Best 1250 dollar gaming pc with keyboard mouse and os.

[Dan425811923]

I want it to have a window and a black white or black white blue colour scheme. MAKE IT CDN DOLLARS. http://pcpartpicker.com/p/6PxNwP

 

[rhysiam]

That's a pretty solid build. How tight is your budget? Because adding $110 (US) would net you two pretty significant updates:
- You could jump to a 250GB SSD (which is much more the sweet spot and only about $20 more): http://pcpartpicker.com/part/crucial-internal-hard-drive-ct250bx100ssd1
- AND, step up to the much more capable GTX 970: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125684R&cm_re=gtx_970-_-14-125-684R-_-Product

As I say, your build as-is is solid and if your budget is fixed, you've done well. It's just whether you're prepared to put a little extra in to get a good deal more performance.

The other option if your budget is tight, would be to drop down to a cheaper keyboard for now, and maybe save up for a replacement later. The keyboard is a good investment though, it should still be performing well in 3-5 years time, while the other components will no longer be that competitive.

 

[Dan425811923]

That's a pretty solid build. How tight is your budget? Because adding $110 (US) would net you two pretty significant updates:
- You could jump to a 250GB SSD (which is much more the sweet spot and only about $20 more): http://pcpartpicker.com/part/crucial-internal-hard-drive-ct250bx100ssd1
- AND, step up to the much more capable GTX 970: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125684R&cm_re=gtx_970-_-14-125-684R-_-Product

As I say, your build as-is is solid and if your budget is fixed, you've done well. It's just whether you're prepared to put a little extra in to get a good deal more performance.

The other option if your budget is tight, would be to drop down to a cheaper keyboard for now, and maybe save up for a replacement later. The keyboard is a good investment though, it should still be performing well in 3-5 years time, while the other components will no longer be that competitive.

I do not need a better gpu. I am just running Minecraft max 1080p 60 fps with 90 mods or so. I do not plan to upgrade for a while on anything. I am just storing Win8, Google Chrome, Minecraft, and a minecraft modpack launcher(technic launcher etc. etc.) so I think the 120 gig is enough. Yes my budget is fixed. I may switch out the phantom for a s340 with an external dvd drive for better looks.

 

[rhysiam]

I do not need a better gpu. I am just running Minecraft max 1080p 60 fps with 90 mods or so. I do not plan to upgrade for a while on anything. I am just storing Win8, Google Chrome, Minecraft, and a minecraft modpack launcher(technic launcher etc. etc.) so I think the 120 gig is enough. Yes my budget is fixed. I may switch out the phantom for a s340 with an external dvd drive for better looks.

Fair enough. As you say, a 960 is heaps for Minecraft. Generally I don't think the 960 is a great buy, particularly with just 2GB VRAM. But if you literally just want a Micecraft machine, it doesn't really matter what you get. You could actually save a little money with a 750ti and still be just fine, probably.

If your storage needs are light, can you make do with a 250GB SSD and ditch the HDD altogether? That'd be cheaper and much better if the 250GB is enough. You can always add a HDD down the track very easily. Upgrading to a larger SSD is a lot more time consuming, expensive, and involves 'wasting' your current drive. But if you have a large photo/music/video collection then of course you'll need that 1TB HDD right away.

I think the build is solid, for your needs.

 

[Dan425811923]

I do not need a better gpu. I am just running Minecraft max 1080p 60 fps with 90 mods or so. I do not plan to upgrade for a while on anything. I am just storing Win8, Google Chrome, Minecraft, and a minecraft modpack launcher(technic launcher etc. etc.) so I think the 120 gig is enough. Yes my budget is fixed. I may switch out the phantom for a s340 with an external dvd drive for better looks.

Fair enough. As you say, a 960 is heaps for Minecraft. Generally I don't think the 960 is a great buy, particularly with just 2GB VRAM. But if you literally just want a Micecraft machine, it doesn't really matter what you get. You could actually save a little money with a 750ti and still be just fine, probably.

If your storage needs are light, can you make do with a 250GB SSD and ditch the HDD altogether? That'd be cheaper and much better if the 250GB is enough. You can always add a HDD down the track very easily. Upgrading to a larger SSD is a lot more time consuming, expensive, and involves 'wasting' your current drive. But if you have a large photo/music/video collection then of course you'll need that 1TB HDD right away.

I think the build is solid, for your needs.

The 750 ti wouldnt get 60 fps modded. My friend has a gt 630 and Fx 6300 and he gets 30 fps no mods maxed lol. But mods make a real hit in performance. 1 shader brings the 750ti to 30 fps. So the 960 is the best.

 

[rhysiam]

The 750 ti wouldnt get 60 fps modded. My friend has a gt 630 and Fx 6300 and he gets 30 fps no mods maxed lol. But mods make a real hit in performance. 1 shader brings the 750ti to 30 fps. So the 960 is the best.

OK, sounds like you've already done your research. I'm still dubious about the 960 2GB as a long-term value proposition, but if you're a minecraft gamer through and through and you're confident it's the card you want, I'm not going to argue with you!

As I've said from the start, you've got good components. There possible tweaks you could make here and there (like the SSD I've suggested). But they may not suit your needs. On looking again the PSU is well overpowered, but it's a good model at a good price so justifiable. You could save some money going to a cheaper motherboard, but not a heap. If you're happy then go for it.

 

[Dan425811923]

The 750 ti wouldnt get 60 fps modded. My friend has a gt 630 and Fx 6300 and he gets 30 fps no mods maxed lol. But mods make a real hit in performance. 1 shader brings the 750ti to 30 fps. So the 960 is the best.

OK, sounds like you've already done your research. I'm still dubious about the 960 2GB as a long-term value proposition, but if you're a minecraft gamer through and through and you're confident it's the card you want, I'm not going to argue with you!

As I've said from the start, you've got good components. There possible tweaks you could make here and there (like the SSD I've suggested). But they may not suit your needs. On looking again the PSU is well overpowered, but it's a good model at a good price so justifiable. You could save some money going to a cheaper motherboard, but not a heap. If you're happy then go for it.

I will use this for 6-7 years and if you think thats impossible just note I am typing this with my laptop that has a Core 2 Duo T7300 that was released Q2 2007. And it is my best computer. 🙁 I have a question. Is this a better build? http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/bcQ9dC

 

[rhysiam]

I will use this for 6-7 years and if you think thats impossible just note I am typing this with my laptop that has a Core 2 Duo T7300 that was released Q2 2007. And it is my best computer. 🙁 I have a question. Is this a better build? http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/bcQ9dC

I've got 5 years out of my desktop (with a graphics card upgrade) and am only now just starting to expose its limitations.

You could definitely go AMD, but if you are, why not swap out the 280 for this 280X: http://www.ncix.com/detail/powercolor-radeon-r9-280x-oc-5c-108831-1371.htm
It's an extra $15, but you can save $25 by dropping down to the 550W PSU: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-power-supply-220gs0550v1

With your locked CPU, 550W is the sweet spot for a single GPU rig.

The 280X is a pretty old card now (released in late 2011 as the beastly and chart-topping 7970). It's hot and power hungry compared to the 960. It doesn't support Freesync, but it's still a solid performer. Despite its age I wouldn't be surprised to see it maintaining a healthy lead over the 960 because of the extra (and faster) VRAM. That'd be my choice, but only because the GTX 960 is such an un-impressive card.

 

[Dan425811923]

Hows this http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/sTJXzy

 

[okcnaline]

Bad logic about the GTX 960 being the most fitting card. Any card would take a hit when mods are involved. The GTX 960 should be hitting high distance, but with mods there'll be less FPS so it does not equate to this card being fittest.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($284.75 @ Vuugo)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($31.05 @ Vuugo)
Motherboard: MSI Z97S SLI Krait Edition ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($143.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($62.99 @ NCIX)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($60.75 @ Vuugo)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 960 2GB SuperSC ACX 2.0+ Video Card ($234.00 @ NCIX)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($78.50 @ Vuugo)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA GS 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($106.03 @ NCIX)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 OEM (64-bit) ($104.99 @ Canada Computers)
Keyboard: Cooler Master Storm QuickFire Rapid Wired Gaming Keyboard ($87.05 @ Vuugo)
Mouse: Logitech G502 Wired Optical Mouse ($59.98 @ DirectCanada)
Total: $1254.07
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-10 00:21 EDT-0400

