I need a Gaming PC for $1000

[rexxyc]

My (pretty bad) old gaming PC died a few days ago, and I need a new PC.

I have about $1000 to spend, I haven't ever built a PC; and honestly I would much rather buy one. I know it is 100% better to buy parts and put one together, but this whole experience has been a real downer.

I'm willing to learn, as I want a good PC that will last awhile; and I've noticed this is a pretty good community for it.

If you can show me a good build for around my price range that can run upcoming things (primarily The Witcher 3) really well then I will put one together. Same goes for pre-built. If there is a good one for that much I would happily do that.

 

[gilbadon]

This is not a far off example of what you might expect to get. You can get things for cheaper than this but it is a recent article and kind of explains the picking process to help you some.

Edit: Forgot the link
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/mainstream-enthusiast-pc-build,4023.html

 

[gilbadon]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/k6xP99

Above is the best thing you can get for ~$1050 (GTX 980 is the best single GPU out right now)
Bump it by $50 if you need an OS (You may be able to use the one from your last computer)

 

[mas7873]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/k6xP99

Above is the best thing you can get for ~$1050 (GTX 980 is the best single GPU out right now)
Bump it by $50 if you need an OS (You may be able to use the one from your last computer)

If I were him I'd go with the GTX 970, and bump the CPU up to the 4690k with a Z97 mobo. Then he can overclock
Here's my build for you:

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/PB9qVn
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/PB9qVn/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($218.98 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty Z97 Killer ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($76.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($62.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda ES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($53.19 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB WINDFORCE 3X Video Card ($329.00 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($64.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($52.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $974.10
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-09 01:46 EST-0500

Allows you to overclock, included an SSD for your OS and some programs.

 

[gilbadon]

It is his first time. I doubt he wants to overclock. Plus overclocking an i5 does nothing for gaming performance.

The i5/980 at defaults is about 1.6x as good for gaming as the overclocked i5/970 combo

 

[mas7873]

It is his first time. I doubt he wants to overclock. Plus overclocking an i5 does nothing for gaming performance.

The i5/980 at defaults is about 1.6x as good for gaming as the overclocked i5/970 combo

In the future he may want to overclock, and a 970 already plays games at Ultra. It also depends what kind of monitor he'll be using

 

[gilbadon]

gtx 980 is more future proof, and for the same cost... to me it is a no brainier for a first time builder. If he wants to be an enthusiast, he needs more money.

 

[mdocod]

A minor difference in render throughput makes absolutely no difference in futureproofing. The GTX970 and GTX980, are for all intents and purposes, going to have the exact same usable lifecycle as they both support the exact same API's and instructions. The small gap in rendering performance is irrelevant to how they will age, as the render workload is ALWAYS adjustable.

 

[gilbadon]

A minor difference in render throughput makes absolutely no difference in futureproofing. The GTX970 and GTX980, are for all intents and purposes, going to have the exact same usable lifecycle as they both support the exact same API's and instructions. The small gap in rendering performance is irrelevant to how they will age, as the render workload is ALWAYS adjustable.

Minor difference?

 

[mdocod]

A minor difference in render throughput makes absolutely no difference in futureproofing. The GTX970 and GTX980, are for all intents and purposes, going to have the exact same usable lifecycle as they both support the exact same API's and instructions. The small gap in rendering performance is irrelevant to how they will age, as the render workload is ALWAYS adjustable.

Minor difference?

Yes; "MINOR difference" is subjectively and objectively correct within the greater context and BROAD range of GPU render performance that falls under the umbrella of "current" hardware.

There will never be a piece of software that runs fine on the GTX980 that can't also run fine on the GTX970. It will never happen.