Buy a manufacturer refurbished Asus G75vx from a reputable ebay seller. It should run you between $700 and $800 if you want a laptop. Make sure you have a return policy or replacement with any laptop you ultimately go with.
ASus G75vx - get the one with a 670MX gpu (the X on the end is important), don't waste your money on the 770m.
I have bought and sold several of these, they are alot of bang for the money, they are the quietest pc you will ever own, and that gpu is 3bg (more than enough for anything your going to through at it.
Other base specs
I7 2.4ghz base
8 gb ram
1 tb hd
17in anti glare 1080 p montior
backlit quiet kb
soft touch keys
ergonomic design for long gaming sessions
**** you can upgrade the ram and add an ssd if you like***
The downside --- it's a laptop (so upgrading??? screen breaks???? .....) & it weighs 12 pounds -- ??? I can't really think of much else
Then take that other $$$$ you saved and buy yourself a couple shares of Lithium battery stock, kick back in your executive chair light up a big fatty and enjoy your new pc.
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($139.99 @ Microcenter)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($169.99 @ Microcenter)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($529.99 @ Microcenter)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($57.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ Microcenter)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.99 @ Microcenter)
Total: $1327.91
The Power supply is absolute overkill, you will be fine with a ~400W one.
At the moment it pretty much doesn't matter if you get an i5 4670, i5 4670k, Xeon 1230 v3 or even something bigger. You won't really notice the difference while playing, at 1080p and higher the video card will be the limiting factor. It's more or less a gamble: Buy the 4670 and save some money. Get the k version and OC it for more processing power per core (another gamble, if you are unlucky you will have to overvolt just to get to 4.2k, someone else with the same model might get 4.5k without any voltage adjustments) . Get the Xeon (basically an i7 without the integrated GPU baggage, but all the hyperthreading features at the price of an i5, no OCing via multi tho) and hope for better multicore optimization in future titles.
When you aren't OCing there's also no need for a Z board, H does the same, cheaper, but without the overclocking features you won't need in that case.
Also for a gaming rig there is no real point in 16 GB ram, unless you get 4x4 for quad channel, 8 GB is plenty.
And: Unless you really really want a nvidia card, you need the CUDA cores or absolutley can't live without physx, AMD has a way better value for money. Power wise there is nothing wrong with nvida, far from it. But they are just bloody expensive for what the do comopared to the likes of a 280X or 290.
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($139.99 @ Microcenter)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($169.99 @ Microcenter)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($529.99 @ Microcenter)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($57.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ Microcenter)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.99 @ Microcenter)
Total: $1327.91
The Power supply is absolute overkill, you will be fine with a ~400W one.
At the moment it pretty much doesn't matter if you get an i5 4670, i5 4670k, Xeon 1230 v3 or even something bigger. You won't really notice the difference while playing, at 1080p and higher the video card will be the limiting factor. It's more or less a gamble: Buy the 4670 and save some money. Get the k version and OC it for more processing power per core (another gamble, if you are unlucky you will have to overvolt just to get to 4.2k, someone else with the same model might get 4.5k without any voltage adjustments) . Get the Xeon (basically an i7 without the integrated GPU baggage, but all the hyperthreading features at the price of an i5, no OCing via multi tho) and hope for better multicore optimization in future titles.
When you aren't OCing there's also no need for a Z board, H does the same, cheaper, but without the overclocking features you won't need in that case.
Also for a gaming rig there is no real point in 16 GB ram, unless you get 4x4 for quad channel, 8 GB is plenty.
And: Unless you really really want a nvidia card, you need the CUDA cores or absolutley can't live without physx, AMD has a way better value for money. Power wise there is nothing wrong with nvida, far from it. But they are just bloody expensive for what the do comopared to the likes of a 280X or 290.
While I agree that 750 W is overkill, 400 W would be cutting it awfully tight and completely rule out overclocking. That rig could easily pull more than 300 W at stock speeds for extended periods of time.
A Xeon E3 processor is priced about the same as the Core i7 equivalent. The ones that are cheaper lower the clock speed. I don't see any good reason to go that route unless you really need hyperthreading or you want server features like ECC memory.
