Advice for building a Gaming PC

Discussion in 'New Build / Upgrade Advice' started by MTHW10, Dec 27, 2013.

  1. MTHW10

    MTHW10 Geek Trainee

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    Hi, I want build a pretty powerful gaming PC between the budget of $1,000 - $2,000. This will be my first build and I have done some research; I currently have a list of parts that I think are pretty good. If there are any parts that are better and cheaper, please let me know. Thanks in advance. :)

    Case

    NZXT Guardian 921 RB ATX Mid Tower Case - $60
    http://www.amazon.com/NZXT-Guardian-Tower-Black-921RB-001-BL/dp/tech-data/B004351H9G/ref=de_a_smtd

    Storage

    Samsung EVO 250GB SSD - $160
    http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Electronics-2-5-Inch-Internal-MZ-7TE250BW/dp/B00E3W1726/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1390687745&sr=1-1&keywords=samsung evo 840

    WD Blue 1 TB Desktop Hard Drive - $60
    http://www.amazon.com/WD-Blue-Desktop-Hard-Drive/dp/B0088PUEPK/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1383268597&sr=1-1&keywords=WD Blue 1 TB Desktop Hard Drive

    Video Card

    (2x?)EVGA GeForce GTX780 - $520
    http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-GTX780-SuperClocked-03G-P4-2784-KR/dp/B00CUIVSNS

    Motherboard

    ASUS Maximus VI HERO Motherboard - $200
    http://www.amazon.com/MAXIMUS-VI-HERO-Motherboard-Generation/dp/B00CXIVEA2

    Memory

    Kingston HyperX Beast 16 GB Kit (4x4 GB) 2400MHz - $390
    http://www.amazon.com/Kingston-2400MHz-PC3-19200-KHX24C11T3K4-16X/dp/B00A771ZR8/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1388703436&sr=1-1&keywords=KHX24C11T3K4/16X

    Processor

    Intel Core i7-4770K Quad-Core Desktop Processor -$335
    http://www.amazon.com/Intel-i7-4770K-Quad-Core-Processor-BX80646I74770K/dp/B00CO8TBQ0

    Power Supply

    Corsair RM Series 750 Watt - $150
    http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Series-80PLUS-Gold-Certified-Supply/dp/B00EB7UIXM

    Optical Drives

    (2x) Asus 24x DVD-RW Optical Drive - $23
    http://www.amazon.com/Asus-Serial-ATA-Internal-Optical-DRW-24B1ST/dp/B0033Z2BAQ/ref=pd_sim_pc_1

    Cooling

    Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus - $30
    http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Hyper-Plus-RR-B10-212P-G1/dp/B002G1YPH0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388712530&sr=8-1&keywords=heatsink fan




    Total: $1,991 (Without optional parts)
    Total: $2491 (With optional parts)
    The prices of the parts might have changed.
     
    Last edited: Jan 26, 2014
  2. Sniper

    Sniper Administrator Staff Member

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    Hi, one thing that I would change, actually its a must imho :) get a SSD drive + the 1TB Drive for storage, I believe Samsung 840 EVO comes hight recommend.
     
  3. MTHW10

    MTHW10 Geek Trainee

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    Thanks, I'll add that to the list :).
     
  4. Sniper

    Sniper Administrator Staff Member

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    I guess you already have monitor, mouse etc?

    Also I don't think you need 32GB ram, 8GB is more than enough for gaming unless you plan to use virtual machines, video editing or rendering, 16GB if you really want more ram.
     
  5. MTHW10

    MTHW10 Geek Trainee

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    Yea, getting some hand me downs. Good idea for the ram, I'll just buy 4 8 GB memory cards and use 2 for a future project. (Dedicated Server) :3 (Ram always get cheaper, I'll buy it when I need it.)
     
    Last edited: Jan 2, 2014
  6. Big B

    Big B HWF Godfather

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    While the Z77/Socket 1155 isn't bad, just know that Intel's lastest CPU revisions with the Haswell (4xxx CPUs) and the Z87 chipset might offer a little longer lifespan.

    Also, if you're considering overclocking, consider a stronger CPU cooler. If not overclocking, alternatives to the stock cooler can allow for quieter operation. Pretty much any high-end cooler and many closed-loop water cooling kits (eg. Corsair H-series and Antec Khuler series) are still affordable and under $100. If you do spring for watercooling, do note that your case selection won't accomodate anything larger than a 120mm radiator+fan combo.

    Just a few thoughts, but nothing that's throwing up red flags.
     
  7. MTHW10

    MTHW10 Geek Trainee

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    Thanks for the advice, I'll try to implement these ideas into the list, I might have to redo most of the list if I get a new mobo. Thanks anyway :)

    Edit: Updated List
     
    Last edited: Jan 11, 2014
  8. Wicked Mystic

    Wicked Mystic Big Geek

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    TLC memory cells sre lot less durable than MLC cells. And while you can get MLC SSD's cheaper than Samsung Evo, that means Samsung Evo is expensive crap. Avoid at all costs.

    You really need 16 GB for gaming? I say 2*4 GB is enough. Even if you want 16 GB, there is no reason to buy 4*4GB, buy 2*8GB.
     
  9. MTHW10

    MTHW10 Geek Trainee

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    Ok, so no Samsung EVO for me. But when I was looking at the ASUS website, there was a QVL (Qualified Vendors List) that only supported certain memory layouts in order to get the maximum overclocking speed. Here's a link, don't really understand it much: http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/MAXIMUS_VI_HERO/#support
     
  10. Wicked Mystic

    Wicked Mystic Big Geek

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    QVL memory lists are totally useless. There is no guarantee that listed memory will work on motherboard. I never look at them.

    Also, memory overclocking does not help that much and Intel recommends using only 1.5V DIMMs. So I recommend DDR3-1600 1.5V and 8GB size. 1 or 2 sticks is your decision.
     

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