Attn Computer builder type guys.

[DougW]

Looking to buy a gaming computer. I'm looking to spend around 1500 for the tower, and would like to have the biggest-baddest piece of machinery possible for that price range.

Oh computer gurus .. point me !

[Glengoyne]

You should be able to go pretty big and bad with that budget. I got all I could want with $1000. That said, I could probably learn to want a better video card.

I'll dig up the thread...

Here is one from my 2011 build (http://www.operationsports.com/fofc/showthread.php?t=82273&highlight=video)

And

Here is one from earlier this year (http://www.operationsports.com/fofc/showthread.php?t=88611&highlight=newegg)

I built my own, and it is a long way from Rocket Science. I'd do that before buying from Dell or the like. It has been three years since I looked at iBuypower.com, a site recommended around here at that time, but back then it looked pretty legitimate. If you do build your own, don't skimp on the case. My last two are Antec, and they are very easy to work on.

Oh and I'm definitely not an expert. Scoobz has been very helpful in a lot of the threads on this topic.

[Groundhog]

I'm no expert, but I spent AU$1300 upgrading my PC back in Feb and then another $450 on a graphics card 2 months ago. It runs beautifuly. Convert that to US and factor in the elevated components prices down here, and it would easily fit your budget.

Intel I5-4670K, with ASUS Z871-Pro motherboard, 16GB DDR3 Corsair 2400mhz ram, Samsung 128gb SD drive for my OS.

Video card is a Radeon 290X.

Took me a few hours to put it together - mainly because I had to disconnect/remove something due to forgetting to plug something in underneath it...

[Julio Riddols]

For 1500 dollars you can build something that blows your fucking mind.

[MizzouRah]

For 1500 dollars you can build something that blows your fucking mind.

haha.. no doubt about it.. for that money, you could have someone build it for you.. ;)

[gstelmack]

TR's July 2014 System Guide - The Tech Report - Page 1 (http://techreport.com/review/26747/system-guide-current)

That's where I go when I'm ready for a build.

[Julio Riddols]

I put together the following at newegg for 1484.91 (This includes a 24 inch monitor - If you don't need a monitor, you can replace it with an operating system or go even bigger on graphics or substitute a SSD in place of the 2 TB HDD.

Cooler Master High Air Flow Case (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119197)

WD 2 TB HDD SAS 6GB/s (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822236355)

Monitor 24" LED (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009422)

ASUS MOBO (AMD AM3+) (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131851)

600W Power supply (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817553014)

G.Skill Sniper Memory, 4x 4GB, DDR3 1866 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231460)

AMD 8 Core Processor, 4.0GHz (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113284)

Sapphire Vapor X Radeon R9 290 4GB Video Card (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202103)

Admittedly I threw this together in about 15 minutes without much research, and it does not include a dedicated sound card.

[Groundhog]

Cooler Master High Air Flow Case (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119197)


That's the exact same case I bought. Love it.

[SteveMax58]

I had planned on building my own about a year and a half ago but honestly found it to be the same (or better) price to have a company like Cyberpower PC build it for you vs buying from Newegg or similar places (not to mention the PC is built for you). Especially more cost-effective if you want higher end components like video cards, SSD, etc. And their website is totally intuitive to use. There are a couple out there like them but I had a great experience & have been happy with my build.

I was thinking about building a mini-desktop with decent performance in a small form factor (so no gigantic video cards) for my sons. I might do that one myself.

But seriously....checkout your options on those types of internet PC builders & price the components you want elsewhere and compare with them. I found mine to be slightly cheaper to have them build it for what I wanted as not everything is on sale at the same time on Newegg (and similar). So unless you want to buy 1 part, wait a few weeks/months, buy another part, etc. you probably won't beat their prices doing it yourself (not to mention the components you buy today are always cheaper & replaced by newer components tomorrow perpetually). I can't say all internet PC builders are great but my experience with that 1 company was good for what I spec'd out.

[weegeebored]

Looking to buy a gaming computer. I'm looking to spend around 1500 for the tower, and would like to have the biggest-baddest piece of machinery possible for that price range.Are you building it yourself or do you want one built for you? Do you need a complete system including the OS and a monitor? Are you going to overclock?

