I hate to say it, but there's a lot that could be better about your current build. The 6700 is in a bit of a strange place as a CPU. It has a bunch of cores, but it can't reach very high clock speeds and it can't overclock, which means you aren't utilizing the full potential of your Z170 motherboard. I'd change it to an i5 6600k. There are less cores, but that won't make a difference unless you're editing videos. It can be overclocked, too. It's just a better option for you.

The Hyper 212 is a great cooler, but it's loud and other options have recently come to the table that are more quiet and of higher quality. Among them is the Cryorig H7, which I think is the best in it's class of budget coolers.

There's nothing wrong with the motherboard you chose, but the Gigabyte Gaming 5 has more USB ports. Plus, Gigabyte's customer service is a lot better than Asus in my experience.

The RAM is fine. You could find an equal product for like $10 less, but it's not a huge difference. It a good product and there's no harm in keeping it.

Life without an SSD is just unbearable. There's no reason not to get an SSD these days when the prices are so much lower than they were before. Keep your 2 TB drive for storage, but I'd add a 256-512 GB SSD for your operating system, apps, and favorite games. Trust me when I say it's worth it. Would you rather boot your computer in a minute or 10 seconds?

For your purposes, the GTX 1070 will be a much better place to start. The 1070 will be able to run games on max settings at 1080p 144 FPS at least 1.5-2 years down the line. You'll be much happier with that than you would with the 1060.

The 500R retails for $99, so I don't know how you found that. There are a number of great cases that you could get around that price point. Find a mid tower ATX case that you think looks nice and go for it. I'd recommend the Fractal Design R5. It's easy to build in and looks simple and clean.

The NEX line is generally considered to be unreliable. The G2 line is of a much higher quality for only a little more money. I'd recommend going for that. If not EVGA, then look at Corsair and Seasonic PSUs. They make very good units.

You don't really need an optical drive for anything but installing Windows. I'd ditch the optical drive and get a Windows 10 USB (It costs $110). You won't be using a disc drive for much unless you have a huge CD collection with you at college, anyways.

Operating system is fine.

Paying for anti virus solutions these days is not very fruitful. Windows Defender is adequate comes default with Windows 10. If you want extra protection, download Avira for free. You'll get the occasional ad, but it offers great protection without intruding too much. Definitely download Malwarebytes.

Don't buy a sound card. They're worthless in the face of USB DACs. The AudioQuest Dragonfly is a good cheap DAC. The Schiit Modi and ODAC are better for more money.

Wired network adapters are for connecting to a second wired network. Not meny people do that, and I don't think you're one of them. You can run a wired connection from your motherboard.

That wireless adapter is too expensive. Get a Gigabyte or TP-Link adapter for under $40 and you'll be just a happy.

Most cases come with an ample amount of fans, and Corsair fans are not the best ones to buy if you need extras. I'd advise against getting extra case fans. You just don't need them. If you really want them, though, look at Noctua. Most of their fans are poop brown color, but they work really well.

The Acer is about as good as you're going to get if you want a cheap 144hz monitor. No need to change this.

The only good Razer product to this day is the Deathadder mouse, so I put it on your list instead of the RAT 7, which is notorious for breaking a lot. In place of the Blackwidow, which is pretty much a knockoff mechanical keyboard, I chose a slightly more expensive but much better keyboard. MX browns are relatively quiet and versatile switches that are just as good for freshman writing seminar as they are for gaming. It has RGB backlights, too!

The Razer Kraken is BAD. It's really bad. Just don't bother with it. I'd normally recommend the Sennheiser HD 558/598s with an Antlion Modmic, but that totals to $200, so I just put down the Kingston HyperX Cloud. It's $3 more dollars for a much better headset.

Here's a rule: $20 are bad. For $20, the improvement you get over your monitor speakers is minimal at best. Either save some money and buy a set once you have $100 to spend, or stick to monitor speakers and headphones. I chose headphones, so I can't give too much advice here.

Anyways, here's the list I put together for you:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
CPU | Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor | $229.99 @ SuperBiiz
CPU Cooler | CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler | $34.99 @ Amazon
Motherboard | Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming 5 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard | $151.75 @ Amazon
Memory | Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory | $93.99 @ Jet
Storage | Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive | $164.99 @ Jet
Storage | Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $71.99 @ SuperBiiz
Video Card | EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB SC Gaming ACX 3.0 Video Card | $407.99 @ Amazon
Case | Fractal Design Define R5 w/Window (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case | $84.99 @ NCIX US
Power Supply | EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply | $74.99 @ Jet
Operating System | Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit | $90.72 @ Amazon
Wireless Network Adapter | TP-Link TL-WDN4800 PCI-Express x1 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi Adapter | $37.99 @ SuperBiiz
Monitor | Acer GN246HL 24.0" 1920x1080 144Hz Monitor | $188.83 @ Jet
Mouse | Razer DeathAdder Chroma Wired Optical Mouse | $49.96 @ Amazon
Headphones | Kingston HyperX Cloud II 7.1 Channel Headset | $96.95 @ Amazon
Other | iKBC F87 RGB Double-Shot PBT Tenkeyless Compact Size Mechanical Gaming Keyboard with Cherry MX Black Switch, Black | $126.99 @ Amazon
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
| Total | $1907.11
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-12-28 04:35 EST-0500 |

$60 less and it'll last a good year longer. Probably more. Whatever happens, good luck!

/u/s2xtreme4u - I sent you a PM and included my email address there, but I'll post the rest of what I said here so that it might be helpful to someone else, plus I'll add any additional information here minus my contact details.

=========

Technically the first thing you should do is power off your computer, and then take your computer to a professional. Because the longer your computer is on, the more files get encrypted. But professionals are pricey (and GeekSquad aren't professionals).

Let's assume all your files are encrypted... (which, by now is probably the case if the CryptoWall popup is appearing).

One thing you should be aware of is, if you run an antivirus now, you may run the risk of removing any decryption programs the CryptoWall virus ransom decrypter might make use of on your computer. However, you do want to run antivirus and anti-malware programs soon to remove any ADDITIONAL viruses installed on your system by the CryptoWall installer.

When it comes to recovering your files... there's a slim chance you can recover your files (if you don't have any backups anywhere). That slim chance comes in the form of 3 2 avenues: paying the ransom (if the files are worth more than the ransom amount), attempting decryption, or recovering your files from Backups, Web Storage, or your Windows Shadow Volume Copy.

Recovering Files by Paying the Ransom

In order to access the ransom payment page, you need to download and install the Tor Browser. You do so at the Tor Project Page. You'll then be able to access the Ransom Payment Page. It is reported on other security blogs that you will be able to get a decryption key this way, to decrypt all your files. But you should not bet your life on it. Determine whether the chance at getting your files back is worth it versus using that money elsewhere.

Recovering Files by Decrypting through a 3rd Party

The service you would use to attempt decryption would be FireEye & Fox IT's DecryptCryptoLocker.com website. It was built for CryptoLocker, which you are not infected with, but there's a chance it might work for you. Your files are encrypted by a variant of CryptoLocker called CryptoWall. This service does not work with CryptoWall-encrypted files unfortunately.

Recovering Files from the Shadow Volume

BleepingComputer has a good writeup on how to potentially recover your files from the Volume Shadow Service on their CryptoWall Ransomware Information page.

Bleeping Computer also provides a helpful tool called ListCWall that will create a list of all the files on your system encrypted by the CryptoWall virus.

Steps to Take After Recovering or Writing Off Your Files

Now... the next step IF you get your files decrypted OR once you decide the stuff on your computer isn't worth more than the ransom, you have 2 options: Attempt the usually risky cleansing of your computer, or just starting over.

My professional opinion for a consumer is the best and safest way to be rid of the virus is to wipe your drive clean, reinstall windows, and then acquire the appropriate security software and tools to prevent this from happening in the future.

If you find you need to buy a new OS disc, you can save money by getting a "System Builder" version. System Builder install discs are meant to be installed on only 1 computer and don't come with Microsoft Support, where "Full version" discs can be reinstalled on additional PCs and will receive Microsoft Support. That is why System Builder discs are cheaper - and you can can get them (on Amazon at least) for about 20-20% off.

Windows 8.1 Pro (64-bit):
System Builder ($130) vs Full Version ($175). If you have a MicroCenter near you, they will honor Amazon pricing. I'd probably go with the Full Version if I were you, but thought you should know the alternatives.

Cleaning your computer isn't going to be easy, and is generally not recommended for someone who doesn't work in IT, because it is very easy to overlook hidden and corrupted system files. No Antivirus program, or Antimalware program will find 100% of threats on your system. They get close to 100% sometimes (like Kaspersky) but none do. There are just too many new threats being released daily to keep up on it all. That's speaking a little more generally, but is a truth.

As for removing CryptoWall itself, you can follow the steps outlined at the PreciseSecurity website.

Recommended Software

• MalwareBytes Pro - I recommend Pro because it keeps itself automatically up-to-date and will scan your computer automatically. The cheapest route is to get a lifetime license from Amazon, otherwise MalwareBytes's webstore only offers the yearly premium. Get the lifetime license from Amazon for $39.99.
  
• Kaspersky Antivirus - Since my time working in IT, I've seen Kaspersky Antivirus pounce of viruses and trojans that several other vendors have missed. This is a top-notch antivirus solution that consistently scores top of its class. *
  
• Foolish.IT's CryptoPrevent Free or Premium - As with MalwareBytes, the Premium Version will automatically update itself. Otherwise with the free version, you'll need to manually update it periodically to ensure you are protected from any new variants of the CryptoVirus family.
  
  *When it comes to Antivirus, you really do not want to go Free. Get a reputable antivirus program: It's a small price to pay to ensure you don't lose out in the future. Not all antivirus solutions are the same either. For several years running, Kaspersky Antivirus consistently tests top of the class in independent testing. Please refer to the AV-Comparatives Independent Tests of Antivirus Software website to view recent tests and awards.
  
  
  

  Steps to Take on a Fresh, Virus-free Computer
  

  On the other side of this mess, you do want to change behaviors and software used to access the internet and your computer:
  
  

• Avoid using any Windows OS older than Windows 7 (with Service Pack 1). Windows 8.1 is the most secure release of Windows to date, and that is the OS recommended for use to ensure you stay as safe as possible.
  
  
• Don't use Internet Explorer (any version). Internet Explorer makes use of ActiveX and other Windows-specific scripting environments that can often be taken advantage of by virus vendors. Use Google Chrome (my personal and business preference) or Mozilla Firefox instead.
  
  
  • When using Google Chrome or Firefox, use an Adblock Program. This will help prevent you from clicking on otherwise ordinary looking links that may instead cause you to download viruses and malware. For Google Chrome, use µBlock. For Firefox, use Adblock Plus.
    
  • Go through your Firefox and/or Chrome installs, and check the extensions to ensure you recognize all the extensions installed. If you don't recognize an extension or don't remember installing one... remove it!
    
    
• Disable Windows Media Features (Control Panel > Programs and Features > Turn Windows features on or off > Uncheck Media Features). I've personally seen drive-by virus attacks make use of Windows Media Player when loading media from a web browser (that is by accessing a .wmv or a web stream via a browser). Use VLC Media Player instead.
  
  
• Be cautious when using torrent sites, or file sharing sites. Especially Sourceforge and Filehippo. Sourceforge has a tendency to sneak "additional" (unwanted/adware/spyware) programs into their install files for other programs. If you insist on downloading files from torrent sites, including executables, use a program called Sandboxie to run these programs. Sandboxie will "Sandbox" the program, and make it so you can run it, without that program being able to interact with your system files.
  
  
• Always ensure your computer is running the latest security patches. Don't pirate your copy of windows. Run Windows Update.
  
  
• Back up your files regularly and/or use online storage providers! Google Drive provides ample space with its online tool, and you can purchase additional space - up to 1,000 GB for $10/month. With Google Drive you can also use their free online word processing (Google Docs) and spreadsheet (Google Sheets) processing tools to do your work, and it stores your data in such a way that there's no risk of it getting encrypted in the future. You can even host files there like Dropbox, but Google provides file version history and you can roll back the clock on any changes (or chance encryption) of your files. For photographs? Store those in Google Photos or Flickr. Other options include Dropbox or an alternative.
  
  I can go on for another 9,000 characters I'm sure, but this will get you started.

/u/JetJaguar124 /u/Integralds

So first thing's first, Windows: ~$130 for Home Edition.

Okay, so things to keep in mind:

1. If you go Intel, overclocking isn't too great on 9th gen intel, especially if you don't have a beefy aftermarket cpu cooler. So if you don't plan on doing that at some point then you don't need a K series CPU and an overclocking motherboard. So your motherboard should primarily focus on giving you decent I/O options.
   
   
2. You also probably want to aim for 1080p or 1440p tops, given your price range.
   
   
3. Related to #1: If you don't plan on overclocking then a basic-ish mobo will do fine, and you mainly want to focus on I/O and other features. If you are getting Intel doubly so, as, as I mentioned before, intel 9th gen doesn't overclock well due to relatively low headroom to begin with. For intel overclocking boards are "Z" while non-overclocking boards are "B". For AMD they are "X" and "B" respectively.
   
   The GPU you should be seeking to use is the 1660 Ti, which is basically a slightly gimped RTX 2060 but without the raytracing stuff. If you are willing to spend a bit more then you could get an RX 5700 instead, which is nearly ~30% faster on average.
   
   That'll put you at $270 - $360 depending on the model you pick. Yes, it's a third of your budget, but the GPU is the single most important part of your build.
   
   Secondly you'll want a decent CPU to go with that.
   
   The Ryzen 5 3600 looks like a pretty good CPU, its a bit under $200, its fairly beefy and extendable so it's somewhat "future-proof" - in that it shouldn't cause much bottlenecking and you could upgrade your GPU past a 2080 Ti before needing to change the processor.
   
   This MSI Tomohawk Mobo looks good for the 3600.
   
   So we're at ~$320 for that, or about $640 total. Plus windows that is ~$730.
   
   The RAM Inty recommended before should be fine. You only really need 16 GB. This will set you back ~$80. If you find yourself wanting more RAM later down the line you can always add another pair of sticks later and double up your RAM.
   
   That puts us at around ~$800.
   
   $80 for a 750W Fully Modular Corsair PSU is basically a steal. It's refurbished though, although that shouldn't be a problem - especially with a PSU.
   
   We're at ~$880.
   
   Some good thermal paste for your CPU.
   
   We're now at ~$890.
   
   Storage depends on what you want to do. Do you install a lot of stuff and files at once? In which case you might want to get a nice sized SSD plus a big HDD.
   
   For your system drive. Plenty of space, good price, AND its an nvme SSD.
   
   That makes for ~$990.
   
   If you need lots of extra space
   
   If you need extreme extra space
   
   Keyboard and case are up to you, decide as you please. For the case just make sure that it can support an ATX mobo, as the mobo listed here is full ATX. Mechanical keyboards are crack, but they tend to be more expensive so they're probably out of range. This will be another $100 to $150 depending on what you pick.
   
   Something to keep in mind though: Your case and your monitors are basically "future proof". In other words, they won't really get "worse" with time or cause future performance issues. So monitors and case are things where you want to consider what you'll eventually want and buy ahead, even if you have to stretch a bit.
   
   This just leaves your monitor. I would NOT recommend a 1080p monitor above 24 in. Honestly, if you can go for a 1440p monitor then do it. I'm a bit of a resolution whore tho, so if 1080p works for you then that's fine. I would also avoid TN panels - they tend to look more washed out, tinny, and have worse viewing angles . . . although they also tend to be a fair bit cheaper than the good panels (namely IPS panels).
   
   I used to own one of these . . . it was vvy vvy gud. This is a relatively artsy monitor, so if color gamut correctness or whatever is important for you for photo or video editing or whatever, then this is a good pick. It's a bit expensive, yeah, but also super gorgeous. It also goes up to 75 Hz. Conversely, get a freesync monitor, and this one is probably good - haven't done much research on it, but Dells are generally pretty good in my experience (my current 4K monitor is a Dell too). Freesync will allow you to basically eliminate screen tearing and will provide a smoother feeling experience because it will even out frame rates better.
   
