1st Gaming PC Build

abz408 · Feb 3, 2014

I’m in the process of building my first PC. I’ve acquired a Thor V2 full tower case and a 650W Capstone Modular PSU.

Which components should I consider for this build if my main purpose is to game and do all the other ordinary tasks. I’m just considering making it an Intel based PC running one graphics card or is more the better? I'm also thinking of doing the SSD and a mechanical hard drive combo as well.

My budget for this build is $800-1,000 without including peripherals.

Thanks.

toddybody · Feb 3, 2014

I would recommend an intel i5 4670K with an nVidia GTX 760...since you want to game primarily.

At that budget, it would be difficult to buy dual graphics cards...but i wouldnt worry about it, just use the money for quality components now; beauty of PC gaming is you can always upgrade (i.e., buy a 2nd card) later.

Regarding your other system components, a few quick thoughts:

Go with 2x4GB sticks of RAM...games dont utilize that much even, and you can always buy a 2nd kit some time
Buy a PSU from a reputable brand (Corsair, Seasonic, Rosewill, Coolmaster...etc)
Research EVERYTHING. Enjoy the process!

TheMohammadmo · Feb 3, 2014

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($209.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($119.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.66 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($239.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $929.55
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-02-03 22:41 EST-0500)

toddybody · Feb 3, 2014

TheMohammadmo :

PSU? With 70.00 left over, check out: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139028

Does the OP need a case too? May have to hold off on an SSD...I wouldnt sacrifice the other good components to squeeze an SSD in the budget now.

CRITICALThinker · Feb 3, 2014

TheMohammadmo :

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($80.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $80.99
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-02-03 23:24 EST-0500)

TheMohammadmo · Feb 4, 2014

Yeah that ram is good, i totally forgot to run dual channel memory. Thanks critical.

abz408 · Feb 4, 2014

Thanks. I have a few friends who are recommending me to go with 16 Gbs of RAM (2x8). How will performance differ between 8 gbs vs 16 gbs of ram?

toddybody · Feb 4, 2014

abz408 :

None whatsoever for gaming. IF you have some VMs running with other apps...you may use it.

TheMohammadmo · Feb 4, 2014

Agreed with toddybody. You wont see a major differnce with 16gb ram for gaming. Now if you are video editing, 3d animations, etc. Then you will notice a big differnence.

abz408 · Feb 4, 2014

TheMohammadmo :

I've also been researching motherboards and CPUs and I always hear about overclocking when speaking about these parts. So, is overclocking a good thing to do for gaming?

TheMohammadmo · Feb 5, 2014

Overclocking is if you want to go faster. If you want to catch up to the flash basically. I don't recommend overclocking these days because 1st, overclocking reduces cpu life. 2nd, you dont need the extra power, and 3rd it makes temps go higher. So if you were to go with my build, you wont need to overclock because the 4670k is easily keeping up with new tech. Now in a 1 1/2 year or 2 years, if you feel your computer is going a bit slow, thats when you overclock it to a safe zone like 4-4.2 ghz. And then you can boost it up more and more

vmN · Feb 5, 2014

TheMohammadmo :

Overclocking doesn't reduce CPU lifetime, unless you fuck something up.
Overclock correctly and you would have no worries.

TheMohammadmo · Feb 5, 2014

I understand sheriff. lol but its true that you dont need the extra power these days and that it makes temps go higher.

toddybody · Feb 5, 2014

TheMohammadmo :

Haha, all friends here

I would say, that a reasonable OC can provide some fantastic benefits to gaming...especially titles which rely on a higher frequency over core count (i.e., Crysis1). Temp is the biggest "killer" of all things PC...that said, a mild OC (say, 4.2Ghz) can be done on stock coolers with little thermal impact. Take that a step further with some great aftermarket coolers...and you can have a faster CPU with great temperatures to boot. Win win...dont be afraid to OC!

abz408 · Feb 5, 2014

toddybody :

TheMohammadmo :

Haha, all friends here

I would say, that a reasonable OC can provide some fantastic benefits to gaming...especially titles which rely on a higher frequency over core count (i.e., Crysis1). Temp is the biggest "killer" of all things PC...that said, a mild OC (say, 4.2Ghz) can be done on stock coolers with little thermal impact. Take that a step further with some great aftermarket coolers...and you can have a faster CPU with great temperatures to boot. Win win...dont be afraid to OC!

Also, wouldn't a CPU liquid cooling system bring down the temps?

TheMohammadmo · Feb 5, 2014

Yeah a liquid cooling would bring down the temps but its more for show-off in my opinion. The cooler master hyper 212 evo almost does the same amount of work that the corsair h100i does.

mostafa007 · Feb 5, 2014

i would say cut the price off the processor and get an over kill gpu like the sapphire 290x or the gtx 780 gigabyte of you want to build a
pc for gaming

vertexx · Feb 5, 2014

You've got some good advice on this thread.... my 2 cents is to try to get the absolute best GPU you can possibly afford right out of the gate. Since that is your most expensive component, it's the toughest to upgrade.

As big a fan of an SSD as I am, I'd suggest forgoing the SSD for now, unless you can trim other componets. Then I'd go for a GTX 770. They run about $100 more, but they have much better performance. The 660 is good, but the 770 will be much faster hand have much more longevity as gaming demands continue to increase. I think the 780 is probably out of your reach at this budget, but the 770 is definitely doable.

As SSD prices continue to fall, it will be very easy to add an SSD. And I'd suggest doing so as soon as you can afford a 240-256GB SSD or larger.

Before this year, I was not a fan of MSI, but they've really done an outstanding job with this generation of their "Gaming" series GPUs. I'd recommend the MSI 770 gaming (linked here http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127741).

I have the same cooler on an R9 280X, and it is phenomenally cool and quiet.

Best of luck with your build.

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