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$1000 - $1500 Gaming PC Budget

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June 19, 2013 12:47:12 AM

I am looking to build a gaming PC:

-$1000-$1500 Budget
-For League of legends, MMO's and RTS Games
-Do not include SSD's/HDD's i have those
- Only include the case and everything internal.
- Looking for the best bang for my buck.

More about : 1000 1500 gaming budget

a b 4 Gaming
June 19, 2013 1:05:30 AM

If you only play MOBA, MMO, and RTS games, you probably don't even need to spend $1000 to be in absolutely fine shape. That said, this is my pitch at the low end of your budget:

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: ASRock Z87 Extreme4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($395.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $982.91
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-19 04:04 EDT-0400)

I would be happy to adjust it if you find it lacking in some capacity, however. Just wanted to start things at the efficient end.
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June 19, 2013 1:16:15 AM

Hmm couple questions, would it be better to use the new 4th gen i7 as the price is not very far off ? Power supply as well would it be better if i had a little extra wiggle room? and how long am i looking at this pc being viable to handle these type of games will itbe a year then i will have to replace it or? just questions that came to mind
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a b 4 Gaming
June 19, 2013 1:23:15 AM

mackyisback said:
Hmm couple questions, would it be better to use the new 4th gen i7 as the price is not very far off ? Power supply as well would it be better if i had a little extra wiggle room? and how long am i looking at this pc being viable to handle these type of games will itbe a year then i will have to replace it or? just questions that came to mind


i7s aren't actually meaningfully superior to i5s for gaming. Only a very, very limited number of games use hyper-threading, the main advantage of the i7.
The PSU is pretty darn good (SeaSonic-made), though if you felt like spending more you could get a more energy-efficient PSU (though the gains are quite small and the cost quite large).
It would vary by monitor resolution. At 1920x1080, I'd be surprised if an RTS which would cause this system any trouble were released in the next three years, and I'll eat my hat if a MOBA which causes it difficulties is released this decade. That said, you can never fully predict future requirements. However, RTS, MMOs, and particularly MOBAs tend to be very light on your computer. This build is overkill, in my opinion.
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June 19, 2013 1:45:11 AM

How about a game like skyrim would this pc handle it on ultra ?
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a b 4 Gaming
June 19, 2013 1:57:40 AM

mackyisback said:
How about a game like skyrim would this pc handle it on ultra ?


At 1080p, yes. Most likely 1440p as well (I don't have the less common resolutions' benchmarks as well memorized).

However, this brings up a question: are MOBAs, MMOs, and RTS the only games you intend to play, or simply the majority? I ask because, as noted, a machine purely for those wouldn't need to break $1k, but if you plan on playing a wider variety of games, you might benefit from some more powerful components.
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a b 4 Gaming
June 19, 2013 1:57:52 AM

Jack Revenant said:
If you only play MOBA, MMO, and RTS games, you probably don't even need to spend $1000 to be in absolutely fine shape. That said, this is my pitch at the low end of your budget:

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: ASRock Z87 Extreme4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($395.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $982.91
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-19 04:04 EDT-0400)

I would be happy to adjust it if you find it lacking in some capacity, however. Just wanted to start things at the efficient end.


no storage?
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June 19, 2013 2:02:44 AM

They are the majority but possibly not the only games, if a friend buys a game i usually will do it as well so it could lead to some higher intensity games. And i already have storages @ jinayhv
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a b 4 Gaming
June 19, 2013 2:21:26 AM

mackyisback said:
They are the majority but possibly not the only games, if a friend buys a game i usually will do it as well so it could lead to some higher intensity games. And i already have storages @ jinayhv


Well, the build I provided would be more than enough for current games (sans Crysis 3, which is designed to overtax systems), and could be upgraded later with a second 770 (and the stronger PSU which would be required to support a 770 SLI). Alternatively, I could design a more powerful build presently. It would ultimately come down to whether you favour upgrading as it becomes necessary (which is most efficient), or "building for the future", which is downright risky business, but well within your budget.
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June 19, 2013 2:30:48 AM

what could i build on the higher end like 1500 or slightly more ?
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a b 4 Gaming
June 19, 2013 2:35:48 AM

mackyisback said:
what could i build on the higher end like 1500 or slightly more ?


no need, jack's build is enough for ur needs
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Best solution

a b 4 Gaming
June 19, 2013 2:39:09 AM

mackyisback said:
what could i build on the higher end like 1500 or slightly more ?


Something along the lines of this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($239.98 @ Outlet PC)
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X60 98.3 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($117.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme6 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($169.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($679.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT Phantom 630 (White) ATX Full Tower Case ($129.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($75.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1483.91
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-19 05:36 EDT-0400)

Or this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($239.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($78.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($395.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($395.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 850W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($94.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1487.90
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-19 05:37 EDT-0400)

The former has superior overclocking capacity and a better upgrade path (dual 780s instead of dual 770s), while the latter has more front-end power.

However, as jinayhvora said, my $1k build is more than enough to max almost all current games, and should last you quite a while at max settings for your favoured genres.
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June 19, 2013 2:44:38 AM

Hmm i like the two builds you just did a lot actually, if you had to choose one of them which would it be ? the one with 780 since its perfectly fine and later i can just add a 780 and be golden?
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June 19, 2013 2:46:52 AM

Also is 8gb of ram enough? i dont know anything about ram hahaha
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June 19, 2013 2:49:09 AM

Also i have never installed a water coolerl iek that would it be difficult ?
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a b 4 Gaming
June 19, 2013 2:50:34 AM

mackyisback said:
Hmm i like the two builds you just did a lot actually, if you had to choose one of them which would it be ? the one with 780 since its perfectly fine and later i can just add a 780 and be golden?


The first one is more similar to my own build, and has more upgrade potential. That said, I would again like to point out that my $1,000 build also has upgrade potential in the form of a 770 SLI once it starts to drop below 60 FPS on max, which should give it quite a long lifespan. That said, the 780 build is definitely superior, albeit in an overkill-ish fashion.

Regarding RAM: 8GB is fine for gaming, you'd want 16 (and probably an i7) if you intend to edit pictures or videos regularly.

Edit: A closed-loop water cooler isn't much more difficult than an air cooler to install. You just add the step of mounting the radiator on your case, which isn't terribly difficult so long as your case supports that radiator (which it would, in this case).
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June 19, 2013 4:56:40 AM

Okay i think i will go with the first one of the two the 780 GTX build seems like a good choice down the road
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a b 4 Gaming
June 19, 2013 4:59:26 AM

mackyisback said:
Okay i think i will go with the first one of the two the 780 GTX build seems like a good choice down the road


Glad to be of service, though I'll again point out that you can do just fine with the $1,000 build.

Good luck and happy gaming!
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June 19, 2013 5:01:34 AM

Haha thank you sir, i'm leaning towards the higher end because i wont often have money to put into a gaming PC this deployment offers a chance i dont usually get so if i can somewhat future build i'm happy andi think your 780 build will be perfect since ill purchase a second 780 later down the road!
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a b 4 Gaming
June 19, 2013 5:21:40 AM

mackyisback said:
Haha thank you sir, i'm leaning towards the higher end because i wont often have money to put into a gaming PC this deployment offers a chance i dont usually get so if i can somewhat future build i'm happy andi think your 780 build will be perfect since ill purchase a second 780 later down the road!


I can completely understand that. I had a sudden and temporary opportunity myself not too long ago, and I made the same choice you seem to be heading for. I must admit, I haven't regretted it.

The 780 build will serve you in good stead (I should know, it's damn similar to mine), and should be easily upgradeable. You may wish to start out with an 850w or 1000w PSU, however, if you're absolutely positive that you'll be SLIing. XFX has great options in that area.
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June 19, 2013 5:24:11 AM

okay thanks man
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a b 4 Gaming
June 19, 2013 5:25:15 AM

mackyisback said:
okay thanks man


My pleasure. If you have any questions or issues, don't hesitate to PM me.
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