Semi-Budget Gaming Rig Hardware

[MONST3R]

-- What your budget is (and whether it includes taxes, shipping charges, and/or other costs)
$1000-$1300

-- Which parts you need within that budget
Case
Mobo
RAM
Video Card
Hard Drive
SSD
CPU
Power Supply
Optical Drive

-- What the system is going to be used for
Gaming

-- All of the components that you already have and/or are planning on reusing
None

-- Which components you are considering getting (list out your components with model numbers/names along with links to the stores you're getting them from)

ASUS SABERTOOTH Z87 LGA 1150 Intel Z87 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131976

Intel Core i5-4430 Haswell 3.0GHz LGA 1150 84W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics BX80646I54430
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116895

GIGABYTE GV-N760OC-2GD REV2.0 GeForce GTX 760 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 HDCP Ready Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125466

G.SKILL Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) Desktop Memory Model F3-14900CL9D-8GBSR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231460

SAMSUNG 830 Series MZ-7PC128B/WW 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA0AT0UP5909

Western Digital WD AV-GP WD10EURX 1TB IntelliPower 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136941

COOLER MASTER HAF series RC-912-KKN1 Black SECC/ ABS Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119233

Seasonic SS-660XP2 ATX 12V/EPS 12V, 660W, 80 PLUS PLATINUM Full Modular certified Active PFC Power Supply New 4th Gen CPU Certified Haswell Ready
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151121&Tpk=seasonic platinum 660

ASUS 24X DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204

Windows 8

-- The question(s) you have -- or, the reason you made the thread in the first place
Hey all, just wanted to post the build plan I put together. I built a rig around 6 years ago, however I consider myself still a novice. I would really appreciate any input on the hardware selection. Thanks.

 

[onedestinazn2]

What games will you be playing and at what resolution? Do you live near a Fry's or microcenter?

Honestly from that list, I wouldn't pay so much for that motherboard if you're going with a non-overclocking cpu. Also, will you be overclocking?

 

[Deleted member 88227]

Terrible build all around really, not going to pick it apart yet as I have more questions you need to answer.

6) Will you be overclocking?
7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
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.
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?

 

[MONST3R]

What games will you be playing and at what resolution? Do you live near a Fry's or microcenter? Honestly from that list, I wouldn't pay so much for that motherboard if you're going with a non-overclocking cpu. Also, will you be overclocking?

I play quite a range of games, from FTL to Skyrim to Starcraft II. See below for answers to overclocking and resolution.

Terrible build all around really, not going to pick it apart yet as I have more questions you need to answer.

6) Will you be overclocking?
7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
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.
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?

Terrible? That seems a bit harsh, but what do I know.

6. Not right away, may toy with it in the future, I'm not too familiar/experienced in overclocking.
7. 1920 x 1080 5ms 23.8"
8. This week.
9. Little bit out of my league, I want a mobo that can support a graphics card, a ssd, a 1tb hard drive. I hope to add SLI later on but for now just single video card.
10. No, I went to play with Windows 8 today and I wasn't a huge fan, I am leaning towards Windows 7 64 bit.

Thanks for the help and appreciate any advice.

 

[Deleted member 88227]

Terrible? That seems a bit harsh, but what do I know.

Wasn't trying to be harsh, just letting you know.

1. You do not need that motherboard, it provides nothing that a much, much cheaper motherboard can provide.

2. The CPU is okay, since you aren't overclocking no need to get the "K" series, but you could get a little more CPU than that since you do not have to spend that much money on a motherboard.

3. With your resolution, the GPU you picked out is fine. No need at all to ever go SLI, I will go more in depth on this reason a little later.

4. You do not need RAM rated at that speed with Intel CPUs. They simply do not show enough performance, if any at all, with faster RAM than DDR3 1333. Since DDR3 1333 and DDR3 1600 is so close in price, we usually recommend DDR3 1600. You'll see more performance, though still not much, out of more RAM. At the very least, you could grow into 16GB of RAM. You'll never benefit from faster RAM with the current platform.

5. For not much more, go with the faster Samsung 840 Pro SSD.

6. For nearly the same price, you could get double the storage on that HDD. You'll benefit from more storage.

7. Not a huge fan of that case. Personal reasons mostly cosmetic.

8. You don't need that much PSU, 550W is more than enough.

9. If it's the cheapest DVD drive at the time of buying, buy it. Otherwise, go with which ever is cheaper.

6. Not right away, may toy with it in the future, I'm not too familiar/experienced in overclocking.
7. 1920 x 1080 5ms 23.8"
8. This week.
9. Little bit out of my league, I want a mobo that can support a graphics card, a ssd, a 1tb hard drive. I hope to add SLI later on but for now just single video card.
10. No, I went to play with Windows 8 today and I wasn't a huge fan, I am leaning towards Windows 7 64 bit.

Thanks for the help and appreciate any advice.

Well if you don't intend to overclock, then don't worry about it. You don't really need to anyway.

