First build - c. $1000 Gaming Computer

altasilvapuer

Reputable
Jan 4, 2015
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4,510
Approximate Purchase Date: Mid-February; I'm aiming to nab President's Day Sales, if there are any, or something similar.

Budget Range: $1000-1200; flexible

System Usage: Current/Recent games (Skyrim, Civ 5, etc), Legacy Games (Infinity Engine RPGs, etc), Movie streaming, Photoshop (usually very large files)

Parts Not Required
Components:
Peripherals:

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Amazon and Newegg, primarily, but I'm open to others that are well-recommended

Country/Region: Southeast USA

Parts Preference:
Below are my initial thoughts for the build. I'm open to comments, criticisms, and suggestions.

Overclocking: I'm not currently interested in it, but I'm not opposed to the option provided it doesn't increase initial cost too much.

SLI/Crossfire: I'm not planning it right out of the gate, but this is an upgrade I had considered later this year or sometime next year, so the option would be nice.

Monitor Resolution: Single: 1920x1080 / Double**: 1920x2160 or 3840x1080

Additional Comments:
*The HDD, Memory, and Fan are all parts salvaged from a computer damaged in shipping, essentially. There is no visible, discernible damage, but I don't have a reliable way of testing them, yet. I'm currently looking into backup options, just in case. I also thought I had at least one or two more parts that I salvaged, but I'm not sure what I did with them. Still looking.
**I already have one of these monitors, but I'm seriously considering the addition of a second one later this year or sometime the following year. Likely the same model as I'm really impressed with this one, so far.
*** My research on power supplies is about 2 years old, from when I originally decided to start planning a build. This wattage is also reflective of the (incomplete) build I had had planned out at the time. Life intervened, and I postponed it; I should be updating said research this week or so, but I'd love to hear suggestions from you guys on both wattage and make/model, if you have any.

Essentially, my long-term goal for this build is to have a solid base for upgrading my way into StarCitizen when it's more fully released.

My short-term plan was to build a system that can handle up to just above a mid-to-high graphics load in Skyrim / Civilzation V / similar today while leaving myself room to upgrade over the course of the next 2ish years in preparation for StarCitizen.

Does anyone have any helpful thoughts or criticisms on what I have so far?

-altasilvapuer
 
Overclock as you please. The 750w PSU below is sized for you to add a second GTX 970 later if you decide you need more graphics muscle. 1000w is waaaaaay too much for a potential dual GPU setup.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($34.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (Purchased For $0.00)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($109.00 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1.5TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (Purchased For $0.00)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB WINDFORCE 3X Video Card ($329.00 @ NCIX US)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX TS 750W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($94.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1024.94