$1100 Gaming PC 2014 Parts Recommendations?

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
S

SwitchWaffle

Honorable
Dec 19, 2013
13
0
10,510
I am looking to build a mid-range gaming PC with a nice, minimalistic black and white color scheme that is overclockable. Can anyone give me some suggestions for parts and prices that will give me optimal performance for gaming?
 
Solution
photonboy
My build ($1172): http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2ODwP

*First of all, I also went over budget but rather than try to get under $1100 I'll just post it as is. The reason is that I highly recommend keeping the GTX770. If I drop $72 then I have to either get a GTX760 (or similar AMD card), remove the SSD, or find it elsewhere.

So rather than make the decision of what to drop, I think it's best to post as is and let you decide where to make the changes. Again, keeping in mind the Graphics Card has the biggest effect on gaming performance.

Other comments:
1) Windows 8.1 64-bit:
again, I recommend W8 not W7

2) CPU/Motherboard: Not much to say here. I think the Asus board is solid and inexpensive. I just can't recommend AMD CPU's for this...
Sort by date Sort by votes
photonboy

photonboy

Titan
Jun 20, 2006
21,567
13
85,015


THIS is a pretty good build. I strongly suggest getting WINDOWS 8.1 64-bit instead though.

The new interface with W8 can be avoided via Start8 ($5) which makes it work like Windows 7, however there are several good reasons to get W8. More secure (including UEFI secure boot), more reliable, better SSD support, improved Task Manager etc.

Also, there will be upcoming games and programs that ONLY work with Windows 8 though it will be a while. Aside form the new INTERFACE which again can be avoided, I can not think of a good reason to stick with Windows 7.

Other changes:
- case (the customer reviews don't seem that great). People are pretty picky about cases so you can look closer. Make sure it has front USB3 support (can FILTER in pcpartpicker on right side)

- DDR3 memory (I recommend 1866MHz CAS9 which would perform better than 2133MHz CAS11)

- SSD (I recommend the $90, 120GB Samsung 840 EVO then get a 1TB Hard Drive as well so you can make a BACKUP IMAGE, store more games, media etc.)

I'll post this, then just make up a build to reflect these changes and you can decide what parts to keep/change.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
photonboy

photonboy

Titan
Jun 20, 2006
21,567
13
85,015
My build ($1172): http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2ODwP

*First of all, I also went over budget but rather than try to get under $1100 I'll just post it as is. The reason is that I highly recommend keeping the GTX770. If I drop $72 then I have to either get a GTX760 (or similar AMD card), remove the SSD, or find it elsewhere.

So rather than make the decision of what to drop, I think it's best to post as is and let you decide where to make the changes. Again, keeping in mind the Graphics Card has the biggest effect on gaming performance.

Other comments:
1) Windows 8.1 64-bit:
again, I recommend W8 not W7

2) CPU/Motherboard: Not much to say here. I think the Asus board is solid and inexpensive. I just can't recommend AMD CPU's for this budget (the FX-8350 does fine for some newer games but not great on average, such as Skyrim where it's well over 30% behind this i5).

3) DDR3 memory:
In general, you want at least 1600MHz. CAS is more important (proportionately) than frequency. I finally picked 2133MHz CAS10, rather than the slightly more expensive 1866MHz CAS9. It's not a huge deal though.

4) SSD:
I like the Samsung 840 EVO in particular. The Samsung Magician software is great to:
- update firmware
- benchmark
- set profile in Windows

5) Hard Drive:
I went over budget, but I feel an SSD + HDD is still ideal so you can backup. I chose a Western Digital drive because you can download the FREE version of ACRONIS TRUE IMAGE to make a backup Image of your SSD (so you can restore in case of any problems).
*Make a backup Image of your SSD once your programs, updates, drivers etc are installed and things are working!

**Install STEAM to the Hard Drive (i.e. "E:\STEAM"). BTW, SSD's don't matter very much for most games. They mostly affect Load Times though it helps for games like Skyrim that do have frequent building/map loading. However, it does come down to BUDGET and I think you really need a Hard Drive.

6) CASE:
A bit of personal preference here, but I looked for something fairly inexpensive, with good reviews, front USB3 and at least one fan. I'm not sure if it has a FRONT FAN or not, but if doesn't then I recommend getting one, or moving one of the others.

SUMMARY:
I hope you find the above comments useful when deciding what parts to keep or remove. Good luck.

Other:
- BIOS update
- set "XMP" for CPU/DDR3 memory.
- Memtest www.memtest.org
- motherboard support site for drivers/software (main chipset, fan control etc)
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Solution
photonboy

photonboy

Titan
Jun 20, 2006
21,567
13
85,015
Graphics benchmark chart: http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ASUS/R9_270X_Direct_Cu_II_TOP/26.html

This is a very important chart. It's a SUMMARY of about 18 games so probably the best comparison you'll find.

Results:
The GTX770 is 32% faster than the cheaper Asus R9-270X (and the ASUS GTX770 would be better than that). The R9-280X gets SIMILAR performance but costs more at about $400.

Even if we consider MANTLE for AMD (interesting, but ONLY works for games that support it), I just can't recommend a different card than the Asus GTX770 from a value perspective. NVidia also has Shadowplay, PhysX, and G-Sync (G-Sync needs new monitor). At $320, the Asus GTX770 is a really great card. I also don't buy cards now without a BACKPLATE.

If you want more info on the Asus GTX770 in particular, here's a good video (long):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24RqCK_Rhes

and review: http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/63417-asus-gtx-770-directcu-ii-oc-review-11.html
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
jeremyp79

jeremyp79

Distinguished
Jan 9, 2012
869
0
19,360
The system photonboy has listed is a very solid one. The one change I would make is change the graphics card to EVGA instead of Asus. There are a few reasons for this:
EVGA has the step up program, which basically means that if you decide you want a better card within 90 days of buying a card, they will buy your card from you for what you paid for it, and you pay the difference for the stronger card. With the next series of cards coming out any time now, this could be a way to get a new one for only a fraction of the price of a normal upgrade.
Asus makes very good parts, but their customer service is just horrible. Evga has the same or better quality(when it comes to VGA cards), and has UNBEATABLE customer service. Your card isnt working at 330 am on a tuesday night? EVGA tech support will be there to answer.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
S

SwitchWaffle

Honorable
Dec 19, 2013
13
0
10,510
Dang photonboy, you reply to all my posts. You're awesome. Thanks for all of the suggestions and tips, hopefully I can come up with the money to build this thing some time. :)
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom