Gaming Build ($900)

[RoGuE1230]

I've been waiting for BF or CM deals to pick parts...I see some good deals

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Gaming mostly, otherwise just web browsing.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included? $900-$1000

3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
US, no Microcenters or Fry's near me.

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.
Well, everything, lol. Nothing is being reused. I'm open to Intel or AMD CPUs and Nvidia or AMD GPU. Past the essential parts, an aftermarket HSF and a DVD is all I need.


5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
None

6) Will you be overclocking?
No

7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
24" 1080p

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Immediately as sales come up over these next few days.

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.
Nothing special, onboard video is not required but would be welcome.

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
No

 

[octoberasian]

Intel Build: (Other people may find something better/cheaper.)
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($207.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87X-D3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($113.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($58.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 270X 2GB Video Card ($199.99 @ Amazon)
Case: BitFenix Merc Alpha (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Rosewill Capstone 550W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($78.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit - OEM (64-bit) ($99.98 @ OutletPC)
Keyboard: Microsoft Desktop 400 Wired Standard Keyboard w/Optical Mouse ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1031.82
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-28 11:45 EST-0500)

AMD Build:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($129.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($94.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($58.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 270X 2GB Video Card ($199.99 @ Amazon)
Case: BitFenix Merc Alpha (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Rosewill Capstone 550W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($63.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit - OEM (64-bit) ($99.98 @ OutletPC)
Keyboard: Microsoft Desktop 400 Wired Standard Keyboard w/Optical Mouse ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $919.83
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-28 12:10 EST-0500)

 

[RoGuE1230]

Thank you for the suggestion. If you guys don't mind telling me about some parts I have picked out so far. I have not purchased anything yet, and I am listing the after rebate prices. I realize the risk of rebates but it is just easier to list this way:

XFX P1-650X-XXB9 650W ($45 AR)

G.SKILL Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) Desktop Memory ($53)

Asus GTX670-DC2OG-2GD5 GeForce GTX 670 Graphic Card - 980 MHz Core - 2 GB GDDR5 ($199 AR)

Is the 670 a good option at this price?

Corsair Carbide Series 500R ($64.99 AR)


As for the processor and motherboard:

Intel Core i5-4670K ($219)
ASUS Z87-A LGA 1150 ($95 AR)

Is the processor/motherboard and GPU a strong enough selection to last for a few years?

 

[octoberasian]

Thank you for the suggestion. If you guys don't mind telling me about some parts I have picked out so far. I have not purchased anything yet, and I am listing the after rebate prices. I realize the risk of rebates but it is just easier to list this way:

XFX P1-650X-XXB9 650W ($45 AR)

G.SKILL Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) Desktop Memory ($53)

Asus GTX670-DC2OG-2GD5 GeForce GTX 670 Graphic Card - 980 MHz Core - 2 GB GDDR5 ($199 AR)

Is the 670 a good option at this price?

Corsair Carbide Series 500R ($64.99 AR)


As for the processor and motherboard:

Intel Core i5-4670K ($219)
ASUS Z87-A LGA 1150 ($95 AR)

Is the processor/motherboard and GPU a strong enough selection to last for a few years?

First off, the processor should last a good 3 to 5 years given that software hasn't quite caught up to hardware advancements. And, a lot of gaming nowadays on PC will need a good video card as games get more demanding. The next processor upgrade would be Skylake in 2015 so that's a long ways away, and will require a new socket and new memory (DDR4).

The 4670K is a good processor, this is the K-version so it's overclockable. However, that combo of board and processor is cheaper than what I can find online. The board seems decent enough for just what you want to do.

The 670 is roughly around a Radeon 7970 and slightly faster in some benchmarks, and vice-versa for the 7970. The R9-280X would be slightly faster since it's a slightly downclocked (lower clocked) Radeon 7970 GHz Edition, but $100 more.

It is a very good card, nonetheless. The next card up is the 770 from Nvidia, but that's another $150 to $200 more.

If you're only going to play at 1080p resolution, the Geforce 670 will more than suffice.

