I need help building an awesome gaming computer for my 18 year son with a budget of $1000.

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Apr 14, 2014
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Hi! Please help! I'd like to build one or buy one that is already built for no more than $1000, including the monitor, mouse, keyboard and everything. We're stationed here in Japan. My son is into heavy gaming. He says plays Skyrim, too. He plays on and offline. He'll also need wi-fi to access the internet. Thank you in advance!

Lin
 
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Swordkd

Swordkd

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Oct 3, 2012
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If it's in the States, this is about what I'd do. It's meant for maximizing gaming graphics with an Amd Cpu. I couldn't fit anything better than an nVidia 760 video card with an Intel Cpu, so I switched to Amd and could fit a Radeon 280x(280x > 760 for gaming) into the budget. For Skyrim, the extra 1gb of Vram will come in handy too most likely.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($151.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($68.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 280X 3GB Video Card ($312.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Acer G236HLBbd 60Hz 23.0" Monitor ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WN722N 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0 Wi-Fi Adapter ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1019.84
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-17 00:47 EDT-0400)

:edit: Forgot the Psu, doh! Slightly over budget after MiR's though, so might need to adjust.
 
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That looks good! By the way, I forgot to mention that he wants red LED lights, too, and he wants a case where you can see the bright red lights through the case. Thank you!
 
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Swordkd

Swordkd

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Oct 3, 2012
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Red, okies. I'll update and give you a general idea then.

If you are dead set on 1000 dollars as a budget, could drop the video card down a notch and save the money there. Otherwise, this is, I believe, about the best performing build for the money spent. More money spent on the Ram, because in a black/red build, you don't want blue ram.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($151.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock 970 Extreme3 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Team Xtreem Dark Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($72.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 280X 3GB Video Card ($312.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair SPEC-02 ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($15.00 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Acer G236HLBbd 60Hz 23.0" Monitor ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WN722N 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0 Wi-Fi Adapter ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1002.86
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-17 21:32 EDT-0400)
 
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Looking at your build and comparing it with what they have at CyberPowerPC, which do you think should I get? Please kindly take a look at it for me sir and see what you think. They have a deal where they're taking $500 off and some other discount on other parts or upgrades. I can go up to $1200, if I have to. I just don't know which is good and what not. Thank you again for your help! Have a blessed day!
 
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combine1237

combine1237

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Jul 19, 2012
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For 1200 usd I think you could get a r9 290 with 1 extra gig of vram for modding skyrim. It would really help with alot of the textures if he plans to mod heavily and the extra power would be nice for the enbs.

Edit:
Added cooler and upgrade to 290.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($151.98 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock 970 Extreme3 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Team Xtreem Dark Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($72.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 290 4GB Video Card ($423.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair SPEC-02 ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($15.00 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Acer G236HLBbd 60Hz 23.0" Monitor ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WN722N 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0 Wi-Fi Adapter ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1143.84
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-18 02:23 EDT-0400)
 
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numanator

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I have heard some bad things about cyberpower pc so far. Also building yourself gets you way more bang for your buck. The cyberpower pc will have the same visible components but they use cheaper components on some core, but not obvious components like the power supply and motherboard. I think I have seen some models with overclockable cpus on non-overclockable mobos (may be thinking of another brand though).

It would be pretty tough to put together a pc from japanese stores/sites since I don't know of any haha.
 
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Swordkd

Swordkd

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Oct 3, 2012
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Building your own is definitely the better option. It'll allow you to spend money where you want it most, without sacrificing somewhere else. You'll still probably need a keyboard, mouse, and speakers/headset, so I'd stick with 1000 as a general budget, and allow up to 200 more for those accessories.

Are there any other thoughts on anything that he'd like in the build specifically? Or is this a surprise gift?
 
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Apr 14, 2014
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Thank you so much for everyone's input on this. I think my son will be very happy. It's not a surprise gift. He's been waiting for it for weeks now. I've just been too busy with work. But with everyone's help, I think it's best to build it myself using Intel i5. I'll shop around today and see if the prices here in Japan are comparable with online's prices. My son's friend built one just recently and bought everything locally. Here's what he has and I think he spent no more than $700:

intel core i3-4130 3.4 GHz
Gigabyte H81M-DS2 Ultra Durable motherboard
GEForce GTX 650Ti 1024MB GDDR5 Graphics card
WS Red NAS Hard Drive 3TB
300Mbps 2.4 GHZ Wireless LAN Adapter
850w 80 Plus Gold Fan
OSTROG ECA3252 Enermax Case
I think he only got a $50 monitor from another friend which is why it's cheaper.
My son's friend doesn't play Skyrim on his computer.

Anyway, I printed out everyone's recommendation and I'll be searching online and locally. Again, thank you very much! I really appreciate all your help!

Happy Easter!

Cheers!

-Lin
 
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