Need Help making a gaming cpu under $1000

[rbillyw]

Hi! I'm super blind in the whole computer hardware and I'm trying to make a new average gaming CPU with a budget under USD$1000. I'm not a big fan of graphics so an average graphic should be fine. I also don't like to play heavy games like crysis and stuff which require a lot of performance i think? I just like to play online games like Dota, PoE, Diablo, HoN. What i'm looking for is a smooth playtime because my computer right now kinda gives me a hard time progressing through my current game (PoE). Can any of you pros help me out in making the best value for money spec? thanks!

 

[iceclock]

omponent Selection Owner Rating Price Where
CPU

AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core
$160.00
Motherboard

Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 ATX AM3+
$95.00
Memory

Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600
$60.00
Storage

Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" SSD
$101.20 Newegg (Override)

Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM
$60.00
Video Card

Asus GeForce GTX 760 2GB
$260.00
Wireless Network Adapter

Rosewill N600PCE 802.11a/b/g/n PCI-Express x1
$26.50 Amazon
Case

NZXT Phantom 410 (Black) ATX Mid Tower
$80.00
Power Supply

XFX 550W ATX12V / EPS12V
$30.00
Monitor

ViewSonic VX2452mh 23.6"
$159.99 Newegg
Custom Windows 8.1 $35.00
Logitech Speakers $0.00
Total: $1067.69

works good with monitor sir.

 

[NormH]

so long as mid settings is fin save money no need for a 1000 dollar pc. get this.
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2j8Hq

 

[iceclock]

not bad but why settle for less right.

 

[g-unit1111]

OP - do you need OS, monitor, keyboard, and mouse, or do you already have those things?

If you need just the tower this is what I would go with:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.98 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($33.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-C ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($132.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($57.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($259.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($66.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 620W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($71.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $921.86
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-12-12 16:00 EST-0500)

 

[RedJaron]

Similar questions a GUnit: Do you have the OS? Case? Optical drive? Peripherals?

Assuming you have the first on that list, I propose something like this:

PCPartPicker part list

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.98 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper TX3 54.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($20.70 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($151.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($57.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial M500 240GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($144.95 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Silverstone RV03B-W ATX Full Tower Case ($149.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $987.55

I don't think you need, care, or want an overclocking CPU, so why pay for one? An i5 stays plenty strong at stock clocks for a while. Even more serious titles like BF4 and Crysis have a hard time pegging out a "slow" i5. However, I like adding in a simple aftermarket CPU cooler because they tend to be quieter than the stock units. And even if you're not OCing, Z87 mboards typically have some more friendly features, like forward facing SATA slots, eSATA ports, S/PDIF, and more USB ports.

I think you can fit an SSD in this build, and I'd highly recommend you use one. A 1TB drive should be enough storage for some casual gaming. However, if you need more space, a 2TB drive isn't much more.

Graphically, a 7870 is well above a mainstream card, and if you want to save a little money, go down to a 7850. Yes, you could probably game just fine on a 7790/7770, but a 256-memory bus and the added beef of the 7870 will stay strong for a while to come and I think is worth the cost. The 550W PSU has the cables and capacity to run it just fine, and will run just about any single card you'd care to throw in here in the future.

A computer case is mostly about personal preference. The Raven is my current favorite case. It's quiet and it's very good at cooling. However, it's also $150. Antec, Corsair, Fractal Design, Lian-Li, NZXT, and Silverstone all make fine cases. If you don't like this one, look at some other models and grab whatever you'd like to fit in your budget. Dropping money here would be a nice way to maybe up your SSD or HDD capacity.