I need help building a gaming pc for about $2,500

EPIC OREOz · Jan 6, 2015

Hey guys so I need some help with building a gaming pc. I am looking to spend about $2,500. I want the pc to run mostly all games on high or ultra settings and have decent storage and NO AMD. Please post a list of either your build or a good build for the price. Links to pictures of videos are a major plus, also if i can order the customization from a gaming pc website? Please list what games and at what settings the rig could run. Thanks guys

AHBman · Jan 6, 2015

Hello

There is my proposition :

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor ($373.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U14S 55.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($69.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus X99-A ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($244.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($239.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 512GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($195.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Western Digital WD Green 2TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($78.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 980 4GB STRIX Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($544.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 980 4GB STRIX Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($544.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: NZXT H440 (Blue/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($119.99 @ NZXT)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($77.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $2491.88
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-06 10:47 EST-0500

- I used your budget for the rig only, you didn't mentionned if we add some periphicals
- This rig can handle 4K gaming on med/ultra, and 1080p/1440p on ultra
- Have you/Will you buy a 4K Gaming monitor ?
- We can reduce price by taking a GTX 970 SLI, for a bit less performaces
- May be the i7 4790K is better for some games, but i would take an i7 5820K for his six real cores, which some games begin to use all

Math Geek · Jan 6, 2015

honestly you don't need to spend that much to get top of the line performance. this will run any game at 1080p or 1440p on ultra settings right now.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core OEM/Tray Processor ($318.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.75 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus MAXIMUS VII HERO ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($209.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($144.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($169.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.85 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($339.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($339.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($108.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1804.51
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-06 10:53 EST-0500

this is even overkill but for the budget i added bells and whistles. this could easily drop a couple hundred dollars and still be an awesome rig. left out a case but that is the easy part to pick.

-HH- · Jan 6, 2015

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/m9x4wP

it's pretty close to AHBman's build however noting from personal experience this is what I have myself.
Please note if you want a strict color to board theme then I'd suggest buying black Kingston HyperX Predator RAM as this is what I'm running in the bored I have.

I am also running a 5930K which is better for SLI set ups however it doesn't impact it's worth, I just did it because i could.

The build will handle 4 K around 60FPS however make sure to get this you use DISPLAY PORT.

badboyrog2 · Jan 6, 2015

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/rYPRMp
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/rYPRMp/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($318.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: RAIJINTEK THEMIS 65.7 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($20.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty Z97X Killer ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($129.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Hybrid Internal Hard Drive ($101.04 @ OutletPC)
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: Corsair 750D ATX Full Tower Case ($124.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Rosewill 1000W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($18.75 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF120 Red 52.2 CFM 120mm Fan ($14.94 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF120 Red 52.2 CFM 120mm Fan ($14.94 @ Amazon)
Total: $1722.56
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-06 11:27 EST-0500

EPIC OREOz · Jan 6, 2015

ughhh guys im not a techie which would run the best? like run games like BF4 on high settings with very decent frame rate? Also what about decent monitors? I would at least like to have two but in the future buy a third one. Not made of money so I gotta watch my budget. Also I just want a plain case with clear side panel.

AHBman · Jan 6, 2015

For 3 1080p monitor, you should go for SLI
- All the top rigs are good, pick one as your like

- Just for the PSU, get an enough EVGA Supernova 750, for it's quality and it's price, it's just the best PSU that you can bring

EPIC OREOz · Jan 6, 2015

Would this be decent? https://www.digitalstormonline.com/configurator.asp?id=995247

Math Geek · Jan 6, 2015

what i posted for $500 less is a much better pc with much better parts. if you want to go prebuilt, i would recommend cyberpower pc. i could even put a built together on the site for you to look at. their only about $150 or so more than building it yourself which is pretty reasonable for someone else doing the work.

AHBman · Jan 6, 2015

Not really
This build is overpriced, he should costs ~ 1600$

- The mobo doesn't support SLI
- As consequence : Only 1 GTX 980, with reference design over that, so for a 2300$ build, you will have 2 times less performaces than the great tops builds
- A medium PSU, not like the EVGA

Choose your own parts ! Don't search prebuilded rigs like this one ! It's a real scam !

