$1000 - $1500 Gaming PC Budget

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
mackyisback

mackyisback

Honorable
Jun 18, 2013
226
0
10,690
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.
 
Solution
J


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...
Sort by date Sort by votes
J

Jack Revenant

Honorable
Apr 16, 2013
2,625
0
13,160
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.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
mackyisback

mackyisback

Honorable
Jun 18, 2013
226
0
10,690
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
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
J

Jack Revenant

Honorable
Apr 16, 2013
2,625
0
13,160


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.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
J

Jack Revenant

Honorable
Apr 16, 2013
2,625
0
13,160


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.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
jinayhvora

jinayhvora

Honorable
May 28, 2013
2,400
0
12,460


no storage?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
mackyisback

mackyisback

Honorable
Jun 18, 2013
226
0
10,690
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
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
J

Jack Revenant

Honorable
Apr 16, 2013
2,625
0
13,160


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.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
J

Jack Revenant

Honorable
Apr 16, 2013
2,625
0
13,160


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.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Solution
mackyisback

mackyisback

Honorable
Jun 18, 2013
226
0
10,690
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?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
J

Jack Revenant

Honorable
Apr 16, 2013
2,625
0
13,160


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).
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
J

Jack Revenant

Honorable
Apr 16, 2013
2,625
0
13,160


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!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
mackyisback

mackyisback

Honorable
Jun 18, 2013
226
0
10,690
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!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
J

Jack Revenant

Honorable
Apr 16, 2013
2,625
0
13,160


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.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom