Best gaming rig for 2013 within a $1500 budget

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Jaron Nunnally

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Mar 19, 2013
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Hello,

I am wanting to build my own custom computer, i'm new to building computers and need some direction on building a gaming rig. I'm wanting to play games like skyrim and farcry 3 on max settings, i'm also wanting to install graphical mods to skyrim to make it look more realistic, i don't know if this is possible with only a $1500 budget.

Any help is much appreciated, thanks

P.S I'm from the USA, and i'm wanting to get a new computer because i want to get into pc gaming i plan on using it quite often (about six times a week for 2-5 hours a day) the computer i currently have is a laptop made in like 2005, and i'm wanting a desktop so i can upgrade if need be. And i do plan to buy a monitor nothing extreme just a 17 inch monitor.
Also i don't plan on buying within the next couple of weeks i'm actually going to be buying the computer some time in mid-early summer,But i would still like some guidance on what parts to get now so i have everything ready to order in the summer.
 
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JJ1217
Under the assumption you are from the USA, I'll whip up a quick build for you.

However, please fill out this:

n order to make things easy, copy and paste the following template into your post and edit the italicized examples to suit your needs:

Approximate Purchase Date: e.g.: this week (the closer the better)

Budget Range: (e.g.: 300-400) Before / After Rebates; Before / After Shipping

System Usage from Most to Least Important: (e.g.: Folding@Home, gaming, surfing the internet, watching movies)

Are you buying a monitor: Yes / No



Parts to Upgrade: (e.g.: CPU, mobo, RAM) **Include Power Supply Make & Model If Re-using**

Do you need to buy OS: Yes / No
Please note that if you're using an OEM license of Windows, you will need a...
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JJ1217

JJ1217

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Jun 1, 2012
1,760
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Under the assumption you are from the USA, I'll whip up a quick build for you.

However, please fill out this:

n order to make things easy, copy and paste the following template into your post and edit the italicized examples to suit your needs:

Approximate Purchase Date: e.g.: this week (the closer the better)

Budget Range: (e.g.: 300-400) Before / After Rebates; Before / After Shipping

System Usage from Most to Least Important: (e.g.: Folding@Home, gaming, surfing the internet, watching movies)

Are you buying a monitor: Yes / No



Parts to Upgrade: (e.g.: CPU, mobo, RAM) **Include Power Supply Make & Model If Re-using**

Do you need to buy OS: Yes / No
Please note that if you're using an OEM license of Windows, you will need a new one when buying a new motherboard.

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: (e.g.: newegg.com, ncix.com -- to show us selection & pricing)

Location: City, State/Region, Country - we need to know where these parts are being assembled and whether there are good store-only deals available

Parts Preferences: by brand or type (e.g.: I would like to upgrade to Intel CPU)

Overclocking: Yes / No / Maybe

SLI or Crossfire: Yes / No / Maybe

Your Monitor Resolution: (e.g.: 1024x768, 1280x1024, 1440x900, 1600x1200, 1680x1050, 1920x1080, 1920x1200 or if you're upgrading please state what you'd want to get)

Additional Comments: (e.g.: Need to have a window and lots of bling, I would like a quiet PC. Please also list specific software or games you're using)

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: (e.g. I'm having trouble running game X or my PSU broke)

Here is a nice build, including OS, but no monitor.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/KIoH

Would easily max out any game at 1440p, and would destroy any game at 1080p. Try out overclocking, its a good way to add ALOT of performance in the tradeoff for power or heat. The power supply I selected will easily take care of the two 7950's.
 
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R

Robert Pankiw

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Mar 26, 2012
347
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10,960
Hey, the first thing is location. $1500 USD (That is an assumption) goes a long ways in the US (Also an assumption), but not as far in places like India (where parts simply cost more), or Canada (again, costs are not the same). I don't assume $1500 includes taxes and shipping, though I can easily be wrong, I am often wrong. ;)

I want to say this, the build below was thrown together in only minutes. There are better combinations out there.

The build relies on the cooler which comes with the CPU. If you want to overclock, then you'd want to get an after market cooler. If you don't want to, then there is no point in getting a K series CPU, which is included. Also important is that PSUs are my weak point. I choose the one I did because it allows for crossfire in the future, which might not interest you. The motherboard should also support crossfire. Personally, I don't bother with SSDs, but I understand why people want them. Also, 3TB of storage might be overkill for you, but if you run out, well, I'd be surprised. I also don't bother with DVD drives, but I put one in. You can get a non GHz GPU, or an NVIDIA alternative to save money. I prefer getting all my parts from the same store, but that might not bother you.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/KImU
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/KImU/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/KImU/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($124.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($53.30 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Green 3TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($128.31 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($229.99 @ Adorama)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition 3GB Video Card ($418.13 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Antec Eleven Hundred ATX Full Tower Case ($111.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 850W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.96 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1476.62
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-19 04:18 EDT-0400)

Let me know what you think. :) It's easy for me to edit the build.
 
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bigcyco1

bigcyco1

Champion
Feb 11, 2012
15,867
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54,960
The high end gaming PC is going to be something that can run everything at 1080P at high to ultra settings. This machine will burn through any game on the market, and will have plenty of room for expansion as well.
CPU – http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007SZ0E1K/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B007SZ0E1K&linkCode=as2&tag=cupcre06-20
Motherboard – http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007R21JJK/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B007R21JJK&linkCode=as2&tag=cupcre06-20
Memory - http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00569K7LM/cupcre06-20
Video Card – http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-DL-DVI-I-SL-DVI-D-PCI-Express-11197-12-40G/dp/B008PQAE98/ref=pd_rhf_dp_p_t_1_V8FW
Boot Drive – http://www.amazon.com/Crucial-128GB-2-5-Inch-Solid-CT128M4SSD2/dp/B004W2JKZI/ref=pd_rhf_dp_p_t_1_JF0T
Optical Drive - http://www.amazon.com/Asus-24xDVD-RW-Serial-Internal-DRW-24B1ST/dp/B0033Z2BAQ/ref=pd_cp_e_3
PSU – http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Enthusiast-Series-Modular-TX850M/dp/B005E98EI2/ref=pd_cp_e_1
Case – http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005E97ZUU/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=cpcreview-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005E97ZUU
CPU Cooler – http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Hyper-212-RR-212E-20PK-R2/dp/B005O65JXI/ref=pd_cp_pc_0
Operating System – http://www.amazon.com/Windows-Premium-64bit-System-Builder/dp/B004Q0PT3I/ref=pd_cp_sw_0
 
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