First build, $1200 gaming PC

VForVincent · Oct 24, 2013

Hey guys, I'm looking to build a gaming PC and have been for a while. This is my first time however, and I dont really know what to look for with all of the different parts and components. I'm trying to figure it out, but it's a lot to take in as a beginner. I was hoping you guys could help me out with the parts and I'll just deal with the building.

Don't worry about displays, mice, or keyboards.

Country: USA

Budget range: $1200 (not too firm; willing to go a little over)

Usage: Gaming, recording, surfing the web. Will also be dabbling in 3D modeling and the unity engine.

Overclocking: Perhaps, once I get a better idea of what that even is lol.

I'm looking to run games like Battlefield 3, DayZ, Skyrim, and Minecraft on the highest settings and 1080p with good FPS. I am told this is achievable with my current budget.

g-unit1111 · Oct 24, 2013

Here you go:

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 ($35.98 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($132.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($399.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($73.50 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1255.40
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-10-24 12:37 EDT-0400)

Slightly over but all the components are top notch, and the PSU gives you enough to be able to add a second GTX 770 later on.

Metalrenok · Oct 24, 2013

This is what I would build with your budget http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1SFTb
You may choose another case if you want!

g-unit1111 · Oct 24, 2013

Metalrenok :

The 280X is essentially a rebranded Radeon 7970 GHz edition. Not necessarily saying that it's a bad card but if push comes to shove, I'd pick the GTX 770 every time.

That RAM configuration is also way off - you need 2 x 4GB, instead of 4 x 2GB, and you don't need Windows 7 Pro if you aren't using more than 16GB of RAM or need the extra network functions. Home Premium is fine.

filippi · Oct 24, 2013

This is a interesting crossfire-ready build for no-overclockers (You can upgrade it with another R9 290X in the future).
Maybe its already too strong for just 1080p though.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1SG3N
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1SG3N/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1SG3N/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1230 V2 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($225.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LK ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($62.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($58.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 290X 4GB Video Card ($585.91 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 500R White ATX Mid Tower Case ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 1050W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($99.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1238.83
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-10-24 12:51 EDT-0400)

Metalrenok · Oct 24, 2013

g-unit1111 :

R9280X has the same performance as GTX770 but is 100$ less..I'd choose 280X

About the RAM, yeap, saw it backwards :/

g-unit1111 · Oct 24, 2013

Metalrenok :

Not to turn this into an AMD vs. NVIDIA thread but:

http://hexus.net/tech/reviews/graphics/61201-amd-radeon-r9-280x-vs-nvidia-geforce-gtx-770-4k/

That benchmark gives the GTX 770 the edge on ultra high resolutions, it's only a slight advantage to be fair. When you get into the ultra high resolutions, the 280X has the advantage, but running on a standard 1080P display, the GTX 770 has the advantage. And that's running on a 4K monitor which currently only a small percentage of people can afford. :lol:

Metalrenok · Oct 24, 2013

g-unit1111 :

Metalrenok :

Not to turn this into an AMD vs. NVIDIA thread but:

http://hexus.net/tech/reviews/graphics/61201-amd-radeon-r9-280x-vs-nvidia-geforce-gtx-770-4k/

That benchmark gives the GTX 770 the edge on ultra high resolutions, it's only a slight advantage to be fair. When you get into the ultra high resolutions, the 280X has the advantage, but running on a standard 1080P display, the GTX 770 has the advantage. And that's running on a 4K monitor which currently only a small percentage of people can afford. :lol:

Well, I wouldn't pay the extra hundred bucks for just 4 frames in one game..

Alpha-Black · Oct 24, 2013

filippi :

This is a interesting crossfire-ready build for no-overclockers (You can upgrade it with another R9 290X in the future).
Maybe its already too strong for just 1080p though.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1SG3N
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1SG3N/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1SG3N/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1230 V2 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($225.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LK ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($62.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($58.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 290X 4GB Video Card ($585.91 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 500R White ATX Mid Tower Case ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 1050W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($99.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1238.83
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-10-24 12:51 EDT-0400)

review your rig and price once again

Alpha-Black · Oct 24, 2013

1200 USD and no offnese but all you giving this to him
for god sake

Bulid this rig and relax for next 5 years atleast.

CPU
Intel Core i7-4770K $319.99

CPU Cooler
Corsair H80i $86.99 *

Motherboard
Gigabyte GA-Z87-HD3 $114.99

Memory
G.Skill-Ripjaws 1866hz 16GB $138.98

Storage
Seagate 1TB 7200RPM $64.98

Video Card
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 760 1ghz.4gb $298.99

Case
Cooler Master Storm Scout 2 (Black) $99.99

Power Supply
Corsair 650W $99.99 *

Estimated Wattage: 377W

Subtotal: $1224.90

* Mail-In Rebates: $30.00
Total: $1194.90

Check link http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1SGK0

g-unit1111 · Oct 24, 2013

Metalrenok :

I don't necessarily agree with that. When you pair a GTX 770 with a second one, you get Titan level performance for $300 less than the Titan. So while one may not make a whole lot of difference, two will make a huge one.

Alpha-Black :

16GB of RAM and an i7 does absolutely nothing for gaming. You're throwing money away at that point. What does is having the best GPU you can get for your budget, since that is what affects gaming performance. Plus there's absolutely no reason to purchase a junk liquid cooler when a strong air fan does the exact same overclocking job.

