Building comp for videos and gaming

[Failsafe]

I've been limping along, gaming on budget laptops for a while now (last desktop I got was in '03) and I've finally got some dough together to build a real gaming rig. I'm also planning to start shooting some little video projects for YouTube and I'm hoping I can use one computer for both.

1. Are you building this computer yourself or having one built for you (Like HP, Alienware, or even a small shop)?
I'll build it

2. What is your budget and does that include shipping/taxes?
$1000, not including shipping/taxes. I could stretch another $100 or so if there were a significant performance benefit

3. Where do you live (Please list town, state, and country)?
St Louis area, Missouri, US

4. What do you need this computer to do (like gaming, Photoshop, and so on)?
I need it for gaming and for editing/producing small video projects I'll be shooting myself. I'm hoping those two uses can compliment each other.

5. What parts will you need for the computer? List what parts specifically, saying you need everything will not do.
I'll need the case and everything inside. Motherboad, CPU, video card, power supply, DVD drive, hard drive, RAM. I'm thinking an SSD would be helpful as well. Hope I didn't forget something.

6. Are you reusing any parts for this computer? If so say what parts (make and model).
No

7. What kind of monitor/resolution do you have or want to get to use for the computer?
I have an Acer A221HQV 21.5 in 1920x1080. I also have a 47in Vizio HD tv with VGA and HDMI inputs.

8. Do you have already have a OS or do you need one? What OS is that?
I don't have an OS. I want to go with Windows, but I don't know where things stand with 7 vs 8. As far as having a weird or unintuitive interface on 8, that doesn't matter to me at all. I'm just interested in which will give solid performance for the next couple of years. The verdict may not be in yet on 8, I don't really know.

9. What are you looking for the motherboard to have feature wise? Like SLI, Crossfire, Firewire, USB 3.0, Sata 6.0 Gb/s, and so on.
Firewire and USB 3.0. I'd also like HDMI out.

10. Any plans to overclock the CPU or GPU?
No

11. What time kind of time frame are you planning on ordering these parts?
I can order right now, but should I wait for "cyber monday"? Are deals typically better before Christmas or are there closeouts after Christmas? I can wait til January if I can save some money.

Thanks a lot for you help. Please let me know if you have questions.

[Rbstr]

Just some thoughts, I don't really have time to put a whole built together:
You're looking at an Ivy Bridge i5 3470 or 3570 cpu.
For graphics a GTX660Ti or ATI's equivalent (7950?) or so.
On video stuff the CPU has hardware decoding (called "Quick Sync") and it's pretty good...just make sure you get a Z-series chipset (Z77 or Z75) in the motherboard...maybe that rule has changed. It'll be great for most stuff but if you want more or use Photoshop, nVidia cards are the way to go.
8gb of DDR3 1600

I've never found thanksgiving sales to have the parts I want to get. But you can try.
I'd just get Win8. But if you're worried 7 should be serviceable for a couple more years.

[termhn]

I'd personally still go for 7 at this point. I think what Rbstr said is probably about right, I'll try putting together a build in a minute here...

[termhn]

Alright, a few questions and my first build (ADD EVERYTHING TO YOUR CART! THERE ARE DEALS THAT ONLY SHOW UP IN THE CART )
1. What kind of case do you prefer? I put one that I like the style of, but this is very subjective.
2. Is an addon firewire card fine with you? Built-in firewire makes the MB more expensive, and this one comes with free 8gb 1600 mhz ram
3. I've got two of the Kingston SSDs in my rig now and they're great.

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/Pu...umber=25945467

[camycamera]

go windows 7. apparently much better performance with games. and plus it isn't annoying as hell with that stupid interface thingy that was made for touchscreens.

[Vancha]

Originally Posted by camycamera

go windows 7. apparently much better performance with games. and plus it isn't annoying as hell with that stupid interface thingy that was made for touchscreens.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...ance,3331.html

Performance is identical.

"Stupid interface thingy"...Have you tried it? People who've used it since release seem to be okay with it, but even then, you can use one of several mods to replace it with a start menu.

[Failsafe]

Hey, thanks for the build, termhn. Pretty sweet deal on the RAM. Is Windows in there somewhere I'm not seeing? If not, picking that up in addition shouldn't be a big deal.

I have no preference on the case.

[termhn]

Originally Posted by Failsafe

Hey, thanks for the build, termhn. Pretty sweet deal on the RAM. Is Windows in there somewhere I'm not seeing? If not, picking that up in addition shouldn't be a big deal.

I have no preference on the case.

Ah, yeah. I knew I was forgetting something. About windows, you have two options.
1. Pick it up off newegg for ~100
2. Ask a friend (if you have one) that either works or goes to college currently to pick up an educational "upgrade" copy that is only ~60. You have to do a bit of a trick to install the upgrade copy as a full install, but if you decide to go down that route I can explain it to you as I did it myself.

[Bags]

I picked up that SSD for $60 on cyber monday :o