Top notch gaming PC for $1000?

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Bumbletiger

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Dec 30, 2012
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Hi, I'm planning on building a gaming PC, whenever i acquire adequate funds ($1000), that will be capable of running any game on maxed setting. This is what I have put together based on my budget.

CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99)

Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Pro3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($89.99)

Memory: Samsung 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($39.99)

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.99)

Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($359.99)

Case: Cooler Master Storm Enforcer ATX Mid Tower Case ($71.99)

Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($39.99)

Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.89 @ Outlet PC)

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98)

Total: $954.80

What are your thought and advice?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers :)
 
full parts list with links to shops
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 ($29.98 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($179.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($38.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 750GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($107.98 @ Mac Connection)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($279.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair Carbide Series 300R Windowed ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec EarthWatts Green 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($22.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1009.88
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-30 00:28 EST-0500)
 
I like this build, but taking advantage of some sales and maybe finding a cheaper case, I think you could squeeze in a 120GB SSD, too. That's what I would do. I'd probably go 600+ Watts for a 670 or 7970, though.


 
If all you want is top notch fps performance in games, then I would go with this build...

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z75 Pro3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($84.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($27.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($359.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Sony AD-7280S-0B DVD/CD Writer ($18.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1001.88
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-30 01:13 EST-0500)

I wouldn't worry about adding a SSD just yet. You can always add one of those in the future. For now, I would focus on getting the beefiest gaming CPU and GPU your budget can handle. This is what matters in games. SSDs merely cut load times. I'd rather wait a few seconds longer in favor of a higher FPS.

I would also get the i5 3570k. You may not plan on overclocking your CPU at the moment; however, people's minds change so often. You don't have to overclock from the very beginning. Instead, you can research it some more and once you become comfortable with the idea, then you can give it a shot. It's just always nice to have that feature if you ever need/want it.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask. :)
 


You can get a 7970 for $20 less than that 670...
 

That's up to the OP. He's more than welcome to get the 7970.

I encourage the OP to make his decision based on what he plans on doing with this build. For example, do you plan on rendering or editing with Adobe software? Or do you plan on playing games such as Borderlands 2 which supports Physx? If so, then the GTX 670 would be the better buy. You also need to take into consideration what games you plan on playing. The GTX 670 will perform better in games that favor Nvidia. A few examples of this would be the Crysis series, Batman AC, and Battlefield 3.

On the other hand, the HD 7970 will perform better in applications that take advantage of GPGPU. It will also perform better in games that favor AMD GPUs. An example of an AMD favoring game would be Metro 2033.

Here's a list of benchmarks you can look through...

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/508?vs=598
 


To be fair, my build with the SSD also had gtx670. 3570 vs 3470 isn't going to show up in fps, so I'd rather have faster load times with the same fps! :)

Great build though, and I agree with the last bit of advice. I got a non-K sandy bridge in my build and I sometimes regret it. I suppose if the budget could be bumped an extra $50 I'd do both SSD and a K chip. Although an overclocked GPU doesn't make a bit of difference in the vast majority of games.

I think with the right sales or a slight budget bust, we could find a GTX670 , an SSD and a 3570K, which is what I'd do. We could leave the upgraded cooler off for now and add that if the overclocking bug hits, to save a few percent, too.
 
3570 vs 3470 isn't going to show up in fps, so I'd rather have faster load times with the same fps!
Click to expand...

I disagree.

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cpus/2012/05/01/intel-core-i5-3570k-cpu-review/6

However, it's up to the OP to decide what he wants. I'm only offering information for him to sift through.

Besides, he may use his computer for more than gaming. He may decide he wants to render a montage or something. An overclocked 3570k will finish the task far quicker than the 3470.

I see the SSD as a luxury rather than a necessity. As a console gamer who desperately wants a gaming rig, I guess you could understand why I don't really care too much for the SSD. A 7200rpm HDD would be plenty fast for me. :)
 
+1 i agree
 
looks good if your not going to overclock cpu then get a cheaper mobo http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157302&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=#top
 

Your counter claim doesn't show the result of an overclocked 3570k. Therefore, your "If you think you can tell the difference between 105 and 108fps or a 7600 vs 7300 3Dmark" remark is invalid.

However, I will state that the i5 3470 is still a solid choice regardless. I just think so much more potential power can be extracted from an overclockable CPU. I find an overclockable CPU to be more valuable than a few seconds load time difference. I leave this to the OP to decide. He may find that load times are more important rather than CPU power and a mild difference in FPS.

Remember, it's far easier to throw a SSD into a build rather than swapping out the CPUs.
 
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