Advice on a moderate gaming build ($1500)

Cloyal

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Nov 7, 2013
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10,510
Hello, experts! I'm looking to build a computer that'll mainly be everyday use (Internet, office, media), but with a focus on gaming. I'd like to get the parts and put it together this month with a budget of about $1500, monitor included.

I'm not all that interested in overclocking. Done SLI/XF before, prefer a single card this time around. And, since space is a premium (as is portability), I want to keep the size limited to a mini. There are some concerns I've with this build. Will the CPU will be a bottleneck to the GPU? Will the MOBO hurt upgrade potential that much in the future? Did I go too far in picking a good PSU? (I've had PSU die on me before) I'm not too concerned with losing data, so do I really need a HDD?

I'm thinking of the following:

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/21qzN


Case: Fractal Design Arc Mini R2 MicroATX Mini Tower
MOBO: Gigabyte GA-B75M-D3H Micro ATX LGA 1155
PSU: Kingwin Lazer Platinum 650W 80 PLUS Platinum
CPU: Intel Core i5-3350P, 3.1 GHz
GPU: Gigabyte Radeon R9 280X 3GB
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3-1600
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250 GB 2.5" SSD
Optical Drive: LG WH14NS40 Blu-Ray
Monitor: SAMSUNG C550 Series, T24C550ND


Thank you all for the feedback!
 

Amit Parmar

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Sep 21, 2013
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10,860
Wow. The first time I have seen an original posted well rounded build. I assume you want this to be portable with the Mini R2 and Micro ATX board. It wont bottleneck but I suggest getting a 4th gen 1150 motherboard because that will support more future products than 1155. There is a 1150 version of every board and CPU so don't worry.
 

dottorrent

Honorable
You might want a HDD for backing up your SSD. They will eventually go wrong. Plus, you need something to store games on, without sacrificing your SSD by constantly making it read / write every time. Here is a counter-build -

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($212.25 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper TX3 54.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($17.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B85M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($75.24 @ Amazon)
Memory: A-Data XPG V2 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($67.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($174.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($84.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($329.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Corsair 350D Window MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Microcenter)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF120 Quiet Edition 39.9 CFM 120mm Fan ($14.99 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF140 Quiet Edition 67.8 CFM 140mm Fan ($16.98 @ OutletPC)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 660W 80 PLUS Platinum Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($134.49 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($47.99 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit - OEM (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Asus VS238H-P 23.0" Monitor ($134.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1492.84
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-12 19:57 EST-0500)

I have added 2 Corsair AF Fans (120 and 140 mm) for use at the front and rear of the case. I have also found a better quality PSU, while being cheaper at the same time. Plus, you don't need a 144Hz monitor, unless you are a serious editor. This Asus monitor is reputable and is a great value 1080P monitor for the price. I have also added an aftermarket heat Sink, as the Haswell CPUs heat up, even with the stock cooler.

Enjoy.
 

Amit Parmar

Honorable
Sep 21, 2013
397
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10,860


Yep this is pretty much what I was talking about. Great build but I don't see the need for a cooler if he isn't overclocking.
 

dottorrent

Honorable


I edited the post, remembering Haswell's load temperature problems. I added the Heat Sink to prevent those issues from appearing.
 

Amit Parmar

Honorable
Sep 21, 2013
397
0
10,860
He also might want to consider Steam OS for gaming but that depends if it can even run on a normal PC. And I wouldn't call this a "moderate" build because this is pretty high end.
 

dottorrent

Honorable


He / She also wants to browse the web and use it for office work.
 

Amit Parmar

Honorable
Sep 21, 2013
397
0
10,860


Office 365 and Google Chrome + modern browsers are completely compatible with Steam OS.
 

Cloyal

Honorable
Nov 7, 2013
3
0
10,510
Thanks for the feedback.

Will add the HDD and go with the 1150.

Any insight on intake and output fans? Been reading about the Silverstone AP and how it seems good for an intake fan. If I want to establish negative pressure, what output fans are recommended to couple with the Silverstone?
 

dottorrent

Honorable


Corsair AF fans are great for the job.