Best PC Build: Under $1,250

[jpishgar]

It's that time again! Time to update the BestConfigs! Once again, we are opening the field to user recommendations to get the best consensus for the absolute best of the best in each category. This time, we're going to limit builds to price points, rather than function, as most rigs are geared towards gaming. We're also going to drop the term "BestConfigs" and simply go with "Best PC Builds", since that's way easier to understand.

Your challenge is to create builds in any of the following eight brackets:

1. 
   ■Best Gaming Build Under $500
   ■Best Gaming Build Under $750
   ■Best Gaming Build Under $1000
   ■Best Gaming Build Under $1250
   ■Best Gaming Build Under $1500
   ■Best Gaming Build Under $1750
   ■Best Gaming Build Under $2000
   ■Bonus: Best Steam Machine Build Under $600

With these ground rules to follow:

• 
  ■Do not go over budget.
  ■Use only Amazon to source parts - we already use Newegg for the SBM, sorry.
  ■Use list prices only: coupons, rebates, bundles or any other limited-time offers will not be accepted.
  ■Do not include shipping or tax in your final budget.
  ■Do not include the Operating System, Monitor, Keyboard, Mouse or Gamepad (Steam Machine).
  ■Do not put your forum handle in the name of your build, and avoid odd capitalizations & symbols.
  ■Provide links to the Amazon product pages of each component — we encourage users to use PCPartPicker's System Build for speedy construction. Do not post a link to your build, but rather please be sure to export as BBCode for a quick copy/paste to the forums.
  ■The Steam Machine must be around the size of current-gen consoles and have Wi-Fi.

Once all of the builds have enough submissions, we’ll close the threads and our Community team will filter the submissions for adherence to the ground rules. Next, our Editorial team will filter the builds for compatibility issues (e.g. PSU won’t fit together with graphics card in case). The remaining rigs will be put up for public vote in the forums, and the top builds in each thread will go on to become our Best PC Builds!

Please be sure to format your list of components as follows:

Build Name

• 
  ■Processor: Component Name and Price
  ■Motherboard: Component Name and Price
  ■Memory: Component Name and Price
  ■Graphics Card:Component Name and Price
  ■Storage:Component Name and Price
  ■Case: Component Name and Price
  ■Power Supply: Component Name and Price
  ■Cooling: Component Name and Price

Good luck, and may the best builds win!

 

[RedJaron]

No Compromise Do-It-All

This spends just a little extra in all the right places without going overboard. A Z97 board and generous PSU gives you SLI options in the future should you want to. The Xeon and 16GB RAM gives plenty of headroom for professional apps without spending extra on CPU overclocking. Three tiers of storage provides plenty of fast SSD space for critical applications and your favorite games. Every other game and application resides on the WD Black while 2TB of WD Green holds your files and data. The GTX 970 is potent for 1440p and even triple 1080 gaming. All this is housed in the fantastic Raven3 case, making sure everything is quiet and cool.

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($252.43 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 Extreme4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($131.47 @ Amazon)
Memory: Kingston HyperX 16GB Kit (2x8GB) 1600MHz DDR3 ($78.29 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($79.84 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($70.00 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Green 2TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($85.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card ($308.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Silverstone RV03B-W ATX Full Tower Case ($149.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 650W 80+ GOLD 650W Fully Modular PSU ($74.88 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSC0B Multi Drive ($16.05 @ Amazon)
Total: $1246.94

 

[Darkbreeze]

Country style deep fried overclocked gaming machine.

This should easily OC to 4.5Ghz, and with four strong cores will of course handle any gaming title as well as easily handle multitasking with many demanding applications simultaneously. Recording, streaming and gaming alongside Skype or several browser tabs should be no issue at all.

Strong EVGA B2 (NOT B1) semi-modular power supply that does silver efficiency in testing, great motherboard that overclocks well and only lacks a few minor features that separate it from the Gaming 7 and a strong GPU card that battles it out with the GTX 980 depending on resolution. For 1080p and 1440p resolutions, this should easily handle almost any title at very high settings. The 8GB of VRAM may also be inclined to offer some additional benefits as the DX12 API becomes integrated into future game development.

