I don't technically have a limited budget but I'm going to university next year and I don't need the ultimate gaming PC of the year, so I'm hoping to keep it under $1200 USD.
What I want to do with the PC: Streaming (SCBW and SCII most likely). 3D modeling, programming, some audio work. Plus the usual stuff like listening to music, internet browsing. Honestly the only thing that will really need much performance that I plan on doing is streaming SCII, as the 3D stuff will mostly never be an issue on any modern processor.
Processor
I'm guessing for what I need, an i5 2500K will do just fine. I can overclock if needed but would like the PC to not die in the next 3-4 years, and I doubt I'd need the extra processing power. But if I do I can. With that in mind, I don't know anything about cooling and heatsinks and fans and heat paste, and would appreciate being told what to get for those.
Graphics card
No idea what to get; anything that can run SCII at ultra settings or whathaveyou, while having some graphical overlays, will be more than adequate.
RAM
I multitask a lot so 8GB is probably a good target but I can always start with 4GB and see if I need more or not. No idea what to buy.
Case, Motherboard, PSU, Monitor
I don't know what to get for these. For the case, I don't worry too much about how nice it looks, just as long as it's big enough and cool enough. PSU I'm guessing 500-600W is enough. Monitor, minimum 21inch, don't know anything about resolution. I don't like really massive monitors, so 21-23inch would be more than adequate.
Hard drive
I'd like to start with just an SSD, 128GB or more. I don't currently use much more than 80GB ever, so I don't plan on getting a larger HD till I need one.
Mouse, keyboard
I don't know much about mice, and don't even know if it's worth getting a gaming mouse over an ordinary cheap mouse. For keyboards, I'll probably get a mechanical one with cherry browns or blues, but I'll work that out myself. Brand advice would be nice but I'm happy to research that myself.
Don't need speakers or headphones, I'll probably get a Blue Snowball mic for recording, and have a headset mic already. Don't need a new mousepad. I'm not a brand fanboy, so don't worry about that.
I usually source parts from http://www.pricespy.co.nz as newegg doesn't ship to NZ. Having said that, I recently found out that I can get a US "address" which is run by the NZ post office and can get items sent to that ad then sent over here; if the price of parts on newegg is cheap enough to be worth doing that then that's an option, although it is something of a hassle. I don't plan on buying everything immediately.
Red classic.
"In short, their absurdities are so extreme that it is painful even to quote them."
"In short, their absurdities are so extreme that it is painful even to quote them."