Since the OP doesn't appear to feel comfortable building a custom PC, I would suggest going with
CyberPower PC or
iBUYPOWER where he can more or less customize his build. Recommended platform is LGA-1156 and recommended processors are the i3-540 (lower performance but cheaper) or i5-760 (higher performance but more expensive). I recommend skipping any of the i5-6xx processors as their performance will be very similar to the i3.
Here's a customized version of
Gamer Xtreme 1000 (CyberPower PC) which should work quite well for you:
Code:
Configuration
*BASE_PRICE: [+665]
BLUETOOTH: None
CAS: CoolerMaster Elite 430 Mid-Tower Gaming Case with Side Panel Window
CASUPGRADE: None
CD: 24X Double Layer Dual Format DVD+-R/+-RW + CD-R/RW Drive (BLACK COLOR)
CD2: None
CPU: Intel® Core™ i5-760 2.80 GHz 8M Intel Smart Cache LGA1156
CS_FAN: Default case fans
FA_HDD: None
FAN: Asetek 510LC Liquid Cooling System 120MM Radiator & Fan (Enhanced Cooling Performance + Extreme Silent at 20dBA)
FLASHMEDIA: None
FLOPPY: None
GLASSES: None
HDD: 1TB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache 7200RPM HDD (Single Hard Drive)
HDD2: None
IEEE_CARD: None
KEYBOARD: Xtreme Gear (Black Color) Multimedia/Internet USB Keyboard
LANSURGE: None
MB_ADDON: None
MEMORY: 4GB (2GBx2) DDR3/1600MHz Dual Channel Memory Module (Corsair or Major Brand)
MONITOR: None
MONITOR2: None
MONITOR3: None
MOTHERBOARD: MSI H55M-E23 Intel H55 Chipset DDR3 LGA1156 mATX w/ Onboard Graphics, HDMI, DVI, 7.1 HD Audio, GbLAN, USB2.0, SATA-II, 1 Gen 2 PCIe, 2 PCIe X1 & 1 PCI
MOUSE: XtremeGear Optical USB 3 Buttons Gaming Mouse
MULTIVIEW: Non-SLI/Non-CrossFireX Mode Supports Multiple Monitors
NETWORK: Onboard Gigabit LAN Network
OS: Microsoft® Windows® 7 Home Premium (64-bit Edition)
OVERCLOCK: No Overclocking
POWERSUPPLY: 600 Watts - XtremeGear Power Supply - SLI/CrossFireX Ready [+26]
RUSH: NO; READY TO SHIP IN 10~15 BUSINESS DAYS
SERVICE: STANDARD WARRANTY: 3-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY PLUS LIFE-TIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT
SOUND: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
SPEAKERS: None
TEMP: None
TVRC: None
USB: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports
USBFLASH: None
USBHD: None
USBX: None
VC_PHYSX: None
VIDEO: ATI Radeon HD 5770 1GB GDDR5 16X PCIe Video Card [+23] (Major Brand Powered by ATI)
VIDEO2: None
VIDEO3: None
WNC: None
_PRICE: (+714)
_view_: d
Total $714 and that's including the Windows license. The only changes I made from the base configuration were:
- XtremeGear Liquid Cooling -> Asetek 510LC Liquid Cooling ($0)
- NVIDIA GeForce GT 430 -> ATI Radeon HD 5770 (+$23)
- 450 Watts Standard Case Power Supply -> 600W XtremeGear Power Supply (+$26)
Power supply is of the crappy kind but as long as you don't overclock, the build should use less than 300W max load. If I were building a custom build with a similar configuration, I'd go with either the Antec EA-380D, Antec NEO ECO 400C, Corsair CX400 or SeaSonic S12II 380B for the power supply. Unfortunately, these aren't options. The only decent power supplies they have available would cost $100 (Corsair 650TX) and above which would put the build above your $750 budget. If you can afford to stretch your budget the extra $40, I highly suggest you upgrade to the Corsair 650TX. If not, the XtremeGear will probably work well enough.
By the way, Sandy Bridge (new generation of Intel processors) is just around the corner. They're expected to hit retail shelves next week or so. It's probably going to be worth waiting for that.