How to build a PC for < $1,800.00

[lane912]

this took all of 10 seconds to find....

Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, LED LCD TV, Digital Cameras and more! - Newegg.com

Intel Haswell 3.0GHz Dual-Core CPU with Intel HD Graphics, ASUS H81M MOBO, G.SKILL 4GB MEM, 500GB HDD, LOGISYS Case with 480W PSU
$$229!!!!

[lane912]

this is what I would build-
Newegg.com - Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, LED LCD TV, Digital Cameras and more!

AMD FX-8350 Socket AM3+ Eight-Core Processor, ASUS M5A97 LE R2.0 ATX Motherboard with UEFI BIOS, Mushkin 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1333 Memory, Seagate 500GB 7200 RPM Hard Drive, Rosewill R519-BK ATX Mid Tower Case w/ 500W Power Supply

[jcommin]

I have built a few computers with my son at the same age. I still build my own. It really depends what you want to do with it.

You are spending $1,800 without an operating system: windows 7 or 8 there is no software in your system either. The cost only goes up!

You have way too many fans along with a cooling systems and, as mentioned, no graphics card.

There are many web sites: Toms Hardware, motherboards.org, PC Magazine that rate components.


My computer is set up for photo editing as I paint in pastels and I'm looking for color accuracy for photo editing, sizing and printing.

I have a very high end graphics card, Asus motherboard, an i7 intel chip set, a $900 monitor for this work. I have an air cooled heat exchanger sitting on the chip set as well as few fans in my case. I do not overhreat but I'm not a gamer either.

Do some homework and decide what you want in a computer. My son and I had allot of fun building a computer.

[red-beard]

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

Always liked that case.

USB, audio, Firewire etc.... ports all readily accessible and intelligently placed.

It really is a nice case. Plus it comes with 4 case fans. I always buy a really good/quiet copper heat sink & fan for the CPU. The Graphics card wasn't cheap either...But it is SOOOO quiet.

I build a new machine about every three years. I choose a top end CPU and Video card so it will last. Usually they are a couple of steps from the top, so I'm not paying stupid money.

For the office computers I generally just pickup a Dell with Intel i5. Hard to beat the price and the 3 year warranty for what my girls do.

I am NOT happy with Office 2013. The interface looks like Office 95 compared to Office 2003. A definite giant step backwards! Price was hard to argue, though...$79/year.

[emcon5]

The important question, what exactly are you trying to build?

A game rig, a CAD rig, a general Office/web browser machine, Video editing, etc.

The end use will determine what components you need.

Unless you are planning on building a bleeding edge system in terms of performance, you don't need much of that stuff. Most motherboards have built in fan controllers, you probably don't need that many fans, and you almost certainly don't need water cooling.

A game machine generally needs less processor power, and a more video card.

Originally Posted by Tom's hardare

Best High-End Gaming Processors: $200 And Up - Best Gaming CPUs For The Money: March 2014
Diminishing Returns Kick In:

CPUs priced over $225 offer rapidly diminishing returns when it comes to gaming performance. As such, we have a hard time recommending anything more expensive than the Core i5-4670K, especially since this multiplier-unlocked processor is easy to tune up to 4.3 GHz or so with the right cooler. Even at stock clocks, though, it matches or beats the old $1000 Gulftown-based Core i7-990X Extreme Edition in our benchmarks.

We have seen a small handful of titles benefit from Hyper-Threaded Core i7 processors, though. Because we believe this is a trend that will continue as developers optimize their software, we're including the Core i7-4770K as an honorable mention, now selling for $340. In a vast majority of games, the Core i7 won't demonstrate much advantage over the Core i5. But if you're a serious enthusiast who wants some future-proofing and values highly-threaded application performance, this processor may be worth the extra money.

I will also break ranks with others on using a SSD for the operating system, what I would do is get a SSD and set up smart caching, so the stuff you use most would be faster, but you would have the reliability of a mechanical drive.

So what do you want this to be when it is done?

[flipper35]

I really think this would be his ticket: Photo editing workstation

[Aragorn]

$1,800 for a pc without any OS? Kind of steep.

Surprised no one has mentioned pricewatch dot com. The last few PC's I have built have been sourced from vendors on pricewatch.

[flipper35]

For general purpose use I can't think of any new computer that wouldn't do the job. If you want it for games it makes a difference what type of game you want to play.

[daepp]

Well folks, my suspicions were confirmed here. I let my son to the research, so he sought out a teacher and a friend for advice. Ok so far. They got together and suggested what I posted.

Last night at dinner, I asked my son what those guys were into - what did they spend their free time on. He came back with, "They are WAY into gaming - stay up all night doing it."

So you were right.

I appreciate all the help. Hopefully in the next day or two I can take you up on the suggestions and post a new list.

THANK YOU!

[flipper35]

By the way, an LG BD Burner is about $67 on Newegg.

Tom's Hardware just did a set of computers for different budgets. You might want to check that out.

[nynor]

you give me your budget and what it is you wish to do with the machine, and i can spec one out for you. i've literally built and repaired thousands of PC's.

[WolfeMacleod]

I just build a mostly-new fairly bass-arse system. Went with New-Egg

Intel i7-4770k processor
Gigabyte G1 Sniper 5 motherboard
16 GB Gskill "Ripjaws" ram.
($872 sofar)
EVGA 760 2GB video card (250) (thanks to Best Buy price matching down from $299)

total = $1122

add a couple ginormous hard drives for $150 each, and you're still well under your mark.

I re-used my original case and power supply. Check out Coolermaster if you need those.

[emcon5]

Originally Posted by WolfeMacleod

I just build a mostly-new fairly bass-arse system. Went with New-Egg

Intel i7-4770k processor
Gigabyte G1 Sniper 5 motherboard
16 GB Gskill "Ripjaws" ram.
($872 sofar)
EVGA 760 2GB video card (250) (thanks to Best Buy price matching down from $299)

total = $1122

For a game rig, spend ~$100 less on the CPU and put it toward the video card. See the quote I posted earlier for why.

[Vipergrün]

If you are a Costco member, you really cannot beat this deal. 2TB 7200 RPM drive, 32GB RAM, i7 quad core, etc. On sale for $899 bucks. Add a decent video card and you are way ahead.

Acer ATC Desktop | Intel Core i7 | Bluetooth 4.0

[azasadny]

Ridiculous prices! I build computers almost every weekend...

[azasadny]

Send me your requirements and budget and I'll send you the list of gear you'll need from your local MicroCenter. You'll get a lot of computer for your $. I guarantee it!!

[porwolf]

Originally Posted by azasadny

Send me your requirements and budget and I'll send you the list of gear you'll need from your local MicroCenter. You'll get a lot of computer for your $. I guarantee it!!

I like what you are doing. What case is that?

[red-beard]

Porwolf: It is a THOR, like the one I posted earlier.

[azasadny]

It's a Corsair 300R or 400R, can't remember which. After building several hundred computers over the last 25 years, I strongly prefer the Corsair cases. They provide a nice sturdy platform with good airflow and no rattles and vibrations. They are not expensive, either...

[azasadny]

That particular PC is the video production PC from our church, it has an i7-980x CPU, 24GB of RAM, 10TB of hard disk and a 240GB SSD. The hard drives and GPU got too hot in the old Coolermaster Cosmos case, so I got the church a new case and did an organ transplant. The old Cosmos case was a disaster as it had no airflow to speak of and the drives got very hot. When rendering video, the liquid cooled cPU doesn't even work up a sweat any more...