windows 8.1 operating system
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...-776-_-Product
(There, I actually think I'm done.)
Yeah, I think about $970 with tax without shipping so there you have it, 1K.
I'd say I prefer a regular hard drive, but to avoid all the bickering about it here, that's the build. It's your choice which you pick in the end anyway.

 

[mfenn]

I know this looks like a radical depature but since we all strayed away from the original budget...

You're really the only person in this thread who has consistently ignored the OP's budget. Everyone else is trying their best to keep within the OP's budget (first $600 then $875). So don't lump everybody else into that category.

And somehow you're still posting machines that cost ~$1000 even though the OP's budget is now $875. I admire your enthusiasm, I really do. However you've got to understand staying within the budget is a huge part the art/science of putting together a good build.

If you come up with a list of parts that's over budget, you don't post it and say "Aw shucks, I went over, I guess you'll have to up your budget". Instead what you do is take a critical look at the list and start cutting what makes sense to cut while keeping to the requirements. Cutting back parts and finding deals the hard part, pushing process onto the OP or asking him to spend more is disingenuous at best.

 

[coolpurplefan]

You're really the only person in this thread who has consistently ignored the OP's budget. Everyone else is trying their best to keep within the OP's budget (first $600 then $875). So don't lump everybody else into that category.

And somehow you're still posting machines that cost ~$1000 even though the OP's budget is now $875. I admire your enthusiasm, I really do. However you've got to understand staying within the budget is a huge part the art/science of putting together a good build.

If you come up with a list of parts that's over budget, you don't post it and say "Aw shucks, I went over, I guess you'll have to up your budget". Instead what you do is take a critical look at the list and start cutting what makes sense to cut while keeping to the requirements. Cutting back parts and finding deals the hard part, pushing process onto the OP or asking him to spend more is disingenuous at best.

Thermaltake Versa H22 case
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16811133250
Seasonic S12 520 watt power supply
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16817151094
GIGABYTE GA-H97M-HD3 motherboard
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...-731-_-Product
Intel i5-4460 CPU
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...-302-_-Product
Kingston 8GB RAM HX318C10FRK2/8
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16820104452
Gigabyte GV-N75TOC-2GI video card
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...-502-_-Product
Crucial MX100 SSD
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...-820-_-Product
Windows 8.1 operating system
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...-776-_-Product
Are we having fun now that it looks like I was making mistakes? Well, I have one for you, I said above my budget INCLUDED TAXES.
So, to summerize because you don't seem to believe me:
Thermaltake Versa H22 case $50
SeaSonic S12II 520 Bronze 520W $70
GIGABYTE GA-H97M-HD3 $90
Intel Core i5-4460 Haswell Quad-Core 3.2GHz $203
HyperX Fury Red Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) $90
GIGABYTE GV-N75TOC-2GI GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB 128-Bit GDDR5 $160
Crucial MX100 CT256MX100SSD1 2.5" 256GB SATA III $110
Microsoft Windows 8.1 64-bit - OEM $100
$50 + $70 + $90 + $203 + $90 + $160 + $110 + $100 = $873
$873 x 1.125 (12.5% taxes) = $982.13 + shipping = $1000
Give me a break. I made the budget.

ON TOP OF THIS, IN POST #86, I POSTED A $554 BUILD AND SEVERAL GRADUAL ALTERNATIVES AT DIFFERENT PRICE LEVELS IN POST #90. NOW TELL ME THIS IS DISINGENUOUS.

Chill out with the massive text. It's not necessary to make your point and it screws up the page layout.

mfenn
General Hardware Moderator

 

[coolpurplefan]

And I don't agree with YOUR behavior of recommending a high-end AMD card the year before they come out with Directx12 (even if Mantle already exists).

EDIT: Screw it. If I really wanted to go with my own choices, not the ones from people here,
I'd get the Gigabyte GA-H97-D3H and WD 1TB blue hard drive. And I'd probably get the cheaper Gigabyte GV-N750OC-2GI and sell/get another one next year when the Directx12 cards come out.

 

[coolpurplefan]

You know what? A miracle happened today. I woke up with LOGIC IN MY BRAIN. I refuse to be pushed around anymore to recommend an SSD that has 1/4 the capacity at 2x the cost. I'm satisfied with a mechanical hard drive and don't need to be told that it's anectdotal evidence.

I don't need to recommend an AMD card when Nvidia video cards can be more realistic for video rendering. On top of that, for all the games where Nvidia payed some game-maker to make it "The Way It Was Meant To Be Played" (TWIWMTBP), it can take AMD a while to come out with the drivers to fix that. Besides, the new, more efficient GTX 750 and 750Ti video cards can save electricity over time making them even cheaper in the long run.

On top of that, if the HD4600 included in the i5 processors can play Battlefield 3 on low settings, then it can play Battlefield 2, Unreal Tournament 2004 etc. until Directx12 video cards come out. Why recommend an expensive video card less than a year before they come out with Directx12? I intend to buy an i5 myself and do just that. I intend to wait until the 800 series GeForce video cards come out before getting one.

If you have a Windows 7 key, I would re-use it and wait until Windows 9 comes out to buy that. Partly because of Directx12 and partly because some say it will work like Win7 without the weirdness of Windows 8. In other words, it will be "fixed" and improved.

So, to modify my last list to what I think it "should" be (with no video card, no OS, mechanical HD, mobo with Intel LAN and ALC1150 audio and faster CPU):
Thermaltake Versa H22 case $50
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16811133250
Seasonic S12 520 watt power supply $70
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16817151094
GIGABYTE GA-H97-D3H motherboard $105
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16813128712
Intel i5-4690 CPU $235
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16819116989
Kingston 8GB RAM HX316C10FRK2/8 $90
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16820104452
CoolerMaster GeminII M4 CPU heatsink $35
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...-177-_-Product
Nexus 120mm fan (three) $10
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...-008-_-Product
WD blue 1TB HD $65
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...-339-_-Product
no video card
no OS
TOTAL COST: $50 + $70 + $105 + $235 + $90 + $35 + $30 + $65 = $680
$680 x 1.125 (12.5% taxes) = $765 + $25 shipping = $790

I also would get Haswell and DDR3 RAM and not Broadwell and DDR4. Why? Because they're going to ask for A LOT of money from what I read for DDR4 RAM and the new 6 and 8 core CPUs will allegedly use a lot more power. This is apart from the fact that many games/software can't use more than 4 cores right now anyway. And it may take years before a lot of them do. And current games from what I read won't use more than 8GB of RAM. Besides, the new platform may only be useful for people who have a FAST SSD which I find is a luxury, not a necessity.
And I WOULD go for the CoolerMaster GeminII M4 heatsink for the CPU in case a fan fails. And I'd buy 120mm Nexus fans for a silent computer.

There, this is the only post you need to read in this thread.

 

[chusteczka]

lol

I like coolpurplefan's pluckiness, and I must say that I agree with his realizations. The OP has a budget, damn those things getting in the way of a good rig. Get a solid motherboard, processor, and memory. Then get a used video card for $100 or so and use that for the next 2-3 years until the time is right for an upgrade.

An SSD is a luxury with a faster boot and data access time but a person could live without it. I implement SSD's in all my builds but that is because they are super easy to send through the mail, re-image, and return to friends and family when the system gets corrupted.

The OP's requirements are strange, to upgrade the computer without dedicating the funds necessary to get the desired result. Upgrading to anything less than an ideal level will last maybe 2-3 years before it will be time to upgrade again. The OP will not make a 5-8 year upgrade without putting the necessary money into it now.

"Damn the budget, full speed ahead!"
(I was a sailor, just wanted to say that in honor of Admiral Farragut.)

 

[Torn Mind]

Broadwell-K will be compatible with current DDR3 RAM, although with RAM prices increasing, chances are that DDR3 will be even more expensive one year from now.

For 1920x1200, IGPs will not be enough.

