1st build for 1K budget need advice

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
A

Archdruid205

Honorable
Jul 12, 2013
25
0
10,540
Hey guys, I am building my first pc ever so i am a bit lacking in the knowledge of the best parts and configurations. I will be using this pc for gaming primarily as well as surfing the web and other daily activities. I have a $1,000 budget but am willing to go up to $1,500 if the new parts give me a marked improvement in quality or reliability. From looking around i have come up with a build but still don't know what PSU to use or if i should buy a cooling unit. Since i am new to building PCs I doubt i will be over clocking but I might want to try it out in the future. I also haven't decided on a case... Build below:

Intel Core i5-4670K Haswell 3.4GHz LGA 1150 84W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics

GTX 660 Ti (Am buying refurbished from Nvidia, do not know what brand it is)

GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-UD5H LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory

Western Digital WD Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive

SAMSUNG 830 Series MZ-7PC128B/WW 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

LITE-ON DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model iHAS124-04 - OEM

Any advice would be helpful, thanks.
 
Solution
T
You can use my build as a reference since I had the same budget:
PC Part Picker

The only thing I don't have in there is my GPU, since I'm still banking on a slight price drop. If you take out the extra fans and the aftermarket cooler, you should be well below $1000.

Also, your motherboard has the 1155 socket (Sandy and Ivy Bridge). If you wish to stick to Gigabyte, here's the Z87 (or socket 1150) version of what you picked out:
GIGABYTE GA-Z87X-UD5H LGA 1150 Intel Z87 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

I would also suggest the GTX 760 instead of the 660Ti, unless price is really a factor with you. The performance of the 760 trumps that of the 660Ti while remaining at a lower price point (if you use the retail...
Sort by date Sort by votes
T

TsukiKanade

Honorable
May 29, 2013
13
0
10,520
You can use my build as a reference since I had the same budget:
PC Part Picker

The only thing I don't have in there is my GPU, since I'm still banking on a slight price drop. If you take out the extra fans and the aftermarket cooler, you should be well below $1000.

Also, your motherboard has the 1155 socket (Sandy and Ivy Bridge). If you wish to stick to Gigabyte, here's the Z87 (or socket 1150) version of what you picked out:
GIGABYTE GA-Z87X-UD5H LGA 1150 Intel Z87 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

I would also suggest the GTX 760 instead of the 660Ti, unless price is really a factor with you. The performance of the 760 trumps that of the 660Ti while remaining at a lower price point (if you use the retail pricing). I'm not sure how much you'd get the refurbished 660Ti for, but a new 760 will set you back about $250~$264.

As for the PSU, do you plan on setting an SLI up? If so, look towards a 750W and above PSU. If not, maybe a 650W will suit you. My personal preference for PSUs would be towards Seasonic or XFX (which get their PSUs from Seasonic anyway).

You can look around for reviews on cases you'd like (I'm not too experienced in this department really). I personally picked the NZXT Phantom 410 (usually around $90~$100) since it looked pretty cool and had a decent number of fans and features. I would probably start with the Corsair 200R and work my way up that price point and see which one fits your preferences.

Since you don't seem to want to overclock right away, the stock cooler that comes with the 4670k should do the trick for now. Just budget for it once you decide that overclocking is for you and you've decided how much you want to overclock.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Solution
A

Archdruid205

Honorable
Jul 12, 2013
25
0
10,540


Thanks for the advice. Forgive my ignorance but what is the difference between the 1155 and 1150 socket type? And i notice you are buying the WD caviar blue 1 TB, i picked black because i was seeing a lot of reviews of the blue failing, is yours giving you trouble?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
A

Archdruid205

Honorable
Jul 12, 2013
25
0
10,540


Okay so it sounds like the GTX 760 is a better choice than the 660 ti. I do need an OS/Keyboard/mouse though i was just going to get a basic keyboard and mouse.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
T

TsukiKanade

Honorable
May 29, 2013
13
0
10,520


The 1155 socket differs from the 1150 in the way the CPU connects with the motherboard. In short, a Haswell CPU will not be able to connect in a 1155 socket properly.

So far, I have no issues with my WD Blue (then again, the desktop's only been running for around 3 weeks? It's too early to tell.). The Caviar Blue line is WD's mainstream desktop HDD product line, so I wouldn't think they'd make it bad. To be honest though, there's always a bad batch in any electronic device and it tends to show up within a few months or so. That's why you keep backups and the receipt so you can RMA it. If I can use my laptop's Caviar Blue drive, then I can say that in its ongoing two years of service, it has not failed me once. Still going strong.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
T

TsukiKanade

Honorable
May 29, 2013
13
0
10,520


Just note that I mentioned the GTX 760 and not the 770. The 770 goes to around $400, which is a whole different price tier at this point. Personally, the improvements from the 660 Ti to the 760 make it worth it. Though, if price is a bigger factor for you, then go for the refurb as it's around $100 less. Getting a great performance at that price really can't be beat.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
R

realchaos

Distinguished
Jan 30, 2013
5,287
0
19,960
The improvements from the 660 ti to the 760 does not justify the $100. The 760 is the same as the 660 ti except with increased memory bandwidth, which will give some small improvements in 1080p.
Honestly, nothing can beat the 660ti at the price you're getting it for.

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 Extreme6 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($63.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($56.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: XFX 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.73 @ Outlet PC)
Monitor: Acer S220HQLAbd 21.5" Monitor ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Logitech MK120 Wired Slim Keyboard w/Optical Mouse ($14.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $835.61
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-14 14:08 EDT-0400)
-Overclockable.
-Includes os,monitor,keyboard and mouse.
-Left some room open for your gpu.

Just a note: Great deals are ending soon. The XFX psu is a great deal (750w, semi-modular) at only $55! It's ending tomorrow so I suggest you buy it soon.
Also, the cpu+motherboard combo ends TODAY. If you miss it, you'll have to pay an extra $80. I suggest buying it now.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
A

Archdruid205

Honorable
Jul 12, 2013
25
0
10,540


Thanks for the deals notification, I just bought the PSU you suggested. What OS should I use?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
R

realchaos

Distinguished
Jan 30, 2013
5,287
0
19,960
It depends on what you like. I recommend Windows 8 because it's newer, but most people don't like the new interface. However, it only takes 10-20minutes to make it look like Windows 7 with a program (I forgot what program it is).
Don't forget the cpu+motherboard combo as it does end today!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
O

opponentmule2

Honorable
Jun 7, 2013
333
0
10,810
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1gljo
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1gljo/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1gljo/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 Extreme6 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($63.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($92.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($56.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($339.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($52.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1042.88
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-13 19:03 EDT-0400)

What i would suggest is spending a few more bucks to get a R4 Fractual Case and a Gigabyte GTX770. But that'll push the budget to around 1100$
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
A

Archdruid205

Honorable
Jul 12, 2013
25
0
10,540


I was looking on getting the EVGA GTX 760. But I was wondering which type i should get, the card with two fans on it or the one without. any thoughts?
 
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