   One last thing to keep in mind: Shopping around on ebay and other sites can save you a fair bit. My rule of thumb is to never, ever buy sensitive parts like hard-drives, cpus, or motherboards second hand or refurbished. But everything else is fair game. So refurbished GPUs, Monitors, PSUs, Cases, etc. should be fine. Pre-owned? Ehhh . . . that I'm much, much more sketchy on - personally I wouldn't, but that's just me.
   
   So in total it'd be somewhere in the range of $1500 including monitor, OS, case, and keyboard. The system itself is around $1000. But you can perhaps knock off a hundred bucks or two by shopping around and looking for where you can buy these parts cheaper than Amazon.
   
   But again: investing in a good monitor and case can be worth it. It means you won't have to replace it if/when you do upgrade. And worst case scenario you can offload your monitor as a side/secondary monitor when you upgrade your monitor to a new one.

Here is a list of things that he probably will need:

• Microphone: I suggest a standalone mic. Audio quality is very important. I suggest the ATR2100 for a starting mic. It's a USB mic so it plugs right in and is good. It is a dynamic mic, which will help reduce background noise. It has XLR capability for future expansion.
  
  
• Game capture: if he is playing a console game then he will need a capture card. The Elgato Game Capture HD is a very versatile card. If he is playing on PC then he just needs software. OBS is a free game capture and streaming program with lots of great features and good quality. I highly suggest startign with OBS because it is free and has everyhting he will need. That way he can test the waters and determine if he wants to do YouTube/Twitch. If you want a paid program, I highly suggest DxTory.
  
  
• Video editor: This is optional, but REALLY helps get a better quality video. If you don't already have a video editor (or are using Windows Movie Maker) then I suggest Hitfilm 3 Express which is a good program for beginners and is free. Blender also has a free video editor built in that I've heard good things about. If you want a paid program, I suggest Sony Movie Studios 13 Platinum or Adobe Premiere Elements 14.
  
  
• Image editing program: He will need to make artwork for his channel. I use Gimp which is a free program that works well. Paint.net is another good free program as well.
  
  
• Headphones: Also optional. Headphones really help your audio quality because you can listen to the game audio without using speakers, which would echo the game audio through your microphone. Any headphones or ear buds will do, they don't have to be "gaming" ones.
  
  That's all you should need. The only thing you really should need to buy is a microphone. Everything else you can find a free version that should do everything he needs and more. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to let me know and I'll help you out :D

Hey there! PC making is something I enjoy doing mainly as I know what's going into a build then so if it fucks up it's all on me too :P

The one thing I'm a big advocate of when it comes to builds is balance. Some of the things you have are nice in the list but some parts you're paying more for when you won't get a noticeable kickback on them with the other parts.

If the $1000 is just for the rig itself (not monitors, keyboard, mouse etc) I'd personally go for something like this:

• OS: Everyone always forgets to budget for it :P I'd still say to buy Win 7 64-bit. You can buy just the 64-bit install disc on amazon for $97.25 normally the logic is to get the most recent OS but win 8 has that much extra stuff running that just isn't needed you'll spend half the time ripping pieces out of it ;) side note: I'd advise creating a USB boot drive for the install, download the SP1 ISO from here (that's the MS host Digital River) and just use the CD-key from your purchase to validate.
  
  
• Processor: intel i5-4570 - really solid i5 which if you're after gaming and just general use it does the job more than happily. Can get them all over but tend to be around $200
  
  
• Cooler - use the stock part that comes with the i5 above. You're not overclocking as the processor doesn't allow it so it will handle things happily.
  
  
• GPU: GTX 760 - if I were going for a AMD processor it'd be the R9-280 here but the 760 is the more solid GPU for the price here at around $250
  
  
• RAM: Kingston HyperX Blu 8GB - this is a single chip and a lot of folks would say go with 2x4gb but with the rest of the system it'll make little difference and this single chip leaves upgrade space. For all current (and new) games coming out, you still won't get close to maxing out 8GB RAM. Plus at the $70 price on Amazon, you can't complain ;)
  
  
• Install Drive: SanDisk Extreme II 120GB SSD. Pop the OS onto this for some lightning fast boot times. You can pop the odd game and such onto a drive of this size too. Prices of it vary massively right now as only some places have offers on it, look around as you should get it for $80
  
  
• Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1 TB HDD - this will be the main storage for the rig and for $50 there's nothing better.
  
  
• PSU: Seasonic M12II 620. I'm not 100% on if this is the first build or not, so I've gone with a slightly more expensive modular power unit so you don't have to fiddle around tidying cables that you won't use, you can just use those you do need with this. $90
  
  
• Motherboard: MSI Z97-G45 Gaming - to be honest, there's a lot of boards around the $140-150 mark to make a nice system but this has a few more nice little features on it to help the gamers ;) normally $145
  
  
• Case: Corsair 400R - personal favourite of mine. It's really spacious so will make the building easy for you. Can be anywhere from $90-100 depending on where you buy.
  
  TOTAL PRICE: $1072.25
  
  The only change I'd make to this is the PSU if you're comfortable with cable management, as then I'd go for the SeaSonic S12II 620 instead (basically the same unit but not modular) for $65. Would bring total down to $1047.25

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
CPU | Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor | $249.89 @ OutletPC
CPU Cooler | Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler | $24.75 @ OutletPC
Motherboard | MSI Z170A KRAIT GAMING ATX LGA1151 Motherboard | $132.98 @ Newegg
Memory | Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory | $69.99 @ Newegg
Storage | A-Data Premier SP550 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive | $59.99 @ Amazon
Storage | Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $49.89 @ OutletPC
Video Card | Gigabyte GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB WINDFORCE 3X Video Card | $599.99 @ Amazon
Case | NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case | $64.99 @ Newegg
Power Supply | EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply | $79.99 @ NCIX US
Operating System | Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 OEM 3-Pack (64-bit) | $107.99
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
| Total (before mail-in rebates) | $1490.45
| Mail-in rebates | -$50.00
| Total | $1440.45
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-03 19:10 EST-0500 |

---

##Rationale:

CPU: I went with an Skylake i5 processor (i5-6500K) for it's great raw performance and efficient power usage. It's an unlocked processor so you can overclock with it (I highly recommend it, it's a free boost in performance).

CPU Cooler: A Hyper 212 EVO from Cooler Master. It's a nice and quiet cooler.

Motherboard: An ATX Z170 mobo from MSI. It's good quality and supports SLI if you want to add a second GPU down the line.

Memory: 2x8GB of DDR4 RAM. Might be considered overkill, but with games like The Division recommending 8GB, 16GB is a good buffer.

Storage: 1TB WD Blue for mass storage plus a 240GB AData SP550 SSD for boot and a few games/programs.

GPU: A GTX 980Ti graphics card from EVGA. It's is one of the best cards on the market for it's price and should be able to handle most games at 1440p 60FPS+ ultra settings.

Case: The NZXT S340 is a good case with great airflow and cable management. It also has a slick design that's very different from that cheesy "gamer case" look.

PSU: The 750W GS from EVGA is one of the best PSUs on the market. It's very high quality and should last a long time.

OS: Windows 7 as requested. Get it here on Amazon

---

Good luck with your build, OP!

I've been helping people pick computer parts a lot lately, and here's my go-to current build (as in, where I feel price/performance is optimized)--it's usually around $1000, NOT including monitors. I built two for my company (minus the video card), and they are wonderful. If you want to compare: CPUs, GPUs.

>Case: Corsair 200R, $73

>http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Carbide-200R-Compact-CC-9011023-WW/dp/B009GXZ8MM/

>Cases cheaper than this price point will become flimsy, break, literally cut you, and otherwise fall apart over time. I like the way the 200R is, too--no LEDs, no weird shapes, and 2.5" drive slots.

-

>Motherboard: Asus Z97-A, $145

>http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-Z97-A-DDR3-2600-Motherboards/dp/B00K2MAU5Q/

>This is a medium range motherboard with PWM case fan pins: an extremely quiet combo. It's more important than you think.

-

>CPU: i7-4790K, $336

>http://www.amazon.com/Intel-i7-4790K-Processor-Cache-BX80646I74790K/dp/B00KPRWAX8/

>While we're on CPUs: GHZ MEANS ALMOST NOTHING FOR PERFORMANCE. My 2Ghz i7 in my Mac outperforms my 4Ghz 2500K in my desktop. It's annoying that it's even mentioned in anything but overclocking guides.

-

>Memory: 16GB Corsair Vengeance (2x8GB), $130

>http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Vengeance-Desktop-Memory-CMZ16GX3M2A1600C10/dp/B006EWUO22/

>I find myself always using >8GB. Task Manager tells me I'm at 9GB with lots apps but no actual games open.

-

>Graphics Card: EVGA GTX 960, $210

>http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-Dual-Link-Graphics-02G-P4-2966-KR/dp/B00SC6HAS4/

>The 960 was recently released, but the 750 and the 900 series are very powerful and power efficient, and EVGA makes great cards.

-

>PSU: Corsair CX 600W, $60

>http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Builder-Watt-EPS%C2%A0-CX600/dp/B0092ML0OC/

>I skimped on a PSU once (it was "Diablotek"). It took my motherboard and a stick of RAM with it when it died.

-

>SSD: Samsung 850 EVO 250GB, $135

>http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-2-5-Inch-Internal-MZ-75E250B-AM/dp/B00OAJ412U/

-

>OS: Windows 8.1 Full Version (not OEM), $100:

>http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Windows-8-1-Full-Version/dp/B00EDSI7QO/

Current total: $1189 + tax, way over budget, so...


>The PSU can be replaced with a 500W EVGA for $17 less:

>http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-80PLUS-Certified-ATX12V-100-W1-0500-KR/dp/B00H33SFJU

-

>The SSD can be replaced by a 2TB 7200RPM drive, where you won't need a 2nd HDD but booting will be much slower, for $60 less:

>http://www.amazon.com/HGST-Deskstar-3-5-Inch-7200RPM-Internal/dp/B003GSLDRC/
(and get the sata3 monoprice cable)

-

>The GPU can be replaced by a GTX 750 Ti, for $65 less, but at a ~30% loss to graphics power (although it's still a great card):

>http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-Superclock-Dual-Link-Graphics-02G-P4-3753-KR/dp/B00IDG3IDO

-

>The CPU can be a non-K version (at very little/no performance loss), for $36 less:

>http://www.amazon.com/Intel-Core-i7-4790-Processor-BX80646I74790/dp/B00J56YSLM

>The next step down in terms of CPU is an i5-4690, at ~30% less CPU power, for $80 less. I personally wouldn't go there.

This is at $1015 + tax--still over budget, but going much cheaper really starts to bite into your experiences (and if anyone here can recommend anything to save money, I welcome it).


As for monitors, if you're playing EVE, honestly I'd recommend a 2560x1440 monitor because spreadsheets. However, since those start around $300, my go-to cheaper monitors are the not-bad 22" 1080p ones that can be had for around $140.

>BenQ 24" flicker-free (for comfortable viewing) 1080p TN panel (for faster response times), $140:

>http://www.amazon.com/BenQ-GL2460HM-24-Inch-LED-Lit-Monitor/dp/B00IKDFL4O/

-

>Dell 22" 1080p IPS panel (for better colors and viewing angles), $134:

>http://www.amazon.com/Dell-CFGKT-IPS-LED-21-5-Inch-LED-lit-Monitor/dp/B009H0XQPU/

Source: I've done IT for the past few years, and done dozens of computer purchases/builds.

Notes: I don't buy AMD or ATI unless it's an extreme budget build. I don't buy off-brand because I've had parts break and then not have an RMA available; I've had good experience and RMA support with Corsair and EVGA. You don't really need a CD/DVD drive; you can install Windows from a USB key, but if you're unsure, CD/DVD drives are like $15. If you go with Intel/nVidia Maxwell, you won't really need a >500W PSU.

I don't like to skimp on computers much because, economically, if you're spending even 5-10% of your time waiting for your computer and you earn $10-25/hr, $1000 is paid for in somewhere between 2000-250 hours of use, yet the computer will last at least 3-5 years.

For $2,000, you can score a pretty excellent VR dev rig.

If you're already using UE4, and you've got got your DK1, you're probably relatively familiar with the basic demands— The faster your CPU, the faster everything compiles, and more ability you have to get things done simultaneously outside your IDE. RAM is a similar story, as well letting you play with more polys and textures in whatever modeling program you use. For the GPU, various Oculus people have dropped the hint that you pretty much want a GTX 770 as a baseline for advanced apps [source]. That's consistent with what benchmarks have had to say about what it'll take to drive the (probably) 1440p CV1.

With regards to the OS, there are very few reasons to use Windows 7. You can read some reddit discussions about that here or here, but the moral of the story is that everything works better on 8 except maybe the layout, which you can change.

$2,000 is a good spot— it's pretty much where the bang-for-buck curve becomes a cliff. Here's about how that build looks:

Full-Featured VR Kit

| part | link | | price |
|:-|:-|:-|:-|
|cpu|Intel Core i7-4770K Quad-Core Desktop Processor (3.5 GHz, 8 MB Cache, Intel HD graphics, BX80646I74770K)|amazon|$299.99|
|video card|EVGA GeForce GTX780 SuperClocked w/EVGA ACX Cooler 3GB GDDR5 384bit, DVI-I, DVI-D, HDMI,DP, SLI Ready (03G-P4-2784-KR)|amazon|$509.99|
|ram|G.SKILL Value 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-1600C11D-16GNT|newegg|$127.99|
|motherboard|ASRock Z87 PRO3 LGA 1150 Intel Z87 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard|newegg|$94.99|
|power supply|CORSAIR RM Series RM750 750W ATX12V v2.31 and EPS 2.92 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Full Modular Active PFC Power Supply|newegg|$129.99|
|case|Corsair Carbide Series Black 400R Mid Tower Computer Case (CC-9011011-WW)|amazon|$79.99|
|ssd|Crucial M500 240GB SATA 2.5" 7mm (with 9.5mm adapter) Internal Solid State Drive CT240M500SSD1|newegg|$114.99|
|hard drive|Western Digital WD10EZEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive, Blue - OEM|newegg|$59.99|
|disc drive|Lite-On Super AllWrite 24X SATA DVD+/-RW Dual Layer Drive - Bulk - IHAS124-04 (Black)|amazon|$20.65|
|operating system|Windows 8.1 System Builder OEM DVD 64-Bit|amazon|$92.00|
|fans|Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO - CPU Cooler with 120mm PWM Fan (RR-212E-20PK-R2)|amazon|$32.00|
|monitor|LG IPS234V-PN Black 23" 14ms (GTG) HDMI Widescreen LED Backlight LCD Monitor IPS 250 cd/m2 5,000,000:1x2|newegg|$299.98|
|||||
| |See current build price with shipping and tax| total | $1862.55|

Learn more and customize this build at kit.computer.


This leaves you with wiggle-room, to make a couple decisions based on your uses and preferences. You could bump one of the monitors up to 27" 1440p, you could bump the very capable GTX 780 up to a 780 Ti, you could move up to 32GB of RAM, increase the size of the SSD, or just pocket the change. It really depends on what apps you're trying to produce, and what your workflow looks like— if it were me, I'd lean towards the 1440p screen, just for workflow reasons.

If you have any questions (or anything to teach me), let me know!

I use Photoshop to make my thumbnails, Final Cut Pro to do 99% of my editing, and Motion (basically Apple's version of After Effects) to do any "fancy" edits. This is not a very wallet friendly option though.

As for free/cheap software, there's the most basic editing software out there, Movie Maker. Sony Movie Studio isn't bad (from what i've read). It's like the little brother of Sony Vegas. Less expensive, less features, but you can still get a lot done with it. I've only played around with it for a few minutes, but Hitfilm 4 Express is free. I think it's more for people looking for a lot of effect-type things, but you'll be able to do basic edits that any other video editor could do. Lightworks is another option.

