New GAMING PC Build Advice

Linkz · Aug 1, 2013

1) What will you be doing with this PC?
Gaming

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
$1200 out the door

3) Which country do you live in?
Orlando, FL

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget?
CPU
GPU
RAM
DVD Drive
Heat Sink
Power Supply
SSD (256 GB)
Mother Board

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing?
No

6) Will you be overclocking?
No

7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
1920 x 1080, 28"

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Within 1 month

9) What features do you need in a motherboard?
USB 3.0
Sata 6.0

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license?
Windows 7 Pro x64

I'll also need that 27-28 Monitor but that would not be included in the $1200 Budget
Also I want this case. So that is a factor in the budget. Let me know what ya'll think.

Dangman · Aug 1, 2013

Will you be needing a separate hard drive as well?

skiddierow · Aug 2, 2013

I dig the case. Just a heads up, you might need a female-A to 20-pin adapter for your front-side usb3.

I built two of these a few months ago, and neither the cases or boards brought the adapter.

fershnickety · Aug 2, 2013

Definitely agree with skiddierow's comment: great case, definitely need the adapter.

Threw together a Newegg wishlist on this:
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=22622472

Summary:
i5-4670, Corsair 600T, Samsung 840 (256 GB), WD Black 2TB HDD, 8GB Kingston DDR3 1600, Gigabyte Z87 Mobo, Corsair CX600M PSU, Lite-On DVD burner, Xigmatek Gaia CPU cooler, MSI Radeon 7950.

It does come to $1300, but I made a couple of expensive assumptions that could easily bring that number back down. An Ivy Bridge i5 and a Z77 mobo would save a few bucks. Buying either a 1TB WD or any Seagate or Toshiba HDD would save a lot of cash (I like the longer warranty on the WD Blacks, but that may be just me).

Linkz · Aug 2, 2013

Danny Bui said:
Will you be needing a separate hard drive as well?

Nah, I have a 256 SSD in a laptop that I'm selling and I have plenty of space left. I'll add it later if I really need it.

skiddierow said:
I dig the case. Just a heads up, you might need a female-A to 20-pin adapter for your front-side usb3.

I built two of these a few months ago, and neither the cases or boards brought the adapter.

Thanks for the heads up!

fershnickety said:
Definitely agree with skiddierow's comment: great case, definitely need the adapter.

Threw together a Newegg wishlist on this:
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=22622472

I like the build, anyone have any tweaks to it? Also why ATI vs nVidia on the card, I'm normally a nVidia card guy. Also anyone have any links on a good deal for a 27-28 inch monitor.

Linkz · Aug 2, 2013

fershnickety · Aug 2, 2013

Linkz said:
Also why ATI vs nVidia on the card, I'm normally a nVidia card guy. Also anyone have any links on a good deal for a 27-28 inch monitor.

ATI is, at this point, mostly habit for me. (Also, I run 3 monitors which had been ATI only until the last year or so). In all honesty, the GTX 760 for a similar price is as good or better than the 7950 in most respects.

Monitors:
I've had a Samsung like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001802 for a couple of years -- it's been nice for a TN panel.
I'd probably pick up one of these, though: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824260110 -- same price, but an IPS monitor, and Dell monitors have been good to me.
([Edit] -- I will note that gaming is probably better on a TN panel, as the screen usually refreshes faster. It's as big a difference as it used to be, but still a factor. Also, that Samsung or one similar is usually available for less at Costco.)

Dangman · Aug 2, 2013

Linkz said:
Build list

Personally not a fan of that Coolermaster case since it's a tad cramped for what it is.

The CPU is overpriced for what it is. Not to mention that you're not taking advantage of Newegg's CPU + mobo combo deals:
$297 - Intel Core i5-4570 CPU + MZI Z87-G43 Intel Z87 Motherboard Combo

No you won't notice a difference between the 4570 and the 4670.

The CX750M PSU is not a good choice for a few reasons:
- Its quality and performance is lesser than the similarily priced regular TX750
- Only a handful of its cables are actually modular and you'll end up using those modular cables anyway for the GPU
- You don't need a 750W PSU at all considering that you're not overclocking nor have mentioned any plans for SLI. For your needs, the significantly higher quality Seasonic 550W is your best bet:
$80 - Seasonic G Series SSR-550RM 550W Modular PSU

Linkz · Aug 2, 2013

Dangman · Aug 2, 2013

I don't think you need that thermal paste since the stock thermal paste is good enough.

I recommend this RAM instead since it gives more room for RAM upgrades should your needs change in the future.
$59 - Crucial BLS8G3D1609ES2LX0 8GB DDR3 1600 RAM

The video card is an ok choice. It's a tad overpriced IMO though. Not to mention, probably a bit overkill for your resolution unless you're planning using all of the HD texture packs for Skyrim. You would be fine with the $260 GTX 760 2GB for the foreseeable future.

The Corsair case you originally chose is a solid choice. Though if you want to save money:
$90 - Fractal Design Define R4 Arctic White ATX Case
$105 - Corsair Carbide Series 500R ATX Case

With that said, do you really have to have white? The Black version of the Corsair case you linked in your OP is on sale now for a fantastic price:
$115 - Corsair Graphite Series 600TM ATX Case

New GAMING PC Build Advice

Linkz

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Dangman

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skiddierow

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Linkz

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fershnickety

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Linkz

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