Gaming PC advice needed

Morfiend · Jun 16, 2014

I've never been good with computers, but I am a hardcore gamer and after wasting my money on an alienware laptop a few years back I'm looking to build a new desktop that can cater to my gaming needs.

1. Budget
My budget is around 1000-1300$. I have no need for any peripherals, just the machine itself.

2. Purpose
I'm looking to be able to play the most recent games at high or ultra qualities. I play lots of MMOs(currently World of Warcraft and Wildstar) and want them to both look pretty and run flawlessly in high intensity areas. I have also done some streaming before and that has been a passion of mine along with video editing, so that is something I would also like to be able to do while gaming at high graphics levels. I'm also going to be playing games like Skyrim, Sims 4(when released) and as those have been problem areas for my current computer I would want my new computer to run them flawlessly. My screen resolution is 1920x1080.

3. Upgrading
I have never before upgraded my computer but after reading some guides and recommendations I will definitely be doing it in the future when it is needed. However I don't want to purchase a mediocre system now that I have to upgrade right away.

4. Possible build(as mentioned above, I've never done this before so I went off recommendations. Yes I'm a newbie; so any advice is greatly appreciated.)

Case

Processor
Intel® Core™ i5-4670K Processor (4x 3.40GHz/6MB L3 Cache) - Intel Core™ i5-4670K
Processor Cooling
Certified CPU Fan and Heatsink (Intel)
Memory
8 GB [4 GB X2] DDR3-1600 Memory Module (Revolt) - Corsair or Major Brand
Video Card
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 - 2GB - Single Card
Motherboard
GIGABYTE GA-Z97N-WIFI ITX --- 1x PCIe 3.0 x16, 2x USB 3.0, 6x SATA-III 6Gb/s
Power Supply
500 Watt - FSP 1U 80 Plus Gold Certificated Power Supply - *Support up to NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN
Primary Hard Drive
1 TB HARD DRIVE -- 32M Cache, 7200 RPM, 6.0Gb/s Single Drive
Data Hard Drive
None
Optical Drive
6x BLU-RAY Reader + DVD±R/±RW Slot Load Combo Drive
USB Expansion Card
None
Internal Wireless Network Adapter
None
Operating System
Windows 8.1
Monitor
None
2nd Monitor
None
Speaker System
None
Webcam
None

Any advice with this build or possible other builds would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

NBSN · Jun 16, 2014

Please help us help you better. I took the liberty of asking pretty much any question that I could come up with for assisting with a build. If there are any questions that I might have missed, please feel free to let me know so I can add them to my list. By answering this list I hope to help cut down on builds and/or components that do not cater to you. And hopefully aid you in getting better answers to your question quicker.

If you have already provided some of this information, and see the question below, that is merely to clarify what your posting already stated.

1. Do you need a keyboard? Any preferences? Wired/wireless/mechanical?

2. Do you need a mouse? Any preferences? Wired/wireless/DPI?

3. Do you need a monitor? If you already have a monitor/tv, what type is it and how many hz is it? Do you plan on using multiple monitors? Or do you have any monitor/tv preferences? Screen size, built in speakers, resolution, refresh, hz?

4. Do you want a blu-ray drive, dvd/cd drive, or no drive? If you already have one, what is it?

5. Do you prefer Intel or AMD processors? If you already have a processor, what is it?

6. Do you want to be able to overclock the processor?

7. Do you prefer NVidia or AMD graphics cards? Do you plan on using multiple GPUs at a later date?

8. Do you plan on overclocking the graphics card?

9. Do you want to have more options for upgrading later on, such as adding extra RAM or running multiple graphics cards together?

10. What operating system do you prefer, Windows 7 or 8.1, or Ubuntu/Linux? If you already have an operating system, then what is it specifically?

11. Does your budget include the operating system?

12. Do you prefer air cooling or liquid cooling?

13. Is there a particular case size you would like to go for, mid tower, full tower, etc?

14. Is there a particular theme or color scheme that you prefer, or a particular style case? (Please give a few examples)

15. What is your budget, minimum and maximum costs?

16. What sort of games or programs do you want to use? (Please give plenty of examples)

17. What settings, fps, resolution do you want to play those games at?

18. What country do you live in, so we can know what currency and/or sites to link for you?

19. Do you have a hard drive type preference, such as normal hard drive, hybrid, or SSD? Or do you want a smaller SSD for the operating system and a normal hard drive for saving files to?

