Build Guide? $2000 Budget

ZeusGamer · Sep 28, 2014

I'm building a new gaming rig with $2000 budget in mind. So far, this is what I've come up with. This build will be given to my father.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($235.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H80i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($84.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI Z97-GAMING 5 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($147.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($169.11 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($74.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card ($355.91 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT H440 (Black/Red) ATX Mid Tower Case ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($107.98 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro (OEM) (64-bit) ($142.98 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Razer Blackwidow Tournament Edition Wired Gaming Keyboard ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Mouse: Razer DeathAdder Wired Laser Mouse ($54.24 @ Amazon)
Total: $1684.15
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-28 07:14 EDT-0400

I do live in United States and I live near MicroCenter if that helps.

Monitor would help too, but not necessary.

JamesHeller · Sep 28, 2014

That is a cool build
but you don't need 16 gigs of rams
yep you could get a gtx 980 if possible

Jack Poole · Sep 28, 2014

Nice! Instead of the i5, I would go with the i7 4790K, for monitor, maybe go with a VG248QE, if you don't like it, any 1080P monitor will really be fine. Your dad is a lucky man! Have fun building!

i7Baby · Sep 28, 2014

Gee - a great gift. Hope your dad appreciates it. For $2000 try -

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($338.95 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 EXTREME6 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2400 Memory ($174.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($154.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Seagate 4TB 3.5" 5900RPM Hybrid Internal Hard Drive ($169.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($348.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($348.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Cooler Master HAF XM (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($74.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($56.00 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Wireless Network Adapter: Asus PCE-N53 802.11a/b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $2097.83

ZeusGamer · Sep 28, 2014

Hmm, 8 GB will do just fine right? That'what I was thinking too. I was thinking of 980 too, but on PCPartPicker, they didn't have an aftermarket MSI GPU. They've only got the stock one. Hmm, let me see.

Yeah, it's going to be his birthday in two weeks. He's been asking me to build him a gaming computer so he and I can game together. So now, this is going to be his.

Jack Poole · Sep 28, 2014

ZeusGamer :

Wait, your dad plays video games. CAN I HAVE HIM AS A DAD PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

JamesHeller · Sep 28, 2014

ZeusGamer :

yep 8 gigs is fine with 1080p gaming and you will see a increase in fps with the GTX 980
have fun!!!!

Jack Poole · Sep 28, 2014

ZeusGamer :

2 way SLI with 970's will beat the 980 easily, I would recommend getting two 970's instead of one 980.

ZeusGamer · Sep 28, 2014

Thank you all with the guide. I'm set on what I'll be buying my dad.

Happy birthday! Whoo! Haha

Jack Poole · Sep 28, 2014

ZeusGamer :

Computers are cool, see ya and have fun!

Valkyrieneos · Sep 28, 2014

http://www.newegg.com/global/uk/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236313

Best 1920x1080 monitor

Farapon · Sep 28, 2014

Can you tell me something about his past and about his behaviour in the family? My father us an alcoholic and an abuser so it's really hard to think that that kind of relationship between you and your father can exist. How old are you, what's your job? Thank you.
According To the build, will this PC be over clocked? If so, how much?
What resolution is your dad going to play and what kind of games?
There is no need for questions to say that it is better ti go for the evo 250 than pro 256 because it is cheaper and the performance us very similar.

ZeusGamer · Sep 28, 2014

Farapon :

Well, to me, my dad was the best person in the world, he was my inspiration to everything that I do in life. He helps me in anyway possible. He's given me so much that there was nothing left for him [when I was younger]. Anyway, my dad was an architect, but he couldn't find any job in our area that suits this, that's why we were always almost out of money. My mother is in the picture too, we live altogether, not a broken family whatsoever, it's just that I'm closer to my father than I am with my mother, my sister is the complete opposite though.

I'm 20 years old and I work at a hazards and safety for an oil company. Traveling and working a lot of hours, I rarely see my father. This is why I'm planning this build for him. That was we can connect like we have never done before. Throgh gaming. He knows that I'm very big gamer by the way. But lately, I've never been able to stay longer than 2 hours on my gaming PC because I'm also planning other things like finally settling down.

