$1200 PC - First Time Builder

GenericBanana · Jul 9, 2013

Approximate Purchase Date: This month, probably

Budget Range: around $1200

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming mostly, other things that aren't as intensive like programming.

Are you buying a monitor: Yes

Do you need to buy OS: Yes, not sure if Windows 7 or 8

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg, but the cheapest really

Location: Brooklyn, NY

Overclocking: No

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe

Additional Comments: I have an idea for the parts I want. http://pcpartpicker.com/user/alanhenry/saved/1x7l#combo_deal_list Any recommendations on parts to change?

Eximo · Jul 9, 2013

If you do not plan to overclock there is no need for a Z77 chipset board, you can save some money with an H77 or even more with a B75 board.

You can put a little extra into the SSD and get the Samsung 840 or 840 Pro.

No mechanical hard drive, or do you already have one?

GenericBanana · Jul 9, 2013

Eximo :

Well, I have the internal hard drive. Thank for the suggestion, basically the H77 is the same as the Z77 except it doesn't allow OC? Also, I see it doesn't have built-in support for SLI/Crossfire. I don't really know what that is really, and I assume I'll never use it, so I guess I'll go with the H77 then. and what's the difference between Samsung 830 and 840? Anything noticeable?

By the way, I don't know much about computer parts. Just telling you.

Jack Revenant · Jul 9, 2013

How does this look, as an alternative:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4570 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($193.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: ASRock H87 Pro4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($92.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Mushkin Chronos 60GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($66.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($399.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (Black/Orange) ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($44.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Monitor: Asus VS238H-P 23.0" Monitor ($137.58 @ Newegg)
Total: $1236.44
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-09 15:31 EDT-0400)

Higher-tier gpu, faster (albeit smaller) SSD, and a nice 23" ASUS monitor, for just slightly over budget.

GenericBanana · Jul 9, 2013

Jack Revenant :

Well, actually $1200 is my budget for the computer itself, not counting the OS, Monitor or Mouse, which puts it at even less than the one I said before. It'd perform better? Again, I don't know much about computer parts, so I don't know about the differences.
Also, Eximo: This is the motherboard you were talking about? http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-motherboard-gah77ds3h there were 2 types. And, W7 or W8, and which type if W7?

Jack Revenant · Jul 9, 2013

GenericBanana :

Jack Revenant :

Well, actually $1200 is my budget for the computer itself, not counting the OS, Monitor or Mouse, which puts it at even less than the one I said before. It'd perform better? Again, I don't know much about computer parts, so I don't know about the differences.
Also, Eximo: This is the motherboard you were talking about? http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-motherboard-gah77ds3h there were 2 types.

If you have $1200 purely for components, you could actually get an even better rig, though this one will max out current games (for comparison, your build would have run them at high settings).

GenericBanana · Jul 9, 2013

Jack Revenant :

GenericBanana :

If you have $1200 purely for components, you could actually get an even better rig, though this one will max out current games (for comparison, your build would have run them at high settings).

Well, I'm going to go for $1200 on the components (Well, the less $ it costs is obviously better, if I can get a computer that runs everything just as well for $1100 I'd prefer that), $100 for the OS (W7's better than W8, right? Both cost around $100 anyways) and I'll probably get a monitor that isn't pricey.

Eximo · Jul 9, 2013

Samsung 830 is their entry level SSD, performance is good, but not great.
840 has great read speeds and okay write speeds. The 840 Pro has great read and write speeds. You would be looking at $20 more for the Pro.

GTX770 is a little better bang for the buck compared to ATI at the moment. GTX760 would be the best budget oriented performance at $250. 7950 isn't bad, just different.

Going 4th gen intel (H87 and i5-4570) isn't a bad idea when not overclocking, but it does add about $50-60 to the base cost of the motherboard and chip. You get a little more performance and the latest CPU socket.

SLI/Crossfire is when you put in multiple video cards and run them in parallel. Not really a lot of benefit unless you want maximum performance in games at very high resolution. So the H77 would be a good choice.

GenericBanana · Jul 9, 2013

Eximo :

I think I'll go with the H77. Well, what's better, the H77 or what Jack said, the ASRock H87 Pro4 ATX LGA1150?
And does write speed really matter much, does it just change how much it takes to save stuff by a little bit?

