Low-Mid Income Gaming PC Build

[Dustin Flower]

Hello everyone! This is my first solo PC build, and by that I mean the first time I'm picking and buying the parts myself. I'm not looking for a super high-end rig, but I do like to have things looking pretty when I play. As it stands right now, my current build cannot play Inquisiton, it won't even load the main menu. Recently, I was having some issues that were hard to troubleshoot and I ended up buying a new graphics card and power supply, so I figured why not just upgrade the whole thing? Any help would be greatly appreciated! I've also been toying with the idea of getting in to liquid cooling, so don't be afraid to suggest it.

Approximate Purchase Date: Within the next few weeks
Budget Range: $300-$700
System Usage: Mostly gaming. I do occasionally watch movies and such.
Are you buying a monitor: No
Parts to Upgrade: CPU, mobo, ram, case.
Current pieces I'm using are:
Corsair]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139010]Corsair HX Series HX750 750W power supply[/url]
EVGA]http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CZIQXBA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1]EVGA GeForce GTX770 Superclocked graphics card[/url]
1TB HDD and a 128GB SSD
Do you need to buy OS: No, at least I don't think I will.
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com or amazon.com but it doesn't really matter.
Location: Baltimore/DC area
Parts Preferences: No real preference
Overclocking: No
SLI or Crossfire: Maybe
Your Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080 (2 monitors)
Additional Comments: Prefer something on the quiet side, but not exactly a necessity. As for games, I play WoW, LoL, Dragon Age: Inquisition (actually the reason I'm here, my current build cannot run Inquisition), and some graphic intensive games (Lords of the Fallen, Lichdom: Battlemage)

Some parts I was looking in to:
AMD]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113284]AMD FX-8350 Vishera 8-core[/url]
Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 Motherboard
G.Skill]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231314]G.Skill Ripjaws Series DDR3 1600 RAM[/url]
Cooler]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119233]Cooler Master HAF 912[/url]

 

[DonkeyOatie]

Hello

You can certainly get a decent system for that.

Here's what you say you might want.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($169.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($26.75 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($116.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Mushkin Redline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($63.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (Purchased For $0.00)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (Purchased For $0.00)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 4GB Dual FTW ACX Video Card (Purchased For $0.00)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($53.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair Professional 750W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (Purchased For $0.00)
Total: $407.69
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-13 20:20 EST-0500

I'm assuming that you will overclock the CPU for a bit more performance, so you need a CPU cooler.

I'd add a 200mm fan to the front and move the 120mm fan there to an exhaust position.

Now for an alternative.

Intel version

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($172.94 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M PRO4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($81.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Mushkin Redline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($63.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (Purchased For $0.00)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (Purchased For $0.00)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 4GB Dual FTW ACX Video Card (Purchased For $0.00)
Case: Cooler Master HAF XB EVO ATX Desktop Case ($74.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: Corsair Professional 750W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (Purchased For $0.00)
Total: $393.89
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-13 20:31 EST-0500

The case change is to take advantage of the USB 3.0 header on the motherboard. I'd probably use an AZZA Sirius case at about $25.

 

[Dustin Flower]

I like the looks of that build. Is there any advantage/disadvantage to using a mini case like the one you suggested over a mid tower like the AZZA you also suggested?

Also, and correct me if I'm wrong as I'm still learning everything with the hardware of computers, the mobo you suggested says DDR3 1600/1333/1066 but the memory you suggested is 2133... What's the difference, and why?

 

[DonkeyOatie]

You are right. You cannot use the 2133 GHz of speed on the memory in the Intel build, it will default to 1600Ghz, but that isn't the only number that matters. The memory I selected costs the same as slower memory and it is also CAS 8. CAS (or CL) is the latency of the memory, the delay before it can respond. The other memory at that price is all CAS 9 or slower, so I selected it for it's lower latency.

Cases are a very personal choice. I was looking for a good Cooler Master HAF case to replace the one you selected that has front panel USB 3.0. Read the review of the HAF XB EVO. http://www.guru3d.com/#gsc.tab=0 It has some very interesting features and is easy to build in. To me, a case is a box to put parts in, so good enough will do.

Got to PCpartpicker and put in your build then set the Front panel USB 3.0 flag and work through the cases offered for something you like that you can afford.