First Gaming PC! Would Love Some Advice, $1500 Budget

[ShadowOpsII]

Hello everyone and thank you in advanced for replying to this! I am about to switch to PC gaming and I am really a HUGE noob with all of this. I am learning more and more as I go but for the most part I am confused. I want to use this computer for gaming mostly, but I will be recording some videos, using MS Office occasionally, and downloading music.

All I know is this; my budget is around $1500, I want a great intel processor (i7 or high end i5), NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670 (or better), 8+ GB of Memory, possibly an SSD and 1 TB Hard drive (at least), and that's about all I understand!

I would like to try and build a PC but I don't understand what kind of mother boards I would need, what overclocking is, how to get my drivers to be in-sync with Windows 7, and I don't have much free time. I think I could understand how to build it if I got all of the parts I needed and as long as I got the parts I want (I really want a great processor and GTX 670 or better). I want my FPS to be around 100 and I want to be able to hand every game with ease.

I went to build a computer at CYBERPOWERPC and this is what I came up with. If anyone could suggest a better mother board, and if anyone can show me where I messed up or where I can save money, I would GREATLY appreciate it.

I understand building a PC is much better but here is what I got, and I just want some advice, any at all.

________________________________________________________________
- Case: CoolerMaster Elite 430 Mid-Tower Gaming Case with Side Panel Window

- Laser Engraving: None

- Internal USB Extension Module: NZXT Internal USB 6-PORT Expansion Module

- Extra Case Fan Upgrade: Maximum 120MM Case Cooling Fans for your selected case

- Noise Reduction Technology: None

- CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-4770K 3.50 GHz 8MB Intel Smart Cache LGA1150 (All Venom OC Certified)

- Venom Boost Fast And Efficient Factory Overclocking: Pro OC (Performance Overclock 10% or more)

- Cooling Fan: * CoolerMaster Hyper 212 Evo Gaming Cooling Fan

- Motherboard: * [CrossFireX/SLI] GIGABYTE Z87X-D3H Intel Z87 Chipset DDR3 ATX Mainboard w/ Ultra Durable 5 Plus, On/Off Charge 2, 7.1 HD Audio, Intel GbLAN, 3x PCIe x16 (2 Gen3, 1 Gen2), 3 PCIe x1 & 1 PCI (Extreme OC Certified)

- Intel Smart Response Technology: None

- Memory: 16GB (4GBx4) DDR3/1600MHz Dual Channel Memory (Crucial Ballistix)

- Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670 2GB 16X PCIe 3.0 Video Card (Major Brand Powered by NVIDIA)

- Power Supply Upgrade: 750 Watts - Corsair CX750 80 Plus Bronze Power Supply

- Hard Drive: 2TB (2TBx1) SATA-III 6.0Gb/s 64MB Cache 7200RPM HDD (Single Drive)

- Data Hard Drive: None

- Hard Drive Cooling Fan: None

- External Hard Drive (USB3.0/2.0/eSATA): None

- USB Flash Drive: None

- Optical Drive: 24X Double Layer Dual Format DVD+-R/+-RW + CD-R/RW Drive (BLACK COLOR)

- Optical Drive 2: None

- External Optical Drive: None

- Sound: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO

- Wireless 802.11B/G Network Card: None

- Internal USB Port: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports

- Operating System: Microsoft® Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit Edition)

TOTAL = $1505


I didn't include everything but I included most things that they asked. Thank you once again and I appreciate anyone who can help this noobie!

 

[n1ghtr4v3n]

hello there, first of all congratz deciding to build your own computer. its a lot of fun, as you dig deep into it, it gets even more interesting.
here is my recommendation for 1500$.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($239.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($33.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($70.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($129.98 @ Outlet PC)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($85.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($648.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic M12II 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($18.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.73 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1568.60
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-13 04:41 EDT-0400)

few notes.
for gaming purposes there aint no need for a 4770K as 4670K serves totally the same, performance wise (as told already, for strictly gaming purposes. for professional applications extra threads on 4770K will actually make difference)

also since you chose a unlocked version of cpu, I assume you are going to overclock it, so an aftermarket air cooler is added for medium overclock targets.

8gb of memories will also be more than enough for gaming. Most of it wont be even used. be sure to pick at least 1600MHz with CL9 timings juiced with 1.5V, as it is a standard for intel cpus these days.

I also advise to pick a premium power supply unit, like Seasonic/Corsair/XFX/OCZ/Antec etc., especially if you are going to overclock, just because higher voltage could ruin your sytem if powersupply is unstable.

rest is a typical gaming setup.

good luck and have fun! 😀

 

[ShadowOpsII]

hello there, first of all congratz deciding to build your own computer. its a lot of fun, as you dig deep into it, it gets even more interesting.
here is my recommendation for 1500$.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($239.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($33.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($70.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($129.98 @ Outlet PC)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($85.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($648.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic M12II 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($18.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.73 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1568.60
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-13 04:41 EDT-0400)

few notes.
for gaming purposes there aint no need for a 4770K as 4670K serves totally the same, performance wise (as told already, for strictly gaming purposes. for professional applications extra threads on 4770K will actually make difference)

also since you chose a unlocked version of cpu, I assume you are going to overclock it, so an aftermarket air cooler is added for medium overclock targets.

