- Aug 22, 2013
- 10
- 0
- 10,510
Hello friends,
Over the past year, I've started to get into PC gaming. The problem is that I have a laptop that's several years old, meaning the games that I bought don't run on my computer (I bought games that were on sale, not realizing at the time that my specs were not up to par). So, since the next-gen games are coming out later this year, I figure that it's time to upgrade to an actual gaming computer to play new games like Batman: Arkham Origins, GTA V (if it eventually comes out on PC), and "newer" games that I have but can't run (Bioshock Infinite, etc.).
So, over the last couple months, I've researched different parts, how to build a PC, and other things that I need to know before getting into this kind of investment. I've assembled a list of parts and consulted with some tech-savvy friends, and I've come up with the following:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks
CPU: Intel Core i5-4570 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($194.97 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87X-D3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($134.98 @ Outlet PC)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($74.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Green 1.5TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($79.99 @ Newegg) <-- I have an additional 500 GB external HD I can use
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($244.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Cooler Master Storm Scout 2 Advanced(Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($88.99 @ NCIX US) <--costs more for the Advanced version
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($0.00) <-- I already have a CD/DVD Drive
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($90.88 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Asus VN247H-P 23.6" Monitor ($0.00) <-- I already have a monitor to use
Total: $1026.79
I've been thinking about waiting to get this build around Black Friday/Cyber Monday for better deals, this way I could use it to play over winter break. I don't have a ton of money to throw at this, but I'm willing to spend money if it'll benefit me in the long run. I'd like not to go over $1,100, but if you think something will make a big difference, don't hesitate to make a recommendation.
However, I'm also not sure if this is the route I want to go down, or if I should wait to see Valve's SteamOS and Steam Machines. There isn't a lot out there on specifics of these things yet, so I'll have to wait and see what features might make it (not) worth it to get one vs the other.
Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much in advance!
Over the past year, I've started to get into PC gaming. The problem is that I have a laptop that's several years old, meaning the games that I bought don't run on my computer (I bought games that were on sale, not realizing at the time that my specs were not up to par). So, since the next-gen games are coming out later this year, I figure that it's time to upgrade to an actual gaming computer to play new games like Batman: Arkham Origins, GTA V (if it eventually comes out on PC), and "newer" games that I have but can't run (Bioshock Infinite, etc.).
So, over the last couple months, I've researched different parts, how to build a PC, and other things that I need to know before getting into this kind of investment. I've assembled a list of parts and consulted with some tech-savvy friends, and I've come up with the following:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks
CPU: Intel Core i5-4570 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($194.97 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87X-D3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($134.98 @ Outlet PC)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($74.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Green 1.5TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($79.99 @ Newegg) <-- I have an additional 500 GB external HD I can use
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($244.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Cooler Master Storm Scout 2 Advanced(Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($88.99 @ NCIX US) <--costs more for the Advanced version
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($0.00) <-- I already have a CD/DVD Drive
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($90.88 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Asus VN247H-P 23.6" Monitor ($0.00) <-- I already have a monitor to use
Total: $1026.79
I've been thinking about waiting to get this build around Black Friday/Cyber Monday for better deals, this way I could use it to play over winter break. I don't have a ton of money to throw at this, but I'm willing to spend money if it'll benefit me in the long run. I'd like not to go over $1,100, but if you think something will make a big difference, don't hesitate to make a recommendation.
However, I'm also not sure if this is the route I want to go down, or if I should wait to see Valve's SteamOS and Steam Machines. There isn't a lot out there on specifics of these things yet, so I'll have to wait and see what features might make it (not) worth it to get one vs the other.
Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much in advance!
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