Metalrenok · Oct 24, 2013

g-unit1111 :

Metalrenok :

I don't necessarily agree with that. When you pair a GTX 770 with a second one, you get Titan level performance for $300 less than the Titan. So while one may not make a whole lot of difference, two will make a huge one.

Alpha-Black :

16GB of RAM and an i7 does absolutely nothing for gaming. You're throwing money away at that point. What does is having the best GPU you can get for your budget, since that is what affects gaming performance. Plus there's absolutely no reason to purchase a junk liquid cooler when a strong air fan does the exact same overclocking job.

Same happens with two 280X

you get 7990 power, the bang for the buck is clearly 280X

I do agree with you on the i7/16RAM thing, since he is not doing some video heavy stuff that is unnecessary. And Noctua DH-14 has been proven to be the best cooler you could get

g-unit1111 · Oct 24, 2013

Metalrenok :

Yeah the Noctua D14 is hands down the best *AIR* cooler you can get and it's been proven test after test after test. It beats most closed liquid loops for less money. After that you get into custom water cooling territory.

Alpha-Black · Oct 24, 2013

g-unit1111 :

"Will also be dabbling in 3D modeling and the unity engine."
plz explain this with a 4 core non hyper threaded i5(even overclocked) will ya?
if you think H80i is a junk then you don't even know ABC of closed loop liquid cooling second if even a i5 is overclocked and used in heavy gaming your Noctua D14 "AIR....Cooler will be in hell and smile like a bar B Q.Noctua D14 is better for non overclocked i5s or less or AMD equivalents above that! i think you never had experience with an i7 overclocked with Noctua thing.so plz don't misguide! i had tested Noctua,hyper evo 212,H80i H100i,Water 2.0 3.0 ,and sed.240M. noctua D14 even can't take it if you play heavy games on a non overclocked i7s for more then 7 hours.
16 gb ram will not do anything in games ? !!!! yeah right put 2 gbs and play even call of duty on extra settings 2 GBs will give you very fast data transfer rate.right?

Heavy gaming....
overclocking in future.
3D modeling ,Unity Engine(if you know what is the last one)
Keep this in mind then be Donal duck...
Note: NO one build his 1200USD rig for next 6 months.people do this for atleast 3 years. just gaming is not his focus.read demand then give all-in-one less upgrade hungry rig in budget.
i think now everything is fine?

g-unit1111 · Oct 24, 2013

Alpha-Black :

What are you talking about? Let's think about this logically here. If you're not doing any heavy duty overclocking, you do not need a liquid cooler for any reason. If you look at any cooling benchmarks on the internet, the Noctua D14 goes pretty much head to head against any single or dual fan liquid loop. When you get into three or four fan radiators, that is when the D14 is no longer necessary.

16 gb ram will not do anything in games ? !!!! yeah right put 2 gbs and play even call of duty on extra settings 2 GBs will give you very fast data transfer rate.right?

Do you have links that prove this? If so please post them.

Heavy gaming....
overclocking in future.
3D modeling ,Unity Engine(if you know what is the last one)

]

If rendering were a higher priority than gaming then I would agree to get the i7, but it's the opposite. Rendering applications - just like games, need a hefty GPU in order to properly render fine drawings. I use Revit and Sketchup on a daily basis, I can prove this. But even for light rendering you don't need an expensive CPU to do this.

Keep this in mind then be Donal duck...
Note: NO one build his 1200USD rig for next 6 months.people do this for atleast 3 years. just gaming is not his focus.read demand then give all-in-one less upgrade hungry rig in budget.

What? No one here plans rigs for six months, any rig running an i5 or an AMD FX will last for several years without needing an upgrade.

Alpha-Black · Oct 24, 2013

g-unit1111 :

i rest my case.
you are a mod.here.
i'm just a small hardware consultant in somewhere with people make benchmarks every day.
for gaming there is no better rig then what you suggest but trust me ....it will lag in rendering...D14 is a marketing hype. Check D14 on prim 95( normal end user software test tool) for 36 hours you will know what will happen with even an i5.
Ram: 3D dubbing (specially dubbing) eats ram like a hungry child eat a McDonald's burger.lol
All-in-One in 1200USD this is my focus.your a developer or designer may be both....So..you know What i mean .
All of use here are brothers... i just wanted to give him a Multiroll fighter.which can boom when needed and can do a dog fight if need

Your are right at you spot but i'm not wrong too.
Benchmarks or burnout tests in professional hardware testing field are based on full load 36 hours performance of any hardware then its passed of failed....any hardware can be good better or best according to his "36" in hardware testing field. Many hardware parts in market didn't cleared 36 line.but companies are selling D14 was good enough for 28.3 hours but after that it started falling ...but H80i did.that's why i suggested that.

VForVincent · Oct 24, 2013

I really appreciate all the responses! Even the argument going on is interesting, haha. I'm looking into the builds posted here, but as I implied, gaming and streaming are definitely my priorities. The 3D modeling and such are things I hope to learn in time. Hopefully game design is my future and I'd like for this PC to also be the vehicle for that. You know, to get a leg up before any actual classes.

First build, $1200 gaming PC

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