Gaming build under $1500

Snowy94 · Jul 12, 2013

Hi, I am very new to building my own pc and would like your help. I am from Australia. I need a monitor (under $200) an OS, and a mouse and keyboard included in my build. I am looking to use the computer for gaming and university and prefer Intel.

All help very much appreciated, thanks!!

luckiest charm · Jul 12, 2013

Sackboy · Jul 12, 2013

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 ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($63.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($405.91 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($89.99 @ Newegg)
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: Acer S211HLbd 21.5" Monitor ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Keyboard: Cooler Master Storm QuickFire Rapid Wired Gaming Keyboard ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Mouse: Logitech LS1 Wired Laser Mouse ($17.99 @ Expansys US)
Total: $1422.77
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-12 02:17 EDT-0400)
I tried to make it a good efficient gaming rig while staying under $1500 and including the peripherals. I put that power supply so you can sli another 770 down the road if you'd like. You can also do some minor overclocking if you want.

luckiest charm · Jul 12, 2013

Sackboy :

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 ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($63.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($405.91 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($89.99 @ Newegg)
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: Acer S211HLbd 21.5" Monitor ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Keyboard: Cooler Master Storm QuickFire Rapid Wired Gaming Keyboard ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Mouse: Logitech LS1 Wired Laser Mouse ($17.99 @ Expansys US)
Total: $1422.77
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-12 02:17 EDT-0400)
I tried to make it a good efficient gaming rig while staying under $1500 and including the peripherals. I put that power supply so you can sli another 770 down the road if you'd like. You can also do some minor overclocking if you want.

Sir, while this build is very good and I could not find a better one than this, OP is living in Australia and this build would cross $2500 for him.

sophiebeth100 · Jul 12, 2013

By choosing the previous gen of Intel, this build dropped $100 in price! I just added some run-of-the-mill peripherals, but for gaming you may want to consider better ones. An IPS monitor wouldn't fit into the build, and also goes over the $200 limit you set on the monitor, so this one is a great choice. For such a large monitor, it's a steal! I also added Windows 8 purely because Windows 7 wasn't priced on the site, but go for you preference. Here you are:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($259.00 @ PCCaseGear)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($39.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($119.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($89.00 @ Scorptec)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($329.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($99.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($89.00 @ PLE Computers)
Optical Drive: LG BH14NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($79.00 @ Scorptec)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($105.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Monitor: Asus VE247H 23.6" Monitor ($169.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Keyboard: Gigabyte Force K3 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($25.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Mouse: Gigabyte GM-M6880 Wired Laser Mouse ($12.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Total: $1482.00
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-12 16:25 EST+1000)

Sackboy · Jul 12, 2013

luckiest charm :

Sackboy :

Sir, while this build is very good and I could not find a better one than this, OP is living in Australia and this build would cross $2500 for him.

Oh sorry I completely missed that,just translated the currency and it would actually be around ~$1550 in Australian currency or even more. Sorry again as I live in the US and didn't read the Australian portion.

Snowy94 · Jul 12, 2013

luckiest charm :

thanks for the reply!! not sure about preferred website, however I think MSY normally has the best prices in Australia, I will have a closer look now.

Snowy94 · Jul 12, 2013

sophiebeth100 :

By choosing the previous gen of Intel, this build dropped $100 in price! I just added some run-of-the-mill peripherals, but for gaming you may want to consider better ones. An IPS monitor wouldn't fit into the build, and also goes over the $200 limit you set on the monitor, so this one is a great choice. For such a large monitor, it's a steal! I also added Windows 8 purely because Windows 7 wasn't priced on the site, but go for you preference. Here you are:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($259.00 @ PCCaseGear)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($39.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($119.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($89.00 @ Scorptec)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($329.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($99.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($89.00 @ PLE Computers)
Optical Drive: LG BH14NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($79.00 @ Scorptec)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($105.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Monitor: Asus VE247H 23.6" Monitor ($169.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Keyboard: Gigabyte Force K3 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($25.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Mouse: Gigabyte GM-M6880 Wired Laser Mouse ($12.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Total: $1482.00
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-12 16:25 EST+1000)

I really like this build, but is it worth getting an $80 optical drive when I could just get a $20 one? is there much difference in that area??

Snowy94 · Jul 12, 2013

I am still a bit confused on motherboards, I know some contain wireless cards, and sound cards but not sure how you know??

sophiebeth100 · Jul 12, 2013

Snowy94 :

sophiebeth100 :

I really like this build, but is it worth getting an $80 optical drive when I could just get a $20 one? is there much difference in that area??

Wow! I think I just went full retard. :s
I thought I'd added the cheapest optical drive on the list, clearly not! Yes, definitely go for the $20 option! Sorry for my mistake!

sophiebeth100 · Jul 12, 2013

Snowy94 :

All motherboards have onboard sound which eliminates the need to purchase a sound card, as for gaming and general use, you won't notice the difference. Some motherboards come with wifi, but unless they are ITX these tend to be the more expensive boards. If you require wifi, is usually best to just grab a $20 wifi card.

