Please help me build a killer gaming PC for about 1000$

AJ18

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Nov 30, 2013
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Approximate Purchase Date:Today or tomorrow

Budget Range: 1000$

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming is about all I will use this for

Are you buying a monitor: No

Parts to Upgrade: Whole new system

Do you need to buy OS: Yes

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: All are fair game

Location: Pittsburgh, PA (Microcenter located about 2 hrs away so I am game for making a road trip to save some money)

Parts Preferences: Intel i7 for future proofing and at least a GTX 770 gpu. Ideally would like to get 770 or better card.I also would like to get a SSD drive for the OS and games to help improve loading times. My current PC takes entirely too long to load maps in BF4, etc.

Overclocking: Maybe. Given that the prices for the K version are not that much more than the locked versions, I think it makes most sense to get a K and then fiddle around with overclocking down the road.

SLI or Crossfire: No

Your Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080

Additional Comments: Will be used to play FPS mainly, especially BF4.

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: My old gaming Pc is struggling with BF4 (<30fps) and I want to enjoy smooth gaming again. I currently am using an AMD 9950 Quad core (2.6GHz) with 8GB RAM and a GTX 560Ti.
 
Solution
Ok, idk what's going on. evn the ones that are listed as "in stock" on a store search for a 280x are out of stock on the product page.

Both Nvidia and AMD make good cards. For a single GPU, AMD tends to be the better value - their cards are more often slightly cheaper at a given performance point (not always, though!).

In 2-GPU rigs, I recommend Nvidia right now because AMD's frame pacing drivers aren't mature yet.

At this point, though it's a bit moot. AMD seems to have a chip shortage going on at the moment for the 7970/280x.

If you'd like to eventually add a second card to your rig, get a 750w PSU, else 550w will be plenty if you want to stick to single GPU.

lchrisk

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Oct 6, 2012
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First off, i7 won't future proof you.(not for your budget) It will in a way, but in gaming, it won't. A 8320 will suit you better off for future proofing as more games will require more cores soon, but HT will work decent as well. It's just not worth going for an i7 for gaming right now. More for rendering and modeling.

(you can choose between the lightning or windforce 770. i like the lightning cuz it looks cool, either way you will be happy with either as they both have decent cooling.)

I also suggest you look at some nice cases, there's just so many but I picked a nice one for you also.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($224.98 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($129.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($52.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($329.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 500R White ATX Mid Tower Case ($109.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($74.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Microcenter)
Total: $968.90
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-12-11 10:04 EST-0500)
 

lchrisk

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Oct 6, 2012
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First off, i7 won't future proof you.(not for your budget) It will in a way, but in gaming, it won't. A 8320 will suit you better off for future proofing as more games will require more cores soon, but HT will work decent as well. It's just not worth going for an i7 for gaming right now. More for rendering and modeling.

(you can choose between the lightning or windforce 770. i like the lightning cuz it looks cool, either way you will be happy with either as they both have decent cooling.)

I also suggest you look at some nice cases, there's just so many but I picked a nice one for you also.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($224.98 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($129.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($52.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($329.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 500R White ATX Mid Tower Case ($109.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($74.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Microcenter)
Total: $968.90
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-12-11 10:04 EST-0500)
 
My humble suggestion (aftermarket CPU cooler can be purchased later if/when you actually want to overclock)

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($209.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($52.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($499.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Antec Three Hundred ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($82.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)

Total: $1055.91
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
 
Or if you'd like an ssd,

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($209.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($52.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($99.99 @ Microcenter)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition 3GB Video Card ($339.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Antec Three Hundred ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($82.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)

Total: $995.89
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
 

lchrisk

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Oct 6, 2012
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What this guy said. AMD is mainly used for gaming, and nv is best used for the CUDA cores with rendering, and stuff like that, but considering you're gaming, you won't have much need for it.
 

AJ18

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Nov 30, 2013
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Here is my gameplan:

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2iM7r
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2iM7r/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2iM7r/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor 280$ at local microcenter
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($127.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($52.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 770 4GB Video Card ($354.87 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($74.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Microcenter)
Total: $976.79
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-12-11 15:32 EST-0500)

Is that Zotac card a good choice?
Is that motherboard decent or overkill?
Any suggestions on a good case, dont need anything flashy, more about functionality.
Windows 7 or 8?
 
I don't recommend the 4770 for gaming. there are only 2-3 games that can use more than 4 threads now, and while there will be more in the future, whether or not there will be enough to make a >4 thread CPU matter much is nothing more than a guess.

Along those lines...the 4670k is only marginally faster than the 3570k. Unless there's someting you know you need in the haswell chipset, you can save $40 with a 3570k/asrock extreme3

Also, the base 7970 is equivalent to the 770 and cheaper.
XFX Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($313.50 @ B&H)

Only cave
 

AJ18

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Nov 30, 2013
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Thanks Quil, i cant seem to find any of the 7970's in stock anywhere otherwise I would go with that. So i guess it really isnt necessary for an i7 even to future proof huh? What about the mobo and case? If I do go with the Zotac, do I need a cooler for it?
 

AJ18

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Nov 30, 2013
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Dang, those R9 280Xs aren't available either.... seems like it is safe to safe that the AMD cards are better than the nVidia cards for gaming purposes? Or is that a terrible stereotype?
 
Ok, idk what's going on. evn the ones that are listed as "in stock" on a store search for a 280x are out of stock on the product page.

Both Nvidia and AMD make good cards. For a single GPU, AMD tends to be the better value - their cards are more often slightly cheaper at a given performance point (not always, though!).

In 2-GPU rigs, I recommend Nvidia right now because AMD's frame pacing drivers aren't mature yet.

At this point, though it's a bit moot. AMD seems to have a chip shortage going on at the moment for the 7970/280x.

If you'd like to eventually add a second card to your rig, get a 750w PSU, else 550w will be plenty if you want to stick to single GPU.
 
Solution

AJ18

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Nov 30, 2013
29
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Here is my final build (thanks Quil!). Is everything a go? Will that case fit everything and is that gpu a good choice? Only 50$ more to get the 4GB card vs the 2GB version.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2jhfI
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2jhfI/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2jhfI/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($224.28 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($109.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($82.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($98.99 @ Mac Mall)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 4GB Video Card ($384.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($100.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($88.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1246.15
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-12-12 15:15 EST-0500)
 

AJ18

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Nov 30, 2013
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Quick update. Final build, buying all part except for processor tonight (grabbing it at Microcenter next week):

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2kdCR
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2kdCR/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2kdCR/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($319.98 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI Z87-G45 Gaming ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($99.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($57.99 @ 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: MSI GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($499.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Antec Nine Hundred ATX Mid Tower Case ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 750W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($89.98 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - OEM (64-bit) ($94.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1433.84
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-12-14 14:05 EST-0500)

Only questions that I still have are:
1. Windows 8 vs 8.1 vs 7?
2. Seems like a great deal on the case I found, any thoughts?
3. Switched by gpu to the 780 since Newegg has it on sale for 420$
4. I know I know, the i7 is a waste but Im grabbing it anyways as I might end up using this PC for tasks other than gaming in the future.
5. Is that mobo OK?