Maximum PC

Hello all! This is my first post here so be gentle.

I'm looking to build a rig that I can game with but will also be a strong enough workhorse to do video editing, etc... (for the missus).

One of the games I'm interested in being able to play is SW:TOR (Star Wars: The Old Republic).

I have a budget of $750-$900 for this machine. I can possibly go over my budget a little bit if it means a difference in performance that is of good value, but would love to try to keep it inside the range.

One thing I'm addicted to is Intel processors, so the build would need to have an Intel CPU.

Any suggestions for me?

something I would shoot for in that price range

Part list permalink / Part price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($22.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Biostar TZ77B ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($97.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: Patriot Signature 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($41.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($117.27 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($259.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 370 ATX Mid Tower Case ($35.18 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Antec 650W ATX12V Power Supply ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SN-208BB DVD/CD Writer ($20.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $830.93
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated 2012-04-26 07:07 EDT-0400)

this is a good price/performance build

If you happened to live by a Micro Center brick-and-mortar store they have a good deal for i5-2500k & mobo combo:

i5-2500k $179
ASRock Z77 Pro3 $60
total: $252 including tax (yes has to be added to cart to see price) so you save about $40 over above, but I would prefer the Biostar T-series myself (has excellent CPU voltage regulation)


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Alternatively - if your focus is mostly video editing, an 8-way system with more mem and less GPU would be more beneficial (and cheaper overall) over the i5-2500k (which is the modern gaming de-facto standard for mid-range system )
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Part list permalink / Part price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-8120 3.1GHz 8-Core Processor ($174.98 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($22.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($117.27 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7770 1GB Video Card ($126.97 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 370 ATX Mid Tower Case ($35.18 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Antec 650W ATX12V Power Supply ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SN-208BB DVD/CD Writer ($20.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $768.34
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated 2012-04-26 07:52 EDT-0400)

And again, your local MC has a decent deal:
FX 8120 $150
ASRock 970 Extreme3 $50
Total: <$210 tax included - again I would probably take the Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3, which has 8+2 phase CPU VRM (comparable to Biostar's T)

Of course, the 7770 will not keep up as well as the 7850 at max details, so you could keep the 7850 in the AMD with 8Gb ram and still be in budget for a "tween" system - but if that is the case you may just go with the i5.

cheers