I'm looking to build a Gaming/Streaming PC for $1,000-1,500 - Please help!

[ineffected]

Hi all -

I'm looking to build a gaming PC to possibly stream with on occasion for $1,000 - $1,500

I know next to nothing about building PCs, I'll have it taken into a shop to be assembled, just in case.

I already have a monitor, keyboard and mouse - I have windows 7 but can't find my disc/case anywhere, though if worse comes to worst I'll pick up a fresh copy.

I'll need essentially everything else, any help is greatly appreciated, I know you folks have got to be busy with tax return season here, but thanks for your time!

 

[SithElement]

I don't know if you prefer AMD or Intel but here are two solid builds for both.

Intel - http://pcpartpicker.com/user/-Murch-/saved/nwHbt6

AMD - http://pcpartpicker.com/user/-Murch-/saved/VgKxFT

You can of course lower the prices by changes a few things but both of these will do exactly what you want them to.

 

[yumri]

SithElement's build are very solid builds both of them just another thing to take into account is internet upload speed as your downloads might be blazing fast but if your upload speeds suck then you will not get much over 460p at 10fps even with a state of the art build as that is a bigger factor now that our computers and the software(s) to be used are getting better.
To this i will recommend a upload speed up at least 1Mbps so you can have a smooth stream of 720p @ 60fps without any breaks and/or pauses in it maybe going to 1080p at 30fps but if you are getting 60fps in it why make your viewers only see it at 30fps ?

 

[ineffected]

I don't know if you prefer AMD or Intel but here are two solid builds for both.

Intel - http://pcpartpicker.com/user/-Murch-/saved/nwHbt6

AMD - http://pcpartpicker.com/user/-Murch-/saved/VgKxFT

You can of course lower the prices by changes a few things but both of these will do exactly what you want them to.

Is there any real pro or con to going with one or the other?

 

[ZeroGravity780]

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/9NGwK8
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/9NGwK8/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($324.98 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD3H-BK ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($126.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($66.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($87.59 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card ($344.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT Phantom (White) ATX Full Tower Case ($105.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($19.75 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1378.20
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-12 11:21 EST-0500

You can even buy a mid tower to save money

 

[shortstuff_mt]

ZeroGravity780's build is good for the price. The Intel build by SithElement above should be avoided. It uses a CPU that is two generations old and an outdated motherboard chipset to go with it. At this price range there really isn't any good reason to consider an AMD build since the Intel system will perform much better.

 

[ineffected]

Is there any reason to go with 8 gigs of ram instead of 16 like the first build has or does it just not really matter?

 

[logainofhades]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($326.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright TRUE Spirit 140 POWER 73.6 CFM CPU Cooler ($54.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI Z97-GAMING 5 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($146.88 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Kingston Fury Black Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($133.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($101.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.24 @ Directron)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card ($349.99 @ B&H)
Case: NZXT Source 530 ATX Full Tower Case ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($100.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer ($14.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit (OEM) (64-bit) ($92.00 @ B&H)
Total: $1465.03
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-12 13:04 EST-0500

 

[ineffected]

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/9NGwK8
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/9NGwK8/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($324.98 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD3H-BK ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($126.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($66.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($87.59 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card ($344.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT Phantom (White) ATX Full Tower Case ($105.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($19.75 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1378.20
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-12 11:21 EST-0500

You can even buy a mid tower to save money

It says "The G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory operating voltage of 1.65V exceeds the Intel Haswell Refresh CPU recommended maximum of 1.5V+5% (1.575V). This memory module may run at a reduced clock rate to meet the 1.5V voltage recommendation, or may require running at a voltage greater than the Intel recommended maximum." at the bottom - is that an issue?

 

[Bossyfins]

This build is a little overkill, but it is just above 1500.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($324.98 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($74.69 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-Gaming 3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($125.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($125.88 @ OutletPC)
Storage: A-Data Premier Pro SP600 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($99.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 980 4GB WINDFORCE 3X Video Card ($552.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master N400 ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: XFX XTR 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($66.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1511.46
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-12 15:36 EST-0500

 

[ZeroGravity780]

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/9NGwK8
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/9NGwK8/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($324.98 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD3H-BK ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($126.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($66.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($87.59 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card ($344.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT Phantom (White) ATX Full Tower Case ($105.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($19.75 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1378.20
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-12 11:21 EST-0500

You can even buy a mid tower to save money

It says "The G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory operating voltage of 1.65V exceeds the Intel Haswell Refresh CPU recommended maximum of 1.5V+5% (1.575V). This memory module may run at a reduced clock rate to meet the 1.5V voltage recommendation, or may require running at a voltage greater than the Intel recommended maximum." at the bottom - is that an issue?

I cant say ive ever known anyone to have an issue with this and i also dont have an in-depth knowledge in that department, but id say that its not an issue. You could get kingston hyper fury x 1600 mhz, its what i have with that cpu and ive never had any voltage issues.

and do not buy a 980 its price per performance isnt worth it compared to how cheap the 970 is.

 

[TofuLion]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.95 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($89.99 @ Mwave)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($137.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($74.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($74.98 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 980 4GB WINDFORCE 3X Video Card ($552.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 230T Windowed-BLUE ATX Mid Tower Case ($80.25 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: Rosewill Capstone 750W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1411.10
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-12 15:59 EST-0500

 

[ZeroGravity780]

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/cHDKdC
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/cHDKdC/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.89 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD3H-BK ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($126.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Kingston Fury Black Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($71.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($87.59 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card ($329.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($42.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($93.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($19.75 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($88.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1163.12
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-12 16:09 EST-0500


I reposted with the ram i suggested if you would rather have different ram

 

[yumri]

I don't know if you prefer AMD or Intel but here are two solid builds for both.

Intel - http://pcpartpicker.com/user/-Murch-/saved/nwHbt6

AMD - http://pcpartpicker.com/user/-Murch-/saved/VgKxFT

You can of course lower the prices by changes a few things but both of these will do exactly what you want them to.

Is there any real pro or con to going with one or the other?

there is no difference in performance between then in games though the AMD one has a bigger SSD so if you have more games you might want that while the Intel one has a bigger HDD so if you are with more data files you might that too. But if all the games are installed onto the HDD then there will be no performance difference same with if all the games are installed onto the SSD. I will personally go with the bigger SSD because of games only getting bigger and bigger with more and more time. To this if you can afford it get a separate SSD for the in case your having to switch computers either for ugprade and/or this one just breaks for whatever reason but also it will speed it up too.

 

[logainofhades]

The Intel rig will game better than the AMD one. In some titles, FX 83xx loses to an i3 4xxx, because of FX's horrible single threaded performance. AMD's new arch cannot get here soon enough. They need it badly. The design, that AMD started with Faildozer, was not a good one. AMD realized this, and is starting from scratch. Here is a non overclocking, but SLI capable, system, with i7 class performance. Added some additional storage as well.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($242.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper TX3 54.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($17.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-E ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($99.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Kingston Fury Black Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($104.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($87.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card ($347.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT Source 530 ATX Full Tower Case ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($104.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer ($14.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit (OEM) (64-bit) ($92.00 @ B&H)
Total: $1333.89
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-19 09:59 EST-0500