This computer will be overclocked heavily, I think I'll opt for a Asus ROG Swift monitor. It's got 144 hz refresh ratse and it's 1440P! But that'll be for next time as I only have budget for the main rig at the moment!

I ought to go with all in one watercooling though since it will be overclocked very heavily. Thank you for suggesting them though!

Jack Poole · Sep 28, 2014

ZeusGamer :

Farapon :

Well, to me, my dad was the best person in the world, he was my inspiration to everything that I do in life. He helps me in anyway possible. He's given me so much that there was nothing left for him [when I was younger]. Anyway, my dad was an architect, but he couldn't find any job in our area that suits this, that's why we were always almost out of money. My mother is in the picture too, we live altogether, not a broken family whatsoever, it's just that I'm closer to my father than I am with my mother, my sister is the complete opposite though.

I'm 20 years old and I work at a hazards and safety for an oil company. Traveling and working a lot of hours, I rarely see my father. This is why I'm planning this build for him. That was we can connect like we have never done before. Throgh gaming. He knows that I'm very big gamer by the way. But lately, I've never been able to stay longer than 2 hours on my gaming PC because I'm also planning other things like finally settling down.

This computer will be overclocked heavily, I think I'll opt for a Asus ROG Swift monitor. It's got 144 hz refresh ratse and it's 1440P! But that'll be for next time as I only have budget for the main rig at the moment!

I ought to go with all in one watercooling though since it will be overclocked very heavily. Thank you for suggesting them though!

Im not crying there is just something in my eye. The SWIFT Is amazing and will like nice with your red H440, just something to know, no consoles can be plugged in to this thing, this for pure PC gaming, also the built in speakers are not that good. A good headset would be great for it. And if you CPU is going to over clocked heavily, I would recommend this one, http://pcpartpicker.com/part/swiftech-cpu-cooler-h220x. It can give INSANELY low temps and looks pretty cool to!

Jack Poole · Sep 28, 2014

See what I did there, it looks COOL! I am so amazing

ZeusGamer · Sep 28, 2014

Jack Poole :

ZeusGamer :

Im not crying there is just something in my eye. The SWIFT Is amazing and will like nice with your red H440, just something to know, no consoles can be plugged in to this thing, this for pure PC gaming, also the built in speakers are not that good. A good headset would be great for it. And if you CPU is going to over clocked heavily, I would recommend this one, http://pcpartpicker.com/part/swiftech-cpu-cooler-h220x. It can give INSANELY low temps and looks pretty cool to!

Haha thanks a lot. I'm still looking for parts that I can probably change around. Let's see though I might get that CPU cooler that you've suggested

Jack Poole · Sep 28, 2014

ZeusGamer :

Jack Poole :

ZeusGamer :

Im not crying there is just something in my eye. The SWIFT Is amazing and will like nice with your red H440, just something to know, no consoles can be plugged in to this thing, this for pure PC gaming, also the built in speakers are not that good. A good headset would be great for it. And if you CPU is going to over clocked heavily, I would recommend this one, http://pcpartpicker.com/part/swiftech-cpu-cooler-h220x. It can give INSANELY low temps and looks pretty cool to!

Haha thanks a lot. I'm still looking for parts that I can probably change around. Let's see though I might get that CPU cooler that you've suggested

Its a great cooler, it is a tad expensive but you will never have to worry about temps, if you want a video on it here is a great one, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pt5_dU-15v8

Farapon · Sep 28, 2014

I'm 20 too and I have never had a relationshiprelationship with my father. I fear him I don't love him I hate him. I want my mother to divorce him as soon as possible and if not I'm gonna end my life, , there is nothing to loose for me. I'm a student now and I also want to work, probably if everything goes fine I'll work in IKEA.PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($279.99 @ Micro Center)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus MAXIMUS VII HERO ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($203.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($74.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 4GB Video Card ($549.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT H440 (Black/Red) ATX Mid Tower Case ($114.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro (OEM) (64-bit) ($130.74 @ Amazon)
Keyboard: Razer Blackwidow Tournament Edition Wired Gaming Keyboard ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Mouse: Razer DeathAdder Wired Laser Mouse ($54.24 @ Amazon)
Total: $1928.87
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-28 08:23 EDT-0400

