Help building my first gaming rig
 

The PC vs Console thread really got me going (although, I've been wanting to do this for some time) I want to build a nice gaming rig that I can use to play some PC exclusives on as well as not having to worry about it being slow as hell compared to my POS laptop.

What I want -

1. Must be able to run graphics at med/high settings. (770 card?)
2. I'd like to have good storage for movies/music (I don't know the advantages/differences of an SSD/HDD.
3. I'd like to have an HDMI port so I can move it into my living room on the big screen.
4. I do need a monitor. Undecided whether or not I want to run a dual/tri monitor setup yet.
5. I still burn CD's and Dvds. Will need a drive that supports both.
6. 8 GB of Ram at least with options to upgrade to 16gb in the future.

To sum It up I want a Rig that can do it all with little to no issues speed wise. I have a budget of around $1000, which is pretty flexible.

I also like pretty things. So I'm not afraid to spend a little more on a nicer case. Am a big fan of the Cooler Master Stryker case, I love the cases with the windows in the side with LEDS.

If anybody would like to help me I would greatly appreciate it. I just want to be apart of the PC master race.



EDIT:

This is build I am going with, unless I find good deals on better components.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/287w2
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/287w2/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/287w2/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.98 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-PRO ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($174.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($86.99 @ 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: PNY GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($312.99 @ B&H)
Case: Corsair Vengeance C70 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series SP120 Quiet Edition (2-Pack) 37.9 CFM 120mm Fans ($27.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.00 @ Amazon)
Total: $1268.85
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-26 20:46 EST-0500)

770 dominates, you will be good with that card for a good while, and you can always add another later in SLI.


SSD is not good for storage. IT is basically an instant read hard drive. I run an SSD for my operating system/games that need performance, and all my other stuff goes on the HDD, If it is in your budget, get both.

Any modern graphics card has HDMI output, including the 770.

Monitor you cant go wrong with many different ones. A decent 60hz monitor can be had cheaply.

You can get a cd/dvd rom burner for about 25 bucks that will suit you perfectly fine. Standard drive for systems, unless you want bluray.

go 16b now, it wont cost much more.

Remember to pick the right motherboard.

You can easily do this for a thousand. For cases i am a minamilist, but if you like pretty ones like at NZXT. They make lots of good performance yet still pretty cases for budget minded builds.

Let me see if i can build you a system~

770 on a $1k budget is likely not going to happen without some serious sales of like $200.

here ya are : https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/...nc&output=html

Check out the "Excellent Best Overall" build. $960 (probably much cheaper now as the doc was updated a while ago)

http://i.imgur.com/IA7iMrQ.png

Like I said in the OP, my 1k is pretty Flexible. I know the 770 is an expensive card, but It it a beastly card, so I want it.

OK so this is a pretty damn beastly system.. There is LOTS of tweaking that can be done to this.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/27Mja
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/27Mja/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/27Mja/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4570 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock B85M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($77.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($58.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: PNY GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($312.99 @ B&H)
Case: NZXT NZXT H230 White ATX Mid Tower ATX Mid Tower Case ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec Basiq Plus 550W 80+ Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($64.97 @ OutletPC)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($82.99 @ NCIX US)
Monitor: BenQ GW2255 60Hz 21.5" Monitor ($114.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1067.44
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-24 15:04 EST-0500)

I had to take the SSD out to get it down, and keep the 770. Though, SSD is a luxury ( a nice one :P)

I'm still pretty flexible. What are your thoughts on upgrading with Asus Sabertoothz77 Mobo instead of the AsRock? Just curious. Would it be overkill for my system? Not a fan of the case but I know that is like a Cell phone cover, hundreds of thousands are out there :p and good looking out on the Windows 7. 8 is just ass IMHO

And when I say flexible, I'm taking $1000-$1300

As for the spreadsheet builds, they dont include a monitor or an OS. Though there is nothing wrong with either of these builds, as they are roughly 2.5x as powerful as the next gen console.

AsROCk makes the best motherboards that exist IMO. You cant go wrong with them.

Nothing wrong with an Asus z77 board though, would be better than what I picked you. It will allow you SLI and big overclocking headroom. If your not ocing, no reason to go with a motherboard like that.

And yea, there are TONS of cases out there, and in that price range too, that's all personal preference.

Yeah, definitely not any plans of overclocking on this machine. I had read a ton of reviews on the z77 and they were great. I'd just not read about the AsRock Much.