 

[Dan425811923]

Bad logic about the GTX 960 being the most fitting card. Any card would take a hit when mods are involved. The GTX 960 should be hitting high distance, but with mods there'll be less FPS so it does not equate to this card being fittest.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($284.75 @ Vuugo)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($31.05 @ Vuugo)
Motherboard: MSI Z97S SLI Krait Edition ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($143.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($62.99 @ NCIX)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($60.75 @ Vuugo)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 960 2GB SuperSC ACX 2.0+ Video Card ($234.00 @ NCIX)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($78.50 @ Vuugo)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA GS 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($106.03 @ NCIX)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 OEM (64-bit) ($104.99 @ Canada Computers)
Keyboard: Cooler Master Storm QuickFire Rapid Wired Gaming Keyboard ($87.05 @ Vuugo)
Mouse: Logitech G502 Wired Optical Mouse ($59.98 @ DirectCanada)
Total: $1254.07
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-10 00:21 EDT-0400

1. I am not OCing.
2.I need Orings and mx browns.

 

[rhysiam]

Bad logic about the GTX 960 being the most fitting card. Any card would take a hit when mods are involved. The GTX 960 should be hitting high distance, but with mods there'll be less FPS so it does not equate to this card being fittest.

Can you clarify what you mean by this and why you've voted down my previous suggestions? It sounds like you're stating that the 960 is not a good card, but then you recommend it in your build... I'm confused.

On top of that, unless I'm mistaken, your rig basically drops the SSD to gain overclocking. (Plus suggests different KB+mouse). I'm not at all convinced that's the best option. Personally I'd take an SSD over the 15ish % you gain from OCing.

 

[okcnaline]

Bad logic about the GTX 960 being the most fitting card. Any card would take a hit when mods are involved. The GTX 960 should be hitting high distance, but with mods there'll be less FPS so it does not equate to this card being fittest.

Can you clarify what you mean by this and why you've voted down my previous suggestions? It sounds like you're stating that the 960 is not a good card, but then you recommend it in your build... I'm confused.

On top of that, unless I'm mistaken, your rig basically drops the SSD to gain overclocking. (Plus suggests different KB+mouse). I'm not at all convinced that's the best option. Personally I'd take an SSD over the 15ish % you gain from OCing.

Rhysiam, it was a mistake. I accidentally thought your post was one of the OP's. His post had bad logic and I tried to downvote his instead of yours. I tried to stop my browser from the request, but it was too late. Though to fix this, I've already asked an admin to help.

And as for the SSD part, done.
To OP: What O-Ring?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($215.00 @ Canada Computers)
Motherboard: MSI Z97S SLI Krait Edition ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($143.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($62.99 @ NCIX)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($83.98 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($60.75 @ Vuugo)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 960 2GB SuperSC ACX 2.0+ Video Card ($234.00 @ NCIX)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($78.50 @ Vuugo)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA GS 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($106.03 @ NCIX)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 OEM (64-bit) ($104.99 @ Canada Computers)
Keyboard: Cooler Master Storm QuickFire Rapid Wired Gaming Keyboard ($93.59 @ shopRBC)
Mouse: Logitech G502 Wired Optical Mouse ($59.98 @ DirectCanada)
Total: $1243.79
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-10 00:56 EDT-0400

 

[rhysiam]

Rhysiam, it was a mistake. I accidentally thought your post was one of the OP's. His post had bad logic and I tried to downvote his instead of yours. I tried to stop my browser from the request, but it was too late. Though to fix this, I've already asked an admin to help.

And as for the SSD part, done.

OK, fair enough! I'm not really bothered about the downvote (hopefully my ego is not that fragile!), I was just genuinely confused. Thanks for the clarification.

