Hardcore Gaming Desktop for under $1,000?

[Rhiannon Kline]

I'm looking for a quality gaming desktop capable of running games such as Skyrim at Ultra high resolution; preferably something under $1,000 that will last a few years. Gaming will be the sole purpose for this computer and I plan to download many mods, but may very well only ever play two games on it. I'm not looking for anything over the top, just something capable of producing high quality graphics that is also able to handle lots of mods without slowing down substantially.

I'm a newb when it comes to PCs, so guidance would be much appreciated.

Could I get opinions on this? http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2425551,00.asp

 

[jonoj96]

Do you plan you building or buying prebuilt?

 

[Rhiannon Kline]

I haven't decided yet. A prebuilt might be nice, considering this is the first time I'll be buying such a computer. I might try building my own if someone guides me through the process.

 

[tiny voices]

That computer you listed is an awful choice. It pairs an APU with a dedicated GPU. The CPU will be a slow down in some situations and for $1000 you could build alot better. It also comes with a gtx760 which will not even max all current games at 1080p, let alone with mods.

Skyrim is fairly easy to run though and this computer could probably handle moderately modded skyrim, but not other super demanding modern games.

 

[jonoj96]

If you go the way of building your own computer you will be able to get a lot better components for the same price as a prebuilt

There are also plenty of guides on how to build a computer such as this one
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/274745-31-step-step-guide-building

I can put together a build for you if you want me to?

 

[Rhiannon Kline]

I would really appreciate if you would, jonoj!

also, thank you for the responses so far. I've been browsing though components and such but all these tech terms are making my eyes glaze over haha 8V /such a noob
I'll most likely be modding Skyrim pretty heavily.

 

[jonoj96]

This should run skyrim well

[PCPartPicker part list](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3bhgZ) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3bhgZ/by_merchant/) / [Benchmarks](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3bhgZ/benchmarks/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i54670k) | $219.00 @ Amazon
**CPU Cooler** | [Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-cpu-cooler-rr212e20pkr2) | $29.99 @ NCIX US
**Motherboard** | [ASRock Fatal1ty Z87 Killer ATX LGA1150 Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-fatal1tyz87killer) | $129.99 @ Newegg
**Memory** | [G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f31866c9d8gab) | $72.25 @ Newegg
**Storage** | [Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/western-digital-internal-hard-drive-wd10ezex) | $57.98 @ OutletPC
**Video Card** | [Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-video-card-gvn770oc2gd) | $331.98 @ SuperBiiz
**Case** | [Corsair 400R ATX Mid Tower Case](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-case-400r) | $79.99 @ TigerDirect
**Power Supply** | [Antec High Current Gamer 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/antec-power-supply-hcg620m) | $59.99 @ Newegg
**Optical Drive** | [LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/lg-optical-drive-gh24nsb0) | $14.99 @ Newegg
| | **Total**
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available. | $996.16
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-17 01:21 EDT-0400 |

I haven't include an OS but I can change some things if you need one

 

[tiny voices]

Copy the BBCode text to get a proper list, jono.

 

[jonoj96]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.00 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty Z87 Killer ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($72.25 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($57.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($331.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Corsair 400R ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ TigerDirect)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $996.16
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-17 01:30 EDT-0400)

 

[tiny voices]

That build looks great for the money.

 

[Rhiannon Kline]

Thank you!

 

[Rhiannon Kline]

What sort of operating system would go with this?

 

[tiny voices]

You have to buy windows separately. Usually costs between $85-$100.

 

[Rhiannon Kline]

Windows 8?

 

[tiny voices]

Yes, I would buy windows 8.1.

https://pcpartpicker.com/part/microsoft-os-885370635690

 

[Rhiannon Kline]

awesome, thanks again for the help guys!