- Jul 8, 2014
- 53
- 0
- 4,630
http://pcpartpicker.com/user/ColdAtrophy/saved/V6HJ7P [pcpartpicker.com]
CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1230 V3 3.3GHz Quad-Core
Motherboard: Asus H87I-PLUS Mini ITX LGA1150
Memory: PNY XLR8 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 CAS 9
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" SSD
Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB (Mini-ITX form factor)
Case: Azza Z Mini-ITX Tower
Power Supply: Corsair 430W ATX12V
Monitor: Acer S220HQLAbd 21.5"
This is a Mini-ITX build. I decided to go with this because of the limited space I have. I really don't want a full tower.
I decided to go with the Xeon CPU because it has Hyper Threading (this system not JUST for gaming), higher heat tolerances (mini-ITX = less space in case), and is much cheaper than an i7. It also posts better overall benchmarks than an i5-4690k (non-OC'ed) and is the closest match as far as benchmarks go to the CPU in my current laptop that I am getting rid of. In my case, I must match or exceed the i7-4850HQ. I have seen quite a bit of info on this CPU that suggests I will not suffer in gaming.
Since I won't be overclocking (the CPU is locked and I can't afford any more heat or a bigger cooler anyway), I went with this H87 mobo. It's cheap and has the minimum features I want and will actually use. This build will never be SLI'ed so why buy more when less will do just fine for years to come?
I chose 8GB of RAM for now. I decided on one stick so I can upgrade later outside the constraints of my immediate budget.
SSD for Windows and whatever games I'm playing often and online. BF4 -Yes. Mass Effect 1 - No need to put it on there.
HDD for everything else.
The case simply works and is cheap. I like the way it looks and it meets my requirements.
PSU is 80+ Bronze certified, semi-modular, and total power draw for the system under load is only about 300 watts. Gigabyte recommends a 400 watt PSU for this version of the GTX 970. 430 seems sufficient.
GTX 970. I don't think I need to explain why no other card really makes much sense right now when weighing price vs performance and gaming into the future.
Cheaping out on the display right now, but I plan to get a nice 1440p within the next 6 months or so.
I also already have Windows 8.1 ready to go so no need to purchase it.
I live in a state wherein an online purchaser must pay ~10% sales taxes. Add 10% to your calculations. If it is coming from Amazon, I have a Prime membership, which usually overrides the slightly lower prices sometimes found elsewhere.
Here's the challenge: Meet or exceed what this build can do for the same or less money. I simply cannot go over $1200 USD.
CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1230 V3 3.3GHz Quad-Core
Motherboard: Asus H87I-PLUS Mini ITX LGA1150
Memory: PNY XLR8 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 CAS 9
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" SSD
Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB (Mini-ITX form factor)
Case: Azza Z Mini-ITX Tower
Power Supply: Corsair 430W ATX12V
Monitor: Acer S220HQLAbd 21.5"
This is a Mini-ITX build. I decided to go with this because of the limited space I have. I really don't want a full tower.
I decided to go with the Xeon CPU because it has Hyper Threading (this system not JUST for gaming), higher heat tolerances (mini-ITX = less space in case), and is much cheaper than an i7. It also posts better overall benchmarks than an i5-4690k (non-OC'ed) and is the closest match as far as benchmarks go to the CPU in my current laptop that I am getting rid of. In my case, I must match or exceed the i7-4850HQ. I have seen quite a bit of info on this CPU that suggests I will not suffer in gaming.
Since I won't be overclocking (the CPU is locked and I can't afford any more heat or a bigger cooler anyway), I went with this H87 mobo. It's cheap and has the minimum features I want and will actually use. This build will never be SLI'ed so why buy more when less will do just fine for years to come?
I chose 8GB of RAM for now. I decided on one stick so I can upgrade later outside the constraints of my immediate budget.
SSD for Windows and whatever games I'm playing often and online. BF4 -Yes. Mass Effect 1 - No need to put it on there.
HDD for everything else.
The case simply works and is cheap. I like the way it looks and it meets my requirements.
PSU is 80+ Bronze certified, semi-modular, and total power draw for the system under load is only about 300 watts. Gigabyte recommends a 400 watt PSU for this version of the GTX 970. 430 seems sufficient.
GTX 970. I don't think I need to explain why no other card really makes much sense right now when weighing price vs performance and gaming into the future.
Cheaping out on the display right now, but I plan to get a nice 1440p within the next 6 months or so.
I also already have Windows 8.1 ready to go so no need to purchase it.
I live in a state wherein an online purchaser must pay ~10% sales taxes. Add 10% to your calculations. If it is coming from Amazon, I have a Prime membership, which usually overrides the slightly lower prices sometimes found elsewhere.
Here's the challenge: Meet or exceed what this build can do for the same or less money. I simply cannot go over $1200 USD.
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