NEW BUILD for a friend...Best build @ $500,$1000,1500,2000? etc.

xsageonex

Honorable
Feb 4, 2013
37
0
10,530
Ok. My friend wants me to help him build a new gaming PC. I would like to give him several options ranging from economy to ABSOLUTE BEAST. I built my machine about a year ago with the help of some fine gentlemen here on these forums. I use my PC is for more than just gaming,,--basically a lot of 3D programs,video editing ...all around heavy multitasking but I know that the 3930k would be overkill for his needs. If someone can, recommend me a good gaming set up at those price ranges
1/best/BEAST$$$$------2/better/frickin good$$$-------3/good/very decent-$$---------4/meh/good enough $
Does that make sense?
Just 3 or 4 builds I can present to him so that he can have some choices.
No preference on brands for CPU/GPU--just whatever is better at that price tier.
----------------------------------thanks in advance.
additional info , more than likely would play only on 1 monitor/tv @ 1080p
SLi/crossfire compatible is a must in-case he wants to upgrade



 
Here is a high end one...

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X60 98.3 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($115.75 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Asus Maximus VI Hero ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($189.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($80.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($80.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($169.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($71.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($87.97 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 Ti 3GB Video Card ($719.99 @ NCIX US)
Sound Card: Asus Xonar Phoebus 24-bit 96 KHz Sound Card ($167.66 @ NCIX US)
Case: NZXT Phantom 820 (Black) ATX Full Tower Case ($219.99 @ Best Buy)
Power Supply: Corsair 860W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($179.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($129.97 @ OutletPC)
Total: $2452.22
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-29 23:13 EST-0500)
 

g-unit1111

Titan
Moderator


What's the 500GB hard drive for? And why two sets of RAM?

This would be a beast assuming you don't need monitor / mouse / keyboard:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Thermaltake Water 3.0 Extreme 99.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme6 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($158.49 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($89.00 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 Ti 3GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($699.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 Ti 3GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($699.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Titanium Grey) ATX Mid Tower Case ($110.98 @ Best Buy)
Power Supply: NZXT HALE90 V2 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($168.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($23.14 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($91.77 @ Amazon)
Total: $2507.31
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-30 01:15 EST-0500)