Out of curiosity, you'd still go the 960 over a 280X I suggested above for $15 more?: http://www.ncix.com/detail/powercolor-radeon-r9-280x-oc-5c-108831-1371.htm
I tend to think you could make a solid argument each way, but would lean towards the 280X myself.

Just for the record too, my maths was bad... an OCd 4690K would probably be closer to 30% quicker than a 4460... I hadn't realised the 4460s were clocked quite so low. The 4460 is still a solid choice and gets the nod for this build IMHO, but I wanted to correct that.

 

[Dan425811923]

Bad logic about the GTX 960 being the most fitting card. Any card would take a hit when mods are involved. The GTX 960 should be hitting high distance, but with mods there'll be less FPS so it does not equate to this card being fittest.

Can you clarify what you mean by this and why you've voted down my previous suggestions? It sounds like you're stating that the 960 is not a good card, but then you recommend it in your build... I'm confused.

On top of that, unless I'm mistaken, your rig basically drops the SSD to gain overclocking. (Plus suggests different KB+mouse). I'm not at all convinced that's the best option. Personally I'd take an SSD over the 15ish % you gain from OCing.

Rhysiam, it was a mistake. I accidentally thought your post was one of the OP's. His post had bad logic and I tried to downvote his instead of yours. I tried to stop my browser from the request, but it was too late. Though to fix this, I've already asked an admin to help.

And as for the SSD part, done.
To OP: What O-Ring?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($215.00 @ Canada Computers)
Motherboard: MSI Z97S SLI Krait Edition ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($143.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($62.99 @ NCIX)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($83.98 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($60.75 @ Vuugo)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 960 2GB SuperSC ACX 2.0+ Video Card ($234.00 @ NCIX)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($78.50 @ Vuugo)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA GS 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($106.03 @ NCIX)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 OEM (64-bit) ($104.99 @ Canada Computers)
Keyboard: Cooler Master Storm QuickFire Rapid Wired Gaming Keyboard ($93.59 @ shopRBC)
Mouse: Logitech G502 Wired Optical Mouse ($59.98 @ DirectCanada)
Total: $1243.79
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-10 00:56 EDT-0400

O-rings prevent the key switches from bottoming out which produces noise. Since the browns only make noise on the bottoming out the orings and the browns together make an extremely good experience in noise.

 

[Dan425811923]

Rhysiam, it was a mistake. I accidentally thought your post was one of the OP's. His post had bad logic and I tried to downvote his instead of yours. I tried to stop my browser from the request, but it was too late. Though to fix this, I've already asked an admin to help.

And as for the SSD part, done.

OK, fair enough! I'm not really bothered about the downvote (hopefully my ego is not that fragile!), I was just genuinely confused. Thanks for the clarification.

Out of curiosity, you'd still go the 960 over a 280X I suggested above for $15 more?: http://www.ncix.com/detail/powercolor-radeon-r9-280x-oc-5c-108831-1371.htm
I tend to think you could make a solid argument each way, but would lean towards the 280X myself.

Just for the record too, my maths was bad... an OCd 4690K would probably be closer to 30% quicker than a 4460... I hadn't realised the 4460s were clocked quite so low. The 4460 is still a solid choice and gets the nod for this build IMHO, but I wanted to correct that.

I mean the 960 is the best for ME as I need low power consumption and good build quality as I will use this for 6-7 years. I see no reason you downvote me.

 

[okcnaline]

Eh... I guess after what I've seen from the R9 380X... Can't recommend any AMD product now except for some R7 370X 4GB (read: R7 265 with 4GB, still pretty great performing for budget) card. Scared the **** out myself... What they released and the specs were just horrifying. Those cards are so ******* weak. Talking about rebrands of a card worse than the previous gen... It's just me.

Well, for the CPU side, it doesn't matter. You can always mess with the BCLK or the FSB clocks, and that'll give you at least a bit of extra clock.

