~$1500 Gaming Build

[Scionyde]

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Mostly gaming, with the usual web browsing
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
Money isn't a huge issue, but I'd rather not spend more than ~$1500.
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.

I live near Boston, MA.
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
I think I've picked out a build, but since it's my first time, I'd love suggestions.
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
I'll probably be re-using a monitor/keyboard I have around the house, but that's it.
6) Will you be overclocking?
Not right away, but I'd like to have the option to try it in the near future
7) 7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
I think it's 1080p, I don't remember the size offhand
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Quite a few of the deals in this build expire in about a week or so
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video (as a backup or main GPU)? UEFI? etc.
Admittedly, motherboard knowledge is one area I'm lacking...I picked a mobo that was part of a sale, that's had reasonably good reviews and doesn't seem low-end.
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
I'll probably be purchasing a copy of 64bit Windows 7



This will be my first computer build. I've spent a few weeks reading and watching videos, and I think I'm near the point where I'm going to pull the trigger. I mainly just want to make sure I haven't picked any obviously stupid components. My most pressing concerns about my current build is whether the HDD I picked is a little *too* cheap, even if the user reviews don't look too bad. Also, picking a motherboard is something I probably need more research on, but the current Newegg sale for the i5-4670k/MSI Z87 G-45 mobo seems pretty good, making it just as cheap as if I bought it from Microcenter. Also, it seems like a decent board from user reviews.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($239.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: MSI Z87-G45 Gaming ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Plextor M5S Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($86.99 @ Microcenter)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($85.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($653.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill THOR V2 ATX Full Tower Case ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Professional 750W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1541.86
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-22 11:50 EDT-0400)

I'd love to hear any and all suggestions

 

[tiraides]

Find out the brand and model of your monitor. That determines whether or not you really need a GTX 780.

Since you can reach Micro Center, go there and pick up the following:

$310 - Intel Core i5 4670K and Asus Z87-A combo
$30 - Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO
$58 - Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB DDR3 1600 DIMM

Micro Center's in-store motherboard-and-processor bundles are considerably better than NewEgg's. The comparative savings allow you to add a third-party CPU cooler like the oft-lauded Hyper 212 EVO and give you the ability to overclock right away.

I switched out the RAM because the Crucial Ballistix DIMM is cheaper and the fins on the Corsair Vengeance heatspreaders will interfere with the placement of the CPU cooler.

Do you really need a full tower case? Here are a couple of (IMO) better mid-towers that are on sale this weekend:

$70 - Corsair 300R (includes $20 instant discount promo code EMCXPWM42, expires 6/24)
$95 - Corsair 500R (includes $25 instant discount promo code EMCYTZT3648, expires 6/22 11:59 PM PST)

Both cases are also larger than the average ATX mid-tower case.

The Seagate HDD is also on sale this weekend:

$80 - Seagate Barracuda ST2000DM001 2TB HDD (includes $20 instant discount promo code EMCYTZT3649, expires 6/23)

 

[Scionyde]

Find out the brand and model of your monitor. That determines whether or not you really need a GTX 780.

Since you can reach Micro Center, go there and pick up the following:

$310 - Intel Core i5 4670K and Asus Z87-A combo
$30 - Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO
$58 - Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB DDR3 1600 DIMM

Micro Center's in-store motherboard-and-processor bundles are considerably better than NewEgg's. The comparative savings allow you to add a third-party CPU cooler like the oft-lauded Hyper 212 EVO and give you the ability to overclock right away.

I switched out the RAM because the Crucial Ballistix DIMM is cheaper and the fins on the Corsair Vengeance heatspreaders will interfere with the placement of the CPU cooler.

Do you really need a full tower case? Here are a couple of (IMO) better mid-towers that are on sale this weekend:

$70 - Corsair 300R (includes $20 instant discount promo code EMCXPWM42, expires 6/24)
$95 - Corsair 500R (includes $25 instant discount promo code EMCYTZT3648, expires 6/22 11:59 PM PST)

Both cases are also larger than the average ATX mid-tower case.

The Seagate HDD is also on sale this weekend:

$80 - Seagate Barracuda ST2000DM001 2TB HDD (includes $20 instant discount promo code EMCYTZT3649, expires 6/23)

Thanks for the response! And that's a good point about the monitor, I hadn't really thought it about it too much. Currently, I have this old, cheap as hell Viewsonic 1280 x 1024 monitor, but I was planning to buy a new monitor within a couple months. What's the minimum resolution I would need to make a 780 worth it? If it's too pricey, maybe a cheaper card is a good idea.

In your opinion, is the ASUS Z87-A better than the MSI Z87 G45? Because with the current Newegg deal, the MSI is 10 bucks cheaper (once taxes are applied to the former). The current deal on Newegg has the CPU and mobo for $320

I suppose saving a couple bucks on the RAM isn't a bad idea. However, what did you mean about interference? Would the fan itself obstruct the placement of the RAM, or does it get in the way of the cabling or air flow? When I was looking at PC Part Picker, I found a few pictures of builds that used the same CPU cooler and Corsair Vengeance RAM and they seemed to fit together.

Well, I'm not gonna lie, I was sort of dazzled by the Thor full-tower case, and the $150 -> $100 price cut. Do you think I would have trouble with the cables with a full tower case? The price of those mid-tower cases seem somewhat comparable - what else do you find better about those cases?

Also, good catch on the Seagate HDD sale! It's weird, I went to the Newegg page for that product (which was the same one I was planning to buy on NCIX), but I saw no mention of the promo code anywhere. But I added it to the cart and tried the code, and it worked!

