What will you be doing with this PC? Be as specific as possible, and include specific games or programs you will be using.

• Mostly gaming - Skyrim, PS2/PS1 emulation, would like to be able to play new releases but I'm not picky about being able to play at max settings

What is your maximum budget before rebates/shipping/taxes?

• $600 at time of build including reused parts below, $200-400 can be put into upgrades within 6-12 months

When do you plan on building/buying the PC? Note: beyond a week or two from today means any build you receive will be out of date when you want to buy.

• Within the next month

What, exactly, do you need included in the budget? (Tower/OS/monitor/keyboard/mouse/etc)

• Just tower and any parts not being reused out of my list below. Already have OS and peripherals (monitor, keyboard, mouse).

Which country (and state/province) will you be purchasing the parts in? If you're in US, do you have access to a Microcenter location?

• US (Massachusetts), access to Microcenter

If reusing any parts (including monitor(s)/keyboard/mouse/etc), what parts will you be reusing? Brands and models are appreciated.

• I will be taking parts from a Gateway prebuilt computer that I am scrapping. Specific parts are listed below. Includes monitor, keyboard, mouse, optical drive, CPU, and HDD.

Will you be overclocking? If yes, are you interested in overclocking right away, or down the line? CPU and/or GPU?

• I am not currently planning on overclocking, but may be open to the idea of overclocking my CPU when I upgrade in 6-12 months (see notes below)

Are there any specific features or items you want/need in the build? (ex: SSD, large amount of storage or a RAID setup, CUDA or OpenCL support, etc)

• SSD, good quality GPU to match the better CPU that I will be swapping in within the next year.

Do you have any specific case preferences (Size like ITX/microATX/mid-tower/full-tower, styles, colors, window or not, LED lighting, etc), or a particular color theme preference for the components?

• I'm not a huge fan of super flashy cases with tons of LEDs, bright colors, etc. Simple is fine by me. It's more important that the tower be well built and beginner friendly if possible.

Do you need a copy of Windows 7 or 8.1 included in the budget? If you do need one included, do you have a preference for one or the other?

• Already have a copy of Windows 7

Extra info or particulars:

• I would ideally like to reuse both the CPU and HDD from my old build in order to save money at this point, with the intention of upgrading at least the CPU within 6-12 months. I'll need an LGA1155 socket mobo to match that CPU, which means I'll be scrapping the mobo along with the processor when I upgrade (since current gen i5's are LGA1150 socket) so a cheaper mobo is likely going to be the best option at this point since it's just a placeholder. The 5400 RPM HDD is on the slow side and I know HDDs are cheap right now, but if possible I'd rather put my money into a good GPU and SSD at this point and upgrade the CPU and HDD at a later date when finances are less of a concern. This is my first time building a PC so I don't need/want anything that will be especially difficult to put together.

  PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant