PC under $2,000, FREE LAPTOP!

Here's my entry w/ links.







Total before shipping: $1946.85.

Most of those items have free shipping right now, so that's a huge bonus. It shouldn't exceed $2000 w/ shipping.



Time to explain some of my component selections.

The i5 2500k is a fantastic gaming CPU. The i7 2600k is not worth $100 for performance.

The Cooler Master Hyper 212+ is the standard of CPU coolers right now. It's powerful, cheap, and quiet at $30. No reason not to get this.

You should get 8GB of memory simply because it is so cheap right now. Very futureproof.

I chose the HD 6950 over the 6970 for one reason: all the 6970's are out of stock!!!! :O If you can get a 6970 instead, I would recommend it. However, the MSI Twin Frozr III is incredibly silent and a very unique cooling solution. Great card!

I chose the 750-watt Corsair AX PSU for several reasons:

  1. The extra power overhead will allow you to get another 6950 down the road.
  2. The efficiency is fantastic.
  3. The reviews are superb!
  4. Corsair service and reliability are second to none.
  5. 7-year warranty!!! That means you can use it for your next build as well.


The NZXT Phantom is a dream case. It has tons of room, great wire management, it has a 5-channel fan controller, great airflow, and to me, the look of it is stunning! Get this case if you want your computer to look as good as it's going to play. My wife has the white version, and everyone believes that her system is better than mine simply because of how it looks. (mine is faster. :P )

You need a DVD drive. There is enough old media out there that they are still a necessary evil. If you've already got an older one that has a SATA connection, just use it. Otherwise, it's only $19. You'll regret not buying one.

The OCZ Vertex III is a stupidly fast SSD. You put your OS and critical programs on it, and your system will be amazingly responsive. I have the Vertex II 120GB on my system, and it has been easily the best upgrade I've ever made to my current system. Every modern gaming computer NEEDS an SSD to perform the best it possibly can. I chose the 120GB model so you can put your OS, critical programs (firefox, microsoft office, monitoring programs, drivers, etc.), and a few games on it. I put Starcraft II on my SSD, and it made the game load much more quickly than it did when it was on a regular Hard drive.

I also included 2 1TB Samsung Hard Drives. I did this because they're only $50 a piece, and you can put a lot of games/videos/music on 2 Terabytes of hard drive space. You put your games on one drive and your non-essential programs/files on the other drive. 1 SSD + 2 HDD is the way to go nowadays. Also, based on experience, your system runs better when it's not pulling all of its data from just one drive. In other words, if you're running a game (hard drive 1), recording a video of that game (hard drive 2), and running the system (OS on the SSD), the experience should be lag free as you will have no competition for data between the drives. It will make your system perform better than a single drive.

I got a logitech keyboard and mouse simply because my current logitech keyboard and mouse are going on 5 years problem free. It doesn't get much better than that.

Finally, I got that LG screen because it is an IPS panel that is LED backlit, 23" in size, and $250. Good luck finding a better screen that's that big for that price.



Let me know if you have any questions about this build. :thumbup1:


One last thing. People are getting 2 video cards. Personally, that's fine. However, a single 6950 will be plenty for todays games, and if you can add another down the road, it will become even better. Starting out, though, I would avoid multi-card solutions. They are a headache, they don't scale perfectly, and a single card is more than enough to play virtually any game out there right now. You need to spend your money on higher quality components as opposed to more stuff. I put together a computer that I would buy myself in a heart beat. I doesn't have 2 cards, because for $2000, you can spend money on other components to get a better system overall. Quality is the name of the game, not quantity.
 
Last edited:
I've built a system that should give you a lot of power, but the keyword is SYSTEM. The cosmetic parts should be really your own personal preference.

Wishlist on Newegg(You should choose whichever mouse/keyboard you want, but I added my favorites in there anyway): http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=24271068

Explanations below. I suggest you read them if you don't know much about PC parts.


2nd Gen Core i7 3.4Ghz processor: This gives you quite enormous power, enough that should satisfy your gaming needs and professional needs. I chose Intel because Intel when it comes to professional needs they score (usually a lot) better on benchmarks, but when it comes to gaming they are either on par with AMD or above for the same price.

Motherboard: I chose this motherboard because of it's high rating and none of the others in this price range had a good set of features. This one has 2 PCI-Express 2.0 slots running at FULL speed (The others cut the speed in half if you use 2 cards.) It also has Sata 6Gbps and USB 3.0 for much faster transfer speeds. Since this card has 2 full speed GPU slots, you can choose to add a second card later on. I highly recommended you choose a single card FIRST and if you find you need more power get a second one. It can save you money and you lose nothing except maybe waiting 3-5 days for the second card to come in the mail.

