Best Gaming Computer Build Nov. 2013 for $1000-1500

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brainfreeez3

Honorable
Nov 3, 2013
6
0
10,510
Hey everyone. New here. This is an awesome site, well done!
I've never built a computer and would like to do it. The new xbox and ps4 is coming out, however, my buddies keep telling me a computer is the way to go. So I'm going for it. My budget is between $1000-$1300. I am looking for:
1. Immaculate quality.
2. Ability to improve the computer as time goes on.
3. No Lag.
4. I will be playing high demand FPS games online (BF4, Arma 3, CoD)
5. This computers main function is to game.
6. I don't have keyboard, tools, system builder. nothing.
7. I am also computer illiterate, so please bear with me
CPU - Intel Core i5-4430 3.0 GHz
Motherboard - MSI LGA1150 Micro ATX H87M-G43
Video Card - Sapphire Radeon R9 270X OR GTX 780
RAM - Corsair Vengeance 8GB LP
HDD - Western Digital 500 GB
Case - NZXT GAMMA Classic
Power Supply - XFX Core Edition PRO550W
Optical Drive - Samsung 24x SATA DVD RW
-----------------------------
-Belkin 36-Piece Demagnetized Computer Tool Kit with Case (Black)
-OP/TECH USA Work Mat - Large
-Xbox 360 Wireless Gaming Receiver for Windows
- Xbox 360 Wireless Controller with Transforming D-Pad and Play and Charge Kit - Black
-Asus VS238H-P 23-Inch Full-HD LED-Lit LCD Monitor
----------------------------
*Still Need Windows 8 + Keyboard; haven't found a good inexpenive keyboard/ don't know much about which windows 8 to purchase.

Grand Total: $1000-$1250


*Here is the list I have going so far.
 
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smorizio

smorizio

Titan
Jan 22, 2010
30,984
9
125,315
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1WR99
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1WR99/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1WR99/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4570 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($139.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2400 Memory ($65.70 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 280X 3GB Video Card ($299.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic M12II 850W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-118BB DVD/CD Drive ($16.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - OEM (64-bit) ($98.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Asus VS238H-P 23.0" Monitor ($147.58 @ Newegg)
Total: $1229.16
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-03 13:03 EST-0500)
 
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smorizio

smorizio

Titan
Jan 22, 2010
30,984
9
125,315
a few pointers..most 500g drives are only a few bucks cheaper then one tb drives. if you can wait a few weeks till black friday/cyber monday you may be able to find some better combo deals. I switched out the motherboard for the asus a because it a better motherboard and it let you do sli or crossfire. the larger power supply will let you run two gpus.
with some smaller case be carefull of the hard drive tray. the tray if you cant remove it will limit you to the length of the video cards. also be care full of the case with. a lot of the newer cases can hold 160-170mm cpu cooler fans..some cant. the case i picked will let you run both 120mm rear case liquid cooler or the 2400mm ones. with a gaming rig and haswell cpu they run hot. the stock cooler not going to cut it.
 
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smorizio

smorizio

Titan
Jan 22, 2010
30,984
9
125,315
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1WRyY
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1WRyY/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1WRyY/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.98 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Thermaltake Water 3.0 Extreme 99.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock H87 Pro4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($93.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2400 Memory ($65.70 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($98.99 @ Mac Mall)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 280X 3GB Video Card ($299.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic M12II 850W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-118BB DVD/CD Drive ($16.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - OEM (64-bit) ($98.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Asus VS238H-P 23.0" Monitor ($147.58 @ Newegg)
Total: $1325.14
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-03 13:17 EST-0500)
using these combo deals was able to drop is a ssd.
 
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B

brainfreeez3

Honorable
Nov 3, 2013
6
0
10,510
Awesome! thank you for the fast reply. Yeah that was a worry of mine that it might over heat. I like the 1st build, (the second builds CPU cooler makes me nervous and is something I would want to tackle once I get more familiar with building PC's) and I don't know too much like I said previously, I just go off of the ratings. The R9 GPU didn't get good reviews, that worries me; Would the GTX 770 work with the first build you sent me? Other than that minor worry, I am really interested in the build. Looks great! I definitely saved it and after talking to you further hopefully will have a good stand on which build I want.
yeah I would rather not wait, but how much would you reckon I'd save if i did? Also what are some good discounted websites that promote these pc components well for black friday. I'm also military, so if there's any good websites for military discounts please fill me in.
Also, my friend just sent me his build which plays Arma 3 on ultra/max settings w/60fps+. What is your professional stand-point on this?
Asus Sabertooth Z87
Intel Core i5-4670K
Cooler Master V6 GT
Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB)
ASUS GeForce GTX 760 or (*my own insert - would the GTX 770 work on this build?)
Corsair Builder Series CX 600
Samsung 840 Series 2.5 inch 120GB
WD Blue 1 TB Desktop Hard Drive
ASUS Internal 24X SATA Optical Drive Zalman High Performance ATX Z11 Plus

 
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smorizio

smorizio

Titan
Jan 22, 2010
30,984
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we use parts picker to find sales. there also micro center and newegg. there also black friday and cyber monday web page that are up right now.
the 770 is a good card too if it fits into your build dollars.
Asus Sabertooth Z87 your paying extra for the cover on the mb.
the z87 pro or other black and gold is fine. if you dont like black and gold the rog mb are red and black and other are standard gray.
Intel Core i5-4670K with intel cpu you pay a little more for standard stock speed but a k chip you can overclock latter. come down to sale price 4570 vs 4670k.
Cooler Master V6 GT standard cpu cooler...got it for looks.
Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) they were onsale on newegg last month. with ram buy the low profile 1.5v 1600 or faster.
ASUS GeForce GTX 760 or (*my own insert - would the GTX 770 work on this build?) the 770 if it fits in your build funds is a faster card.
Corsair Builder Series CX 600 the cx line is there lowest line of ps there fine if i was going to do lots of gaming i use a 750w from there tx or a seasonic. (bad power can cause lock up and reboots under gaming stress.)
Samsung 840 Series 2.5 inch 120GB good boot drive.
WD Blue 1 TB Desktop Hard Drive
ASUS Internal 24X SATA Optical Drive standard dvd drive. (there are three types of dvd drives.) (dvd readers...only read disks)(dvd burners...they can read and burn dvd disk) (blue ray readers and blue ray burners....the blue ray readers can only read blue ray disk like your home player. the blue ray burner can burn blue ray disk). most user use dvd burners.
Zalman High Performance ATX Z11 Plus (with cases it mostly up to the user how it looks)
with window rigs you can add led fans or led to color the case.
 
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B

brainfreeez3

Honorable
Nov 3, 2013
6
0
10,510
First off, thank you for taking the time to build that for me. What exactly would be the difference performance wise? That build is 100 dollars more than mine when you take into effect that on my build I have windows 7, asus monitor, and a keyboard added to the price. I will be using mainly for the online games arma 3, BF4, and if they release them on the PC Destiny and Halo 5. also some web browsing and video editing, but not much.

 
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brainfreeez3

Honorable
Nov 3, 2013
6
0
10,510
thank you! does the thermal paste come with the Cooler Master EVO? or just in general does the thermal paste come with all CPU coolers? Or does that have to be bought separately?
 
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T

TheRealShoe

Honorable
Oct 29, 2013
126
0
10,710


I'm not sure if it does, but thermal paste is so cheap, it is good just to have a spare tube of it just in case something goes wrong.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=35-100-007

There are a ton of videos all over the internet on how to apply it, although there are different techniques.
 
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smorizio

smorizio

Titan
Jan 22, 2010
30,984
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125,315
the 4570 is a locked cpu you cant over clock it. that why it cheaper. it only slightly slower then the 4670k. the mb i posted were h87 chipset (chipsets for locked cpu). with pc building there few trade offs. use a cheaper mb and use only one fast card then swap that card out every 12 months when a new one drops. (no very build budget friendly). the higher end mb that can do sli/crossfire. if one card after a year or two wont cut it it not that costly to pick up another 280x and crossfire them. toms did a review on the new 290 not the 290x and found them lacking in some spots. (fan noise and heat). they found they were faster then nvidia top cards if you kept them cool.
 
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M

MadaSnave

Honorable
Oct 15, 2013
10
0
10,510
just a tip magnetic tools wont harm your computer. i mean unless you go back to a floppy drive. the only magnetic media would be a hdd and they have a powerful magnet inside them directly against the media so a magnetic tip screw driver will not harm any components that a non magnetic metal screw driver wouldn't (ie it wont cause any problems if you put it in the wrong spots) and all you really need is a #2 Philips (prefer a 1 inch and a 3 inch due to space issues) and a 5 mm socket driver. in fact you can often during this time of year go to any mom and pop hardware store and get a driver set for 10 dollars that would suffice and last 100+ builds.
 
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A

Adin Schmahmann

Honorable
Nov 28, 2013
2
0
10,510
Hey All,

So I know this is a little off topic, but considering I was planning on building a machine with pretty similar specs I was wondering what people thought of iBuypower. My understanding is that with building machines you have better control over the components and you're not paying for labor, as opposed to with companies like iBuypower. However, with Black Friday and Cyber Monday there seem to be some pretty good deals to be had. Notably, if you look at http://www.ibuypower.com/Store/Paladin-Dr-I-Black you can get for $1280:

CPU: i5-4670K
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD4H
Ram: 8GBx2 DDR3-1866 A-DATA XPG V2 (although I have not found evidence of this model at 1866, instead I've found it at 1600 and 2400)
Video Card: GTX 770 2GB EVGA
Power Supply: 750W Enermax LEPA G750-MAS
Hard Drive: 2TB HDD 7200 RPM 6.0 Gb/s 32M cache

Cooling: I'm not totally sure what they mean, but they say Corsair Hydro Series H60 Liquid CPU Cooling System with ARC Dual Silent High Performance Fan Upgrade (Push-Pull Airflow).

I tried constructing a similar build on pcpartpicker @ http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2aS9Z and came up with almost the same price. Is it just worth it to just go with iBuypower for the $35 difference? Is there something important I'm missing (ex: does iBuypower really skimp on the cooling here, or is the HDD specified likely to be bad)?

Thanks for your help and apologies for going a bit off topic.
 
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E

Eleo

Distinguished
Dec 12, 2013
3
0
18,510

Been lurking as I too am considering a build and would appreciate some info. I was leaning towards an i7 cpu rather than i5 which appears so show up more in the build lists..... is there something I am missing?

Thanks in advance,
 
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T

Tkconserve

Honorable
Apr 8, 2013
57
0
10,640
Rosewell mid tower gaming case for $40
750 watt corsair psu bronze $100
Samsung 240 GB SSD DRive $160
Amd 7950 Gpu fits mid tower case $190
I5 processor on sale with a K in it $210
Great mother board with CF/Sli $200
Cheapest Ram you can find 8gb $30
Cd/DVD drive $18
Keyboard and mouse from old pc
Wireless Logitech keyboard and mouse at a later time
Liquid cooling at a later time
another 7950 at a later time or now.
Grand total is $950 or $1140 with two 7950's
Mobo is the most essential piece to any PC. Get one with great reviews that has pci express 3.0 (16x,16x) A great motherboard will keep your pc relevant and offer loads of upgrade potential, including simple over clocking
The rosewill midtower has three fans and can fit two 7950's which are dirt cheap right now.
Get liquid cooling after you have your pc up and running for a while to ensure everything is working properly.
This computer will max out every game and is extremely high end. Two 7950s are faster than the 780ti and R290x, and also cost much less. Otherwise buy a large tower case and R290x, but that will cost you a lot more money.
The prices I used, are the prices I paid for the same euipment. Goodluck. Faster DDR3 ram is overhyped. $100-$200 dollars would be a waste of money on ram. I got mine for $30.
Don't get anything less than 256 GB for SSD since it will be your primary HD.





 
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O

OchG

Reputable
May 27, 2014
13
0
4,510
grab the zotac gtx 780 and never go wrong, and you could grab another to sli it in the future for supreme performance for next gen games... it's always good to spend a little bit now and never go wrong on the way... AND if I were you, I would get an amd cpu best for the buck and performance with more core to supplement the next gen....
 
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T

Tkconserve

Honorable
Apr 8, 2013
57
0
10,640
Amd R9 280x 4 GB gpu ($300)
Get an AMD ASUS motherboard pci express 2.0 (16x, 16x) as this will support future upgrades for cf($120-$160)
and 4.0 ghz 8 core vischera ($160-$180) on sale
along with a 850 watt corsair bronze rated power supply, ($100)
and samsung 256 GB sata 3 HD for ($160.)
Buy a large case on sale for ($50) that comes with fans
Buy cheap Ram 8gb
That is the core system
You will also need windows, a TV, cheap network adapter or LAN cable. Buy HDMI cable for TV sound and picture
Eventually get a 4k monitor to take advantage of your pc that is already 3 times as powerful as the ps4
Enjoy games the way they were meant to be played
 
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Tkconserve

Honorable
Apr 8, 2013
57
0
10,640
Can't go wrong with the gtx 780 as long as it has at least 3gb vram and can be had at a decent price. Since ps4 and Xbox are amd based systems, so using amd technology might be better. The gtx 780 and intel processors are ussually faster. But both are dream machines compared to consoles.
 
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