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I want to build a gaming oriented PC

Tags:
  • Gaming
  • Homebuilt
  • AMD
  • Gigabyte
  • Build
  • Windows 8
Last response: in Systems
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September 18, 2014 5:50:46 PM

I need a PC. Will be using it mostly for gaming but would also like to store some purchased music. Would also like to use it for work. Mostly stuff that can be done with Microsoft office, excel, word, ect. Now for gaming, I would like to get something that will play games on max settings with a high fps. looking to spend under a grand. already have monitor, mouse, and keyboard.

More about : build gaming oriented

a b 4 Gaming
a b B Homebuilt system
a b À AMD
a b * Windows 8
September 18, 2014 11:33:53 PM

Do you need an OS?

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Best solution

a b 4 Gaming
a b B Homebuilt system
a b À AMD
a b * Windows 8
September 18, 2014 11:48:57 PM

This is about the best you're gonna get for what you want at that price point. A few items are preference only and can be changed to suit your preferences like the case. If you plan to overclock the processor you'll need an better cpu cooler like the Hyper 212 EVO but if the stock clock speed of 4Ghz is fast enough for you, which it should be, then you don't.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3P ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($76.50 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280X 3GB Dual-X Video Card ($263.98 @ Newegg)
Case: BitFenix Shinobi Window ATX Mid Tower Case ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX 750W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($73.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (32/64-bit) ($94.99 @ B&H)
Total: $934.41
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-19 02:46 EDT-0400



This will do just about anything you want within reason, until you start adding multiple and very high res monitors and then you might want to either add a second GPU card or go with a better one. But if you only plan to game on one display you should have no issues at all.
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a b 4 Gaming
September 18, 2014 11:56:03 PM

I would change Darkbreeze's build to change the 250GB SSD to the Samsung 840 EVO 120GB SSD and then add a 1 or 2TB 7200RPM HDD to go with it. The extra storage space with a HDD will definitely come in handy.
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a b 4 Gaming
a b B Homebuilt system
a b À AMD
a b * Windows 8
September 19, 2014 12:08:04 AM

That's a personal preference, but definitely doable depending on your desires. Actually, you can leave the build as is and add a HDD and still stay under the budget.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3P ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($76.50 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($53.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280X 3GB Dual-X Video Card ($263.98 @ Newegg)
Case: BitFenix Shinobi Window ATX Mid Tower Case ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX 750W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($73.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (32/64-bit) ($94.99 @ B&H)
Total: $988.39
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-19 03:09 EDT-0400

Or, as Icaraeus suggested you can drop the SSD down to a 120GB version and bump the HDD up to 2TB.
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September 19, 2014 12:39:39 AM

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($198.94 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($88.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($76.50 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($109.99 @ Micro Center)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($53.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 280 3GB TurboDuo Video Card ($191.10 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($48.98 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (32/64-bit) ($94.99 @ B&H)
Total: $923.45
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-19 03:39 EDT-0400
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a b 4 Gaming
a b B Homebuilt system
a b À AMD
a b * Windows 8
September 19, 2014 1:01:58 AM

BigRichard said:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($198.94 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($88.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($76.50 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($109.99 @ Micro Center)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($53.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 280 3GB TurboDuo Video Card ($191.10 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($48.98 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (32/64-bit) ($94.99 @ B&H)
Total: $923.45
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-19 03:39 EDT-0400


Pretty good build but I see a couple of issues, for me anyhow. That's an extremely poor case that's severely limited. I've never seen anything but problems with the Powercolor cards, which is why you rarely see them in gaming card comparisons and Crucial has a higher SSD failure rate than any other manufacturer except OCZ according to most reports. I hear they're getting better but I'm still a bit leery. Other than that, it's certainly a decent option.
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September 19, 2014 5:41:51 AM

If you were in Canada Amazon is selling the Intel i5 3570k for $200 CAD
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September 25, 2014 1:35:08 AM

darkbreeze said:
That's a personal preference, but definitely doable depending on your desires. Actually, you can leave the build as is and add a HDD and still stay under the budget.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3P ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($76.50 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($53.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280X 3GB Dual-X Video Card ($263.98 @ Newegg)
Case: BitFenix Shinobi Window ATX Mid Tower Case ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX 750W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($73.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (32/64-bit) ($94.99 @ B&H)
Total: $988.39
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-19 03:09 EDT-0400

Or, as Icaraeus suggested you can drop the SSD down to a 120GB version and bump the HDD up to 2TB.


