Suggestions for a $800-$1000 gaming rig

[RaVakin]

I'm looking to get a pretty decent gaming desktop for around $800-1000. Would anyone be able to help suggest parts and cases and help me out with the build? I also need to get a monitor which wouldnt be included in the build price. I have been looking at digital storms prebuilts, specifically the Vanquisher level 3, and it looks pretty decent for the money.
Any help would be wonderful.

 

[Karsten75]

[strike]Do you have a link, since I can only find the Vanquish II on their site?[/strike]

Oh nevermind, you meant Vanquish II level 3.

 

[Karsten75]

I'm looking through that list of components and they're not giving you anything special THere's a lot of fluff words around standard and slightly older components. I'm short on time now, but when I come back I'm going to look at PCPartpicker to see then price difference between their price and similar components to see if you really are getting a good deal there.

I suspect not.

 

[RaVakin]

Thanks, if possible i'd prefer to build one over buying a prebuilt. I know i can get a lot more out of my money that way. The GPUs im looking at are the R9 290 and the GTX 780

 

[RaVakin]

Found this on the site, figured it would be helpful to you guys.

Approximate Purchase Date: Within the next few weeks, certainly before september

Budget Range: 800-1000 including shipping

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, Movies

Are you buying a monitor: Yes, not to be included in build price



Parts to Upgrade: None

Do you need to buy OS: Yes

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Any reputable site

Location: Cincinnati, OH, United States

Parts Preferences: Looking for a GTX 780 or a R9 290 GPU

Overclocking: Maybe, not a deal breaker if it can't

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe, not a deal breaker if it can't

Your Monitor Resolution: Have no idea how resolutions work, getting a new monitor as well

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: My HP laptop won't cut it anymore, integrated graphics no thanks

 

[Karsten75]

It's as I thought. Excluding the case, that is $680 worth of not-the-best components. Of course, it's assembled and you get a 4-year warranty, and you should add in $100 for a case and another $100 for the OS - but bear in mind that manufacturers can get Windows for around $30 - whereas we have to buy it for the full $100.

Here is my estimation (excluding a case and OS) of their components:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus H81M-E Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($57.00 @ Amazon)
Memory: Team Vulcan 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($68.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.92 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 760 2GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($229.90 @ TigerDirect)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($64.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $680.77
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-07-30 13:00 EDT-0400

I would definitely NOT build a PC with those components if I have to do it today.

 

[RaVakin]

Would you be able to suggest a few builds? One with the r9 290 and one with the GTX 780? I've read good things about both of those cards and they can handle quite a bit.

 

[Fidgetmaster]

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($305.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Biostar Hi-Fi Z77X 5.x ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($125.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Kingston Blu 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($75.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.91 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 280 3GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($216.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.78 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: XFX 650W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $932.63

 

[Karsten75]

Would you be able to suggest a few builds? One with the r9 290 and one with the GTX 780? I've read good things about both of those cards and they can handle quite a bit.

This: Note that about $150 is the more powerful video card you want.

You can edit it yourself to find a case that you might prefer better or to add the Nvidia card instead of the AMD card.

Also, use this list to decide on what power supply you want:
http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-1804779/power-supply-unit-tier-list.html

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X31 69.5 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($73.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M PRO4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($86.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($81.00 @ Newegg)
Storage: Mushkin Chronos 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($109.95 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.92 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 290 4GB TWIN FROZR Video Card ($389.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 350D Window MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($88.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer ($12.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1276.78
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-07-30 13:22 EDT-0400

 

[Fidgetmaster]

nah forget i5-4590/haswell......go 3770k/ivy wayyyy better....

 

[RaVakin]

Do I neccesarily need a SSD? What does it do for me?

 

[Karsten75]

Do I neccesarily need a SSD? What does it do for me?

Once you've had a PC that boots up with an SSD and loads programs from an SSD you'll never want to go back. I can literally boot my PC in 12 seconds from power-up.

And most disk-bound activity is tremendously improved as well.

It's money well spent.

 

[RaVakin]

Karston what would I be able to skimp on for your build? Do I really need the 4gb 290 or will a 3gb edition do?

 

[Karsten75]

You can either lose the SSD or get a 120-128GB one, you can reduce the cost of the GPU (get what ever you like or can afford), I don't think there are 3GB R9 290s? THe Nvidia 780 is a lot more expensive as well.

the case is up to you. You could possible save a bit on the Power supply as well, although I would be uncomfortable to recommend that. But the Corsair CX 600W in the Digital Storm is about the lowest quality I'd go. THat already is a tier 3 PSU in that list I linked you to.

You can go with the stock CPU cooler until you decide you need a better cooling solution.

Here's a stripped down build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M PRO4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($86.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($81.00 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.92 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 280X 3GB TWIN FROZR Video Card ($289.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 350D Window MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($64.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer ($12.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $968.84
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-07-30 14:35 EDT-0400

 

[t3nn1spr3p]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($89.66 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($81.00 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.92 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 290 4GB TWIN FROZR Video Card ($389.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT Source 220 ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 620W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($71.30 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer ($12.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1027.83
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-07-30 16:22 EDT-0400

 

[RaVakin]

Also, for a monitor, what are some good quality cheap 20-24" monitors? And are there any better GPU's for the money that the 2 I had listed? maybe like a 770 or 770x?