Gaming Computer Advice ($1100-1400)

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Hobbes1995

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Jul 2, 2013
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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: Asus Z87-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($139.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($64.80 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.98 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($259.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($84.50 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 600W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($37.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Monitor: Asus VE247H 23.6" Monitor ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1127.19


I will be purchasing this build as soon as I'm sure it's right for me, and there are no problems with it. The budget is able to go up to around $1400 if needed, but I don't want to waste money. It will be mainly for gaming.

Thanks!
 
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g-unit1111

g-unit1111

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That's a pretty good start. I would change a few things around though:

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 ($33.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($144.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: OCZ Vector Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($249.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($75.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1194.88
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-02 16:30 EDT-0400)

- Case and GPU remain the same
- Added SSD for boot drive
- Better power supply
 
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Hobbes1995

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What would be the advantage of adding an optical drive? I agree with the power supply, and I'm glad you didn't change the case because I'm in love with it haha.

Just curious about the MoBo change and the addition of the optical drive.
Also, the change of the storage. I guess just asking about everything.
 
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jimthenagual

jimthenagual

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Apr 8, 2012
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PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1cC7r
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1cC7r/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1cC7r/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: Asus Z87-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($139.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($62.13 @ TigerDirect)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.98 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($403.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: NZXT Phantom (White) ATX Full Tower Case ($108.35 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($18.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($87.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1221.35
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-02 17:09 EDT-0400)

I left an SSD out, but you certainly can get one in your budget. Personally, I have one. It makes windows boot times incredibly fast. It'll depend on what games you play, but generally speaking, you'd notice faster game load times but gameplay itself is unaffected. I used the SSD money to upgrade you to a 770 GPU, which would have a huge impact for gaming.
 
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g-unit1111

g-unit1111

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The main advantage is OS installation is easier and you have a backup drive if you need it. The Phantom 410 is a great choice so I would definitely go with it.

As far as the motherboard goes the Asus A is decent, I'm not a fan of the color scheme. The Asrock has won a bunch of awards for its' quality of construction and ease of overclocking.

The storage - I added the OCZ Vector as it's currently one of the fastest SSDs on the planet.
 
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Hobbes1995

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Okay everyone, thank you for all the responses!

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 ($144.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: OCZ Vector Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($66.61 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($249.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($75.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1172.48
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-02 17:28 EDT-0400)


This is pretty much just g-unit1111's build that he posted. I was going to upgrade the GSU, but decided that's it isn't really worth it for me, personally.
 
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Dark Lord of Tech

Dark Lord of Tech

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Aug 18, 2009
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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: ASRock Z87 Pro3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($62.13 @ TigerDirect)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($224.99 @ Mac Mall)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.98 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($259.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1207.01
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-02 18:23 EDT-0400)
 
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Hobbes1995

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Quick question:

Ran this build by a friend and he said that I might need more memory to run things faster. Is this true, or is this enough memory?

(Also, I would've picked you as best answer, but I'm unable to as I made the thread a discussion originally!)
 
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Hobbes1995

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Why would I need more than that? (Asking a lot of questions, sorry :p)

Also, what makes it so the computer goes faster? Or is it just a mixture of everything.
 
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jimthenagual

jimthenagual

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Video rendering would be an example of a system that would make use of some more ram.

When you say 'make a system go faster', there are so many different ways to answer that. There are cpu intensive programs, sometimes gpu is the bottleneck, maybe upgrading to SSD for some applications... it all depends on what the computer is being used for.
 
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Hobbes1995

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Make the system go faster, as in, better FPS for gaming.
 
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Hobbes1995

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Is what I have picked out pretty good? I need nothing over-the-top amazing, I just want to be able to play games on medium to high settings without having major lag :D
 
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jimthenagual

jimthenagual

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My personal preference if I were building a system at your budget would be the 770 GPU, even at the expense of missing out on an SSD. If you can get both, great! SSDs are a lot of fun for watching windows boot times, and game load times, but for actual gameplay they really don't make a difference.

That's my preference though. See what some others say.
 
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