Ready for new PC

[Jobydrone]

This is mainly for Rico since he offered to help a while back, but I'd welcome any and all advice from folks here that know their stuff. 

I'm finally ready for a new PC, and though it would be easier to switch to IMac because of their all in one box philosophy, I've decided to stick with what I know, PC, for price reasons mostly.  I'm hoping for tips and suggestions on maximizing my dollar while getting a system that meets all my needs.  90% of what I do on my PC could probably be handled by a netbook:  downloading, web browsing, watching movies, and converting videos to Iphone format.  I'll list my other considerations below:

1.) Price needs to stay under $1,000.  Between 8-9 would be best.  Maybe after taxes I could handle a few bucks over 1k, but then again I might do my shopping in Delaware where there's no sales tax.

2.) It's got to be able to handle WoW with blazing speed.  I know WoW is designed to run on most anything, but I'd like to be able to run with settings closer to the high end.  I actually quit playing because my laptop just chugged too much, and I'm itching to play again.  Other than WoW I do all my other gaming on console so it's not a huge issue but it would be nice to be able to run modern games.

3.) I'd like a good to great monitor/display.  The main appeal of the Imac for me was their gorgeous 27" display.  While I don't necessarily need something quite that big, my eyes are starting to need a larger screen as I get older.

4.) Wireless networking.  I have little kids and can't run cables all through the house.  I need to be able use my PC as a media server to stream content, videos, music, and photos, to my main TV through the PS3/Xbox 360.  My laptop currently does this really well.  I'd consider one of those new Netgear devices that wirelessly stream whatever is on the PC screen to the TV, but don't have to have that.

I can't think of anything else right now.  If anyone has any questions I'll do my best to answer.  Thanks so much in advance for your input and advice. 

[X]

I made so much money building PCs back in the day that it was funny.

What's the recommended specs for WOW? Start there and I can give you some ideas

[alanp]

I've been a mac convert for a while now but my #1 tip is to insist you get a Windows 7 DVD included for when you need to format and reinstall from scratch.

I'm not a fan of recovery disks and recovery partitions.  Recovery disks always get lost and for some reason it's harder to lose your Windows CD.

They will argue that you don't need one but persistance goes a long way.  I went to a computer store with a friend when she was buying hers.  She put her foot down and said the only way she leaves the store with a computer is if they throw in the Windows disk.  They caved and brought one from the back at no charge.

[jedijeff]

I would say with the Monitor, just keep your eyes open for good sale price, online sales pop up all the time, so subscribe to a few mailing lists (Tiger Direct, Newegg, etc) and check them weekly. When I built my last computer, I got my Monitor separately from the parts for my PC, and just sort of waited on that until I found a price and monitor I liked. I always found up here in Canada, long weekends always seem to bring sales from either retailers like Best Buy or Online Sites.

[Jobydrone]

PC System Requirements

OS:
Windows XP 32/64-Bit (Service pack 3)
Windows Vista 32/64-Bit (with the latest Service Packs)
Windows 7** 32/64-Bit (with the latest updates)
Processor:
Minimum: Intel Pentium 4 1.3 GHz or AMD Athlon XP 1500+
Recommended: Dual-core processor, such as the Intel Pentium D or AMD Athlon 64 X2

Memory:
Minimum: 512 MB RAM (1GB for Vista users)
Recommended: 1 GB RAM (2 GB for Vista users)
Video:
Minimum: 3D graphics processor with Hardware Transform and Lighting with 32 MB VRAM Such as an ATI Radeon 7200 or NVIDIA GeForce 2 class card or better
Recommended: 3D graphics processor with Vertex and Pixel Shader capability with 128 MB VRAM Such as an ATI Radeon X1600 or NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GT class card or better

Storage: 15 Gigabytes or more free hard drive space is required

Sound: DirectX-compatible sound card or motherboard sound capability
** The exact hardware requirements for Windows 7 are still being calculated. Only retail versions of Windows 7 are supported.

I made so much money building PCs back in the day that it was funny.

What's the recommended specs for WOW? Start there and I can give you some ideas

[X]

Yeah, it wouldn't be hard to double the recommended specs and still keep it under 1000

[X]

I got everything in under 1000. Except keyboard and mouse.


Sony Optiarc 24X DVD/CD Rewritable Drive Black SATA Model AD-7240S-0B - OEM
Item #: N82E16827118030
$23.99
   

APEVIA X-Infinity ATXB6KLW-BK/420 Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 420W Power Supply - Retail
Item #: N82E16811144076
$79.99
   

Western Digital RE3 WD5002ABYS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Item #: N82E16822136294
$89.99
   

Acer P235Hbmid Black 23" 5ms HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail
Item #: N82E16824009179
$179.99
   

EVGA 01G-P3-N959-TR GeForce 9500 GT 1GB 128-bit DDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card - Retail
Item #: N82E16814130395
$69.99 before $15.00 Mail-in Rebate
   

Creative SB X-Fi Xtreme Audio 70SB104000000 7.1 Channels PCI Express x1 Interface Sound Card - Retail
Item #: N82E16829102017
$59.99
   

OCZ Gold 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Voltage Desktop Memory Model OCZ3G1600LV6GK - Retail
Item #: N82E16820227365
$177.99 before $20.00 Mail-in Rebate Card
   

BIOSTAR TH55B HD LGA 1156 Intel H55 HDMI Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16813138186
$89.99
   

Intel Core i5-661 Clarkdale 3.33GHz LGA 1156 87W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Model BX80616I5661 - Retail
Item #: N82E16819115217
$199.99   

UBISOFT James Cameron's Avatar: The Game – PC Digital Download, Gift with Intel Purchase - Retail
Item #: N82E16800992040
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy (the game is free)

Subtotal:   $971.91

Pluse 35.00 in mail in rebates

[Jobydrone]

Wow that looks amazing!  I have to admit though while I know what each of the components is I don't know exactly how everything fits together.  I don't think I am tech savvy enough to put it all together myself either.  Also I wonder where the modem fits in, is it connected right to the motherboard?  Is wireless standard?  Finally, where did you find all the components, and would they be available in a brick and mortar store or would I be ordering everything online? Forgive me but I'm totally new to this.  All my previous purchases have been either already put together in a package or laptops.  Thanks so much for the effort you made finding this stuff.

[Jobydrone]

Oh yeah also what about USB ports, and support for various types of memory cards/camera cards? Is that also something that inputs directly into the motherboard?  Again I know these are totally noob questions but live and learn right?

[Rico]

http://www.newegg.com  is a great place to buy all this stuff from.  And it really isn't that hard to put together.  Several good articles online.  Try www.maximumpc.com for some guides.

[billybob476]

You will almost always get a better deal online from newegg/Tigerdirect then you will from a big box like Best Buy.

[Rico]

Oh, if you build your own, don't forget about getting Windows 7, 64-bit (if you don't have a copy yet).  That will add another $100 or so to the cost.

[X]

all the above was from newegg. I didn't include a modem because I didn't know what you wanted to run. The motherboard has 4 USB ports and integrated audio. Rico was right about needing to get windows or whatever OS you want to use. To save a few bucks, you can drop the audio card. It comes with a ethernet port so you don't need one, but you could get a better one if you wanted it.

Putting it all together is really pretty simple. Also given the 420w power supply, you have room for upgrading to the more massive video cards later.