Wow, last time i built a PC for myself, it was.... 2002? Then i went the easy route last time and got a dell XPS.. which at the time was pretty good.
Now, its time for a new PC...
I am going to use Newegg because i have the "preferred account" so I can buy now pay later lol

budget: JUST over $1000 (Over 1K = 12 months no payments LOL)
so i would like to just break the 1K mark
Usage: GAMING!!!!

So I started looking and picking parts.. thinking.. ive done this before// i can do it again....
WOW, i am behind .. things are MUCH different now! lol
I need help
I cant really re-use any of the dell parts.
case is custom dell design - HUGE & psu is build into the bottom of it
HD - I will throw this in the new pc as extra storage for pictures etc but to small for primary.
Sound card (SB Audigy 2) ...meh.. onboard sound is probably better than that card.. but u tell me.

I have picked 2 things (maybe 3)... the case & the PSU (& CPU)

Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811133058
PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817341001

and was leaning toward this CPU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115036

I will need vista as well, so there goes $100 off the top (32 or 64 bit??? no clue!!)
gfx.. nVidia or ATI - whichever is better

I have picked out 4 mobos, 3 gfx card, etc etc only to empty my shopping cart over and over... i am unsure of what works with what exactly and reading reviews, i never know if that "Con" will effect me. lol

help please and thank you!

1. what is the computer for
2. if for gaming what resolution and is monitor purchase included in 1k?
3. if gaming what kinds of games?
4. any plans to crossfire or sli in the near future?
5. dvd drive included in 1k?

Change the PSU to this PC Power & Cooling 610W.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817703005
This gets you a better PSU and saves you $10 after rebates and shipping.

@bdollar: he did say GAMING!!!. IMO that's a pretty strong indication that the PC is for gaming

main use would be Gaming

I already have:
20" 2ms samsung LCD
Good keyboard & Mouse & speakers.

type of games.. COD4, UT3 (which my current system blows up when i try to run the demo lol)... basically I am a fan of FPS.

Crossfire/SLI would be real nice (if not now, then maybe in the future)

dvd drive...well, i have a dvd/cd burner in my current dell, but. its slow.. a new one would be nice (heck.. only like $30 now anyway )

sorry missed that going too fast. here we go:

your cpu great choice $190
case - 80
psu (AEVM rec is good) - 100
ram - g.skill 4gb (2x2) ddr 800 $80
hdd - wd 640gb (best price per gb) $85
Vista - $100 (go 64 bit for sure)
Mobo - Asus PQ5 P45 $140
GPU - HD 4850 $175
DVD - Lite-on SATA around $30

Grand Total = $980 (hopefully you don't need a monitor)

You could spend more on the mobo if you want crossfire and that will put you over $1k (like x48) but at 1k budget this is a pretty strong rig. that also leaves a little room if you want to get a cpu cooler or any other stuff. not a lot of room though.

lol

wow, good find.. (although its not cheaper than the OCZ i was looking at) but $90 instant! and its "silent" Very nice. my dell is the loudest PC i have ever owned. even just playing a video back on... fans start going crazy.. thing is going to take off! lol

by the way. you can crossfire on this mobo but it is x8/x8 instead of 16. so that is why if serious about crossfire might want a different mobo. thing is it depends on when. if it is 1+ year down the road might make more sense to get a better single card. on your 20" monitor (love that monitor by the way) 1680 x 1050 res you should get very good performance off the 4850.

I'm going to assume you have monitor/keyboard/mouse/speakers/DVD drive already, since it's not your first PC ever. You can improve all those later anyway.

Antec 300 - $60, free shipping ($10 less that the case you found, after shipping and rebates)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811129042

Silencer 610W, $80, free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817703005

Asus P5Q Pro Crossfire, $140, free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813131299

E8500 retail, $190, free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115036

Hitachi Deskstar 500GB, $55, free shipping (normal $65 but it's a combo with the E8500)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822145215

Vista Home Premium 64-bit, $110
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6832116488

OCZ Reaper 2x2GB, $75
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820227267

Sapphire HD 4850, $160 after rebate, free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814102747

Total $1030

Isn't that $870 what did i miss?

that's a great deal on the hitachi would take that over my rec at that price, same with the savings on ram that is good ram.

antec 300 is great case and i had price wrong on PSU

great post AEVM. and that leaves some serious room unless i am missing something.

with that room again assuming it is $870 he can almost afford a 4870. or i wonder how much the 4850x2 will be and perform??

[quotemsg=1843994,3,139616]Change the PSU to this PC Power & Cooling 610W.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817703005
This gets you a better PSU and saves you $10 after rebates and shipping.
quotemsg]

No Brainer There.
PCP&C is top notch quality and same price.

Here is ram that is $59.99 after rebate but it has slightly looser timing

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820227199

Thanks everyone!!

i kept the case... the $30 rebate is nice so it will be $10 cheaper in the end.

I am at $969 (before rebates). do I need to get a better cpu cooler?
liek this? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835186134

Oops, in my post I meant TWO HD 4850 cards. That makes it $1030 indeed.