Jack Revenant · Jul 9, 2013

GenericBanana :

H77 only works with Ivy/Sandy Bridge processors, while H87 only works with Haswell processors. Being as Haswell is the latest generation of CPUs, I would tend to recommend H87 and a Haswell CPU.
You generally want your SSD to be fast. A slow SSD is pretty much a waste of money, as their whole function is to speed up your computer. Faster SSDs also tend to be made to a higher standard of quality.

GenericBanana · Jul 9, 2013

Jack Revenant :

GenericBanana :

H77 only works with Ivy/Sandy Bridge processors, while H87 only works with Haswell processors. Being as Haswell is the latest generation of CPUs, I would tend to recommend H87 and a Haswell CPU.
You generally want your SSD to be fast. A slow SSD is pretty much a waste of money, as their whole function is to speed up your computer. Faster SSDs also tend to be made to a higher standard of quality.

So, this is what I put together for now: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1eV5C
Is it compatible? It says it is on the top. And, what could I change, without adding too much $? Replacing the H77 with a H87 and replacing the i5 with a Haswell?

Jack Revenant · Jul 9, 2013

GenericBanana :

Jack Revenant :

So, this is what I put together for now: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1eV5C
Is it compatible? It says it is on the top. And, what could I change, without adding too much $? Replacing the H77 with a H87 and replacing the i5 with a Haswell?

It's compatible, though it can be improved slightly by upgrading to Haswell and sanding down a few inefficiencies: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1eVtO

GenericBanana · Jul 9, 2013

Jack Revenant :

GenericBanana :

Jack Revenant :

So, this is what I put together for now: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1eV5C
Is it compatible? It says it is on the top. And, what could I change, without adding too much $? Replacing the H77 with a H87 and replacing the i5 with a Haswell?

It's compatible, though it can be improved slightly by upgrading to Haswell and sanding down a few inefficiencies: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1eVtO

That build looks good, but if I may ask, why the Ballistix over the G.Skill, and why the XFX over the Corsair?

Jack Revenant · Jul 9, 2013

GenericBanana :

Jack Revenant :

GenericBanana :

It's compatible, though it can be improved slightly by upgrading to Haswell and sanding down a few inefficiencies: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1eVtO

That build looks good, but if I may ask, why the Ballistix over the G.Skill, and why the XFX over the Corsair?

In both cases, equal or better quality for lower price (Crucial is about tied with G.Skill, XFX's PSUs are SeaSonic-made, and so arguably better than Corsairs').

GenericBanana · Jul 9, 2013

Jack Revenant :

GenericBanana :

Jack Revenant :

That build looks good, but if I may ask, why the Ballistix over the G.Skill, and why the XFX over the Corsair?

In both cases, equal or better quality for lower price (Crucial is about tied with G.Skill, XFX's PSUs are SeaSonic-made, and so arguably better than Corsairs').

So, I should just get the build you passed me and it'll work well? I really appreciate your help by the way, I'm surprised so many people go on the forum to help people like me with stuff like this. Also, any recommendation for a monitor that isn't too expensive?

GenericBanana · Jul 9, 2013

Also, should I get another cooler? The case comes with 1 or 2, but I never did anything like it so I'm not sure if I should get one or not.

Jack Revenant · Jul 10, 2013

GenericBanana :

Well, you could ask around to see if anyone has an alternative suggestion, but my build should most certainly work and work well.

I'm always happy to help. I can't speak for the rest of the forum, but I see helping folks out here as a bit of a three-for-one deal: I get to spec out systems (something I enjoy), people who might otherwise end up with suboptimal or non-functional builds end up with good systems, and I get the satisfaction of helping people, if only in a fairly minor way.

I'd need to know 1, what you'd consider "not too expensive", and 2, what resolution and size you wanted (a reasonably-priced 27" 1440p monitor costs more than any 1080p 24" monitor, and so on).

GenericBanana :

Are you referring to a CPU cooler, or additional fans? In the former case, not unless you live in an exceptionally hot region. Your build cannot overclock, so the stock fan should be fine. In the latter case, likely not. The 500R has good airflow, and your components aren't terribly hot.

$1200 PC - First Time Builder

Honorable

Titan

Honorable

Honorable

Honorable

Honorable

Honorable

Titan

Honorable

Honorable

Honorable

Honorable

Honorable

Honorable

Honorable

Honorable

Honorable

Share this page