Approximate Purchase Date: This week or next, but certainly before the end of the month.
Budget Range: $800-$1,000, but would prefer to stay under $950.
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, streaming* videos from the web (hockey and movies, mostly), web surfing, TRYING TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD. *watching, not broadcasting.
Are you buying a monitor: Not as part of the build; that will be a separate purchase and won't count as part of the budget. Feel free to toss suggestions my way though!
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Microcenter (I live "near" one), Newegg, Amazon, any other reputable dealers
Location: Twin Cities, MN, US
Here's what I have so far:
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 ($29.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($72.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($254.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($47.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $975.89
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-08-19 23:36 EDT-0400)
The CPU/motherboard combination has a heavy discount at Microcenter that PCPartPicker doesn't see for some reason; I can get the pair for just shy of $300. I'm not married to the specific motherboard, RAM, PSU, hard drive, case, or brand of 760 I get, so feel free to mix them around if you feel one is better (though I'd appreciate you explaining why). I would prefer to stay with the 4670k, though, as the Microcenter deal essentially means it's LESS expensive than a similar Z77 motherboard/3570k combination. I don't have an SSD because while they are super convenient, I don't know if I can fit one into this budget and still get the type of build I'm looking for. Plus they don't really help with gaming or web stuff other than load times. As for cooling, feel free to suggest a stronger air cooler if you think it's appropriate for:
Overclocking: Yes, but it'd be my first time so I'd just go with a light overclock, 3.7-4.0 if the chip can take it (I hear Haswell's pretty rough on thermals though). Is the Evo enough for something small like that? Will I want extra case fans?
SLI or Crossfire: Maybe in the future, but not at the moment. Would a 620W be enough for a 760 SLI?
Your Monitor Resolution: Current: 1024x768, will be upgrading to 1920x1080 or x1200. Will probably keep the current one as a browser window or something.
Why Are You Upgrading: My current computer has a 7900 GS. It's old. I can't run most newer games, and there's no real way to upgrade it without just doing a new build. I've never built a computer before, though I've been throwing the idea around for over a year now. I'm hoping to build a computer that can handle anything I throw at it for a year or two on max settings, and then start lowering settings as it gets older and new games/video quality comes out until I inevitably have to replace it 4-5 years from now. I don't tend to focus on the most graphically intense titles (mostly because I'm bad at shooters), instead sticking with things like MMOs and MOBA/RTS type games. I will not be streaming anything, so no worries there.
Other comments: Please let me know if you feel the current selection of parts is incompatible or if I'll have airflow or cable issues. It's my first build, so while I've done my research and have a general idea that it'll be okay, I very well might have missed something. I realize this post is pretty long, so I'll end it here with a thank you in advance.
Budget Range: $800-$1,000, but would prefer to stay under $950.
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, streaming* videos from the web (hockey and movies, mostly), web surfing, TRYING TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD. *watching, not broadcasting.
Are you buying a monitor: Not as part of the build; that will be a separate purchase and won't count as part of the budget. Feel free to toss suggestions my way though!
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Microcenter (I live "near" one), Newegg, Amazon, any other reputable dealers
Location: Twin Cities, MN, US
Here's what I have so far:
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 ($29.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($72.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($254.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($47.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $975.89
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-08-19 23:36 EDT-0400)
The CPU/motherboard combination has a heavy discount at Microcenter that PCPartPicker doesn't see for some reason; I can get the pair for just shy of $300. I'm not married to the specific motherboard, RAM, PSU, hard drive, case, or brand of 760 I get, so feel free to mix them around if you feel one is better (though I'd appreciate you explaining why). I would prefer to stay with the 4670k, though, as the Microcenter deal essentially means it's LESS expensive than a similar Z77 motherboard/3570k combination. I don't have an SSD because while they are super convenient, I don't know if I can fit one into this budget and still get the type of build I'm looking for. Plus they don't really help with gaming or web stuff other than load times. As for cooling, feel free to suggest a stronger air cooler if you think it's appropriate for:
Overclocking: Yes, but it'd be my first time so I'd just go with a light overclock, 3.7-4.0 if the chip can take it (I hear Haswell's pretty rough on thermals though). Is the Evo enough for something small like that? Will I want extra case fans?
SLI or Crossfire: Maybe in the future, but not at the moment. Would a 620W be enough for a 760 SLI?
Your Monitor Resolution: Current: 1024x768, will be upgrading to 1920x1080 or x1200. Will probably keep the current one as a browser window or something.
Why Are You Upgrading: My current computer has a 7900 GS. It's old. I can't run most newer games, and there's no real way to upgrade it without just doing a new build. I've never built a computer before, though I've been throwing the idea around for over a year now. I'm hoping to build a computer that can handle anything I throw at it for a year or two on max settings, and then start lowering settings as it gets older and new games/video quality comes out until I inevitably have to replace it 4-5 years from now. I don't tend to focus on the most graphically intense titles (mostly because I'm bad at shooters), instead sticking with things like MMOs and MOBA/RTS type games. I will not be streaming anything, so no worries there.
Other comments: Please let me know if you feel the current selection of parts is incompatible or if I'll have airflow or cable issues. It's my first build, so while I've done my research and have a general idea that it'll be okay, I very well might have missed something. I realize this post is pretty long, so I'll end it here with a thank you in advance.
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