Building a Gaming Computer - Budget $1000

[scheung053]

Hello everyone, I'm wondering what you guys think of all the parts I'm getting a good or not for a gaming computer.

MSI NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 Ti
ASRock LGA 1155 Intel Z77
Seagate Barracuda 7200 1 TB
Intel Core i5-3570K Quad-Core Processor 3.4 GHz 4 Core
Cooler Master Extreme Power Plus - 600W Power Supply
NZXT M59
Asus 24xDVD-RW
Windows 8 System Builder
NZXT Sleeved LED Case Light Kit -just for fun
Corsair Vengeance 8 GB
NZXT Technologies RF-FZ120-G1 NZXT FZ-120mm LED Cooling Case x3

The total cost for all these parts is 1,142.30 plus tax. If you guys have any ideas to make this cheaper, I will greatly appreciate it and also, try to implement a liquid cooling setup if possible because it would be nice to have one. By the way, this is my senior project and I want to make it spectacular. Thank you for your help.

 

[timarp000]

Buy this instead,

1.Processor : Intel Core i5 3570K
2.Cooler : Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO
3.Motherboard : MSI Z77A GD-45
4.RAM : G.Skill Ares 8GB
5.PSU : Corsair TX750M
6.GPU : MSI GTX 660 Ti PE (Non-OC)
7.Case : Corsair 300R / 200R
8.Hard Drive : Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003
9.DVD Writer : Asus DRW-24B1ST

You can Add the OS if you want, just buy Win 7 Home Premium.

Dont buy liquid cooling unless you go custom, ive included the Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO, it will get your CPU to 4Ghz easy (that is if you overclock)

 

[burritobob]

This is my recommendation for a gaming computer, the GPU on this thing is a beast, I doubt you will use more hdd than this thing has, oh and the mobo is fantastic.

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($129.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 680 2GB Video Card ($504.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill Blackbone ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1005.90
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-02-01 07:57 EST-0500)

Edit: If you need win7 and and a disc drive(though most games are downloaded today...) it will be the same price as your original build.

 

[burritobob]

Buy this instead,

1.Processor : Intel Core i5 3570K
2.Cooler : Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO
3.Motherboard : MSI Z77A GD-45
4.RAM : G.Skill Ares 8GB
5.PSU : Corsair TX750M
6.GPU : MSI GTX 660 Ti PE (Non-OC)
7.Case : Corsair 300R / 200R
8.Hard Drive : Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003
9.DVD Writer : Asus DRW-24B1ST

You can Add the OS if you want, just buy Win 7 Home Premium.

Dont buy liquid cooling unless you go custom, ive included the Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO, it will get your CPU to 4Ghz easy (that is if you overclock)

Couple things wrong with this, the Corsair cases are way to overpriced for the quality....

The MSI motherboard isn't of a great quality. I would switch back to the asrock z77 extreme 4 mobo.

PSU has way to much power, the 660 will hardly use any of that.

 

[scheung053]

Anymore suggestion because I'm trying to compile a bunch of suggestions to make the best out of this computer. I will be buying the parts this month and start building.

 

[scheung053]

Also wondering, what operating system should I get, windows 8 or windows 7?

 

[timarp000]

Couple things wrong with this, the Corsair cases are way to overpriced for the quality....

The MSI motherboard isn't of a great quality. I would switch back to the asrock z77 extreme 4 mobo.

PSU has way to much power, the 660 will hardly use any of that.

If he wants SLI its safe to buy a 750W PSU.
And corsair dont make overpriced cases. They may not make cases filled with LED's and bling but the quality of the metal and features like cable managements are truly amazing!I agree that MSI dont make the best boards but for the price, they are pretty good. Asus boards and Gigabyte are the High Quality ones but they are pricey aswell.

he also can go for http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157298
but is a bit more expensive

 

[scheung053]

I heard I don't need much watts in the PSU, so I changed to Cooler Master eXtreme Power Plus 500w Power Supply since the graphics card only require 420w.

 

[bakertylerea]

500 w is not a good idea. Remember that the graphics card is not the only thing in your rig that needs power. Also, if you ever upgrade to a more power-heavy card or go with SLI, you will have to buy a whole new PSU which will be a pain in the ass. Just a suggestion, but a good suggestion none the less.

 

[iceclock]

country of origin? need monitor? +os?

 

[scheung053]

country of origin? need monitor? +os?

United States of America, I do not need a monitor, and yes I do need either windows 7 or 8.

 

[scheung053]

500 w is not a good idea. Remember that the graphics card is not the only thing in your rig that needs power. Also, if you ever upgrade to a more power-heavy card or go with SLI, you will have to buy a whole new PSU which will be a pain in the ass. Just a suggestion, but a good suggestion none the less.

What about a 600W power supply?

 

[burritobob]

If he wants SLI its safe to buy a 750W PSU.
And corsair dont make overpriced cases. They may not make cases filled with LED's and bling but the quality of the metal and features like cable managements are truly amazing!I agree that MSI dont make the best boards but for the price, they are pretty good. Asus boards and Gigabyte are the High Quality ones but they are pricey aswell.

he also can go for http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157298
but is a bit more expensive

Gigabyte boards are some of the cheaper ones btw.

