While some consider the desktop a dead platform, there are still plenty of us who use them as much as or in addition to laptops or tablets, love to play PC games, or just enjoy getting our hands dirty and building our own systems from scratch. Before we go any further, we should point out that these PC builds are designed to optimize your all-around computing experience, with special emphasis on PC gaming. What components give you the best bang for your buck depend heavily on what you're planning to do with the system: your parts may be different if you're building an HTPC on the same budget, or a super-speedy file server for your home network.
We've talked about our own experiences building a system and why it's important already. If you're ready to set out on the task of building your own computer, here are the components you'll need to build the best system you can get for your money.
Update - October 2012: This update is a bit overdue, but you'll be surprised with how little the prices for many components have changed. A few components in our previous $600/$1200 builds have been discontinued in favor of uplifts, like the jump from Sandy Bridge to Ivy Bridge for Intel CPUs, and of course, the unending march of upgrades when it comes to graphics cards. We've updated those components, partially to keep up with the ever-increasing demands of this generation's PC games.Also, it's worth mentioning that one reason we held off for so long was because the tragic flooding in Thailand that pushed hard drive prices are through the roof (meaning 1TB drive that was $89.99 in the summer of 2011 was $219 and out of stock during the holidays of 2011) has finally subsided and drive prices?and stock?seem to have returned to normal. Bonus: SSD prices have taken a serious tumble, as you'll see in a little bit. Skip down to our builds to see the updated components.
Build Versus Buy
The old debate over whether you should build your own system or buy a pre-built one is an old, long-standing argument that will never be easily washed away. However, there are some benefits to building your own system that can't be weighed in terms of dollars and cents. You may be happier with your own hand-built system, or you may be able to score bargains and rebates that lead to a more powerful computer stuffed with higher quality components than a manufacturer would use.
Building your own PC also gives you complete and full control over that system's components and extendability. Unlike buying an OEM PC, assembling your own gives you the ability to make decisions about when and how you'll upgrade that system in the long run as opposed to simply taking what the manufacturer sells you. For example, you can buy into a new motherboard chipset early and wait to spend money on the next generation of graphics card later, giving yourself a timely upgrade when the moment-or your budget-is right.
Photo by Adam Snyder.
Ultimately, while it may be easier to just pull out a credit card and buy whatever's on sale from your preferred OEM, there's something about assembling the components of a system that you've selected for your needs, powering it up, installing your favorite OS, and using it every day that's' incredibly rewarding.
Choosing The Right Parts
There was a time when building a PC was all about buying the most expensive and most powerful components you could on the budget you had. While some of that is still true, even budget components can be remarkably powerful, and if all you're planning on doing with your system is word processing, surfing the web, and some light entertainment like streaming video or listening to music, almost any system build will work for you.
You don't need to spend a grand on high-end gaming components if you're putting together a system for your friend who doesn't know or care what graphics card is going into the box. At the same time, that doesn't mean they're doomed to a computer full of sub-standard components. We explained a few months ago that you should carefully assess your need before rushing off to start pricing out components, and that advice is still true today.
Ultimately, there's no reason for you to rush out and buy the most expensive components you can afford unless you're an enthusiast and want the most top-of-the-line system you can afford. Here we'll detail two separate builds, a high-end system for enthusiasts and power-hungry users, and a mid-range build that will cost about half as much but still pack a punch.
Photo by Edmund Tse.
The Sub-$600 Budget System
Long gone are the days where you should immediately budget at least a grand for a decent self-built system. Unless you absolutely have to have a top of the line PC, this budget system will serve you well for most everyday tasks, some gaming, streaming movies and music from the web, and even those bigger projects like organizing the family photos or editing home movies.
The parts
This parts list assumes that you'll need the basic components: a case, a motherboard, processor, memory, storage, graphics card of some type, power supply, and an optical drive. We're going to assume you have a perfectly good USB keyboard, mouse, and display you can repurpose for use with your new system. Before you blindly buy what we're about to suggest, take a moment and look at our Lifehacker Night School article on choosing PC components, where we discuss some of the things you should think about before buying your components. For example, our $600 PC here is made with bang-for-the-buck in mind, not necessarily silent operation or tons of expansion bays. Remember to consider what you'll use the system for before buying.
