$1500 Gaming PC Budget for Star Citizen

dwillaford

Commendable
Mar 23, 2016
3
0
1,510
Hello, I'm looking to build a computer for gaming specifically games like Star Citizen and I would like some help creating a build for it.
Approximate Purchase Date: This Month

Budget Range: $1500-1700 (I'm watching out for deals & rebates as well)

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming and Everyday Use

Are you buying a monitor: Yes but I'm including that cost outside of this build.

New Build - Laptop is just meant for schoolwork

Do you need to buy OS: yes

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Amazon, Newegg, Tigerdirect

Location: Michigan

Parts Preferences:I have no true preference just want a strong computer that fits inside my budget.

Overclocking: Yes

SLI or Crossfire: Yes - but for future upgrade

Your Monitor Resolution: not bought yet I'm planning on buying the Acer Predator X34

Additional Comments: I still need a case as well, and the cosmetics of the case are a super big deal

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: I am building this computer for two reason first is obviously to play star citizen and the second is so that way I can say I have built my own computer.

Thanks in advance for any input.
 
Solution
Overclock as you please. Add a second GTX 980 TI in SLI when / if you need more graphics power.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($369.95 @ B&H)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.50 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO 500GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($151.97 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($48.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Video Card ($629.99 @ Micro Center)
Case:...
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1230 V5 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($252.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: RAIJINTEK THEMIS Evo 65.7 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus E3 PRO GAMING V5 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($126.24 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill NT Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($56.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Mushkin Reactor 1TB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($229.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB WINDFORCE 3X Video Card ($599.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Rosewill Challenger S ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($76.89 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) ($86.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1509.96
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-23 20:08 EDT-0400

I assume the Acer Predator isn't in this budget, since its $1000 on its own.

this uses a 4-core/8-thread cpu, with the overclocking-capable as rock motherboard for BCLK overclocking. The Xeon is basically an i7-6700 without the iGPU, at a savings of $75
16 GB of DDR4-2133 ram. most C232 board only take 2133, so I went with a basic kit.
a 1 TB SSD as the only drive
GTX 980ti as the gpu to drive your 4K monitor
 
Overclock as you please. Add a second GTX 980 TI in SLI when / if you need more graphics power.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($369.95 @ B&H)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.50 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO 500GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($151.97 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($48.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Video Card ($629.99 @ Micro Center)
Case: Fractal Design Define R5 w/Window (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($119.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX PRO Black Edition 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.89 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) ($86.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1692.24
 
Solution