A 1000$ gaming pc

[Hyphene]

The PC will be used primarily for gaming, music production and video editing/rendering (Adobe Creative Suite). I start with 1 1080p monitor, 4K will not be used until it's cheaper / more integrated. Possibly with a SLI configuration.

This is the current build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($219.88 @ OutletPC) 

Motherboard: MSI Z97S SLI Plus ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($110.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($63.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage: Crucial M500 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($68.70 @ NCIX US) 

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($53.97 @ OutletPC) 

Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card  ($344.00 @ NCIX US) 

Case: NZXT Phantom (White) ATX Full Tower Case  ($104.99 @ Micro Center) 

Power Supply: Corsair CSM 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($64.99 @ Newegg) 

Total: $1031.51

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-16 11:31 EST-0500

 

I have a couple of questions before I actually start with ordering the parts:

Questions:

1. Are there any parts than can be bought cheaper, but with similar performance?

2. MOBO: is it any good? (no overkill or crap) Recommendations are very welcome, I have no idea what to look for in a MoBo other than the socket, RAM capacity and outputs.

3. Case: are there better cases for the same price or less? My first concern is airflow, then quietness, then aesthetics. I don't want a boring box (that'd be a shame for the beautiful inside), but if there's one slightly uglier but with killer airflow, I'd prefer that one.

4. Connectivity: Can everything be connected? Especially fan inputs and case LED worry me, because I can't find any information on that topic.

5. Any estimates on how this system will run?

Thanks in advance!

[79wjd]

You can get 8gb of Ram for around $60-70~, a 1tb Seagate Barracuda/WD Blue can be had for $50~ 

For $100 you can get a MUCH better psu -- EVGA G2 750w. Alternatively, for a more budget psu you can get an EVGA B1/B2 or Corsair CX/CXM series. 

 

Yes, the Z97s SLI Plus is a great board -- I have it myself, I would however consider the G55 SLI as it's a bit cheaper and pretty much the same. 

 

NZXT S340 

 

I'd also get a Gigabyte 970 since it's blue and would match the motherboard. 

 

PCPP isn't really working right now, otherwise I'd link something. 

[Hyphene]

You can get 8gb of Ram for around $60-70~, a 1tb Seagate Barracuda/WD Blue can be had for $50~ 

For $100 you can get a MUCH better psu -- EVGA G2 750w. Alternatively, for a more budget psu you can get an EVGA B1/B2 or Corsair CX/CXM series. 

 

Yes, the Z97s SLI Plus is a great board -- I have it myself, I would however consider the G55 SLI as it's a bit cheaper and pretty much the same. 

 

NZXT S340 

 

I'd also get a Gigabyte 970 since it's blue and would match the motherboard. 

 

PCPP isn't really working right now, otherwise I'd link something. 

 

The case looks great, thanks for the recommendation. How is the airflow on that one?

 

Do I actually need a better PSU? I'll not be getting SLI until a 4K upgrade, and I'm at around 340W right now...

[79wjd]

The case looks great, thanks for the recommendation. How is the airflow on that one?

 

Do I actually need a better PSU? I'll not be getting SLI until a 4K upgrade, and I'm at around 340W right now...

Well, I'd say go with a 600w+ 80+ bronze psu -- EVGA B1/B2 or Corsair CX/CXM series or go with a high end unit and get an EVGA G2 750w. So...either go budget or high end -- the psu you chose is expensive for what it is. Also, the nice thing about the EVGA G2 is that it comes with a 10 year warranty -- so it will be a good choice to go with now as it will last through this build and (more than likely) any future build -- including any future SLI/XFIRE builds. 

 

And the airflow in the S340 is very good.