Need help picking parts for a new $1200 gaming rig

mikedubayou

Reputable
Nov 2, 2014
2
0
4,510
Approximate Purchase Date: This month

Budget Range: 1100-1200

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, lots of downloading too so storage is necesary. Ill probably want around a 500gb hdd and will get a 2tb ex hd whenever i see a deal come by.

Are you buying a monitor: No, already own a monitor, keyboard and mouse

Parts to Upgrade: Neeed everything besides whats stated above.

Do you need to buy OS: No

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com but I just want some part suggestions. I will compare prices before I order online and locally, and I dont mind ordering from multiple sources.

Location: Dallas, TX

Parts Preferences: Intel/Nvidia preference, but anything works

Overclocking: Probably

SLI or Crossfire: Probably not

Your Monitor Resolution: 1920x1200 i think.....

Additional Comments: I built a pc about 6-7 years back with a core 2 duo e6600 OCed @ 3.0ghz, nvidia 8800gts, 4x1gb memory, so obviously that is very outdated. Time to build a new one! I have not been nearly invovled in the online world as I used to be, nor have I kept up to date with new parts or technologies. So thats what Im coming here!

Ive been looking at newegg some and it just makes me realized how out of the loop I am. It seems 4 cores is the standard nowadays, whereas 7 years back getting my e6600 at the time was somewhat future-proofing myself. And then I see some 8 core AMD processor, but I have no idea how that compares. I also remember when I was building my old rig, 4 gb of memory was honestly a little overkill for most peoples uses, but now it seems standard with lots of new PCs advertising 6 or 8gbs. And then looking at the list of mobos I have no idea where to even begin comparing those. So again I just havent kept up with technology over the last couple of years, so if yall could help me select a list of parts to order that would be great.

Thanks guys!

 

barto

Expert
Ambassador
First can I say thank you for reading the forums and making my life easier. It's nice to see someone posting everything so regulars like me don't have to ask questions.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.96 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 EXTREME4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($109.42 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($79.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Hitachi 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($65.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card ($349.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Professional 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($73.50 @ Newegg)
Total: $1047.82
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-02 18:58 EST-0500

I don't pick cases. Personally I have owned a Cooler Master and currently a Corsair case. It's all personal preference. So I left you some room for that.
 

madsmagnus

Honorable
Nov 6, 2013
182
1
10,710


I know the Maxwell cards are godlike cores but honestly, with 290's so low as they are right now - I would jump straight to it and get any kind of 290. Worst case scenario is the same as NVIDIA, an RMA that you get fixed and you have a great card that performance slightly worse but WAY cheaper than the 970..?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131569&cm_re=290-_-14-131-569-_-Product
 

mikedubayou

Reputable
Nov 2, 2014
2
0
4,510
@barto
Thanks for the build!On top of that like you said I'll need a case and a cd/dvd burner, but those arent too much, plus Im sure my old one is still good. In my original build I went with an i7/gtx750 wheres you chose an i5/gtx970. Is your suggestion much more cost effective? I will be gaming like I said, but I dont need to play the newest games on the max graphics settings, just something moderate with no lag. I personally feel more processing power will be more useful, but again I havent been at this for 6 years :s so what do I know...

@Tom
I will be comparing prices at MicroCenter and Frys before I order. If everything is comparable I might just go ahead and buy everything locally.
 

barto

Expert
Ambassador


Yes, much more cost effective. There are very few games where the i7 outright beats the i5. In most situations the performance is equal. The 970 is far superior to the 750. Even if you don't want to play games on max settings, the 970 will last much longer considering age of your last build.
 

Mac266

Honorable
Mar 12, 2014
965
0
11,160
Here's an option (Microcenter reliant).

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Micro Center)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 Extreme3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($79.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Crucial M500 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 980 4GB Video Card ($549.98 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: Rosewill Hive 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($64.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1209.89
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-02 21:47 EST-0500

Cuts down on storage (sorry) to fit a GTX 980. If you don't like the cuts, The first build with a GTX 970 is good.