Hi darkbreeze, or any other computer whiz out there for that matter :)  i liked the look of your computer build, personally i'm only after a gaming rig as well, however i download quite a lot of stuff, all legally, and i was wondering what the biggest HDD would be that i could put in this system, as i'm not sure what ones are compatible etc, and could i run windows 7 instead of 8? or is that a bit archaic now? (hate the feel of windows 8)
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a b 4 Gaming
a b B Homebuilt system
a b À AMD
a b * Windows 8
September 25, 2014 6:39:47 AM

Bobosapian said:
Hi darkbreeze, or any other computer whiz out there for that matter :)  i liked the look of your computer build, personally i'm only after a gaming rig as well, however i download quite a lot of stuff, all legally, and i was wondering what the biggest HDD would be that i could put in this system, as i'm not sure what ones are compatible etc, and could i run windows 7 instead of 8? or is that a bit archaic now? (hate the feel of windows 8)


Actually, Windows 8 is a better choice in my opinion because of the lack of hardware driver support by many OEM's for the Windows 7 OS. You can use Classic shell which is free and makes the OS look and feel like Windows 7 but retain the hardware and security support of the newer OS. Classic shell can be found here:
http://www.classicshell.net/

And you can put whatever size drive you want in there. Slap a 4TB drive in there if you want or whatever works for you.
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October 8, 2014 8:20:24 PM

darkbreeze said:
This is about the best you're gonna get for what you want at that price point. A few items are preference only and can be changed to suit your preferences like the case. If you plan to overclock the processor you'll need an better cpu cooler like the Hyper 212 EVO but if the stock clock speed of 4Ghz is fast enough for you, which it should be, then you don't.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3P ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($76.50 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280X 3GB Dual-X Video Card ($263.98 @ Newegg)
Case: BitFenix Shinobi Window ATX Mid Tower Case ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX 750W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($73.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (32/64-bit) ($94.99 @ B&H)
Total: $934.41
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-19 02:46 EDT-0400



This will do just about anything you want within reason, until you start adding multiple and very high res monitors and then you might want to either add a second GPU card or go with a better one. But if you only plan to game on one display you should have no issues at all.


What if I wanted to play star citizen? Some developer for SC said that I needed 16GB of memory? I bought all of the parts you recommended but I might swap the 8GB snipers for the 16GB snipers. Possible? Want to run Star Citizen without a doubt. Please help mate!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvXLL7e3VYg

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a b 4 Gaming
a b B Homebuilt system
a b À AMD
a b * Windows 8
October 8, 2014 8:22:39 PM

That board can handle 32GB so that's no problem. If possible, get 2 x 8GB rather than 4 x 4GB as it's easier on the PSU and the memory controller. Chris Roberts (Star citizen developer) says 16GB would be best so I think it's not a bad idea to follow the recommendation. Most games don't need that much RAM but I tend to want to listen to what the developers recommend. I usually run 16GB in my rig because I do a lot of other tasks that need it so I don't run into that when gaming, but most games I've played have run fine with only 8. He says it WILL run with only 8 but it might suffer a performance decrease.

IF you wanted, you could assemble the system with the 8GB you have now and order another pair of 4gb cards to install when they come in. As I said, it's little more strain on the controller and a little more voltage demand on the PSU, but it would be ok.
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October 8, 2014 8:44:19 PM

darkbreeze said:
That board can handle 32GB so that's no problem. If possible, get 2 x 8GB rather than 4 x 4GB as it's easier on the PSU and the memory controller. Chris Roberts (Star citizen developer) says 16GB would be best so I think it's not a bad idea to follow the recommendation. Most games don't need that much RAM but I tend to want to listen to what the developers recommend. I usually run 16GB in my rig because I do a lot of other tasks that need it so I don't run into that when gaming, but most games I've played have run fine with only 8. He says it WILL run with only 8 but it might suffer a performance decrease.

IF you wanted, you could assemble the system with the 8GB you have now and order another pair of 4gb cards to install when they come in. As I said, it's little more strain on the controller and a little more voltage demand on the PSU, but it would be ok.



Hey man thanks for all the help. I really appreciate it. Can you recommend the proper memory stick? Sniper works.
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a b 4 Gaming
a b B Homebuilt system
a b À AMD
a b * Windows 8
October 8, 2014 8:57:01 PM

For which way. Did you want to add 2 more matched sticks like the ones from the build or send those back and get two 8GB sticks?
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October 9, 2014 5:50:48 PM

darkbreeze said:
For which way. Did you want to add 2 more matched sticks like the ones from the build or send those back and get two 8GB sticks?


