Need help building a gaming pc!

apr960604

Honorable
Jan 27, 2013
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10,510
hey guys i really need your help!
im looking to build a gaming pc (first time) except i have no idea where to start? could someone give me a build that would give me the most for around 800-1000? im looking to play games like simcity 5, starcraft, crysis 3 and things like that. Thanks!
also - is it better to get the most up to date cpu and graphics cards or buy older ones that are more cost effective/ or using sli between two older cards?
 
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Hi guys looking for some help building a new gaming PC this is what im thinking of going for

Computer Case NZXT Phantom Enthusiast - Black
CPU Intel i7 4770K - (4 x 3.5 GHZ) OVERCLOCKED UPTO 4.4 GHZ - Haswell
CPU Heatsink Corsair Hydro Series H80i (Advanced Liquid Cooling)
Memory 16 GB 1600MHz (2x8GB) - (DDR3) - Limited Time Low Price
Graphics Card NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti - 3 GB - (PCI-E)
Motherboard Asus SABERTOOTH Z87 (Intel Z87)
Sound Card Motherboard Integrated HD Sound
Networking Motherboard Integrated Ethernet Lan (Broadband Ready)
Power Supply Corsair HX 650W Professional PSU - Low Noise
CPU Compound Standard CPU Compound Supplied With Heatsink
Case Fans 3 x Corsair Air...

ZakX11

Distinguished
Apr 4, 2011
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18,810
Actually you posted in the wrong section. Post it here - http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/forum-31-322.html
Anyways for 800-1000$ I don't think you can afford Dual GPUs that will run new games like butter. You should get a 660ti , Intel i5 (any model that may fit your budget) ,
SSD(250GB will do) , HDD of your choice (Just get 1Tb HDD or less u won't need more)
8GB RAM should do , 4GB if you want to save some bucks.
For a motherboard maybe ASUS maximus series.
I don't know the exact prices but if you fall short of money , you can get 4GB RAM , 500GB HDD , maybe a 500 series graphic card (nvidia) , processor should be the same. Peripherals are completely your choice.
For advice on all the other bells and whistles you should post this on the forum I suggested in the beginning.
 

chief keef

Honorable
Jan 25, 2013
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10,540
Building a computer is all about budget... bigger pockets the more badass rig you'll have. It is also some about personal preference. I would do a lot of research to see what you would want in your computer and what you'll need. I would start with the following:

Intel i5 2500k - relatively cheap and one of the best for gaming
ASRock p67, z77 extreme 4 or 6 - personal preference but a good combo with the 2500k
8GB DDR3 1600 ram - Corsair, G-skill are a few (4GB will do but 8 you will be set)
500gb-1TB HHD or get a steady state HD - a regular one will be fine unless you want your computer to be lightning fast with downloads, loadscreens, opening programs. SSD's are a lot smaller size, so if you have a lot of music, files, programs, ect I would choose a regular HD
600-850W PSU- Corsair, check newegg for deals, they usually have a couple on sale. 600W will power your computer and a single (newer) card, if you want to run 2 go with something 750+. Remember if your PSU dies you risk frying your whole system.
Graphics card - I would go with a 500-600 Nvidia card, GTX 670 if you have the money. Can get 2 older cards but you will need a bigger power supply.
Lastly I would get a CD drive and a clean copy of windows 7, you'll probably need to reinstall windows for whatever reasons and it will be beneficial to have your own copy.

With a set-up like this you will be able to max nearly any game. Me and several friends build systems like this and have had no problems (knock on wood). In total you'll probably spend $800 unless you get stuff on sale. I would start looking a newegg.com for parts and read reviews.

Hope this helps..
 

apr960604

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Jan 27, 2013
23
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10,510
how bout the radeon 7970? it costs a bit extra but would that be overkill if i were to spend a bit more? and if thats not the case how much power should i have in the processor?
 

chief keef

Honorable
Jan 25, 2013
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the 7970 is ATI, not Nvidia. Nothing wrong with it, and heard it's a great card just different driver support and a different manufacturer. Like I said in my post building a PC is also about personal preference.

A 2500k will be able to handle any of these cards plus more. It is also easily overclockable which you might consider in the future.

Not sure what you mean by power in the processor. Processing power or actual power (from power supply) to processor. 2500k will be enough to for your ATI or nvidia card and even dual cards. You will not experience any bottlenecking from the CPU side. 2500k is 3.3 GHz which should be good. Can always overclock or get something better such as the i7 2600k but you'll be spending more.

If I recall most motherboards/cpu/HDD's take around 300-450W (450 on the high side) and graphics cards 100-200W. 600-700W for a single card set-up and 750+ for multiple card set-ups.
 

The_Midknight05

Honorable
Jan 17, 2013
22
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10,510
Check out the computer building marathon on the Tom's homepage. The 800 dollar machine run very well. If you can go up to 1000 either get a better processor and slightly better video card or keep the processor and go crazy on the video card.


Lydia
 

Carp26

Honorable
Aug 3, 2013
1
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10,510


I know im nothing todo with the topic but;
I was looking to build a gaming PC, and I was wondering if that is all the parts you need to build one, if not please link me the the rest or recommend them, also would I be able to play games like Arma2/DayZ (if you have heard of it) on this PC, thanks.
 

Rheadej

Reputable
Feb 21, 2014
8
0
4,520
Hi guys looking for some help building a new gaming PC this is what im thinking of going for

Computer Case NZXT Phantom Enthusiast - Black
CPU Intel i7 4770K - (4 x 3.5 GHZ) OVERCLOCKED UPTO 4.4 GHZ - Haswell
CPU Heatsink Corsair Hydro Series H80i (Advanced Liquid Cooling)
Memory 16 GB 1600MHz (2x8GB) - (DDR3) - Limited Time Low Price
Graphics Card NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti - 3 GB - (PCI-E)
Motherboard Asus SABERTOOTH Z87 (Intel Z87)
Sound Card Motherboard Integrated HD Sound
Networking Motherboard Integrated Ethernet Lan (Broadband Ready)
Power Supply Corsair HX 650W Professional PSU - Low Noise
CPU Compound Standard CPU Compound Supplied With Heatsink
Case Fans 3 x Corsair Air Series Ultra Quiet Edition 120mm
Hard Drive #1 120GB Kingston SSD SATA-III, Read 450MB/s, Write 450MB/s - Silent
Optical Drive #1 Samsung 24x DVD/CD Re-Writer/Reader - Black - (SATA)
DVD Playback Software FREE - CyberLink PowerDVD 10
DVD/CD Burning Software FREE - Nero V12 - NEW

Would appreciate any advice on how to make this better and what would work better with certain components

Thanks
 
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