Here are the parts for our mid-range PC, complete with prices current as of this writing:
The case: NZXT Tempest 210 - $54.99
The NZXT Tempest 210 is a roomy mid-sized case that, thanks to its steel body, is both lightweight and should last you longer than just this build. It's large enough to accommodate all but the largest components, and roomy enough to move your hands around inside without too much of a squeeze. The case is loaded with grips to easily remove drive bays inside without a screwdriver, slots to route your cables through cleanly, extra fan grills for superior airflow and cooling, it's just a nicely designed case. You also get a pair of 120mm fans for your money, an enlarged CPU cut-out to accomodate after-market cooling, and front-side audio and USB ports (including a USB 3.0 port) are a nice bonus in this budget case. Plus, our own Whitson Gordon swears by NZXT cases, both for their interior space and how easy it is to install and remove components from them.
- The power supply: Antec NEO ECO 520W Power Supply - $54.99
Most PC builders, especially starting off, tend to completely overestimate how much power their components will actually need. At the same time, you don't want to buy a power supply too weak for the components in your build, or buy one from a flaky manufacturer or a no-name brand. Stick with trusted vendors on this one, and spend a little more if you have to. This 520-watt power supply from Antec should be more than enough for our components, and Antec is a trusted name. Pay attention to warranties and return policies as well, but try to make sure you're getting the right amount of juice for the system you're building. There are some great calculators on the web that will help you determine how big your power supply should really be, like the eXtreme Power Supply Calculator.
- The motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme3 LGA 1155 ATX Intel Motherboard - $119.99
Whether you're a gamer or you're building a system for productivity, this LGA 1155 board is rock solid, reliable, and sports some high-end features for not a ton of money. You'll get 6 USB ports (two of which are USB 3.0), four 3.0Gb/s SATA ports and two 6Gb/s SATA ports, gigabit Ethernet, and on-board sound, so we won't need to pick up a separate sound card. It packs on-board video, (so you could ditch video card below and save some more money), but you'll need a CPU that supports integrated graphics processing, since the board won't do it for you alone. Still, this is a great, upgradable board that's perfect if you want to upgrade to a more powerful processor, or an SSD that can push data through those 6Gb/s SATA channels.
The CPU: Intel Core i3-32200 Ivy Bridge 3.3Ghz Dual Core Processor - $129.99
As usual, we're going Intel in the budget build. Again, there's no reason you couldn't sub this out for an AMD processor (and AMD-compatible motherboard) if you wanted to, and we actually had a long discussion about making this budget build based on AMD's new Trinity platform, which sports some seriously solid integrated graphics for cheap. However, we landed on the Ivy Bridge Core i3. It's a solid processor that fits in our budget, offers better gaming performance than you might think, and will tackle almost anything else you throw at it better than the AMD would. If you aren't much of a gamer but run a lot of CPU-intensive processes, like converting or editing video, we recommend upgrading to the Core i5-3570. It'll give you a bit of extra power for those tasks, and its integrated graphics mean you can ditch having a video card altogether and stay under budget.
- The memory: G Skill 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1333 RAM - $19.99
One of the most important things about buying memory is to make sure you get RAM that's compatible with your build, and that's from a reputable memory manufacturer. This RAM gives us both of those things while still being easy on the wallet. G. Skill is well known and makes high quality desktop memory. Our board is dual-channel, so we want to make sure we take advantage of it, and 4GB of RAM is enough for our budget, everyday PC. Of course, if you have more to spend, you could add more to the build, maybe with this 8GB kit (2x4GB) from G. Skill for $33.99.
- The storage: Seagate Barracuda 7200 RPM 1.5TB SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - $79.99
Hard drive prices have largely recovered from the flooding in Thailand, and while they're still a bit pricier than they used to be, bargains are available. This $80 1.5TB model is a solid 7200RPM drive, and won't break our budget. If you have a different brand allegiance when it comes to drives, try this slightly more expensive Samsung or this Western Digital for a bit more cash, although both offer a bit less storage. Whichever you choose, make sure you make note of the warranty, and, of course, keep your data backed up. Every hard drive fails, it's just a matter of when.
