How much to spend for first time builder? (gaming pc)

[MrHawk]

Hello,
Im looking to build a gaming pc and ive looked up multiple builds now. both in the 500 dollar range and the 1000 dollar range. I can afford the 1000 but if im just starting out should I start out cheaper? thanks

 

[redeemer]

It all depends on what games you play and at what resolutions the games will be played at?

 

[manofchalk]

Depends on how much you are willing to spend. $1000 will get you a fairly top of the line rig if you cut down on some bells and whistles.

No reason to limit yourself on the first build. The complexity of building it doesnt scale with price.

 

[MrHawk]

Id like high but medium would be ok. and id be playing everything including bf3, diablo 3, and skyrim.

 

[excella1221]

Here you go, I made two builds for you. Please check out the "Price breakdown by merchant" link if ever you wish to buy from just one store.

This one is under the assumption that you will be overclocking and you are open to Crossfire in the future.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($30.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($127.86 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($83.57 @ Amazon)
Storage: Plextor M5S Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($89.99 @ CompUSA)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card ($267.86 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill CHALLENGER ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Rosewill Green 630W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $941.22
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

This one is for when you have no plans to overclock, and you don't plan on utilizing SLI/CF in the future.
Got you the 7950 Vapor-X.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($196.97 @ CompUSA)
Motherboard: ASRock H77 Pro4/MVP ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($87.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($83.57 @ Amazon)
Storage: Plextor M5S Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($89.99 @ CompUSA)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($313.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill CHALLENGER ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Rosewill Green 530W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $913.02
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

 

[manofchalk]

^Good rig.

Though why the 750W supply if the motherboard can only support a single card?
The Pro4 only has a single PCI-3 16x slots, other is PCI-2 4x. Will bottleneck if you try to Crossfire/SLI on that.

 

[excella1221]

^Good point. Edited my post.

 

[FinneousPJ]

Why put an aftermarket cooler on the non-OC rig? Waste of money IMO.

 

[excella1221]

Mmm, last time I checked, the i5-3470 is an OEM CPU and does not have a stock cooler.
If that's somehow changed, then please feel free to drop the 212 EVO.

 

[FinneousPJ]

No that's a normal boxed unit with cooler.

 

[excella1221]

Got it. Post edited. Thanks!

 

[FinneousPJ]

Err, at least on Newegg it is. It seems not be on CompUSA, so I would suggest to pay the three more dollars on Newegg to get the boxed cooler.

EDIT: reading the comment on CompUSA it claims to include a fan. How confusing.

 

[wanderer11]

I would suggest the 7950 build. I have a 7870 and on heavily modded Skyrim it is dropping to 25 fps some times. Extra trees+extra grass+bigger trees is really killing it, but it looks great.

 

[envy14tpe]

MrHawk, do you need OS and monitor?

You can easily get a great system for $1000, but you can also get an incredible system for $1200. Decide on a price, and then realize you'll probably spend a little more than that cuz people tend to want more. Do your best to stick to a budget.

I must add, if you are ok with Medium to High, then you can easily do that with those games at $1000. Just tell people what you have and need.