CPU Cooler: A lot of people don't put aftermarket coolers i ntheir builds to save a couple bucks. That's a terrible idea especially going with an Intel build. Stock coolers are risky and don't provide the kind of preform you really want. This cooler is amazing, and it's the exact one I got. It brought me from 60-70C load to 38-45C load when I first got it. And by the ratings you can tell it's amazing. It performs like a $70 cooler, in fact, Newegg RAISED the price multiple times because of how well it did, it went up to $60 at one point, last time I checked it was $50 and now it's back to the price I paid for it ($28). You WANT this cooler. Trust me.

DVD Burner: IT does its job. It burns and reads pretty fast. It's what I have. But this is one of those cosmetic things. You can easily switch it out for whatever you feel you need.

8GB Dual Channel DDR3 RAM: I don't know how much you know about RAM, but suffice to say this is more than you should need. It's fast and reliable. G.Skill is an AWESOME company to be a customer of.

800W Corsair PSU: Single rail PSU with 65 Amps. Brings me a tear to my ear :'(. This PSU is a BEAST. The single rails gives constant reliable power and the 65 Amps is MORE than enough to power all your components and then some. Ask any competent techy and they'll tell you Corsair one of the best, if not THE best, PSU makers out their. I would NEVER get a PSU that wasn't from them. They may be a bit pricier than others, but you won't regret buying from them.

GTX 570: I promise you'll LOVE this card! It'll run EVERYTHING on high at 1080p (Besides The Witcher 2 with ubersampling on. Even a 590 can't handle that and it's $700 lol.) I built my friends $1200 rig with this and he absolute loves it. I'm so jealous of him too 'cause he can turn everything up to max.

The above is what dictates your power. What I'm going to write below is stuff you have quite a bit of choice over depending on your tastes. I'm not going to force any specific one upon you, but for the sake of showing you the total price of all components, I'll recommend 1 in each category.

Case: This case is pretty nice to look at and it has great airflow and enough room for all your components.

Hard Drive: Very nice HDD. 1TB of space (1000 GB), 64MB of cache., and Sata 6Gbps(Your Motherboard uses 6Gbps). You can get an SSD if you want but those aren't worth it unless you have quite a bit of extra money. Getting one for your OS only doesn't seem worth it either, at best it gives you a faster boot time.

23" Monitor 1080p: This is the same monitor I got when I built my friends $1200 PC. It's does what it should do, runs at 1080p, low response time. You'll love it too :)

Windows 7 x64 Home OS : It works, lol. You don't need ultimate. But in case you want to see what you're missing out on if you don't get ultimate, check this link.

Keyboard and Mouse: I'll leave it up to you which one to choose. It's really a matter of preference. There's and extra $130[630 if you spend $2000] (After removing the ones I put in there that I personally want) left to choose whatever you want and upgrade anything else in this build if you want to (I doubt it). Personally I wouldn't need to spend $2000. This build is exactly what I'd want and in a worst case scenario I'd buy a second 570.

I wish I could get this build, dream come true :P But in 3 years there'll be like 12 core or more processors so eh :P
 
Last edited:
mad pistol, from what im getting with that build, it seems a little too high in price.

furiosity, i like this build. terrible mouse choice though :P lol

hmmm, these are really good machines guys, this is tough..
 
fudpeX said:
mad pistol, from what im getting with that build, it seems a little too high in price.
Click to expand...

No other build has a Vertex III SSD or 2 1TB Hard Drives. That system will be more responsive than anything else that has been suggested here. Since you've been out of the loop for a while, putting a very fast SSD as your OS drive will make this system seem 100x as fast as your previous system. If I could afford it, I would get a Vertex III SSD in a heartbeat. The case is also significantly better than anything else that's been suggested so far. I also suggested a generously sized IPS panel. You also get a top of the line SSD, and 2TB of space for games/storage. If you think my system is lacking in content, look again.

You tell me what you want. If you want a pure gamer, I can get you a dual GTX 570 build pretty easily at that budget, but in order to do that, I'm going to have to sacrifice the quality of the monitor, SSD, motherboard, power supply, and computer case.

You asked for a system that I would buy; I would buy my system without giving it a second thought. However, in the post below, I put together a much more "gaming" oriented system.
 
Last edited:
Here's the first build I suggested:





Here's the revised build. I did cut corners a little, but it's still a decent build.



Total before shipping: $1966.85

There's also $80 worth of mail-in-rebates today.



Here's what I changed:


+Added 2 GTX 570's in SLI (big framerate increase). This can also be substituted for a couple 6950's, and it will drop the price a little. The performance won't be as good though.

-Dropped the case to a Cooler Master Storm Scout. It's smaller and doesn't have as many features as the NZXT Phantom.

