$1000 Budget First Time Gaming Rig

[SabishiiAisu]

As the title says I'm looking to build my first rig. I'm going for a budget of $1000 for all parts including Monitor, Mouse, and Keyboard. I'm going to use the computer mostly for gaming (League of Legends, Skyrim, Guild Wars 2), web surfing, multimedia, and school work. Here's what I've come up with so far:

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103727

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128514

GPU: ASUS HD7750-1GD5-V2 Radeon HD 7750
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121633

SSD: Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2 128GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148442

HDD: Western Digital WD Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM - Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136533

RAM: G.SKILL Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231460

PSU: SeaSonic M12II 520 Bronze 520W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151093

Optical Drive: ASUS 24x DVD Burner OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204

Case: Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case with Upgraded USB 3.0
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021

Monitor: ASUS VH232H 23" LCD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236079

Mouse/Keyboard: Logitech Wireless Combo MK260 920-002950
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823126197

CPU Fan/Heatsink: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065

I haven't bought any of these items yet. My main concerns are compatibility, the PSU (Is it big enough?), and the overall power of the build to do what I want. I'm thinking I'll try to OC the Phenom to 4.0GHz. Is the Cooler Master enough for that or do I need something more? I have the 128GB SSD but I'm intending only to load it with the OS and program files and use the 1TB HDD for personal files. Should I downgrade it to a 60GB and upgrade another item? Also is it feasible to buy the components one at a time or should I just save up and go all in?

Thanks for your time and consideration.

 

[g-unit1111]

For $1K you can do way better than that even with monitor. I'd drop that whole build. The Phenom II doesn't hold a candle to the Intel i5 for gaming on this budget and the i5 is easily obtainable. I'd drop the SSD and invest more in the GPU - that 7750 won't get you very far. The Antec 900 is old and outdated. It's better to go all in because then you know what works and what doesn't, and you can't always guarantee that when you get your system built something won't work and you won't be able to return it.

Here's what I would recommend:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock H77 Pro4/MVP ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($87.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($37.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($88.98 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card ($251.97 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($84.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($22.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $844.43
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-11-20 17:14 EST-0500)

With the difference you'll be able to get monitor and anything else you might need.

 

[Deemo13]

That's not a very strong $1000 build. I actually don't know where your money went. The CPU is alright, but not for a $1000 build. The GPU is WAY too slow for a $1000 build as well.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock H77M Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 1GB Video Card ($181.97 @ Newegg)
Case: Antec Nine Hundred ATX Mid Tower Case ($112.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec EarthWatts Green 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($73.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($22.98 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Asus VH232H 23.0" Monitor ($144.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $886.86
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-11-20 17:15 EST-0500)

This leaves you some money to pick out a keyboard and mouse and maybe a SSD if you really wanted one.

 

[resin34]

maybe get a i5 3570k

 

[SabishiiAisu]

Motherboard: ASRock H77 Pro4/MVP ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($87.55 @ Newegg)

Motherboard: ASRock H77M Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($59.99 @ Newegg)

Wow thanks for the fast replies guys. Geez I'm glad I didn't buy any of the stuff I was picking out. I see that both of you didn't include an aftermarket fan/heatsink. Does that mean these rigs shouldn't need one or I should just pick up the Cooler Master? I notice the only difference in the Mobo's you guys picked out was the size/# of ports. Do you think I'll need the extra ports provided by the regular ATX or should the Micro ATX board work fine?

Thanks again for the support.

 

[g-unit1111]

Wow thanks for the fast replies guys. Geez I'm glad I didn't buy any of the stuff I was picking out. I see that both of you didn't include an aftermarket fan/heatsink. Does that mean these rigs shouldn't need one or I should just pick up the Cooler Master? I notice the only difference in the Mobo's you guys picked out was the size/# of ports. Do you think I'll need the extra ports provided by the regular ATX or should the Micro ATX board work fine?

Thanks again for the support.

I never advocate using mATX boards on desktop builds because it limits future expansion, and I see that as the only way to really future proof a build.

 

[Deemo13]

^Yea, I'll give you that one. In personal expersience with my MSI M-ATX, it actually has decent features.

A regular ATX is easier to work with though.

 

[SabishiiAisu]

So I've changed my build based on what you guys of have suggested and a quick perusal of the forums for similar budget builds. I would love to have final thumbs up/down to make sure I haven't gone off the deep end again.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro Rev.2 45.0 CFM Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU Cooler
Motherboard: ASRock H77 Pro4/MVP ATX LGA1155 Motherboard
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card
Case: Rosewill CHALLENGER ATX Mid Tower Case
Power Supply: Raidmax 700W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer
Monitor: Asus VH232H 23.0" Monitor
Total: $839.44

I noticed that PCpartpicker.com gave me a compatibility notice for my mobo with my case since the case doesn't have USB 3.0 front panels. Is that a major problem since the mobo has 4 x USB 2.0 headers as well as 2 x USB 3.0?

Thanks for the help!

 

[Deemo13]

I would go with the Hyper 212 EVO as a cooler.

Also, the power supply you picked is not a very good unit. Stick with Antec, Corsair, or Seasonic.

 

[SabishiiAisu]

Best answer selected by SabishiiAisu.