$1,300 Gaming PC

[Dakundar]

Approximate Purchase Date: this week
Budget Range: ~$1,200-$1300
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, Recording, Editing & Rendering, Internet Browsing, watching movies/videos, listening to music, multitasking
Parts Not Required: Keyboard and Mouse
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg.com & Amazon.com *(Or anywhere else with cheaper deals, as long as each one isn't a separate website)
Country: United States
Parts Preferences: Intel Processor
Overclocking: Probably/Yes
SLI or Crossfire: possibly in the future, not a necessity
Monitor Resolution: Not sure but probably 1920x1080
Additional Comments:
This is my first build so I am a little nervous about getting into building a PC, but it is something I have always wanted to do.

I need an OS for the computer, preferably Windows 7, that would get put on a SSD and maybe editing software/a game or two. I would also like at least a 1 TB hard drive (Videos take up a lot of space).

As for peripherals I need a suggestion for a speaker set and a new monitor that supports 1920x1080 resolution (especially for video making).

I am looking into playing and recording games such as Minecraft, Skyrim, and possibly Battlefield 3 and Arma II at relatively high settings (Medium is acceptable for recording but high and ultra would be preferred).

A full build including the peripherals I require would be great, but I already have a build in mind that I have started but not completed so any advice/help/critique would be helpful and greatly appreciated.

Parts considered/current build:

CPU:
Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I53570K
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116504

$230 (but $15 dollar off promo ends today!)

Motherboard:
Motherboard BIOSTAR TZ77XE3 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138355&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&AID=10440897&PID=3067296&SID=

$130 (Suggest better mobo if available, preferably one that would be open to expansion i.e. installing an extra graphics/video card)

Ram:
Corsair Memory 8 Dual Channel Kit DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM CMX8GX3M2A1600C9
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0042A7CAA/ref=as_li_ss_tl?tag=hardwarevol03-20&ie=UTF8&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399349&creativeASIN=B0042A7CAA

$50 (does the newegg exclusive just for looks or offer better performance?)

Video Card:
EVGA GeForce GTX 570 Dual fans
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0057608W2/ref=as_li_ss_tl?tag=hardwarevol03-20&ie=UTF8&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399349&creativeASIN=B0057608W2

$270 (w/out $25 dollar Rebate)

Storage:

SSD:

Sandisk Extreme 2.5″ 120GB SATA III SSD
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006EKJCWM/ref=as_li_ss_tl?tag=hardwarevol03-20&ie=UTF8&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399349&creativeASIN=B006EKJCWM

$109.99

Hard Drive:

Western Digital 1 TB Caviar Blue SATA III 7200 RPM 32 MB Cache Bulk/OEM Desktop Hard Drive - WD10EALX
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00461LT6S/ref=as_li_ss_tl?tag=hardwarevol03-20&ie=UTF8&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399349&creativeASIN=B00461LT6S

$95

Optical Drive:

Leave a suggestion for a CD/DVD drive

$~15-30???

Power Supply:

Rosewill CAPSTONE Series CAPSTONE-650 650W Continuous @ 50°C, 80 PLUS GOLD Certified, Single +12V Rail, ATX12V v2.31 / EPS12V v2.92, SLI Ready, CrossFire Ready, Active - PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182071&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&AID=10440897&PID=3067296&SID=

$100 (Again, a power supply that is open to expansion i.e. extra video/graphics cards for a second monitor, etc.)

Case:

Corsair Carbide Series 400R Mid Tower Gaming Computer Case - CC-9011011-WW
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0055Q7BR4/ref=as_li_ss_tl?tag=hardwarevol03-20&ie=UTF8&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399349&creativeASIN=B0055Q7BR4

$90

Cooling:

NZXT HAVIK CPU Cooler with Dual 140MM Fans - Silver/Black
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005869XYK/ref=as_li_ss_tl?tag=hardwarevol03-20&ie=UTF8&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399349&creativeASIN=B005869XYK

$50

Sound Card:
ASUS PCI 5.1 Channel Sound Card XONAR_DG
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0045JHJSS/ref=as_li_ss_tl?tag=hardwarevol03-20&ie=UTF8&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399349&creativeASIN=B0045JHJSS

$24 ($14 after rebate)

Total so far: ~$1169 (unless I messed up my calculations)

The rest is for monitor/speakers.

Monitor:

Leave a suggestion

Speakers:

Adjust to price of monitor

Goal price= ~1,300

Monitor > Speakers

If my current build is good so far then please just leave suggestions for more cost efficient deals (for different or the same parts) to prefect the build as well as advice/help/critique (i.e. suggesting better deals that you've found, better parts, share your wisdom, etc.)

Oh, and sorry for the "Word wall", just wanted to be as specific as I could for my build, and thanks in advance for your help

 

[Dakundar]

Also two things to consider is that I would like this PC to be able to last a couple of years (4-6++) and it would be great if the computer was not too loud either.

 

[TheBigTroll]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/boLz

heres my take on the build. threw a decent monitor and a good SSD

the i5 3570k is slightly cheaper at 214.95. im sure they have cheaper shipping than newegg unless newegg does a promo

 

[Dakundar]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/boLz

heres my take on the build. threw a decent monitor and a good SSD

the i5 3570k is slightly cheaper at 214.95. im sure they have cheaper shipping than newegg unless newegg does a promo

I've been looking over you're build and it looks just about perfect for my price range but how will it fare in the terms of playing intensive games such as Battlefield 3 and Skyrim at about Ultra and would I be able to record at around medium or on higher settings in these games (With programs like fraps)? This is a major deciding factor and I might go with a slightly edited version of you're build.

 

[azeem40]

Max settings.

 

[TheBigTroll]

if you had a little more money, id get 16gb of ram or a i7 3770k but it is still awesome right now

 

[Dakundar]

Alright, I am going to decide on using an edited version of your build but I haven't decided on a hard drive just yet and will look into reviews for different one's but so far I'm more lenient towards the one that you suggested. Thanks for the help I probably would've spent a couple more hours deciding on a build knowing how indecisive I am (I've already spent a couple hours looks around, I have just about a thousand tabs open and it almost crashed my current pc). Anyhow, I will post the final build after I finish ordering

Edit: More choices to look over, this might take a bit longer but it will be worth it in the end

 

[Dakundar]

Best answer selected by Dakundar.

 

[Dakundar]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/bp5O

That is what I am going to be going with for my final build. If anything is horribly incompatible just let me know. Thanks for all you guy's help.

I might order a different monitor or buy one in person just so I can get one that's right for me.