Gaming PC build $1500-2000 aus. Gaming + image/video editing

gpeezy · Dec 15, 2014

I'm wanting to build a new system within the next few weeks and am hoping to spend $1500-2000 aud. my last build was 5 years ago so I am pretty lost in parts to get. I'll be using it for gaming as well as image and video editing and just browsing the web. Would like to be able to Max out most games but doesn't bother me if its just under. I am only running one monitor at the moment but plan to run dual monitors in the near future. I have done a bit of research in the past couple weeks to see what I can come up with by myself, but am having some troubles. I just need someone to help assure me that I'm buying a solid build. Already have all peripherals so my budget is for the system only. I need an os and optical drive included also. Thanks in advance for all your help!

Havo_k · Dec 15, 2014

Try this:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($419.00 @ PCCaseGear)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($89.00 @ CPL Online)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($188.00 @ IJK)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($203.00 @ IJK)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($139.00 @ Centre Com)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($65.00 @ CPL Online)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Superclocked ACX Video Card ($479.00 @ CPL Online)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.00 @ CPL Online)
Power Supply: XFX XTR 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($153.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/RSBS DVD/CD Writer ($21.90 @ Mwave Australia)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($115.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Total: $1950.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-16 11:45 EST+1100

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You can remove the SSD if its too much.
Alternative to PSU : Power Supply: SeaSonic 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($145.00 @ Mwave Australia)

gpeezy · Dec 15, 2014

Havo_k :

Try this:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
Thanks for your quick reply! Will this be able to achieve what I said fairly easily? It looks good so far
CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($419.00 @ PCCaseGear)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($89.00 @ CPL Online)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($188.00 @ IJK)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($203.00 @ IJK)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($139.00 @ Centre Com)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($65.00 @ CPL Online)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Superclocked ACX Video Card ($479.00 @ CPL Online)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.00 @ CPL Online)
Power Supply: XFX XTR 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($153.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/RSBS DVD/CD Writer ($21.90 @ Mwave Australia)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($115.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Total: $1950.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-16 11:45 EST+1100

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You can remove the SSD if its too much.
Alternative to PSU : Power Supply: SeaSonic 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($145.00 @ Mwave Australia)

gpeezy · Dec 15, 2014

Will this be able to achieve everything I said fairly easily? It looks good

Havo_k · Dec 15, 2014

gpeezy :

Yes with ease.

TomThePotato · Dec 15, 2014

Saving some money!

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($419.00 @ PCCaseGear)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($36.00 @ CPL Online)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($139.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Elite 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($195.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($139.00 @ Centre Com)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($65.00 @ CPL Online)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB WINDFORCE 3X Video Card ($479.00 @ CPL Online)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.00 @ CPL Online)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($145.00 @ CPL Online)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/RSBS DVD/CD Writer ($21.90 @ Mwave Australia)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($115.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Total: $1832.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-16 12:36 EST+1100

gpeezy · Dec 15, 2014

If I wanted to spend closer to $1500 while still getting the most performance I can, what would that look like?

Havo_k · Dec 15, 2014

gpeezy :

What would you prioritize?
-Gaming
-Video editing

I mean you will still be able to game decently if few adjustments were made to reduce the price. I strongly recommend you keep that processor, cut down on SSD and GPU.

Havo_k · Dec 15, 2014

Try this then:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($419.00 @ PCCaseGear)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($36.00 @ CPL Online)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($139.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($191.00 @ CPL Online)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($65.00 @ CPL Online)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 280 3GB TWIN FROZR Video Card ($259.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.00 @ CPL Online)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($145.00 @ CPL Online)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/RSBS DVD/CD Writer ($21.90 @ Mwave Australia)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($115.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Total: $1469.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-16 13:19 EST+1100

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Additionally,

For greater performance, get this to install your OS on:
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($139.00 @ Centre Com)

gpeezy · Dec 15, 2014

Havo_k :

Priorities will be gaming/photo editing/video editing but with that being said I would rather not spend less and be able to notice it when I'm sitting down editing some videos. If I can cut the price down closer to 1500 without losing a significant amount of performance then i might go that route but otherwise I'm happy to spend the extra money for a confident build.