20. Is there any other component that you already have that was not asked about specifically already? If so, what is it?

Morfiend · Jun 16, 2014

1. Do you need a keyboard? Any preferences? Wired/wireless/mechanical?
I do not. I only need the machine itself.

2. Do you need a mouse? Any preferences? Wired/wireless/DPI?
I do not. I only need the machine itself.

3. Do you need a monitor? If you already have a monitor/tv, what type is it and how many hz is it? Do you plan on using multiple monitors? Or do you have any monitor/tv preferences? Screen size, built in speakers, resolution, refresh, hz?
I have a monitor. I believe it is 59hz. I may get an additional monitor later and update my current one as well.

4. Do you want a blu-ray drive, dvd/cd drive, or no drive? If you already have one, what is it?
Either a blu-ray or DVDRW, depending on how close I am to my budget cap.

5. Do you prefer Intel or AMD processors? If you already have a processor, what is it?
I prefer intel. I have an intel in my current laptop, and am looking to get one for my new computer.

6. Do you want to be able to overclock the processor?
I am not familiar with overclocking, but keeping it as a possibility.

7. Do you prefer NVidia or AMD graphics cards? Do you plan on using multiple GPUs at a later date?
I prefer NVidia. I am not fully aware of the effects of multiple cards, but if it is a significant performance increase I will definitely consider it.

8. Do you plan on overclocking the graphics card?
I am not familiar with overclocking, but keeping it as a possibility.

9. Do you want to have more options for upgrading later on, such as adding extra RAM or running multiple graphics cards together?
I would like the possibility to upgrade later on. However I am looking to build a PC that I don't have to upgrade too soon in the near future.
10. What operating system do you prefer, Windows 7 or 8.1, or Ubuntu/Linux? If you already have an operating system, then what is it specifically?
I have been using windows 7, but I will be going for windows 8 in my new computer.

11. Does your budget include the operating system?
Yes.
12. Do you prefer air cooling or liquid cooling?
I am not aware of the differences, I have always had air cooling in my past computers.
13. Is there a particular case size you would like to go for, mid tower, full tower, etc?
The size does not matter, as long as it works with the components of the PC.
14. Is there a particular theme or color scheme that you prefer, or a particular style case? (Please give a few examples)
Style does not matter, just the way it runs.

15. What is your budget, minimum and maximum costs?
My budget is around 1000-1300$

16. What sort of games or programs do you want to use? (Please give plenty of examples)
I want to be able to play the latest games at high or ultra settings. I also play MMOs like World of Warcraft and Wildstar which I want to be able to run at high qualities in high density areas. I also like streaming and video editing so being able to run those would be a wanted addition.

17. What settings, fps, resolution do you want to play those games at?
High or ultra qualities, 60fps+ preferrably.

18. What country do you live in, so we can know what currency and/or sites to link for you?
I live in the US.
19. Do you have a hard drive type preference, such as normal hard drive, hybrid, or SSD? Or do you want a smaller SSD for the operating system and a normal hard drive for saving files to?
Again I am not fully aware of the differences, but I have been using a normal hard drive in the past.

20. Is there any other component that you already have that was not asked about specifically already? If so, what is it?
I do not have any components ready, I am starting fresh.

NBSN · Jun 17, 2014

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/qkVbCJ
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/qkVbCJ/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($233.98 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($33.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI CSM-H81M-P32 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($58.99 @ Mwave)
Memory: G.Skill Value 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 60GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($47.95 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($104.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB Dual Superclocked ACX Video Card ($335.91 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($57.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: Cooler Master VSM 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($94.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG BH16NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($81.26 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: BitFenix BFF-SPRO-12025KK-RP 56.2 CFM 120mm Fan ($9.88 @ NCIX US)
Case Fan: BitFenix BFF-SPRO-12025KK-RP 56.2 CFM 120mm Fan ($9.88 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1292.78
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-06-17 01:35 EDT-0400

Okay...so I went by everything that you wanted and preferred. Unfortunately there are some concessions I had to make in various areas, but honestly it did not really matter much anyway as this build will run great for quite a few years. You will be able to max out almost every game just fine. You will not be able to add any additional components to this build, but you don't have to either. You will already have 16 GB or RAM, which is more than enough. I included a blu-ray drive that is supposed to come with the software (many do not). I also included a SSD for you to install the operating system to which will provide very fast boot times. As well as a massive 3 TB hard drive to store a crap ton of stuff. I went with a power supply that would more power your system well and allow you to overclock your system if you want to later on. That is also why I went ahead and added in a non-stock CPU cooler and additional case fans so you can go with air-cooling which does not allow as high overclocking as liquid cooling but will work well for most of your uses and light overclocking later on. Overall this is a powerful system and should run well for years.

Of course we could always cheapen out on some items, but to provide you with everything you wanted and in your budget its pretty good.

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