~$1000 Gaming PC (1st Time Build)

[MandoLegacy]

Approximate Purchase Date: Probably before July

Budget Range: Lower is better...I begin to cringe after $1200

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Mostly gaming, possible recreational video editing, probably some sorts of engineering programs down the line in two years when I hit college

Parts Not Required: Don't bother with peripherals, a monitor, or an OS. I either have those taken care of or will deal with them later seperately.

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Probably Newegg, though I'm pretty green in the PC buying world-your insights are far better than mine

Country: USA

Parts Preferences: I seem biased towards Intel for the Processor and Nvidia for the Graphics although I've never built a computer before...not sure why

Overclocking: Probably not

SLI or Crossfire: Probably not

Overclocking and SLI seem to be more of a hassle than is needed. Then again, you guys are the knowledgeable ones. Would buying a computer (overclock capable) with 1 graphics card (but possibility of adding a second) and then choosing to overclock and add a second graphics card later down the road work well as a sort of future proofing/keeping up with new games as they come out?

Monitor Resolution: Don't have a monitor as of yet, I guess the PC will dictate it. Nothing too crazy.

Additional Comments: The most demanding games that I play on my current (and massively outdated computer) are Team Fortress 2 and League of Legends, although I'd also want to play games like Call of Duty, Battlefield 3, and StarCraft 2 upon getting a new computer.

Haven't really considered getting a SSD, would that be something to put thought into?

I think that between myself and my father, there shouldn't be too many problems building the computer. However, I've checked IBuyPower for custom builds that seem similar to what I want and the prices seem comparable. Opinions on Newegg/Do-It-Yourself vs. IbuyPower?

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Not very set in stone on too much of anything in the build, though I threw this together to try and give you guys a ballpark.

Sony Optiarc 24X DVD Burner
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118067

NZXT Guardian Mid Tower Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146070

1 TB HD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136776

Nvidia GTX 550
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130625

Thermaltake 750 Watt Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153136

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB RAM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231311

Motherboard (Really don't have much insight into Motherboards)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131837

Intel Core i5-3570K
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116504

Thermaltake Liquid Cooling and Fans (Kind of lost in this department as well)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835106188

 

[boulbox]

if you have a microcenter near you i would suggest picking up a i5 3570k for $190 and a ASrock extreme4 for $89.99

it really is a steal for its price

seems good i would change PSU into Corsair/Seasonic my preference

and change ram into 1600 speed for faster response

 

[manofchalk]

If your unsure whether your going to overclock or not, dont get a liquid CPU cooler, it will just be redundant. Get the Coolermaster Hyper 212 EVO, which is a cheap cooler, performs well and allows a decent overclock.

At the price range ($1200 max?) I would suggest a 64Gb SSD. Will massively improve boot times for windows and general performance.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148528

The HDD you have is a green model, which are great for storing massive amounts of data cheaply, but are slow even by HDD standards. I would suggest this 7200 RPM drive.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148840

Cases are largely personal preference and that should serve you fine. But I would suggest the Coolermaster HAF 912, which is a very good case for $60.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119233

Only problem with the RAM is that it runs at 1333Mhz. 1600Mhz has basically become standard, so I would suggest getting this kit instead.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231428

Optical Drive is fine, nowadays any $20 drive will do.

CPU is very good, allows overclocking.

Power supply is more than enough for your rig, get if your going to run dual graphics, but downgrade to something smaller if not.

Motherboard isnt all that great. I would suggest the AsRock Z77 Extreme4. Which is a very good board for those on a budget and properly supports Crossfire/SLI. Also a bit cheaper.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157293

Now to the biggest issue with this rig, that Graphics Card. That is quite an old model and isn't that great by today's standard. It'l run TF2 fine, but battlefield 3 will struggle if you want good textures, lighting and all that. I would suggest getting a HD7850, or if the budget cant handle that, a HD6870.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125419
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125419

 

[samotage]

For graphics I personally suggest a GTX 560 or what Manofchalk said, the HD6870 or HD7850. Although you do get higher FPS will a GTX 560 than a HD6870/7870 ( Personal Experience ). Other than that the build looks great! Have fun creating a computer

- Samo

 

[z_4]

Here's a build suggestion under 1200 with SSD and an awesome GPU. If this goes overbudget feel free to downgrade:

GPU: $400- EVGA GTX 670

Cooler: $34- CM Hyper 212 EVO

HDD & Optical Drive: $102- WD Cavier Blue 1TB & Samsung

PSU & Case: $122- Corsair CX500 & Corsair Carbide300R

CPU & RAM: $285- i5-3570K & Corsair Vengeance 8GB

SSD & Motherboard: $244- Crucial M4 128 GB & Asrock Z77 Extreme4

Total(Excluding Rebates): 1187 USD

Rebates: 30 USD

If this goes overbudget. Here's a suggestion:

Drop SSD. Save $130.
Drop the GPU Radeon 7870. Save $80.
Drop the CPU-RAM combo to i5-2500K. Save $20.
Drop the CPU cooler. Save $30.
That should do it.

 

[envy14tpe]

You have to buy at least a Nvidia 560 Ti. Right now the 500 series (Fermi) is on discount as the new cards (Kepler) are rolling out. I'd suggest reviews for game performance. You definitely need to upgrade that GPU.