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I'm interested in your mech. keyboard update as I was trying to figure out those as well (long time laptop user). I can't subscribe (yet), but will keep an eye on this thread!

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That $530 includes a fair amount of time to engineer and build a system that will likely work a long time - not a brown box full of other boxes.  In my business, time is money - I only wish days were longer so I could have my staff bill more time.

I live in a business world where Dell is accepted and "white box" PCs lost favor a decade ago - so the proprietary parts don't concern me - I am not an overclocking engineer.

There are videos of the system on the Youtubes showing various 3-D samples with the GT 720, but remember... that basic video card means nothing to me except that it supports up to 3 displays (I only need 2), and is faster than many internal GPUs, plus - at retail values of about $40 that card is expendable - but keep it around in case you need premium phone support speaking to Americans which is generally known as "enhanced" - which is included with my new machine.

Video surveillance PCs have a bit of overlap with gaming machines, in that they need speed - but 2D graphics is all that is necessary, and with a $8 cable I convert the unused DVI-D port to passive HDMI - which is all I need for display #2.  I'll have 2 HDMI ports off that card and stay within Dell's support limits, and avoid using the HDMI on the mainboard which isn't meant to be in this mix - Dell thoughtfully put a rubber plug over it so I don't accidentally try to use it unless I must.

I get it that the ultimate gamer PC must be colorful and water cooled, preferably with lots of blinky lights and extra fans.  Dell does not offer that - but to the casual first time gamer a system like I bought with a better video card is low hassle.  I usually buy Optiplex machines, this is my first XPS - and I have to say I'm impressed with the value.

I really don't mean to derail your excellent topic - but some guys need to know they can do this with a budget and a screwdriver with minimal research.  We get an occasional service call for a dude with boxes of parts that won't play nice together, even after his crazy Uncle Jim who knows everything about PCs tried to get it running.  Sometimes parts get zapped from mishandling or poor chassis builds - or even just with the screws to hold the main board down.  Some run until the CPU boils due to mismatched fans or heatsinks.  Some folks don't know that paste is often important, and how much to use.  Some folks don't know to not only unplug, but then hold the power button down to drain off the remaining voltage before inserting or removing a component.  Some folks have no idea about BIOS settings, or how to tweak the OS for maximum speed.   Heck, there's a lot I don't know about the new style PCs which I gain from threads like these - so I appreciate the thread.

Some folks don't belong under the hood of their car, or inside a PC.

I do appreciate your efforts to educate folks here, honestly I do - because they don't quite fit together like Legos yet, but that's just a matter of time - we're getting there though.

I just wanted folks to know they can buy an 80% lower and finish the rest themselves without starting from the ground up.

Hey, I used to hate Dell too - but they have a place in this world.  I accept that place, and don't worship them as you may think.  I'm not a fanboi, but I have spent millions with Dell for clients (I know this because I ran a report last week because I was interested).  

I hope you take this with a grain of humor, as we IT guys root for you gamers to have great success, but designing and building your own kick ass machine might be more of a challenge than finding that detent pin on an AR build.

Good luck guys, just be careful and ask questions if necessary.  RMAing new parts can delay your build.  Learn, then enjoy they hell out of your creation!

         

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Dell is to building a gaming rig what blackthorne/hesse is to buying a Larue.

You're talking about a company that bought a powerhouse in the gaming rig industry like Alienware and fucked it up without even trying.

But enjoy your 720 GTX. It's just as good as a 970 right?

I'd love to see you build a Dell to the same specs and performance as my rig for anywhere near the price. And I say this as a long time Dell account holder with several Dells in the house (just not for gaming).

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build lists

5-600 is doable, with some alterations to the above lists you could add an os and a blue ray DVD player.

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Report back on this please, a gaming laptop may be what I'm stuck with for a few years.

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Are people still interested in this. or do they Want the IT guy to take this over?

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Are you a Texan by birth?

Yes, I'd be interested in an updated list.  Thanks.  