I think I am leaning towards this case, I really like how it looks as well as easy access to the inside and the good slots for cable management

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811139013

I also like the easability of mounting fans on the case for cooling the gpu

Corsair makes great cases I kind of wish I got the Corsair 900 instead of the coolermaster HAF X I went with.

If you dont need ocing, then that's a lot of money for a motherboard. Though, if you want a more powerful motherboard I would look at the ASrock extreme 4. Very good SLI board and good price.

My asrock extreme6 was able to achieve higher overclocks in most situations than the Sabertooth.

Also, the sabertooth boards have very high defect rates.

I just looked at the asrock extreme 4 and its incompatible with my CPU says pcpartspicker

In the grand scheme of things, the motherboard is pretty overrated when it comes to a gaming rig, especially if you aren't going to OC, IMO.

No purpose is spending a ridiculous amount of money on a very high end quad sli board when you'll never use it anywhere near its intended use.

They should make a different version for each chipset. It may have a slightly different name for the z77 chipset. Mine is x89.

Also, if you dont mind doing a little digging, waiting, and wheeling and dealing you can score some lightly used stuff here

http://www.reddit.com/r/hardwareswap/

Agreed.

Without OC, you can feel comfortable buying a safe, quality, lower priced mobo without all the OC/4xsli/etc features.

If you're in KC, make sure and check out Micro Center. Their in-store prices are tough to beat.

This is what I've got

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/27OKX

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/27OKX
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/27OKX/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/27OKX/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4570 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($117.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($58.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: PNY GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($312.99 @ B&H)
Wireless Network Adapter: Asus USB-N13 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0 Wi-Fi Adapter ($20.10 @ B&H)
Case: Corsair Vengeance C70 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($107.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec Basiq Plus 550W 80+ Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($64.97 @ OutletPC)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($82.99 @ NCIX US)
Monitor: BenQ GW2255 60Hz 21.5" Monitor ($114.99 @ NCIX US)
Keyboard: Razer BlackWidow 2013 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($84.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1280.96
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-24 16:09 EST-0500)

Beastly system. In a couple years, add another 770 and extend the life of this system to run games at high for a very long time.

Should I need to add a couple of the fans for the case to help cool the GPU? Or are the supplied fans going to be enough?

You need to upgrade the fan.

I'd also add a ssd

Yes make sure you plan out how you are going to run the airflow in your case, and get fans accordingly.

I second the SSD, but your talking about spending more and more now.

I might add an SSD later.

I forgot a CPU cooler, then also want to add 2 fans for the GPU

Cooler Master Hyper 212

You want the ssd for your OS.

the CPU will come with a stock cooler. without OC i didnt add it becuase i was trying to fit your budget.

You can always add cooler, ssd, 2nd graphics etc when you feel the need.

Revised

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/27PM3
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/27PM3/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/27PM3/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4570 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($117.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Intel 520 Series Cherryville 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($119.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($58.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: PNY GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($312.99 @ B&H)
Wireless Network Adapter: Asus USB-N13 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0 Wi-Fi Adapter ($20.10 @ B&H)
Case: Corsair Vengeance C70 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($107.98 @ Newegg)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series SP120 Quiet Edition (2-Pack) 37.9 CFM 120mm Fans ($27.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec Basiq Plus 550W 80+ Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($64.97 @ OutletPC)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($82.99 @ NCIX US)
Monitor: BenQ GW2255 60Hz 21.5" Monitor ($114.99 @ NCIX US)
Keyboard: Razer BlackWidow 2013 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($84.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1458.92
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-24 16:31 EST-0500)

Beast

Personally, I would look for at least a 80+ bronze PSU.

And if you ever intend on adding a 2nd card down the line I would get at least a 750 or even 850 PSU. No point in trying to save $30 now and then spend $100 extra later.

I think that the GPU is going to last me quite a while without adding another one. I've gone realistically about $200 over budget already so I think I'm set here for a while. I did like the idea to add the SSD now instead of later though. I'll be looking for some of these parts on BF or Cyber monday

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835103099

No better one.

Well, the PSU is one of the pieces of a computer you DO NOT want to skimp on. A 550W is like the bare minimum recommended PSU for a 770.

SSD is a luxury item. It's your money and computer but I'd drop the SSD and get it later, reduce the ram because because 16GB is pretty overkill for gaming, especially when you are only buying 2 sticks with an option to upgrade to 32GB (which will never be needed for the life of this computer for gaming), and take the money saved to get a better PSU.