Also Corsair has terrible cable management cases look into some antic cases better price point...

600w is more than enough for SLI of that specific card.

 

[burritobob]

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($129.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($49.98 @ Outlet PC)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.00 @ Compuvest)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition 3GB Video Card ($429.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill Blackbone ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec EarthWatts 650W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($93.74 @ Mwave)
Total: $1015.66
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-02-02 04:01 EST-0500)

Here is my recommendation this is by far the best performing system for games. If you can invest another $100 then snag a 120gb ssd and you will get another massive performance boost from that.

 

[iceclock]

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/B0Pm
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/B0Pm/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/B0Pm/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Antec Kuhler H2O 620 Liquid CPU Cooler ($57.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LK ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($109.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($48.58 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7870 XT 2GB Video Card ($239.99 @ Newegg)
Case: DIYPC Adventurer-9601R (Black) ATX Full Tower Case ($99.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.99 @ Microcenter)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1006.46
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-02-02 10:43 EST-0500)

should do the trick.

 

[timarp000]

This is what id recommend,

Part List - http://pcpartpicker.com/p/B1k6
Benchmarks- http://pcpartpicker.com/p/B1k6/benchmarks/

CPU- Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor
Motherboard- Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard
RAM- Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Hard Drive- Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Graphics- Zotac GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB Video Card
Case- Cooler Master Scout 2 SGC-2100-GWN1 ATX Mid Tower Case
PSU- SeaSonic M12II 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply
DVD Writer- Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer
OS- Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit)

-Total is $1003

1.You cannot overclock the CPU(Its an Intel 3470). But if you want to, buy a 3570K and Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO.
2.The motherboard that ive listed is much better than those other cheaper ones.
4.The graphics card (GTX 660 Ti) is much better than a Radeon 7870. http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/647?vs=548
The R7870 beats the GTX 660 Ti only in some games (see 1920x1200 scores)
4.Also i think that the case looks brilliant!

 

[iceclock]

thats a 7870xt if u read correctly.

much better is exaggerated.

also the evo is quite good.

and the mobo and case i chose is outstanding, also my mobo is just as good and cheaper.

 

[scheung053]

All these suggestions are pretty nice and I did reduce my pricing to $987.44 with all these suggestions. That being said, I also want to make it look nice that's why I chose to use LED fans and the LED cable. So if you guys have any suggestions to make the computer look fancy and have the ability to run games at max settings, that would be awesome. Also, i am not changing my case to any other cases. I am sticking to the NZXT M59. Maybe now you guys might suggest liquid cooling in this.

EDIT: Since Micro Center is in store pick up only, the store is too far from me so I can't use that buy my parts. Now the price of all my materials is back to $1022.

 

[iceclock]

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/B7Uz
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/B7Uz/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/B7Uz/benchmarks/

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($33.16 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LK ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($109.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($48.58 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7870 XT 2GB Video Card ($239.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec Neo Eco 520W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.99 @ Microcenter)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Other: 3570k ($224.00)
Total: $910.65
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-02-02 20:29 EST-0500)

 

[scheung053]

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/B7Uz
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/B7Uz/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/B7Uz/benchmarks/

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($33.16 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LK ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($109.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($48.58 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7870 XT 2GB Video Card ($239.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec Neo Eco 520W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.99 @ Microcenter)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Other: 3570k ($224.00)
Total: $910.65
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-02-02 20:29 EST-0500)

I heard Radeon video cards are not that great, so I'll stick with NVIDIA, also I can't buy things from microcenter since I need to go to their store which is too far where I live.

 

[iceclock]

lol, its amd and there fine, unless ur a nvidia fanboy.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/B876
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/B876/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/B876/benchmarks/

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($33.16 @ Amazon)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($48.58 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB Video Card ($269.98 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec Neo Eco 520W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Other: 3570k ($224.00)
Other: asus sli mobo ($124.00)
Total: $951.64
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-02-02 20:46 EST-0500)

there ya go

 

[scheung053]

I also want some fancy lighting if possible or liquid cooling if possible. If I can't I'll post another revision of the parts I am planning to get and see what you guys think.

 

[iceclock]

that doesnt really fit in the budget tho.

also air coolers do the same thing as watercoolers and without the possible water leaks and

similar temps.

 

[scheung053]

that doesnt really fit in the budget tho.

also air coolers do the same thing as watercoolers and without the possible water leaks and

similar temps.

Alright, any special LEDs I can add? Specifically blue LEDs?

 

[iceclock]

let me get u a case with fans 😀

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/B90O
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/B90O/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/B90O/benchmarks/

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($33.16 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($43.98 @ Outlet PC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB Video Card ($269.98 @ Amazon)
Case: Enermax ECA3175-BL ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Antec Neo Eco 520W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Other: 3570k ($224.00)
Other: asus sli mobo ($124.00)
Total: $952.04
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-02-02 22:00 EST-0500)