Good Gaming PC Build For Under $1200

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The Jordan Gamer

Honorable
Dec 30, 2013
7
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10,510
Hi this is my second PC build. My last one was only $700 and it's starting to slow down. I'm looking to spend a little more money on a PC so I was hoping you guys could see if the specs I chose were the best I could get for my money.

Mobo

Asus p8z77-v lk intel z77 ddr3 lag 1155

CPU

Intel i7-3770k

HDD

Seagate barracuda 2tb 6gb/s 64mc cache

GPU

Gigabyte gtx 760 gddr5-2gb oc wind force 3x

Case

Corsair 500r

Optical Drive

ASus 24x drw-24b1st

OS

Windows 7 home premium

PSU

Corsair cx 600 watt

Cooler

Cooler master hyper 212 Evo

RAM

Corsair vengeance 8gb (2 x4gb) ddr3 1600mhz

All these will be bought from Amazon

 
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smorizio

smorizio

Titan
Jan 22, 2010
30,984
9
125,315
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2sOv5
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2sOv5/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2sOv5/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($231.98 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($33.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($79.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Toshiba 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($84.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair Carbide Series 300R Windowed ATX Mid Tower Case ($62.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: OCZ ZT 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($104.98 @ OutletPC)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $838.87
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-12-30 14:56 EST-0500)
 
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smorizio

smorizio

Titan
Jan 22, 2010
30,984
9
125,315
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2sOyt
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2sOyt/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2sOyt/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($299.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Toshiba 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($84.99 @ B&H)
Case: Corsair Carbide Series 300R Windowed ATX Mid Tower Case ($62.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: OCZ ZT 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($104.98 @ OutletPC)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $901.88
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-12-30 14:57 EST-0500)
 
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A

animal

Distinguished
Jan 23, 2010
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If it is going to be mainly a gaming computer, there is no need to get an i7 processor, an i5 will game as well as an i7 would. Also, I recommend you go with a 4th gen i5 (4670k) rather than a 3rd gen i5 (3570k). Also, there is a better selection of Z87 motherboards out there than there remains of the old Z77 chipset. I recommend avoiding the Corsair CX series of PSUs, they are their budget line, not known for there quality/reliability, although Corsair other series are quality PSUs. I'd recommend using the following reference page for determining your required wattage then add 50-100W to the recommended wattage if you are going to be overclocking. And get a quality PSU from a top-tier manufacturer such as Seasonic, XFX, Corsair (except their CX series) or Antec.

http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page362.htm
 
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A

animal

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Jan 23, 2010
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neither of your builds include a GPU
 
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quilciri

quilciri

Splendid
Mar 16, 2012
4,104
4
23,965
My humble suggestion:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.95 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: A-Data XPG Gaming Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Storage: Seagate 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Hybrid Internal Hard Drive ($129.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($491.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Fractal Design Core 3000 USB 3.0 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($54.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: SeaSonic M12II 850W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($125.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Microcenter)

Total: $1168.84
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

- 850w PSU for eventually adding second 780.

- 2TB SSHD - I wish hybrid drives had been out when I bought my sandisk ssd's. even at 240gb, I can't fit just the OS and my steam library in that space.

- 3570k - hyperthreading does help in the 2 1/2 games that can use more than 4 cores, but not that much (those games are more graphics-bound that CPU). while more games in the future may use more cores, there will be systems better equipped to handle them by the time there are a significant number of those games than any systems out now.
 
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Solution
T

The Jordan Gamer

Honorable
Dec 30, 2013
7
0
10,510

I was wondering why I should get a 4th gen i5. Is there any big advantages of getting a 4th gen than getting a 3rd gen

 
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T

The Jordan Gamer

Honorable
Dec 30, 2013
7
0
10,510

Also the Zotac is a bit too expensive is there another GPU available on amazon with similar capabilities but a bit cheaper

 
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quilciri

quilciri

Splendid
Mar 16, 2012
4,104
4
23,965
Per your request, here's an all Amazon list. Some parts have been changed to stay near budget. Is there any particular reason you're only ordering from amazon?

As far as the CPU, intel hasn't made any great strides in performance since sandy bridge. Haswell (the 4k) at stock speed is only a little bit faster than IVY bridge (3k) which itself is only a little bit faster than sandy bridge (2k). The processors have gotten more efficient in electricity use, but lost some overclock-ability as well.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($228.98 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($34.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LK ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Kingston Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.29 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Hybrid Internal Hard Drive ($92.68 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($499.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Antec Three Hundred Two ATX Mid Tower Case ($64.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: XFX 850W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer ($20.99 @ Amazon)

Total: $1251.89
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

 
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quilciri

quilciri

Splendid
Mar 16, 2012
4,104
4
23,965


There isn't. The r9 290 has similar performance, but is more expensive (at the places that actually have some in stock) than the 780 right now due to the litecoin rush.
 
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