The graphics card: AMD Radeon HD 7750/Nvidia GeForce GTX 550 Ti - $114.99/$119.99
We're offering up two suggestions here to try and stave off the AMD versus Nvidia battle. Like so many other components, it's easy to get caught up in which brand you prefer, but both of these cards pack enough power for everyday tasks, full HD video, and more than casual gaming. You won't be cranking up Dishonored or Battlefield 3 to it's max settings here, but you will be able to play on high with modest framerates, and if you're not gaming at all, you won't even notice?streaming and local video will play silky smooth.
- The optical drive: ASUS 24x CD/DVD Burner - $19.99
There isn't too much to worry about when selecting an optical drive: just get something that works for your need (for example, this ASUS assumes you won't be watching Blu-Ray videos on your PC. If you are, you may want to look at a Blu-Ray drive, like this ASUS Blu-ray drive, which will cost you a bit more but allow you to watch those Blu-ray discs on your system) and select a well-reviewed drive from a reputable manufacturer. If you have an optical drive from a previous build, even better.
- The total: $599.92
If you have a bit more to spend?
We know that $600 is pushing the limit of "mid-range," but we wanted to make sure we got quality components in that offered a solid all-around build. That doesn't mean there isn't room to improve it, or cut it down a bit if it's too much. You could get below $500 by swapping in a cheaper processor (like the graphics-heavy AMD A10-5800K noted above, or even a Sandy Bridge Intel G850) or opting for less powerful motherboard. If you go AMD, note that you'll need an AMD-compatible motherboard as well. But, if you have a little more to spend, you can get some big boosts for not much more money.
Of course, if you have more money to spend and you're not looking for gaming performance at all, consider upgrading the RAM in the system first, then using the rest of your budget to pick up an SSD to drop your operating system on so that 1.5TB drive can sit secondary holding your large files. You can pick up even a 60GB SSD for around $60.
The Sub-$1200 Enthusiast's PC
Now that we've covered a system that can be purchased and assembled on a decent budget, now it's time to go crazy. First, we're not targeting our upper limit here, we just want to give you an idea of some of the high-end components that would make a good enthusiast's build. If you're a fan of PC gaming, have to play the latest releases as soon as they're out, have multiple huge, high-resolution displays, or just want the beefiest box you can afford, this build is for you.
The parts
As with the $600 PC above, we're going to assume you have the basics, like a keyboard, mouse, and display. In this case though, we're going for the big, pretty, and powerful, as opposed to trying to keep the budget down. We won't necessarily aim directly for our high-end, but we will slap in some pricier components that we know would make a noticeable difference in your computing experience if you had them in your system.
Again, remember to consider your use case before buying ? the people who'll really love this build will be PC gamers, media professionals, and enthusiasts who want to futureproof themselves or just prefer the top of the line.
The case: Corsair Carbide Series 400R - $99.99
The last iteration of the enthusiast PC had a Cooler Master CM690 II for its chassis, and while the CM690 II is still available, it's still time to update it with a newer model. There are tons of great options, and you gave us some more ideas yesterday, but we think the Corsair Carbide 400R is a great option. It's sleek black, lightweight steel and plastic, and has 6 expansion bays and 8 PCI slots on the rear. It has top, rear, and optional front and side case fans to keep your system cool, and a front-side I/O panel for power, USB 3.0, and audio. You won't get a power supply with the case, but the 400R is a robust case that will stand the test of time. Warning though: there are some very pretty cases on the market ? buy one that has the features and look that you want. Looking for a side-window? Grab the pricier Carbide 500R. If you're willing, you can spend close to $200 on a beauty like the Silverstone Raven RV02, or alternatively save the cash and drop down to a just as good-looking HAF 912, repurpose an old case from a previous build.
- The power supply: CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX650 V2 650W High Performance Power Supply - $89.99
Speaking of Corsair, the company makes good power supplies, and 650-watts of juice should be enough to power even the most demanding components. We had a more powerful 750W modular power supply in the previous version of this build, but the more we think about it, the more it's probably overkill. Plus, since this case doesn't have windows, we'll settle for a non-modular option. You read Lifehacker, you can probably manage your cables. Either way, this power supply is quiet, comes with a +12V rail a high-powered graphics card, and offers enthusiast-level power output at a solid price. There are more expensive power supplies out there-especially modular ones, which we sorely wish that Corsair would make in more wattages-but this one gets the job done without being overkill.