 

[Dangman]

Thank you for the suggestion. If you guys don't mind telling me about some parts I have picked out so far. I have not purchased anything yet, and I am listing the after rebate prices. I realize the risk of rebates but it is just easier to list this way:

How is it easier? You're still making me have to go look up their real pricing so that I can actually help you.

XFX P1-650X-XXB9 650W ($45 AR)?

At $75 shipped, this isn't a bad buy. However, the main caveat is that XFX's support hasn't been all that great lately

G.SKILL Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) Desktop Memory ($53)

At 1.6V, it's higher than Intel's recommended 1.5V for Intel CPUs. Now while other people have used 1.65V RAM with their Intel CPUs just fine, not enough of them has done it nor has Intel actually come out and say that's ok. As such, I'd rather err on the side of caution and recommend against that RAM for an Intel setup. For an AMD setup, it's fine.

Asus GTX670-DC2OG-2GD5 GeForce GTX 670 Graphic Card - 980 MHz Core - 2 GB GDDR5 ($199 AR)

AT $250, it's an ok card for the price. If you plan on playing BF4, you might want to go AMD instead since BF4 will be the first game to support AMD's Mantle API. That means for BF4, the AMD card will provide even better performance.

As for the processor and motherboard:

Intel Core i5-4670K ($219)
ASUS Z87-A LGA 1150 ($95 AR)

Is the processor/motherboard and GPU a strong enough selection to last for a few years?

As octoberasian said, yes. Buuuuuuutt....

That motherboard is currently on sale at $125 ($20 less than normal) but since you're not overclocking, that motherboard is still overkill for your needs. You'll be fine with this MSI:
$101 - MSI Z87-G41 PC MATE Intel Z87 ATX Motherboard

The 4670K is also not a good choice if you're not overclocking since the Core i5 4570 is still $20 less. In other words, the 4670K and the Asus are only worth it if you're overclocking:
$200 - Intel Core i5-4570 CPU

Also, for the case in both of the builds that octoberasian listed, I don't recommend that case on account of the rather limited space behind the motherboard for cable management. I recommend gettting the Corsair 200R instead as it has more space for cable management, actual support for SSDs, and an extra fan for better cooling. Not bad for only $10 more:
$60 - Corsair Carbide Series 200R ATX Case

 

[octoberasian]

How is it easier? You're still making me have to go look up their real pricing so that I can actually help you.

At $75 shipped, this isn't a bad buy. However, the main caveat is that XFX's support hasn't been all that great lately


At 1.6V, it's higher than Intel's recommended 1.5V for Intel CPUs. Now while other people have used 1.65V RAM with their Intel CPUs just fine, not enough of them has done it nor has Intel actually come out and say that's ok. As such, I'd rather err on the side of caution and recommend against that RAM for an Intel setup. For an AMD setup, it's fine.


AT $250, it's an ok card for the price. If you plan on playing BF4, you might want to go AMD instead since BF4 will be the first game to support AMD's Mantle API. That means for BF4, the AMD card will provide even better performance.

As octoberasian said, yes. Buuuuuuutt....

That motherboard is currently on sale at $125 ($20 less than normal) but since you're not overclocking, that motherboard is still overkill for your needs. You'll be fine with this MSI:
$101 - MSI Z87-G41 PC MATE Intel Z87 ATX Motherboard

The 4670K is also not a good choice if you're not overclocking since the Core i5 4570 is still $20 less. In other words, the 4670K and the Asus are only worth it if you're overclocking:
$200 - Intel Core i5-4570 CPU

Also, for the case in both of the builds that octoberasian listed, I don't recommend that case on account of the rather limited space behind the motherboard for cable management. I recommend gettting the Corsair 200R instead as it has more space for cable management, actual support for SSDs, and an extra fan for better cooling. Not bad for only $10 more:
$60 - Corsair Carbide Series 200R ATX Case

Your suggestions work pretty well:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4570 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($194.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI Z87-G41 PC Mate ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($94.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($58.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 270X 2GB Video Card ($199.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Rosewill Capstone 550W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($63.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit - OEM (64-bit) ($99.98 @ OutletPC)
Keyboard: Microsoft Desktop 400 Wired Standard Keyboard w/Optical Mouse ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $984.83
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-28 15:22 EST-0500)

That's with the R9-270X.

