$1200-1300 Gaming Build Help

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InfernalSurge

InfernalSurge

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Jun 26, 2013
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Hello everyone,

I'm going to be building a gaming PC for around $1200, to$1300 mac (including monitor). So far, I have decided on my CPU, which is going to be an Intel i5 4670k ($260 at where I live) and my GPU, a Nvidia GTX 770 ($440). Please let me know if these choices are smart and future proof. I'd want this PC to last 4-6 years. I'm kinda thinking in getting a 760 ($270) instead of the 770... I want to know if the 770 is really worth that extra cash.

Now I need some suggestions for the other parts especially the mobo, cooler, PSU, and maybe the monitor. I would like to play next gen games at 1080x1920 with everything maxed out (with a decent framerate, lets say with a minimum of 50?)
I will be definitely playing Battlefield 4, and likely Watch Dogs, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, and NFS: Rivals.

Thanks in advance!

 
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babernet_1

babernet_1

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May 8, 2012
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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($123.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: GeIL Black Dragon 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: PNY GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($394.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: PNY GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($394.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 Plus ATX Mid Tower Case
Power Supply: Cooler Master V700 700W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($80.50 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit)
Monitor: Dell U2312HM 23.0" Monitor ($204.78 @ Amazon)
Total: $1469.18
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-29 19:12 EDT-0400)

The best I could do. The power supply is the absolutely lowest power you could use. If you could spare a few extra dollars, get a 850W one. No SSD, you can upgrade that later. The two GTX770's will give you gobs of graphics power and will max anything out for quite a while.
 
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Swordkd

Swordkd

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Sometimes I wonder if people actually read the original post, or if they just skim to find the dollar amount. If you are gaming at 1080p, then dual-770's is way, way overkill. Kinda like buying a Dodge Viper to shuttle the kids to and from school, a mile away. Sure, it's cool and all...but really? I didn't include an OS, but if you need one it'll put you right at your budget.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($224.98 @ Outlet PC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Seidon 120XL 86.2 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI Z87-G45 Gaming ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($144.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($65.45 @ Newegg)
Storage: Sandisk Extreme II 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($399.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair Carbide Series 300R Windowed ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 850W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($104.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Acer H236HL bid 60Hz 23.0" Monitor ($149.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1438.33
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-29 19:33 EDT-0400)

Motherboard has gotten really good reviews, but could save some money there. The Cpu cooler is a hell of a deal right now, and cools very well. The Ram is a good price for 1866mhz from g.skill, which is a great manufacturer. You get your Terabyte of storage, and a nice 120gb SSD for OS and some games. It's gotten really good reviews and allows you actually use all of it's 120gb's worth of space(as opposed to keeping 20% free for performance *issues*). The case is solid, non-flashy though. The Psu is probably overkill, but it's Xfx, which means it's a Seasonic OEM, 850w for possible SLI'ing in the future, and Gold rated for efficiency. It's also semi-modular which I love. Solid monitor that is also an IPS version for a good price. You get the original Cpu you wanted, and video card(the gigabyte one is higher clocked than most and a good price).

Also, I clicked on the build from babernet_1, and I don't see a price listed for the Case, OS, and Ram. Which will put you way over budget since without those 3 added in, I'm showing a price of 1513 unless you live near a Microcenter.
 
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InfernalSurge

InfernalSurge

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Wow thanks. I was wondering if I could do only one 770? How big is the difference in terms of framerate and graphcis quality?
 
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brownaustin17

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You only need one 770.
 
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InfernalSurge

InfernalSurge

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I really appreciate your time! Since you seem like a pro, do you think it is possible to lower the total price down to, maybe around $1200-1300? Is there anything else than the motherboard that I can save money on? For example, should I consider getting a GTX 760? The 770 is $440 at where I live, and the 760 is priced much cheaper at $270. I mean, is there really a big difference in terms of performance between these cards, such as framerate and graphics quality? That ways, I could use the saved money to buy some extra games, or save them for other purposes such as college lol. Thanks again.
 
