Looking to build a Great Gaming PC for $2000-3000 Dollars

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rizopas88

Reputable
Oct 3, 2014
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4,510
Approximate Purchase Date: e.g.: This week

Budget Range: 2000-3000 After Rebates

System Usage from Most to Least Important: GAMING, possibly streaming

Are you buying a monitor: I am looking to buy an ASUS ROG PG278Q when I can find it in stock

Parts to Upgrade: None, Its going to be 100% new

Do you need to buy OS: Yes Windows 7

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg, TigerDirect, Amazon ect. As long as its all on one site

Location: Muskogee, Oklahoma

Parts Preferences: Intel and Geforce

Overclocking: Yes

SLI or Crossfire: Yes

Your Monitor Resolution: The Asus ROG is 2560 x 1440

Additional Comments: I want the tower to be Full Size and very cool(Temp. Wise). I don't want LEDs on the outside. (Inside is ok)

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: I'm looking to build a better PC than my current one so I can give the old on to my brother. I want the new PC to last for a while and have enough power to run any game I want in the near future.
 
You only need $1500 for extra unneeded performance. This is already extra cooling plus a big case. Do you also need to edit any videos?
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($332.98 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ECS Z97-MACHINE ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($111.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($154.99 @ Micro Center)
Storage: Crucial M500 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($109.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 980 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($629.98 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair 760T White ATX Full Tower Case ($159.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair 760W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($184.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1829.88
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-03 21:22 EDT-0400
 


If you want an X99 build, just ask but I chose to stay LGA 1150 and Z97 because of the upcoming Broadwell chips. Here you go:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($336.74 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-PRO(Wi-Fi ac) ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($207.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: A-Data XPG V2 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($152.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($109.97 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Hitachi Deskstar 7K2000 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.49 @ Amazon)
Storage: Hitachi Deskstar 7K2000 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.49 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 4GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($555.91 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 4GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($555.91 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 750D ATX Full Tower Case ($119.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($118.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $2494.41
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-03 21:25 EDT-0400

Its an i7-4790K With 2 GTX 980s in SLI. This is pretty much as expensive as Z97 can go, with the exception of storage space. I would say use the leftover money on things like games and software rather than hardware since you can pretty much play anything with this rig maxed out at your monitors resolution and even at dual/triple monitor setups with even better resolutions. Now if you feel the need to go all out on this PC and just go to $3000, I can make it into an X99 build, but the only thing that will get any better is CPU(6-8 cores).

If you have any other questions or concerns, feel free to ask and I hope I helped you out 😉
 
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($279.99 @ Micro Center)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H110 94.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($111.29 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus MAXIMUS VII HERO ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($203.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($164.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($129.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Hitachi Deskstar 7K2000 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.49 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 4GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($555.91 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 4GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($555.91 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 750D ATX Full Tower Case ($119.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($118.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Asus ROG SWIFT PG278Q 144Hz 27.0" Monitor ($807.58 @ Newegg)
Total: $3225.07
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-03 22:09 EDT-0400
 


He will be purchasing the monitor on his own, as you can see in the post.
 
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-5930K 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($499.99 @ Micro Center)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock X99 Extreme3 ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($208.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($224.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial M500 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($109.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 295X2 8GB Core Edition Video Card ($998.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair 760T White ATX Full Tower Case ($159.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair 860W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($169.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $2517.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-04 14:54 EDT-0400
 


I think I am going to go with this build minus 1 internal hard drive but I have a few questions.
1.) This would be the 4th time I have built a computer, but I have never used liquid cooling before. Is this hard to install and is there any maint. that needs done on it from time to time?
2.) Is there going to be a noticeable difference between a Quad- Core 4.0 to a 6-Core 3.5 i7 in terms of gaming?
3.) Do you think I should upgrade the memory to Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory since I am saving 60 dollars by only using 1 internal hard drive.

Also I would like to thank everyone who has posted thus far, its really helped me into making a decision. Earlier in the week I was going to buy a Pre-built system from Ibuypower but after looking around it seems I can get more power if I just do it myself.
 


