PC Build Guide – April 2012
Today we present to you our suggested build guides for April 2012. Items of note include a shuffle of video cards throughout the lineup. We’ve opted for the Radeon 7850 in the Starter due to its power efficiency and benchmark advantages over the 560 Ti from the March build guide. (If you prefer Nvidia, you could substitute a 560 Ti and a larger PSU.) Additionally, we’ve included the new GeForce GTX 680 on both the Enthusiast and Professional builds.
As before, we had implemented hard price limits ($800, $1300, $1800) on ourselves and have had to make tough decisions with each build. Your personal budget will likely be flexible, but it is our hope that this article will give you a baseline. You can of course spend more or spend less, but you run in to a case of diminishing returns at either end. Please keep in mind that pricing information is immediate and may not necessarily reflect real prices by the time you have read this article.
We’ve also sought best value for each part. For example, the Cooler Master Hyper 212+ is a staple throughout the lineup. There are newer models which are just slightly better (such as the EVO), but are not worth the difference in price, especially not for our hard budget limitations.
Finally, we’ve attempted to take brand reputation into consideration where applicable. A lot of this has to do with reliability, warranty, and customer service in our personal experiences–naturally, yours may differ.
As with last month (and going forward), these builds do not include a monitor, operating system, or peripherals.
The Starter ($800 maximum)
Part list permalink: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/6tYH
- CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K ($199.99 @ NCIX US)
- CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus ($22.99 @ NCIX US)
- Motherboard: Biostar TZ68A+ LGA1155 ($79.99 @ Newegg)
- Memory: Patriot Signature 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3-1600 ($34.99 @ Newegg)
- Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5″ 7200RPM ($94.99 @ Best Buy)
- Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 2GB ($259.99 @ Amazon)
- Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Microcenter)
- Power Supply: Corsair 430W ATX12V ($26.98 @ Newegg)
- Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($18.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $788.90
The Enthusiast ($1300 maximum)
Part list permalink: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/6tZp
- CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K ($199.99 @ NCIX US)
- CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus ($22.99 @ NCIX US)
- Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z68A-D3H-B3 ATX LGA1155 ($104.99 @ NCIX US)
- Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3-1600 ($44.99 @ Newegg)
- Hard Drive: Crucial M4 64GB 2.5″ SSD ($84.99 @ Newegg)
- Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5″ 7200RPM ($94.99 @ Best Buy)
- Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 680 2GB ($507.55 @ Newegg)
- Case: Corsair 400R ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Microcenter)
- Power Supply: Corsair 750W ATX12V / EPS12V ($129.99 @ Newegg)
- Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($18.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $1299.46
The Professional ($1800 maximum)
Part list permalink: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/6u0t
- CPU: Intel Core i7-2600K ($299.99 @ NCIX US)
- CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus ($22.99 @ NCIX US)
- Motherboard: EVGA 160-SB-E689-KR EATX LGA1155 ($249.99 @ Newegg)
- Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws 16GB (4x4GB) DDR3-1600 ($89.99 @ Newegg)
- Hard Drive: Corsair Force Series GT 180GB 2.5″ SSD ($207.98 @ NCIX US)
- Hard Drive: WD Caviar Black 1TB 3.5″ 7200RPM ($103.02 @ NCIX US)
- Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 680 2GB ($507.55 @ Newegg)
- Case: Cooler Master HAF X ATX Full Tower Case ($159.99 @ NCIX US)
- Power Supply: Corsair 750W ATX12V / EPS12V ($129.99 @ Newegg)
- Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($18.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $1790.48
Have a suggestion? Leave it in the comments or on the forum post.
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