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First Gaming PC Build ($1000)

Tai Tran
By Tai Tran
in New Builds and Planning
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Hi guys, this is my first ever build because I think it's now time for me to have a decent gaming device other than an expensive laggy laptop. I've done tons of research for the last 2 weeks on Youtube and all over the internet on building a good budget gaming PC. I planned to build with a budget about $900-$1000, which included Monitor, Keyboard, Mouse and Speakers. My goal is to have a good budget gaming PC that can run smoothly most game right now on Full HD with a nice number of FPS, and may be some video editing, rendering in the near future. And I live in USA. This is the result:  

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core ($185 on Amazon)

 

Motherboard: MSI H81M-P33 Micro ATX LGA1150 ($49 on Mwave)

 

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($83 on Newegg)

 

Storage: SSD: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($60 on Amazon)

                HDD: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($60 on OutletPC)

 

Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 270X 2GB TWIN FROZR Video Card ($170 on Newegg)

 

Case: Thermaltake VL80001W2Z ATX Mid Tower Case ($40 on Micro Center)

 

Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($40 on Newegg)

 

Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($16 on OutletPC)

 

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit (OEM) (64-bit) ($90 on OutletPC)

 

Monitor: BenQ GL2460HM 60Hz 24.0" Monitor ($150 on Amazon)

 

Keyboard: AZIO Large Print Tri-Color Illuminated Keyboard Wired Ergonomic Keyboard ($20 on Amazon)

 

Mouse: Cobra E-3lue Wired Optical Mouse ($11 on Amazon)

 

Speakers: Logitech LS21 7W 2.1ch Speakers ($29 on Amazon)

 

Total Price: $1003

Price after Mail-in Rebates: $948

 

PCpartpicker links: http://pcpartpicker.com/user/taitrantrong/saved/pvRnTW

 

I hope you guys can give me opinions on this build. Are the parts balanced? Is there any part that should be a little more expensive to be better or it can be cheaper? Is there any part that I don't really need? Is this whole build can give me more than what I expected and I can have a cheaper build with different parts? Tell me anything, I will appreciate it a lot. 

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Assuming you're in the US.

 

 
CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor  ($139.99 @ Newegg) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3P ATX AM3+ Motherboard  ($74.99 @ Newegg) 
Memory: Team Elite 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($76.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: A-Data Premier Pro SP900 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($69.98 @ OutletPC) 
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($53.98 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280X 3GB Dual-X Video Card  ($263.98 @ Newegg) 
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case  ($59.99 @ Micro Center) 
Power Supply: EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($44.99 @ NCIX US) 
Total: $788.38
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-03 00:38 EDT-0400
 
Add peripherals of choice.

How to Post Topics, the Right Way / The Ultimate Build Parts List

 

"4 words. DON'T BE A DUMBASS" ~@Swndlr

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Posted

 

Assuming you're in the US.

 

 
CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor  ($139.99 @ Newegg) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3P ATX AM3+ Motherboard  ($74.99 @ Newegg) 
Memory: Team Elite 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($76.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: A-Data Premier Pro SP900 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($69.98 @ OutletPC) 
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($53.98 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280X 3GB Dual-X Video Card  ($263.98 @ Newegg) 
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case  ($59.99 @ Micro Center) 
Power Supply: EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($44.99 @ NCIX US) 
Total: $788.38
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-03 00:38 EDT-0400
 
Add peripherals of choice.

 

You know our that build thing is outdated right? R9 280X are way cheaper now.

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For a first timer it's pretty good! However:

The motherboard isn't up to par with the rest of the build; you should get something a bit better. Remember, the motherboard is what keeps everything else together!

The gpu is meh: a 270 is cheaper and can be overclocked to being te same card and the 285 isn't much more expensive while performing considerably better. For a gaming build, I'd get the 285 and maybe spare some money by getting a cheaper cpu (for gaming only, you can get a pentium g3258 and overclock it to perform as well as an i5 for half the price).

Finally, the ssd isn't the best unfortunately. Get a samsung 840 evo if you can.

Welcome to the forum!

Don't ask to ask, just ask... please 🤨

sudo chmod -R 000 /*

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Okay I actually have the e-3lue Mazer II, I do not recommend their products.