1) No, not at all. Maintenance is around 1-2 times a month. Just clean the loop out(if you are using a colored water(no pint, tubes are not see through)). and refill it then reinstall. Not too hard.

2) No. Save the money and stay Z97. 6 cores is more like heavy editing or workstation builds.

3) If you are going to be multi-tasking, running emulators, or things like VMs and video editing the 16GB will help. Otherwise, there is no point.

P.S. You made the right choice building your own. I would say never get a prebuilt system.
 
Alright sweet I'll get this stuff ordered, though I might need to wait on the GPUs since they are out of stock also it looks like it will be hooked up to a crappy monitor until the ASUS ROG PG278Q comes back in stock 🙁. I have 1 more quick question and that should wrap up it all up.
1.) Does the i7 4.0 Overclock well or should I just stick with stock speed?
 


1) If you win the silicon lottery* you can probably get up to 4.7GHz-4.9GHz and beyond. I wouldn't overclock it as of now since it is a beast but when you see your FPS dropping as new games come out thats when you should overclock, but as of now there is no need.

*If you want to know more on the topic, just ask :)

EDIT: Just get 2 of these. It'll save you around $240 and performance is unnoticable, but it is a slightly older card:
https://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-video-card-gtx780tidc2oc3gd5

Sorry for the mistake. Its good that they were out of stock.
 


Alright I've got it all in my cart right now this is what it came out to.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($339.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-PRO ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($187.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($113.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Toshiba 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 780 Ti 3GB DirectCU II Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($453.98 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 780 Ti 3GB DirectCU II Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($453.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 750D ATX Full Tower Case ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair RM 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DVD-E818AAT/BLK/B/GEN DVD/CD Drive ($24.98 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($102.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $2147.84
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-06 00:50 EDT-0400

I had to change the PSU and the RAM because they were out of stock on newegg. I will probably wait until the end of the week to buy this just in case newegg restocks the monitor/980s
 
If you want a solid gaming PC that will handle 1440P with no problems I would personally not recommend X99. It would be nice to have but it's way too much investment for nearly no payoff in terms of performance ( http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/intel-core-i7-5960x-haswell-e-cpu,3918.html ). The ridiculously high cost of DDR4 doesn't justify the performance gained from using such RAM.

I would go Z97 and invest more in the GPU. Do something like this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($225.98 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X61 106.1 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($122.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 EXTREME6 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($144.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2400 Memory ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($196.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($569.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($569.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT Phantom 630 (Gunmetal) ATX Full Tower Case ($206.47 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 1000 P2 1000W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($184.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $2467.35
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-06 00:51 EDT-0400
 


Yeah, thats perfect. Just make sure the PSU is from a solid manufacturer(Corsair[except CX/CXM series], Antec[except basiq series], Cooler Master, EVGA, XFX, or SeaSonic) and has at the minimum, 850W.

EDIT 1 Some recommendations:
-XFX P1-850X-XXB9 ($89) - https://pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-power-supply-p1850xxxb9
-Cooler Master RSA00-SPM2D3-US ($105) - https://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-power-supply-rsa00spm2d3us
-EVGA 120-G1-1000-VR ($109) - https://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-power-supply-120g11000vr

If I were you I would go for the last PSU(EVGA 120-G1-1000-VR) or the XFX. They are good companies with good warranties(XFX usually has 5 years and EVGA has 5-10 years). Cooler Master is a great choice, too. 750W will be fine but 850W would just allow slightly more overclocking and headroom for other expansions.
 
It is done, this was the final order

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($317.27 @ TigerDirect)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($97.16 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-PRO ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($187.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($109.97 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($85.20 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 780 Ti 3GB DirectCU II Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($434.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 780 Ti 3GB DirectCU II Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($434.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair 750D ATX Full Tower Case ($119.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 1000G2 1000W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($138.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DVD-E818AAT/BLK/B/GEN DVD/CD Drive ($18.66 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($102.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $2188.18
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-06 20:52 EDT-0400

I'd like to thank everybody who helped me put these parts together, without you I would have bought a computer from Ibuypower.
 


Good luck, and you're welcome 😉
 
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