2, 8Gb's. What problems will arise with 4, 4Gbs?
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a b 4 Gaming
a b B Homebuilt system
a b À AMD
a b * Windows 8
October 9, 2014 9:05:42 PM

No problems really, as I said, it requires more voltage per module and is a bit more strain on the controller. It's like trying to take care of four kids instead of two. You can do it but it definitely takes more energy and is more stressful than trying to keep track of just two. Heh. These should work great and is better than the G.Skill:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Memory: Kingston Fury Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($154.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $154.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-10 00:05 EDT-0400

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October 15, 2014 4:41:47 PM

darkbreeze said:
No problems really, as I said, it requires more voltage per module and is a bit more strain on the controller. It's like trying to take care of four kids instead of two. You can do it but it definitely takes more energy and is more stressful than trying to keep track of just two. Heh. These should work great and is better than the G.Skill:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Memory: Kingston Fury Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($154.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $154.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-10 00:05 EDT-0400



Thank you. One more question. Do I really need BRASS standoffs The Shinobi case came with standoffs but they dont appear to be BRASS?
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a b 4 Gaming
a b B Homebuilt system
a b À AMD
a b * Windows 8
October 15, 2014 4:58:09 PM

No, you don't. The standoffs that come with the case are fine.
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October 15, 2014 10:37:34 PM

darkbreeze said:
No, you don't. The standoffs that come with the case are fine.


Noooooooo. Everything is hooked up and nothing turned on:(  No fans, lights, nothing. HELP!!!!

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a b 4 Gaming
a b B Homebuilt system
a b À AMD
a b * Windows 8
October 15, 2014 10:57:01 PM

Stop. Read the motherboard manual and go over everything listed at the following link. Most novice builders almost always miss one step or another because they're excited to get it done. Take your time and double check everything.

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/261145-31-perform-ste...
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a b 4 Gaming
a b B Homebuilt system
a b À AMD
a b * Windows 8
October 15, 2014 10:59:16 PM

24 pin ATX power plug to motherboard. 4 or 8 pin CPU power plug to motherboard. Front panel connectors to motherboard. RAM properly installed. GPU card 6 pin PCI power plug (If needed)
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a b 4 Gaming
a b B Homebuilt system
a b À AMD
a b * Windows 8
October 15, 2014 11:02:31 PM

Mixing up the wiring from the front panel to the motherboard is an easy thing to do, and it will give you nightmares if not done right. It might seem right but if necessary, get a magnifying glass and be positive every single little connector is where it belongs.
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a b 4 Gaming
October 15, 2014 11:18:36 PM

darkbreeze said:
Mixing up the wiring from the front panel to the motherboard is an easy thing to do, and it will give you nightmares if not done right. It might seem right but if necessary, get a magnifying glass and be positive every single little connector is where it belongs.


Yeah I did that last week when I was recabling everything and I thought I ended up killing everything in my computer because nothing was working at all - no fans spinning, changing PSU didn't do anything. Managed to get it working again but it was a nightmare.

Always check and doublecheck the manuals you receive with your PC parts - I didn't check my motherboard manual and it was just crazy.
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October 16, 2014 12:48:41 AM

darkbreeze said:
Mixing up the wiring from the front panel to the motherboard is an easy thing to do, and it will give you nightmares if not done right. It might seem right but if necessary, get a magnifying glass and be positive every single little connector is where it belongs.


Just did some checking. All the power cords from PSU to motherboard are in their appropriate slots. Same with the front panel to the motherboard. I did the paper clip trick on the PSU and the fan turned on. DOA motherboard? I checked the manuals and there is nothing that I missed. All the plug in are in the right spot.

UPDATED- Slept on it. Woke up, took it all apart and began an external build. MOBO, PSU, GPU, CPU, Memory sticks and CPU fan are the only things hooked up. Screwdrivered the power switch and voila! GPU fan is running, CPU fan is running. And I have a booted BIOS screen on my monitor.

With that being said....any ideas as to why my unit didn't work the first time. I am now going to reconstruct the tower. Any ideas are greatly appreciated!!
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a b 4 Gaming
a b B Homebuilt system
a b À AMD
a b * Windows 8
October 16, 2014 9:39:39 AM

Make sure you don't have a standoff in a spot where it doesn't belong. Cases have standoff locations for different form factors of motherboard but you should only use the ones that correspond to the mounting locations on the motherboard. Aside from that I'd say it's either the motherboard or the cpu. If it was RAM you'd get beep codes unless you don't have a system speaker connected. A lot of boards and cases don't come with them anymore, especially budget models. If you don't have one I'd get one and connect it to make sure it's not trying to talk to you and you just can't hear it.
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October 16, 2014 9:51:44 AM

darkbreeze said:
Make sure you don't have a standoff in a spot where it doesn't belong. Cases have standoff locations for different form factors of motherboard but you should only use the ones that correspond to the mounting locations on the motherboard. Aside from that I'd say it's either the motherboard or the cpu. If it was RAM you'd get beep codes unless you don't have a system speaker connected. A lot of boards and cases don't come with them anymore, especially budget models. If you don't have one I'd get one and connect it to make sure it's not trying to talk to you and you just can't hear it.


Check my update plz!
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a b 4 Gaming
a b B Homebuilt system
a b À AMD
a b * Windows 8
October 16, 2014 10:17:40 AM

Right on. Double check those standoffs before you reassemble. It's highly likely a standoff might have been touching something on the bottom of the board that was causing an issue.
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