Snowy94 · Jul 12, 2013

sophiebeth100 :

Snowy94 :

Wow! I think I just went full retard. :s
I thought I'd added the cheapest optical drive on the list, clearly not! Yes, definitely go for the $20 option! Sorry for my mistake!

hahaha its ok! thanks for your replies

I am going to want to play games such as BF4 and other high quality games, will this build play them on ultra-high settings? And also will this play games for at least another couple of years untouched? thanks

sophiebeth100 · Jul 12, 2013

Snowy94 :

sophiebeth100 :

hahaha its ok! thanks for your replies

I am going to want to play games such as BF4 and other high quality games, will this build play them on ultra-high settings? And also will this play games for at least another couple of years untouched? thanks

It should run BF4 on Ultra, maybe with some filters turned off, but this is of course speculation as the requirements for the game haven't been released yet. In a couple of years, it should still run games on medium-high settings - I guess it depends how much game graphics develop over the next two years. You could always get a higher wattage PSU and SLI your card when you start running games on lower settings in the next couple of years, or just grab a GTX 770 now instead. If you can stretch your budget, that is.

Snowy94 · Jul 12, 2013

And also just wondering if the i5-4670K is much better than the i5-3570K, cause they are only $10 apart?

luckiest charm · Jul 12, 2013

Well, the difference between two CPUs is 10%.

Snowy94 · Jul 12, 2013

luckiest charm :

yer unfortunately prices are alot higher in Australia, especially for graphics cards. However I do really like your build and am seriously considering buying it. Thankyou

just a quick question, i order for me to connect to my home wifi, would i need to purchase a wifi card?

luckiest charm · Jul 12, 2013

Well yep you have to buy a Wireless LAN card for that, but they are cheap.

sophiebeth100 · Jul 12, 2013

Snowy94 :

luckiest charm :

yer unfortunately prices are alot higher in Australia, especially for graphics cards. However I do really like your build and am seriously considering buying it. Thankyou

just a quick question, i order for me to connect to my home wifi, would i need to purchase a wifi card?

Yes, you would. I also wouldn't spend less than $20 as the cheaper ones can run ridiculously slow. However, when setting up your PC you'll have to connect to the ethernet port to install drivers etc.

Snowy94 · Jul 12, 2013

sophiebeth100 :

Snowy94 :

Yes, you would. I also wouldn't spend less than $20 as the cheaper ones can run ridiculously slow. However, when setting up your PC you'll have to connect to the ethernet port to install drivers etc.

got any recommendations?

sophiebeth100 · Jul 12, 2013

Snowy94 :

sophiebeth100 :

got any recommendations?

this is good:
http://www.techbuy.com.au/p/182696/NETWORK_WIRELESS_ADAPTER_PCI-EXPRESS/TP-Link/TL-WN881ND.asp
as is this:
http://www.techbuy.com.au/p/174469/NETWORK_WIRELESS_ADAPTER_PCI-EXPRESS/ASUS/PCE-N15_N300_True_300Mbps_Downlink_Uplink_WIFI_PCI.asp

Will perform pretty much identically, so go for whichever you prefer, I guess.

Snowy94 · Jul 12, 2013

sophiebeth100 :

Snowy94 :

this is good:
http://www.techbuy.com.au/p/182696/NETWORK_WIRELESS_ADAPTER_PCI-EXPRESS/TP-Link/TL-WN881ND.asp
as is this:
http://www.techbuy.com.au/p/174469/NETWORK_WIRELESS_ADAPTER_PCI-EXPRESS/ASUS/PCE-N15_N300_True_300Mbps_Downlink_Uplink_WIFI_PCI.asp

Will perform pretty much identically, so go for whichever you prefer, I guess.

thanks heaps for all your answers

however i am still unsure on this wifi business

if we already have a wifi adapter in our house that connects up to our wifi, i wouldn't need to buy my own for this pc would I?

Snowy94 · Jul 12, 2013

anyone else with other builds are welcome to comment, I am still open for ideas

sophiebeth100 · Jul 12, 2013

Snowy94 :

sophiebeth100 :

Snowy94 :

this is good:
http://www.techbuy.com.au/p/182696/NETWORK_WIRELESS_ADAPTER_PCI-EXPRESS/TP-Link/TL-WN881ND.asp
as is this:
http://www.techbuy.com.au/p/174469/NETWORK_WIRELESS_ADAPTER_PCI-EXPRESS/ASUS/PCE-N15_N300_True_300Mbps_Downlink_Uplink_WIFI_PCI.asp

Will perform pretty much identically, so go for whichever you prefer, I guess.

thanks heaps for all your answers

however i am still unsure on this wifi business

if we already have a wifi adapter in our house that connects up to our wifi, i wouldn't need to buy my own for this pc would I?

The only problem is desktops don't come with wifi built in like laptops, phones and tablets do, so you have to add the network card to connect to the wifi like you can with your mobile devices. For gaming, connecting via ethernet is the best way to do things, but isn't always possible, so these cards should give you a strong enough signal for gaming.

Snowy94 · Jul 12, 2013

sophiebeth100 :

Snowy94 :

sophiebeth100 :

thanks heaps for all your answers

however i am still unsure on this wifi business

if we already have a wifi adapter in our house that connects up to our wifi, i wouldn't need to buy my own for this pc would I?

The only problem is desktops don't come with wifi built in like laptops, phones and tablets do, so you have to add the network card to connect to the wifi like you can with your mobile devices. For gaming, connecting via ethernet is the best way to do things, but isn't always possible, so these cards should give you a strong enough signal for gaming.

wait wow, now I am really confused haha. so how and when do you connect to the Ethernet, does it cost over time or anything like that?

TraceDaBoss · Jul 30, 2013

My build for you. Its the best... Trust me
PCPartPicker - http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1mx1T

Gaming build under $1500

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