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My mid range gaming Computer build, Thoughts?

Tags:
  • Gaming
  • Quad Core
  • Intel i5
  • Core
  • Computers
  • Build
  • ATX
Last response: in Systems
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July 28, 2014 7:00:27 PM

Hey Im doing my first build and was aiming for the $1000 mark, put the PC together using PcPartPicker and chose what i think are the best budget gaming components. I want something that will be able to play top end games like Tomb raider, BF4 etc and be able to max out games like Skyrim... for as cheap as possible. Right now the total has come to 1299.74. I would be willing to downgrade or upgrade to meet my goal which is as cheap of a computer as possible while still be a good gaming rig. What do you think?

http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/HLVpzy

CPU Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core
Motherboard MSI Z87-G45 Gaming ATX LGA1150
Memory G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600
Storage Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM
Video Card XFX Radeon R9 270X 2GB Double Dissipation
Case Cooler Master Storm Enforcer ATX Mid Tower
Power Supply SeaSonic 550W ATX12V / EPS12V
Optical Drive Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer
Operating System Microsoft Windows 8.1 (32/64-bit)
Monitor Asus VS239H-P 23.0"
Keyboard Cooler Master CM Storm Devastator Gaming Bundle w/Optical Mouse
Speakers Cyber Acoustics CA-5402 40W 5.1ch

More about : mid range gaming computer build thoughts

July 28, 2014 9:44:26 PM

This is a great build that should last you a while before you need to upgrade. My suggestion is get a z97 motherboard if you want to over clock.
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July 29, 2014 12:56:25 AM

If you plan on doing a lot of gaming on this rig, you could put more money into your gpu and less into your motherboard. Having a high end motherboard to overclock your cpu will not make much of a difference in most games due to the fact that the majority of games rely more on the gpu than cpu. I would also consider getting a 120 gb ssd as a boot drive. ssds are really coming down in price and it might be a good idea to pick one up. Otherwise, everything else looks good.
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July 29, 2014 1:47:10 AM

Great motherboard, i have the same one, super reliable and easy to use, oh and did i mention she's pretty? :p 

For the PSU (just my personal opinion) I would get atleast 600-650w, minimum gold certified (for reliability) and atleast semi if not fully modular to help with cable management and airflow :) 

I am guessing this is your first PC build? Do you plan on overclocking? If not then no need to get the K model chipset, and you can save money there. Plus i see you didnt include an aftermarket CPU cooler, which leads me to think again you wont OC :p 

1TB Caviar Blue is a great drive.. But for storage.. If you wanted performance you should get caviar black. Otherwise, save some money on the chip, and get a non-K model, and with the extra cash get a Samsung 840 evo SSD 120Gb (or the Pro 128Gb), to have windows and necessary applications on there.. Trust me.. An SSD makes ALL the difference in a machine.

Otherwise, best of luck on buying/building! It is a really rewarding experience.

If it is indeed your first build, can recommend you some pretty awesome video guides on how to build :) 

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Best solution

a b 4 Gaming
July 29, 2014 1:58:53 AM

I switched some things around to get you a bit better GPU and PSU.
However, let us know what`s your limit for the budget, necause I`d rather go with a stronger GPU and lower end CPU (not by much).
Also, are you planning to overclock?

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

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($248.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($132.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($84.79 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.95 @ Vuugo)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 280 3GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($214.99 @ NCIX)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($54.49 @ DirectCanada)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ NCIX)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.75 @ Vuugo)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (32/64-bit) ($110.35 @ DirectCanada)
Monitor: Asus VS239H-P 23.0" Monitor ($169.99 @ Canada Computers)
Keyboard: Cooler Master CM Storm Devastator Gaming Bundle Wired Gaming Keyboard w/Optical Mouse ($29.99 @ Canada Computers)
Speakers: Cyber Acoustics CA-5402 40W 5.1ch Speakers ($49.99 @ Canada Computers)
Total: $1276.24
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-07-29 04:57 EDT-0400


If you`re not overclocking, this is a bit more, but has an R9 280x in it.
If you want, we can go with an AMD CPU, and lower the price.

