~$1000 First Moderate Gaming Build

raydar670 · Jun 12, 2013

So I've finally decided to build a computer after literally years of thinking about it. And it's about time to replace my poor old Pentium 4 desktop (don't worry that wasn't my only computer ). I have two builds in mind both based on the i5-4670k that are about $1000.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/13YLO

Also with this build I know the case doesn't have USB 3.0 ports on the front, while the motherboard supports it. Do you have any case suggestions that aren't too flashy and are good for beginner builders?

and a combo from Newegg.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1328731

But I'm not sure about the reliability of certain parts or whether to choose an HD7870 or a GTX660

This computer is going to be used for some gaming, some video editing, running Eclipse and programs like it, and also I'd like it to be decent at 3D modeling in programs like Blender.

Also, I'd like it to have decent Linux support (particularly the GPU), so I'm not sure whether to go with AMD or NVIDIA on this one.

Another goal of this build is to be "future proof." I know this is impossible with the speed of technology updates, but that's why I'd like to eventually overclock the CPU and I've heard good things from overclocking the HD7870.

Thanks for the help guys!

Edit: Also, I was wondering if you had any experience buying parts from Fry's and how that went.

dannyboy2233 · Jun 13, 2013

First computer: Overall, great build. As for the case, the Corsair Carbide 300R does exactly what you need it to do, with two front-panel USB 3.0. Also, switch your Motherboard to an Asrock Extreme4 Z87. Other than that, you're good to go!
Second computer: Link does not work; however, I recommend the 7870 GHz over the 660, unless you're talking about a 660Ti. If so, then the 660Ti wins. Otherwise, your 7870 GHz is a great card!

EDIT: Fry's is awesome. They match all their prices to those of Newegg, and the people there are great

DSzymborski · Jun 13, 2013

raydar670 :

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Pro4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($124.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($55.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($389.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.73 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1043.64
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-13 00:02 EDT-0400)

The USB 3.0 headers not being on the front may or may not be a big deal in your case. You still have USB 3.0 ports on the back, from the motherboard's I/O panel, so the question is if you need to plug things in the front that need to have the speed benefit that USB 3.0 provides. And even in that case, a USB 3.0 port can be purchased for $15 and put in one of the front bays. Generally speaking, I would have no qualms about buying a case without the header if it's a good case at a good price otherwise. In fact, my current rig is using a CM Storm Sniper which doesn't have the headers.

Also gave you a PSU downgrade, simply becasue you don't need that much supply unless you're going to be running 2 GPUs. And if you are, we'd ideally want to upgrade your motherboard to do so.

The non-pro Samsung 840s are kind of meh, so given that had already crossed the edge of your budget, I thought I'd give you a very significant GPU upgrade instead. Up to you, of course!

How intense is your work on Blender? If you do a lot, you should switch to an Nvidia card as Blender supports CUDA for GPU rendering, which Nvidia has.

dannyboy2233 · Jun 13, 2013

DSzymborski :

raydar670 :

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Pro4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($124.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($55.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($389.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.73 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1043.64
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-13 00:02 EDT-0400)

The USB 3.0 headers not being on the front may or may not be a big deal in your case. You still have USB 3.0 ports on the back, from the motherboard's I/O panel, so the question is if you need to plug things in the front that need to have the speed benefit that USB 3.0 provides. And even in that case, a USB 3.0 port can be purchased for $15 and put in one of the front bays. Generally speaking, I would have no qualms about buying a case without the header if it's a good case at a good price otherwise. In fact, my current rig is using a CM Storm Sniper which doesn't have the headers.

Also gave you a PSU downgrade, simply becasue you don't need that much supply unless you're going to be running 2 GPUs. And if you are, we'd ideally want to upgrade your motherboard to do so.

The non-pro Samsung 840s are kind of meh, so given that had already crossed the edge of your budget, I thought I'd give you a very significant GPU upgrade instead. Up to you, of course!

How intense is your work on Blender? If you do a lot, you should switch to an Nvidia card as Blender supports CUDA for GPU rendering, which Nvidia has.

You've left him without a hard drive of any sort...

DSzymborski · Jun 13, 2013

dannyboy2233 :

DSzymborski :

raydar670 :

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Pro4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($124.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($55.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($389.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.73 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1043.64
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-13 00:02 EDT-0400)

The USB 3.0 headers not being on the front may or may not be a big deal in your case. You still have USB 3.0 ports on the back, from the motherboard's I/O panel, so the question is if you need to plug things in the front that need to have the speed benefit that USB 3.0 provides. And even in that case, a USB 3.0 port can be purchased for $15 and put in one of the front bays. Generally speaking, I would have no qualms about buying a case without the header if it's a good case at a good price otherwise. In fact, my current rig is using a CM Storm Sniper which doesn't have the headers.

Also gave you a PSU downgrade, simply becasue you don't need that much supply unless you're going to be running 2 GPUs. And if you are, we'd ideally want to upgrade your motherboard to do so.

