[Budget: $1000] First Gaming PC

[immortalusr]

I've been a console gamer for a long time. I'm now in the market for an entry-level Intel-based gaming computer. I'm definitely not afraid of building it, but a pre-built would be nice. I have a 50" 1080p 240Hz 3D television that I'll be using as the display. I plan on doing a lot of gaming on this computer, so it's important that it can run things like ArmA 3 and DayZ maxed out.

A wireless card and a keyboard/mouse is a must. The operating system, not so much. I'd rather it not be included in the price. I'm not sure if this is a lot to ask for straight out the gate. I won't be purchasing for a month or so, and I'll be able to upgrade a few months after. Primary focus for this build is gaming. Please, help me. There are so many options, and I need to get my foot in the door.

Thanks in advance,
immortalusr

 

[numanator]

This is a pretty good build for your price range:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($88.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($72.00 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($56.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280X 3GB Dual-X Video Card ($263.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($78.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Keyboard: Logitech MK520 Wireless Ergonomic Keyboard w/Laser Mouse ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $910.88
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-17 17:02 EDT-0400

Pros: Powerful CPU, SSD for fast boot up, R9 280x GPU can play most games at max settings 60+ FPS
Cons: Locked CPU and motherboard so no overclocking of the CPU.

If you wanted to overclock, it would probably add another $100 to the current price. Also, if you absolutely wanted to max everything at 1080p you could get a R9 290 for around $370 instead of the R9 280x in the build above.

The keyboard/mouse i picked out are decent, i have the same set for when I hook up my PC to the TV rather than my monitor. Not as good as my wired gaming mouse & mechanical keyboard but good enough to get by with IMO.

 

[Ganz]

Also, wait until Friday when the new 900 series cards by nVidia get released. While the new cards may be out of your price range, you will see price drops on current cards.

 

[immortalusr]

Thanks for the replies folks. Soon after I posted this I found a nice prebuild from Digital Storm that fit the bill. numanator, thanks for putting in the time to put that parts list together.