Need some help building my first gaming PC

[Operative]

Hello!

So I'm looking to build a pretty nice first gaming PC setup, and I need your help.

I would like to run games such as ArmA III, Battlefield 4 and MAYBE GTA V on medium-high settings with a budget of $600-$1100.

I prefer an Intel/NVIDIA setup, and don't be afraid to throw in a monitor in there as well.

 

[TheBigRedTank]

I would recommend going to pcpartpicker.com, putting in a solid i5 or i7, pick a solid cpu cooler and motherboard, the cheapest 8 gb of DDR3-1600, the best hdd in the price per gb category, an R9 290 or GTX 970, a 750 watt bronze psu, and your choice of case and windows.

 

[ykki]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($241.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($83.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Team Zeus Blue 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($52.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($97.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB WINDFORCE 3X Video Card ($315.00 @ Newegg)
Case: Enermax ECA3253-BL ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.98 @ Directron)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($58.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($87.79 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Cooler Master R4-L2R-20AC-GP 69.0 CFM 120mm Fan ($4.99 @ NCIX US)
Monitor: BenQ GL2460HM 60Hz 24.0" Monitor ($139.93 @ B&H)
Total: $1123.54


A little over budget but worth it.
The xeon is asically an i7.
Mobo is good. You won't have to change the mobo and cpu for a looooong time.
Quality psu.
Good monitor.
OS WIN 8.1.
Functional case.
Awesome gpu and ssd. Hdd not included = you can add one later.

Hope this helped!

 

[AWPortunity]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/WqgW8d
Edited ykki's part list a bit. Allowed for overclocking, added a CPU fan and added a higher quality PSU to compensate for future OC. Changed the case because it was not compatible.

 

[ykki]

^ Actually the corsair cx is a lot inferior to the xfx pro (made by seasonic btw). Overall good build but replace the crappy cx unit with something better = antec, xfx, seasonic, EVGA (B2,G2).

You forgot the monitor.

Also the case that I had chosen is compatible - its front drive cage is removable making more room for the gpu.

 

[AWPortunity]

^ Actually the corsair cx is a lot inferior to the xfx pro (made by seasonic btw). Overall good build but replace the crappy cx unit with something better = antec, xfx, seasonic, EVGA (B2,G2).

You forgot the monitor.

Also the case that I had chosen is compatible - its front drive cage is removable making more room for the gpu.

I've never had problems with a cx model, but I was simply upgrading the wattage to allow for future SLI and other upgrades. I added the full tower for the same reason; More room for upgrades and more drive bays for additional SSDs or HDDs. Just thinking further in the future, but it comes down to what OP plans to do.

Also removed the monitor because that's nearly all personal preference.

 

[ykki]

^ Actually the corsair cx is a lot inferior to the xfx pro (made by seasonic btw). Overall good build but replace the crappy cx unit with something better = antec, xfx, seasonic, EVGA (B2,G2).

You forgot the monitor.

Also the case that I had chosen is compatible - its front drive cage is removable making more room for the gpu.

I've never had problems with a cx model, but I was simply upgrading the wattage to allow for future SLI and other upgrades. I added the full tower for the same reason; More room for upgrades and more drive bays for additional SSDs or HDDs. Just thinking further in the future, but it comes down to what OP plans to do.

Also removed the monitor because that's nearly all personal preference.

Actually 970 sli needs 750w in an overclocked pc.
Also adding a monitor to your build will take it WAY over budget.

 

[AWPortunity]

^ Actually the corsair cx is a lot inferior to the xfx pro (made by seasonic btw). Overall good build but replace the crappy cx unit with something better = antec, xfx, seasonic, EVGA (B2,G2).

You forgot the monitor.

Also the case that I had chosen is compatible - its front drive cage is removable making more room for the gpu.

I've never had problems with a cx model, but I was simply upgrading the wattage to allow for future SLI and other upgrades. I added the full tower for the same reason; More room for upgrades and more drive bays for additional SSDs or HDDs. Just thinking further in the future, but it comes down to what OP plans to do.

Also removed the monitor because that's nearly all personal preference.

Actually 970 sli needs 750w in an overclocked pc.
Also adding a monitor to your build will take it WAY over budget.

May want a higher wattage in that case. OP didn't specify if a monitor was required or not, I just put in the essentials. He/she may already have one, not sure.

 

[ykki]

I hate it when they are ambiguous :lol:

 

[Operative]

Thank you guys!

 

[ykki]

Wait do you want the monitor included in your $1100 budget or not?

 

[Operative]

Wait do you want the monitor included in your $1100 budget or not?

Wouldn't hurt.

 

[ykki]

Man you are again being ambiguous. Just say included or not.

 

[AWPortunity]

If you already have a monitor then just use that. Spend your entire budget on the hardware and the majority on a good GPU, as this build is for gaming. I'd also suggest getting a pretty high quality PSU. You can skip out on the SSD if you want to compensate for those expenses.

(If you don't have a monitor, then of course buy one lol.)