Testing has shown that on average only about a 5% difference in gaming performance separates this from the unlocked Skylake i5.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($239.99)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Seidon 240M 86.2 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-Gaming 5 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($132.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($89.93 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial BX100 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.50 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 390X 8GB SOC Video Card ($409.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($67.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($84.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1245.36
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-10-30 15:25 EDT-0400

 

[MasterDell]

The "I have a modern case so I can't use a disk drive 4000"

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper T4 70.0 CFM Rifle Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus H170-PRO ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($113.80 @ Amazon)
Memory: A-Data XPG Z1 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial BX100 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($159.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($116.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 390X 8GB Video Card ($409.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($75.60 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1236.33
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-10-29 02:31 EDT-0400

 

[logainofhades]

Micro ATX Sleeper

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($252.43 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus B85M-G R2.0 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($65.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($41.49 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($71.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Superclocked+ ACX 2.0+ Video Card ($649.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Rosewill Line-M MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($49.36 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA GS 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($92.30 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer ($18.09 @ Amazon)
Total: $1241.64
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-14 16:01 EST-0500

 

[sadams04]

Debacle

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H170M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($94.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($55.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO 250GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($42.50 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB WINDFORCE 3X Video Card ($619.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Cougar Solution 2 ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA GS 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0B DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1241.42

 

[blazorthon]

T-Shirt Cannon

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($252.43 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-G1.SNIPER Z97 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($144.84 @ Amazon)
Memory: PNY XLR8 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($71.68 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 390X 8GB SOC Video Card ($409.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: PNY CS2111 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($78.86 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate 2TB 3.5" 5900RPM Hybrid Internal Hard Drive ($109.00 @ Amazon)
Case: Rosewill Stryker M ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Xigmatek XAF-F1451 90.3 CFM 140mm Fan ($5.99 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Xigmatek XAF-F1451 90.3 CFM 140mm Fan ($5.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($18.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1247.75
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-10-30 12:21 EDT-0400

As of this post, pcpartpicker had a slightly wrong price for the SSD. pcpartpicker said $79.75 while Amazon said $79.99. I've corrected this to Amazon's listed price.

 

[turkey3_scratch]

turkey3_scratch's "We Ain't Messin' Around" Productivity with some gaming slack-off build

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($331.49 Link to Product)
Motherboard: MSI H81M-E33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($51.90 Link to Product)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($74.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Black 5TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($249.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Black 5TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($249.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 950 2GB Superclocked Video Card ($159.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Rosewill FBM-01 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($29.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G2 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1248.33
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-10-30 17:07 EDT-0400

 

[Joseph DeGarmo]

EVGA Special Gaming Rig

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($254.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: EVGA Z170 FTW ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($189.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($65.72 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($96.29 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($116.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card ($319.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black/Blue) ATX Mid Tower Case ($74.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G2 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1247.94
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-10-30 17:22 EDT-0400

 

[xxHAPPYxx]

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JIJUBAS/?tag=pcpapi-20
Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper T2: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K7809O2/?tag=pcpapi-20
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard : http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K7807IK/?tag=pcpapi-20
RAM: Corsair Vengeance Pro 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory : http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D5X8XT4/?tag=pcpapi-20
Storage: Silicon Power S60 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive : http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009GG06F8/?tag=pcpapi-20
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive : http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005T3GRNW/?tag=pcpapi-20
GPU: MSI GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Video Card : http://www.amazon.com/dp/B010B71MGM/?tag=pcpapi-20
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case : http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009GXZ8MM/?tag=pcpapi-20
PSU: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply : http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004RJ8EKI/?tag=pcpapi-20

Total: $1249.91

 

[gerr]

$1250 Gaming Build...

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($223.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($96.29 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Superclocked ACX 2.0+ Video Card ($649.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair SPEC-01 RED ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($48.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1249.23

 

[Wetcrankymonkey]

Solid gaming bones to add more meat later..... under $1250

Future would hold more storage, more cooling, SLI.....

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K Processor 3.5 GHz LGA 1150 ($239.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD3H-BK ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($162.68 @ Amazon)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 Low Profile Black 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($97.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 G1 4GB Video Card ($358.85 @ Amazon)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 480GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($157.81 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair Vengeance C70 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair CSM 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1246.29

Updated.... CPU price is now $229.99 so $10 could be re-applied elsewhere. Could go back up by Nov. 15 so am not altering overall total.

 

[BadActor]

Gaming Screamer!

This system features great performance, high quality parts, good looks, and future upgrade path. The 6600k overclocks to 4.4ghz with a tiny voltage increase enabling the use of the air cooler. Careful shopping can get all the below mentioned parts for substantially less. I actually just built this as a gaming system for myself. Got the processor and mobo as a bundle from MC, and other parts sourced through the Egg. Saved about $200.00!