For thumbnails and art, i'll just copy/paste what I wrote for someone else a few days ago. If you're looking for sites to make thumbnails, there's Backgrounder and Pixlr. Backgrounder has some templates for thumbnails, channel art, Twitter art, and a few other things. They aren't crazy good or anything, but they will be better than nothing. Pixlr is sort of like an online version of Photoshop or Gimp. It's got some filters, masking options, layers, and some layer style options (things like stroke, drop shadow, and bevel). Considering the fact that it's free and online, Pixlr is a pretty good tool. If you're looking for free programs, as /u/StandardToast mentioned, Gimp is really good. I took an art class recently, and my professor said Gimp is pretty much Photopshop, just a few versions behind. Some of the tools that came with the most recent version of Photoshop won't be in Gimp, but you can still get a lot done with it. I know very little about Gimp, but I know less about Paint.NET. It's free, and can do some imagine manipulation.

Your question about drivers is a great one and one that I had troubles getting answers to as well. It may be covered off by another reply but here was my experience on my first time build this weekend.
1)Built PC
2)Plugged wireless mouse/keyboard into USB drive
2)Turned on PC booted to Bios succesfully
3)Turned of PC
4)Inserted Windows 10 USB that i purchased from Amazon into the USB 3.0 port on the front of my case.
https://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Windows-Home-Flash-Drive/dp/B01019T6O0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1473791516&sr=8-2&keywords=windows+10
4)Inserted LAN cable into the back of the PC
5) Turned the computer back on.
6) Windows prompt popped up asking if i wanted to install windows 10.
7) Followed the prompts for set-up. (This took 10 minutes tops) so streamlined and simple for a guy that doesn't claim to be super technical.
8) On a different PC with internet access i went to my motherboard manufactures website (MSI Gaming M3).
9) Navigated to the driver download list.
10) Located the most recent LAN driver.
11) Saved it to a USB
12) Inserted the USB into my newly built computer.
13) Opened and installed the file from the USB.
14) Once this was installed Windows 10 recognized my LAN connection
15) Windows automatically identifies all drivers that need updating, downloads and installs them.

I had a ton of heartburn around the process and was amazed out how easily it all worked. Good luck and thanks for your service. Also all of your research and time spent on this sub will totally payoff. Enjoy!

This one: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-Movie-Studio-13-Platinum/dp/B00HRQB216

To clairify - There is Movie Studio, Movie Studio Platinum, Movie Studio Platinum Suite.

Movie Studio is intended for very basic use, like family home videos, (II think it also has limited rendering options).

MS Platinum contains the basic version plus an advanced version more appropriate to making internet videos. It also lets you render in 1080p.

MS Platinum Suite contains the Platinum version plus tons of additional software. It has an audio recording program with plugins and tools. It has a software which lets you compose music. And I think it also has some kind of image editor. Furthermore it comes with a very large amount of royalty free resources like sound effects, music, images and fonts which you can use in monetized videos.

The suite version is the best value for money, but I recommend the platinum version. After trying suite 11, I found the extra content did not sustain any appeal.

For recording audio I recommend audacity. It's free and there are tons of tutorials you can find on Youtube and Google.

For editng images, I recommend Photoshop for the same reasons. I use photoshop 7, which is super old, and get by just fine.

For royalty free music, Youtube has a lot of good stuff and there are many websites you can see find as well.

And I don't have the talent/time to compose my own music.

There is nothing worde than buying new software and having noone to turn to to ask questions. Even the sales department for Sony Productions website failed to send me a response, let alone technical support.

>Which is something you clearly don't have since you are arguing that a prebuilt is better.

Being cheeky, are we?

>Send me a link to a prebuilt GAMING rig that is cheaper than a partlist with similar specs, lets say with a gtx 980.

Okay...

I just went to the HP business outlet website and I found a PC tower with Win8Pro (~$130), an intel core i7-4770 (~$370), and 500 GB HDD (~$50), 4 GB ram (~$40), a DVD drive (~$20), a business type tower case (~$20), a PSU you'll need to replace ($0), and no dedicated graphics card. I'm sure there are other components in that mix you'll re-use as well, but I'm not going to actually open the spec sheet.

These components individually add up to $670. The tower is being sold for $499. That means you'll save a minimum of $170 when starting your build with this pre-built.

The cost of your gtx980 is about $650 on a good day. Its a pretty neat card, but any rig it comes preloaded on is going to be overpriced gamer shit. So, the cost of building the above tower with that card is $670+$60 PSU+$650 GPU = $1380. The cost of buying and retrofitting is $499+$60 PSU+$650 GPU = $1209. That is a 12% discount.

Of course, that isn't a huge savings, but it is still a pretty good start for 10 minutes of looking. The reason you save money is because the PC gamer market has a premium markup: Buyers are willing to pay not only for good hardware, but for the best. The pre-built gaming rigs are marked up 30%-40%, and the gamer specific parts are also marked up 30%-40%. If you buy a business type computer, you'll be paying a lesser markup for the included components. That's why all of my computers have been workstation type models. When you buy laptops, look for models marketed to graphics designers. Business stuff and overstock is simply cheaper.

Somewhat urgent

So I just bought an entire new set of computer parts to get put together, but I don't have an OS. The build is a slightly older version of The Annihilator.

I've also checked around the subreddit to learn about Windows 7 vs Windows 10, as those are the only two operating systems that I think I'd want.

So here are a couple questions:

For someone who is mainly going to be gaming on this computer, what are the pros and cons of Windows 7 and 10?

Windows 10 seems to be $110 on amazon, and Windows 7 seems to be $40. Money isn't really an issue, but are either of these worth it? Is getting a bootleg copy a viable option?

Edit: thanks for the help everyone! so I got some help from a great local shop called Green PC in Tacoma Washington. What happened is they told me about how you can use Windows 7 keys to get a free upgrade to Windows 10. They sold me a really cheap old laptop with a Windows 7 key and said they'd do the upgrade and installation for free.

Thank you for the reply!

Thanks for the info on the CPU cooler, since I'm going to be staying with the i7 6700K would it be smarter to get a water cooler? Two Cryorig coolers are standing out to me, either the air cooler H5 Universal http://pcpartpicker.com/product/jK8H99/cryorig-cpu-cooler-h5universal or the water/hybrid Cryorig A40 http://pcpartpicker.com/product/kbhj4D/cryorig-cpu-cooler-a40 I'm curious about what would be most necessary for keeping everything cool.

Thanks for the heads up on the OS key, I didn't know that was a thing when purchasing OS keys. Would going with this one from Microsoft be a safe option? https://amzn.com/B01019T6O0 Would I be able to deactivate and reactivate it to use on a different computer if need be?

You've got me interested in a power line adapter now, I'm just looking for a short term solution until I'm able to run a line to where my computer is. Are there any power line adapters in particular that you recommend?

I'm planning on bumping up the PSU to a 750, would that be enough for upgrades in the future or would an 850 be a better option? I'm already pushing my upgrade limit right now so something really beefy would be a little farther in the future. A 1070 is plenty of power for me for a little while. (I think).

Thank you for the time you put into responding to me, I really do appreciate it.

CPU - Ryzen 5 1600 ($194.99) 

Motherboard - MSI B350 PC MATE ATX AM4 ($88.99)

RAM - Corsair Vengeance LPX 8gb ($92.99)

Storage - Seagate Barracuda 3.5" 2tb ($59.99)

GPU - MSI GTX 1050 Ti ($224.99)

Power Supply - Corsair CXM 550w ($59.99)

OS - Windows 10 64bit ($99.99) 

Wifi - Asus PCE-AC55BT B1 ($34.99)

Card Reader - Rosewill RDCR-11004 ($25.99)

Case - Corsair 200R Mid Tower ($59.99)****


TOTAL: $942.90 (Before Taxes) 

****This case is a placeholder. It works in this build, but I left room for you to choose your own.

Make sure the case is a Mid Tower ATX case, and has at least one 5.25 optical drive bay. 

-------------------
SPECS----

CPU: Ryzen 5 - 1600 (3.2ghz 6 core) 

GPU: GTX 1050ti

RAM: 8gb DDR4

Usb2.0: 8

Usb3.0: 2

Usb3.1: 4

Card Readers: Yes

Disk Drive: No

Wifi: Yes

Bluetooth: Yes (4.0)

HDMI: Yes

Ethernet: Yes

------------------
LINKS----

CPU: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XNRQHG4/?tag=pcpapi-20


Motherboard: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XPM7FSR/?tag=pcpapi-20


RAM: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01ARHBBPS/?tag=pcpapi-20


Storage: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01IEKG402/ref=dp_ob_neva_mobile


GPU: https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814137055&ignorebbr=1&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-PCPartPicker,%20LLC-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=


PowerSupply: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01B72W0A2/?tag=pcpapi-20


OS: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ZSI7Y3U/?tag=pcpapi-20


Wifi: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0713RRZMB/?tag=pcpapi-20


Card Reader: https://www.amazon.com/Rosewill-2-Port-Internal-Connector-RDCR-11004/dp/B007YDJJFS


Case: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009GXZ8MM/?tag=pcpapi-20

***Oh, and if you need help with how to do it this guy is pretty good.
https://youtu.be/IhX0fOUYd8Q

Here's the build. It has a white and silver (except for the black power cables but you can either get grey extensions, white extensions, or just white cables) theme.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
CPU | AMD - Ryzen 5 1600 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor | $197.43 @ OutletPC
Motherboard | MSI - B350 TOMAHAWK ARCTIC ATX AM4 Motherboard | $115.55 @ Amazon
Memory | Corsair - Dominator Platinum 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory | $159.88 @ OutletPC
Storage | Western Digital - Blue 250GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive | $89.88 @ OutletPC
Storage | Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $46.88 @ OutletPC
Video Card | Asus - GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB Dual Video Card | $299.99 @ B&H
Case | Phanteks - ECLIPSE P400 TEMPERED GLASS ATX Mid Tower Case | $85.98 @ Newegg
Power Supply | EVGA - SuperNOVA G2 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply | $95.98 @ Newegg
Wireless Network Adapter | Linksys - AE6000 USB 2.0 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Adapter | $19.99 @ Amazon
Case Fan | ARCTIC - F12 PWM 74.0 CFM 120mm Fan | $8.49 @ SuperBiiz
Case Fan | ARCTIC - F12 PWM 74.0 CFM 120mm Fan | $8.49 @ SuperBiiz
Monitor | Acer - KG221Q 21.5" 1920x1080 75Hz Monitor | $109.99 @ Newegg
Keyboard | Logitech - G105 Wired Gaming Keyboard | $29.99 @ Amazon
Mouse | Corsair - Harpoon RGB Wired Optical Mouse | $29.88 @ Amazon
Other| Mouse Pad| $9.99
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
| Total | $1308.39
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-08-29 14:51 EDT-0400 |

Windows 10 can be purchased from Amazon.

To answer your questions:

Overclocking is the act of squeezing out more performance from your CPU, video card, and/or RAM by increasing the voltage and changing frequencies/timings of tasks. This rig is overclockable, but you don't have to. It's just a nice way to get more performance out. You will have to overclock your RAM, though (more on this later).

A SSD (solid-state drive) is a hard drive that does not use a spinning magnetic disk to store data. As a result, you get increased read/write speeds and other performance boosts. I put both types of drives in so that your SSD will be your boot drive (have Windows, other smaller apps), and the HDD will be a mass storage drive.

This video will walk you through the build process step-by-step. This video will walk you through the post build stuff like overclocking the RAM, installing Windows, etc. You're gonna have to update your BIOS, so this video will teach you how. Lastly, this video will teach you how to set up that HDD as your storage drive after you've installed Windows on your SSD.

Good luck! Feel free to ask anything.

EDIT: Fixed one word and added links to the extension cables/white cables.

Lots of things to respond to there!

• Thermal paste: Makes sense :)
  
• ASUS 970: Fair enough, they're all pretty good :)
  
• K70/K95: Wow, the price difference (~$20) isn't as much as I thought. Personal preference there :) I don't use gaming keys so I'd go with the K70 for myself
  
• Win8 Pro: I think it's in stock
  
• SSD: Fair enough
  
• Z97-PRO(AC): Yeah I figured, I want that board too! Looks awesome
  

Looks pretty good. As far as saving money goes, you can get a cheaper motherboard but that's about it unless you wanted to downgrade something.

Here's the cheapest Z170 mobo with SLI support and good reviews I could find.

You can save a couple bucks on ram.

Windows 10 went down to 79.00 on amazon, but I don't see it on pcpartpicker.

Can sacrifice some storage on the HDD if you needed to.

You also have two keyboards on there, not sure if intended or not.

Not saving you much money though.

Edited a list in. Other than this, you can browse r/buildapcsales and see if anything comes up there.

The i7-6700k has been going on sale at different retailers quite frequently the last couple months.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
CPU | Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor | $328.89 @ OutletPC
CPU Cooler | be quiet! DARK ROCK TF 67.8 CFM Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU Cooler | $59.90 @ Newegg
Motherboard | ASRock Z170M Extreme4 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard | $109.99 @ Amazon
Memory | G.Skill Ripjaws 4 Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory | $79.99 @ Newegg
Storage | Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive | $168.95 @ Newegg
Storage | Western Digital BLACK SERIES 4TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $196.99 @ SuperBiiz
Video Card | NVIDIA Titan X (Pascal) 12GB Video Card | $1080.00
Case | NZXT S340 Elite (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case | $89.99 @ SuperBiiz
Power Supply | EVGA SuperNOVA G2 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply | $79.49 @ SuperBiiz
Operating System | Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit | $79.00
Monitor | Asus PG279Q ROG Swift 27.0" 165Hz Monitor | $749.99 @ Best Buy
Keyboard | Razer BlackWidow Chroma Wired Gaming Keyboard | $144.99 @ Newegg
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
| Total | $3168.17
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-11-11 18:03 EST-0500 |

After exploring various options, I've settled on Dxtory for recording. I've been using it for the last year, and I love it. I use Lagarith Lossless codec with it. I use Audacity for cleaning up the audio. For editing, I use Sony Movie Studio Platinum 13. (Apparently $45 for the physical disc on Amazon right now!) I have been meaning to check out DaVinci Resolve, which I've heard good things about, though I think it's a bit more than I need for my purposes.

Everything that you listed is legit, and as you can see, you're getting many of the same recommendations here. I think it's a good idea to be cautious, but it's not necessary to be quite so nervous about downloading software that has been consistently recommended. Aside from ensuring your software is legitimate, the most important aspect of downloading software is to make quite sure that you're downloading it from the proper source (thus why I linked directly to the software I discussed.)

Btw, I use the Yeti as well. It's a good mic, and doesn't need to be right in front of you to work well. I recommend playing with the settings and positioning.

The key she has is good for either 32 bit or 64 bit. This is why she has both versions but one key. So, if this is the same computer that you are talking about in your original post you could re-install with 64-bit (assuming it is a 64 bit CPU) and you will be good to go. Just backup all your documents and important things and do a fresh install after formatting the drive. It will take forever to download all of WoW again but you will have to because there is no upgrade path from 32 bit to 64 bit.

If you want Windows 8 go to Amazon. Win 8.1 Pro is $92. You want System Builder as they call it now It is the full retail version of Windows 8.

I'll give you a little more in-depth+opinion, which is probably what you're looking for here:

1. Yup! Support for installing Windows on your Mac is bundled with Mac OS X in a utility called "Boot Camp Assistant". It comes with all the drivers you need to take full advantage of your Mac's hardware while running Windows. Switching back and forth between the two systems is fairly simple, but you need to restart the computer each time.
   
   
   
2. Very helpful. Practically the whole reason I use Boot Camp. You're also able to install the latest drivers for your graphics card straight from the card's manufacturer (NVIDIA or AMD typically if your Mac comes with one), so you're always getting the best performance possible in the latest games. Heat management is a little wonky so your fans might run loud, but I haven't had any other problems.
   
