I am planning on buying and building a computer by the end of this month and I came up with this <a href="http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3CMiR"> build </a>
I will be using it mostly for games and some productivity, but that will be simple office programs, and online homework, neither too intensive. If there are any points that could be better let me know how I could improve while still staying below $1050, I cannot go above that number. Also I don't have a SSD in this build because I would rather have increased performance in games rather than faster boot times. This being said I am not opposed to one if it can be fit in with out sacrificing too much performance.
Looks pretty good. I would try to get an IPS display for your monitor. Also, if you want to save some money, you could go with a cheaper chipset(granted the motherboard has enough power phases for the CPU) since your 550w power supply won't allow you to get a multiple GPU setup.
Okay looks good, but how is the Gigabyte board? I have heard some good and some bad but haven't had a definite answer on how good it is, also will I be able to overclock a bit on this board?
On another note should I get Windows 7 or 8? I can get either for free but I'm unsure of which to choose.
Gigabyte AM3+ mobo's have some of the worst bio's ever, do not buy. As an owner of one, I hate it sooooo much. Get the Asus you originally had.
Win 7 vs Win 8: That's hard with the patches coming soon to Win 8 to really fix it up. I'd say Win 7 for now, but don't buy until we see the Win 8 patches in the very near future. They may make Win 8 very good.
Okay I was leaning towards Windows 7 anyway. And how are the AOC monitors? I've never heard of them and I don't really know how good they are, or if they have some common problems. From what I have read so far they look good though. I have seen though that some people complain that the bezel isn't as thin as described.
I'd probably get a better psu. Spending an extra $50 or so to get something decent is better than losing ten times that if it shorts out and fries everything.
You see I was hesitant at first about the PSU, then I found out the the OEM for the HIVE series is sirtec/high power which makes some good quality stuff. The reason why people think that Rosewill has sup par PSU's is because of the other series they have made by not very good OEM's.
Rosewill's Hive line of power supplies is pretty good. They're not super high quality, but they're better than most.
Laughingman has been going berzerk lately on the forums telling everyone to get quality power supplies, even if the power supplies picked are quality. Kinda weird.
Yeah, I know I've been harping on about it a bit, but I'm skeptical of cheap psu's even if they are from good manufacturers. I just know too many people who have payed the price for not spending a little extra on them.
The way I see it, if you're willing to spend $$$ on motherbords and cpu's, spending a little more $ on the psu might be worthwhile.