My First Gaming PC Build: Can Any Improvements Be Made?

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Schwing17

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Jan 21, 2014
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Hey guys! I am going to be building my first gaming computer and I wanted to make sure that I am building the best capable at a reasonable price. If you see anything that could be changed for the better, please do! Right now the computer comes out at around $1000. If it is at all possible to reduce the price and keep the quality, that would be awesome! Also, I would love to stay with Intel and NVIDIA, but if you have a good suggestion, please feel free to share! I really appreciate the help as it is much needed! Thank you!

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

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($225.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Zalman CNPS9900MAX-B CPU Cooler ($43.34 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus Maximus VI Hero ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($189.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($82.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($87.97 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card ($179.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($84.98 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 650W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($84.98 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($88.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1069.21
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-21 22:40 EST-0500)
 
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great build but to top it all i really suggest you add an extra 60$ to your budget and get the gtx 770. its a great value and no your i5 will never bottleneck your 770. and there are some games the 760 cannot max out at 60fps just check these benchmarks
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/NVIDIA/GeForce_GTX_760/14.html
http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/battlefield_4_vga_graphics_performance_benchmark,7.html
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/NVIDIA/GeForce_GTX_760/16.html
as you can see in the benchmarks the gtx 760 cant get you 60 fps in every game. you may also have noticed that the 770 being a 320$ gpu competes with the more expensive gpu's such as gtx 680 and 7970. so for your system a 770 would be the perfect fit...rest of your...
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toddybody

toddybody

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Dec 13, 2010
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Since Schwing17 said "If it is at all possible to reduce the price and keep the quality, that would be awesome!"...I dont think the extra 70.00 is in his/her budget for a 760. Like you said though, a 660 is a solid card too.

EVGA FTW!
 
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Schwing17

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Jan 21, 2014
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Hey guys!

Thanks for your opinions so far! So far I have done a TON of research on various components and this is just what I saw would be the best; however, I am still a noob in building PCs! I am still not sure about the whole overclocking thing and what parts/brands make a stable computer. Also, I would like to build a PC that can play games on at least high settings and be used for school work in the future. Like I said, if I am able to reduce the price and still have a solid gaming/school-work PC, I am totally up for suggestions!
 
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claww

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Jan 12, 2014
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i would suggest the following build as it will give you great gaming performance at the same price
CPU: Intel Core i5-4570 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($190)
CPU Cooler: Zalman CNPS9900MAX-B CPU Cooler ($43.34 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Pro3($90 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($82.99 @ NCIX US) u can find cheaper ram modules for about 60-65$
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200RPM(80$ @NCIX.US) 120 gb kingston ssd drive (80$)
Video Card: EVGA GTX 770(320$)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($84.98 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Seasonic 620W (about 65$)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($88.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1100 approx
i added i5 4570 insted of 4670k as it is a great value for money with performance close to 4670k. dont worry though it wont bottleneck your system at all :)
i replaced your choice of motherboard because my option is much cheaper with pretty much the same features except it has only 1 pcie 3 slot. but if dual graphic cards are your plans than you can get a great motheboard for that purpose for 130$ called ASUS Z87-A ATX LGA1150.
with the money saved from this i added a gtx 770 for your system which is a great gpu which can run any game at ultra settings. also got u a 120ssd drive for super fast loading times. but if u dont need very fast loading times u can remove that to save money or get something else into your build though i highly recommend an ssd. i think for a 1000$ system u must have a good high end card like 770 :). also if you dont plan to overclock than you can remove the cpu cooler as the stock cooler should be more then enough for stock settings. u can also save some money buy getting a cheaper case but your choice of case is pretty neat looking so u should stick with that. u can also save money by getting an i5 3330 for 170$ which is also a great cpu which wont bottleneck your system at all. hope this helps you in deciding what pc to get :)
 
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claww

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Jan 12, 2014
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oh sorry didnt notice that. that motherboard will perfectly suit an i5 3330 though which is also a great processor. for an i5 4570 you should go with ASUS Z87-A ATX LGA1150. its for about 130$ at ncix but its a great motherboard and supports sli as well. for a more budget friendly motherboard check out ASUS Z87-K ATX LGA1150 Z87 for 100$ is a great buy. it also supports sli so its totally worth taking a look at :)
 
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Schwing17

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Jan 21, 2014
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Alright, I have done a bit more research and I feel like I have a solid setup at a great price! What to do you guys think?

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

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.97 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Zalman CNPS9900MAX-B CPU Cooler ($46.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($159.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.67 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($84.98 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: NZXT HALE82 650W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($84.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $999.54
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-23 21:53 EST-0500)
 
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claww

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Jan 12, 2014
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CPU: Intel Core i5-4570 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($190)
CPU Cooler: Zalman CNPS9900MAX-B CPU Cooler ($43.34 @ Amazon)
Motherboard:ASUS Z87-K ATX LGA1150 Z87 ($100 @ NCIX)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($82.99 @ NCIX US) u can find cheaper ram modules for about 60-65$
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200RPM(80$ @NCIX.US) 120 gb kingston ssd drive (80$)
Video Card: EVGA GTX 770(320$)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($84.98 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Seasonic 620W (about 65$)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($88.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1100 approx
get this build man....u must have a gtx 770 for a 1000$ setup. its gonna give u max performance with no bottleneck
dont go with a 660 or 760....they are just not suitable for a your setup as they will bottleneck the whole system
u can find cheaper parts for power supply or case but whatever you do gtx 770 is must
 
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Schwing17

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Jan 21, 2014
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Won't the GTX 760 give me about 60 FPS on max settings on almost all games? I did some research on benchmarks, saw some game play and that is what I saw. I think that the GTX would be a perfect fit for the system. What are the benchmarks/specs on the GTX 770? Will the Intel i5-4570 ever bottleneck the system at all?
 
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Schwing17

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Jan 21, 2014
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10,510
Gaming PC Build Complete!

I would like to thank everyone for the help in developing the best computer possible at a decent cost! I will be able to run almost every game on max settings, use it for school work, and hopefully have a long-lasting system with great aesthetics! I am super geeking out about this now and I cannot wait to get my hands on this PC in the near future!

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2H6UN
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2H6UN/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2H6UN/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4570 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($194.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Zalman CNPS9900MAX-B CPU Cooler ($46.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H87-D3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($72.25 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.67 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($254.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: NZXT HALE82 650W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($84.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1010.81
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-24 23:25 EST-0500)
 
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claww

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Jan 12, 2014
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great build but to top it all i really suggest you add an extra 60$ to your budget and get the gtx 770. its a great value and no your i5 will never bottleneck your 770. and there are some games the 760 cannot max out at 60fps just check these benchmarks
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/NVIDIA/GeForce_GTX_760/14.html
http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/battlefield_4_vga_graphics_performance_benchmark,7.html
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/NVIDIA/GeForce_GTX_760/16.html
as you can see in the benchmarks the gtx 760 cant get you 60 fps in every game. you may also have noticed that the 770 being a 320$ gpu competes with the more expensive gpu's such as gtx 680 and 7970. so for your system a 770 would be the perfect fit...rest of your setup seems fine.

 
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