-Dropped one of the 1TB Samsung Hard Drives.

-Dropped the SSD back to a Crucial M4 64GB SSD. It's not as fast as the Vertex III, nor is it as big, but it should work fine for your OS and essential programs (a few of them).

-Dropped the PSU back to a Corsair HX750. It's still a very good PSU, but it's not as efficient. Couple that with the dual GTX 570's and your power bill will be higher than with the Corsair AX power supplies.

-Dropped the monitor back to an ASUS LED monitor. It's still good, but it's a TN panel, so the color won't be as good as the LG IPS panel I suggested earlier.




Your framerate will be sky high on that system. :)
 
Last edited:
Don't try to build something just go and buy Acer Aspire AM3400 you will get a powerful machine with 6 cores chip. I paid 600 € = 860 USD and able to play anygame I want.
 
Turk said:
Don't try to build something just go and buy Acer Aspire AM3400 you will get a powerful machine with 6 cores chip. I paid 600 ? = 860 USD and able to play anygame I want.
Click to expand...

Why? If he's willing to build a desktop, I can guarantee it will turn out a lot better than a pre-built machine.
 
runo said:
Why? If he's willing to build a desktop, I can guarantee it will turn out a lot better than a pre-built machine.
Click to expand...

Agreed. Buying a computer is arguably the worst advice for a desktop builder. Phenom X4? WHY?! He can get the X6 easily for his price range. Notice everyone's suggesting the i5 or i7 that are above $200 apiece. Plus, it's Acer, a company that I wouldn't trust for longevity gaming, personally.

I'll submit a list of my choices for a build later.
 
Snipeye said:
Agreed. Buying a computer is arguably the worst advice for a desktop builder. Phenom X4? WHY?! He can get the X6 easily for his price range. Notice everyone's suggesting the i5 or i7 that are above $200 apiece. Plus, it's Acer, a company that I wouldn't trust for longevity gaming, personally.

I'll submit a list of my choices for a build later.
Click to expand...

Hmm my Acer has x6 1032T 2.60 GHz. Not that I'm very proud but it was a cheap and suitable solution for both gaming and budget (: I had another Acer aspire for 4 years with x2 and I was happy with it.
 
Turk said:
Hmm my Acer has x6 1032T 2.60 GHz. Not that I'm very proud but it was a cheap and suitable solution for both gaming and budget (: I had another Acer aspire for 4 years with x2 and I was happy with it.
Click to expand...

I'm glad you are happy with what you have. However, if you know how to build a desktop computer, you should. It saves money, it allows you to tailor your parts to exactly what you want, and you usually get better quality parts with better warranties than what is provided from an OEM builder. Building is the way to go if you're a computer enthusiast.
 
mad pistol, you seem pretty knowledgeable.

When it comes to technology, 2 years out of the loop is almost a lifetime.

Last time i upgraded my PC the GTX 9800 OCC was the best GFC card, and the i7 1G had just come out. You remind me of myself when you talk about computer. I think I will trust your input.

I am going to be gaming on this PC, but I wont be gaming as much as i used to and I'm in college now, so I guess the 2TB of storage would come in handy. :)

any other suggestions out there?
 
i just have to say, if you have $2000 to spend, no matter what, its still going to be a decent to high end computer.
 
You won't regret it. The system with a Vertex III SSD will be so responsive it will blow your mind. If you've ever gone to get a coffee, snack, or drink while your PC was restarting, you're not going to be able to do that anymore. It will load fast, and if you set it up right, it should NEVER feel sluggish... ever.

My little wimpy Phenom II X4 with a Vertex II SSD has been crazy good ever since I got the SSD and 8GB of RAM. You're getting a system that is superior to mine in every way, so your experience on your computer should be amazing. :)
 
yeah, and i used to buy parts that would last me about 6 years a piece. Last time i upgraded my computer myself, was before the xbox 360 came out. t could run pretty much every game on high It probably still can, I just don't have it anymore.

after about 4 years. The other day I went to TigerDirect.com to look at some parts to build a PC, and I couldn't understand what was good and what was bad. I used to not need reviews, i just knew. Now i cant even trust some of these reviews out there. When my financial aid comes in, Aug 20th, I'm buying a PC. I went a year with this laptop, and for what I want to do It's a piece of crap. Perfect for internet, irc, school work, and storage though. "mostly storage"

I would have to say, with the lists I'm getting, Its all starting to come back to me. This could be anyones laptop at this point.
 
