Greetings everyone,
I’m looking to build a good gaming PC that I can use to play my favorite games on the highest settings with little to no lag at all. I’ve been playing on a 15-inch MacBook Pro for the last few years, and I’ve been gaming on Apple laptops for almost ten years before that. I love Apple to death, but their computers aren’t the best for gaming (can’t upgrade them, most games aren’t supported on them, etc.) so I’ve decided to get a gaming PC of my own to supplement my other computing systems.
The budget that I’m working with is $1300 – but I can to go to $1500 if needed. I plan on getting the operating system separately from my computer and I’ll be playing on a 22-inch 720p television that I use to play on my Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. I’m working with a limited amount of space in my room, which is why I play on such a (relatively) small TV and why I’ve opted for a mid-tower instead of a full tower.
I know that building the PC yourself is the cheapest option, but I’m not willing to go through the hassle of putting it together myself, so I’m ordering it from a vendor and having them build it instead. I’ve done quite a bit of research in order to understand which components to get – looking up reviews on numerous sites (including this one)— and I’ve also talked with my father about what components I should be focusing my investments (he’s a software engineer). But the array of options available is quite overwhelming, and it’s difficult for me to know if what I’m getting is really going to be suitable to my needs, and if everything is going to come together properly.
Here’s a list of games that I play (or plan on playing) for reference for the kinds of punishment I’ll be subjecting the system to:
• Civilization V
• Left 4 Dead 2
• Borderlands 2
• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
• Mass Effect 3
• StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty
• Diablo III
• World of WarCraft: Mists of Pandaria
• Lord of the Rings Online
• Star Trek Online
• Guild Wars 2
• EVE Online
• MechWarrior Online
• Dragon Age: Origins
And below you can find the specs of the computer that I’ve selected. Recommendations on the build overall, as well as changes to my selection of items are welcome.
*BASE_PRICE:[+849]
BLUETOOTH:None
CARE1:Ultra Enhanced Packaging Solution - Protect Your Dream System During Transit [+19]
CARE2:Cooler Master Thermal Fusion 400 Extreme Performance CPU - Thermal Compound Optimized for Thermal Dissipation [+10]
CARE3 - Professional Wiring for All WIRING Inside The System Chassis - Minimize Cable Exposure, Maximize Airflow in Your System [+19]
CASE: Apevia X-Trooper LED Light Mid-Tower Case w/ Side Window [-45] (Blue LED Light Color)
CASUPGRADE:None
CD:24X Double Layer Dual Format DVD+-R/+-RW + CD-R/RW Drive (BLACK COLOR)
CD2:None
COOLANT:Standard Coolant
CPU:Intel® Core™ i5-3570K 3.40 GHz 6MB Intel Smart Cache LGA1155 (All Venom OC Certified)
CS_FAN:Maximum 120MM Color Case Cooling Fans for your selected case [+15] (Blue Color)
ENGRAVING:None
ENGRAVING_MSG:
FA_HDD:None
FAN:* Cooler Master V6 GT CPU Cooler (Nickle Plated Double-V Heatpipe w/ Color Changing LED Cap) [+22]
FLASHMEDIA:None
FREEBIE_MB:GIGABYTE GC-WB300D Exclusive Bluetooth 4.0/WiFi PCIe Expansion Card [+0]
FREEBIE_VC:FREE Assassins Creed III Game Coupon [+0]
FREEBIE_VC2:None
GLASSES:None
HDD:500GB SATA-III 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache 7200RPM HDD [-14] (Single Drive)
HDD2:256GB ADATA SP900 SATA-III 6.0Gb/s - 555 MB/s Read & 530 MB/s Write [+179] (Single Drive)
IEEE_CARD:None
IUSB:Built-in USB 2.0 Ports
KEYBOARD:Black Multimedia/Internet USB Keyboard
MB_SRT:None
MEMORY:16GB (8GBx2) DDR3/1333MHz Dual Channel Memory [+15] (Corsair or Major Brand)
MONITOR:None
MONITOR2:None
MONITOR3:None
MOTHERBOARD:[CrossFireX/SLI] GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-D3H Intel Z77 Chipset DDR3 ATX Mainboard w/ IRST, Lucid Virtu MVP, Ultra Durable4 Classic, 7.1 HD Audio, GbLAN, 3x Gen3 PCIe x16, 3x PCIe x1 & 1 PCI (All Venom OC Certified) [+41]
MOUSE:None [-4]
NETWORK - Onboard Gigabit LAN Network
OS:None - FORMAT HARD DRIVE ONLY
OVERCLOCK:No Overclocking
POWERSUPPLY:600 Watts - Corsair CMPSU-600CXV2 Builder Series CX600 V2 80 Plus Certified Power Supply [+9]
SERVICE:STANDARD WARRANTY: 3-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY PLUS LIFE-TIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT
SOUND:HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
SPEAKERS:None
TABLET:None
TEMP:None
TUNING:None
TVRC:None
USB:None
USBFLASH:None
USBHD:None
USBX:None
VIDEO:NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB 16X PCIe 3.0 Video Card [+178] (Major Brand Powered by NVIDIA)
VIDEO2:None
VIDEO3:None
WNC:None
_PRICE: 1293
I’m looking to build a good gaming PC that I can use to play my favorite games on the highest settings with little to no lag at all. I’ve been playing on a 15-inch MacBook Pro for the last few years, and I’ve been gaming on Apple laptops for almost ten years before that. I love Apple to death, but their computers aren’t the best for gaming (can’t upgrade them, most games aren’t supported on them, etc.) so I’ve decided to get a gaming PC of my own to supplement my other computing systems.
The budget that I’m working with is $1300 – but I can to go to $1500 if needed. I plan on getting the operating system separately from my computer and I’ll be playing on a 22-inch 720p television that I use to play on my Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. I’m working with a limited amount of space in my room, which is why I play on such a (relatively) small TV and why I’ve opted for a mid-tower instead of a full tower.
I know that building the PC yourself is the cheapest option, but I’m not willing to go through the hassle of putting it together myself, so I’m ordering it from a vendor and having them build it instead. I’ve done quite a bit of research in order to understand which components to get – looking up reviews on numerous sites (including this one)— and I’ve also talked with my father about what components I should be focusing my investments (he’s a software engineer). But the array of options available is quite overwhelming, and it’s difficult for me to know if what I’m getting is really going to be suitable to my needs, and if everything is going to come together properly.
Here’s a list of games that I play (or plan on playing) for reference for the kinds of punishment I’ll be subjecting the system to:
• Civilization V
• Left 4 Dead 2
• Borderlands 2
• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
• Mass Effect 3
• StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty
• Diablo III
• World of WarCraft: Mists of Pandaria
• Lord of the Rings Online
• Star Trek Online
• Guild Wars 2
• EVE Online
• MechWarrior Online
• Dragon Age: Origins
And below you can find the specs of the computer that I’ve selected. Recommendations on the build overall, as well as changes to my selection of items are welcome.
*BASE_PRICE:[+849]
BLUETOOTH:None
CARE1:Ultra Enhanced Packaging Solution - Protect Your Dream System During Transit [+19]
CARE2:Cooler Master Thermal Fusion 400 Extreme Performance CPU - Thermal Compound Optimized for Thermal Dissipation [+10]
CARE3 - Professional Wiring for All WIRING Inside The System Chassis - Minimize Cable Exposure, Maximize Airflow in Your System [+19]
CASE: Apevia X-Trooper LED Light Mid-Tower Case w/ Side Window [-45] (Blue LED Light Color)
CASUPGRADE:None
CD:24X Double Layer Dual Format DVD+-R/+-RW + CD-R/RW Drive (BLACK COLOR)
CD2:None
COOLANT:Standard Coolant
CPU:Intel® Core™ i5-3570K 3.40 GHz 6MB Intel Smart Cache LGA1155 (All Venom OC Certified)
CS_FAN:Maximum 120MM Color Case Cooling Fans for your selected case [+15] (Blue Color)
ENGRAVING:None
ENGRAVING_MSG:
FA_HDD:None
FAN:* Cooler Master V6 GT CPU Cooler (Nickle Plated Double-V Heatpipe w/ Color Changing LED Cap) [+22]
FLASHMEDIA:None
FREEBIE_MB:GIGABYTE GC-WB300D Exclusive Bluetooth 4.0/WiFi PCIe Expansion Card [+0]
FREEBIE_VC:FREE Assassins Creed III Game Coupon [+0]
FREEBIE_VC2:None
GLASSES:None
HDD:500GB SATA-III 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache 7200RPM HDD [-14] (Single Drive)
HDD2:256GB ADATA SP900 SATA-III 6.0Gb/s - 555 MB/s Read & 530 MB/s Write [+179] (Single Drive)
IEEE_CARD:None
IUSB:Built-in USB 2.0 Ports
KEYBOARD:Black Multimedia/Internet USB Keyboard
MB_SRT:None
MEMORY:16GB (8GBx2) DDR3/1333MHz Dual Channel Memory [+15] (Corsair or Major Brand)
MONITOR:None
MONITOR2:None
MONITOR3:None
MOTHERBOARD:[CrossFireX/SLI] GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-D3H Intel Z77 Chipset DDR3 ATX Mainboard w/ IRST, Lucid Virtu MVP, Ultra Durable4 Classic, 7.1 HD Audio, GbLAN, 3x Gen3 PCIe x16, 3x PCIe x1 & 1 PCI (All Venom OC Certified) [+41]
MOUSE:None [-4]
NETWORK - Onboard Gigabit LAN Network
OS:None - FORMAT HARD DRIVE ONLY
OVERCLOCK:No Overclocking
POWERSUPPLY:600 Watts - Corsair CMPSU-600CXV2 Builder Series CX600 V2 80 Plus Certified Power Supply [+9]
SERVICE:STANDARD WARRANTY: 3-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY PLUS LIFE-TIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT
SOUND:HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
SPEAKERS:None
TABLET:None
TEMP:None
TUNING:None
TVRC:None
USB:None
USBFLASH:None
USBHD:None
USBX:None
VIDEO:NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB 16X PCIe 3.0 Video Card [+178] (Major Brand Powered by NVIDIA)
VIDEO2:None
VIDEO3:None
WNC:None
_PRICE: 1293
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