Buying/Building gaming computer, need advice.

[Katie95]

I was thinking of buying an Alien Ware laptop or desktop because I want to play games like Skyrim, Elderscrolls, Crysis, Lime odyssey, Vindictus etc.
And sorry I dont think I put this in the correct section..new to the whole forums things. Sorry, just incase.

Approximate Purchase Date: Unknown, I have to find out what I'm buying/building first.

Budget Range: around $2,000 with shipping.

System Usage from Most to Least Important: gaming, facebook, studying/homework.

Are you buying a monitor: no, unless i need to

Parts to Upgrade: probably everything, for sure the cpu, graphics card, probably mother board, psu.

Do you need to buy OS: probably? i have an oem windows 7..i think ill have to get another one.

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com or other recommended sites.

Location: City, State/Region, Country - port arthur, texas, US

Parts Preferences: Dont really care, as long as theyre good, and recommended. Would like the case if i need a new one to be able to keep most dust out.

Overclocking: maybe i was reading this causes the blue screen of death so..probably not

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe

Your Monitor Resolution: 1600x900 recommended by manufacturer. I ve made it higher with no prob though.

Additional Comments: I'm Upgrading as my current PC isnt very good for games I want to play.. Here is my current PC .

CPU-Amd A8-3870 APU 3.00 GHzhttp://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819106001
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Ram-2x4 GB geil pc3-12800
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OS- Windows 7 home premium 64bit
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MB- ASRock A75M-HVS http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157261
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HD-250gb western digital sata 16mb cache http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136771
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PSU- Corsair CX430 watt http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026
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Case- Rosewill challenger -http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147153
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Moniter-20" asus widescreen vh202
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Speakers- Logi Tech 2.3watt http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836121016
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keyboard- LogiTech mk120 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823126097
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Mouse-V7 M30P20-7N PS/2 Wired Optical 1000 dpi Mouse http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826575002

So I'm pretty much looking for a whole new computer, was just going to buy an alien ware but maybe a I can build for lower price so i can have money to upgrade something.. Im not worried too much about looks. I just want a computer than can run these games without any problem. I think my moniter is fine, keyboard okay, speakers okay, mouse okay. But the rest is probably gonna have to go.. I dont really know anything

 

[DeusAres]

First off, do not buy Alienware. I'm sure I don't need to tell you this. But I will anyways just in case. Also, for less than $1500, you can get an amazing setup. Be back in a few minutes with a build.

 

[cball1311]

Here you go. The only thing that I didn't add was the speakers and you could really go dow to the i5-3750 and save about $70.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($289.98 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.98 @ Outlet PC)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($159.98 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung 830 Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($119.00 @ B&H)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($379.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: NZXT Phantom (Black/Orange) ATX Full Tower Case ($134.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic X Series 760W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($159.00 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Sony AD-7280S-0B DVD/CD Writer ($18.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Samsung S23B300B 60Hz 23.0" Monitor ($149.99 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Keyboard: Logitech Wireless Combo MK260 Wireless Standard Keyboard w/Optical Mouse ($27.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1744.85
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-31 02:31 EST-0500)

 

[cball1311]

First off, do not buy Alienware. I'm sure I don't need to tell you this. But I will anyways just in case. Also, for less than $1500, you can get an amazing setup. Be back in a few minutes with a build.

^+1

 

[Katie95]

Wow...that was fast, im like shocked. So now i just have to order everything. Well thanks very much...thought it would cost more and be more complicated lol, well now, im just going to order everything then. Thanks again

 

[DeusAres]

Ah, I see cball1311 has beat me to it. Not a bad setup; although, the i7 is overkill for gaming. Anywho, here's my recommendation.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.98 @ Outlet PC)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Gaming Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.98 @ Outlet PC)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung 830 Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($169.95 @ B&H)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($339.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair C70 Arctic White (White/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 750W 80 PLUS Silver Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($98.39 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Sony AD-7280S-0B DVD/CD Writer ($18.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: LG IPS231B-BN 23.0" Monitor ($199.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1512.19
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-31 02:39 EST-0500)

I splurged a bit in some areas. For example, you really don't need 16gb of RAM, but since your budget could handle it, I said why not. You may as well grab a 2x8gb kit so you don't have to worry about upgrading in the future. Plus, this leaves 2 slots open if you want to upgrade to 32gb. Not that you'll ever need it lol.

I also picked out a pricey 256gb SSD. You're more than welcome to back this down to a 128gb version if you feel you don't need the space and wish to save money. You can also switch out the Seagate drive I recommended for a more reliable Western Digital drive. They're both great drives.

Since your budget could handle it, I threw in an amazing IPS monitor in your build. This monitor will produce a far more beautiful image in comparison to your current monitor.

I also chose the HD 7970 over the GTX 670 because 9/10 it will beat the gtx 670 in most games. It also has huge overclocking potential. And it's a beast for games like Skyrim. If you plan on adding lots of mods to Skyrim, the HD 7970 would definitely be the way to go.

Also, you'll want a PSU that is 80+ certified. The one I or cball recommended are great PSUs. They're among the best PSUs out there and will handle a SLI/Crossfire setup with no problem.

Other than that, everything else is pretty much based on preference. You're more than welcome to use PCpartpicker to mess around and configure things to suit your needs.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask

 

[Katie95]

Okay im gonna go with

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.98 @ Outlet PC)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Gaming Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.98 @ Outlet PC)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung 830 Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($119.00 @ B&H)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($339.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: NZXT Phantom (Black/Orange) ATX Full Tower Case ($134.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 750W 80 PLUS Silver Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($98.39 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Sony AD-7280S-0B DVD/CD Writer ($18.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: LG IPS231B-BN 23.0" Monitor ($199.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Keyboard: Logitech Wireless Combo MK260 Wireless Standard Keyboard w/Optical Mouse ($27.99 @ Newegg)

Thanks both I appreciate the help.

 

[Katie95]

Best answer selected by Katie95.