Help / Advice needed on first gaming desktop system.

philthy84

Honorable
Nov 3, 2013
6
0
10,510
Going to use a template from another site.

General Questions

1) What is your budget?

$2500 but could possibly push it to $3000. This price must include the monitor.

2) What size desktop would you prefer?

Large I guess

a. Compact (Think Mac Mini)
b. Mainstream (Think average Dell)
c. Large (Think gamer's desktop)
d. All-In-One (Think iMac)

3) Please select your country's flag as a post icon and tell us what country are you buying this in. (Since Flags do not appear to be working right now, just state what country.)

USA

4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?

No brand. Mainly looking to get the most out of my $ from a vendor with a good reputation of quality work and good warranty.

5) What tasks will you be performing with the desktop?

Gaming and web browsing, movies

6) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games?

Right now mainly Diablo 3 and Starcraft 2 but I would like to venture into more demanding PC games such as BF:4

7) Do you mind buying online without seeing the desktop in person?

Nope that's fine with me.

8) What OS do you prefer? Windows (XP or Vista or 7), Mac OS, Linux, etc.

Windows 7


Build Quality and Design

9) Are the desktop's looks and stylishness important to you?

It's always a plus but not a deal breaker.

10) When are you buying this desktop and how long do you want this desktop to last?

I'd like the computer to be fine for at least the next 2-3 years without making and upgrades but I would like to have the option to make upgrades down the road should the need rise.


Desktop Components

11) How much hard drive space do you want; 40GB to 2TB?

I'd prefer a smaller 256GB SSD for the OS and some games and a larger 1TB HDD

12) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a CDRW/DVD-ROM, a DVD Burner, a Blu-Ray-R drive or a Blu-Ray burner?

Blu-ray drive is fine

13) Have you entertained the idea of building your own?

Yes I have but I'm not confident in my ability. Even trying to configure a system together on iBuyPower I'm finding it difficult to choose what to get between the best type of Case, CPU, power supply, motherboard, or cooling system. Only thing I know is I want an Nvidia 780 with the ability to maybe go dual GPU down the road? Is that possible or is that something you have to get from the start? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
 
Solution
Alright, for the price range I bumped you up to a GTX Titan and it's still slightly under 2500, the monitor I chose supports up to 144 mhz and I chose the sexiest pc case on the market, the fractal design define R4, the motherboard has built in wi-fi, and the motherboard supports 2 video cards. It comes with water cooling and you can overclock to your heats content. This will EASILY last you for 2-3 years and will make you very VERY happy, if only it could make you sandwiches..... http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1WHqC Oh, and you can watch blu-ray on it.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC14PE_BK 78.1 CFM CPU Cooler ($74.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-PRO ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($154.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($63.75 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($169.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($84.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($484.70 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($484.70 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Phantom (Black) ATX Full Tower Case ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic X Series 1050W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - OEM (64-bit) ($98.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Asus PB278Q 27.0" Monitor ($549.00 @ Amazon)
Total: $2631.05
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-03 02:29 EST-0500)

 

Computerchap

Honorable
Nov 2, 2013
321
0
10,860
Alright, for the price range I bumped you up to a GTX Titan and it's still slightly under 2500, the monitor I chose supports up to 144 mhz and I chose the sexiest pc case on the market, the fractal design define R4, the motherboard has built in wi-fi, and the motherboard supports 2 video cards. It comes with water cooling and you can overclock to your heats content. This will EASILY last you for 2-3 years and will make you very VERY happy, if only it could make you sandwiches..... http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1WHqC Oh, and you can watch blu-ray on it.
 
Solution

Computerchap

Honorable
Nov 2, 2013
321
0
10,860


Although I feel building is best, I would go with http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/ You can still have a GTX 780 in your build and not have to worry about building it. Much better than the rest.