Gaming PC Build - $800-$900 including Win - 2015 May

[Becksan]

Hi guys,

I was hoping you could assist with a suggestion for building a new PC - I don't have any experience, but from what I can read on the forum it should be pretty straight forward and doesn't require a whole lot.

The $800-900 needs to include Win 8.1 or 7 depends on what is the better option for games, I haven't owned a gaming computer for quite some years, so I am not really up-to-date.

Monitor, Keyboard, mouse etc. is covered, so it doesn't need to be included in the build - but I do prefer to make a build with an SSD, not sure if I should go 128GB + secondary HDD for storage or go with a larger SSD.

Main use for the computer will be games like GTA, BF, HoN, streaming etc., I don't need it for photo editing or similar tasks.

Appreciate your help!

 

[timeconsumer]

Good processor, great GPU, great PSU, cheap SSD with lots of extra mechanical storage.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($177.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($69.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Team Zeus Blue 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($51.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial BX100 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($60.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.49 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card ($319.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Enermax ECA3253-BW ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Directron)
Power Supply: Rosewill Capstone 550W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($87.88 @ NCIX US)
Total: $901.30
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-12 14:12 EDT-0400

 

[Becksan]

Good processor, great GPU, great PSU, cheap SSD with lots of extra mechanical storage.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($177.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($69.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Team Zeus Blue 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($51.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial BX100 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($60.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.49 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card ($319.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Enermax ECA3253-BW ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Directron)
Power Supply: Rosewill Capstone 550W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($87.88 @ NCIX US)
Total: $901.30
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-12 14:12 EDT-0400

Thank you very much timeconsumer! - would it be worth spending a few bucks extra and get an corsair/thermaltake cabinet in case I want to use it for a future build?

Also the same with the power supply - would it be better to pick one supporting more watt? I know it covers the current need.

 

[timeconsumer]

I think cases are very personal and you should pick one you like, you'll be looking at it a lot. The value of that is up to you.

For the PSU that should be plenty, you can't SLI on this mobo so you don't really need any more than that. If you really want a lot of extra you can get an EVGA Supernova B2 750w, but I don't see it necessary.

 

[Becksan]

I think cases are very personal and you should pick one you like, you'll be looking at it a lot. The value of that is up to you.

For the PSU that should be plenty, you can't SLI on this mobo so you don't really need any more than that. If you really want a lot of extra you can get an EVGA Supernova B2 750w, but I don't see it necessary.

Okay, I didn't know if there was any preferred cases.

Hehe by the time I want more performance, I'll probably build a new any way, so I'll stick to the PSU you suggested.

I was looking at the memory and G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB is the same cost as the Team Zeus, but they are DDR3-1866 vs. DDR3-1600 - wouldn't it be a better choice to take the faster G.Skill? Sorry for the rookie questions, just don't wanna miss out

Appreciate your help!

 

[timeconsumer]

Okay, I didn't know if there was any preferred cases.

Hehe by the time I want more performance, I'll probably build a new any way, so I'll stick to the PSU you suggested.

I was looking at the memory and G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB is the same cost as the Team Zeus, but they are DDR3-1866 vs. DDR3-1600 - wouldn't it be a better choice to take the faster G.Skill? Sorry for the rookie questions, just don't wanna miss out

Appreciate your help!

Memory prices change quickly. What was cheapest yesterday isn't cheapest today. 1600 and 1866 won't make a difference on your mobo, since it only supports up to 1600. But you may be able to get the CAS latency down to 8 or maybe even 7 with the 1866 kit at 1600. Although that does require basic knowledge of memory tuning. FWIW my Team memory was a 1600 Cas9 kit that I got to Cas8 with minimal tweaking.

My usual advice on this subject is get the cheapest 2x4gb 1600+ Cas9 kit from a reputable company. G.Skill, Mushkin, Kingston, Crucial, Corsair, Team, etc. Here's a list of applicable kits:
http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/memory/#s=301600,301866,302133,302400&sort=a10&page=1&Z=8192002&L=30,90&V=1200,1500

But with a difference of only $2 or so it's all basically the same. If you want the G.Skill, get it. They're a great brand with quality products.

 

[Becksan]

Okay, I didn't know if there was any preferred cases.

Hehe by the time I want more performance, I'll probably build a new any way, so I'll stick to the PSU you suggested.

I was looking at the memory and G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB is the same cost as the Team Zeus, but they are DDR3-1866 vs. DDR3-1600 - wouldn't it be a better choice to take the faster G.Skill? Sorry for the rookie questions, just don't wanna miss out

Appreciate your help!

Memory prices change quickly. What was cheapest yesterday isn't cheapest today. 1600 and 1866 won't make a difference on your mobo, since it only supports up to 1600. But you may be able to get the CAS latency down to 8 or maybe even 7 with the 1866 kit at 1600. Although that does require basic knowledge of memory tuning. FWIW my Team memory was a 1600 Cas9 kit that I got to Cas8 with minimal tweaking.

My usual advice on this subject is get the cheapest 2x4gb 1600+ Cas9 kit from a reputable company. G.Skill, Mushkin, Kingston, Crucial, Corsair, Team, etc. Here's a list of applicable kits:
http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/memory/#s=301600,301866,302133,302400&sort=a10&page=1&Z=8192002&L=30,90&V=1200,1500

But with a difference of only $2 or so it's all basically the same. If you want the G.Skill, get it. They're a great brand with quality products.

My bad! - I didn't notice the max for mobo @ 1600!

The G.Skill are a few $'s cheaper today, so I'll roll with their 1600, CAS9 as I won't be tweaking anything, I got no knowledge and I don't want to end up destroying something

Guess I have to start ordering

Gonna go with a few changes http://pcpartpicker.com/p/nwPDyc

Just kidding, saw I picked the 1x8GB memory instead of 2x4GB, I'll switch that.

Thank you so much for your help!

 

[timeconsumer]

Just so you know, that is a 1x8, not a 2x4 kit.

 

[Becksan]

Just so you know, that is a 1x8, not a 2x4 kit.

hehe yeah, I realized afterwards - so I'm going with Mushkin Stealth instead 2x4GB

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/nwPDyc

 

[timeconsumer]

I've used a lot of Mushkin over the years, they're a good brand. You have a pretty killer build.