Possibly new gaming PC

Angel Silva

Reputable
Mar 27, 2014
7
0
4,510
Hey all I currently have an Asus notebook G73Sw series laptop. I am thinking of getting a desktop so I can customize it as the years go by. Thing is last time I messed with customizing a desktop was back in 99' when I was a kid helping my dads friend with my windows 98 HP pavilion. So if anyone has some good advice for what is a good Rig for around $1,000- 1,200 it would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
 

Angel Silva

Reputable
Mar 27, 2014
7
0
4,510
Approximate Purchase Date: e.g.: Next few weeks

Budget Range: (e.g.: 300-400) Before / After Rebates; Before / After Shipping: $1,000 - $1,300

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Mostly gaming, but also surfing internet and movies.

Are you buying a monitor: I have a TV with attachments, I would like to see a RIG with and without a monitor (see how much it affects price and different parts that get changed when a monitor gets added.)



Parts to Upgrade: Whole new Desktop

Do you need to buy OS: I have a windows 7 registration key that is used for my laptop. My friend was able to use his laptop code for his new desktop?
Please note that if you're using an OEM license of Windows, you will need a new one when buying a new motherboard.

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: You're all the experts haha I only know of amazon and ebay. So I am open to any.
Location: Peru, Illinois, USA

Parts Preferences: Negative no preferences

Overclocking: If it helps with gaming then yes please

SLI or Crossfire: Honestly I have no clue what this is but if it helps with gaming then yes?

Your Monitor Resolution: Laptop is 1600x900, so anything equivalent or a bigger screen is nice.

Additional Comments: I mostly play Arma 3, but am a big time gamer for games such as Crysis, Battlefield 4, Total war series etc etc

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: I have an Asus Notebook G73Sw series laptop and after looking into upgrading the video card I could not help but notice that basically it needs special cards in order to be compatible. My best friend recently acquired a custom built desktop and it reminded me how customizable desktops were.
 

numanator

Honorable
Here is a build for 1,000 no monitor

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($227.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87-HD3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($99.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport XT 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($84.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($57.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($319.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 620W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($75.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1006.88
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-27 14:50 EDT-0400)

I assumed no SLI/Crossfire. Basically SLI/crossfire means that you would use 2 video cards to get a graphics boost but having 2 graphics card comes with some complications like generating more heat, using more power, and you sometimes get graphical glitches. Typically I recommend a single card for stability and ease of use but SLI comes in handy if you want to get a graphics boost without changing much. If you are interested in SLI in the future i can change the above build to have a motherboard that supports SLI (for about $20 more)
 
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3htmH
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3htmH/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3htmH/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($227.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Xigmatek GAIA SD1283 56.3 CFM CPU Cooler ($36.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($109.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($72.25 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial M500 240GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.55 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($488.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($57.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($54.56 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Micro Center)
Total: $1244.29

Above is without a monitor, below would be with a nice monitor.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3htpp
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3htpp/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3htpp/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($227.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Xigmatek GAIA SD1283 56.3 CFM CPU Cooler ($36.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($109.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($72.25 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial M500 240GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.55 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($319.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($57.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($54.56 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Micro Center)
Monitor: Asus VN248H 23.8" Monitor ($197.58 @ Newegg)
Total: $1272.87

All I did was knock the GPU from a 780 to a 770.
 

numanator

Honorable
Here is a more powerful build, motherboard supports SLI but you would need a more powerful power supply for SLI
-Gtx 780 instead of gtx 770- 780 would serve you well for years to come. This will run everything at Ultra for some time

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($227.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87X-D3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($134.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport XT 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($84.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($57.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($499.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 620W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($75.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1221.88
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-27 14:59 EDT-0400)
 

Angel Silva

Reputable
Mar 27, 2014
7
0
4,510
Hey guys I truly do appreciate helping out, I have never built a desktop myself but I do have tech savvy friends who said they will help me learn it (I come from an old fashioned family of DIY) Comparing all your builds which would be the best for gaming? If anyone could help me out with that one.
 

Angel Silva

Reputable
Mar 27, 2014
7
0
4,510
Ok so I had 2 good friends cross reference and look at all the builds and they both came up with this

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3hGG6

(Sorry I don't know how to display parts like you guys)

One is real worried about the video card taking too much room on the mother board but they both like the 760 4Gb video card compared to the 770 2Gb.

Any thought, Also their views have been based off of all your guys great responses!
 
I don't even know where to start. First off I have a 280x that is over 11" long in a lexa S case which is not big. I have not altered it in any way. The evga 780 is 10.5, only an inch longer than the 760. Fitting it in any decent mid tower is not a problem.

"taking up too much space on the mobo". I don't even know what that means. the acx cooler on a 760 is the same as a 780. Plus you have a full ATX mobo.

What is their reasoning behind getting the 4gb 760? they realize a 4gb 760 has the same performance as a 2gb 760? which both are below a 2gb 770 which is also well below a 780. the difference in performance between a 4gb 760 and 780 is insane.

I really dislike their build. Too much on the mobo. The cpu cooler is alright but won't handle any serious OC. The PSU is nice, but when you need performance it is overkill. Too little SSD storage. Too much on the case, it is nice and all but there's good options cheaper.