   
   
3. Here's the current setup guide for Boot Camp. It'll split your drive in two partitions so that Mac and Windows have their own space. You'll be able to install Windows via a USB drive in all Macs made past mid-2012, and you're also able to use a Windows Install DVD if you have a DVD drive on your Mac. You'll need to purchase a full license of Windows 7 rather than an upgrade copy, so it'll cost something like $170, $269 or $292 depending on the features you need. Be sure you're getting the 64-bit version included, where ever you decide to purchase.
   
   
   And welcome to the darkside! Here's a video to give you the basics during your transition.

No problem. Quick reminder that the Windows 10 license you're ordering is on a DVD but you don't have an optical drive. You can order a Windows 10 license pre-installed on a USB here.

If you have another PC that you can use to make your own USB you can purchase a downloadable version here. There are several free tools you can use to do it this way & it's cheaper but it's up to you. Either way you won't run into any issues running the OS once everything is built.

Good luck with the build man, hope all goes well :)

The writing is generally good, but the art often leaves a lot to be desired. That said, there's some great stories here and a lot of really interesting concepts (that unfortunately end up being retconned out each time a new movie arrives). You get the first Klingon in Starfleet, Kirk and co. commanding the Excelsior, a wild Mirror Universe invasion storyline, lots of character growth for Saavik, etc. Honestly, it's worth a read even though the art isn't as good as other Trek series have offered.

If you don't mind digital and want to read it cheap, you can get that series (and many others) in this collection here: https://www.amazon.com/Star-Trek-Complete-Comic-Collection/dp/B001B5KYR2/

I didn't mean to imply that OEM is fake or not legitimate, that's not true.

You want Retail Windows, which is what you'll find on the Microsoft Store and some third-party retailers (marked as retail Windows). You can re-use the key as many times as you need on one PC at a time.

OEM was originally designed for PC manufacturers (like Dell, Alienware, etc) to be put on a laptop or desktop that you would buy pre-built from a big box chain (like Walmart or Best Buy). It is locked to that one PC (it ties itself to the motherboard) so they don't put the same key on a bunch of PCs. Nowadays it is sold by third-party retailers directly to consumers as a "cheap" alternative, but you have to buy a new key every time you make a change to the motherboard, so it isn't actually cheaper.

Grey market keys are super cheap, but cannot be linked here as they are not reliable solution (even implying these are a solution is against the rules on this sub). These are no better than pirated codes in terms of reliability.

What you picked is a great build, and you should be good to start tracking down local prices.

You're not going to get extremely great FPS or future proofing out of it for $750. You could probably multisite to save a few bucks here and there and find some bundles, but I went with Amazon. Really depends if you'd prefer convenience or wouldn't mind shopping from multiple places to compile everything. This should be an acceptable rig for everything you're looking for.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
CPU | AMD - Ryzen 3 1200 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor | $108.99 @ Amazon
CPU Cooler | Cooler Master - Hyper T2 54.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler | $16.99 @ Amazon
Motherboard | MSI - B350M PRO-VDH Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard | $71.99 @ Amazon
Memory | PNY - Anarchy 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory | $124.99 @ Amazon
Storage | Seagate - FireCuda 1TB 2.5" 5400RPM Hybrid Internal Hard Drive | $55.99 @ Amazon
Video Card | Zotac - GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB Mini Video Card | $144.99 @ Amazon
Case | Rosewill - Galaxy-02 ATX Mid Tower Case | $42.49 @ Amazon
Power Supply | Rosewill - 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply | $69.99 @ Amazon
Optical Drive | Lite-On - iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer | $17.69 @ Amazon
Operating System | Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit |$109.98
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
| Total | $761.09

Congratulations! It looks like you just found a nice computer! It appears you're missing a hard drive/solid state drive, SATA cable, and operating system.

To begin, you'll want to get an unused hard drive or solid state drive. These can be found on Amazon, Newegg, or in Bestbuy (among other places). I'll supply links to a few examples below. After you've made you're selection, you'll need a SATA cable. This cable allows you to hook the drive up to your motherboard. The last step is to install Windows. All in all, it's a very simple process albeit a bit time consuming (primarily for the Windows installation).

This is a very simple explanation of an also relatively simple installation/resolution. If you'd like more detailed instructions, I'd be happy to help!

Hard Drive Example

Solid State Drive Example

SATA Cable

Operating System (Windows 10)

Ubuntu is also a FREE operating system that is compatible with your hardware. Most users are experienced with Windows, which is why I listed it. Personally, I prefer Windows over Ubuntu.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
CPU | Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor | $182.95 @ Amazon
Motherboard | Asus H97I-PLUS Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard | $99.00 @ Amazon
Memory | Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory | $38.50 @ Amazon
Storage | Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive | $42.66 @ Amazon
Storage | Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $49.99 @ Amazon
Video Card | Gigabyte Radeon R9 380 4GB SOC Video Card | $229.99 @ Amazon
Case | Phanteks Enthoo EVOLV ITX Mini ITX Tower Case | $69.99 @ Amazon
Power Supply | Corsair CXM 450W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply | $49.99 @ Amazon
Operating System | Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit | $85.95 @ Amazon
Monitor | Acer S220HQLAbd 21.5" 60Hz Monitor | $89.99 @ Amazon
Keyboard | Logitech K120 Wired Standard Keyboard | $9.99 @ Amazon
Mouse | Logitech G402 Wired Optical Mouse | $43.00 @ Amazon
Speakers | Logitech S120 2.3W 2ch Speakers | $15.00 @ Amazon
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
| Total | ~$1006.50
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-07-13 16:43 EDT-0400 |
Comes in a little over 1k, but I included keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, etc. Things you may already have, or have extras of. Mini-ITX check, SSD, check, Windows 10, check (they come in USBs now so no need optical drive). Modular PSU so you can actually fit all your parts in easily. GPU should be able to handle most games satisfactorily. CPU should handle most tasks well. GLHF

This would be my suggestion, which stays in budget:

pc-kombo shared list

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
CPU | AMD Ryzen 3 1300X | $129.99 @ Amazon.com
Motherboard | Gigabyte AB350M-Gaming 3, AMD B350- | $89.99 @ Amazon.com
Memory | Corsair Vengeance LED blue DDR4-3200 CL16 (16 GB) | $139.99 @ Amazon.com
Storage | Toshiba DT01ACA100 1TB 32MB 7.200rpm SATA600 (1 TB) | $45.99 @ Amazon.com
SSD | SanDisk Plus 120GB TLC (120 GB) | $59.75 @ Amazon.com
Video Card | ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1060 Mini | $293.99 @ Amazon.com
Case | Carbide Series SPEC-04 Mid-Tower Gaming — Black/Yellow | $49.99 @ Amazon.com
Power Supply | EVGA 430 W1 (430 W) | $36.99 @ Amazon.com
| Total | $846.68
| Generated by pc-kombo 18.08.2017 |

Windows 10 adds $110, https://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Windows-Home-Flash-Drive/dp/B01019T6O0/. That leaves 1100 - (846 + 110) = $144 for the display, which makes https://www.amazon.com/Dell-SE2416HX-Screen-LED-Lit-Monitor/dp/B01717TLMM a good fit.

The 1300X is a reasonable fast quad-core processor on AM4, a platform that will see additional upgrade options in the future. The GTX 1060 with 6GB Vram is powerful enough to play current and coming AAA games on good settings. The 16GB fast ram give Ryzen a boost, and 16GB is enough for a good while. The buidl has a small SSD for Windows, the browser and one or two favourite games, and a 1TB HDD (7200RPM) for the rest.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
CPU | Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor | $199.89 @ OutletPC
Motherboard | Gigabyte GA-H110M-A Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard | $49.99 @ Amazon
Memory | Corsair Vengeance LPX 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory | $29.99 @ Newegg
Storage | Corsair Force LS 60GB 2.5" Solid State Drive | $30.99 @ Newegg
Storage | Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $46.89 @ OutletPC
Video Card | EVGA GeForce GTX 960 4GB FTW ACX 2.0+ Video Card | $219.99 @ Amazon
Case | Corsair Carbide SPEC-M2 MicroATX Mid Tower Case | $45.99 @ Amazon
Power Supply | Corsair CX 500W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply | $37.98 @ Newegg
Optical Drive | LG GH24NSC0B DVD/CD Writer | $13.99 @ Newegg
Operating System | Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) | $87.95 @ OutletPC
Case Fan | Corsair CO-9050015-BLED 52.2 CFM 120mm Fan | $11.24 @ OutletPC
Case Fan | Corsair CO-9050015-BLED 52.2 CFM 120mm Fan | $11.24 @ OutletPC
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
| Total (before mail-in rebates) | $816.13
| Mail-in rebates | -$30.00
| Total | $786.13
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-06 22:00 EST-0500 |

This first build looks a bit nicer, it has windowed case and blue LED fans to show off your work, as well as a more clutter free semi-modular power supply, you'll only be using the cables you need, so you won't see a bunch of extra cables through the window.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
CPU | Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor | $199.89 @ OutletPC
Motherboard | Gigabyte GA-H110M-A Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard | $49.99 @ Amazon
Memory | Corsair Vengeance LPX 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory | $29.99 @ Newegg
Storage | Corsair Force LS 60GB 2.5" Solid State Drive | $30.99 @ Newegg
Storage | Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $46.89 @ OutletPC
Video Card | EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB SSC ACX 2.0+ Video Card | $299.99 @ NCIX US
Case | DIYPC MA08-BK MicroATX Mini Tower Case | $25.99 @ Newegg
Power Supply | Thermaltake TR2 600W ATX Power Supply | $19.99 @ Newegg
Optical Drive | LG GH24NSC0B DVD/CD Writer | $13.99 @ Newegg
Operating System | Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) | $87.95 @ OutletPC
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
| Total (before mail-in rebates) | $870.66
| Mail-in rebates | -$65.00
| Total | $805.66
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-06 22:04 EST-0500 |

The second build is $6 over budget after rebates, but you get a 40% faster graphics card. No window, but I don't know how much you really care about that.

In both PCs you'll be lucky enough to install Windows and your top most used programs (Internet browser, etc.) on the 60GB SSD (super fast but low capacity), and most of your programs/games on the 1 TB HDD (slower but very high capacity). If you want to save yourself ~$30 you can just knock it off either build, but an SSD is gonna make your computer feel crazy fast, so I don't recommend it.

If you want, you can put the second build in the firsts' windowed case, it'll just be $20 more, and you can always get the fans later if you want them. The case comes with one already.

Oh, and for some reason it is cheaper to buy windows + a DVD drive, than windows on a USB stick. Go figure. It is $32 more to buy windows 10 on USB on amazon than to buy it on a disc wherever it's cheapest, and the DVD drive is $13. If you don't want to deal with the hassle of a DVD drive in either build (since when else are you going to use it?) you can spend around $20 more and get it on USB. http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Windows-Home-Flash-Drive/dp/B01019T6O0/

This is your build, you have unlimited options.

https://www.amazon.com/Windows-Professional-System-Builder-Packaging/dp/B00H09BOXQ

That is Professional, here is Home Premium:

https://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Windows-Premium-System-Builder/dp/B00H09BB16

In the side you can select "shipped and sold by Amazon" if you are worried about getting a legit copy.

https://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Windows-Premium-System-Builder/dp/B00H09BB16

PS- if you buy Win 7, you can upgrade to Win 10, burn a Win 10 installation CD and get a product key, then go back to Win 7 and now you have options for both if you ever want to upgrade for free in the future.

Didn't think of looking up specific hardware prices until you said this so here you go:

GTX 980M $340

i7-6700HQ $380

4K Display $200

32GB RAM $145

256GB NVMe SSD $103

1TB HDD $50

Backpack $75

Windows 10 $99

I pay for shipping, $0.

Total: $1392

I'll update my price to $1000.

When I was looking to post this a week ago I had a hard time finding how to price this since when I bought it I bought the upgraded version of it, so when I looked online I either saw worse models for less, and slightly better models for far more. I could never find one with my exact specs.

Lo and behold, the day before I post, someone puts up an Ebay bid for a slightly worse model at $800 + shipping, but when I look on Amazon I still see $1800, $1700, etc.

I saw as low as $700 for an Alienware 15 R2, and as high as $2100 for an Alienware 17 R3 but with a GTX 1080, and newer processor. I asked friends and their suggestions ranged from $1200-1900.

What would you say is the best approach for correctly valuing your tech? I'm just trying to find a fair price for both parties.

There's two sorta catches that go along with PartPicker.

• You have to pay attention to the merchants, in that it will automatically pick the cheapest vendor that it can find the part at. So depending on where you shop it might add up. I would suggest starting with Amazon. As you can see the RAM and OS isn't available, but you can pick another brand of RAM like this and swap it out. You can also get a copy of the OS through Amazon like this (Win7 is also available if you don't like 8).
  

  
  

  PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
  

  
  

  Type|Item|Price
  

  ----|:----|:----
  CPU | Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor | $191.99 @ Amazon
  Motherboard | MSI Z97 PC MATE ATX LGA1150 Motherboard | $107.69 @ Amazon
  Memory | G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory |-
  Storage | Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $49.99 @ Amazon
  Case | NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case | $39.99 @ Amazon
  Power Supply | Corsair CSM 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply | $79.74 @ Amazon
  Optical Drive | Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer | $19.29 @ Amazon
  Operating System | Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) |-
  | | Total
  | Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available | $488.69
  | Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-07-24 17:52 EDT-0400 |
  
  

• The second catch is that PartPicker includes rebates, so if you look at the build and look part by part there are rebates that have to be turned in to get to that price. It also doesn't factor in complete shipping or taxes AFAIK, so there's that as well.

Windows is the easy part so I'll start with that: [$85 on Amazon] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ZSI7Y3U).

With video editing as the primary focus, the i7-6700K is going to be your target at that budget-- and while it is overclockable, you don't need to overclock it to get better performance than the i7-6700. [This build also has an RX 480] (https://www.theaipc.com/result/c1468166669259) which should give you good to very good performance at 1080p on almost all games-- though wait a bit for it to start coming back in stock if you can, probably a week or two (the performance is great if it's at list price, stores that have it in stock are currently running $350 instead of $200).

I will say to not bother with the case in that build-- it's not going to give you the kind of airflow you may want if doing intense video editing and won't fit the motherboard properly. [This Corsair] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I0MKMG2) should do you well, though.

All told that'd be a beast of a machine for ~$1400.

I think your note at the end is entirely /u/morpheousmarty's point though. Finding a Core 2 Duo with 2 GB RAM for $6 is highly unlikely. I'd even go so far as to say extremely rare. The same can be said for someone selling their console for $20.

Assume you found a PC for $6, but didn't have a friend that could basically give you the rest of the parts. It would break down something like this:

• 2GB DDR2 - ($18)
  
• GeForce GT 640, 2GB - ($90)
  
• Windows 8.1 System Builder - ($95)
  
• (Not mentioned in OP) Dell 19" LCD Monitor - ($85 (Refurb))
  
  That's a total of $288. Granted, that's assuming that you're going for new parts. That is still cheaper than a current gen (PS4, XBone) console.
  
  My point is that even a low-end gaming PC will cost you between $250 and $400 assuming that you aren't able to scavenge the parts as fortuitously as OP was able to. We all agree that PC is the superior gaming platform, but let's not delude ourselves into thinking that building a PC for $26 is the norm.

About a decade ago I got the complete collection on a DVD Rom. I'm surprised its still available, honestly, I think it's one of those unknown treasures. I've honestly only read a few of them, there's just so damn many stories I know I'll never be able to read them all.

I read the DC issues in their second run of TOS in the early 90's. They felt heavily heavily influenced by TNG at the time, for obvious reasons. I've read the early Marvel comics, and I learned just recently that one of the reasons they were so terrible is that they were totally restricted to using just elements found in the first film. They had grand plans of making sequels to old iconic episodes but weren't allowed.

One thing I liked about the 80's DC comics was that they created their own secondary cast to play around with, including a Klingon who joined Starfleet, well before TNG was developed.

