Gaming computer under $700?

hi cory, motherboard is your choice asus is easier to use but intel offers so much more so buy one that has a lot of power. because you will need the extra power in your chipset. now this is important stay away from quad I recommend this processor an intel i7 960. amd is a lot more complicated and to buy the right one is a pain. I believe in intel and a 960 is a good gaming processor not unless you want to go with a 980 or a 990 lot more money. now I subscribe to pcworld magazine and they claim that all pro gamers are going to two video cards they are intel 250 to 280 and a Nvidia GeForce 9800gtx proven to keep killer graphics plus keeping your computer cooler. this is important the high powered video cards will check you into crash and burn hotel and it's cold and lonely there. now the rest is your choice but here is something to remember buying your power supply from the same company is important and sony has the best hard drive. your dvd burners should also be from sony not unless you are going blue ray they are sharp but they are expensive and hard to fit in your case. now I know that you mentioned building your own computer and that is admirable but I recommend that you get a computer repairman to build it for you he gets his parts from a warehouse and not mail order his parts are a lot more dependable plus he can give you some more options that I don't have the room to mention. good luck I hope I was helpful to you

Wow First off the i7 960 is a great cpu and is as fast as the ivy bridge i5s But it is no longer sold because it is older. Your best bet would be to find a i5 hasswell MSI combo motherboard, That is the motherboard with the cpu included, You can usually find one like the i5 for $280-$320, A good GPU for cheap you can get a MSI-GTX-650-Ti or a ATI-7790 or the ATI-7850 if you can find the 7850 for under $130, A good psu that can power you for $55 bucks a Corsair CX500, And memory 8GB G.Skill Ripjaws 1600 DDR3 would do the job for under $40, And the CPU tower You are on your own. I always had one of those gave to me.

firstly 700 is a bit low, you should save more and get better parts.

If you are gonna spend 700 why not save up 1000 and get better parts.

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