First PC Build: 1000 Dollar Gaming Rig

jradeoskar

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Feb 21, 2014
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I am building my first ever PC, which is mainly for gaming, as well as media and homework. I have a price limit of $1000 dollars, including a monitor. I would like to be able to play modern games on the highest settings I possibly can, at 1080p. I also don't plan on overclocking, and I am not sure if I will ever use Crossfire/SLI, but I would like to keep it an option for the future. I plan on pirating Windows, and will likely purchase the parts as soon as I get some good responses from you, and don't have any concerns about this build. I think I have most of the build pretty much set, but as I am entirely new to this, I would appreciate feedback on whether this build is sufficient, whether I should swap parts, or any other comments/advice you have about the build.

The link to the parts are as follows:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2XJYF

Here is what I would like to know the most:
--Have I missed anything?
--Is my PSU sufficient, or perhaps a bit overkill?
--Will my PC be relatively future-proof?
--What can I reasonably expect from this PC?
--Should I switch my graphics card to something else? Why?
--Do I need any cooling accessories, or am I safe as is?

Also, if you have any other special tips for a first time builder, please let me know. The last thing I want is to short something, or break something in the process. I have watched plenty of videos on PC assembly, but you may have some specific advice for this build or just from your own experience.

Thanks for your time, and I appreciate your help.

 
Solution


1) The RAM's okay. It should save a bit of electricity. And since it's 1600 Mhz, that would be optimal performance.

2) You can check at the bottom of the PCPartPicker website. Find the compatibilities area, and check if there is any. In the build linked on the first post, there is the 1.65V/1.5V problem.

jradeoskar

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Feb 21, 2014
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Thanks, oknaline! Is there a specific RAM you would recommend? I figured I should basically go as cheap as possible, for about 8GB, but there might be something I am not considering.
 

jradeoskar

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Feb 21, 2014
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Okay, so I switched out the RAM for the following: Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model 996988
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Hopefully this is better? The RAM runs at 1.35V, though there is one which also runs at 1.5. Which would be better, and how do I know what kind of voltage my motherboard supports?

 


1) The RAM's okay. It should save a bit of electricity. And since it's 1600 Mhz, that would be optimal performance.

2) You can check at the bottom of the PCPartPicker website. Find the compatibilities area, and check if there is any. In the build linked on the first post, there is the 1.65V/1.5V problem.

 
Solution

TheFluffyDog

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Oct 22, 2013
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You've got a few ways you can improve. that graphics card, is slower than everything else in your build, and in gaming graphics and processor are most important. if your gonna go with a card like that you could go to an amd processor too. however if your looking for high-ultra presets at 1080p that card will not keep up with the games being released. i would upgrade processor and graphics and get rid of SSD if you cant fit performance parts into budget. If this is your first build, you may like the jump from low performance to discrete graphics and an ivybridge i5, but i assure you with 1k as your budget you could do miles better.
 

TheFluffyDog

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Oct 22, 2013
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http://pcpartpicker.com/p/30ZWt 781.76

monitor on newegg http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236335R 135.99

memory on newegg http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820313418 62.99

total 980.74...

This build is superior in every way to the ones suggested. only way to improve is with an SSD for boot, but at 1k price point, you will not be able to afford an SSD as a dedicated game drive, SSD >/= 240GB, so it would only be a boot drive with a few games and programs, but that only effects load in times and serves no performance benefits while in game. Well maybe loading between areas in an RPG like skyrim, but lets be honest, thats not as important as the gameplay.

also it is sli capable and the i5-4670k can overclock so when this becomes outdated, just slap in another 760, (they'll be available somewhere) and overclock that baby. I run that same cooler on my 4670k and i can run 1.350 volts at 4.5GHz with temps around 80C during intel burn test on all threads at high stress. for a cheap cooler like that, thats more than just impressive. And as long as you keep your overclocking to what you need not what you want, and you dont touch the card clocks that much, you can probably sli on that power supply. granted you you dont load in a raid array and SSD. just double check it (that goes for anyone reading) see if i missed anything important.
 

TheFluffyDog

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Oct 22, 2013
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actually you'd probably need to overclock to get your ramm to run at that speed. i would tune it down to just 1600 so you dont need to overclock. just take what ever brand 1333 or 1600 DDR3, ram right now is pretty much all the same, just pick something reliable, the speed of 1333 vs 1600 is pretty much un-noticeable unless you enter overclocking competitions.