[PCPartPicker part list](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/XkNM4D) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/XkNM4D/by_merchant/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [Intel Core i5-4690 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i54690) | $227.99 @ NCIX
**Motherboard** | [Asus H87-PLUS ATX LGA1150 Motherboard](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-h87plu...) | $112.86 @ DirectCanada
**Memory** | [G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f312800cl...) | $84.79 @ DirectCanada
**Storage** | [Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/western-digital-interna...) | $59.95 @ Vuugo
**Video Card** | [Asus Radeon R9 280X 3GB DirectCU II Video Card](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-video-card-r9280xd...) | $299.99 @ NCIX
**Case** | [Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-case-200r) | $54.49 @ DirectCanada
**Power Supply** | [EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-power-supply-220g2...) | $99.99 @ NCIX
**Optical Drive** | [Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-optical-drive-drw2...) | $19.75 @ Vuugo
**Operating System** | [Microsoft Windows 8.1 (32/64-bit)](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/microsoft-os-wn700578) | $110.35 @ DirectCanada
**Monitor** | [Asus VS239H-P 23.0" Monitor](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-monitor-vs239hp) | $169.99 @ Canada Computers
**Keyboard** | [Cooler Master CM Storm Devastator Gaming Bundle Wired Gaming Keyboard w/Optical Mouse](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-keyboard-...) | $29.99 @ Canada Computers
**Speakers** | [Cyber Acoustics CA-5402 40W 5.1ch Speakers](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/cyber-acoustics-speaker...) | $49.99 @ Canada Computers
| | **Total**
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available | $1320.13
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-07-29 05:03 EDT-0400 |
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July 29, 2014 3:25:47 PM

Thanks to everyone who replied! This is a big investment and I appreciate the input as this is my first build. As for the question about overclocking I was not planning on doing so because I would rather sit on the safe side of that fence ;) .

Xavier Bouttier/sam171712
You are absolutely right about the SSD I had not realized that they had dropped so drastically in price. I am going to add one to the final build. Also I was planning on following the Lifehacker video series to help me through the installation process, unless you had something better in mind?:

http://lifehacker.com/5828747/how-to-build-a-computer-f...



Pr3di
I really like your list and think I will be going with the second option you gave me that is $50 more plus a SSD. The final build is thus:

[PCPartPicker part list](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/9fjTpg) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/9fjTpg/by_merchant/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [Intel Core i5-4670 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i54670) | $233.95 @ Vuugo
**Motherboard** | [Asus H87-PLUS ATX LGA1150 Motherboard](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-h87plu...) | $112.86 @ DirectCanada
**Memory** | [G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f312800cl...) | $84.79 @ DirectCanada
**Storage** | [Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-internal-hard-d...) | $119.99 @ Canada Computers
**Storage** | [Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/western-digital-interna...) | $59.95 @ Vuugo
**Video Card** | [Asus Radeon R9 280X 3GB DirectCU II Video Card](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-video-card-r9280xd...) | $299.99 @ NCIX
**Case** | [Cooler Master Storm Enforcer ATX Mid Tower Case](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-case-sgc1...) | $77.95 @ Vuugo
**Power Supply** | [EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-power-supply-220g2...) | $99.99 @ NCIX
**Optical Drive** | [Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-optical-drive-drw2...) | $19.75 @ Vuugo
**Operating System** | [Microsoft Windows 8.1 (32/64-bit)](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/microsoft-os-wn700578) | $110.35 @ DirectCanada
**Monitor** | [Asus VS239H-P 23.0" Monitor](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-monitor-vs239hp) | $169.99 @ Canada Computers
**Keyboard** | [Cooler Master CM Storm Devastator Gaming Bundle Wired Gaming Keyboard w/Optical Mouse](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-keyboard-...) | $29.99 @ Canada Computers
**Speakers** | [Cyber Acoustics CA-5402 40W 5.1ch Speakers](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/cyber-acoustics-speaker...) | $49.99 @ Canada Computers
| | **Total**
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available | $1469.54
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-07-29 18:22 EDT-0400 |

Thanks again for all of the replies! I can't to get my hands on this rig and put it together!
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July 29, 2014 4:25:23 PM

Glad you finally decided!

For video tutorials, i find that Linus is great, and his entire channel has great reviews on a million different things.

He has a bunch of videos regarding building tutorials, each for a different type of PC, intel, amd, low end, mid range, and high end, silent, etc...:

Low end: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uk45njIUvH0
Mid range: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roFb3TNePIg
Silent 2000$ pc: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMRvz_IYSgM
High end: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cq-zqQiY-OA

EDIT 1: I tend to skip the 'test bench' bit, being impatient and all :p  Plus i tend to go in very optimistic thinking all the parts will work perfectly^^ all has gone good so far, 7 builds in the last 2 years for friends and family and myself, no failures yet! :D 
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