1st Build in 15 Years, <$1000 looking for constructive advice.

[ringtail5]

Hello,

Its been about a decade and a half since I last built a computer from scratch. My last computer had a 6 MB video card (pretty awesome, I know). I am trying my hand at computer construction again by building a <$1000 gaming PC (including monitor and OS). I want it to last at least a year with no upgrades and to be able to run at high settings at 1080p. I haven't purchased any of these components yet but will be doing so soon (sooner if they go on a really good sale). I plan on upgrading little by little so upward compatible parts are something I'm interested in. My first post build purchase will likely be a CPU cooler for overclocking and a SSD for faster boot-ups.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3rpII

Thanks!!
RingTail

 

[getochkn]

If you want to overclock, not the best board for it. Limited VRM's. 6300 CPU, I'd go for 8320 for more cores, better overclocking and a longer lifespan.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3rtw1

A bit more, but a much better build. That MB has 8+2 VRM's which will overclock much better, will allow SLI down the road if need be, etc.

 

[Garpatron]

I did my best.
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3rN29
I am Biased with Intel though so if you want switch the Mobo and CPU to AMD if you want.

 

[ringtail5]

If you want to overclock, not the best board for it. Limited VRM's. 6300 CPU, I'd go for 8320 for more cores, better overclocking and a longer lifespan.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3rtw1

A bit more, but a much better build. That MB has 8+2 VRM's which will overclock much better, will allow SLI down the road if need be, etc.

Thank you for the suggestions! I noticed you had an ASUS M5A99FX PRO R2.0, out of curiosity, why didn't you recommend that mobo instead of the Gigabyte? Also, is the M5A97 R3.0 not even able to handle an eight-core processor?

 

[ringtail5]

I did my best.
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3rN29
I am Biased with Intel though so if you want switch the Mobo and CPU to AMD if you want.

Thank you for the options! I am trying to get everything (monitor included) in under $1000, so this build is outside the price range. I have looked at some Intel options though.

 

[Garpatron]

I did my best.
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3rN29
I am Biased with Intel though so if you want switch the Mobo and CPU to AMD if you want.

Thank you for the options! I am trying to get everything (monitor included) in under $1000, so this build is outside the price range. I have looked at some Intel options though.

Ill try to fit in something else, I have some ideas
EDIT: I replaced the 280x with a 270x, the benchmarks for the 270x are over 50+ fps on maxed out bf4 at 1080p so it should serve you well and I included a decent 1920x1080 monitor.
http://pcpartpicker.com/user/Garpatron/saved/4mX8

 

[RedJaron]

CPU OCing only makes sense to me in two scenarios: 1) an old rig on its last legs that you're trying to keep useful for as long as possible. 2) heavy number crunching and tasks that utilize every core you can throw at it. Since you're building a new system, #1 doesn't apply. And even in well-threaded games, the bottleneck quickly shifts over to the graphics card once you hit the FX-4300 or i5. At that point you're paying extra money for an aftermarket cooler and an OC friendly mboard ( not to mention the extra heat and power consumption, ) for very minimal performance gains. I know such talk is usually considered heresy on tech forums, but I'll stand by it.

Next, I know the budget is tight, but I'd try to squeeze in a SSD. It just improves the overall feel of the machine: better boot times, app load times, and just snappier response all around.

Finally, do you have any parts you can bring over from an older system? You said it's been 10+ years, so my guess is no, but I want to make sure.

Here's an Intel build you might consider.

PCPartPicker part list

CPU: Intel Core i5-4430 3.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($180.49 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock H87M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($87.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial M500 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($73.47 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 270X 2GB Video Card ($189.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: NZXT H230 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($68.95 @ OutletPC)
Power Supply: XFX TS 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Acer G236HLBbd 60Hz 23.0" Monitor ($117.80 @ TigerDirect)
Total: $1003.62

And an AMD variant.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($109.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Zalman CNPS10X OPTIMA CPU Cooler ($29.82 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock 990FX Extreme3 ATX AM3+/AM3 Motherboard ($119.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial M500 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($73.47 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 270X 2GB Video Card ($189.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: NZXT H230 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($68.95 @ OutletPC)
Power Supply: XFX TS 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Acer G236HLBbd 60Hz 23.0" Monitor ($117.80 @ TigerDirect)
Total: $994.93

 

[ringtail5]

CPU OCing only makes sense to me in two scenarios: 1) an old rig on its last legs that you're trying to keep useful for as long as possible. 2) heavy number crunching and tasks that utilize every core you can throw at it. Since you're building a new system, #1 doesn't apply. And even in well-threaded games, the bottleneck quickly shifts over to the graphics card once you hit the FX-4300 or i5. At that point you're paying extra money for an aftermarket cooler and an OC friendly mboard ( not to mention the extra heat and power consumption, ) for very minimal performance gains. I know such talk is usually considered heresy on tech forums, but I'll stand by it.

Next, I know the budget is tight, but I'd try to squeeze in a SSD. It just improves the overall feel of the machine: better boot times, app load times, and just snappier response all around.

Finally, do you have any parts you can bring over from an older system? You said it's been 10+ years, so my guess is no, but I want to make sure.

Here's an Intel build you might consider.

PCPartPicker part list

CPU: Intel Core i5-4430 3.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($180.49 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock H87M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($87.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial M500 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($73.47 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 270X 2GB Video Card ($189.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: NZXT H230 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($68.95 @ OutletPC)
Power Supply: XFX TS 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Acer G236HLBbd 60Hz 23.0" Monitor ($117.80 @ TigerDirect)
Total: $1003.62

Thank you for your frank and contrasting reply. I don't see much benefit in overclocking except on the synthetic benchmarks I've seen in most places. Linus Tech Tips has a video on overclocking and in it the benchmarks he displays show a 1-2 FPS change in games but a larger difference in synthetics. I'm currently looking at a i5-4670K for 195ish after tax so it isn't too great of a expense to buy that chip, but maybe saving money on the motherboard will allow me to get the SSD that you and I both feel would be worth while. I will save a bit using Student discounts (never stop learning), so that may make room for the M500 which I have been watching. My current build (w/o SSD) looks like:

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/RingTail/saved/4nhA

Again thank you for your response!

RT

 

[RedJaron]

If you're not going to OC, then bump the CPU down to the 4570 at least and save $20. You won't miss those 200 MHz. Put that toward the SSD. PNY isn't a bad SSD brand, but I'd rather go for Crucial or A-Data for $10 more. I also think XFX makes a better PSU than Antec, though both brands are nice.

Asus makes a nice board, and I've used them before, but they do charge a little extra for their boards. I think you can get a little more for less money going ASRock here. The Extreme3 below is a lot of board for the money. You don't need the Z chipset since you're not OCing, but they tend to have the nicer feature sets. The Extreme4 gives you eSATA ( both the mATX or full ATX boards are nice. ) And Newegg has an open-box Extreme6 on sale for only $115 too. The only Asus board I'd recommend in this price range is the H87M-PRO.

PCPartPicker part list

CPU: Intel Core i5-4570 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($99.00 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston Blu 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Crucial M500 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($73.48 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (Purchased For $49.99)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($244.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro - 64-bit (OEM) (64-bit) ($69.99)
Monitor: Asus VS238H-P 23.0" Monitor ($137.58 @ Newegg)
Total: $1049.96