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babernet_1

babernet_1

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-1

Yes, I did read the post.

With a single GTX 770 he will see numbers dipping to the forties on average. Not quite "maxed out" With two, he will have plenty of power for years to come. Nothing wrong with that. With $1500, you don' t want to be buying upgrades for graphics cards. Otherwise he could get only one and get the SSD and bigger PS.
 
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InfernalSurge

InfernalSurge

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I updated my budget, which is now 1200-1300... Wow damn, these video game companies are insane! Btw, what exactly do you mean by "on average?" DO you mean "on normal settings," or I will see an average of 40 fps?
 
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Swordkd

Swordkd

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If you want to lower the price, then I'd change out certain parts for sure. As babernet_1 said, you can always upgrade to an SSD later, and I like his idea to drop down to an Ivy Bridge Cpu instead of Haswell. The price for the Cpu is only about 5 dollars cheaper, but you can save 30 dollars or so on the motherboard.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Seidon 120XL 86.2 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LK ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($124.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($399.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 500R Black ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: OCZ ZT 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Monitor: Acer H236HLbid 60Hz 23.0" Monitor ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1257.87
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-29 20:25 EDT-0400)

Ivy Bridge Cpu, which is a slight drop in performance, but saves you money and certainly isn't a slouch at gaming. Motherboard is solid, and has the ability to SLI in the future. Same video card, different Ram to save just a bit more money, and it's black(the red ram in the previous build would have bugged my slight OCD tendencies on a blue motherboard). Lower wattage Psu, but still a quality company. Different Case, which should be slightly better but it's more money up front(MiR's for the win). Dropped the SSD completely. Same Cooler because it's such a good price after MiR. Same monitor, and I added an OS so you get a total cost.

It uses quite a few Mail in Rebates, which might not be your thing, but it's a good way to save money and I've not had any issues with them. I honestly don't know a game that you can't play at 1080p on Ultra with great FPS with this build. Who knows what the future holds though, and you can always add another video card.
 
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InfernalSurge

InfernalSurge

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I live in the capital of Canada, Ottawa city. I'm not sure if you've heard of this, but I'm planning on buying my parts from my local computer store called Canada Computers. It's kinda like Microcenter.
 
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InfernalSurge

InfernalSurge

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Wow, that's great :) Sadly, some of the parts such as the GPU is going to cost me around $450 from where I live... Also, it's funny how the 3570k is only priced 10 bucks lower than the 4670k from my computer store, so I'm guessing I'd better go with the 4670.
 
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Swordkd

Swordkd

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It's not the Cpu cost that will save you money, it's the motherboard cost. Z77 boards are more tried and true and easier to buy a decent one than Z87's are at the moment. If you make sure you get an SLI capable motherboard, having to drop down to a 760 isn't a bad idea. You can SLI them for a small price premium over a single 770 and gain quite a performance advantage. The downside is some games don't do so well with an SLI setup, and it consumes more power. Any chance you can buy online using ca.pcpartpicker as a guide?
 
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InfernalSurge

InfernalSurge

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Hmm, yea I guess I should also consider buying from websites like pcpartpick . I think I'll just stick with one 770 for now, so no, I wouldn't need a SLI supported motherboard. However, I am thinking about overclocking my CPU, since its the "k" series. So, then should I get a Z77 or Z87 motherboard? I don't really know the difference.
 