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($254.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming 5 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($169.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($52.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($87.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card ($489.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($83.47 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($65.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1234.40

CPU: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B012M8M7TY/?tag=pcpapi-20
CPU Cooler: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005O65JXI/?tag=pcpapi-20
Motherboard: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B012IBPPWG/?tag=pcpapi-20
Memory: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MTSWEQE/?tag=pcpapi-20
Storage: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OAJ412U/?tag=pcpapi-20
Video Card: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NT9UT3M/?tag=pcpapi-20
Case: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009GXZ8MM/?tag=pcpapi-20
Power Supply: http://www.amazon.com/Seasonic-S12II-520-BRONZE-SS-520GB%C2%A0/dp/B00390P1NO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1446754790&sr=8-1&keywords=seasonic+s12+520+bronze

 

[Tomos Woolley]

Full cooked breakfast

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($252.43 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97MX-Gaming 5 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance Pro 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($99.27 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO 250GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($103.90 @ Amazon)
Storage: Hitachi Deskstar 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($43.50 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 390 8GB SOC Video Card ($299.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT H440 (Black/Red) ATX Mid Tower Case ($165.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($77.77 @ Amazon)
Total: $1211.83
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-10-31 13:17 EDT-0400

 

[Vortel]

Sub $1250 System Name: Goldilocks

Processor: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI Z170 Krait Gaming ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($166.48 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($84.99 @ Amazon)
Graphics Card: MSI GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Video Card ($629.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($50.00 @ Amazon)
Case: Rosewill I5-397-BK ATX Mini Tower Case w/450W Power Supply ($64.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: 450W Included with Case
Cooling: Included with CPU
(Optional) Optical Drive: LG WH16NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($52.99 @ Amazon)
Total with Optical Drive: $1249.43 PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Total without Optical Drive: $1196.44

Thoughts on build: Goldilocks build name was chosen as this price bracket represents the middle of the price builds in this competition. No seperate PSU was required as it's included with the case, and the i5 doesn't need seperate cooling as it comes with the CPU. Though the storage may appear low, it's very easy to add external HDD/SSD via USB (this allowed this build to focus on speed with the other components).

With a slightly higher budget, my recommendation would be to bump up the SSD Size (and/or add an internal HDD). If you're plugging in a lot of things, would recommend upgrading to a case with a larger PSU, or get seperate case and PSU.

 

[jasonelmore]

Gaming $1250 Build

This is using the latest i5 Skylake Unlocked CPU @ 3.5Ghz, 16GB DDR4 RAM, and EVGA ACX GTX 970 with SSD and a sweet Blu Ray Burner

You could actually get a 6700K i7 if it werent for the silly amazon only rules. Amazon doesnt have it in stock, but everyone else does.. by the time you read this, amazon may very well have it in stock. My advice, drop the HDD, and get the i7 6700k.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Boxed Core I5-6600K 3.50 GHz, Quad Core Processor ($324.99 @ Amazon}
CPU Cooler: Corsair H55 57.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170-HD3P ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($106.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($96.08 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card ($319.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair Carbide 200R http://smile.amazon.com/dp/B009GXZ8MM/?tag=pcpapi-20&sa-no-redirect=1 ($83.47 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($64.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: LG WH14NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($51.65 @ Amazon)
HDD: Western Digital 1TB Green HDD: $49.99

Total: $1248.13

EDIT: i dunno if this build contest is supposed to be the same size as a steam machine, its only vaugely mentioned at the bottom (does this mean "in the case of steam builds" or it should be a steam machine build?" it's unclear.., and not listed anywhere in the title or opening statements.

 

[nikoli707]

Gaming 1250

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: [http://www.amazon.com/dp/B012M8M7TY/?tag=pcpapi-20]Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor[/url] ($254.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: [http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0028Y4S9K/?tag=pcpapi-20]Cooler Master Hyper TX3 54.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler[/url] ($18.75 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: [http://www.amazon.com/dp/B012N6LOZS/?tag=pcpapi-20]Gigabyte GA-Z170-HD3P ATX LGA1151 Motherboard[/url] ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: [http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MSOKFJW/?tag=pcpapi-20]A-Data XPG Z1 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory[/url] ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: [http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005T3GRNW/?tag=pcpapi-20]Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive[/url] ($48.83 @ Amazon)
Video Card: [http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YDAYLTY/?tag=pcpapi-20]EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Superclocked ACX 2.0+ Video Card[/url] ($649.99 @ Amazon)
Case: [http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I6BJATW/?tag=pcpapi-20]Corsair SPEC-01 RED ATX Mid Tower Case[/url] ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: [http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0045L5LGI/?tag=pcpapi-20]XFX 650W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply[/url] ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1247.52
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-03 22:12 EST-0500