And I do admit I have a bigger ego than I wish to have. 😉

 

[okcnaline]

I mean the 960 is the best for ME as I need low power consumption and good build quality as I will use this for 6-7 years. I see no reason you downvote me.

It's your logic. You're speaking about how GT 630 gets x FPS, GTX 750 Ti would make y FPS, GTX 960 would make z FPS, and y=2x=4z, or whatever you claimed. I thought that was wrong, as those 2 GPUs are from different architecture and therefore not possible to be compared that way. And different factors are being used, such as mods or no mods.

 

[Dan425811923]

I mean the 960 is the best for ME as I need low power consumption and good build quality as I will use this for 6-7 years. I see no reason you downvote me.

It's your logic. You're speaking about how GT 630 gets x FPS, GTX 750 Ti would make y FPS, GTX 960 would make z FPS, and y=2x=4z, or whatever you claimed. I thought that was wrong, as those 2 GPUs are from different architecture and therefore not possible to be compared that way. And different factors are being used, such as mods or no mods.

I am stating MC does not need really good specs. My friend owns a 630 and he gets 30 fps which is acceptable but with mods it will not work. The 750ti with shaders also gets 30 and I am explaining why I will get a 960 or 280.

 

[Dan425811923]

I am using mods and 30 is ok but i am using mods.

 

[rhysiam]

Eh... I guess after what I've seen from the R9 380X... Can't recommend any AMD product now except for some R7 370X 4GB (read: R7 265 with 4GB, still pretty great performing for budget) card. Scared the **** out myself... What they released and the specs were just horrifying. Those cards are so ******* weak. Talking about rebrands of a card worse than the previous gen... It's just me.

I agree with you about the 3xx series, I can't believe they rebadged AND raised prices - that's crazy... but I've recommend the aged but (I suggest) venerable 280X (nee 7970), which has always been a decent performer. It's certainly faster than the 960 with and extra gig of VRAM to boot.

But I see OP cares about power consumption, which is absolutely in the 960s favour.

On the other hand - OP, in a few years time 2GB is likely to be pretty insufficient for (non minecraft) games. The 960 is very short on VRAM and that will hurt its value proposition over time. The decision really comes down to whether you value power consumption and other little perks (Gsync, HDMI 2), over the extra performance and VRAM in the 280X. But by the sound of things OP, you've already made up your mind, so that's fine.

 

[okcnaline]

True... The R9 280X was definitely an awesome card. Beats out a GTX 960 marginally, I believe. Power consumption was not over the roof. I wish R9 380X was based on this; if it was not based on the R9 285 but on this I would've still believed in AMD.

 

[Dan425811923]

Eh... I guess after what I've seen from the R9 380X... Can't recommend any AMD product now except for some R7 370X 4GB (read: R7 265 with 4GB, still pretty great performing for budget) card. Scared the **** out myself... What they released and the specs were just horrifying. Those cards are so ******* weak. Talking about rebrands of a card worse than the previous gen... It's just me.

I agree with you about the 3xx series, I can't believe they rebadged AND raised prices - that's crazy... but I've recommend the aged but (I suggest) venerable 280X (nee 7970), which has always been a decent performer. It's certainly faster than the 960 with and extra gig of VRAM to boot.

But I see OP cares about power consumption, which is absolutely in the 960s favour.

On the other hand - OP, in a few years time 2GB is likely to be pretty insufficient for (non minecraft) games. The 960 is very short on VRAM and that will hurt its value proposition over time. The decision really comes down to whether you value power consumption and other little perks (Gsync, HDMI 2), over the extra performance and VRAM in the 280X. But by the sound of things OP, you've already made up your mind, so that's fine.

I actually may get the 280 non x as it is cheaper with 3 GB Vram. If I get the 280 I can get the z97 Krait

 

[okcnaline]

R9 280 has worse performance than a R9 280X... Get a GTX 960, being sandwiched for performance between R9 280 and 280X in games, massive amounts more efficient.

 

[Dan425811923]

R9 280 has worse performance than a R9 280X... Get a GTX 960, being sandwiched for performance between R9 280 and 280X in games, massive amounts more efficient.

Ok sure.