SLI. You're gaming at 1080P, you simply do not need more than one video card to handle that. Due to the complexity of adding a second card and dealing with drivers, it's generally not worth it unless you simply need more power due to extreme resoultions or multiple monitors. Additionally, if you aren't buying both cards right away it's almost never a good idea to buy the same, old generation card a year from now. By that time they'll have single cards that will most likely be faster than the SLI setup you'll buy, plus it will be new. You could buy used, but do you really want to waste money on something you'll have no warranty on? You see, I had the same thought process when I put my rig together back in 2010. I got a 470 GTX with intentions to buy a second video card later on. Guess what? 3 years later, still rocking a single 470 GTX. If I need to upgrade, it would be dump to invest anything into a 470 GTX when current cards are much faster and a lot, LOT more energy efficient. So unless you intend to SLI right now, don't plan to do it for "future proofing" or whatever the reason is behind it.

Thats fine, I'm not a fan of Windows 8 either. Now I have to ask, is the Windows 7 license part of the budget or not?

 

[MONST3R]

Wasn't trying to be harsh, just letting you know.

1. You do not need that motherboard, it provides nothing that a much, much cheaper motherboard can provide.

2. The CPU is okay, since you aren't overclocking no need to get the "K" series, but you could get a little more CPU than that since you do not have to spend that much money on a motherboard.

3. With your resolution, the GPU you picked out is fine. No need at all to ever go SLI, I will go more in depth on this reason a little later.

4. You do not need RAM rated at that speed with Intel CPUs. They simply do not show enough performance, if any at all, with faster RAM than DDR3 1333. Since DDR3 1333 and DDR3 1600 is so close in price, we usually recommend DDR3 1600. You'll see more performance, though still not much, out of more RAM. At the very least, you could grow into 16GB of RAM. You'll never benefit from faster RAM with the current platform.

5. For not much more, go with the faster Samsung 840 Pro SSD.

6. For nearly the same price, you could get double the storage on that HDD. You'll benefit from more storage.

7. Not a huge fan of that case. Personal reasons mostly cosmetic.

8. You don't need that much PSU, 550W is more than enough.

9. If it's the cheapest DVD drive at the time of buying, buy it. Otherwise, go with which ever is cheaper.




Well if you don't intend to overclock, then don't worry about it. You don't really need to anyway.

SLI. You're gaming at 1080P, you simply do not need more than one video card to handle that. Due to the complexity of adding a second card and dealing with drivers, it's generally not worth it unless you simply need more power due to extreme resoultions or multiple monitors. Additionally, if you aren't buying both cards right away it's almost never a good idea to buy the same, old generation card a year from now. By that time they'll have single cards that will most likely be faster than the SLI setup you'll buy, plus it will be new. You could buy used, but do you really want to waste money on something you'll have no warranty on? You see, I had the same thought process when I put my rig together back in 2010. I got a 470 GTX with intentions to buy a second video card later on. Guess what? 3 years later, still rocking a single 470 GTX. If I need to upgrade, it would be dump to invest anything into a 470 GTX when current cards are much faster and a lot, LOT more energy efficient. So unless you intend to SLI right now, don't plan to do it for "future proofing" or whatever the reason is behind it.

Thats fine, I'm not a fan of Windows 8 either. Now I have to ask, is the Windows 7 license part of the budget or not?

First off thank you, this is an awesome response.

I just have a few follow up questions if you have the time.
Firstly, what motherboard would you recommend? I don't want to go too cheap, you know?
Second, for RAM, would I be better off just going for 16gb right off the bat at 1600?
Also, yes the windows license is included in my budget. Budget is a bit flexible to the left or right however .

 

[Deleted member 88227]

First off thank you, this is an awesome response.

I just have a few follow up questions if you have the time.
Firstly, what motherboard would you recommend? I don't want to go too cheap, you know?
Second, for RAM, would I be better off just going for 16gb right off the bat at 1600?
Also, yes the windows license is included in my budget. Budget is a bit flexible to the left or right however .

The one I am going to post now that I know.

Yes, 16GB @ 1600 would be better than 8GB @ 1866.

$287 - Intel Core i5-4570 CPU + MZI Z87-G43 Intel Z87 Motherboard Combo
$120 - Crucial BLS2CP8G3D1609DS1S00 Ballistix Sport 2 x 8GB DDR3 1600 RAM
$260 - Gigabyte GV-N760OC-2GD GTX 760 2GB PCI-E Video Card
$150 - SAMSUNG 840 Pro Series MZ-7PD128BW 2.5" 128GB
$94 - Seagate Barracuda ST2000DM001 2TB 7200RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$80 - Seasonic G Series SSR-550RM 550W Modular PSU

I prefer this case, personally.
$60 - Corsair Carbide Series 200R ATX Case

Well under budget, if you really want more performance, then I'd go with a more powerful GPU to maximize your gaming experience.