[PCPartPicker part list](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/xCwsnQ) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/xCwsnQ/by_merchant/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i54460) | $197.86 @ DirectCanada
**Motherboard** | [Asus H81M-E Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-h81me) | $61.95 @ Vuugo
**Memory** | [Corsair Vengeance LP 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-memory-cml8gx3m2a2133c11b) | $69.88 @ Canada Computers
**Storage** | [Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/western-digital-internal-hard-drive-wd5000aakx) | $54.75 @ Vuugo
**Video Card** | [Asus GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-video-card-gtx660dc2o2gd5) | $199.99 @ NCIX
**Case** | [Zalman Z5 ATX Mid Tower Case](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/zalman-case-z5) | $49.98 @ Amazon Canada
**Power Supply** | [Thermaltake SMART 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/thermaltake-power-supply-sp550pcbus) | $59.00 @ Vuugo
**Optical Drive** | [Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/lite-on-optical-drive-ihas124-04) | $14.99 @ Memory Express
**Operating System** | [Microsoft Windows 8.1 (32/64-bit)](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/microsoft-os-wn700578) | $108.27 @ DirectCanada
| | **Total**
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available | $816.67

Headroom for shipping costs in Canada.

 

[fretman]

Thanks to everyone who posted their comments and suggestions. Just getting back onto my PC right now. Been crazy at work. I'll comment and respond back to your feedback.

 

[fretman]

I just realized you could still use a free Linux distribution to run the computer and still be "in-budget" until you want to pay for Windows 8.1. (Or, maybe even run Linux until Windows 9 comes out then buy that.)


EDIT: Looking at this cases, which one do you like? The Antec VSK-4000E-U3 http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=6_112&item_id=061841
or the Thermaltake Versa II http://www.shoprbc.com/ca/shop/product_details.php?pid=90064

I don't know why you're stuck on 1333MHz RAM. The 1866MHz RAM I posted can run at 1600MHz at 1.5V. 1600MHz is the max for a stock Haswell CPU and I read 1.5V is recommended for Haswell CPUs. It also has 9-9-9 timings at that speed. That build I just posted above with the Seasonic PSU is the highest quality build I posted. It also has the faster AMD card if you're so inclined to go that route. (I'd be tempted by the GTX 750Ti with the heatpipes like the Gigabyte GV-N75TOC-2GI for $172 at http://www.cendirect.com/main_en/tech_specs_NF6455544.html or you can find it elsewhere (for the power savings and the video rendering).
You could also check out amazon.ca if they have free shipping on some items.
Oops, the same card is also here for $160 http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16814125502

I like the look of the Antec case. Nice clean design. The Thermaltake is nice too but I prefer the Antec. I'm not stuck on 1333 anymore. That was when I was looking at the I3. Now with the I5, I'm looking at 1600 speed.

 

[fretman]

Motherboard: Asus and Gigabyte are both mature brands. ASRock offers many features but is still working out a few small bugs, from my limited experience. A couple years ago I decided to quit Asus due to three failed boards and switched to Gigabyte. Gigabyte has been solid. Yet my experience is with AMD chipsets and cpu's, not Intel.

Memory: Optimal memory speed is 1866, followed closely by 1600. I think you will do yourself a minor disservice if you purchase 1333. Especially since prices are so close.

The Intel i5 is a good choice and a $200 video card is right in that sweet spot of performance/cost, IMO.

I also think it is good that you raised your budget, for the same reasons mentioned above.

Regarding the operating system, I now recommend Win8.1. I used to purchase Win7 for builds but have recently reached comfort with Win8.1 where Win7 feels old and out of date.

All good points. I think with my current wish list, the 1866 might not be doable. I will post later regarding the parts I'm sure about getting.

 

[fretman]

Agree 100%. There's no point in posting builds that cost over a grand when the OP's budget is $875. We're here to help the OP find something within his budget, not to upsell him.

Here's an edit to Ken's original build with the recommended parts changes. It comes in under $875.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($197.58 @ DirectCanada)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($82.50 @ Vuugo)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($82.44 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($109.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 270X 2GB TurboDuo Video Card ($179.99 @ NCIX)
Case: Silverstone PS08B (Black) MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Memory Express)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 500W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($104.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Total: $857.45
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

This is also a very good build and comes in under my budget.