The non-pro Samsung 840s are kind of meh, so given that had already crossed the edge of your budget, I thought I'd give you a very significant GPU upgrade instead. Up to you, of course!

How intense is your work on Blender? If you do a lot, you should switch to an Nvidia card as Blender supports CUDA for GPU rendering, which Nvidia has.

You've left him without a hard drive of any sort...

@#%@#%. That'll learn me to post at midnight after beers. Fixing.

DSzymborski · Jun 13, 2013

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Pro4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($124.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($55.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($299.99 @ Microcenter)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.73 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1013.63
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-13 00:19 EDT-0400)

Fixed. Still a sizable GPU upgrade.

I was editing based on his build and hadn't noticed that he *only* selected an SSD. 120 GB without a backup drive can be pretty tight and I'm actually more confident in removing the SSD now - add in Windows, some gaming and you're looking at a very tight squeeze (and you want to leave some empty space on an SSD rather than cram it to the gills).

dannyboy2233 · Jun 13, 2013

DSzymborski :

dannyboy2233 :

DSzymborski :

raydar670 :

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Pro4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($124.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($55.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($389.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.73 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1043.64
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-13 00:02 EDT-0400)

The USB 3.0 headers not being on the front may or may not be a big deal in your case. You still have USB 3.0 ports on the back, from the motherboard's I/O panel, so the question is if you need to plug things in the front that need to have the speed benefit that USB 3.0 provides. And even in that case, a USB 3.0 port can be purchased for $15 and put in one of the front bays. Generally speaking, I would have no qualms about buying a case without the header if it's a good case at a good price otherwise. In fact, my current rig is using a CM Storm Sniper which doesn't have the headers.

Also gave you a PSU downgrade, simply becasue you don't need that much supply unless you're going to be running 2 GPUs. And if you are, we'd ideally want to upgrade your motherboard to do so.

The non-pro Samsung 840s are kind of meh, so given that had already crossed the edge of your budget, I thought I'd give you a very significant GPU upgrade instead. Up to you, of course!

How intense is your work on Blender? If you do a lot, you should switch to an Nvidia card as Blender supports CUDA for GPU rendering, which Nvidia has.

You've left him without a hard drive of any sort...

@#%@#%. That'll learn me to post at midnight after beers. Fixing.

Ahahaha no worries man

raydar670 · Jun 13, 2013

Thanks for the quick replies. As of right now the work in Blender will be pretty basic, I don't think I'll even notice the difference between those GPUs. Also the Newegg DIY combo has a GTX 660 without the Ti, so I assume going with the AMD card would be the best. BTW here's the link

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1328731

dannyboy2233 · Jun 13, 2013

DSzymborski :

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Pro4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($124.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($55.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($299.99 @ Microcenter)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.73 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1013.63
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-13 00:19 EDT-0400)

Fixed. Still a sizable GPU upgrade.

I was editing based on his build and hadn't noticed that he *only* selected an SSD. 120 GB without a backup drive can be pretty tight and I'm actually more confident in removing the SSD now - add in Windows, some gaming and you're looking at a very tight squeeze (and you want to leave some empty space on an SSD rather than cram it to the gills).

Agreed. If you take out the Gigabyte card and put in a Sapphire Vapor-X 7950, then I completely +1 that build.

DSzymborski · Jun 13, 2013

raydar670 :

Yeah, the TI version is better. And at least one of the games with the AMD may provide you some additional value (but only you can answer that question).

DSzymborski · Jun 13, 2013

dannyboy2233 :

DSzymborski :

Agreed. If you take out the Gigabyte card and put in a Sapphire Vapor-X 7950, then I completely +1 that build.

Good call - the Vapor-X is a terrific cooling solution.

raydar670 · Jun 13, 2013

What would you say is the main advantage of getting the Sapphire card over the Gigabyte card?

dannyboy2233 · Jun 13, 2013

raydar670 :

Better cooling, from what I've heard.

raydar670 · Jun 13, 2013

Sounds great guys! Thanks for your help! I think I'll go with DSzymborski's build with the Sapphire Vapor-X 7950. Now I guess it's time to assemble the parts. I guess I'll get what I can from Fry's since they match prices, and get the rest from Newegg and other sources.

dannyboy2233 · Jun 13, 2013

raydar670 :

Have fun with the build, man!

raydar670 · Jun 13, 2013

Thanks! So the final parts list ends up being:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Pro4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($124.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($55.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($287.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.73 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1021.62
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-13 00:47 EDT-0400)

DSzymborski · Jun 13, 2013

raydar670 :

Thanks! So the final parts list ends up being:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Pro4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($124.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($55.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($287.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.73 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1021.62
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-13 00:47 EDT-0400)

Enjoy! I'd love to hear how your build goes - you can hit me up in a private message or at @DSzymborski on Twitter.

~$1000 First Moderate Gaming Build

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