Any recommendation for a $1000 budget gaming PC?

[Sys-Nooby]

This is my first time trying to build a desktop, preferably one that can play games on high settings and I don't have much knowledge on computers or what parts are best/needed.

 

[Garilia]

Do you need a mouse, keyboard, monitor, operating system?

 

[cdrkf]

This is my first time trying to build a desktop, preferably one that can play games on high settings and I don't have much knowledge on computers or what parts are best/needed.

I'm in UK so probably not much point posting a parts list, but essentially things you should consider if gaming is your goal:

- Be sure to put as much money as possible into the graphics card, on that budget you can probably stretch as far as $300, as a good graphics card will give best performance boost in most games (depends on the game though). The upcoming Radeon RX480 looks like a nice option for this price range (we'll get reviews and availability at the end of june, price is supposed to only be $200 for base model). If you want to buy sooner than that, currently the nVidia GTX 970 is a nice card if you can find one for the price. Also the R9 380 and R9 390 cards are worth a look (the latter uses rather a lot of power though so you might have to spend a bit more on your PSU if you want to go that way).

- You also need a decent mid range cpu that has at least 4 cores. Most game builds are around a Core i5 such as the 6500 or 6600k (the latter costs a bit more and gives you the option to 'over clock' it down the line for a performance boost, if you don't want to risk that then the 6500 is probably better value).

- You'll want at least 8gb of ram, and assuming you're going for a 6xxx cpu you'll need ddr4. Some people recomend 16gb of ram, all I'd say is generally you don't need that much right now- although it's true it's likely to become more common for games to need that much in the future.

- Make sure you get a good quality power supply. Avoid high wattage but cheap 'OEM' or 'Unbranded' supplies, when it comes to power supplies you get what you pay for. A nice 500W EVGA unit for $70 will last a lot longer and give more usable power than an 'OEM 1200W' that is being sold for $30.

- Cooling, make sure to get a roomy case and maybe include a couple of extra case fans, as if any of your components overheat they'll throttle back which will kill game performance. I'd personally avoid small compact cases if possible- they look nice and can work well but you need to be very careful about cooling. A nice mid tower case with plenty of vents should be much simpler.

 

[Sys-Nooby]

Do you need a mouse, keyboard, monitor, operating system?

Nope, I have all of those already

 

[Garilia]

This includes an OS.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($233.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.50)
Motherboard: MSI Z170A SLI PLUS ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($102.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: PNY CS1311 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.49 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card ($283.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro M ATX Mid Tower Case ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($64.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.88 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($83.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1033.67
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-06-08 08:16 EDT-0400

 

[Sys-Nooby]

This is my first time trying to build a desktop, preferably one that can play games on high settings and I don't have much knowledge on computers or what parts are best/needed.

I'm in UK so probably not much point posting a parts list, but essentially things you should consider if gaming is your goal:

- Be sure to put as much money as possible into the graphics card, on that budget you can probably stretch as far as $300, as a good graphics card will give best performance boost in most games (depends on the game though). The upcoming Radeon RX480 looks like a nice option for this price range (we'll get reviews and availability at the end of june, price is supposed to only be $200 for base model). If you want to buy sooner than that, currently the nVidia GTX 970 is a nice card if you can find one for the price. Also the R9 380 and R9 390 cards are worth a look (the latter uses rather a lot of power though so you might have to spend a bit more on your PSU if you want to go that way).

- You also need a decent mid range cpu that has at least 4 cores. Most game builds are around a Core i5 such as the 6500 or 6600k (the latter costs a bit more and gives you the option to 'over clock' it down the line for a performance boost, if you don't want to risk that then the 6500 is probably better value).

- You'll want at least 8gb of ram, and assuming you're going for a 6xxx cpu you'll need ddr4. Some people recomend 16gb of ram, all I'd say is generally you don't need that much right now- although it's true it's likely to become more common for games to need that much in the future.

- Make sure you get a good quality power supply. Avoid high wattage but cheap 'OEM' or 'Unbranded' supplies, when it comes to power supplies you get what you pay for. A nice 500W EVGA unit for $70 will last a lot longer and give more usable power than an 'OEM 1200W' that is being sold for $30.

- Cooling, make sure to get a roomy case and maybe include a couple of extra case fans, as if any of your components overheat they'll throttle back which will kill game performance. I'd personally avoid small compact cases if possible- they look nice and can work well but you need to be very careful about cooling. A nice mid tower case with plenty of vents should be much simpler.

Thanks for the information!

 

[Sys-Nooby]

This includes an OS.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($233.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.50)
Motherboard: MSI Z170A SLI PLUS ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($102.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: PNY CS1311 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.49 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card ($283.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro M ATX Mid Tower Case ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($64.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.88 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($83.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1033.67
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-06-08 08:16 EDT-0400

Thanks!

 

[Bearmann]

This would perform at a much higher level.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($194.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte G1.Sniper B7 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($82.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Sandisk X400 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($74.99 @ Directron)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.49 @ OutletPC)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($64.99 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($83.89 @ OutletPC)
Other: GTX 1070 ($400.00)
Total: $1044.31
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-06-08 09:37 EDT-0400

 

[cdrkf]

This would perform at a much higher level.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($194.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte G1.Sniper B7 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($82.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Sandisk X400 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($74.99 @ Directron)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.49 @ OutletPC)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($64.99 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($83.89 @ OutletPC)
Other: GTX 1070 ($400.00)
Total: $1044.31
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-06-08 09:37 EDT-0400

I must admit, I didn't think you could squeeze a 1070 into that budget, +1

 

[Bearmann]

A bit over budget. but worth the extra. No major sacrifices with a nice MB with an 1150 codec for upgraded sound, x4 PCIe slot for upgrades, a nice sized, quality SSD, a good budget case, and a good PSU. Of course, he will have to wait a month or two for the non-Founders edition GTX 1070 GPU's to hit the shelves.

 

[cdrkf]

A bit over budget. but worth the extra. No major sacrifices with a nice MB with an 1150 codec for upgraded sound, x4 PCIe slot for upgrades, a nice sized, quality SSD, a good budget case, and a good PSU. Of course, he will have to wait a month or two for the non-Founders edition GTX 1070 GPU's to hit the shelves.

For a rig like that though, I'd probably wait- there's nothing new in the 1070's weight class due any time soon and the non founders version looks well priced.