- The motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-UD5H LGA 1155 Intel ATX Motherboard - $189.99
It's definitely pricey, but this board picked up an editor's choice award at AnandTech for its ports, power, and features, and that's a big deal for AnandTech (who's normally a bit critical of Gigabyte boards.) Want USB 3.0? This board has it. Need dual LAN? Sure, why not. The board supports Intel's latest Core processors, and even offers a few tools for overclockers. The board also has built-in support for Crossfire (AMD) and SLI (NVidia) for high-end gaming with multiple graphics cards, sports 6 USB 3.0 and 4 USB 2.0 ports, on-board HDMI, dual gigabit Ethernet, supports on-board RAID, has 9 SATA ports (5 at 6Gb/s and 4 at 3Gb/s) and packs built-in audio and video. It's definitely a high-end board for a system builder who needs the features or isn't concerned about the budget. If you don't need all of that, you could save a few bucks and drop down to an ASUS P8Z77-V variant, like the $149.99 ASUS P8Z77-V LK, or the $164.99 ASUS P8ZX77-V LE, just do your homework first.
The CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4Ghz Quad Core Processor - $229.99
Intel's Core processors are still the clear market leaders, and don't think that because we put an i5 in here that we're slacking at all. After all, this is the same processor that Tom's Hardware put in their $1000 gaming PC, we think it'll handle whatever you throw at it pretty handily. Besides, the only difference between the i5 and the i7 is the hyperthreading, which you'd only miss if you're doing high-end video encoding. For gaming and everyday use, you won't notice it's missing at all. The 3570 packs incredible power at decent power consumption, and while you could definitely swap this out for a high-end AMD, we think this i5 is the best choice. If you're just burning for an i7 instead, the Sandy Bridge i7-2600K is a little more expensive at $289.99, but we honestly can't see the performance benefit you'd really get from the $60 uplift. Let's be clear - you may not see the power of either processor in your everyday tasks, but we think that even in high-end gaming, you won't be disappointed.
- The memory: G Skill 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1333 RAM - $36.99
Let's be clear, 4GB of RAM is probably sufficient for most systems, but this is an enthusiast's PC. Double the RAM from the previous build and your computing experience will overall feel faster and snappier. Depending on what you use the system for, you could scale back to 4GB, but if you're going to do serious gaming, you'll want the extra RAM. To that point, more memory is better than faster memory, so don't feel bad for picking DDR3 1333 over something technically faster. Buy with caution, and keep in mind what you're going to be doing with the system.
The storage: Crucial M4 128GB SATA III MLC SSD - $109.99 + Western Digital WD Black 1TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s Hard Drive - $109.99
See what I did there? That SSD is the same price as the traditional hard drive?and you can have both of them in this enthusiast build. They're both killer drives, both connect via SATA II 6Gb/s, and are both super fast. We've said several times that a Solid State Drive (SSD) is one of the best upgrades you can buy for your computer, but if you're building one from scratch with absolute performance in mind, consider buying an SSD for your OS and applications, and a traditional hard drive for files and data. Still not sold? Let us help: we can assure you SSDs are worth the money. The only trick is picking one that's large enough for your OS and applications. We went with an 80GB model in our last build, but SSD prices are definitely coming down. If you don't like this model, there are plenty of others to choose from?smaller and larger. I've had goo experiences with Crucial, OCZ, and Intel SSDs, but you can always read our complete guide to SSDs to learn what to check for before you buy.
