1,000 budget build.

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windchill07

Honorable
May 5, 2013
13
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10,520
Hello guys I'm looking to build my younger brother a PC for multiple types of usage. For one he is an engineering student so it won't be just for gaming but he does want something that will run battlefield 4 when it is released and Star Wars: The Old Republic right now. He is mostly a console gamer anyway but he is really interested in BF 4 but it does not need to run on ultra settings...so here it goes.

Approximate Purchase Date: This week

Budget Range: 1,000-1,050 before rebates

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Multitasking, gaming, model work?(autoCAD), image editing

Are you buying a monitor: No



Parts to Upgrade:

Do you need to buy OS: No

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com, tigerdirect.com, microcenter.com, Frys.com(they price match everything at my local store)

Location: Houston, Texas

Parts Preferences: Intel processor but other parts doesn't matter so long as the performance is great.

Overclocking: Maybe

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe

Your Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080

Additional Comments: Multi tasking and gaming are kind of equally important but a guess a good gaming desktop should multitask ok right? Anyway I would like it if it could play Star Wars on high and Battlefield 4 on med to high when it is released. Is that doable at 1,000 budget? I might kick it up another 100. Also should I wait for the new Intel's next month?

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: We have no high end system for our school and gaming needs. We use consoles and have low laptops.

Btw I went to frys and got a quote for a build from one of their reps. What should I change and remove? What should I add? Throw it away all together?And again this isn't just for gaming.

CPU: Intel I7 3770k @ $229.99
Mobo: Asus P8Z77-V Plus Z77 1155 @ $144.44
RAM: Patriot Dual Channel 8TH DDR3 2000MHz @ $62.21
Hard Drive: 128GB CorseairForceGS SSD(with the plan to add more by end of month) @ $134.99
Graphics Card: Asus GTX660Ti 2GB DDR5 OC @ $309.99
Power Supply: Thermaltake TR2 600W ATX12V V2.3 @ $48.89
Optical Drive: Asus 24x OEM DVDRW @ $21.11
Box: Corseair 300R @ $66.67

Total: $1,018.29 before tax
$1,102.30 after

There are some rebates there but I don't consider them part of my total cost. I can also provide part numbers for these items for frys.com if you want to see them.

Thanks :]
 
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Jack Revenant

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Apr 16, 2013
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As fortune would have it, I just finished designing a $1,000 build. I hope this will suit your needs:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($209.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($67.16 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 XT 2GB Video Card ($238.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($88.09 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 520W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($74.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.95 @ Amazon)
Total: $1017.10
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-05-06 00:27 EDT-0400)

It lacks an SSD, but those can be added later. Front-end, I tend to focus on CPU and GPU.
The i5-3570k is equal to the i7-3770k in gaming, and cost less (although they offeered you quite a deal on that processor).
You don't really need that mobo. The Extreme4 costs less and should be just fine for what you want.
The 7870 XT is superior to the 660 Ti by one tier on Tom's Graphics Hierarchy: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107-7.html
You really don't want a Thermaltake PSU. They aren't the worst in the business, but they still do not have a good reputation. The SeaSonic will be more reliable.
The Phantom 410 has superior cooling and noise specs, according to Tom's comparison: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/solo-ii-400r-buc-ravager-seiran,3274-10.html
 
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windchill07

Honorable
May 5, 2013
13
0
10,520
He won't do crazy multitasking I think but it would be nice to run Photoshop, modeling software, and a game and not worry about it now or in the future. Plus its only $20 more for the i7 so I think I'll keep it. On the other hand some of the graphics and board suggestions could help such as moving the money I could save on the board towards the graphics card and get the one you guys suggest? Increase the budget by 60-80 and buy another hard drive as well.

What about the RAM? Is there a purpose to the 2000MHz?
 
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Jack Revenant

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Apr 16, 2013
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If you can get the i7-3770k for that price without having to get the rest of that, I'd definitely say do it. $10 more for Hyperthreading is worth it, even if HT is useless most of the time.
I would go with the Extreme4 over the G41. The Extreme4 is better for a future CrossFire, and is generally an excellent mobo.
If you can manage the 7950, it's superior to the XT, but not by much. I would make that a lower priority, in your shoes. Both are superior to the 660 Ti, however.
Why would you need an additional HDD? Do you believe that 1TB is insufficient for your needs? If so, getting a single 2TB would probably save you a bit.

There's not really any reason for RAM that fast. 1600 is generally agreed to be the maximum you need.

Edit: Technically, with an AMD APU, faster RAM gives significant performance boosts. However, in your case, 1600 is all you need.
 
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windchill07

Honorable
May 5, 2013
13
0
10,520


Ok cool I'll get your suggested motherboard instead and it save me $10. Also I meant I will buy a HardDrive but keep the SSD and use them both. And if you are sure about the GPU ill get the AMD as well. I hear AMD has issues with new releases at launch though? And that battlefield in general performs better on NVidia? I'm I misinformed?

Also will a 520 supply you have listed work fine?
 
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Jack Revenant

Honorable
Apr 16, 2013
2,625
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13,160


Ah. I understand now. Fair enough, an SSD can significantly improve quality of life, though it doesn't matter much in gaming.
AMD GPUs have some driver issues, at times, but not nearly enough to justify avoiding them entirely. The area in which AMD is really behind is multi-GPU setups, as CrossFire has a lot of performance problems which are less common or more minor with SLI. With a single card, AMD is superior (in this case). I know of no specific problems Battlefield has with AMD GPUs, and have never heard of it running better on nVidia cards (outside of cards which are simply superior. It's natural that a GTX 670 would outperform a HD 7850, and suchlike).

The 520w should be fine, though you could kick it up to this one if you're concerned: http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?name=PSM12II620&c=CJ It would cost you $13 or so dollars to do so. I wouldn't really use either for a CrossFire, however. I tend to want around 750w at least for that. That said, I'm paranoid when it comes to PSUs.
 
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