The rubberized coating on it started peeling in about 2 weeks and the sensor is starting to die in just around a year of use, the LED's wont turn off unless you unplug it or completely power off your PC, and the side buttons have a tendancy to slide into the mouse and need to be fished out. I would advise against getting one of their products.

 

Get a samsung 840 evo if you can.
 

 

Hasn't the 840 EVO had some issues with Read and Write degradation recently?

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No, the Sapphire is still around the same price. Build is actually $20 more now.

Not really if you made some tweaks

 
CPU: AMD FX-8320E 3.2GHz 8-Core Processor  ($134.99 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3P ATX AM3+ Motherboard  ($74.99 @ Newegg) 
Memory: Team Elite Plus 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($62.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Crucial MX100 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($69.99 @ Newegg) 
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 280X 3GB Double Dissipation Video Card  ($219.60 @ Newegg) 
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case  ($39.99 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($44.99 @ NCIX US) 
Total: $730.51
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-22 03:15 EDT-0400
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A few suggestions, less expensive memory, a different ssd, and a psu that has enough PCIe connectors (2). The CX-430 only has one PCIe connector.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($184.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI H81M-P33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($48.99 @ Mwave)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($68.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial M500 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($62.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 270X 2GB TWIN FROZR Video Card  ($169.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Thermaltake VL80001W2Z ATX Mid Tower Case  ($38.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 500W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer  ($15.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit (OEM) (64-bit)  ($90.26 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Acer G246HYL bmjj 60Hz 23.8" Monitor  ($139.99 @ NCIX US)
Keyboard: AZIO Large Print Tri-Color Illuminated Keyboard Wired Ergonomic Keyboard  ($19.99 @ Amazon)
Mouse: Cobra E-3lue Wired Optical Mouse  ($10.99 @ Amazon)
Speakers: Logitech LS21 7W 2.1ch Speakers  ($29.00 @ Amazon)
Total: $991.13
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-22 03:20 EDT-0400

80+ ratings certify electrical efficiency. Not quality.

 

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For a first timer it's pretty good! However:

The motherboard isn't up to par with the rest of the build; you should get something a bit better. Remember, the motherboard is what keeps everything else together!

The gpu is meh: a 270 is cheaper and can be overclocked to being te same card and the 285 isn't much more expensive while performing considerably better. For a gaming build, I'd get the 285 and maybe spare some money by getting a cheaper cpu (for gaming only, you can get a pentium g3258 and overclock it to perform as well as an i5 for half the price).

Finally, the ssd isn't the best unfortunately. Get a samsung 840 evo if you can.

Welcome to the forum!

Is the Gtx 760 a good choice ?

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Hi Tai Tran,

 

Nice job for a first build. However, you might wanna consider changing a few things as the community suggested.

Take a look at some AMD FX-8320E and Intel Core i5-4440 comparisons and decide for yourself. Generally i5 4440 shows better performance in charts, but FX 8320E can be overclocked and is considered slightly better performance per dollar.

You've noticed that the suggested PSU by other members of the community are larger than the initial one you've mentioned. I'd say, if it is within your budget, take at least 600W PSU.

The specifications of the MSI R9 270X GAMING 2G video card recommend PSU of 500W. However, the SAPPHIRE DUAL-X R9 280X requires a 750 PSU – http://www.sapphiretech.com/presentation/product/product_index.aspx?pid=2022&lid=1#.

On the storage – the SSD looks big enough to store your OS and may be if the games you play the most fit, you should be just fine with a reliable WD Blue drive. However, since you are thinking about full HD gaming, video editing and rendering you might take a look at WD Black drives, which are designed especially for gamers and creative individuals.

Hope this helps,

Titania_WD

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I have changed a few things after your suggestions. Can I have opinions on this ? PCPartPicker part list

 

Are you based in the USA? If you aren't the pricing on all these parts is useless. Need to know where you're located old bean.