The graphics card: AMD Radeon HD 7950 - $309.99 /NVidia GeForce 660 Ti - $299.99
We really didn't have to pack such high-end cards into this system, and you don't either frankly, if you're not looking for gaming performance. Plus, since the major titles that have come out this year haven't pur a serious hurt on last year's graphics cards, we wouldn't blame you if you opted to scale back to a more affordable video card. Even so, to Anandtech's 2012 GPU Benchmark tests put these guys in the middle of the pack, with quite respectable benchmarks. If you're a PC gamer and you love turning up all of the settings on your games, or you have to play all of the latest releases as soon as they're out, pick your brand allegiance (or better yet, check how each of these two cards performs when benchmarked in your favorite games) and go with one of these. If you need even more power and have the money to buy it (really?), consider the AMD Radeon HD 7970 ($399.99) or the NVidia GeForce GTX 670 ($399.99, again, the model picked for Tom's Hardware's $1000 gaming PC ) for some gorgeous-but-wallet-busting graphical goodness.
- The optical drive: ASUS 24x CD/DVD Burner - $20.99
Surprised? We meant it when we said in the budget section that the optical drive that you buy doesn't really matter. Again, if you're planning to watch Blu-ray video on your enthusiast PC, you'll want to spring for the appropriate drive, but if you're not, we can't find a better optical drive and disc burner for the money. Hey, just because there are more expensive ones out there doesn't mean they're better. Just because you're on an enthusiast's budget doesn't mean you have to throw your money away.
- The total: $1197.91
If you're on a budget?
Sometimes building an enthusiast's PC is more difficult than building a budget one because you have room in the budget to buy high-end components, but you don't want to go overboard or make decisions that waste your money. We hope this sub $1200 build walks the line between spending good money on components that matter without spending too much on the ones that don't.
If this is too much though, some of the biggest money sinks here are clearly the video card and the processor. While you could bump down a more affordable motherboard and save about $30, the real savings is in choosing a less powerful and high-end video card, especially since you can upgrade a video card more easily than a processor. Consider the AMD Radeon HD 7850 ($199.99) or the Radeon HD 6850 we mentioned earlier ($149.99). If you're an Nvidia fan, consider the NVidia GeForce GTX 650 Ti ($174.99) on for size. All three will play the latest titles on high (albeit not absolute ultra) settings without trouble, and with solid framerates.
A Note About Your Operating System
You're undoubtedly noticing that we haven't included the cost of an OS license in this roundup. The reason for that is because we don't want to assume what operating system you'll install on your build. If you want to go Linux, then your cost is basically nothing. If you'd rather install Microsoft Windows-and we assume most of you would-you can pick up any flavor of Windows 7 you like (or hang out for the end of the month and pick up Windows 8...if you dare) at an array of different prices depending on the version you want and where you get it.
Newegg has OEM versions of Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit for $99.99, which is likely what most of you would buy. If you're pre-ordering Windows 8, you can pick up Windows 8 64-bit for $99.99 as well (enthusiasts can grab the $139 Windows 8 Professional x64 if needed, but odds are you won't need the added features.) At the same time, you can probably score a cheaper copy with an educational discount if you have one, or through an employee purchase program if your workplace has a enterprise licensing agreement with Microsoft. Look around for sales?especially as we approach the holidays?and you'll find a deal on Windows if that's what you want to install.
Additional Reading
Don't take our word for these builds. We're sure you have your own opinions on what should have made it in and what should have been excluded. We also stuck with Newegg for pricing and component information, which you certainly don't have to do-especially if you can find the same components you want elsewhere for less (or better ones for the same price!)
One reference that-at least for now-is constantly updated and invaluable for determining exactly how enthusiast you're being when it comes to the components you're buying and how much you should be spending on them is the Logical Increments PC Buying Guide. It's a big help, and can serve as a good sanity check if your build is getting out of hand.
Also, make sure to read up on your most critical components before you buy. Anandtech's GPU benchmarks and the Tom's Hardware forums are invaluable when looking for benchmarks and opinions on some of the components you may buy before you add them to your cart. The Reddit Build-A-PC subreddit is also a great place to ask for opinions and guidance if you're having issues or just want the thoughts of people who have been where you are now.
We'll come back to this system builder's guide regularly to make sure it's updated with current pricing information and the best components for each of our builds. Remember though, take our builds as guidelines for your own research and your own PC-building project.
All of that said, what would go in your preferred build? Do you think our $600 PC should have been an AMD system? Should we have made some tradeoffs on the $1200 PC? Have your say in the discussions below.
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