Gaming Build Under $2000 - First Time Building a System

FinalFarce · May 23, 2014

I'm hoping to put together a gaming computer by the end of June at the latest, and I have come to the realization that I have close to no idea what I'm doing. I want to be able to to play modern games on high to ultra settings at 1080p (oh, jeez, I don't even know if that's the right way to say that). This is the build that I Frankenstein-ed together with marginal knowledge and internet articles/reviews.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3L2HR

My budget is $1500 to $2000, including shipping, OS, and peripherals. I'd rather not go over $2000, but if it's for something worth having, I'm willing to go up to $2500 (which will delay me until the middle of July, so I'd rather not)

I intend to use the computer for gaming primarily and to a lesser extent, video-chats and web-surfing. I have nothing other than a desk and a chair right now, so I need a monitor, keyboard, mouse, headset (I share an apartment, so speakers aren't much of an option), and a webcam. I do want an optical drive that can read Blu-ray.

I don't really know enough to express a preference in brands, but a good friend of mine said to go with AMD for the CPU. I have absolutely no idea how to overclock and I'd rather not try to jump straight into it, so no focus on that at all.

Any help is greatly appreciated, since I'm running blind on my own. Thanks, folks.

MalakiArtook · May 23, 2014

That not terrible. you have the right idea... for 1 that PSU is not what you are looking for get a bigger, better quality one like the xfx 750 gold. with a $1500-2000 you should be looking at using at leats a 780

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($223.98 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.94 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($139.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($75.60 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate 600 Series 240GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($129.17 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($56.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 780 3GB DirectCU II Video Card ($488.79 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: LG UH12NS29 Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($54.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Monitor: LG 24M45H 60Hz 24.0" Monitor ($179.98 @ Amazon)
Keyboard: Cooler Master Storm QuickFire Rapid Wired Gaming Keyboard ($56.98 @ Newegg)
Mouse: Razer DeathAdder 2013 Wired Optical Mouse ($56.89 @ NCIX US)
Headphones: SteelSeries Siberia v2 Headset ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1803.24
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-23 04:16 EDT-0400)

I changed the pc parts to be more well rounded. i left the extras as they were as that don't matter and really its just your call on what you want to spend. the 6300 is great for a budget pc but when you get into the 1200-1500 range you might a well go with the 4670k. also you might want to consider getting a monitor with a higher refresh rate. a 60 Hz will limit your fps.

FinalFarce · May 23, 2014

Thanks! Out of curiosity, what kind of difference would using AMD products make to the price? I'm not sure what the comparable components would be. I'm trying to get a better grasp on components in general.

MalakiArtook · May 23, 2014

Amd is cheaper and will give you good bang for your buck but It cant compete with Intel core performance. Although you would save about 200 if you went with a fx6300 which is still more than capable for gaming and medium editing

FantasticMessi2 · May 23, 2014

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-XINXaLdrE

FinalFarce · May 23, 2014

MalakiArtook :

And with the power supply, how much is necessary to have above what is listed? (I'm not challenging your advice by any means, I'm just ignorant)

nikoli707 · May 23, 2014

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($134.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.94 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus M5A99X EVO R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($106.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: A-Data XPG V2 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($66.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate 600 Series 240GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($129.17 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($79.23 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 280 3GB TWIN FROZR Video Card ($200.00 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($47.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($67.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: LG UH12NS29 Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($54.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Monitor: Asus VS248H-P 24.0" Monitor ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Cooler Master Storm QuickFire Rapid Wired Gaming Keyboard ($56.98 @ Newegg)
Mouse: Razer DeathAdder 2013 Wired Optical Mouse ($57.10 @ NCIX US)
Headphones: SteelSeries Siberia v2 Headset ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1332.32
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-23 04:53 EDT-0400)

you have too much of a wide budget... you need to make a decision... above is what i would pick if you wanted to go amd+amd all the way and have a great performing computer.

but its half the price of your so-called $2500 budget which is just ridiculous... if you want a computer that will last for many years and be able to handle games and also have the reliabilty overall... i would recommend this....

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($309.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.94 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($129.00 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($79.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Seagate 600 Series 240GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($129.17 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($79.23 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 780 Ti 3GB TWIN FROZR Video Card ($629.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($47.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: LG UH12NS29 Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($54.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Monitor: Asus VS248H-P 24.0" Monitor ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Cooler Master Storm QuickFire Rapid Wired Gaming Keyboard ($56.98 @ Newegg)
Mouse: Razer DeathAdder 2013 Wired Optical Mouse ($57.10 @ NCIX US)
Headphones: SteelSeries Siberia v2 Headset ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1994.31
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-23 05:04 EDT-0400)

FinalFarce · May 23, 2014

nikoli707 :

Thanks for your help. I apologize for the large range in budget. I'm very inexperienced with computer building and I didn't want to assume that my budget was already reasonable.

nikoli707 · May 23, 2014

FinalFarce :

no problem. i think if you dont really have much of an idea about your build you would be better off if you actually experienced how much performance you would get out of a performance computer. if your not going to be doing any rendering, video encoding, crazy photoshop etc... and you havent gamed on a very powerful computer.... AND your intention is to be game on a 1080p monitor, i think you would be much better off saving a little bit of money and going with a 4670k+gtx70/r9-290. i have a 2500k@4.4+gtx780, and i very much enjoy my experience at 1440p(2560x1440) which is pretty elite gaming. that said, you CAN find 1440p monitors now from local retailers her in the USA for about $300, but those/my monotors dont offer the elite level of response rate that "some" gamers like out of their monitors. that said, i dont notice much of a difference since im just a casual gamer and im not competitive, many of the off brand 1440p monitors offer amazing quality and great gaming. if you really want to enjoy gaming on a casual level and you have no professional level needs as far as video encoding or rendering or other apps that need a 20-30% speed jump from a hyper threaded i7... and your not trying to overclock to the moon.... plus you have no intention of running dual graphics cards which would offer extreme 4k performance... and your more than happy at running 1080p resolution.... i would reccomend going with something like this....

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($223.98 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.94 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87-HD3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($102.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($79.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Seagate 600 Series 240GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($129.17 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($79.23 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 290 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($399.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($47.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($67.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: LG UH12NS29 Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($54.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Monitor: Asus VS248H-P 24.0" Monitor ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Cooler Master Storm QuickFire Rapid Wired Gaming Keyboard ($56.98 @ Newegg)
Mouse: Razer DeathAdder 2013 Wired Optical Mouse ($57.10 @ NCIX US)
Headphones: SteelSeries Siberia v2 Headset ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1630.28
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-23 05:32 EDT-0400)

FinalFarce · May 23, 2014

I think for my needs, the first build you (nikoli707) listed is actually perfect. I'm not going to be playing professionally. It's all for my own entertainment and to be completely honest, I don't need the best of the best for my first build ever. Thank you so much for your help.

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