Best gaming pc 2013 for $1500

[danucleartoast]

is this the best gaming pc for recording gameplay at max settings at 60 fps games like bf3 and crysis 3 and is it future proof

http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/partlist/

 

[Brett928S2]

Hi

No because your link is bad...lol

All the best Brett

 

[g-unit1111]

First off your link doesn't work.

Second forget about future proofing. There isn't any definite way to make any build future proof. It's just the way it is. There's a law named after Intel's cofounder that explains this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moore%27s_law . It states that the number of transistors in any given circuit will double after two years. The only way to really do so is to be prepared to evolve your build as you go along.

This is what I would consider to be the current best PC you can get for that budget (assuming you don't need monitor, peripherals, and OS) :

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($32.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($66.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: OCZ Vector Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition 3GB Video Card ($425.91 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Titanium Grey) ATX Mid Tower Case ($132.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling Silencer Mk III 750W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1388.81
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-04-12 15:48 EDT-0400)

 

[jesot]

Best bet at that range is to first set aside $900 for either 2 7970s or 2 670s and a SLI/CF PSU. Then work off your ~$600. i5 3570k & ~$130 Z77 MB (~$250 left), ~$60 for 8GB 1600 memory ($190), and either a 128GB SSD or a 1TB HDD with the rest going toward a case and CPU cooler (212 Evo?).

 

[g-unit1111]

Best bet at that range is to first set aside $900 for either 2 7970s or 2 670s and a SLI/CF PSU. Then work off your ~$600. i5 3570k & ~$130 Z77 MB (~$250 left), ~$60 for 8GB 1600 memory ($190), and either a 128GB SSD or a 1TB HDD with the rest going toward a case and CPU cooler (212 Evo?).

Not possible to put aside $900 for a pair of 7970s. On a $1500 build that just isn't going to happen. Just get one for now and add the second when the price drops.

 

[jesot]

Best bet at that range is to first set aside $900 for either 2 7970s or 2 670s and a SLI/CF PSU. Then work off your ~$600. i5 3570k & ~$130 Z77 MB (~$250 left), ~$60 for 8GB 1600 memory ($190), and either a 128GB SSD or a 1TB HDD with the rest going toward a case and CPU cooler (212 Evo?).

Not possible to put aside $900 for a pair of 7970s.

Why not?

 

[g-unit1111]

Best bet at that range is to first set aside $900 for either 2 7970s or 2 670s and a SLI/CF PSU. Then work off your ~$600. i5 3570k & ~$130 Z77 MB (~$250 left), ~$60 for 8GB 1600 memory ($190), and either a 128GB SSD or a 1TB HDD with the rest going toward a case and CPU cooler (212 Evo?).

Not possible to put aside $900 for a pair of 7970s.

Why not?

Because you're spending well over 1/2 your budget on the GPU while cutting corners on everything else. That is not the way to plan for a build. I know they do it on the Tom's system builder reviews but if you read the comments they've got a lot of crap for it. Get quality everything - that way you only have to buy the part once instead of having to buy new parts to accommodate for new hardware.

 

[FinTFT]

First off your link doesn't work.

Second forget about future proofing. There isn't any definite way to make any build future proof. It's just the way it is. There's a law named after Intel's cofounder that explains this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moore%27s_law . It states that the number of transistors in any given circuit will double after two years. The only way to really do so is to be prepared to evolve your build as you go along.

This is what I would consider to be the current best PC you can get for that budget (assuming you don't need monitor, peripherals, and OS) :

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($32.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($66.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: OCZ Vector Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition 3GB Video Card ($425.91 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Titanium Grey) ATX Mid Tower Case ($132.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling Silencer Mk III 750W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1388.81
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-04-12 15:48 EDT-0400)

Just two minor questions:

Is this build much worse? Apart from a lower GPU and power source?

Monitor is optional for me.

(NOTE: Somehow when I publish it using the BBCode Markup it gets the pickup only price for the CPU at $189, instead of the same $219.99 from Amazon as I have in my build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / 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 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($172.99 @ Adorama)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($289.99 @ Newegg)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WDN4800 802.11a/b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 922 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Full (32/64-bit) ($169.99 @ Amazon)
Monitor: LG E2411PU-BN 24.0" Monitor ($179.99 @ NCIX US)
Keyboard: Logitech G710 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($107.99 @ Newegg)
Mouse: Razer DeathAdder 2013 Wired Optical Mouse ($57.24 @ Amazon)
Other: Link Depot HDMI to HDMI Cable 25 feet ($6.44)
Other: Monoprice 25ft RG6/U 75 ohm CL2/In-Wall Rated Digital Coaxial S/PDIF RCA Audio Cable ($13.79)
Total: $1615.31
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-04-12 16:23 EDT-0400)

Thanks!

 

[g-unit1111]

Is this build much worse? Apart from a lower GPU and power source?

The power supply won't support a dual GPU setup. If that's what you're going for then you'll need a 750W minimum.

The Samsung 840 base is an OK SSD - there's far better you can go with. And on your budget there's no reason to compromise on the GPU.

You're paying a ridiculous amount of money for peripherals at the expense of your GPU and case. Just get a cheap keyboard and mouse, and then get the good ones later on as an upgrade. You also don't need the extra cables either - your monitor will come with those, that's a wasted purchase.

