First gaming PC build, need help! ~1500 or below

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andyphamnew

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Oct 27, 2015
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At first, I thought about buying a prebuilt PC (something like ASUS ROG G20), but after 2 weeks lurking on this forum, you guys have totally convinced me to build my own!

Things that I'm very certain I'd order:
1. Graphics Card:
MSI GTX 970 4GB

2. Heat sink:
Cooler Master Hyper EVO 212

3. Hard Drive
Western Digital HDD 1TB 7200rpm SATA3

The rest I'm not very sure:
3. System Drive
Samsung EVO 850 250GB OR 120GB?
Is it gonna be different if I install all games on SSD? (like faster loading time, especially on open world games like Skyrim?)

4. i5-4460 or i5-4690K? H81, H97 or Z97?
Some guys suggest 4690K due to the fact that you can overclock it to 4.6 GHz. Others say 4460 runs with GTX 970 just fine, and the difference with 4690K is a few fps; and you buy a cheaper mobo to accompany it.

H81 + i5-4460 is ~ €140 cheaper than Z97 + 4690K.

5. 8GB RAM or 16GB RAM?
For pure gaming purposes. Many say 8GB is just fine (since most games are 32 bit). My current laptop has 8GB and often times with 20+ tabs of Chrome, Dota 2 and other underground apps running it already runs close to 6GB of RAM.

The difference is ~€40.

6. PSU.
At first I was looking into Corsair CSM 550W, but then some guys say it's crap.

So I'm eyeing at Antec HCG 520M instead.

7. Case
Does anyone know a cool case that has red lighting? Kinda like the ROG G20.

8. DVD Writer
Is it even necessary? I haven't used a DVD for years. Could save €20.
 
Solution
Victorion
1. Graphics Card: MSI GTX 970 4GB
Consider either R9 390 which is same price but better performance and more videoram, or 980 TI which is the best, and still within your budget.

2. Heat sink: Cooler Master Hyper EVO 212
Great pick

3. Hard Drive Western Digital HDD 1TB 7200rpm SATA3
Great pick

3. System Drive Samsung EVO 850 250GB OR 120GB?
Yes loading times will be faster on SSD. The real question is, whether you want to skip the HDD entirely and go for a 500 GB SSD?

4. i5-4460 or i5-4690K? H81, H97 or Z97?
4460 is a great CPU. So is 4690k if you want to overclock. Motherboard choice should be based whether you want to OC or not too.

5. 8GB RAM or 16GB RAM?
8 GB is enough, but I don't recommend against 16 GB. The performance gains...
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CTurbo

CTurbo

Pizza Monster
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Aug 27, 2013
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How about this

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($312.95 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.50 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance Pro 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($77.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial BX100 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($72.00 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.66 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 980 4GB WINDFORCE 3X Video Card ($479.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Enermax ECA3290A-G ATX Mid Tower Case ($53.10 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 OEM (64-bit) ($88.88 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1367.05
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-10-31 16:19 EDT-0400
 
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CN Shana

CN Shana

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Jun 10, 2015
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An i5 6600k please, you should be trying to futureproof. And you would want a game that had 900billion files and folders and assets to be on a ssd rather than a hard drive. If you consistently have big games you like to play that youd want on an ssd, id even go for a 512gb, also, you dont have to get a samsung, they cost a lot more just because of branding. You would do fine with kingston or crucial. And you would be worse off getting windows 7 than 10.
You also dont need a gtx970 or 980, you can get an Amd r9 390x 8gb card for 399$ which is still cheaper than a gtx 980 and absolutely outperforms a 970 and is on relatively equal terms with a 980ti other than some firmware
 
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Victorion

Victorion

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Nov 9, 2015
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1. Graphics Card: MSI GTX 970 4GB
Consider either R9 390 which is same price but better performance and more videoram, or 980 TI which is the best, and still within your budget.

2. Heat sink: Cooler Master Hyper EVO 212
Great pick

3. Hard Drive Western Digital HDD 1TB 7200rpm SATA3
Great pick

3. System Drive Samsung EVO 850 250GB OR 120GB?
Yes loading times will be faster on SSD. The real question is, whether you want to skip the HDD entirely and go for a 500 GB SSD?

4. i5-4460 or i5-4690K? H81, H97 or Z97?
4460 is a great CPU. So is 4690k if you want to overclock. Motherboard choice should be based whether you want to OC or not too.

5. 8GB RAM or 16GB RAM?
8 GB is enough, but I don't recommend against 16 GB. The performance gains will be minimal or not at all though.

6. PSU.
For the GPU you choose, you need a 650watt or higher. I have a pricy Corsair AX760 760Watt 80 PLUS Platinum, but cheaper ones will do. Basically get a 650 watt with good ripple suppression, tight voltage control and preferably a gold+ certificate.

7. Case
Does anyone know a cool case that has red lighting? Kinda like the ROG G20.
I think NZXT Phantom makes some, but there is an ocean of choices.

8. DVD Writer
Is it even necessary? I haven't used a DVD for years. Could save €20.
Not really, I never used mine either - some people claim to use it often though.
 
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