Pick the Right Parts
Saving money on a home-built PC starts with picking the right parts. We've already talked about this a lot before, so we won't get into the nitty-gritty details here, but it's the first place you should look for savings. For example, when it comes to desktop PCs, processors don't matter all that much anymore. Buying Intel's brand-spanking-new Haswell processors won’t make a huge difference in your build. If you want to save some money, check out last generation's Ivy Bridge processors and motherboards instead. They're pretty similar in features, but you can often get them at a lower price. Similarly, you don't need a high-end (Core) i7 processor with hyperthreading to build a gaming PC. Very few games take advantage of the extra four threads, so an i5 offers the same performance for less money. You also won't need 8GB of RAM, unless you run a lot of virtual machines or perform other RAM-hungry processes.
Lastly, you may find that as you shop around, you see multiple parts that would all fit the bill in your computer. Maybe you don't care what brand of RAM you buy, or what kind of hard drive you get, as long as its the right speed. Heck, you may even find one or two similar motherboards that will work in your build. In that case, monitor them all, so if one goes on sale, pops up as an open box item, or gets a combo deal with another part you can use, you can grab it and know you're getting the best deal.
Just remember: as you shop, don't buy something just because it's cheap. Pick your parts first, then shop around based on price. You don't want to get stuck with low quality components just because you bought them on mega-sale
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