I managed to pick up this collection from a Half Price Books but I've only read a handful of the stories so far. I really liked The Gorn Crisis from Wildstorm comics and most of the monthly comics for each series from marvel that I've read. I also like most of the IDW comics, like Blood Will Tell. Some aren't the best, like Hive, but are still enjoyable and the art is usually good. Romulans: Pawns of War is another good IDW story, and I've really enjoyed the ongoing series for the reboot films.

I'm hoping editing computer build questions are allowed?

Im currently building an editing computer and had some questions.

Ive been editing my gopro footage on an old power mac g5 with imovie09 and its time for an upgrade. Im going to be filming with a gopro and uploading to youtube. The computer wont be used for anything else.

This is my first build. I followed this workflow found in the side bar of /r/gopro and had the items on my amazon wish list.my family got together and bought me a bunch of stuff for my birthday!!!




|Type |Item
----------------------------|-------------------|---------
Motherboard| ASRock H77 Pro4/MVP ATX LGA1155|
Memory| Patriot Viper 3 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600|
Storage| Seagate Barracuda 1.5TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive|
Case|NZXT Source 210 Elite White ATX Mid Tower|
Power Supply|OCZ ModXStream Pro 600W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V / EPS12V|

I still need a processor Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor

and a EVGA GeForce GTX 560 Ti 1GB Video Card as well as editing software. Im familiar with final cut but might try out some other editing programs and see what I think of them.

My questions are:

1.Will a specific editing program go better with this setup than another program?

2. Is this a good monitor? Im assuming if im just editing/uploading footage to the internet I dont really need a super expensive monitor?

3. What should I used for wireless internet? is the Rosewill 54Mbps Wireless Adapter Card (RNX-G300LX) any good?

4. Speakers? I just need something simple

5. Operating system? Microsoft Windows 8.1?

6. V7 KC0A2-4L3P Keyboard?

7. Optical mouse?

Am I missing anything?

Thanks in advance for your help. Cant wait to get the rest of the parts and start editing on a decent computer!

This is the best I could come up with if you are going to only use amazon like you stated. There are better builds you could do for this price range, but you would have to buy from multiple merchants.

Windows 7 is manually set because PCPartPicker wouldn't set for Amazons price, also here is a link to it on amazon at the price I gave you.

If you have any more questions let me know and I'll see what I can do!

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
CPU | Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor | $119.99 @ Amazon
Motherboard | ASRock B85 Pro4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard | $86.46 @ Amazon
Memory | Crucial Ballistix Sport XT 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory | $74.99 @ Amazon
Storage | Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $58.00 @ Amazon
Video Card | MSI GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB TWIN FROZR Video Card | $159.99 @ Amazon
Case | Enermax OSTROG ATX Mid Tower Case | $44.99 @ Amazon
Power Supply | Corsair CX 430W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply | $49.99 @ Amazon
Operating System | Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) | $98.40
| | Total
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available | $692.81

Best bet is to just buy an OEM copy and do a clean install of Windows. Like I mentioned before, unless you plan on joining the PC to a domain, using group policy, etc. then Pro is just a waste of $40 over Home Premium.


http://www.amazon.com/Windows-Professional-System-Builder-Packaging/dp/B00H09BOXQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1396624323&sr=8-2&keywords=windows+7


http://www.amazon.com/Windows-Premium-System-Builder-Packaging/dp/B00H09BB16/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1396624323&sr=8-1&keywords=windows+7



Or if you want to go to Windows 8.1, I'd recommend that. It's a very stable and fast OS, and is a huge improvement over Win7 despite the internet nay-sayers. Also, the "full" copies of Win8.1 costs as much as the OEM copies of Win7. (Full=transferable license, OEM=license tied to one machine and non-transferable)


http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Windows-8-1-Full-Version/dp/B00EDSI7QO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1396624517&sr=8-1&keywords=windows+8.1

Get Avast, it's significantly better than Norton, also it's free!

As for Windows, Windows 8 is about $100 right now, but I'd recommend it since 7 isn't much cheaper. You might be able to find a better deal if you look around though. Also, if you're a college student you might be able to get it free through your school.

I recommend getting a "retail" version of win10 (costs $120 on Amazon) and not an "OEM" version (costs $100 on Amazon).

The OEM key can only be used on the first activated computer. If you plan on doing a new build or need to replace the MOBO you need to buy a brand new product key.

With the retail version if you want to upgrade or need to replace the MOBO you can deactivate the key on your current system and then transfer the key to the latest and greatest (you cannot have the same key active on multiple devices though).

I believe Microsoft's website only sells retail versions (and does not sell OEM) but if looking elsewhere (like Amazon or Newegg) the retail version is normally ~$20 USD more expensive than OEM but well worth it if you are considering upgrading in the future^1.


^1 Windows 10 is the last "planned" version of the Windows OS, so getting the retail version means you have one key that "should" last for the rest of your life.

Edit: Added links for reference and added some clarity.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
CPU | Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor | $189.99 @ Amazon
Motherboard | MSI Z87-G41 PC Mate ATX LGA1150 Motherboard | $49.99 @ Newegg
Memory | G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory | $79.99 @ Newegg
Storage | Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $53.99 @ Amazon
Video Card | PowerColor Radeon R9 270 2GB TurboDuo Video Card | $99.99 @ Newegg
Case | Corsair SPEC-01 RED ATX Mid Tower Case | $39.99 @ Newegg
Power Supply | Corsair Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply | $25.00 @ Newegg
Other| Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit | $99.99
| | Total
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available | $638.93
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-08 17:25 EST-0500 |

Cheap i5, still better for all your gaming needs.

ATX motherboard.

8GB of RAM is enough for playing LoL and other not-very-demanding stuff.

Budget R9 270 which is currently on a nice sale. If you want to game cheap this is currently a perfect choice.

What is your intended use for this build? The more details the better.

Gaming @ 1080p full settings

What is your budget (ballpark is okay)?

Pretty much as is.

In what country are you purchasing your parts?

Canada

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
CPU | [Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor] (http://www.ncix.com/detail/intel-core-i5-6600k-3-50ghz-6m-e0-110591.htm?affiliateid=7474144) | $315.99 @ NCIX
CPU Cooler | [Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO Direct Touch 4 Heatpipe Heatsink AM2 AM3 1366/1150/1155/1156/2011] (http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=11130AC0554&vpn=RR-212E-20PK-R2&manufacture=Cooler%20Master) | $35.51 @ Direct Canada
Motherboard | [ASRock Z170A-X1/3.1 Intel Skylake 1151 PCI-E HDMI 2XUSB3.1+8XUSB3.0 7.1 CH HD Audio ATX Motherboard] (http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=10521122225&vpn=Z170A-X1/3.1&manufacture=ASROCK) | $140 @ Direct Canada
Memory | [Kingston 8GB 2133MHZ DDR4 NON-ECC CL14 Dimm (Kit Of 2) Hyperxfury Black Series] (http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=12411111308&vpn=HX421C14FBK2/8&manufacture=KINGSTON) | $51.99 @ Direct canada
PSU | [Seasonic G-550 Gold 550W ATX 80PLUS Modular 120mm Fan Power Supply PSU DC to DC] (http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=14130AC6158&vpn=SSR-550RM&manufacture=SEASONIC%20ELECTRONICS) | $100 @ Direct canada
SSD | [Corsair Force Series LE 240GB SATA 3 6GB/S SSD] (http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=11181120459&vpn=CSSD-F240GBLEB&manufacture=CORSAIR) | $90 @ Direct canada
OS | [Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64bit System Builder OEM DVD 1 Pack - Frustration-Free Packaging] (https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00H09BB16/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A1VAYWJZHJ9ML3&psc=1) | $60 @ Amazon
Case | [Corsair Carbide Series 100R Black Gaming Case Atx 2X5.25 4X3.5 Front USB3.0 Audio No Psu] (http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=11181104948&vpn=CC-9011075-WW&manufacture=CORSAIR) | $54 @ direct canada
|| Total
| (Prices when available.) |$860.00~"
Provide any additional details you wish below.
I don't know if I should go with the PSU I have chosen. I have 2 other options I'm thinking about: 1) ($110) EVGA SuperNOVA 550 G2 80PLUS Gold Certified 550W Fully-Modular Power Supply w/ 7yr Wty http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=11611111661&vpn=220-G2-0550-Y1&manufacture=EVGA
2) ($105) EVGA SUPERNOVA 750 B2 80 PLUS BRONZE CERTIFIED 750W POWER SUPPLY 140MM FAN 5YR WTY http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=16950AC8401&vpn=110-B2-0750-VR&manufacture=EVGA
What would you recommend?

Is the SSD I have chosen good?

Also, I will be buying a gtx 1060 but I am unsure about which brand/model to pursue. Any suggestions are welcomed. I'm currently looking at a zotac model: ($330) The Zotac GeForce GTX 1060 Mini 1708/1506 6GB GDDR5 G-SYNC VR Ready Video Card http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=26671133557&vpn=ZT-P10600A-10L&manufacture=Zotac

Honestly at $150 you're probably best off just buying an OEM disk (or even home use disc) and using the key out of that.

You can probably call msoft and buy a key as well.

Unless you're in a country with messed up prices, it's pretty much the same price or cheaper just to buy a disc that comes with the key.

E; On amazon you can get the win10 pro OEM disc for like $140.

Windows 10 is a software for which you need a license key (to fully and legally be allowed to use it). This key can be purchased directly from the Microsoft Store, from 3rd party retailers like Amazon, as well as from other people (can‘t help you there, because I‘ve never done that).

The software itself can be downloaded as an ISO from this Microsoft Website, which can then be used to create a bootable USB flash drive with software like Rufus.


Everything I‘ve said plus much more can be found (with pictures) in this How-To-Geek guide

Op had a valid question, it's most probably an older system, and a win7 upgrade is $249 and win8 upgrade is $119.99 so I don't think (even if the machine can run it) throwing money at it is the solution, it sounds more like an asshole businessman solution. And btw tons of ppl still use and love xp

Good to know. For this build it looks like I'd be good to have Windows 10 ready to install on a USB as there will be no disk drive (which I'm OK with). This looks like what I would need.
 
https://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Windows-Home-Flash-Drive/dp/B01019T6O0/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1502889994&sr=8-3&keywords=window+10+cd

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
CPU | Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor | $118.93 @ OutletPC
Motherboard | MSI H81M-E35 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard | $50.72 @ Newegg
Memory | G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory | $64.99 @ Newegg
Storage | Crucial M500 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk | $73.48 @ SuperBiiz
Storage | Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $54.98 @ OutletPC
Case | Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case | $44.99 @ NCIX US
Power Supply | EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply | $34.99 @ Micro Center
Optical Drive | Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer | $16.99 @ Newegg
Operating System | Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) | $139.48 @ OutletPC
Keyboard | Logitech MK120 Wired Slim Keyboard w/Optical Mouse | $14.99 @ B&H
Other| Microsoft Office Home and Business 2013 (1PC/1User)| $213.00
Other| Adobe Acrobat XI Software| $140.00
| | Total
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available. | $967.54
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-01 15:17 EDT-0400 |

You can save a lot of money if:

You don't need Win7 professional and can work with Win7 home premium. Here are the differences.

You don't need the Acrobat XI.

If you have a MS Office subscription/licence already.

You don't need the SSD either, but it will make the life of the users more pleasant. If you want to though, you can build it with out it and save the $75.

I'd look at the Sony movie editing software. They have two lines of software: Sony Movie Studio and Sony Vegas. Movie Studio is mostly for home use, family videos, youtube clips, etc. Vegas is the professional edition. Here is the full feature comparison

Movie Studio Platinum is only $45 and probably the best 'bang for the buck': http://smile.amazon.com/Sony-Movie-Studio-Platinum-Download/dp/B00I3MSBC6

And yes you can do the 'green screen' effect with all editions including the Movie Studio one. Look for a green screen backdrop on Amazon.

You can download free trials of all the different versions. I highly recommend you do that first to see if it fits your needs: http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/vegassoftware

If you are looking for freeware, here is a list of some and brief reviews: http://bedroomproducersblog.com/2016/01/21/free-video-editing-software/

For those wondering his budget in $ is about $7070

Info I dug up on the games

League of Legends recommended:

• 3 GHz CPU or better
  
  
• 4 GB of RAM
  
  
• GeForce 8800 or better
  
  
• 12 GB of disk space
  
  
• Windows OS
  
  SMITE recommended:
  
  
• i5-750, 2.67 GHz or better
  
  
• 4 GB of RAM
  
  
• GeForce GTX 560 (or 768 MB+ of VRAM (DirectX 11 Compatible) )
  
  
• 10 GB of disk space
  
  
• Windows OS
  
  Counter Strike Global Offensive recommended:
  
  Valve says you could basically make do with a computer from 10 years ago but let's be honest you probably don't want everything on the lowest of settings.
  
  
• 3 GHz CPU
  
  
• 4 GB of RAM
  
  
• A graphics card from the last 5 years
  
  
• 8 GB of hard drive space
  
  ----
  
  I'm not too great at picking out parts but I'll see what I can do about other things that others aren't taking into consideration such as monitors.
  
  So just as a heads up this is going to be tricky because you live in Italy and I have no idea what kind of price increase you can expect or who ships there or what.
  
  Place I would look for buying bulk:
  
  
• Ebay
  
  
• Amazon
  
  
• Alibaba
  
  Have you also considered maybe asking companies to sponsor you? If you could get a few to send you keyboards, mouses, headsets, whatever it would really help lower your costs without having to resort to inferior products.
  
  Companies I would try contacting:
  
  
• Logitec
  
  
• SteelSeries
  
  
• Razor (I don't care for their products but they do this kind of thing quite often it seems)
  
  
• Cooler Master
  
  
• Corsair
  
  You have I would say two choices when it comes to the OS, Windows 8.1 Full or Windows 8.1 OEM. OEM will save you about $13 a piece but it is a non transferable license and if say someone gets over excited and spills a big glass of soda all over the computer and just frys it you will have to rebuy Windows. Personally I think it is worth the extra $13 to know that you won't have to rebuy if worse comes to worse. Assuming you go with the Full version that's going to run you $1052
  
  However you could probably get that in bulk as well from Microsoft http://www.microsoft.com/licensing/default.aspx
  
  Monitors are another thing one can typically buy in bulk. Personally I would go with something like this Acer for $120, 21.5 inch, 60Hz, it does only have 5ms response time but unless you have very very high ranked players it shouldn't make a huge difference to most people and going to a lower response time is going to increase the price. Plus this is something you can always easily upgrade in the future and sell off the old ones. Buying refurbished monitors isn't a bad idea either.
  
  Sites that sell bulk monitors in addition to the above:
  
  
• http://www.liquidation-lcd.com/
  
  
• http://dellrefurbished.com/bulk-computers-computer-reseller
  
  Keyboards and mice. So you can definitely buy these in bulk but they will be the kind you would see in an office, probably not what you would want to game with. Personally I would contact companies like Logitec and Steel series and see if you could work out a deal and have them cut you a price cut for maybe putting up posters and advertising their product. But hey both Logitec and Amazon sell some really cheap wired keyboard mouse combos for $15.
  
  Mousepads are all over the place and you can even make them yourself if you are feeling thrifty enough. $5 each seems reasonable to me for a decent mouse pad so $50 altogether.
  
  Headset I would go with over the ear cheap so when they get nasty you can just toss them and not feel to bad. For $20 you can't do much better then these Sennheisers I feel.
  
  For microphone I would maybe go with some clip ons like these or maybe a cheap desk stand one. You could go for an all in one headphone + mic but price to quality wise you are going to be spending more then you could if you got them separate I think.
  
  So just as an estimate I would say without even building the PC's you are looking at probably somewhere in the area of $2,400 just for things like monitors and peripherals. Please tell me you already have table and chairs because that's going to kill your budget if you don't.

Humbly, the route I'd go would be to wipe the drive via BIOS if it it has a utility built in to do so, and then do a clean install from a W10 USB or W7 disc(note you'll need to sort drivers after install as mentioned). You can purchase an OEM builder's edition of the OS.

https://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Windows-Pro-System-Builder/dp/B00ZSHDJ4O

If no wipe utility is present in BIOS just do it when performing the clean installation, works the same. This shouldn't take very long and makes sure that it's in the best possible state for somebody new to use as a "pre-loved" computer.

