Please help with first gaming PC $2000 ~ $2500 budget

Hailey_Diorx · Aug 14, 2014

Hi everyone, hope you'll be able to comment on my first pc build.

I mainly want it to use for gaming and be able to play as highest settings as possible. I also want to use it to watch 720p movies and internet browsing.

I'm planning to buy it pre-built and here are the options I chose. I'm a noob when it comes to this so please let me know if I have missed something or some parts don't make sense. Thank you!

P.S. I have a monitor and keyboard/mouse etc. already so these won't be included in the budget.

CPU: Intel Core i7-4820K 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor ($319.99 @ Best Buy)

CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($94.99 @ Amazon)

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-X79-UP4 ATX LGA2011 Motherboard ($239.98 @ SuperBiiz)

Memory: Kingston HyperX 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($174.56 @ Amazon)

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($68.98 @ OutletPC)

Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX Titan Black 6GB Video Card ($999.99 @ Amazon)

Case: Corsair 450D ATX Mid Tower Case ($99.99 @ Newegg)

Power Supply: Corsair RM 1000W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($169.99 @ Amazon)

Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.98 @ OutletPC)

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)

Sound Card: Diamond XtremeSound XS71 16-bit 96 KHz Sound Card ($24.99 @ Amazon)

Wired Network Adapter: Intel EXPI9301CTBLK 10/100/1000 Mbps PCI-Express x1 Network Adapter ($29.70 @ OutletPC)

Case Fan: SilenX EFX-12-15T 74.0 CFM 120mm Fan ($10.49 @ Newegg)
Case Fan: SilenX EFX-12-15T 74.0 CFM 120mm Fan ($10.49 @ Newegg)
Case Fan: SilenX EFX-12-15T 74.0 CFM 120mm Fan ($10.49 @ Newegg)

Total: $2364.59

MeteorsRaining · Aug 14, 2014

You can get a much better custom build if you make it! It'll be with 4790K, h110, Titan Black, tier 1 PSU, Best in class MoBo, 500GB SSD + 4 TB HDD and much much better RAM.

This build is good but you won't be able to get the best value for money in a pre built. And considering you have ample money, I'd strongly suggest you build one yourself!

Ytyoussef · Aug 14, 2014

For gaming, you really won't need a 4820K or a Titan Black, I would advise you to get a 780 Ti (which is better for gaming btw, even though it's not by a lot) and an i7-4790K.

I would suggest an EVGA Supernova G2 750W PSU, or if you plan on doing SLI in the future, then the 850W or 1000W version of that PSU would be good as well.

With the money you would have saved you can get yourself a really nice case and a big SSD. No need to get a soundcard, this cheap sound card won't be better than the built-in soundcards, especially on high-end motherboards. (For a z97 board, I have to suggest the Maximus VII Hero) And you don't need a wired network adapter, the one built-in works just fine.

legend001523 · Aug 14, 2014

Get a 780 ti, get 8gb of ram, i5 will be enough for gaming

V0RTEX · Aug 14, 2014

Hey Hailey_Diorx, as MeteorsRaining said I would highly suggest that you build yourself one. It would give you a lot more customization in your computer, better prices, and you will learn a ton about computers. ( How many people in an average group can say they built a computer? ) Many people are scared to build a computer because they think it is extremely complicated. This is a common misconception, a lot of people consider it as easy as building a lego set. There are many great tutorials out there including Newegg's "How To Build A PC" series. Link:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPIXAtNGGCw

Hopefully I changed your mind about building a pc instead of buying one. If you have anymore questions please feel free to send me a private message, reply to this post, or tag me in another post.

My first pc: http://pcpartpicker.com/user/22vortex22/saved/36vZxr

Hailey_Diorx · Aug 14, 2014

Thank you for replies guys!

I was initially thinking about building my own pc, but felt a bit overwhelmed on which parts to use and whether they would even be compatible.

I think in the end though I should build my own pc as you said it will help me learn a lot more about pc building/upgrading in the future.

Since this will be the first time for me i'm a bit scared to buy the wrong parts etc. essentially i want my first pc to last quite a while (at least 2 years without upgrades) and i also want it to be quiet. with my initial set up and your guys suggestions do you think it will do?

I'm gonna research more and figure out a better set up and will probably post my build ideas more often here sorry ;_;

V0RTEX · Aug 14, 2014

Hailey_Diorx :

That's prefect! I would highly suggest watching the series I posted in my previous post. The first video is dedicated to help you pick the right parts and etc. Once you've found all your parts you can just post them here and we will review them and help you if needed. I'm glad your building your own pc.

MeteorsRaining · Aug 14, 2014

As vortex said, that's excellent! Good decision

Also, if you want, I'll give you a build based exactly on your needs and in your budget (that's a huge budget so it won't be a problem anyways) or you may make yourself a build using www.pcpartpicker.com and get us for review/ compatibility issues, etc. In short anything you want our advice on.

Ytyoussef · Aug 14, 2014

Great decision.