Gotcha. I'll take all of that into consideration. I have about another month before I'm able to do this, so lots of tweaking and changes can happen between now and then.

A $1K budget with Black Friday and Cyber Monday looming. You can get whatever you want. Don't listen to these people.

Actually dude you want waaay too much. Get a cheaper GPU, a 3rd gen i7 would be less than a 4th gen i5. You really need to think cheaper and upgrade later. You can get an HD Radeon 7770 for $100 which is fine. 16 GB is way too much. 8 is adequate. You're aiming too high. Leave yourself room in the budget.

If you're not going to microcenter for the cpu+mobo combo, you're doing it wrong.

You can cut that price down dramatically.

16 gigs of ram is just overkill right now, 8 should be plenty.

Same thing with the video card. Go with a GTX660, which should be plenty but half the price: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...D=3938566&SID=

You're spending a ridiculous amount on case fans.

As for the Harddrive, why not a hybrid SSHD? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...81&ignorebbr=1

I'd chop that build to under 1k and save some money for some upgrades down the road instead.

Stop giving links and copying what I said. :harumph:

Suggesting a 3rd gen i7 is lol and your post wasn't even up when I started writing that one.

Yeah I realized a 3rd gen i7 is more than what he plans on getting.

Why in the world are 4th gen all in ones more if the processors themselves cost less than the 3rd gen?

I am gathering that an I5 is better than the TOTL AMD chips.

You would be correct. Intel has been completely slaying AMD for awhile now, even on the budget level.

Just when I think I have it figured out with the FX-8350, I learn something new.


Sigh.

120 or 240 gig SSD main OS drive with a large platter strorage drive is the way to go for speed/storage/cost imo

make sure you get a good big case so that you can just keep replacing/upgrading etc into the future.

If you get an intel processor than you don't really need that much cooling. But AMD you need it in a bad way or expect overheating shut downs when you overclock.

To give you a slight idea on how bad it is right now.

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/singleThread.html

AMD has really shit their pants since the Phenom era.

As a rule, I never suggest using a stock cooler unless someone is trying to do the absolute cheapest build. But yeah, the wattage that the newer AMD chips need is just ridiculous.

made some revisions upon reading some of your feedback. would love your opinions

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/27Vfe
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/27Vfe/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/27Vfe/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($225.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($117.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($74.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Hybrid Internal Hard Drive ($97.95 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 660 3GB Video Card ($223.98 @ Newegg)
Wireless Network Adapter: Asus USB-N13 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0 Wi-Fi Adapter ($20.10 @ B&H)
Case: Corsair Vengeance C70 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF120 Quiet Edition (2-Pack) 39.9 CFM 120mm Fans ($27.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Antec EarthWatts Green 650W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($71.24 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($82.99 @ NCIX US)
Monitor: Gateway FHX2303LAbd 60Hz 23.0" Monitor ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Keyboard: Razer BlackWidow 2013 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($84.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1253.16
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-24 18:56 EST-0500)

got a bigger monitor for around $25 cheaper than the other one

downgraded the card (hopefully i dont see much dropoff?)

bigger power supply

added the hybrid SSD/HDD

Get low profile RAM.

That CPU cooler will prevent you from putting in those tall vengeance memory sticks.

I didnt mean to add the vengeance sticks on there, i had another one hilighted and accidentally put the corsair ones in. the ones i meant to add are much smaller

The difference in a 660 and a 770 is pretty massive TBH.

Dual 660s might be as fast as a 770. You picked a 3gb model, and the 2gb models are going for 170 now.

Also, you can save a ton of money on that keyboard. I game hard on a 5 dollar walmart keyboard :/

I saw the gateway available, but the benQ is a better monitor.

So, still a powerful build, but now your missing an SSD and half your GPU power.

I thought the drive I got was a Hybid SSD/HDD? If not I can change that.

Yeah the video card is definitely still up in the air. I can do the 770 just fine but I was just taking some recommendations. I may go back to it nonetheless. The keyboard, I have a wireless Logitech mouse and keyboard, but frankly I've always wanted one of these keyboards and I just wanted to splurge and get it. Monitor the same deal, I will keep looking for better deals, I'm going to Micro Center tomorrow to see what deals they have.

Oh, i actually didnt click into the drive. A hybrid drive is fine, and you will see some performance gains, but tis not the same as having a dedicated SSD. Its not part SSD and part HDD, its a HDD that has SSD caching, so it doesn't work like 'i choose what goes on the SSD part and what goes on the HDD part'

What would you normally just put on the SSD? The OS and what else? Just bigger program files that you don't want on your HDD, leaving your HDD clean for games/music/movies?