If you only look at MSRP, then yes, AMD offers better values for the money at the high end. The problem is that you can't get AMD's higher end cards for anywhere near MSRP. When they get priced near there, the cryptocurrency miners buy them out immediately, and e-tailers have figured this out and raised prices greatly. (They ignore Nvidia cards because GeForce cards have terrible integer performance--which isn't important for gaming, but completely kills their use at mining bitcoins and their competitors.)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($139.99 @ Microcenter)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($169.99 @ Microcenter)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($529.99 @ Microcenter)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($57.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ Microcenter)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.99 @ Microcenter)
Total: $1327.91
The Power supply is absolute overkill, you will be fine with a ~400W one.
At the moment it pretty much doesn't matter if you get an i5 4670, i5 4670k, Xeon 1230 v3 or even something bigger. You won't really notice the difference while playing, at 1080p and higher the video card will be the limiting factor. It's more or less a gamble: Buy the 4670 and save some money. Get the k version and OC it for more processing power per core (another gamble, if you are unlucky you will have to overvolt just to get to 4.2k, someone else with the same model might get 4.5k without any voltage adjustments) . Get the Xeon (basically an i7 without the integrated GPU baggage, but all the hyperthreading features at the price of an i5, no OCing via multi tho) and hope for better multicore optimization in future titles.
When you aren't OCing there's also no need for a Z board, H does the same, cheaper, but without the overclocking features you won't need in that case.
Also for a gaming rig there is no real point in 16 GB ram, unless you get 4x4 for quad channel, 8 GB is plenty.
And: Unless you really really want a nvidia card, you need the CUDA cores or absolutley can't live without physx, AMD has a way better value for money. Power wise there is nothing wrong with nvida, far from it. But they are just bloody expensive for what the do comopared to the likes of a 280X or 290.
While I agree that 750 W is overkill, 400 W would be cutting it awfully tight and completely rule out overclocking. That rig could easily pull more than 300 W at stock speeds for extended periods of time.
A Xeon E3 processor is priced about the same as the Core i7 equivalent. The ones that are cheaper lower the clock speed. I don't see any good reason to go that route unless you really need hyperthreading or you want server features like ECC memory.
If you only look at MSRP, then yes, AMD offers better values for the money at the high end. The problem is that you can't get AMD's higher end cards for anywhere near MSRP. When they get priced near there, the cryptocurrency miners buy them out immediately, and e-tailers have figured this out and raised prices greatly. (They ignore Nvidia cards because GeForce cards have terrible integer performance--which isn't important for gaming, but completely kills their use at mining bitcoins and their competitors.)
Agree with this. 400W is extremely tight and i would never recommend it for such a high performance PC. The lowest i would suggest is 650W. You should always leave breathing room so that even if you add accessories there is still ample supply to go.
I bought a 750W to give me room should I ever want to expand or SLI my GeForce. If I don't then I have room to spare. I got a Phantom 410 case for the same price as the Corsair 300R because of a mistake. They botched up my PS as well but I ended up getting that fixed.
Ran the Furmark burn-in test. 1920x1080 my avg frames was 67, max temp was 73 (fan controller on low) (max allowed for the board is around 90C)
Ran Intel Burn Test Max, max core temp (4 cores) was 50 (max Intel rec is tCase 72C)
This is true about the supernova's I actually have on I use thats the 750+gold that came with a 10 year warranty but the issue is actually a compatibility issue with gigabyte mobo's.
I have $1500 in cash, I have 2-3K if use BB Credit and I also get 18 months financing for those. Not sure what'd be best in this instance.
First and most importantly, don't go with 18 month Best Buy financing. They charge interest rates of over 25%, which is much higher than you'd pay with an ordinary credit card. It's fine to finance a house over the course of a long period of time, but not a computer.
Though I wouldn't do it, If he/she plans to pay it off in that 18 months there is no interest rates fee.
That's a trap. Offers like that usually have fine print along the lines of, if you mess up in the slightest way (one payment a day late, a balance of a few dollars when the 18 months ends, etc.), they go back and retroactively charge you interest as though you had been paying some outlandishly high rate all along. People who will buy something that they can't afford now in hopes that they'll have better finances next year are especially prone to triggering such huge interest charges--which is precisely why it is offered.