I can't state how handy an OEM system builder's OS copy is, has saved my skin many many times over the years.

Amazon has Windows 7 Pro SP1 x64 for $139.99

http://www.amazon.com/Windows-Professional-System-Builder-Packaging/dp/B00H09BOXQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1412809662&sr=8-1&keywords=windows+7+professional

My question though is why would you buy an OS that is scheduled to be retired on January of 2015. Windows 10 is just around the corner and all rumors are saying Windows 8 and 8.1 users will get Win 10 for free (or heavily discounted). If your an organization and need Windows 7, you should just pony up and pay the full price. If your a home user. Buy the latest OS that will work with your hardware. You can tweak 8.1 to look a lot like Windows 7 and it only helps you to learn a new OS.

Here's what I came up with! Comes with Windows 7, a Haswell Pentium (solid!), 4 GB of RAM, a 250 GB hard drive, and a nice case with a power supply. This should do everything you need for less than $400, and it is all from Amazon with prime shipping :)

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
CPU | Intel Pentium G3220 3.0GHz Dual-Core Processor | $67.63 @ Amazon
Motherboard | MSI H81M-E33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard | $49.99 @ Amazon
Memory | Crucial Ballistix Sport 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory | $39.30 @ Amazon
Storage | Western Digital Caviar Blue 250GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $48.19 @ Amazon
Case | Apex PC-375 ATX Mid Tower Case w/300W Power Supply | $39.99 @ Amazon
Optical Drive | Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer | $20.99 @ Amazon
Other| Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit| $94.96
| | Total
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available. | $361.05
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-09 16:38 EDT-0400 |

Here's the link for the Windows 7 since it didn't show up properly above.

I think I finally got my part list:
- Motherboard:
Asus M5A78L-M/USB3 AMD 760G, SATA300 RAID
https://www.4launch.nl/shop/product/111994/-m5a78l-m-usb3-amd-760g--sata300-raid/tweakers
€57
- GPU:
MSI GTX 770 Gaming – 4 gigabyte ram
http://azerty.nl/producten/product_detail/5644/635639/msi-gtx-770-gaming-grafische-kaart-geforce-gtx-770-4-gb-gddr5-pci-express-3-0-x16-2-x-dvi-hdmi-dp.html?channel_code=40
€337
- CPU:
AMD Black Edition - AMD FX 8350
http://azerty.nl/0-3125-563663/amd-black-edition-amd-fx-835.html
€170
- CPU cooler:
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo
http://azerty.nl/0-976-455750/cooler-master-hyper-212-evo-koeler-voor-processor-socket-775-socket-1156-socket-am2-socket-am2-socket-1366-socket-am.html
€28
- PSU:
Seasonic Voeding G Series 550W, Modulair
https://www.4launch.nl/shop/product/128566/-voeding-g-series-550w--modulair/tweakers
€87
- SSD:
Crucial SSD 2.5", 120GB, SATA600, M500
https://www.4launch.nl/shop/product/128566/-voeding-g-series-550w--modulair/tweakers#p-4-productid-137862
€64
- Case:
Ultra Defender II Black ATX Mid-tower Gaming Case
http://www.amazon.com/Ultra-Defender-Black-Mid-tower-Gaming/dp/B00D7HYL5I
€43
- RAM
Corsair Vengeance 2x8 (I can put later another 2x8 in if i ever need an upgrade)
http://azerty.nl/0-750-558322/corsair-vengeance-geheugen-16-gb-2-x-8-gb-dimm-240-pins-ddr3-1600-mhz-pc3-12800-cl10-1-5-v-niet-gebufferd-.html
€144
- HDD:
WD Blue WD10EZEX – 1 TB (7200 rpm)
http://azerty.nl/0-857-528532/wd-blue-wd10ezex-vaste-schijf-1-tb-intern-3-5-sata-600-7200-tpm-buffer-64-mb.html
€52
- Optical drive:
Samsung SH-224DB – Optical drive
http://azerty.nl/8-862-629110/samsung-sh-224db-schijfstation-dvd-rw-r-dl-dvd-ram-24x-24x-12x-serial-ata-intern-5-25-zwart.html
€20
- Windows 8.1:
Windows 8.1 System Builder OEM DVD 64-Bit
http://www.amazon.com/Windows-8-1-System-Builder-64-Bit/dp/B00F3ZN2W0/ref=sr_1_3?s=software&ie=UTF8&qid=1393681101&sr=1-3&keywords=windows+8
€97
- Monitor:
AOC E2270SWN (E2270SWN) LED-monitor
(Can handle 1080P)
http://www.dvdbioscoop.nl/AOC-E2270SWN-LED-monitor-21.5-1920-x-1080-200-cd/m2-20000000:1-(dynamisch)-5-ms-VGA-zwart
€100
___
total = 1199 euro

• €42 (shipping)
  ____
  = €1241/computer
  (= 1715 dollar)
  
  I was not able to find the cables you said i had to buy also (the 2x4 to connect my motherboard), i think my machine is now good what do you think about it and are all the parts compatible with eachother?

There is a 4 year student plan for one price though I don't really know the details and I believe I have heard if your school has the right deal, you can get it for free. Again, not my current demographic. Maybe something here

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/academic/compare-office-365-education-plans-FX103045755.aspx

will point you in the right direction.

I ordered the Office 365 (before they added the single user plan) activation card from amazon and it was the 5 user version. I ordered a few for friends about the time Office for iPad released. It was running $68-71 for a year subscription.

Ask your school student IT services if they have a deal for Office 365. They might have something very good for you.

Edit: Amazon has 2 PC version four years for students starting at ~$66.

http://www.amazon.com/University-Academic-Student-Validation-Required/dp/B009VL9YGU/

Standard 1 year subscription for 5 users is $64.

http://www.amazon.com/Office-365-Home-Subscription-Card/dp/B009SPTUW2/

!

>called in sick at work so i could fix my computer

Microsoft Corp. would like you to know that it fully supports and endorses its customers valiant efforts in virus removal. Your dedication and determination helps us build a better operating system. Remember - it was your idea.

Upgrade to Windows® 7 now for just $119.99

You didn't state your uses for this build, so here is an all around, good for many uses machine. For some reason pcpartpicker won't display the Amazon price for Windows 7 as I post this. It's $100 & here's the link

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
CPU | Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor | $174.99 @ Amazon
Motherboard | ASRock B85 Pro4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard | $74.99 @ Amazon
Memory | A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory | $80.99 @ Amazon
Storage | Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $59.24 @ Amazon
Video Card | XFX Radeon R9 270 2GB Double Dissipation Video Card | $164.99 @ Amazon
Case | Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case | $59.99 @ Amazon
Power Supply | EVGA 500W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply | $39.99 @ Amazon
Optical Drive | Samsung SH-224DB/RSBS DVD/CD Writer | $19.99 @ Amazon
Operating System | Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) |-
Keyboard | Logitech MK120 Wired Slim Keyboard w/Optical Mouse | $14.99 @ Amazon
| | Total
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available | $690.16

Hey! I recently ordered the components for a new pc and it's all put together and ready for OS installation. Unfortunately there was some delay in the delivery of the OS. My friend (whom I copied my build from) offered to let me use his installation disk if I could find a CD key. My question is: Will the "download" option on the microsoft site provide a CD Key that works for Windows 10 64bit OEM? I figure I will use my late-arriving windows for a future project or something. I'd rather not waste the weekend staring at my beautiful useless machine! XD

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ZSI7Y3U?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s03

Edit: My appologies if this is the wrong area to post! I'm still learning reddit!

Thanks!

I am not sure you know what OEM is. If you have an install disc for Windows 7 from Microsoft, it is a Retail copy, not OEM. If it was an OEM install disc, it would of came form the PC manufacturer.

Windows 8 is available for OEM and upgrade only to most people. Meaning you can only get it if you have Windows XP/Vista/7 or you buy a new computer from a manufacturer. If you want a physical install disc and a retail copy of Windows 8, you need an MSDN subscription to get it (I am a college student, so I can get one).

You cannot transfer (not suppose to be able to at least) to transfer a non-retail Windows 8 key to a new machine. That means once you install Windows 8 on a harddrive, it has to stay there (you can probably ghost it to transfer it to a new one). If you want to reinstall Windows 8 on the same machine, you can "Remove Everything and Reinstall Windows". It is an option in the settings.

EDIT: It looks like you want the Windows 8 System Builder OEM. It gives you a physical disc and product key, but I do not know if it lets you reuse the product key. Also, it looks like Windows 8.1 will have a Retail version available to the public if you just want to wait and get that install (upgrading from Windows 8 to 8.1 is free, but you could get this as an alternative to Windows 8).

pretty solid first build imo, I'm not super familiar with the new Ryzen chips, being an intel guy in general. An extra $22 would get you a m.2 SSD, which is worth considering. Do you need windows 10, I don't see an OEM License in there, don't forget the extra cost.

You could bring your RAM speed down to 2400 and cut out the LEDs, this would save you $40. You will not notice any speed difference at all unless MAYBE if you overclock your ram.

Just a few thoughts, it seems like a well thought out build.

Total is $441.42 Before rebates.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
CPU | AMD Athlon X4 860K 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor | $88.99 @ NCIX US
Motherboard | MSI A78M-E45 Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard | $37.99 @ Newegg
Memory | G.Skill Ripjaws Series 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory | $38.98 @ Newegg
Storage | Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $49.49 @ OutletPC
Video Card | PowerColor Radeon R9 270 2GB TurboDuo Video Card | $99.99 @ Newegg
Case | Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case | $27.98 @ Newegg
Power Supply | Corsair Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply | $54.98 @ OutletPC
| | Total
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available | $398.40
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-30 20:59 EST-0500 |

Windows 7 (95.88) (On a side note if you are a student you can get windows 7 and or 8 for free if you are currently attending a college Link)

in the event you can get the os for free i would then recommend this build

Before rebates cost is $570.92

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
CPU | AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor | $89.99 @ Amazon
Motherboard | Gigabyte GA-78LMT-USB3 Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard | $45.74 @ SuperBiiz
Memory | A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory | $76.49 @ NCIX US
Storage | Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $49.49 @ OutletPC
Video Card | PowerColor Radeon R9 285 2GB TurboDuo Video Card | $179.99 @ Newegg
Case | Rosewill Line-M MicroATX Mini Tower Case | $39.99 @ Amazon
Power Supply | Corsair Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply | $54.98 @ OutletPC
| | Total
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available | $536.67
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-30 21:06 EST-0500 |

You don't need a Kindle! You can download Amazon's Kindle software for PC or Mac for free and read it on your computer. It should be pretty good on a computer https://www.amazon.com/Amazon-Digital-Services-LLC-Download/dp/B00UB76290

These cables seem to be pretty good quality, they have some longer ones if 15ft isn't enough

http://www.amazon.com/Mediabridge-Cat5e-Ethernet-Patch-Cable/dp/B00EUHRLF6/ref=sr_1_5?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1426450095&sr=1-5

also, looks like amazon sells W8 for a little cheaper than BH

http://www.amazon.com/Windows-8-1-System-Builder-64-Bit/dp/B00F3ZN2W0/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1426450153&sr=8-7&keywords=windows+8+upgrade

It should be more expensive but if you fine it cheaper that's good. You basically looking for Windows 10 with the lack of OEM in the description.

OEM is original equipment manufacturer and the idea it's a version for system builders that are selling the final product.

You want something like this. Or just a download if you don't want the stick.

Get your OS from [amazon.] (http://www.amazon.com/Windows-8-1-System-Builder-64-Bit/dp/B00F3ZN0CC/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1398686911&sr=8-4&keywords=windows+8.1)

They have free shipping to NZ, I got my OS from them and it works perfectly.

You can also look at getting your other parts from them as well.

What is wrong with the kindle app from amazon.com:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00UB76290/ref=s9_acsd_hps_bw_c_x_1_w

It gets 4.5 stars so curious what issues you have with it. Amazon is usually pretty responsive to customer feedback, so it might be beneficial to contact their customer service if you have a repeatable issue.


Also, have you tried metrotube? https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/p/metrotube/9wzdncrfj2jt

I hear Google doesn't play well with Microsoft because of ongoing patent disputes and whatnot, so 3rd-party apps tend to work a lot better if the web player is not sufficient for you.

Anyway give those a try if you haven't recently - you may be pleasantly surprised. If they are no good for you, provide feedback to the developers directly - not much is gonna happen on reddit unfortunately.

What country are you in? I'm not sure about other regions, but the Windows 10 Pro USB goes on sale every now and then for about $120 on Amazon Canada (it's normally $250, currently $146). That's less than the price of the standard edition. Just make sure it's either sold or fulfilled by Amazon

Well for example my Win 7 laptop died recently, and I am on a tight budget atm so I had to get an inexpensive old PC. It still has Windows Vista on it.

It runs like shit, and I would have loved to put my copy of Win7 on it but because when I bought it the first time, I got the "Locked down to this one specific laptop" version that came with the laptop, that isn't possible.

It also isn't possible to get Windows 10 for FREE. I would settle for Windows 10 over Vista but I can't get it. Not eligible. I would have to BUY Windows 7, 8, or 8.1 to be eligible for the upgrade.

It's only at no cost for certain people who have already paid. And in most cases, it's locked to that specific machine as much as my "Compaq Windows 7" disc is. When they buy a new computer, that license doesn't transfer over. They will have to buy it (as part of the price of the computer) again.

It costs $119.99 from Amazon (discounted from the MSRP of $159.99). It's not free.

Edit: And that Amazon version is also the OEM version which is locked to one PC once installed. If you build a new machine you'll have to pay that again.

1. Lmao you still pay for the games with the subscription. You give MS money, they lend you the games. Sounds like paying to me...
   
   
2. I agreed with you, calm down. It's just not for "professional use".
   
   
3. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00ZSI7Y3U/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1466266953&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=windows+10,
   
   https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00EDSI7QO/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1466266979&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=windows+8&dpPl=1&dpID=31oGjt4LCTL&ref=plSrch
   
   When you buy a computer, the OS is in the cost. When you build a Computer, you still have to pay. Even if it's upgrading an old os.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
CPU | Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor | $241.98 @ Newegg
CPU Cooler | Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler | $29.49 @ SuperBiiz
Motherboard | Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI ATX LGA1150 Motherboard | $100.91 @ Newegg
Memory | G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory | $66.99 @ Newegg
Storage | PNY CS1311 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive | $39.99 @ Amazon
Storage | Samsung 850 EVO-Series 1TB 2.5" Solid State Drive | $314.84 @ Amazon
Storage | Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $66.89 @ OutletPC
Video Card | Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1070 8GB G1 Gaming Video Card | $419.99 @ SuperBiiz
Case | Corsair 750D ATX Full Tower Case | $159.99 @ B&H
Power Supply | EVGA 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply | $74.49 @ SuperBiiz
Operating System | Microsoft Windows 10 Home Full 32/64-bit | $119.99 @ B&H
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
| Total | $1620.55
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-07-17 17:05 EDT-0400 |

Build Link: http://pcpartpicker.com/list/hMs7WX

I made it better -- I think.

Motherboard:

Changed it to a Z97 motherboard because some, if not all, z87 motherboards needs a BIOS update before it can use Haswell Refresh CPUs like the one you picked.

RAM:

Changed the RAM you had to a 16 GB one because a 32 GB RAM is overkill for gaming. Most games don't need more than 8 GB of RAM. Once games start demanding more RAM then that's when you upgrade your RAM. However, a 16 GB RAM should fit your needs for now.

SSD:

Added a 120 GB SSD for your OS.

HDD:

Added a 2 GB HDD for your other personal files because the more you write data you write to your SSD, the more slower it gets. You will want to fill that 1 TB SSD with only games.

Power Supply:

Changed the power supply you had to this 650W power supply. This one is cheaper but provides more power. This power supply should power up this build really well.

Optical Drive:

Removed the optical drive for the reason below.

OS:

Windows 10 Home. You can order it from Amazon or Best Buy. It comes in a USB drive which eliminates the need for an optical drive. You can also order it from the online store mentioned by pcpartpicker.

You need to set the boot priority in the BIOS to the USB driver to install this OS. You probably knew that already though.

Notes:

About monitor resolutions, you can watch this video to learn more about them: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHCGKo8c8xc

Thanks for all your help, i am going off your build here for the most part. I changed up the case to get it off Amazon so I can get it in time. This is what I am looking at: Thermaltake Commander


And if possible I would like to upgrade to the CPU a bit. Depending on how much more the upgrade is. I would not consider downgrading the GPU. I'd rather put up the extra money now than a bunch more a year from now.

EDIT: Found this 4690 and this Flash version of 10

Are you a college student with a STEM major by any chance? Chances are you may be eligible for a free copy of windows or a discounted price.

If not just purchase one from amazon or any online retailer.

http://www.amazon.com/Windows-Premium-System-Builder-Packaging/dp/B00H09BB16/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405825800&sr=8-1&keywords=windows+7

Also head over the /r/buildapc and look at the sidebar on the right. Read every single article and link and you should be able to build the computer without problems and the installation of windows after along with the drivers and software you need.

Latest Mac OS Upgrade: $29

Latest Windows OS Upgrade: $109

I will say though that Microsoft is pretty good about long term support of older versions though.

I would highly suggest against reinstalling Vista.

Windows 8.1U1 is sooooo much faster on old hardware. It's 100 dollars.

http://www.amazon.com/Windows-8-1-System-Builder-64-Bit/dp/B00F3ZN2W0/

add a solid state drive for 85-140 dollars.

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Electronics-EVO-Series-2-5-Inch-MZ-7TE250BW/

Get the machine between 4-8GB of ram.



All of that is less than 300 dollars and gives them a modern speed machine.

If you can get away with the current memory and a 120GB drive, itll cost ~185 bucks.

The benefit to buying Windows 8.1 PRO (http://www.amazon.com/Windows-8-1-System-Builder-64-Bit/dp/B00F3ZN0CC/) is that it comes with Win7 Pro downgrade rights. Then they will at least have 8.1 support in the long term, and can still use Win7 if they have some application that doesnt work with 8.1 yet. I recommend against downgrading to Win7 unless it is absolutely necessary.

Had these in a PCPartPicker list, but the page just vanished. Here are the parts I had.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07SXMZLPK?tag=pcpapi-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Y3CTQNT?tag=pcpapi-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZG6YG1K?tag=pcpapi-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GTG2T7L?tag=pcpapi-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RF237B1?tag=pcpapi-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ZSI7Y3U?tag=pcpapi-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1
https://www.newegg.com/intel-660p-series-2tb/p/N82E16820167461?Item=N82E16820167461&nm_mc=AFC-RAN-COM&cm_mmc=AFC-RAN-COM&utm_medium=affiliates&utm_source=afc-PCPartPicker&AFFID=2558510&AFFNAME=PCPartPicker&ACRID=1&ASID=https%3a%2f%2fpcpartpicker.com%2fproduct%2f7MQG3C%2fintel-660p-series-2tb-m2-2280-solid-state-drive-ssdpeknw020t8x1&ranMID=44583&ranEAID=2558510&ranSiteID=8BacdVP0GFs-ErxICKvfvZyOvPV60mxOtw
https://www.newegg.com/evga-geforce-rtx-2080-ti-11g-p4-2383-kr/p/N82E16814487401?Item=N82E16814487401&nm_mc=AFC-RAN-COM&cm_mmc=AFC-RAN-COM&utm_medium=affiliates&utm_source=afc-PCPartPicker&AFFID=2558510&AFFNAME=PCPartPicker&ACRID=1&ASID=https%3a%2f%2fpcpartpicker.com%2fproduct%2fxvCD4D%2fevga-geforce-rtx-2080-ti-11gb-xc-ultra-gaming-video-card-11g-p4-2383-kr&ranMID=44583&ranEAID=2558510&ranSiteID=8BacdVP0GFs-m4zbKUDsHpK4Fltu7Ftlcw

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B074PGBGHW/ref=ox_sc_saved_image_2?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1&th=1

I feel like I’m missing on part that I needed to get on Newegg.

But yeah, if you wanna compare/complete this list while I’m flying today, I’d appreciate it

I know an iOS developer who develops entirely on a hackintosh PC. It is very much possible. All you need is a $30 Snow Leopard disc and you could be rocking Mac OS on your current PC. Instructions. (Try here if you have a GTX 400/500 series card.)

It's gonna take a lot more effort than just using a regular mac, but it's fun to learn it and doesn't incur the cost of a pricey new machine. I would recommend installing it on its own drive though, partitioning can get kind of janky when you are learning.

You can snag a copy of Win 7 Home Premium on Amazon or for a few $$ more you can get Win 7 Pro at Microcenter....both versions will include WMC.

Just ordered this, at the recommendation from you guys that I get 8.1, and that I get 64-bit OEM from a buddy of mine. Just felt like checking with you guys to make sure this is what I need hahaha.

OS: http://www.amazon.com/Windows-8-1-System-Builder-64-Bit/dp/B00F3ZN2W0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1414087463&sr=8-2&keywords=windows+8.1

I had to pick Amazon only as it ships everywhere.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
CPU | AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor | $96.98 @ Amazon
Motherboard | MSI 760GMA-P34(FX) Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard | $46.99 @ Amazon
Memory | G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory | $82.89 @ Amazon
Storage | Crucial M500 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive | $64.99 @ Amazon
Storage | Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $54.99 @ Amazon
Video Card | Asus GeForce GTX 760 2GB DirectCU II Video Card | $214.99 @ Amazon
Case | Cougar Spike MicroATX Mini Tower Case | $34.99 @ Amazon
Power Supply | Corsair Builder 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply | $43.33 @ Amazon
Operating System | Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro (OEM) (64-bit) | $92.00
Monitor | Acer G226HQLBbd 60Hz 21.5" Monitor | $137.46 @ Amazon
Keyboard | Cooler Master CM Storm Devastator Gaming Bundle Wired Gaming Keyboard w/Optical Mouse | $29.99 @ Amazon
| | Total
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available | $899.60
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-23 14:20 EDT-0400 |

If you want to be closer to your budget take away the SSD. It will only make things boot faster.

As configured by you (i7, 3TB HD, 4GB video card), the cost comes to $3099.00. I added in 16GB of memory over the stock 8 since that's pretty much standard for most builds, anymore.

5k Dell Monitor: $1,439.99

Retail i7-4790: $307.00

Gigabyte GA-Z97-HD3 Motherboard: $102.95

Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB Kit: $66.99

Corsair Carbide SPEC-01 Mid Tower Case: $48.99

Silverstone Tek 500W 80+ Gold PSU: $79.99

EVGA GeForce GTX 960 4GB Video Card: $229.99

CM Storm Devastator KB/Mouse Combo: $29.99

Total Cost: $2305.89

Video card was a bit of a toughie since the iMac uses a notebook GPU, so I went with something a bit faster, but comparable. This is a complete system with comparable to better specs.

Given the price difference, may as well go with a 980Ti for that extra graphics oomph or tack on some water cooling.

Edit: Woops! Forgot storage and OS!

WD Blue 3TB HD: $98.70

Samsung 850 EVO 120GB (configured as cache drive): $66.99

Windows 10 Home: $119.00

Revised Total: $2590.58. Still cheaper and could still sub out the 960 for a 980Ti and be under cost.

Lo!

Also, I really really really want Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium as it is part of the process getting my computer back up and running. However I realistically do not expect that :-P

In real life I could use a tactical pen I have to do therapy and home evaluations in pretty shady neighborhoods and it would be cool to have a pen and semi self defense tool just in case.

Best I could puzzle together, the case isn't amazing, but well.. sorry?

PCPartPicker part list

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
CPU | AMD A10-7700K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor | £45.00 @ CEX
Motherboard | Gigabyte GA-F2A68HM-HD2 Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard | £37.49 @ Amazon UK
Memory | RANDOM BRAND 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory | £15.00 @ CEX
Storage | RANDOM BRAND 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | £25.00 @ CEX
Power Supply | Cooler Master 500W ATX Power Supply | £35.00 @ Amazon UK
Case| Aerocool QC-203| £23.00 @ Amazon UK
Operating System | Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 OEM (64-bit) | £37.00 @ Amazon UK
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
| Total | £218.49
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-05-24 20:53 BST+0100 |

And that's illegal; but hey, do what you want.
I'd recommend just buying it from Amazon tbh.
An OEM copy would be ~$90 (chart). Think of that as buying 3 good quality games and then think about the amount of time you'll spend using Windows.

Office 2010/2013 connectivity to Office 365 does not provide access to the iPad app.

Usually, in a small business/home environment, a copy of PKC Office is purchased which is the current version at the time (eg: 2013) and then it is not upgraded again for the life of the computer. There is little core differences between Office versions, as they all fulfill the same basic tasks of opening/editing doc/docx/xls/xlsx etc. files.

As it stands now, to get the iPad app, in addition to the Office 2013 PKC already licensed, an Office 365 subscription will also be required. So the Office 2013 PKC has gone to waste. There is not even a rebate option to "upgrade" from Office 2013 over to 365.



A quick price check shows that Office 365 with apps costs $150 per year.


Office 2013 Home and Business PKC costs $220 one time.

Assuming you haven't already purchased Office 2013 PKC for the computer, your 1st year savings are $70 - if the computer only lasts a year. If the computer lasts 2 years or more, it works out more expensive. Let's say it lasts 3 years, that's a $230 premium just to gain access to the iPad app. If you have already made the purchase of 2013, that's an extra $220 wasted on top ($220 is the initial 2013 purchase which is now useless. So total spend is $450 more over 3 years, than sticking with 2013 which you already have. Awfully expensive for an iPad app).

Then there are the PCs running Office 2007 still going strong. Going to spend this much to upgrade to Office 365 for a few extra features and an iPad app when the Office 2007 performs 99% of it's job perfectly well? Might as well use iWork/Quickoffice or go without really, for the price.


And if you don't want the Office 365 online services, only the subscription to Office 365 Desktop Apps, you still have to get the online services. So even if you are only wanting access to the iPad app, you can't get only this component at a reduced price, you must buy the whole Office 365 including online components even if you are content with your Exchange server, Google Apps or have some other system you are happy with or are required to use.

And don't get me started on Microsoft Office licensing for a Remote Desktop Services environment. Office 365 subscriptions don't work on RDS and it requires a VOLUME LICENSE copy of Office Standard or Professional Plus (minimum order 5) for each COMPUTER (NOT user) it is accessed from.

Only need features of the cheaper Home and Business ($220)? NO, you need Standard ($373)

Already have Office 365? NO, need to buy the above volume license too.

Only have 4 users? YOU WILL NEED TO BUY 5.

Want to access it from multiple computers by the same user? YOU WILL NEED TO BUY A LICENSE FOR EACH.

(Unless it is a home computer, then you can pay an additional $215 "Software Assurance" FOR EACH LICENSE IN THE ORDER to have the right for users to access from home. NO You can't pay the extra only for some users, need to buy it for all.)

Microsoft are the experts at convoluted licensing schemes and screwing you over with it.

Hi buildapc! I'm building my new pc this weekend and I need to purchase windows. Is there any special way I have to get W10 on my pc?

I planned on doing the USB Flash drive version of W10 Home but I wanted to double check this method since this is my first build! Thanks!

(this one! https://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Windows-Home-Flash-Drive/dp/B01019T6O0/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1506015608&sr=8-3&keywords=windows+10)

Here's my build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
CPU | AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor | $151.98 @ OutletPC
Motherboard | Asus M5A78L-M LX PLUS Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard | $46.18 @ Newegg
Memory | G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory | $67.50 @ Newegg
Storage | Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $56.98 @ OutletPC
Video Card | MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB TWIN FROZR Video Card | $239.99 @ Newegg
Case | BitFenix Comrade ATX Mid Tower Case | $49.00 @ Amazon
Power Supply | Corsair Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply | $29.99 @ Newegg
Wireless Network Adapter | Rosewill RNX-N150PCe 802.11b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter | $10.98 @ Amazon
Operating System| Windows 7| $75.99
| | Total
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available. | $686.60
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-29 21:37 EDT-0400 |

CPU: I chose AMD over Intel because, since the Potato 4 & XBONE have 8 cores, it's probable that future games will be optimized for more cores. Take Watch_Dogs for example.

Mobo: Standard, un-fancy mobo

Memory: Standard 8GB of Ram

Storage: 1TB of storage you can add more if you wish

GPU: A 760 should have no problem running things on High if not Ultra (depending on the game)

Case: Nice case to work with. Plenty of room and makes for better cable management.

PSU: Standard 500w PSU from Corsair

WIFI: I have no experience with these so you might want someone else's opinion on this

OS: Windows 7 (it's not listed on pcpartpicker so I had to link it to Amazon)

I also left headroom for M&KB since that's more of a personal choice IMO.

Windows 8.1 is currently $100 on Amazon, so there's $20 off to start with. http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Windows-8-1-Full-Version/dp/B00EDSI7QO/

$100 is a decent amount of money for a student or someone unemployed, but it's important to remember that the software is what makes your computer run. If you drive a car, you invest more than that each month in your vehicle's operations (i.e. buying gas) -- in that context, how much of a burden is it really to put down $100 every couple of years to upgrade/maintain something you rely on every day?

Edit: If you are a student, you have access to Windows licenses free or very cheaply through your school -- look into that.

Edit 2: If you're OK with reinstalling Windows 7 and then upgrading, Windows 8 upgrade licenses can be obtained for $75-$80.

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium should be just fine for you. Operating systems are always expensive, but you can always find discounted ones. http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Windows-7-Home-Premium/dp/B002DHGMK0 Search around before you finally purchase. Happy gaming!

cool. So this is what I need? Why is 8 cheaper than 7? Sorry for all the questions, I do appreciate the help.

That's false information.

https://blog.fosketts.net/2015/11/09/how-to-connect-a-4k-monitor-to-a-2012-retina-macbook-pro/

The issue is it does 4k scaled, so stuff isn't any smaller.

If you don't have the money to buy a 2018 MacBook Pro, then the money you'd spend on a Mac Mini would be better spent on a windows desktop. It runs all your software, will perform better in League, is smaller.

For instance;
Intel NUC for $380,

500GB Crucial P1 M.2 SSD for $70

16GB RAM for $100

Windows 10 for $130


Total cost is ~$700 + tax instead of $800 + tax for the base mini, and you get 4x as much storage and 2x as much RAM. A mini with those specs would be $1400. You can even bring it down to ~$600 if you bring the storage to 250GB and 8GB RAM.

You also get a better CPU; instead of a 4-core 4-thread CPU with a 3.6GHz with no turbo (and lots of throttling), you get a 2.3GHz 4-core 8-thread CPU with a 3.8GHz turbo. So it will do single-threaded and multi-threaded tasks faster. All tasks.


Both can do 4k 60Hz.

Well, if you are looking to purchase a retail copy of Windows 10 then you can shop around various internet sites for deals.

Newegg - Home

Newegg - Pro

Amazon - Home

Amazon - Pro

If you have a valid Windows 7 or 8 key which you won't be using any more you can use that to get a free upgrade to Windows 10 if you can manage to get it installed on your hardware before July 29th. Just skip the step during installation which asks for your key, and enter the old key during activation after the install. You can use the Windows 10 Media Creation Tool to do the install - it needs either a USB thumbdrive or DVD.

Okay let's start taking it apart.

1. Do you plan on overclocking?
   
2. Are you going to use the computer for anything else besides gaming?
   
3. http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Windows-8-1-Full-Version/dp/B00EDSI7QO/ref=sr_1_1?s=software&ie=UTF8&qid=1395419561&sr=1-1&keywords=windows+8.1 This is the Windows 8.1 you need. Not the system builder.
   
4. You can get better cases for half the price. Like the Corsair 300R. But cases are mostly personal preference. So that's up to you.
   
5. Use www.pcpartpicker.com
   
6. That RAM is overkill.

Is this the thing I'd want to buy for Windows? I'm looking for the 64 bit https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01019T6O0/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=jcunboxing-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B01019T6O0&linkId=26b83874cb496c0abacb12edcfc9377d

Thanks for the advice btw. It really helped :)

You can download Windows 10 and create your own bootable USB pretty easily. Then you just need valid key which you can buy from amazon for $85. (I think that $85 actually gets you the DVDs to use too along with a licence).

It's from Amazon. If it's fulfilled by Amazon and it's an OEM disk or code you'll be fine. Amazon hasn't gotten where it is by scamming people.

Here

If I'm building a new PC and need to purchase Windows 10 Home, should I just order the USB from Amazon and have it shipped with the rest of my components and skip the creation tool all-together? Or will it be better to go through these steps and activate online? I've read different comments that say it'll can be more expensive to buy an activation key directly.

​

https://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Windows-English-Flash-Drive/dp/B075RM5BHV/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=windows+10+home+usb&qid=1558059762&s=software&sr=1-3

Here is one i put together last week - $840. If you want, you could spend an extra $110-$180 for a SSD ($180 SAMSUNG 850 Pro 256gb SSD, $130 SAMSUNG 850 EVO 250gb, $110 Crucial MX100 256gb).

EDIT: Adjusted Mobo and upped PSU to a modular one.

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
CPU | Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor | $189.99 @ Newegg
Motherboard | GIGABYTE GA-H97M-D3H Motherboard | $89.00 @ Newegg
Memory | G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory | $77.98 @ Newegg
Storage | Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $54.99 @ Newegg
Video Card | HIS Radeon R9 270X 2GB IceQ X² Video Card | $162.98 @ Newegg
Case | Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case | $57.98 @ Newegg
Power Supply | SeaSonic SSR-650RM 650W Power Supply | $94.99 @ Newegg
Optical Drive | Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer | $19.99 @ Newegg
Operating System | Microsoft Windows 8.1 System Builder OEM DVD | $92.00 @ Amazon

Could wait until the nvidia 960 comes out and see how that benchmarks against 270x and its price (rumor is it'll be around $200), and what the new amx 3xx series might be. Should be releasing this before the spring.

Also for a case - you can go for whatever meets your fancy that keeps in your price range. No need to stay with what i chose (just threw in something <$80 for your budget). You can't go wrong with something from either Cooler Master, Corsair, NZXT, Antec, Fractal Design, Bit Fenix, Silverstone, In Win, or AZZA. Make sure you've got mounts for 2.5" drives, and some front USB 3.0 connections. Just look around and find something that catches your eye.

You can do what /u/maddog1994 said but you will still need a license key.

An easier solution will be to buy the USB stick pre-loaded with the OS that comes with a license key.

http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Windows-Home-Flash-Drive/dp/B01019T6O0/

Video linked by /u/theSchmoopy:

Title|Channel|Published|Duration|Likes|Total Views

----------:|:----------:|:----------:|:----------:|:----------:|:----------:
How to Optimize Windows 10 For GAMING & Power Users|Tech YES City|2015-09-08|0:16:10|26,309+ (96%)|1,514,598

> *Buy Windows 10 Here for Cheap - http://amzn.to/2gySFqB ...

---

^Info ^| ^/u/theSchmoopy ^can ^delete ^| ^v2.0.0

sounds like it's 64 bit, then

amazon is your best bet. if you don't want to use them, try newegg

Amazon - Win 10 System Builder


Amazon - Win 10 Home

Read the Q/A for the first one, it sums up the difference pretty well. Basically the liscence is tied to the motherboard, so you're back to running non-genuine if you switch it out. Also, I wouldn't trust any website like redacted that sells keys cheaply. Generally those are stolen with CC fraud or similar tricks.

I don't think the USB version is that much more expensive than the OEM version. For like $115, it's definitely worth it.

The only thing i'd add to this is that when you don't activate windows 10 it leaves a huge watermark on all applications that aren't in fullscreen mode and doesn't allow you to personalize much without doing some cheap-tricks or registry-editing. There's room in your plan to go with a fully-activated copy and still not go over the $750. This is otherwise a great system!

https://www.amazon.com/version-Leopard-computer-processor-required/dp/B001AMHWP8

or

http://www.apple.com/shop/product/MC573Z/A/mac-os-x-106-snow-leopard

np

Sierra = free upgrade

So exactly as I said. 20 to 35 dollars. 20 from Apple, 35 on Amazon.

I built my own computer and this is where I got mine: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01019BM7O/ref=twister_B013GWSQJA?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Note: To download the program you have to have a credit card, though!! They use it to determine you are ordering from within the United States. Because of different program international distribution laws, I guess. If you read up on it, all digital downloads from Amazon requires a credit card, something I didn't know before first attempting it. :(

From what I read also, this copy of Windows 10 is not an OEM version, so it's possible to uninstall it from the computer you installed it on first, and use the same license to install on another computer.

Oh yeah, USB! and it's faster too. You can purchase Windows 10 on a USB drive instead of traditional media or you can download the installer and put it on a USB stick you already own for free! In the latter, you'll still want to purchase a license, either just the key or the CD you already have in your list.

It used to be $120 for the Home edition, but they increased the price this year.

You can buy a single-use OEM license + DVD (not necessary, but it comes with it.) from Amazon, but changing hardware like the Motherboard in the future might cause it to deactivate. It's not as likely anymore, but there's still a risk.

Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/OEM-Windows-Home-64-Bit-1-Pack/dp/B00ZSI7Y3U

when i built my first pc this past september, i just bought a windows key that comes as a flash drive.

i probably wasted money, but here it is if interested, worked easy;

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01019T6O0/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

• Here not so cheap
  
  
• Here cheaper
  
  
• Here too
  
  
• Here cheapest but mail in rebate
  
  
• Here cheaper then a couple options above
  
  
• Not so cheap
  
  
• Free-ish pretty much, other then cost of school. Dreamspark, inquire at your school.

I live on planet earth, where Home Premium costs $99~ and Ultimate costs $189~ And these are OEM/Builders, not full retail price.

If you paid much less than this, I can promise it's an illegitimate copy.

I also agree with you, it offers no performance increase and only a handful of features which already have free or cheaper alternatives.

You're welcome :)

I forgot but you can also just buy Win10 already on a usb like this. But it is a couple bucks more than just getting the disc code and downloading it yourself.

If you are willing to pirate, it is . . . :P

If you want go legit, you can run XP inside Win7, and Win7 is not that expensive (~$140 on Amazon):

http://www.amazon.com/Windows-Professional-System-Builder-Packaging/dp/B00H09BOXQ

If your Mac can run Win7 in BootCamp (some newer ones require Win8), this is one I recommend you get.

Otherwise, get the 32-bit version for a VM.

It's compatibility is higher, and it will be less of a strain on your system . . .

http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Windows-Home-Premium-Upgrade/dp/B002DHLUWK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=software&qid=1246861123&sr=8-1

There's this really cool new website called Google.com, you might want to try it out sometime. :p

64 bit is supposedly included in that package. Lots of other places offer the same deal - Newegg has it (check their front page) and the Microsoft Store has it. I ordered from Amazon because I thought they'd do the best job of getting it to me on time.

$100 for Professional, by the way.

I'm honestly not sure, I haven't needed to buy a key like this before. Just to let you know though, a windows 10 key is only $85 on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Windows-Home-System-Builder/dp/B00ZSI7Y3U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1458413737&sr=8-1&keywords=windows+10

$100 for the Pro version: http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Windows-System-Builder-Disc/dp/B00ZSHDJ4O/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1458413800&sr=8-3&keywords=windows+10+key

https://www.alternate.es/Intel(R)/i5-6400/html/product/1210164?tk=7&lk=10232

https://www.alternate.es/MSI/H110M-PRO-D/html/product/1241708?tk=7&lk=10231

https://www.alternate.es/Crucial/8GB-PC4-17000/html/product/1253413?tk=7&lk=8897

https://www.alternate.es/Western-Digital/WD10EZEX-1-TB/html/product/1013040?tk=7&lk=6605

https://www.alternate.es/Gainward/GeForce-GTX-970-Phoenix/html/product/1220405?tk=7&lk=6676

https://www.alternate.es/Zalman/Z1-Neo/html/product/1236515?tk=7&lk=6654

https://www.alternate.es/Seasonic/S12II-520-(SS-520GB)/html/product/143539?tk=7&lk=6784

https://www.alternate.es/HannsG/HS221HPB/html/product/1147365?tk=7&lk=9812

cost=833.57

for OS you could try this one https://www.amazon.es/Microsoft-Windows-PRO-SP1-64-bit/dp/B00H09BOXQ/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1462955452&sr=8-4&keywords=windows or try /r/microsoftsoftwareswap or try the yaaaaaaaaar way.

could not get you something like an i7 in the build for the video editing.It should still do fine(16gb ram could help depending on how heavy your projects are)

I built my computer from scratch and it's basically been unable to install updates since I put it together. The very first batch may have installed correctly, I can't remember. I have noticed that my (company-maintained, obviously) computer at work has never had any issues with updates, and neither has my laptop (a dual-boot Windows/Linux Mint machine which I clean installed Windows 10 on after attempting to just upgrade from Windows 7 gave me grief). So I'm wondering if it has to do with the method of installation, which in my case was from a Win10 Pro OEM disk I ordered here (risky, I know, but I needed to save money). Or maybe related to my hardware profile.

Also as a side note: You can order just the (license) key and you would make your own USB Thumb drive using the Microsoft Create Windows 10 installation media:

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10


Or you can order Windows 10 that comes on a USB Thumb drive already (where as they use to come on DVD)

like here https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01019T6O0

but that USB will have whatever build was out at the time.. To me it is better to just make your own current Windows 10 version with the MediaCreationTool1803.exe from the Microsoft website..

Ugh, don't pirate Windows. Apart from anything else, there's a high chance that a future update will break it.

The full version is $99 at Amazon. If you think that's too much, protest by not buying it, but not by pirating it. There are plenty of really great Mac games on Steam, and on the App Store.

VMWare,
Windows. You might want to check out Google and Amazon in general, they're great resources.

The Windows Key is on the tower! It's a new desktop with 8.1 Pro, 64 bit. I'll get to searching for that then! Thanks

Cheapest one I can find is http://www.amazon.com/Windows-8-1-System-Builder-64-Bit/dp/B00F3ZN0CC

Would I just insert the disk and conduct the reinstallation? As in not having to do anything propr besides creating bootable media? Just wondering if I'd come up with any issues.

Even if you don’t qualify for a free account with your .edu email address, o365 is a heck of a deal, and worth every penny. $70 on Amazon for a year, 5 devices, unlimited cloud storage. http://www.amazon.com/Office-Home-Premium-Macs-Card/dp/B009SPTUW2/

Windows 7 home premium is all you need. You can get it for less then 100$ on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00H09BB16?cache=507249652ef72b942dcd0890b34c12be&pi=SY200_QL40&qid=1414280465&sr=1-1#ref=mp_s_a_1_1

You'll need to fresh install however.
That's a good thing though.

Found a link to a small mom and pop shop that sells them.

Good luck.

Windows 7 Professional SP1 64bit (OEM) System Builder DVD 1 Pack (New Packaging)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H09BOXQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_7QGSybZVG0YX0

You're seeing stuff from people who bought it from a reseller and not from actual Amazon then. If it's straight from Amazon, you should have an as-good-as-retail copy.

i.e. This

Where it says "fulfilled by Amazon" = You're golden.

Here, try this

https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/VnKrbj

managed to fit a 1060, faster hard drive, more efficient PSU, slightly cheaper windows 10 from amazon, and a cheaper case (but this one can change based on your preferences)

*edit: link to windows 10 https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B01019T6O0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

You can tell what the current state of how to licence Microsoft products is when the answers thus far can't directly answer the question.


Until someone else can give a better method and price, Amazon is the most straight forward, legal, way to buy a licence that I know of.

https://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Windows-Home-Flash-Drive/dp/B01019T6O0

Hope that's not for my region, but they should be easy to spot if you search them

Thank you for the reply. Which of these would be better as they both say that they aren't the upgraded version.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EDSI7QO/ref=s9_simh_gw_p65_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0ZGYREC48NKBQFNNMECS&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1688200382&pf_rd_i=507846
or
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00F3ZN2W0/ref=s9_simh_gw_p65_d0_i2?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0ZGYREC48NKBQFNNMECS&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1688200382&pf_rd_i=507846

> but you can't just but a new OEM key. OEM keys can only be purchased with a new computer (or significant amount of hardware)

Yes you can... you can even buy them on Amazon all by itself.

My new OS will be installed on a new Samsung 950 Pro M.2 SSD drive and neither of the two drives I want to move from my old PC to the new one have my old OS on them. My old OS is on an SSD in the old computer and the two I want to move are both HDDs.

Here is the Windows 10 I bought: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01019TDJ8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I honestly don't remember if my Windows 7 was or not. I bought it at a Microcenter when building my first PC about 4 years ago. I just remember it was the Pro version as well.

How about 29.99/year? Assuming 4 years between upgrades for an average user, that would be about $14 higher than the $106 you'd pay for 8.1 on Amazon right now. Considering that a one year subscription to Office 365 costs more than $70, I'm guessing most people would think it was a pretty good price.

I'm not a uni student yet (hopefully I get accepted to the UC schools I applied to :) ). Let's say I download W10 through the ISO by USB, should I buy the Windows 10 64 Bit Full version as a DVD, and use the code since it is cheaper to get than by USB??

Here is the DVD one which is cheaper than the USB: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ZSI7Y3U?keywords=Windows%2010%2064%20bit&qid=1451768074&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1

THIS is a really awesome physical download site. It doesn't even matter what your bandwidth is; it only takes 2 days to download right to your doorstep!

So from what I am reading you have a 32 bit version of windows 10/8 so if you want to play the game you may need to get a 64 bit version of windows 10/8 https://www.amazon.ca/Microsoft-Windows-Pro-Flash-Drive/dp/B01019TDJ8/ref=sr_1_3?crid=90K1XV4DHM8&keywords=windows+10&qid=1549716793&s=gateway&sprefix=Windows%2Caps%2C178&sr=8-3 windows 10 pro is on sale right know for cheaper than the standard edition of windows also you may want to check the minimum specs list on steam and make sure you are above those I’ll give you a link here https://store.steampowered.com/app/264710/Subnautica/

Is this deal on windows 7 too good to be true?

http://www.play-asia.com/microsoft-windows-7-pro-oem-key-only/13/709gc7

And if it's legit, what is it missing compared to the amazon offer?

http://www.amazon.com/Windows-Premium-System-Builder-Packaging/dp/B00H09BB16/

> oem >win 7 (8, 8.1, 10) nu sunt legale, sunt doar pentru firme care construiesc sisteme. gen acer dell samd.

Poti sa ne luminezi si pe noi de unde stii? Ca emag si toate magazinele mari vand la greu ilegale din astea.

Aoleu, si amazon s-a dat pe ilegale! https://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Windows-Home-System-Builder/dp/B00ZSI7Y3U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1480021983&sr=8-1&keywords=windows+oem

You said:

"I see Windows 7 Ultimate as the standard Windows 7 version, and if you want to save some money, you can actually remove some features to lower the price to one of two lower tiers. If you think about it this way, Apple essentially forces you to buy the most expensive version of their OS: their "ultimate" version, if you will."

How can this be true when Apple's OS is $35 (with a $30 upgrade to Lion in a few weeks), And Windows 7 Ultimate is between $250 and $300?

It seems to me that the Mac OS X experience is a far greater value in terms of OS pricing. This has to count for something in terms of overall cost.

http://www.amazon.com/Mac-version-10-6-3-Snow-Leopard/dp/B001AMHWP8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1310393781&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/NEW-Windows-Ultimate-Full-Software/dp/B004UCV2PQ/ref=sr_1_6?s=software&ie=UTF8&qid=1310393939&sr=1-6

You can buy it. I'm pretty sure it's cheaper elsewhere.