First Real Gaming Build (~$1200)

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Joe-OSU-

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Jan 10, 2014
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Hello everyone,

I'm looking at building my first gaming rig as an adult, and I wanted to get some advice here before clicking all the "Buy" buttons. My parts list can be found here: http://pcpartpicker.com/user/Joe-OSU-/saved/3oIl

Although I flirted with the idea of having a budget of $1200+ from the start, I wasn't actually thinking it would end up that high. Oh well, I've always believed you get what you pay for, and I'd like something nice.

So I was just looking for some feedback on my build. A few things to note/explain:
1. I've never overclocked, so I'm not confident enough to tackle something like that right now.
2. I've read that dual graphics cards can be finicky, and I'd rather have a more "set it and forget it" setup. Maybe down the road I'll have the knowledge for that stuff.
3. My first gaming computer had a window, and I always loved it. The motherboard I finally decided on looked nice, so I figured I'd go with showing it off. That's the main reason I went with a matching video card, similar looking RAM, and the addition of lighted case fans. If it was possible to find an equivalent build for half the cost, but without the window, I'd consider it.
4. I pretty much had to learn as I went through this build. I knew nothing about the specifics of CPU's, MOBO's, RAM, etc.

Hoping to start ordering parts by the end of this weekend. Thanks for reading my wall of text!

-Joe
 
Solution
DonnyTechMaster
A few suggestions I can offer:

1) You could get away with a smaller power supply (550-600) 500 or less probably wouldn't cut it though.

2) If you really want to slim down the cost you might want to consider an AMD CPU. In my experience AMD CPU's are quite reliable and the prices are unbeatable. The only thing to watch out for if you decide to go this route is to get a good CPU cooler because heat seems to be the achilles heel of AMD CPU's. My AMD CPU has the same clock speed as the one on your list and it only cost me $79.99 on newegg.

3) This one's up to you, but I suggest going with a 1TB hard drive to start and Buying more as you need the space. 1 TB is plenty of space, and it will seem like you always have space left over.

Hope...
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Specops125

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Dec 17, 2013
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Understanding that you don't want to overclock now, still note that the non-K version of the 4670K will greatly limit what you could do for an overclock if it's something you might want to do down the line.
 
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J

Joe-OSU-

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Jan 10, 2014
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Hahaha yeah, the fans are probably kind of overkill. I really want to light up the inside of the case to show off the MOBO and graphics card though. And I joke at work saying that at only ~5% of the total cost, they're statistically insignificant anyway.
 
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J

Joe-OSU-

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Jan 10, 2014
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Specops,
That's a good point, and something I thought of when choosing the parts. However, in June I'll be starting work making big boy money (finishing grad school right now). So by then, if I change my mind, dropping a couple grand on upgrading won't be an issue.
 
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DonnyTechMaster

DonnyTechMaster

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Dec 29, 2013
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A few suggestions I can offer:

1) You could get away with a smaller power supply (550-600) 500 or less probably wouldn't cut it though.

2) If you really want to slim down the cost you might want to consider an AMD CPU. In my experience AMD CPU's are quite reliable and the prices are unbeatable. The only thing to watch out for if you decide to go this route is to get a good CPU cooler because heat seems to be the achilles heel of AMD CPU's. My AMD CPU has the same clock speed as the one on your list and it only cost me $79.99 on newegg.

3) This one's up to you, but I suggest going with a 1TB hard drive to start and Buying more as you need the space. 1 TB is plenty of space, and it will seem like you always have space left over.

Hope this helps you!
BTW if you want to see my specs you can view them on my profile under personal info. I went the unconventional route with mine and made an ITX PC.
Thanks for reading my wall of text :D
 
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Solution
nikoli707

nikoli707

Splendid
Jan 4, 2012
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ummmm.... you have a regular i5-4670 picked out and not the "k" version.

definitely do not get the regular one.... get the i5-4670k as it is unlocked. add a cooler master hyper 212 evo to that build so you can overclock the 4670k to roughly 4.3-4.4ghz.

also skip all those case fans and find a case in the $50 range. the 2x4gb 1600 ram you can find for about $15-20 less. you can find a very good motherboard in the $110 range. you can also find an equivalent 650-700w quality power supply for about $15 less.

after all that you will save over $120 and with that i very seriously think you should throw a $499 gtx 780 in that beast and then you have a "real" gaming build that will be a force to be reckoned with even in a few years from now.

if you cant squeeze the extra money.... meh screw it.... go with an amd 8350 and the same hyper 212 evo coolerand overclock it to 4.4-4.5ghz. the differences in gaming are not noticable. but with that extra money saved going that route an 8350+gtx780 will game much much better than a 4670k+gtx770, even if they are stock clocked.
 
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H

HeyyScott

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Oct 9, 2013
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Did you read what OP even posted? OP states his reasons.
 
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HeyyScott

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Oct 9, 2013
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Later he also posted he doesn't mind re-buying parts in the future when he wishes to OC.
 
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J

Joe-OSU-

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Jan 10, 2014
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10,510
Nikoli,

Thanks for your suggestion. Right now I'm going to pass on the OC. And as Scott stated, in the future when I'm more confident I'll simply upgrade my CPU.


Bob,

Liquid cooling would definitely up the fancy factor, but it's hard to game while holding my pinky up. Joking aside, I figured liquid cooling just wasn't necessary when no OCing.


Donny,

Thanks for your advice! I'll try checking your build out when I get back home. Upgrading to a 780 is definitely appealing.
 
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