 

[MasterMace]

$1250 Battle Station

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($254.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper T2 54.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($16.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H110M-A Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($56.00 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($44.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Sandisk SSD PLUS 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($71.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB AMP! Extreme Video Card ($669.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Silverstone PS08B (Black) MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: XFX 750W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($74.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($18.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1248.92
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-01 17:47 EST-0500

 

[cloudonsky]

Colossus

CPU: Intel Core i3-6300 3.8GHz Dual-Core Processor ($156.97 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($114.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($79.84 @ Amazon)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 Fury X 4GB Video Card ($659.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Thermaltake Core V21 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA GS 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($94.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1221.76
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-14 19:34 EST-0500

Mothership Core

CPU: Intel Core i3-6300 3.8GHz Dual-Core Processor ($156.97 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-L9i 57.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170N-Gaming 5 Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard ($161.64 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($159.43 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card ($327.31 @ Amazon)
Case: Lian-Li PC-TU100A Mini ITX Tower Case ($164.04 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Silverstone 600W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular SFX Power Supply $129.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1205.71
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-14 21:19 EST-0500

 

[ComputerSecurityGuy]

Overkill Jr.
CPU: Intel Core i5-6600 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z170M Pro4S Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($118.18 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($44.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial V4 32GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($35.95 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Video Card ($659.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($49.74 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Thermaltake SMART 650W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1248.82

 

[_Hi_]

LittleBigComputer

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($257.98 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H81M-H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($53.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Storage: Crucial BX100 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Superclocked ACX 2.0+ Video Card ($666.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Silverstone Element 650W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply
Total: $1188.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-02 16:12 EST-0500

*Amazon Links:

Cpu: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KB4A2XA/?tag=pcpapi-20
Motherboard: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I6DLKCA/?tag=pcpapi-20
Memory: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F902O5A/?tag=pcpapi-20
Gpu: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YDAYLTY/?tag=pcpapi-20
SSD: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RQA6TEI/?tag=pcpapi-20
Hdd: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005T3GRNW/?tag=pcpapi-20
Case: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CUZP0SU/?tag=pcpapi-20
Psu: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0025VKQAG/?tag=pcpapi-20
Cooling: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005O65JXI/?tag=pcpapi-20

FINAL PRICE BEFORE TAX AND SHIPPING USING AMAZON: $1249.20 (ik i fucked up on the pcpartpicker list)

 

[lp231]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($254.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($41.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming 3 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($149.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: A-Data Premier Pro SP600 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($84.46 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($71.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 390 8GB Nitro Video Card ($357.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G2 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1241.29
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-02 22:07 EST-0500

Amazon Links
cpu:http://www.amazon.com/dp/B012M8M7TY/?tag=pcpapi-20
hsf:http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00S7YA5FQ/?tag=pcpapi-20
m/b:http://www.amazon.com/dp/B012N6E996/?tag=pcpapi-20
ram:http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0123ZC250/?tag=pcpapi-20
ssd:http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HJOJJ70/?tag=pcpapi-20
hdd:http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005T3GRN2/?tag=pcpapi-20
gpu:http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ZGL8CYY/?tag=pcpapi-20
case:http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YCX0XR6/?tag=pcpapi-20
psu:http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0106RDIN2/?tag=pcpapi-20

 

[ajpaolello]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($254.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170-HD3P ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($60.39 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($87.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($71.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card ($489.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.67 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Thermaltake 750W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1233.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-03 08:32 EST-0500

 

[Moonlooper]

Sweet and Silent

Who wants a roaring power-hungry monster nowadays when you can achieve quiet excellence a bit cheaper and leave the rest of your budget for your favorite games.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($254.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Arctic Cooling Freezer i30 74.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($38.50 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI Z170A PC MATE ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Tactical 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($79.01 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial BX100 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Green 2TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($88.74 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB SSC ACX 2.0+ Video Card ($314.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Nanoxia Deep Silence 3 ATX Mid Tower Case ($100.00 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA GS 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($78.78 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($18.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1163.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-03 09:54 EST-0500

 

[hatib]

this is a gr8 build it is gr8 for 1080p60fps video editing,gaming,streaming
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: Corsair H105 73.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($101.24 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI Z97-GAMING 5 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard
Memory: Corsair Vengeance Pro 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2400 Memory ($87.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($87.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card
Case: Fractal Design Define S w/Window ATX Mid Tower Case ($130.44 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($85.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $493.65
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-03 10:18 EST-0500