$2000 Gaming PC 2016

Gregbenson715 · December 29, 2015

I got $2000 burning a hole in my wallet, not sure if I should go for 4k or 1440p or 1080p. I don't need an os but need a keyboard & mouse, also a monitor. I play games like bf4, dayz, arma3, etc.

Plan to build it around May, should I wait for pascal? This is purely for gaming.

HKZeroFive · December 29, 2015

The way I see it, if you want to upgrade, upgrade now. Of course you could just wait for Pascal but it's entirely your choice if you're willing to put off until it comes. Here's my recommendation, 1440p gaming sounds like the way to go. You could alternatively save some money by going for a i5 6600K Skylake build instead:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($329.99 @ SuperBiiz)

CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i GTX 70.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($99.99 @ Amazon)

Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($92.98 @ Newegg)

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($42.89 @ OutletPC)

Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($81.49 @ OutletPC)

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.98 @ OutletPC)

Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Video Card ($649.99 @ B&H)

Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($74.99 @ NCIX US)

Power Supply: XFX XTR 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($95.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Monitor: Asus PB278Q 60Hz 27.0" Monitor ($402.99 @ Amazon)

Keyboard: Cooler Master Storm QuickFire Rapid Wired Gaming Keyboard ($76.98 @ Directron)

Mouse: Logitech G402 Wired Optical Mouse ($39.99 @ Micro Center)

Total: $2038.25

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-12-29 03:20 EST-0500

Gregbenson715 · December 29, 2015

The way I see it, if you want to upgrade, upgrade now. Of course you could just wait for Pascal but it's entirely your choice if you're willing to put off until it comes. Here's my recommendation, 1440p gaming sounds like the way to go. You could alternatively save some money by going for a i5 6600K Skylake build instead:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($329.99 @ SuperBiiz)

CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i GTX 70.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($99.99 @ Amazon)

Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($92.98 @ Newegg)

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($42.89 @ OutletPC)

Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($81.49 @ OutletPC)

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.98 @ OutletPC)

Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Video Card ($649.99 @ B&H)

Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($74.99 @ NCIX US)

Power Supply: XFX XTR 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($95.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Monitor: Asus PB278Q 60Hz 27.0" Monitor ($402.99 @ Amazon)

Keyboard: Cooler Master Storm QuickFire Rapid Wired Gaming Keyboard ($76.98 @ Directron)

Mouse: Logitech G402 Wired Optical Mouse ($39.99 @ Micro Center)

Total: $2038.25

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-12-29 03:20 EST-0500

How far do you think I could push the i7 to?

HKZeroFive · December 29, 2015

How far do you think I could push the i7 to?

I've pushed mine to 4.5GHz and decided to keep it there, using only a Hyper 212 EVO. With a liquid cooling setup, something like 4.7 or even 4.8 GHz isn't unrealistic.