The 980 is a complete overkill for a 1080p but I saw you are going to have a 1440p monitor. How ever it's a very intelligent move buying a 970 now and keep it with a 1080p monitor and when the future arrives you buy one more 970 plus your rog monitor and do a sli which will perform better than a single 980.
That case doesn't support optical drives.

This would be the 970 future skiPCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($279.99 @ Micro Center)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus MAXIMUS VII HERO ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($203.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($74.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card ($349.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: NZXT H440 (Black/Red) ATX Mid Tower Case ($114.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: Corsair 860W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro (OEM) (64-bit) ($130.74 @ Amazon)
Keyboard: Razer Blackwidow Tournament Edition Wired Gaming Keyboard ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Mouse: Razer DeathAdder Wired Laser Mouse ($54.24 @ Amazon)
Total: $1798.87
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-28 08:34 EDT-0400
With that power supply you will be safely over clock both cards and the CPU.
Consider changing that pro version of windows to normal one, you'll save some money. The components in this build will last your father forever, the hero vii is an excellent overclocker.

Ninjamilez · Sep 28, 2014

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($234.98 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H75 54.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI Z97-GAMING 5 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($147.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Trident X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2400 Memory ($78.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($74.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 980 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($629.98 @ NCIX US)
Case: NZXT H440 (Black/Red) ATX Mid Tower Case ($114.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro (OEM) (64-bit) ($142.98 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Razer Blackwidow Tournament Edition Wired Gaming Keyboard ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Mouse: Razer DeathAdder Wired Laser Mouse ($54.24 @ Amazon)
Total: $1809.09
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-28 08:39 EDT-0400

H75 > H80 because link software isn't really worth it when you can use SpeedFan for free.
G.Skill Trident X because it's only a couple of dollars more.
840 EVO because it's about as good as the Pro but cheaper.
GTX 980 because your budget allows for it and the Gigabyte version because it's basically the best cooler so far.

Farapon · Sep 28, 2014

This would be the price without the pro versionversion of windows and you could also go for an evo 120 GB. How ever its price is 85 and the 250gb is 40 dollars more so it's worth itPCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($279.99 @ Micro Center)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus MAXIMUS VII HERO ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($203.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($74.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card ($349.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: NZXT H440 (Black/Red) ATX Mid Tower Case ($114.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: Corsair 860W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Keyboard: Razer Blackwidow Tournament Edition Wired Gaming Keyboard ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Mouse: Razer DeathAdder Wired Laser Mouse ($54.24 @ Amazon)
Total: $1758.11
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-28 08:47 EDT-0400

Formata · Sep 28, 2014

This is a really cool thread. A lot of nice suggestions, and your original list is good too. I guess you've got to decide if you think your dad would appreciate more the expensive, flashy parts or if he is more likely to want the raw on screen performance. Your budget does give you a bit of room for indulgence... that case for example (NZXT H440) is phenomenal. Got to play around with one recently and all I can say is "wow"

ZeusGamer · Oct 2, 2014

For all that suggested the build, thank you all for your suggestions! I've already ordered the parts and I can't wait to get them in my house tomorrow!

Here are the parts by the way:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($235.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H80i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI Z97-GAMING 5 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($147.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Trident X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2400 Memory ($86.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($157.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($74.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 980 4GB Twin Frozr Video Card ($585.91 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT H440 (Black/Red) ATX Mid Tower Case ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX XTR 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro (OEM) (64-bit) ($130.74 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Asus VG248QE 144Hz 24.0" Monitor ($264.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1970.56
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-02 01:40 EDT-0400

The Twin Frozr finally came out on PCPartPicker. It looks so damn sexy doesn't it? Happy gaming everybody

Build Guide? $2000 Budget

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