$1400 Build

[granthomas99]

Approximate Purchase Date: June 2013

Budget Range: $700-$1400

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming and surfing the web.

Are you buying a monitor: Yes

Parts to Upgrade: None

Do you need to buy OS: No

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Microcenter, Newegg, Amazon

Location: City, State/Region, Country: Virginia, USA

Parts Preferences: Whatever gets me the best performance at the lowest price.

Overclocking: Maybe

SLI or Crossfire: No

Your Monitor Resolution: 1600x900 or 1920x1080 (based on best performace)

Additional Comments: I would like a PC build with a monitor under $1400 that will allow me to play Far Cry 3, Battlefield 3, Crysis 3, and Skyrim (with mods) all at max settings with good fps.

 

[granthomas99]

Approximate Purchase Date: June 2013

Budget Range: $700-$1400

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming and surfing the web.

Are you buying a monitor: Yes

Parts to Upgrade: None

Do you need to buy OS: No

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Microcenter, Newegg, Amazon

Location: City, State/Region, Country: Virginia, USA

Parts Preferences: Whatever gets me the best performance at the lowest price.

Overclocking: Maybe

SLI or Crossfire: No

Your Monitor Resolution: 1600x900 or 1920x1080 (based on best performace)

Additional Comments: I would like a PC build with a monitor under $1400 that will allow me to play Far Cry 3, Battlefield 3, Crysis 3, and Skyrim (with mods) all at max settings with good fps.

 

[granthomas99]

sorry for the double post everyone

 

[burritobob]

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 ($32.98 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($129.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($47.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Compuvest)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($127.97 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($344.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Gaming 700W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($77.34 @ TigerDirect)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($18.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Monitor: Asus VH238H 23.0" Monitor ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1330.16
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

 

[burritobob]

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 ($32.98 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($129.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($47.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Compuvest)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($127.97 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($344.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Gaming 700W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($77.34 @ TigerDirect)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($18.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Monitor: Asus VH238H 23.0" Monitor ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1330.16
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

 

[granthomas99]

burrito bob could you give me the link to the pc part picker of that build and is the 7950 really good enough to do that?

 

[ChairmanSaab]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($223.79 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($80.06 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($129.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($50.74 @ Outlet PC)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Compuvest)
Storage: OCZ Vertex 4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition 3GB Video Card ($429.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Gaming 600W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($99.88 @ Mac Connection)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.99 @ Microcenter)
Monitor: Asus VE247H 23.6" Monitor ($168.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1433.39
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-01 12:14 EST-0500)

Btw you can swap cooler for cm evo -30$

 

[burritobob]

burrito bob could you give me the link to the pc part picker of that build and is the 7950 really good enough to do that?

It will be WAY more than enough to play games at your resolution, you will be maxing EVERY single game that there is. You really won't see much better performance. Unless you want to go over by a little and splurge on a 7970 GHz edition which at this price point is overkill. In the next post there will be a link to the build.

 

[g-unit1111]

The above build only works if you have a Micro Center near by. OP already has OS.

So here's what I would suggest:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U9B SE2 37.9 CFM CPU Cooler ($60.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($144.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($52.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: OCZ Vector Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($148.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition 3GB Video Card ($439.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 500R White ATX Mid Tower Case ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling Silencer Mk III 750W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($145.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($21.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1425.88
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-01 12:27 EST-0500)

And then add whatever monitor you want.

 

[burritobob]

Re-ran the system chose some different parts but this will perform the EXACT same way as the one above.
CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($129.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($49.49 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Compuvest)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($127.97 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($344.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ Outlet PC)
Monitor: Asus VH236H 23.0" Monitor ($158.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1188.33
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
Saves you $200 for anything you want, you could take your girlfriend or wife out to dinner with those saving XD. If you want to splurge ill link you to the 7970 version as well, though you really don't need to get any better hardware.

 

[burritobob]

The above build only works if you have a Micro Center near by. OP already has OS.

So here's what I would suggest:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U9B SE2 37.9 CFM CPU Cooler ($60.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($144.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($52.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: OCZ Vector Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($148.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition 3GB Video Card ($439.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 500R White ATX Mid Tower Case ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling Silencer Mk III 750W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($145.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($21.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1425.88
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-01 12:27 EST-0500)

And then add whatever monitor you want.

You really do not need to go $200 over budget here is one without the OS that performs the EXACT same as above.

