Suggestions for New Gaming Computer (<$1500)?

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Nagarya

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Jun 8, 2012
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I've tried to do a bit of research on a new gaming computer (I'm trying not to spend over $1500), and here are some parts I came up with:

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/17v0e
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/17v0e/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/17v0e/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($239.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.43 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI Z87-G45 Gaming ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($167.86 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($66.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($163.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Toshiba 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($399.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 932 Advanced ATX Full Tower Case ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Rosewill Capstone 550W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($17.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1465.18
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-17 21:03 EDT-0400)



I am extremely new to this, so if I've done anything stupid, please let me know. Here are some concerns I've been having:

-Should I be going for a different motherboard? I think I'd like to give overclocking a try at some point, so I believe that means a Z87 chipset is a good choice. The reviews for this board look okay, but even with the $20 off at Newegg, I can't help but wonder if I'm being blinded by "Oooh! Pretty dragons!". If anybody with more experience with motherboards has input, I'd love to have it.

-I've read I should check a Qualified Vendor's List for a motherboard before I buy any RAM. I picked the G.Skill RAM above because it was one of the highest rated 8 GB DDR3-1600 memory on Newegg. However, the QVL for the MSI Z87-G45 lists the product number for the (4 x 4 GB) version of that RAM. I've heard the (4 x 4 GB) and (2 x 4 GB) are programmed differently, but will I be fine with the (2 x 4 GB) even if it's not explicitly listed?

-The estimated wattage from PC part picker was 428 watts. I tried to look on other wattage calculators, but I didn't seem to find any that were updated with Haswell CPUs. Is the Rosewill with 550W okay? Are there any other things I need to know about when picking a PSU besides wattage?

-Are the HDD and SSD I've selected a little *too* cheap? The reviews for the HDD seem to have a couple DOA complaints, but is that normal? I'd like the SSD to store my OS and maybe a couple games I play frequently. Ideally for the HDD, I would've wanted a 1.5 TB HDD for all my stuff, but that seems to be a difficult size to get a good product.

-I'm probably not going to pull the trigger on this within the next few days, so the sale on the case I selected will probably end. Also, apparently, the case listed above doesn't come with dust filters, so maybe I'd want to pick something else anyway. Any suggestions (< $120)?


I'm aware I'm asking a lot of (potentially silly) questions here, and I'm not expecting a single person to answer all of them, but I'd definitely appreciate any and all advice. :)
 
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realchaos

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-That motherboard is decent for overclocking. I've never been a fan of MSI motherboards but it seems like the gaming series are pretty good.
-All RAM should be compatible with any motherboard. The only thing you should be worried about is to keep the RAM to the standard 1.5v, which you did.
-Rosewill Capstone psus are decent quality. 550w is enough to handle this set-up with headroom for overclocking as long as you don't SLI. You can definitely get a higher quality psu are a cheaper price though. However, it won't be modular.
-The SSD is alright but I would recommend a Plextor one as they are nearly the same price and Plextor is a really reliable SSD. I generally wouldn't get Toshiba HDDs. I would stick to Western Digital and Seagate for HDDs.
-The Fractal Define Design R4 is one of the best mid-tower cases out there. It's a very silent case (it has lots of sound dampeners) and has good cable management, good airflow, fan controller (up to 3 fans) and dust filters.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($239.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: MSI Z87-G45 Gaming ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($46.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Plextor M5S Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($169.99 @ Microcenter)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($87.63 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($399.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($17.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1387.50
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-17 22:37 EDT-0400)
 
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Nagarya

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Thanks for the responses, guys! And thank you very much realchaos for an alternative part list. I think Emcardle had a good idea to downgrade to a 128 GB SSD to try and save some money, so I might do that. Actually, I was sort of entertaining the notion of trying to go for the GTX 780, since I was reading that because of the next gen consoles, games might start using more RAM from GPUs. I suppose I could try and switch to AMD if I was that worried about it, but I guess that would require some more reading on my part...

Using a 780 would put me a bit over my $1500 budget, but I'm willing to stray a little bit. This is what the setup looks like with those changes:

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/17Vej
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/17Vej/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/17Vej/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($239.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: MSI Z87-G45 Gaming ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($62.13 @ TigerDirect)
Storage: Plextor M5S Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($99.99 @ Microcenter)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($87.63 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Galaxy GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($649.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1574.66
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-18 22:04 EDT-0400)

The Fractal case seems pretty nice. The shallow, materialistic, evil part of me isn't a *huge* fan of the appearance, but unless I stumble across something better, I think it's a good choice (Again, I'm always welcome to suggestions :) ).

I noticed that a 80 PLUS Bronze certified PSU was selected. Is it generally accepted that Bronze is good enough, and Gold really isn't worth the extra cash? And is being modular not really worth it either?

If there are any other thoughts about the build above, I'd love to hear them.
 
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Emcardle

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Haha I was going to suggest a 780 but I realized that it didnt fit in your price range.
You should check out a corsair 400r, coolermaster storm enforcer or a coolermaster HAF 912 plus.
Modular is worth it in my opinion. Bronze is fine as long as you dont mind spending extra on electricity.
 
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Nagarya

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Thanks again for the suggestions! I haven't gotten a chance to look into cases yet - part of me wants to see if there are any good 4th of July sales. I switched back to the Rosewill PSU over the SeaSonic SSR-550RM because it was only 10 bucks more expensive, and the customer reviews looked a bit more positive.

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 ($29.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: MSI Z87-G45 Gaming ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (Purchased For $118.74)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($58.50 @ Newegg)
Storage: Plextor M5S Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($99.99 @ Microcenter)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($92.46 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Galaxy GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($649.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Rosewill Capstone 550W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1554.60
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-19 21:14 EDT-0400)

One last thing I had a question about - I was looking at the Amazon reviews for the Seagate Barracuda 2TB, and there seems to be a bit of discontent over how some people receive a 3 platter drive (which according to the top reviewer, has 30% less performance than a 2 platter drive as well as having increased likelihood of early failure).

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005T3GRN2/?tag=pcpapi-20

Any thoughts on this? Are 2 platter drives typically more expensive, and 3 platter drives are more common/preferable for my price range?

EDIT: Also, I didn't realize this earlier, but I'm apparently about 45 minutes away from a Micro Center in Cambridge, MA. Apparently buying the i5 CPU there gives me $40 off a motherboard, and so I manually changed the price of my motherboard to reflect the discount, as well as the added state tax I'd pay.
 
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realchaos

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-Reviews may be a good way to start, but I wouldn't use them as a way to figure out which item to purchase as I've seen some really stupid reviews (buys a non-modular psu and gives it bad rating because its not modular, etc.)
That being said, Seasonic is one of the best psu next to Super Flower. I would grab the Seasonic one just because Seasonic psus are so reliable and extremely high quality.

That MSI board isn't really meant to overclock well. I would spend the extra ~$40-50 for the Asus Z87-A motherboard as it will overclock better.
 
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