Have a look at the changes I suggested then, coupled with the H110 that meteorsraining suggested as well.

legend001523 · Aug 14, 2014

Is the h110 really worth it though, that's for balls to the walls overclocking

Hailey_Diorx · Aug 14, 2014

you guys mind checking out my new build? http://pcpartpicker.com/p/W7stLk

I couldn't make all the changes you suggested like the cpu, for example the i7-4790K wasn't listed for some reason. and for the h110 i'm not planning on overclocking so i think keep the corsair 100hi.

now for some stupid questions... are all the parts i chose compatible? will they all fit with the cables in the Fractal Design case i chose?

also i have no idea about case fans, how many do i need? i do care about noise so i looked at anything below 25 dba but i don't really understand cfm or rpm and whether the noctua ones will do the job.

oh and do i need to add a network adaptor and/or soundcard?

sorry for all the questions...hope you'll give me some suggestions

legend001523 · Aug 14, 2014

Things to say, if you're not overclocking, a hyper evo 212 will do or even the stock cooler, by getting a h100i for not overclocking, it's like putting racing wheels on a family car. Get a better 780 ti by using the money saved on not getting the h100i and do you want fans that you can control and have leds or?

Hailey_Diorx · Aug 14, 2014

legend001523 :

oh i see, thanks! for the case fans im not really bothered about controlling them or should i be? by leds do u mean lights, if so i dont need them. would two of those fans be enough?

legend001523 · Aug 14, 2014

People just find the ability to control fans appealing, you should be able to by connecting it to bios and yeah, 2 should be okay as long as you don't oc

MeteorsRaining · Aug 14, 2014

Can I suggest some changes?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($329.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 EXTREME4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($128.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Trident X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2400 Memory ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($237.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($99.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 780 Ti 3GB DirectCU II Video Card ($599.69 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define XL R2 (Black Pearl) ATX Full Tower Case ($116.52 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 1000G2 1000W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($146.81 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/RSBS DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro - 64-bit (OEM) (64-bit) ($128.99 @ B&H)
Total: $2018.94
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-14 12:03 EDT-0400

This is what you need:

16 GB RAM is more than enough. I've chosen the best ones, 2400/10.
i7 4790k 4GHz.
GTX 780 Ti Asus.
Z97 EXTREME 4 MoBo.
Tier 1 PSU, the best one.
Big enough case to upgrade substantially in the future.
OS: 8.1 Pro.
500GB SSD + 3 TB HDD.
$2k.
I've not cut anything off your system, $230 MoBo, Liquid cooling if you don't plan to OC, 32GB RAM were unnecessary.
Hope it helps

alcatraz99 · Aug 14, 2014

This build will give you highest performance per dollar. X79 is aging and X99 will arrive later. Better starting off with Z97!

legend001523 · Aug 14, 2014

Why add a i7 and 16gb ram? The OP hasn't mentioned anything but gaming... Mid towers are just as upgradeable

MeteorsRaining · Aug 14, 2014

He got a good budget, he can operate i7 to 4.4GHz without OC. He'd have to OC on i5, which is against his wish.
This would future proof him from extremely demanding games. The 16GB RAM is also future proofing. $2.5k budget and 8GB RAM? Doesn't go down the throat. Yes Mid towers're good too but then Full tower are more spacious, this is debatable though. Also, 32GB RAM is just senseless for gaming.

alcatraz99 · Aug 14, 2014

legend001523, This makes it futureproof. :pt1cable:

legend001523 · Aug 14, 2014

It will last longer than a i5 yes but by the time a i5 is starting to suck at gaming then the OP will need a new rig anyway as that'll be 5 years down the line, for a 2.5k budget gaming build I'd go sli, that would make it 'futureproof' games may rely on cpu power but it still relies heavily on gpu power, im surprised no one has put a sli 780 ti build together yet, when the OP gets a lets say 1440p or 4k monitor, a i7 won't help him, but sli 780 ti will. That, is 'futureproofing'

MeteorsRaining · Aug 14, 2014

My build has saved the OP $500 just to get one more 780 Ti for SLI

legend001523 · Aug 14, 2014

That doesn'make sense.. You've saved 500 dollars by sli'ing?

MeteorsRaining · Aug 14, 2014

I meant, my build costs $2k w/o SLI. If he wants to SLI then it'll be possible as its well in his budget of $2.5k. None of the builds posted previously have SLI and doesn't even have budget room for a SLI. I gave him just that room for SLI.

legend001523 · Aug 14, 2014

Or... Drop the i7 and ram, get a even better model of the 780 ti sli

MeteorsRaining · Aug 14, 2014

Maybe, but that really won't make ANY difference in FHD gaming. The OP HAS to get 4k to feel the difference between different models of 780 Ti SLI. So that'd be another item in the cart, a 4k display if he downgrades CPU and RAM and gets better 780 Ti. And any 780 Ti can smoke any FHD game on Ultra with 60+ FPS anyways lol

Please help with first gaming PC $2000 ~ $2500 budget

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