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($129.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($49.49 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Compuvest)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($127.97 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($344.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ Outlet PC)
Monitor: Asus VH236H 23.0" Monitor ($158.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1188.33
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

 

[g-unit1111]

You really do not need to go $200 over budget here is one without the OS that performs the EXACT same as above.

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($129.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($49.49 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Compuvest)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($127.97 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($344.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ Outlet PC)
Monitor: Asus VH236H 23.0" Monitor ($158.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1188.33
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

Wait, you're not seriously pairing a CX430 with a 7950 are you?

If you want to stay under $1200 I'd just get this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($32.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($52.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: OCZ Vertex 4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($289.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($71.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($80.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($21.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1105.87
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-01 12:50 EST-0500)

Monitor is kind of a personal preference thing so I leave it open ended.

 

[burritobob]

Wait, you're not seriously pairing a CX430 with a 7950 are you?

If you want to stay under $1200 I'd just get this:


Monitor is kind of a personal preference thing so I leave it open ended.

Problem with the monitor thing is that most cost $150+ you really have to include that in the price otherwise you really do not have an accurate value point.

EDIT: Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Higher watt psu you really do not need that much power to run this sucker.

 

[granthomas99]

i would like to stay under 1400 that is all, including a monitor. and a 7950 performs the same as a 7970 ghz??? i dont think so.

 

[g-unit1111]

Problem with the monitor thing is that most cost $150+ you really have to include that in the price otherwise you really do not have an accurate value point.

EDIT: Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Higher watt psu you really do not need that much power to run this sucker.

Corsair makes some good power supplies, but the CX series definitely aren't one of them. I fried a CX430, shorted out another, and overloaded one when I tried to connect my Radeon 5800 to it. I'd rather get a Seasonic or Super Flower unit any day of the week. Corsair was quick to replace all the defective ones so I give them props for that, but I'd rather take a much stronger PSU to run a good video card.

i would like to stay under 1400 that is all, including a monitor. and a 7950 performs the same as a 7970 ghz??? i dont think so.

That is correct. However if you want to stay in budget you will have to cut corners somewhere.

 

[granthomas99]

i am only using one monitor. doesnt amd 7970 ghz only worth it is i am going with 2 monitors? how about the 670?

 

[ChairmanSaab]

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 ($32.98 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($129.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($50.75 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Compuvest)
Storage: OCZ Vertex 4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition 3GB Video Card ($429.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Gaming 600W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.99 @ Microcenter)
Monitor: Asus VE247H 23.6" Monitor ($168.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1252.64
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-01 13:12 EST-0500)

 

[granthomas99]

thanks alot man

 

[Hazle]

i am only using one monitor. doesnt amd 7970 ghz only worth it is i am going with 2 monitors? how about the 670?

a little headroom for future games, and maybe a possible 1440p/1600p monitor can't hurt. you can definitely afford it with your budget. now if this was a dual CF/SLI build, that's overkill for a single 1080p monitor.

7970 ghz > 670, with maybe the exception of a few Nvidia optimized games.

 

[granthomas99]

bf3, fc3, c3, and skyrim are the games i will be playing. i will go with amd, yes? or are they nvidia optimized?

 

[g-unit1111]

i am only using one monitor. doesnt amd 7970 ghz only worth it is i am going with 2 monitors? how about the 670?

They're both solid cards. But for gaming - especially first and third person games, you want one monitor or three. Two won't cut it. I'd personally get the 7970 GHz edition if I had your budget - it's entirely possible.

bf3, fc3, c3, and skyrim are the games i will be playing. i will go with amd, yes? or are they nvidia optimized?

Games don't necessarily favor one GPU or the other. The software developers would have a lot of unhappy customers if they did.

 

[granthomas99]

ok thanks g-unit. i wont be getting 3 monitors in the foreseeable future, not because i dont want to, but because i dont have enough room on my desk! i will go with your previously suggested build and replace the 7950 with a 7970 ghz, yes?

 

[Mousemonkey]

This next topics has been merged by Mousemonkey
■ $1400 Build

 

[g-unit1111]

thanks alot man

Seriously - don't buy a CX430 with a 7950. Just don't do it. Cheap power supplies are not worth it, I've seen what happens first hand. Pay a bit more for the power supply or risk your entire system going down with it. Get the Seasonic one I recommended - it's a far better power supply.

 

[Hazle]

bf3, fc3, c3, and skyrim are the games i will be playing. i will go with amd, yes? or are they nvidia optimized?

i seriously wouldn't worry too much over it. if there were ever any new games that oddly underperforms with a 7970ghz, it's usually a game of patiently waiting for a driver update.