I also advise to pick a premium power supply unit, like Seasonic/Corsair/XFX/OCZ/Antec etc., especially if you are going to overclock, just because higher voltage could ruin your sytem if powersupply is unstable.

rest is a typical gaming setup.

good luck and have fun! 😀

Thank you for the awesome build my friend! So what exactly is overclocking in lamens terms and why do websites like CyberPower ask if they want you to get an additional "Performance Overclock"? I mean if I overclock I just want to make sure what exactly is happening and what parts will allow me to do this? I know I could look it up but you are an expert in this I would love for it to be broken down Barney style lol.

 

[n1ghtr4v3n]

generally,

overclocking is running your cpu/memories/gpu at higher speed than its stock values.

so, its not rocket science but not that easy to do it, if you are not familiar of what you are doing.

I advise not to do it, if you have no experience in it. Get someone who knows what he/she does and let them pro's doing it for you

or you can simply modify this build with non-overclocking parts (they will totally perform the same when they are at their stock values, dont worry) and also you can cut the total price down too.
here is a non overclocking system build so you can decide accordingly...

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI H87M-G43 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($77.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($70.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($129.98 @ Outlet PC)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($85.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($648.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic M12II 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($24.98 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.73 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1487.62
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-13 05:11 EDT-0400)

only the aftermarket air cooler is omitted in here.
then the cpu and motherboard is replaced with a non-overclocking versions.

 

[Kamen_BG]

The case you listed has poor cooling performance at stock, but you added a fan upgrade so airflow shouldn't be a problem. Depending on the fans used it might be really loud and noise reduction will not really help.
I suggest going for a case that is made to handle high-end PC's.

Paying for an overclock seems silly.
You an just go in the BIOS and use the Auto overclock future. This will get you more than 10% anyway.
And if you know what you're doing you can go even higher.

Everything else semms pretty good.
That's the thing with cyberpower configurators. You really can't get it wrong.

I tinkered a bit with the Cyberpower configurator and came up with this.

http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/saved/1F970K

It has a Core i5 which is a bit slower than the Core i7 but performance in games is exactly the same.
It has a better case and a water cooler which will allow you to take the i5 much higher than the i7. (Also silence is a plus)
It has two GTX 760 graphics cards. A GTX 760 is about 10-15% slower than a 670, but two of them are faster than a Titan.
It has a SSD which is a much better choice than an additional HDD. It will make your PC that much more responsive/lower loading times.

 

[n1ghtr4v3n]

The case you listed has poor cooling performance at stock, but you added a fan upgrade so airflow shouldn't be a problem. Depending on the fans used it might be really loud and noise reduction will not really help.
I suggest going for a case that is made to handle high-end PC's.

Paying for an overclock seems silly.
You an just go in the BIOS and use the Auto overclock future. This will get you more than 10% anyway.
And if you know what you're doing you can go even higher.

Everything else semms pretty good.
That's the thing with cyberpower configurators. You really can't get it wrong.

I tinkered a bit with the Cyberpower configurator and came up with this.

http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/saved/1F970K

It has a Core i5 which is a bit slower than the Core i7 but performance in games is exactly the same.
It has a better case and a water cooler which will allow you to take the i5 much higher than the i7. (Also silence is a plus)
It has two GTX 760 graphics cards. A GTX 760 is about 10-15% slower than a 670, but two of them are faster than a Titan.
It has a SSD which is a much better choice than an additional HDD. It will make your PC that much more responsive/lower loading times.

carbide series are known to be quality cases for their price especially. it has lots of air ventilation holes and fan mountings to support it. On newegg, its one of the few 5-star cases. Im pretty surprised to see this comment to be honest.
Of course there are better cases, but not for this price.

 

[silent_744]

Heres my take on it. Just over $1,500 BEFORE rebates/combos. Just under $1,400 afterwards.

The high quality motheboard paired with the unlocked i5 and an H100i will allow for a very strong overclock. The H100i will also lower the noise. The HAF XM is one of the beter airflow cases on the market, and with the H100i you can take the 200mm fan off of the top of the case and move it to the side as an intake fan for extra cooling, especially around the GPU. The GPU itself is one of the best cards on the market currently, factory overclocked with one of the better air cooling setups you can find.

Standard SSD for booting, often used programs, etc. You can easily kick the 1TB HDD up to 2TB if you need. 8GB Ram is plenty for gaming. Corsair TX series PSU's are one of the best sellers for a reason, they're worth every penny.

Not sure what else there is to say, all the builds posted are great and can each be tinkered in minor ways to fit your specific needs, ie., remove the water cooler for a Hyper 212 Evo if you don't plan on overclocking too much. PSU can truthfully be dropped to a 550w or 650w if you don't plan to SLI, etc.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1gaRx
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1gaRx/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1gaRx/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($239.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($103.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme6 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($68.46 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($129.98 @ Outlet PC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($56.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($403.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Cooler Master HAF XM (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1398.33
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-13 06:36 EDT-0400)

 

[ShadowOpsII]

Thanks for all of the replies everyone, I am looking into each solution so far!I love the 770+ GTXs and I realize now that the i5 4670 is just as good for gaming.

 

[EpicOtis13]

You should buy a i5 and a 770 instead. Also for $1641 you could have a 780 and i5.