Havo_k · Dec 15, 2014

gpeezy :

Then this is what you want then:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($419.00 @ PCCaseGear)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($36.00 @ CPL Online)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($139.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($191.00 @ CPL Online)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($65.00 @ CPL Online)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card ($429.00 @ PLE Computers)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.00 @ CPL Online)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($145.00 @ CPL Online)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/RSBS DVD/CD Writer ($21.90 @ Mwave Australia)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($115.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Total: $1639.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-16 13:29 EST+1100

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Like I said before, you can get the SSD or not. But it will make your computer super fast if you choose to install your OS on it. Its not completely neccessary, you can always add it in later. The above build was made to allow for future upgrades in mind:

Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($139.00 @ Centre Com)

TomThePotato · Dec 15, 2014

lol, went a little overboard with the money saving. A 970 can easily max out games at 1080p whereas an R9 280 usually does high-ultra settings.

Havo_k · Dec 15, 2014

TomThePotato :

Just wanted to give him some options like the lowest he would want to go for.

TomThePotato · Dec 15, 2014

If he REALLY wanted to save money..

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($309.00 @ CPL Online)
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty H97 Performance ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($125.00 @ CPL Online)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($191.00 @ CPL Online)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($65.00 @ CPL Online)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card ($429.00 @ PLE Computers)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.00 @ CPL Online)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 620W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($98.00 @ IJK)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/RSBS DVD/CD Writer ($21.90 @ Mwave Australia)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($115.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Total: $1432.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-16 13:44 EST+1100

>.< I'd go with the pricier builds above though..

gpeezy · Dec 15, 2014

Thank you both for your help. I think I'm going to go with the builds you provided me with first off. I would rather spend the extra hundred or two and be extremely happy then not and be slightly dissapointed. One last question, is it possible to spend something closer to a grand and still be able to do the things I said or is it just going to be a really bad time? Thanks again for your assistance

Havo_k · Dec 15, 2014

gpeezy :

If you are planning on overclocking then only get that cpu cooler I added in the first build or else just get the Hyper EVO that's in every other build was recommended. You won't need to overclock that beastly cpu though.

Havo_k · Dec 15, 2014

Here's the final proposal where you can save the most while not sacrificing almost to nothing in performance:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($419.00 @ PCCaseGear)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($36.00 @ CPL Online)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($139.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($191.00 @ CPL Online)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($139.00 @ Centre Com)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($65.00 @ CPL Online)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card ($429.00 @ PLE Computers)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.00 @ CPL Online)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($145.00 @ CPL Online)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/RSBS DVD/CD Writer ($21.90 @ Mwave Australia)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($115.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Total: $1778.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-16 14:11 EST+1100

gpeezy · Dec 15, 2014

Thanks very much I really appreciate it!

TomThePotato · Dec 15, 2014

Meh.. Change the ram, it's 1600/CAS 10 which is slower than the average 1600/CAS 9.

gpeezy · Dec 15, 2014

Recommendations?

gpeezy · Dec 15, 2014

And by meh, do you mean the build is not good? If so, what do you think I should change?

TomThePotato · Dec 16, 2014

Just the ram, really. Every thing else are good quality parts, except for the ram.

You can go with the one I listed above. (Crucial)

gpeezy · Dec 16, 2014

TomThePotato :

Cool I will take that into account. Also, I am curious to know if I would benefit from a liquid cooler instead of traditional air. Thought I may aswell ask on the same thread. I am not really sure on the differences

TomThePotato · Dec 16, 2014

Imo, I'd say liquid cooling isn't worth it unless you can buy a full custom loop.

gpeezy · Dec 16, 2014

TomThePotato :

Think I'll steer clear of liquid cooling for the minute. So this is what I'm thinking of getting. The last build havok posted, but with a Noctua cooler and the ram you suggested. Also, I've been looking at the corsair air 540 for a case. Can anyone explain the major differences, pros/cons?

Gaming PC build $1500-2000 aus. Gaming + image/video editing

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