Thanks again for your helpful response!

 

[Dangman]

Thanks for the response! And that's a good point about the monitor, I hadn't really thought it about it too much. Currently, I have this old, cheap as hell Viewsonic 1280 x 1024 monitor, but I was planning to buy a new monitor within a couple months. What's the minimum resolution I would need to make a 780 worth it? If it's too pricey, maybe a cheaper card is a good idea.

1920x1080 is the minimum resolution to justify the GTX 780. You could always just buy a new monitor now along with a GTX 770. Costs a bit more but at least it makes more sense than buying a GTX 780 and wasting it on a 1280x1024 monitor. I recommend this monitor upgrade:
$150 - Asus VH238H Black 23" LCD Monitor

In your opinion, is the ASUS Z87-A better than the MSI Z87 G45? Because with the current Newegg deal, the MSI is 10 bucks cheaper (once taxes are applied to the former). The current deal on Newegg has the CPU and mobo for $320

AFAIK, there haven't been any reviews directly comparing them. But the MSI does appear to be a better motherboard. Are you sure that MSI is $10 cheaper? Remember that Microcenter knocks off $40 off the cost of that Asus motherboard if you buy it together with the Core i7 4670K. Are you really paying $50 in taxes?

I suppose saving a couple bucks on the RAM isn't a bad idea. However, what did you mean about interference? Would the fan itself obstruct the placement of the RAM, or does it get in the way of the cabling or air flow? When I was looking at PC Part Picker, I found a few pictures of builds that used the same CPU cooler and Corsair Vengeance RAM and they seemed to fit together.

Other way around: The RAM will obstruct placement of the fan as well as most 3rd party air cooling heatsinks like the Coolermaster Hyper 212+

Well, I'm not gonna lie, I was sort of dazzled by the Thor full-tower case, and the $150 -> $100 price cut. Do you think I would have trouble with the cables with a full tower case? The price of those mid-tower cases seem somewhat comparable - what else do you find better about those cases?

More than likely better quality. It seems a tad fishy that the Thor V2 is $130 for a full ATX case when other companies and their full ATX cases costs significantly more. A for cables, yes you may have some cable issues with a full ATX case.

 

[Hagrid]

I would go with at least a 256gb SSD.

 

[tonyftw]

I would go with at least a 256gb SSD.

128gb ssd is perfectly fine to use as a boot drive. The i5 combo, tiraides posted, is one I would seriously look into.

Just a heads up, only buy the gtx 780 if you have at least a 1080p monitor. Other than that, you did a good job . When building "gaming" computers, you always want to reserve a good chunk (if not most) of your budget on the video card.

 

[Scionyde]

Thanks for the responses, guys!

@Danny Bui:
-Hmm, that does seem like a pretty good monitor. Nice 2 ms response time - I haven't done much research into monitors yet, but I think I remember reading that people generally prefer under 5 ms, correct? My financial constraints for this build are entirely self-caused, to draw a line in the sand *somewhere* so I don't go crazy. I definitely plan on buying a monitor once my I can be sure my guilt isn't a problem, haha.
-Well, I *do* live in Taxachusetts, But yeah - Microcenter sells the CPU for 200, and the MSI Z87 G45 motherboard for 100 (originally $140, but $40 off for buying it with the CPU). But then on top of that, I need to pay around $20 in taxes. Newegg is usually a lot more expensive, but this morning, I noticed they're offering bundle sales on Haswell CPU's with one of four motherboards, the cheapest of which is the MSI. Buying them together knocks off $80. In the end, it's Microcenter's $318.73 vs. Newegg's $319.98. I'd rather just have it shipped to me by Newegg than drive the two hours round trip. xD
-Fair enough, I suppose it's best to play it safe and find a ram that isn't as obstructive.
-As much as I'll miss the black and red aesthetic to match the MSI motherboard, it is probably a better idea to go for Mid ATX case. And I suppose it *should* be easier for me to save a few bucks going for it instead of full ATX.

@Hagrid: Hehe, yeah I posted my build in another forum, and that's another suggestion I've gotten a couple times. I'm getting more and more tempted to go for it and be even more lenient with surpassing the budget I set for myself, lol. I'll be sure to do my own research as well, but any suggestions?

@tonyftw: Thanks! But yeah, the 128 vs 256 GB battle is raging fiercely in my head...having it as a boot drive is a priority for me, but I would like to put a few of my favorite games on there as well. But I think I need to check whether I can have Steam and games split between two different drives. Hmm...

 

[tiraides]

You're better off buying as large of an SSD as you can afford. Fortunately, you can find a decent 240-to-250GB SSD for under $200 right now.

Additionally, you're better served by grabbing a GTX 770 instead of the GTX 780 if the former allows you to buy a new monitor at the same time. The GTX 770 is essentially a cheaper, rebranded GTX 680, so you'll be able to play all of today's games with little trouble.

Those Corsair cases I referenced are larger in volume than most cheaper ATX mid-tower cases. You should have no problem fitting your parts into one of them.

 

[tonyftw]

I use something called "steamtool", to transfer steam games from my ssd to my hdd. But if you decide to buy a bigger ssd, just look around or wait for a deal.

You are set and ready to go, in my opinion.

 

[Scionyde]

Awesome. Yeah, I think I will go for a larger SSD. I'll be putting my OS onto it, so I'd probably want to avoid the hassle of replacing a small SSD for a large one later on.

Steamtool, eh? I'll definitely look into that.

Thanks, guys!