I use offers like that pretty frequently, to good effect. It's basically a zero-interest loan if you can repay it on time. But yeah, someone who isn't very prompt with bills or doesn't really balance their budget can easily get screwed over.
Comments
Buy a manufacturer refurbished Asus G75vx from a reputable ebay seller. It should run you between $700 and $800 if you want a laptop. Make sure you have a return policy or replacement with any laptop you ultimately go with.
ASus G75vx - get the one with a 670MX gpu (the X on the end is important), don't waste your money on the 770m.
I have bought and sold several of these, they are alot of bang for the money, they are the quietest pc you will ever own, and that gpu is 3bg (more than enough for anything your going to through at it.
Other base specs
I7 2.4ghz base
8 gb ram
1 tb hd
17in anti glare 1080 p montior
backlit quiet kb
soft touch keys
ergonomic design for long gaming sessions
**** you can upgrade the ram and add an ssd if you like***
The downside --- it's a laptop (so upgrading??? screen breaks???? .....) & it weighs 12 pounds -- ??? I can't really think of much else
Then take that other $$$$ you saved and buy yourself a couple shares of Lithium battery stock, kick back in your executive chair light up a big fatty and enjoy your new pc.
The Power supply is absolute overkill, you will be fine with a ~400W one.
At the moment it pretty much doesn't matter if you get an i5 4670, i5 4670k, Xeon 1230 v3 or even something bigger. You won't really notice the difference while playing, at 1080p and higher the video card will be the limiting factor. It's more or less a gamble: Buy the 4670 and save some money. Get the k version and OC it for more processing power per core (another gamble, if you are unlucky you will have to overvolt just to get to 4.2k, someone else with the same model might get 4.5k without any voltage adjustments) . Get the Xeon (basically an i7 without the integrated GPU baggage, but all the hyperthreading features at the price of an i5, no OCing via multi tho) and hope for better multicore optimization in future titles.
When you aren't OCing there's also no need for a Z board, H does the same, cheaper, but without the overclocking features you won't need in that case.
Also for a gaming rig there is no real point in 16 GB ram, unless you get 4x4 for quad channel, 8 GB is plenty.
And: Unless you really really want a nvidia card, you need the CUDA cores or absolutley can't live without physx, AMD has a way better value for money. Power wise there is nothing wrong with nvida, far from it. But they are just bloody expensive for what the do comopared to the likes of a 280X or 290.
While I agree that 750 W is overkill, 400 W would be cutting it awfully tight and completely rule out overclocking. That rig could easily pull more than 300 W at stock speeds for extended periods of time.
A Xeon E3 processor is priced about the same as the Core i7 equivalent. The ones that are cheaper lower the clock speed. I don't see any good reason to go that route unless you really need hyperthreading or you want server features like ECC memory.
If you only look at MSRP, then yes, AMD offers better values for the money at the high end. The problem is that you can't get AMD's higher end cards for anywhere near MSRP. When they get priced near there, the cryptocurrency miners buy them out immediately, and e-tailers have figured this out and raised prices greatly. (They ignore Nvidia cards because GeForce cards have terrible integer performance--which isn't important for gaming, but completely kills their use at mining bitcoins and their competitors.)
Agree with this. 400W is extremely tight and i would never recommend it for such a high performance PC. The lowest i would suggest is 650W. You should always leave breathing room so that even if you add accessories there is still ample supply to go.
I bought a 750W to give me room should I ever want to expand or SLI my GeForce. If I don't then I have room to spare. I got a Phantom 410 case for the same price as the Corsair 300R because of a mistake. They botched up my PS as well but I ended up getting that fixed.
Ran the Furmark burn-in test. 1920x1080 my avg frames was 67, max temp was 73 (fan controller on low) (max allowed for the board is around 90C)
Ran Intel Burn Test Max, max core temp (4 cores) was 50 (max Intel rec is tCase 72C)
Thanks all, I'm a proud papa!
Gratz
Thats a solid PC that should last you for years.
Looks very sharp - congrats.
I use offers like that pretty frequently, to good effect. It's basically a zero-interest loan if you can repay it on time. But yeah, someone who isn't very prompt with bills or doesn't really balance their budget can easily get screwed over.
You make me like charity