Math Geek · Jan 6, 2015

ok so i'm bored and did it anyway for you http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/saved/1GNF5J $2064 and has same i7, dual 970's and more hard drive space. plus the 970's are actually a little better than the ones i picked out. not bad for $200 more and you don't have to build it yourself.

you can change the case to whatever you wish, i just left the default one in place.

EPIC OREOz · Jan 6, 2015

so Math Geek that setup is optimal like out of the box ready to game

Math Geek · Jan 6, 2015

EPIC OREOz :

Yes it will be. It even comes with a gaming keyboard and mouse. They will put Windows on it and drivers and such. You'll only need to install the games

-HH- · Jan 7, 2015

I wouldn't be too happy with that powersupply especially for this kind of rig.

Math Geek · Jan 7, 2015

without going to the 1000+ watt psu's they offer, it was the best they had. they did have some evga g2 models for a while but i guess they have sold out on them. take a look at what is available. what would you suggest that is not the overpowered 1000+ ones? be curious what you think since you will be settling no matter what you do. mostly the have other corsair models like the cx and cxm ones. they do have a 750w thermaltake tough power which i have seen mixed reviews on. in the end they are all average psu's but 750w will be enough no matter which way you go so did not add cost for more watts from same average psu's

AHBman · Jan 7, 2015

No, the Wattage is not a problem
It's the PSU OEM : Chicony
Unfortunately only the 750W version is maked by Chicony, 550W, 650W, 850W and 1000W versions are better, there are maked by Channel Well
http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page447.htm

Math Geek · Jan 7, 2015

i understand what you are saying about the psu. what i am saying is look atb the build configuration and at the available options. what would you suggest instead of the one i picked? there are only so many options and i picked the one i liked the best. would you suggest the corsair cx or csm over this one? or the other option of the thermaltake tough power.

just saying it is not good helps little. offer a solution that can fix your concern. i don't see a top tier psu that is not over 1000w on the site so i picked what i thought was the better 750w available one.

AHBman · Jan 7, 2015

It seems that the EVGA Supernova is available ? No ?
Only the VS650 in PSU list is a good choice apparently :-/ (Tier A), but a 650W PSU can handle a GTX 970 SLI + i7 4790K (540W max peak power with OC)

Math Geek · Jan 7, 2015

man that list has changed since this morning!! now they have a corsair tx650 and a cooler master v650 available. i would have chosen either one yesterday but they were not there. either would be a better one to chose.

the evga ones they have (except for the 1300w one) are the b1 and g1 models which are like the corsair cx series. middle of the road models. it is the b2 and g2 ones that are truly the great ones and desirable.

i think all this is a moot point anyway since the op has probably already ordered. but if not and you happen to be following this as it goes on, change out that psu to the corsair tx650 or cooler master v650 for a better psu.

i did pick the 750w ones to account for the lower quality psu available. when i have to go middle of the road i tend to add a little extra wattage to compensate. i realize 650w is plenty enough power had it been better quality.

EPIC OREOz · Jan 7, 2015

Guys is this good to go??? http://pcpartpicker.com/p/mtBwHx also what case would you recomend instead??

-HH- · Jan 8, 2015

EPIC OREOz :

okay, the only thing I'd change is the power supply to a Seasonic SS Platinum 1000. - The PSU is cheaper by a bit and is generally better than Corsair PSU's due to the high quality japanese capacitors ETC.

A case I would suggest highly is a Corsair 760T and I reckon it'd really show of your rig if you bought RED braided cables!

EPIC OREOz · Jan 8, 2015

That Corsair 760T is really nice but pricey, dont need to go that high

-HH- · Jan 8, 2015

the 730T is the non-windowed version but the 730T is very worth it, I can include a build with it for prices

AHBman · Jan 8, 2015

Oversizing PSU wattage is not good for your buck, and for his efficieny, which is at his max between 50/80 percents of load, with 1000W, you will rarely reach 50 percents

Math Geek · Jan 8, 2015

AHBman :

this is very true and 1000w is too much for the build. the discussion above was not about watts but rather about quality. look at the original builds offered and those psu's. they are quality and plenty enough power for the system.

750-850w is the most you need for the build and any more actually may hurt performance as stated.

I need help building a gaming pc for about $2,500

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