Building a new PC, need help and opinions

[User151]

So I've decided to build a new gaming PC that costs about 1000$.
I need your opinions about the parts and I also want to know if the parts will work together.

Specs:

OS: Windows 8.1 - 64bit
Motherboard: Asus H97-PLUS HDMI, SATA 6Gb/s, USB 3.0 ATX DDR3 1600, LGA 1150
CPU: Intel Core i5-4460
GPU: EVGA GeForce GTX 960
RAM: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 1600 MHz
Monitor: Acer G226HQL Bbd 21.5-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) Widescreen Display
Hard Drive: WD Blue 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 7200rpm
Optical Drive: Asus 24x DVD-RW Serial-ATA Internal OEM Optical Drive DRW-24B1ST (Black)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO - CPU Cooler with 120mm PWM Fan
PSU: EVGA 500W

 

[okcnaline]

Boo...
$1050 means GTX 970, i5-4690K, and high quality stuff, but minus $150 for the monitor, you're still looking at a R9 290 with an i5. This is not a good build.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($226.69 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.75 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 EXTREME4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($125.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston Fury Red Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($62.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.69 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 280X 3GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($241.98 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($64.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($104.99 @ NCIX US)
Monitor: Asus VX228H 60Hz 21.5" Monitor ($144.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $1055.05
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-02 15:51 EDT-0400

 

[User151]

Ok, I like what you suggested but I want to know a few things:
Why did you change the motherboard, memory, case, power supply and the monitor?

 

[boosted1g]

okcnaline's build did not include the cost of windows.


Here is a non-overclock CPU but a GTX 970 for just over your 1k budget:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($178.49 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($83.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.69 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card ($319.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair SPEC-01 RED ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.90 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: XFX TS 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($48.98 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($87.89 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Asus VX228H 60Hz 21.5" Monitor ($144.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $1016.81
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-02 16:22 EDT-0400

 

[Onus]

If you're not interested in overclocking, a locked CPU (non-"K") and a H97 board is a solid choice; you can also omit the aftermarket cooler. Otherwise, select the cooler from http://www.tomshardware.com/faq/id-2478892/alternatives-hyper-212-evo-budget-cooling.html for higher bang/buck (and less bucks).
I am using this Asus IPS monitor myself: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236205 which is $140 now.
For a single video card, this 550W fully modular XFX will be sufficient: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207032 for $80 ($60 if you play the rebate game and win).

 

[boosted1g]

For gaming only you do not need 16gb of memory, so 8gb is plenty.
If doing rendering or video editing then the 16gb is usefull so if budget requires it, I would get the 16gb and drop to a 280x for gpu.

 

[User151]

What about this build?
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($239.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper TX3 54.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($17.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver Arctic Alumina Premium Ceramic Polysynthetic 1.75g Thermal Paste ($4.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M PRO4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($78.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Kingston Fury Black Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($62.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital RE3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($44.25 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 960 2GB SuperSC ACX 2.0+ Video Card ($197.92 @ Amazon)
Case: Thermaltake Versa H22 Window ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($24.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($13.98 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($87.89 @ OutletPC)
Sound Card: Asus Xonar DG 24-bit 96 KHz Sound Card ($15.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Wired Network Adapter: TP-Link TG-3468 10/100/1000 Mbps PCI-Express x1 Network Adapter ($12.88 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF120 Red 52.2 CFM 120mm Fan ($13.39 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Philips 227E4LSB 60Hz 21.5" Monitor ($110.03 @ Amazon)
Keyboard: Logitech K120 Wired Standard Keyboard ($6.99 @ NCIX US)
Speakers: Logitech Z130 5W 2ch Speakers ($14.99 @ Best Buy)
Total: $978.23
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-02 17:23 EDT-0400

 

[Onus]

The cooler should come with at least one application of thermal paste, so you won't need that. You also won't need the wired network adapter (it's built into the motherboard) nor the sound card (ditto). Use the money from those to get a better PSU, such as a 550W XFX or Rosewill Capstone. I see you list a keyboard; do you also need a mouse?

