Newbie wanting to build first gaming PC around $1,000

[bwilkes]

Approx Purchase Date: Next few months
Budget: Around $1,000
Want it for gaming (LOTRO), streaming video, normal activities (internet, documents, etc)
OS needed, won't purchase a monitor as of now.
I am starting from scratch but want something I can keep upgrading and expanding if wanted.
Location for shipping: Overland Park, Kansas USA

 

[ksham]

If you're going to wait a few months, then wait until Haswell is out. Hopefully with some new GPUs. I'd recommend that you come back within a week of actually buying it.

 

[bwilkes]

This thread has been moved to
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-1669800/newbie-wanting-build-gaming-000.html

 

[bigshootr8]

Given how new platforms tend to be more expensive at launch I'll give you something for now and then if you wait and haswell is within your means you can go that route. Keep in mind that prices do change daily as do deals. I'll also do a amd build as it may be a cheaper way to stream because of the 8 cores of the 8350.


Intel Platform

Things you can add if you wanted to:
+SSD
+Sound Card/Capture Cards

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 ($33.24 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.97 @ Outlet PC)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($63.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($289.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Arctic White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.96 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $952.10
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-05-06 16:03 EDT-0400)

AMD build

Things you can add if you wanted to:
+SSD
+Sound Card/Capture Cards

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($33.24 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($129.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($63.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($289.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Arctic White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.96 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $937.11
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-05-06 16:04 EDT-0400)