First build, 1200 gaming pc

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danielt789

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Aug 4, 2013
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Hi everybody, I have recently been looking around for a good gaming pc, and realized that the best gaming pc is one built, not bought. However, this is my first time doing anything like this, and I would like some help from the experts on this website.



Budget Range: 1200-1300 before rebate

System Usage from Most to Least Important: gaming, streaming, recording, surfing the web

Parts Not Required: I need everything.

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: I'm not really sure.

Country: USA

Parts Preferences: Intel i5.

Overclocking: Maybe

SLI or Crossfire: Not sure what this is.

Monitor Resolution: I don't really know what the best monitor resolution would be.

Additional Comments: A quiet PC would be preferable.
 
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stickmansam
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stickmansam

stickmansam

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Oct 30, 2011
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SLI/CFX Capable MB
Decent cooler (upgrade it if you want a 4ghz+ OC)
128Gb SSD +1TB 7200rpm HDD (can be adjusted to remove HDD if you don't need it)
7970 that you can OC to and past 7970GHZ specs
8GB ram + a nice but budget case
Modular PSU
Budget mice and KB, no sound

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.00 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Zalman CNPS10X OPTIMA CPU Cooler ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($58.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Sandisk Ultra Plus 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($87.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($299.99 @ Newegg)
Case: BitFenix Merc Alpha (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Cooler Master Silent Pro M2 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($46.00 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Microcenter)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Monitor: Asus VS229H-P 21.5" Monitor ($134.02 @ Amazon)
Keyboard: Logitech K120 Wired Standard Keyboard ($9.80 @ Amazon)
Mouse: Kingwin KW-04 Wired Optical Mouse ($4.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1201.69
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-08-04 02:57 EDT-0400)
 
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danielt789

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Aug 4, 2013
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Thanks for replying, do you know how much fps I would be getting for something like Crysis 3 on the highest settings? Also, do you have any better options for the keyboard and mouse? Preferably mechanical for keyboard and wireless for mouse. Thanks.
 
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stickmansam

stickmansam

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Oct 30, 2011
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I'm the wrong person to ask about mouse+kb :p I spend all my budget on the core parts and running with a 9+ year old membrane keyboard and a $2 Zalman M200 mouse XD

Crysis 3 is a pretty demanding game, even the titan fails and it will take CFX/SLI to get 60fps (690 is SLI 680's)[7970 is about 30fps]


crysis3_1920_1080.gif


crysis3_2560_1600.gif


In most other games though, this rig I specced out will be able to get 50+fps @1080p max. If you play games with PhysX, you may consider a 670 which is the same price as the 7970.

 
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danielt789

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Ok, once again thank you for your help. One last thing, what is SLI and Crossfire, and do you think I should build it by myself (first time), or have it custom built? That's actually two things, but thanks :)

 
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stickmansam

stickmansam

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SLI/CFX is when you run 2 GPU's (Graphics Cards) [special note* the 7990 is 2 7970 GPU's on one card and the 690 is 2 680's on once card] together. What happens is the cards alternate outputting the frames and in optimal situation can nearly double performance. SLI/CFX are comparable since AMD has released their latest beta driver.

If you have confidence and time you can build it yourself. It not only saves you money but you learn valuable skills so you can fix/troubleshoot the computer yourself, saving time and money if something goes wrong later. Its actually pretty simple and there are a lot of tutorials online.

Here are a couple to skim through to see if you can handle it
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2011/04/how-to-build-your-own-computer-ask-ars-diy-series-part-i/
http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2011/04/ask-ars-computer-building-diy-series-part-ii-software/
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2011/05/how-to-build-your-own-computer-ask-ars-diy-series-part-iiicases/

http://lifehacker.com/5828747/how-to-build-a-computer-from-scratch-the-complete-guide

PS: The monitor is a nice IPS screen with decent responses times (5ms) for good pic quality.



Seems like the OPis already interested in OC of the CPU so why not the GPU? It doesn't really decrease the life of the chip if you don't mess with voltages too much and a safe OC. AMD really has their cards clocked lower than their potential with GCN. The warranty factor is a valid concern though. All the 770's are $100 or more than the 7970 and do not really a lot more performance than an OC 7970. Not worth getting IMO

perfrel_1920.gif


 
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danielt789

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I would really prefer not to overclock if the change is slight, but with the AMD it seems I need to overclock to get my money's worth? Is there a similar substitute for the same amount, or should I stick with the AMD?
 
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stickmansam

stickmansam

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Well the 7970 is some 8% slower than the 770/680/7970GHZ but is some $60-100 cheaper (percentage calculated based off 770 perf, not 780 perf [chart uses 780 as baseline])
An OC 7970 can easily reach the 7970GHz's perf (only 100mhz needed).
The only card about the same price is the 670 but that performs like the 7970. Only option to get more perf without OC is to buy a expensive, faster card.

If you would really not like to OC then grab this 680, it is $30 cheaper than the cheapest 770 and the 770 really is only a factory OC 680 and this 680 is already Factory OC as well. You get an non-K i5 (cheaper i5 + cheaper mb)[cheaper mb also won't support SLI/CFX] or drop either the SSD or HDD to stay within your budget.