 

[User151]

I changed the build to what you suggested Onus and this is how it is now:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($239.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper TX3 54.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($17.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($71.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Kingston Fury Black Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($62.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital RE3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($44.25 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 960 2GB SuperSC ACX 2.0+ Video Card ($197.92 @ Amazon)
Case: Thermaltake Versa H22 Window ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Rosewill Capstone 550W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($13.98 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($87.89 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF120 Red 52.2 CFM 120mm Fan ($13.39 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Philips 227E4LSB 60Hz 21.5" Monitor ($110.03 @ Amazon)
Keyboard: Logitech K120 Wired Standard Keyboard ($6.99 @ NCIX US)
Speakers: Logitech Z130 5W 2ch Speakers ($14.99 @ Best Buy)
Total: $952.38
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-02 19:11 EDT-0400

And no, I do not need a mouse.

 

[okcnaline]

okcnaline's build did not include the cost of windows.


Here is a non-overclock CPU but a GTX 970 for just over your 1k budget:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($178.49 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($83.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.69 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card ($319.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair SPEC-01 RED ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.90 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: XFX TS 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($48.98 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($87.89 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Asus VX228H 60Hz 21.5" Monitor ($144.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $1016.81
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-02 16:22 EDT-0400

Alright, here's my build:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($226.69 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.75 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 EXTREME4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($125.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston Fury Red Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($64.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.69 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 280X 3GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($241.98 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($64.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: XFX XTR 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($61.98 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($86.89 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Asus VX238H-W 23.0" Monitor ($120.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1076.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-02 20:07 EDT-0400

What about this build?
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($239.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper TX3 54.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($17.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver Arctic Alumina Premium Ceramic Polysynthetic 1.75g Thermal Paste ($4.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M PRO4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($78.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Kingston Fury Black Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($62.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital RE3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($44.25 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 960 2GB SuperSC ACX 2.0+ Video Card ($197.92 @ Amazon)
Case: Thermaltake Versa H22 Window ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($24.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($13.98 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($87.89 @ OutletPC)
Sound Card: Asus Xonar DG 24-bit 96 KHz Sound Card ($15.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Wired Network Adapter: TP-Link TG-3468 10/100/1000 Mbps PCI-Express x1 Network Adapter ($12.88 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF120 Red 52.2 CFM 120mm Fan ($13.39 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Philips 227E4LSB 60Hz 21.5" Monitor ($110.03 @ Amazon)
Keyboard: Logitech K120 Wired Standard Keyboard ($6.99 @ NCIX US)
Speakers: Logitech Z130 5W 2ch Speakers ($14.99 @ Best Buy)
Total: $978.23
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-02 17:23 EDT-0400

Bad. The E3-1230V3 is similar to an i7 in which they both have 8 threads for 8 cores. I don't think, for gaming, you need that. And the card should be better; the GTX 960 benchmarks show that it performs like the GTX 760, saying it isn't too strong compared to others. And the PSU isn't the best you can get at the price. The one Onus listed is of good quality.

 

[Onus]

I changed the build to what you suggested Onus and this is how it is now:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($239.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper TX3 54.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($17.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($71.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Kingston Fury Black Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($62.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital RE3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($44.25 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 960 2GB SuperSC ACX 2.0+ Video Card ($197.92 @ Amazon)
Case: Thermaltake Versa H22 Window ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Rosewill Capstone 550W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($13.98 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($87.89 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF120 Red 52.2 CFM 120mm Fan ($13.39 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Philips 227E4LSB 60Hz 21.5" Monitor ($110.03 @ Amazon)
Keyboard: Logitech K120 Wired Standard Keyboard ($6.99 @ NCIX US)
Speakers: Logitech Z130 5W 2ch Speakers ($14.99 @ Best Buy)
Total: $952.38
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-02 19:11 EDT-0400

And no, I do not need a mouse.

That looks pretty good, although if possible you might want to put the rest of the money in your budget into a better graphics card. You might find a GTX970 or R9 290 in your price range. I think even the R9 280X might be a little better than the GTX960, unless you really want PhysX (few games use it, but imho it does offer some nice effects).

 

[User151]

GTX 970 puts the price at $1074.25 which is pretty good.

Will it matter much if instead of using the Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 I'll use Intel Core i5-4460? (Price will be $1012.95)

 

[Onus]

For games, not really. It's better to have the stronger graphics card.