First time building a pc. A little overwhelmed.

The Rage Beat

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Jan 8, 2015
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I decided to jump into the thick of things and build my very own gaming computer. I've tried to research as much as I can so that I don't mess anything up, but all of this is more or less a foreign language to me. I don't think I've learned anything at all.

What I'm trying to do is build a computer for casual gaming. Nothing too intense or competitive. I'm not trying to run everything at super-ultra-kamehameha settings if I don't have to, though the option to do so would be nice. This doesn't seem too hard until I look into parts and realize that there's about as many different parts to choose from as there are stars in the sky, and there seems to be pros and cons for all of them. I can't help but feel a little overwhelmed by the sheer amount of choices. Can someone out there make this process a little easier?

tl;dr version: I want a simple gaming rig at around $1000 (I have a little wiggle room), with the option to upgrade more in the future.

I don't know if that's all the information anyone would need to help, so I'll try to answer any questions best I can (though I suspect I won't know the answers to much).
 
Solution
The fact that you are even considering it says enough about you. You can do it. It's like lego for adults.

Here is a system to consider.


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC14PE_BK 78.1 CFM CPU Cooler ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 EXTREME4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($125.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($75.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: *Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB ACX 2.0 Video...
The fact that you are even considering it says enough about you. You can do it. It's like lego for adults.

Here is a system to consider.


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC14PE_BK 78.1 CFM CPU Cooler ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 EXTREME4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($125.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($75.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: *Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB ACX 2.0 Video Card ($329.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Fractal Design Core 3500 ATX Mid Tower Case ($77.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Rosewill Capstone 750W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1039.79
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-08 01:06 EST-0500

-You said you don't need/want a system that is too 'intense'. This one is a monster build. It will run any game out now at ultra settings. Very fast system. Your budget allows for it. That's the advantage of building your own.
-CPU is overclockable so you have that option in the future (or immediately). Even if you don't know what overclocking is, it is a nice CPU to have as it at least gives you the option to speed things up a bit if you ever feel the need.
-Good cpu cooler for overclocking. You could go cheaper here with the hyper 212 cpu cooler if you want an average cooler. The one I have here is for overclocks that are a little more aggressive than the hyper 212 offers
-motherboard is SLI compatible so you can add a 2nd gpu in the future if you want to
-PSU is enough for SLI in the future if you want to, very high end PSU at a great price.

Notes: I didn't include an SSD. If you have it in the budget, they are nice to have. Not mandatory for this budget level, but they do make windows feel a LOT faster.
 
Solution
Jim's build looks really nice and would perform great. If you wanted to allocate some money for an ssd while keeping a similar price you could opt for a cheaper case like the 200R, a different cpu cooler such as 212 evo and a different PSU like an evga 650w bronze+. Those are just a few ways I see that you can free up some cash for an ssd. Which although not necessary is definitely nice to have.
 
i7 performance, for a bit of future proofing, a nice SSD, and a higher clocked 970.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($242.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper TX3 54.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($17.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($83.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Team Zeus Blue 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($67.97 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Crucial M550 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($90.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card ($337.99 @ B&H)
Case: Deepcool TESSERACT SW ATX Mid Tower Case ($45.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $992.87
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-08 01:31 EST-0500