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-video-card-gtx680dc2o2gd5

perfrel_1920.gif
 
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danielt789

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Thanks for all your help so far, but do I also need fans to prevent overheating or is the cooler enough? Also, how can I change just the keyboard and the mouse on the link you gave me without having to create a whole new list?

 
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stickmansam

stickmansam

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With a 1.3k budget you can get the HDD+SSD +i5k +680 with a bit left over to put towards sound and better mb+ kb.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.00 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Zalman CNPS10X OPTIMA CPU Cooler ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($58.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Sandisk Ultra Plus 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($87.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 680 2GB Video Card ($366.30 @ Newegg)
Case: BitFenix Merc Alpha (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Cooler Master Silent Pro M2 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($46.00 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Microcenter)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Monitor: Asus VS229H-P 21.5" Monitor ($134.02 @ Amazon)
Keyboard: Logitech K120 Wired Standard Keyboard ($9.80 @ Amazon)
Mouse: Kingwin KW-04 Wired Optical Mouse ($4.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1268.00
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-08-04 03:52 EDT-0400)
 
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danielt789

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Hopefully you don't find me bothersome, but I still have a couple of questions xP. For the sound, would I have to look somewhere else to get it, and would it be installed inside the PC as well? Also, with this setup, I wouldn't need any fans right? Lastly, where would I get all the wires needed for installation? Thank you for sticking with me x)
 
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stickmansam

stickmansam

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IMO, a 100mhz OC to the 7970 wouldn't be called drastic by any means nor should it kill the chip in 3 years. A factory OC 7970 puts its price in the range of a 680 which nullifys it's worth. Of course there is always a risk to OC since it's not covered by warranty. I do agree that if the OP is not comfortable with an OC, he should just get a more expensive chip.
 
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stickmansam

stickmansam

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There is 1 fan with the case. The GPU has its own fans and the CPU cooler as well. You are always free to add more fans. You can likely turn the fans to low and then you shouldn't hear any fan noises as long as your got something playing be it music, movies or games. Your fans really only will spin up if you're really hammering the CPU or GPU.

For sound I meant getting headphones or speakers. Using the on board sound chip set should be fine for most.

The wires for the HDD+SSD come with the mb. The case has all the wires for the front panel. The fans have their own wires. The PSU comes with all the needed power cables.

We're all here to help :)
 
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danielt789

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Ok, I think I'm all set! Thanks for your contribution and thanks avilash98 to too.
 
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stickmansam

stickmansam

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Oct 30, 2011
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The Bitfenix Merc Alpha may be cheap but its a good case. If the Op wants to spend more on the case, then sure.

I included an SSD and the speed boost from it will blow your mind. I recently converted from HDD with an SSD cache to an full on SSD and everything is now twice as fast and maybe 4+ times faster than just an SSD. An 1TB HDD is also only $6 more to double storage size.

The 770 is just an OC 680. It runs the same GPU inside. If OP wants the extra 100mhz, then by all means. Driver support will arguabley be about the same time frame. I just consider the 680 a better bang for the Op's buck.

You went with an 3570k over the 4670k. If the Op is fine with an Ivy over a Haswell then go for it. The Haswell does have higher IPC and new instruction set support which means it will age better. You also neglected to add a CPU cooler. The quoted 3470k price also only applies when you buy the CPU in store at Microcenter. If not, it is the same price as the 4670k. Any savings by going Ivy will come from the $30ish cheaper mb.

I went with an IPS display which while smaller gives better picture quality than the TN. It's up to the OP which he thinks is worth more.

Windows 8 is a choice depending if the OP prefers that or not.

There is no need for 2133mhz ram as 1600mhz is fine and costs quite a bit more.

A more expensive Optical disk drive unless OP uses it alot.

The Corsair is not semi-modualr like the Cooler Master though the Corsair may be slightly higher quality. It is also more expensive.

I thank you for your critique of me build avilash.
FYI: For pcpartpicker, you can use the BB code markup, select preferred merchants and copy the bb code so all the links will be clickable :)
 
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stickmansam

stickmansam

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If we didn't have strong opinions if we were right we wouldn't be here now would we :p

For ram, it really is diminishing returns in most situations since the Intergrated Memory Controller for Intel is pretty good already.
You pay $40 more for 2% perf.
Results based on this article http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/memory-bandwidth-latency-gaming,3409-9.html
AveragePerfDiffRAMBottleneck2013.png


An SSD is $90 dollars, a not inconsequential price.

770 does sound more futureproof though just by its model number XD. I don't thinkt he Op will need to OC the 680 much though on a single 1080p screen. Anything that the 680 is unplayable would likely be unplayable on the 770 as well.

I wasen't praising CM's product quality but their quality is acceptable in most cases. I run 1 CM in another rig I have and have another one in my friends they've been doing fine. All anecdotal I am afraid.

Here is the CX600M, cheaper than the CX600 due to a sale and same price as the CM one and likely better quality.
I need to pay more careful attention XD

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-power-supply-cx600m
 
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