m7jones wrote: $200 -20 code "EMCXSTX24" AMD X8 FX-8350 (125W) Eight-Core Socket AM3+, 4GHz CPU, 8Mb Cache, 32nm (FD8350FRHKBOX)
?? Aftermarket cooling
$95 -10MIR ASUS M5A97 LE R2.0 Socket AM3+ AMD 970/SB950 Chipset
$125 Corsair Vengeance Blue 16GB (4x4GB) 1600MHz DDR3 CL9, 1.5V DIMMs (CMZ16GX3M4A1600C9B)
$134 -10MIR Sapphire (11210-01-20G) AMD Radeon HD 7790 OC with Dual-X 1GB GDDR5
$220 Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Drive (MZ-7PD256BW)
?? Additional storage
?? Optical drive
?? Card reader
$95¼ Asus Xonar DSX - 7.1 Channel (GX2.5 Audio Engine) - PCI-E Audio Card
$190 -10MIR Corsair Obsidian Series 650D Mid Tower Case (CC650DW)
$120 -10MIR Corsair Professional Series Modular HX650 80PLUS Gold Certified 650W PSU (CP-9020030-NA/US) (54 A @ +12 V, Modular)
??? Operating system
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$1,159¼ + ??? -40MIR
Could your friend wait a month until Haswell arrives? What would you think of these components?
$221 Intel Core i5-3570K
or wait for Haswell Core i5-4670K
optional $30 -5MIR CoolerMaster Hyper 212 Evo
$130 -15MIR Asus P8Z77-V LK
or wait for a Z87 LGA1150 motherboard
A quad-core Ivy Bridge processor provides excellent gaming performance while generating relatively little heat. The aftermarket heatsink isn't necessary, but it is quieter and more effective than the one that Intel includes in the box with the CPU. With a "K" processor and a Z77 motherboard, overclocking is effortless, if you need it.
$65 2x4 GiB PC3-14900 G.Skill F3-1866C9D-8GAB (DDR3-1866, CAS 9, 1.5 V)
or $70 2x4 GiB PC3-12800 Crucial BLT2K4G3D1608ET3LX0 (DDR3-1600, CAS 8, 1.35 V)
or $130 -19½ code "EMCXRXT33" 2x8 GiB PC3-14900 G.Skill F3-1866C9D-16GXM (DDR3-1866, CAS 9, 1.5 V)
or $125 2x8 GiB PC3-14900 AMD AP316G1869U2K (DDR3-1866, CAS 9, 1.5 V)
8 GiB of memory is sufficient for gaming. If the budget can stand it, there's no harm in getting 16 GiB. However, you're better off with 2x8 GiB than with the 4x4 GiB in your original list.
$184 HIS H785F2G2M Radeon HD7850 2GB
or $205 -15MIR Sapphire 100354OC-2L Radeon HD7870 2GB
or $212½ EVGA 02G-P4-2660-KR GeForce GTX660 2GB
or $260 -25MIR PNY VCGGTX660TXPB GeForce GTX660Ti 2GB
The graphics card has the biggest influence on gaming performance. If your friend's monitor runs at 1920x1200 or 1920x1080, any of these mid-range cards provides good gaming performance. If your friend doesn't already have at least a 1080p monitor, we should add one to the list.
optional $172 -10MIR 23" Asus VS239H-P 1920x1080 e-IPS LCD
or optional $147 21½" Asus VS229H-P 1920x1080 e-IPS LCD
$170 250 GB Samsung 840
optional $135 -15 code "EMCYTZT3391" 3.0 TB Seagate ST3000DM001
free with case $ 0 LiteOn iHAS124-04 DVD burner
or optional $70 LG WH14NS40 Blu-ray burner
optional $33½ 5¼" USB3 card reader
or optional $32 3½" USB3 card reader
Although the performance of the Samsung 840 Pro SSD is very good, the 840 is probably fast enough and it's considerably cheaper. Your friend will probably still want a mechanical hard-drive for storing stuff that won't fit on the SSD. You could re-use drives from his existing PC.
$70 Creative Labs Sound Blaster Recon3D THX PCIE Fatal1ty Pro
or $73 Creative Labs Sound Blaster Recon3D
or $ 0 Integrated Realtek ALC892 audio on the motherboard
$60 -10MIR Corsair Carbide 200R
or $60 Antec Three Hundred
optional $12 5¼" to 3½" drive bay adapter
$90 SeaSonic Gold SSR-550RM (45 A @ +12 V, Modular)
or $90 Antec EarthWatts Platinum EA-550 (43 A @ +12 V)
or $90 SeaSonic Bronze M12 II 650 SS-650AM (53 A @ +12 V, Modular)
or $83 -20MIR Corsair Bronze CX600M (46 A @ +12 V, Modular)
If the budget is limited, don't spend a fortune on a giant case and an overpriced power supply.
needed $100 Microsoft Windows 8 64-bit (16 GiB limit)
or $140 Microsoft Windows 8 64-bit Professional
You've got to have an operating system. It should be either Windows 8 or Windows 7, 64-bit edition.
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$990 +
added $283½ -30 MIR
Putting money into a better graphics card instead of an expensive case will provide much better gaming performance. The components that I selected are about $169 less expensive than the ones on your list. They should provide a better gaming experience.