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I recommend a lenovo Y500 series. avoid Alien ware. OriginPC's are GTG

IF it's possible. try to get something that isnt dependant in Intel Integrated graphics

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I'll add my shitbox...

http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv310/MikeNestor/1291287_10151860017959477_1603421752_o_zpsb7e1aa61.jpg
http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv310/MikeNestor/Computer/7DAD3E7C-6D93-4E61-B326-B9398D8D4459_zpsbx9uxlyd.jpg
http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv310/MikeNestor/20131102_130148_zps151cc812.jpg

Probably don't use it enough to justify the $$ Ive put in to it, but was fun to build.. blows any console away

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Perfect timing on this thread, my computer was bought in '01(?). I really need a new one. I will admit that all of this talk is greek to me, but I know that I could build one. My problem is putting a list of components together.

I'd be using the PC for "home office work" but I do some FPS gaming and have an interest in other games but obviously my current set up is a 97lb weakling. With a newer rig I would probably also mess with making videos too. A mid tower designed rig would probably suffice. 800.00 would be my high limit, anything less than that would be a bonus.

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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($215.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97M-HD3 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($73.89 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($61.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: PNY Optima 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($84.99 @ Best Buy)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($48.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 960 2GB Video Card  ($209.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Thermaltake Versa H21 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($33.98 @ Directron)
Power Supply: EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($44.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer  ($13.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $788.79
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-24 07:07 EST-0500

for an $800 budget, I'd concentrate on components that would provide an objectively quicker experience -- the i5 is a pretty solid cpu (an i7 would be better for video processing, but it's a bit more expensive. you could cut back cists on the GPU by switching to say an AMD offering perhaps to bump it up, but the current combination would be better for a jack of all trades sort of setup). The 960 is nvidia's new mainstream performance card, which will be plenty competent at playing pretty much any game on the market with most settings maxed on a single monitor. The RAM is the cheapest option for 8GB right now, and looks neat (heat spreaders look like rifles). The motherboard is sort of stripped down, with enough features to work with the locked CPU, PNY SSD isn't the flashiest (like an intel or samsung), but its plenty quick and well reviewed for reliability. Case is a no-frills standard box, and for ~$30 it lets us concentrate funds elsewhere that will actually determine how the system can work/game.

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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($215.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97M-HD3 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($73.89 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($61.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: PNY Optima 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($84.99 @ Best Buy)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($48.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 960 2GB Video Card  ($209.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Thermaltake Versa H21 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($33.98 @ Directron)
Power Supply: EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($44.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer  ($13.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $788.79
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-24 07:07 EST-0500

for an $800 budget, I'd concentrate on components that would provide an objectively quicker experience -- the i5 is a pretty solid cpu (an i7 would be better for video processing, but it's a bit more expensive. you could cut back cists on the GPU by switching to say an AMD offering perhaps to bump it up, but the current combination would be better for a jack of all trades sort of setup). The 960 is nvidia's new mainstream performance card, which will be plenty competent at playing pretty much any game on the market with most settings maxed on a single monitor. The RAM is the cheapest option for 8GB right now, and looks neat (heat spreaders look like rifles). The motherboard is sort of stripped down, with enough features to work with the locked CPU, PNY SSD isn't the flashiest (like an intel or samsung), but its plenty quick and well reviewed for reliability. Case is a no-frills standard box, and for ~$30 it lets us concentrate funds elsewhere that will actually determine how the system can work/game.

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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($215.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97M-HD3 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($73.89 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($61.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: PNY Optima 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($84.99 @ Best Buy)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($48.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 960 2GB Video Card  ($209.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Thermaltake Versa H21 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($33.98 @ Directron)
Power Supply: EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($44.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer  ($13.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $788.79
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-24 07:07 EST-0500

for an $800 budget, I'd concentrate on components that would provide an objectively quicker experience -- the i5 is a pretty solid cpu (an i7 would be better for video processing, but it's a bit more expensive. you could cut back cists on the GPU by switching to say an AMD offering perhaps to bump it up, but the current combination would be better for a jack of all trades sort of setup). The 960 is nvidia's new mainstream performance card, which will be plenty competent at playing pretty much any game on the market with most settings maxed on a single monitor. The RAM is the cheapest option for 8GB right now, and looks neat (heat spreaders look like rifles). The motherboard is sort of stripped down, with enough features to work with the locked CPU, PNY SSD isn't the flashiest (like an intel or samsung), but its plenty quick and well reviewed for reliability. Case is a no-frills standard box, and for ~$30 it lets us concentrate funds elsewhere that will actually determine how the system can work/game.