You tell me the exact amount that you have/want to spend when your financial aid comes in, and we'll get you a great PC for the money. $1.5k gets you a very nice system. $2k gets you a dream computer that can be tailored to do almost anything in the consumer market. You can get:

  • A raw gamer with dual video cards
  • A workhorse with a lot of RAM, extremely powerful and overclocked CPU, and lots of hard drive space
  • A well balanced, high quality, and extremely responsive system with a powerful/large SSD and high-efficiency power supply (like my first suggestion.)


Any of those will be a good system. Just keep that in mind. ;)
 
Last edited:
@mad pistol: Agreed. $1500 alone would get you a godlike rig with pretty much all the fixin's. Going up to $2000 means you can pretty much do everything besides gold-plate your components. lol

In all seriousness, there are a lot of AWESOME builds in this thread. I'd like to try to throw something together -- especially since I really need a laptop for work -- but I don't know what kind of mouse/keyboard/monitors you like or if you want a sound card (unless I'm derp and missed all that). Can you give us a little more info to work with? :>
 
well i have an idea on the monitor and key/mouse setup. I cant get passed my obsession with the MX 518 and the logitech keyboard of course. If you build me a rig thats under $2000, i can spend the rest in the nessesities like the monitor and keyboard/mouse. In all honesty, depending on how many GPU's I have installed, Ill have as many monitors as I can plug in. :)
 
fudpeX said:
well i have an idea on the monitor and key/mouse setup. I cant get passed my obsession with the MX 518 and the logitech keyboard of course. If you build me a rig thats under $2000, i can spend the rest in the nessesities like the monitor and keyboard/mouse. In all honesty, depending on how many GPU's I have installed, Ill have as many monitors as I can plug in. :)
Click to expand...

You sure you don't want one of the mechanical keyboards I linked in my first build? Those would last for at least 10 years and be just as good as the day you got them. I can type quite a bit about mechanical key switches, but if you're not interested I won't bother.
 
Addendum: Here is my contender! I'd almost recommend waiting to hear more about Bulldozer, but if you're ordering NOW, this should be pretty darn boss-like.


[CASE] COOLER MASTER Storm Scout: I own this case. It's fantastic and fits everything I'd ever want, and performs as well as I'd ever need, with room for fan expansion if so desired/necessary.
[CPU] INTEL Core i5-2500K: I almost wanted to push for the 2600K, but as a gaming beast, just keep in mind that -- as you probably know, the "K" means the multiplier is unlocked; if you ever need to overclock, you can do so... especially with... (see below)
[CPU-Cooler] MUGEN 3 Scythe: One of the most awesome CPU coolers available and it fits the 1155/1156 sockets perfectly.
[2X GPU]: EVGA 570 1280MB - Blazing fast framerates on one of the best chipsets nVidia produced ... paired with the warranty you'd expect and desire from EVGA.
[Boot] SSD Boot Drive: Crucial M4 64GB - fast, furious, and reliable, as any solid state tech SHOULD be. It also has a little storage 'wiggle room' for your browser(s) with enough room left over
[Storage Drive] Storage Hard Drive: Samsung SpinPoint F3 1TB -- your computer can fully utilize its SATA-III 6GB capabilities and will not lag beyond due to low RPM.
[PSU]: The SeaSonic X-series 750W PSU. Not only will it tame the wild beast that is SLI 570s, but it leaves room for expansion if you ever go even bolder with your GPU choice. Why get a power supply with a few SeaSonic components when you can go straight to the source?
[OS] Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit OEM: You COULD do Ultimate, but honestly, why bother? HP 64bit is all you'll really need as even the most avid of gamers.
[MOBO]: I love Gigabyte motherboards. Their Z68 is also pretty beastlike, because it totes dual PCI-Express x16 slots so your fun times with SLI will keep on going, and going (and going.. and going...)
[RAM]: G.Skill 8GB DDR3 1600 - literally just the 8GB version of some of my favorite 4GB memory. It will not disappoint.

[Display]MONITOR: ASUS 24" widescreen LCD with full 1080p: I own this monitor. It's effiin' gorgeous and really helps you pick out opponents with its color range and crispness. Solid response times too.
[Gaming and Media Keyset] KEYBOARD: MS Sidewinder X4 - Personal choice, and you may go "EH? MICROSOFT?!" but this keyboard is actually pretty awesome for gaming, multimedia usage and typing.
[I can't think of a fancy-sounding name for a mouse so I'm just calling it a] Mouse: I'd have pushed for one of the RAT mice, but I know they're not for everyone, so I went for a crowd pleaser with the G500.

You could include a DVD burner if you wanted and still be under-budget, but it sounds like you didn't need one? Also of note: you could supplement SLI GTX 570s for Crossfire AMD 6950 2GBs. Not only will you have better VRAM totals, but you have a chance to unlock each to a 6970...

Without further adue, ze evidence...!

TOTAL: $1977.29 SHIPPED
LINK to the build
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top