I may just go ahead a price one out through NewEgg just for kicks and you can use if for comparison. I spent about $800 on mine about three years ago but I already had a case and monitor. $1500 buys a lot of nice components.

[Ironhead]

I am looking to put together a new gaming machine for wife for her birthday. What I have in the link below would be the upper bounds of the price range.

Newegg charges sales tax in NJ so it generally cheaper to get most components through Amazon.

Any suggestions for improvement or changes to the build that would reduce the price a little without sacrificing performance?

Intel Core i5-4690K, Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770, Cooler Master HAF XB EVO - System Build - PCPartPicker (http://pcpartpicker.com/p/mJtgZL)

[weegeebored]

Are you going to overclock? I noticed a Dark Knight HSF. If you're not, don't get it. (Or go with a Cooler Master 212 Evo and save a couple of bucks.) You could go with a Radeon R9 280x instead of the 770, unless you need PhysX or hate AMD. Does having a discrete sound card make that much of a difference? Maybe through headphones but I noticed speakers on the list so I would say that it won't when played through them so you could save a bit by using the on-board sound chip. I would take some of the money saved and get a better motherboard. You could get one with built-in wi-fi and save money by not buying the adapter.

Good luck with the build.

[Shepp]

TR's July 2014 System Guide - The Tech Report - Page 1 (http://techreport.com/review/26747/system-guide-current)

That's where I go when I'm ready for a build.

The last two PC's that I have built have been based on Tech Report builds. They both have been rock solid.

[Ironhead]

Are you going to overclock? I noticed a Dark Knight HSF. If you're not, don't get it. (Or go with a Cooler Master 212 Evo and save a couple of bucks.) You could go with a Radeon R9 280x instead of the 770, unless you need PhysX or hate AMD. Does having a discrete sound card make that much of a difference? Maybe through headphones but I noticed speakers on the list so I would say that it won't when played through them so you could save a bit by using the on-board sound chip. I would take some of the money saved and get a better motherboard. You could get one with built-in wi-fi and save money by not buying the adapter.

Good luck with the build.


Thanks for the feedback. I edited the build a bit.

1) I changed to a higher quality motherboard that had both onboard wi-fi and a good sound controller to eliminate the need for separate PCI cards.

2) I upgraded the power supply because I anticipate the 1st upgrade to the build would probably be to run two GTX 770s in SLI.

3) I downgraded the monitor to a 60hz monitor. My wife will only be playing newer games at max settings so it is unlikely she would be hitting framerates where a 144hz monitor would be useful. She is also not a competitive gamer so I don't think she would notice the difference.


PCPartPicker part list (http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Cd27Mp) / Price breakdown by merchant (http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Cd27Mp/by_merchant/)

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i54690k) ($219.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-cpu-cooler-rr212e20pkr2) ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5g Thermal Paste (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/arctic-silver-thermal-paste-as535g) ($5.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-PRO(Wi-Fi ac) ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-z97prowifiac) ($208.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair XMS3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-memory-cmx8gx3m2b1600c9) ($84.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/crucial-internal-hard-drive-ct256mx100ssd1) ($109.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/western-digital-internal-hard-drive-wd10ezex) ($57.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB Superclocked ACX Video Card (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-video-card-02gp42774kr) ($334.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair Air 540 ATX Mid Tower Case (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-case-air540) ($129.08 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic X Series 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/seasonic-power-supply-x850) ($157.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Asus BW-12B1ST/BLK/G/AS Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-optical-drive-bw12b1stblkgas) ($54.88 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/microsoft-os-wn700615) ($87.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Asus VX248H 60Hz 24.0" Monitor (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-monitor-vx248h) ($176.88 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Logitech MK520 Wireless Ergonomic Keyboard w/Laser Mouse (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/logitech-keyboard-920002553) ($34.99 @ Amazon)
Speakers: Creative Labs T12 18W 2ch Speakers (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/creative-labs-speakers-51mf1650aa002) ($54.99 @ Adorama)
Total: $1749.67
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-07 11:54 EDT-0400