I have an 80 gb ssd and run only my OS

I have a 1tb external so I'm fine leaving that plugged in with my music on it

I think SSD are overrated. If it's only used for a faster boot up that's reeruned for over 100 large.

So I guess my main question now is my gpu. Do I splurge and get the 770? Or keep lookin

I put my most played games on there. Think some game that loads alot.. like.. skyrim, or guild wars 2, etc. Every time it has to read off the HDD.. well you can wait 10, 20, 30 seconds to load your data, or you can load from SSD in 3,4,5 seconds instead of waiting. You will also see overall increased performance on your gmae becuase any other time it checks the disk its instant as well. I have a 240gb corsair force GT so i load it up with whatever game(s) im spending alot of time on at the moment, then switch it when im done with it.

The hybrid drive WILL work in this way somewhat, but it will only keep cached copy of certain 'most used' data on the SSD portion.

I really like the aspect. One of the biggest issues I have personally is waiting for ****ing ever for stuff to load. Absolutely hate it. If I have to spend 1500 to beast everything I will. I'm all in at this point! I may eventually want to add something where I can watch tv on one screen and play d3 on the other

If i was building a system today I would go with the 770 for the sole fact that JUST by adding another 770 in a couple of years, you can extend the useful life of the system quite a bit.

Now, or at that time, that will require a 7-800w PSU, I think I payed 60 bucks for my 850w corsair PSU.

I've been leaning towards the 770 from the beginning. I'm on my phone right now so I can't check what power supply I'd need down the line if I added another 770

a 700w minimum will do it.

Okay when I get home ill update the power supply because I will wanna upgrade in the future. Ill also re add the 770. Then ill need to find different low profile memory and rethink my monitor and I think ill be good to go?

ANother suggestion. You can buy a corsair h60 water cooler for the same price as that air cooler. Silent and as same or better than the 212. Then you wont have to worry about low profile ram.

I'd not thought of going that route, is it very difficult to do?

You're way, way overshooting here. A good quality strong 550w+ psu would be plenty.

I also would choose a good price/performance selection over overshooting your range and doing an SLI later.

Uhhhh?????

550W for sli 770? Don't think so.

700w so he is prepared for future SLI.

And yes, the h60 hooks up just like a regular cooler., but its got lines that run to a radaitor that you mount on the case, then mount fan on the other side.

http://www.enthusiastreviews.com/wp-...v2-600x340.jpg

The H60 is $55+.

The EVO will work just as good for $20+ less. None of those prefilled water coolers are particularly good for how much they cost.

Notice how I mentioned not doing an SLI in that post.

Notice how the person building the computer didn't?

This is the biggest problem about building a rig. There is no perfect way. Hell there is no right way. I say if it plays what you want and fits your budget, go for it. You can spend weeks doing this over and over again.

Yeah I think i might just keep it cheaper and simple for now and keep the fan. any recommendations for 8gb of low profile ram?

added http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair...gx3m1a1600c10b

its still corsair vengeance. and its 1x8gb stick, its low profile and cheaper than 2x4gbs

took off the keyboard to keep cost lower also, can deal with my logitech for the time being

I'm a little hesitant on the AsRock MOBO after reading so many reviews of people getting theirs and finding out either the pins in the RAM slots are bent, or the MOBO itself was just DOA out of the box

Since you live in Olathe, I would definitely go to Microcenter. It's a just a hop down I-35 from ya...

Here is the November catalogue there.
http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/...7#/14b821a7/43

I believe they price match places like newegg as well.

Damn, I can get my 770 GPU $80 cheaper on there.

Yeah all their deals are in store only, but the prices are good enough that I drove down from Des Moines to take advantage.

I think Im going to go in there after work tomorrow and Have them price me out everything, and then put about half of it on my Visa, cant pass up saving almost $200. I used to live right by Micro Center, I just never went in.

I'm not a fan of ASRock.

Their mobo's seem slim with a lot of flex and then they use an irregular size so the right side of the mobo gets stressed when plugging in the 24 pin.

This is 1 thing I am open to. I like all of the Pros it has, but I did not like how often a read a review of people having issues. other good MOBOs?

So what would someone suggest as far as an every day run of the mill PC that can also run most if not all games fairly decently?

Don't need anything extravagant...just looking for something that I can game with or my wife can use, something like that.