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Swordkd

Swordkd

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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Amazon Canada)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($31.05 @ DirectCanada)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LK ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($119.99 @ Canada Computers)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($63.50 @ Vuugo)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.50 @ Vuugo)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($269.99 @ Memory Express)
Case: Corsair Carbide Series 300R Windowed ATX Mid Tower Case ($74.99 @ Canada Computers)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($74.88 @ Canada Computers)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($16.79 @ DirectCanada)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($97.99 @ NCIX)
Monitor: LG 23EA53V-P 23.0" Monitor ($149.99 @ Canada Computers)
Total: $1193.66
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-29 22:03 EDT-0400)

The only thing I'd like to change about this build is getting a better cooler. The Hyper 212 Evo is fine for mild to medium overclocks(think 4.4ghz max) and I'd like to see a cooler able to handle 4.7ghz at least. If it's in your budget, that's great. If not, 4.4ghz isn't bad and could do higher if you use all of the fan slots in your case. Everything else is pretty price per performance oriented. The video card drops down to a 760 which isn't bad at all, and is a good start for an SLI build. The MSI card is clocked higher than most others and is a great example of that video chipset. The Psu is about the best price for something that is good and will handle two 760's. Everything else is similar to what I've already listed, just different brands based on pricing.
 
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Swordkd

Swordkd

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Haswell 4670k should be paired with a z87 board, Ivy Bridge 3570k should be paired with a z77 board. I've read that you can over clock with an h87 board with a 4670k, but I don't know what changes, so I'd stick with a z87 board.

For a single 770, how about this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Amazon Canada)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($31.05 @ DirectCanada)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LK ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($119.99 @ Canada Computers)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($63.50 @ Vuugo)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.50 @ Vuugo)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($389.99 @ Memory Express)
Case: Corsair Carbide Series 300R Windowed ATX Mid Tower Case ($74.99 @ Canada Computers)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($74.88 @ Canada Computers)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($16.79 @ DirectCanada)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($97.99 @ NCIX)
Monitor: LG 23EA53V-P 23.0" Monitor ($149.99 @ Canada Computers)
Total: $1313.66
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-29 22:09 EDT-0400)
 
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InfernalSurge

InfernalSurge

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The price of the motherboard seems great. How is it in terms of speed, performance, quality, etc.? But the problem is that the 3570 and 4670 are only priced at a $10 difference, so I guess I would be going for the 4670k... And the one you've listed is z77, I believe? THe rest seems great.
 
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Swordkd

Swordkd

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Well, if you are ok with spending about 40 dollars more, you can certainly upgrade to a Haswell setup. Then you'd be looking at:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($239.99 @ NCIX)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Canada Computers)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($141.56 @ DirectCanada)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($63.00 @ Vuugo)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.50 @ Vuugo)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($389.99 @ Memory Express)
Case: Corsair Carbide Series 300R Windowed ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Memory Express)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($74.88 @ Canada Computers)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($16.79 @ DirectCanada)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($97.99 @ NCIX)
Monitor: LG 23EA53V-P 23.0" Monitor ($156.98 @ Amazon Canada)
Total: $1355.66
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-30 18:48 EDT-0400)

 
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InfernalSurge

InfernalSurge

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Seems pretty good. I really like this motherboard choice... I'm just curious, how much different is the one you chose and the Asus Z87 Sabertooth in terms of performance, quality, and lifespan, etc.?
The Sabertooth is $260 at my computer store, CanadaComputers. So I don't think there's chance I'll be considering it lol.
 
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Swordkd

Swordkd

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The sabertooth is overpriced. It's a gimmick. Perhaps at the very high end of overclocking will there be a benefit, but unless you are using a custom loop water cooler, you won't ever notice it. Mild to medium overclocks should be possible with most z87 motherboards. Again, it's the highest overclocks where the motherboards start to stand apart from one another, but Haswell is notoriously finicky about temperature and overclocking ability that you'll need a serious cooling solution.
 
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InfernalSurge

InfernalSurge

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Well... I can overclock the 4670k later. What if I overclock it from 3.4 GHz to 3.8 Ghz? I'm probably gonna use the Asus Z87-A ATX motherboard that you suggested, but if it's necessary, I can get an Asus Maximus VI Hero motherboard.... If that'll help with anything. And for the cooler, I'm thinking about a Cooler Master 212 Evo. Lol, I'm confused, what exactly is the cooler cooling? The CPU? If so, what cools the video card then, or do they have their own built in fans/coolers.
 
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