A true PC newguy attempts his first build for under $1000....

[ltdanugotnolegs]

Hello I am new to the whole PC building world and after using a terrible overheating HP Inspiron laptop for the last 4 years I have saved up enough to attempt building my own PC. I have never built one before but I have confidence that I will be able to build one. I have researched online and asked a few buddies of mine that have built their own before and this is what I have come up with:

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/urlc

A few things to note: I do not have a monitor, keyboard, or mouse but I am going to buy those based on my own feelings and senses so those aren't included in the build.

I will primarily be using the PC for games with occasional Internet surfing since I have a laptop I can use for writing papers, watching movies, etc. I want to be able to run games like BF3, Far Cry 3, Metro 2033, and some modded versions of STALKER and if I have to upgrade stuff in the future that's fine but I'd like a good base to build off of if need be for future games.

Any help is appreciated and thanks.

 

[nix327]

Do you intend to oc or sli/crossfire?

 

[ltdanugotnolegs]

Overclock since I can just upgrade the GPU later on when new ones come out. I was looking at the GTX 670 Sidewinder but for now I think the 660 will be fine so I can have some money for a monitor/keyboard/mouse. Plus I still have a lot of backlogged games in my Steam account that don't require a high end GPU.

 

[nix327]

For a single gpu setup you will only need a 550w psu..your build is good..i've only made a couple of changes

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

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($40.93 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card ($231.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master CM 690 II (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($77.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $845.83
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-27 13:45 EST-0500)

The case depends on personal preference.

 

[nix327]

You can also get a 128gb ssd if you can include it in your budget.