If I add the R9-280X, comes to $1075:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4570 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($194.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI Z87-G41 PC Mate ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($94.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($58.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 280X 3GB Video Card ($290.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Rosewill Capstone 550W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($63.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit - OEM (64-bit) ($99.98 @ OutletPC)
Keyboard: Microsoft Desktop 400 Wired Standard Keyboard w/Optical Mouse ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1075.82
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-28 15:24 EST-0500)

 

[RoGuE1230]

Thanks again for the suggestions. This build is actually for a friend. He wanted me to ask on here about parts and also have some input on his own. Here's where we are at so far:

Corsair 500R ($99/$60 AR)
Asus Z87-A ($120/$95 AR)
I5-4670K ($210)
XFX 650W PSU ($75/$45 AR)

Saw some new deals on Newegg this morning:
G.SKILL Ares Series 8GB ($52.99)
Windows 8.1 ($80)

So far running total is $637/$543AR

How is this looking so far?

All that is left is the hard drives. I suggested to him a small SSD for the OS (maybe around 80GB?) and a 1-2TB mechanical for all the games. THe SSD market has so many items it is hard to tell what is good and for a good prices. Same for the mechanicals really. Last one I bought was a Samsung F3 1TB so it's been a while since I looked at those.

 

[Dangman]

Thanks again for the suggestions. This build is actually for a friend. He wanted me to ask on here about parts and also have some input on his own. Here's where we are at so far:

Corsair 500R ($99/$60 AR)
Asus Z87-A ($120/$95 AR)
I5-4670K ($210)
XFX 650W PSU ($75/$45 AR)

Saw some new deals on Newegg this morning:
G.SKILL Ares Series 8GB ($52.99)
Windows 8.1 ($80)

So far running total is $637/$543AR

How is this looking so far?

...Same thing I said earlier applies.

All that is left is the hard drives. I suggested to him a small SSD for the OS (maybe around 80GB?) and a 1-2TB mechanical for all the games. THe SSD market has so many items it is hard to tell what is good and for a good prices. Same for the mechanicals really. Last one I bought was a Samsung F3 1TB so it's been a while since I looked at those.

SSDs smaller than 120GB tend to be overpriced, outperformed, or just outdated. Go for the Samsung SSD that Octoberasian listed. As for hard drive, I recommend this Seagate:
$62 - Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s Hard Drive

 

[RoGuE1230]

...Same thing I said earlier applies.


SSDs smaller than 120GB tend to be overpriced, outperformed, or just outdated. Go for the Samsung SSD that Octoberasian listed. As for hard drive, I recommend this Seagate:
$62 - Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s Hard Drive

Some of the circumstances changed from what you had said in an earlier post. My friend decided he might want to try some overclocking in the future, so since the 4670K dropped to only $210, for the small difference in price from the non K version this seemed to be a better buy. I've had bad experiences with MSI boards in the past, and trust Asus a little more. The PSU, I have the earlier "Black Edition" version in my current build and it's been great, even if XFX support is now lacking.

As far as the Seagate HDD, is Seagate a reliable band overall now? A couple of years ago there seemed to be a lot of problems with them. Also, what would you recommend for a 2TB drive?

 

[Dangman]

Some of the circumstances changed from what you had said in an earlier post. My friend decided he might want to try some overclocking in the future, so since the 4670K dropped to only $210, for the small difference in price from the non K version this seemed to be a better buy. I've had bad experiences with MSI boards in the past, and trust Asus a little more. The PSU, I have the earlier "Black Edition" version in my current build and it's been great, even if XFX support is now lacking.

Fair enough. Now get a 3rd party HSF to overclock. I recommend the COolermaster Hyper 212+ Evo.

As far as the Seagate HDD, is Seagate a reliable band overall now? A couple of years ago there seemed to be a lot of problems with them. Also, what would you recommend for a 2TB drive?

Seagate is a reliable brand these days. Note that Seagate bought Samsung's HDD division a few years back. I recommend this Seagate 2TB:
$86 - Seagate Barracuda ST2000DM001 2TB 7200RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s Hard Drive