 

And if you are in the USA, here:

 

 
CPU: AMD FX-8320E 3.2GHz 8-Core Processor  ($134.99 @ Amazon) 
CPU Cooler: Zalman CNPS10X OPTIMA CPU Cooler  ($21.99 @ Newegg) 
Motherboard: MSI 970 GAMING ATX AM3+ Motherboard  ($89.00 @ Amazon) 
Memory: Apotop 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($65.70 @ Newegg) 
Video Card: HIS Radeon R9 290 4GB IceQ X² Video Card  ($251.49 @ Amazon) 
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case  ($39.99 @ Newegg) 
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer  ($13.99 @ Newegg) 
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit)  ($89.98 @ OutletPC) 
Monitor: ViewSonic VA2249S 60Hz 21.5" Monitor  ($125.99 @ Amazon) 
Case Fan: LEPA Vortex 12 PWM 63.9 CFM 120mm  Fan  ($1.99 @ NCIX US) 
Case Fan: LEPA Vortex 12 PWM 63.9 CFM 120mm  Fan  ($1.99 @ NCIX US) 
Case Fan: LEPA Vortex 12 PWM 63.9 CFM 120mm  Fan  ($1.99 @ NCIX US) 
Mouse: Cobra E-3lue Wired Optical Mouse  ($10.99 @ Amazon) 
Speakers: Logitech LS21 7W 2.1ch Speakers  ($29.00 @ Amazon) 
Total: $998.04
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-22 06:34 EDT-0400
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Hasn't the 840 EVO had some issues with Read and Write degradation recently?

 

I have no idea to be honest... but it's probably still better than the v300 right? Gotta love Kingston, but they really failed hard on that one :(

Don't ask to ask, just ask... please 🤨

sudo chmod -R 000 /*

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Is the Gtx 760 a good choice ?

 

Not really in my opinion, the R9 285 is usually priced better and guarantees basically the same performance if not a bit better. That said if you can find it for cheaper than the 285 then yeah, it's pretty good.

Don't ask to ask, just ask... please 🤨

sudo chmod -R 000 /*

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I have changed a few things after your suggestions. Can I have opinions on this ? PCPartPicker part list

 

An FX-8320E is only better in most situations than an i5-4440 if it is overclocked. You will not be able to do that with the motherboard in this build and with the lack of an aftermarket cpu cooler.

 

You can save some money and avoid the current issues with Samsung 840 EVO ssd by selecting an ssd such as Crucial CT120M500SSD1.

 

I would suggest spending another $10 to get a semi-modular psu, Corsair CX600M.

 

IPS monitors have better color reproduction and wider viewing angles.

80+ ratings certify electrical efficiency. Not quality.

 

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Can anyone suggest me what to change if I WANT to overclock in the future and if I DON'T WANT to overclock ?  :mellow:  :unsure:  :wacko:

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Can anyone suggest me what to change if I WANT to overclock in the future and if I DON'T WANT to overclock ?  :mellow:  :unsure:  :wacko:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($199.99)

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($28.98 @ OutletPC)

Motherboard: Asus Z97-AR ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($99.99)

Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($72.99 @ Newegg)

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($54.98 @ OutletPC)

Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 280X 3GB Double Dissipation Video Card  ($194.99 @ NCIX US)

Case: Thermaltake VL80001W2Z ATX Mid Tower Case  ($24.99 @ Micro Center)

Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($49.99 @ Newegg)

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit (OEM) (64-bit)  ($90.26 @ OutletPC)

Monitor: BenQ GL2460HM 60Hz 24.0" Monitor  ($149.99 @ Amazon)

Keyboard: Cooler Master CM Storm Devastator Gaming Bundle Wired Gaming Keyboard w/Optical Mouse  ($24.99 @ NCIX US)

Speakers: Logitech LS21 7W 2.1ch Speakers  ($29.00 @ Amazon)

Total: $1021.14

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-23 04:32 EDT-0400

 

This is a spin off of my Intel build that I put some thought into.

 

This is a build for overclocking with the potential for upgrades in the future.

 

I put in entry level gaming mouse and keyboard and matched an entry level GPU with the CPU.

 

You can find the 4690k and a Z97 board for that cheap due to Microcenter's Intel bundle which you mentioned in your initial post.

 

The total amount is the rebate total which is at $1021.14

 

The initial cost of buying all the parts is $1096.14

 

I would suggest waiting on the speakers as they aren't essential to the building of the system.

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