Advice to build a custom gaming PC

StrangeParoxysm

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Jan 3, 2016
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Hello everyone, I know this is probably asked a lot, but since it is so specific to the individual person I figured I'd ask. I found a website, ibuypower.com that was recommended to have a customized gaming PC built. There are so many options, and while I know my way around a computer and would be capable of building one myself if I put the time into it, I do not have that time. I am currently a full time nursing student and graduate in 3 months, but our current computer is starting to barely hang on to life and I would like a new computer soon to replace it. I figured if we are going to get a new computer anyway, it might as well be good. Both me and my husband are huge gamers, and he recently has started to stream on twitch doing speed runs for old school games. So I need advice on what exactly I need, and do not need to build a computer to match our needs. We have about $1500 we are willing to spend on a desktop, and would like to be able to :
*Play most, if not all games on high settings with no lag
*Enough power to handle hours of live streaming with video capture devices connected to consoles, such as snes, without crashing or overheating
* Have a generally stable computer that will hopefully last us a while, with specs good enough to handle future games, but without all the fancy stuff that is not needed.

I hope this isn't too much to ask for the price we have, we may be able to spend a little more but we are tight on money since I am not working and in school full time, my husband has been working overtime just because he wants a nice desktop so badly, I will hopefully be working as a RN in a few months so we will recover, but we would really like a new desktop :) Any advice would be appreciated, I don't want to buy an expensive computer with unneeded things that just cost more money. Thanks!
 
Solution
With a $1500 budget you have a lot of capabilities. Here is a PC which should suit your needs.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/XK2CNG
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/XK2CNG/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($249.99 @ Micro Center)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i GTX 70.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($104.20 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus Z170-A ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($153.88 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($52.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($81.49 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.00 @ B&H)
Video Card: Asus...

seb12136

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Jan 3, 2016
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In my opinion buddy the best thing to do is explore https://www.cpubenchmark.net/ for best CPU/GPU, you're looking to get a good mix of price and performance otherwise you'll waste money. Youtubers such as LinusTechTips, NCIX Tech Tips etc... are very good places to get an understanding of what you're looking for. Another place would be Amazon, see what they have on offer and research the product to see if it's worth buying (Google is your friend).

I hope this helps man, good luck
 

xShadow6208

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Sep 19, 2015
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With a $1500 budget you have a lot of capabilities. Here is a PC which should suit your needs.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/XK2CNG
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/XK2CNG/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($249.99 @ Micro Center)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i GTX 70.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($104.20 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus Z170-A ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($153.88 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($52.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($81.49 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.00 @ B&H)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 980 4GB Video Card ($553.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Fractal Design Define R5 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($76.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1432.52
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-01-03 21:17 EST-0500
 
Solution

StrangeParoxysm

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Jan 3, 2016
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I love Amazon, but I never really thought about it as a potential site to get a computer from. I just checked around on there and found a computer that seems very nice, and is also in my budget :) I will keep this computer in mind and continue to search around, thanks for the advice

 

StrangeParoxysm

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Jan 3, 2016
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$1500 is the very most I would spend on a desktop for now, I would actually rather spend less, but if the computer is amazing I would definitely spend that. If its possible to spend less I would definitely like to do that, lol but I also want a awesome computer. This computer you posted looks very nice though and I will show my husband, that is a nifty looking website too so thanks for these links :)