 

[danucleartoast]

Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor $319.99 FREE $319.99 Amazon
Remove
Buy
CPU Cooler

Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler $29.98 $29.98 Outlet PC
Remove
Buy
Motherboard

Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard $135.99 $135.99 NCIX US
Remove
Buy
Memory

Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory $64.23 FREE $64.23 Amazon
Remove
Buy
Add Additional Memory
Storage

OCZ Vector Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk $149.99 FREE $149.99 Newegg
Remove
Buy

Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive $69.99 $69.99 NCIX US
Remove
Buy
Add Additional Storage
Video Card

Gigabyte GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) $399.99 -$20.00 FREE $379.99 Newegg
Remove
Buy
$20.00 mail-in rebate

Gigabyte GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) $399.99 -$20.00 FREE $379.99 Newegg
Remove
Buy
$20.00 mail-in rebate
Case

NZXT Phantom 410 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case $79.98 $79.98 Outlet PC
Remove
Buy
Power Supply

NZXT HALE 90 750W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply

 

[g-unit1111]

^^^^^^^

Dual GTX 670 will be way more than $1500 with an i7-3770K (not needed for gaming) and an OCZ Vector.

 

[jesot]

Best bet at that range is to first set aside $900 for either 2 7970s or 2 670s and a SLI/CF PSU. Then work off your ~$600. i5 3570k & ~$130 Z77 MB (~$250 left), ~$60 for 8GB 1600 memory ($190), and either a 128GB SSD or a 1TB HDD with the rest going toward a case and CPU cooler (212 Evo?).

Not possible to put aside $900 for a pair of 7970s.

Why not?

Because you're spending well over 1/2 your budget on the GPU while cutting corners on everything else. That is not the way to plan for a build. I know they do it on the Tom's system builder reviews but if you read the comments they've got a lot of crap for it. Get quality everything - that way you only have to buy the part once instead of having to buy new parts to accommodate for new hardware.

I don't see corner cutting with a $600 budget post-GPUs & PSU. It gets him top of the line (for the intents and purposes of gaming) CPU & Mobo, gaming standard RAM, standard storage of choice, and a solid case of choice.

 

[FinTFT]

Is this build much worse? Apart from a lower GPU and power source?

The power supply won't support a dual GPU setup. If that's what you're going for then you'll need a 750W minimum.

The Samsung 840 base is an OK SSD - there's far better you can go with. And on your budget there's no reason to compromise on the GPU.

You're paying a ridiculous amount of money for peripherals at the expense of your GPU and case. Just get a cheap keyboard and mouse, and then get the good ones later on as an upgrade. You also don't need the extra cables either - your monitor will come with those, that's a wasted purchase.

Thanks, what 250GB SSD would you prefer then?
I was thinking of getting only that as opposed to a 128 GB SSD and a 1TB HD....(I do have some 2 TB external HDs for now, if need be).

 

[g-unit1111]

Is this build much worse? Apart from a lower GPU and power source?

The power supply won't support a dual GPU setup. If that's what you're going for then you'll need a 750W minimum.

The Samsung 840 base is an OK SSD - there's far better you can go with. And on your budget there's no reason to compromise on the GPU.

You're paying a ridiculous amount of money for peripherals at the expense of your GPU and case. Just get a cheap keyboard and mouse, and then get the good ones later on as an upgrade. You also don't need the extra cables either - your monitor will come with those, that's a wasted purchase.

Thanks, what 250GB SSD would you prefer then?
I was thinking of getting only that as opposed to a 128 GB SSD and a 1TB HD....(I do have some 2 TB external HDs for now, if need be).

Here's a couple I would suggest:

- ADATA SXG900: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211597
- Crucial M4: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=20-148-443&IsVirtualParent=1
- Plextor M5S: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820249025

I don't see corner cutting with a $600 budget post-GPUs & PSU. It gets him top of the line (for the intents and purposes of gaming) CPU & Mobo, gaming standard RAM, standard storage of choice, and a solid case of choice.

Case - $100
PSU - $100 (wouldn't spend anything less)
RAM - $60
HD - $70
SSD - $130
Z77 motherboard - $150:
Optical - $30

Total: $630

I suppose it's possible. But I would not compromise on the case and PSU minimum.

 

[FinTFT]

Here's a couple I would suggest:

- ADATA SXG900: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211597
- Crucial M4: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=20-148-443&IsVirtualParent=1
- Plextor M5S: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820249025

Thanks!

Any of them, then?

 

[g-unit1111]

Here's a couple I would suggest:

- ADATA SXG900: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211597
- Crucial M4: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=20-148-443&IsVirtualParent=1
- Plextor M5S: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820249025

Thanks!

Any of them, then?

Yeah any of them will work.

 

[FinTFT]

Out of principle I've upgraded the CPU to i7 and added more memory (just to have it matched now) + 1 HD (in case the SSD fails), but do you think that I'd need the thermal compound and such a large PSU if I don't plan to use 2 GPUs?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Outlet PC)
Thermal Compound: Gelid Solutions GC-Extreme 3.5g Thermal Paste ($12.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($135.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Corsair XMS 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: A-Data XPG SX900 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Asus Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($418.98 @ Newegg)
Sound Card: Encore ENM232-8VIA 24-bit 96 KHz Sound Card ($8.98 @ Outlet PC)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WDN4800 802.11a/b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Titanium Grey) ATX Mid Tower Case ($119.77 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling Silencer Mk III 750W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Full (32/64-bit) ($169.99 @ Amazon)
Monitor: LG E2411PU-BN 24.0" Monitor ($179.99 @ NCIX US)
Keyboard: Logitech G710 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($107.99 @ Newegg)
Mouse: Razer DeathAdder 2013 Wired Optical Mouse ($57.24 @ Amazon)
Other: Link Depot HDMI to HDMI Cable 25 feet ($6.44)
Other: Monoprice 25ft RG6/U 75 ohm CL2/In-Wall Rated Digital Coaxial S/PDIF RCA Audio Cable ($13.79)
Total: $2049.04
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-04-13 15:25 EDT-0400)

Also that's a pickup only price for the CPU, I'll probably end up paying the full $315.99 since the nearest center is too far away from me or Lake Placid where I'm going.

Thanks again!