Looking for the sweetest $1200 gaming rig

http://www.hardware-revolution.com/mainstream-gaming-pcs-v3-8-1/

 

Let us know how your build goes, dude.

 

If you build it yourself, you can choose the parts that are suitable for the games you want to play. No OS/peripherals correct? I can make a parts list for you if you'd like!

 

Cheaper? Cool. I think NewEgg would be cheapest.

I forgot to update my CF brethren on my build... and now it runs smooth as a baby's butt (not me as a baby, I usually had a rash, so my mom says... she says hi, by the way).

I just went to FRY's and bought lots of stuff. Maybe I was in too much of a hurry.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC12DX_BK 68.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($59.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 830 Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($402.38 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($109.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1207.27
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-05-01 16:35 EDT-0400)

Here's an Intel build that's a tad over $1200 after rebates, but if you're able to go to Microcenter, you can save $40 on the motherboard when you purchase it alongside the processor. This will max pretty much any game on 1920x1080 with the exception of anti-aliasing effects. If you need more help or have any questions, you should head on over to Reddit's buildapc. TONS of people who can help you!

 

do you need peripherals such as monitor(s), keyboard, mice, speakers/headphones, etc?

those are costly addons

reddit.com/r/buildapc

 

Sorry a little off topic but just out of curiosity, what games do you play?

 

Your processor looks like it will be FLYING.

I bought the Intel i7-2600k CPU @ 3.4 GHz a while back. I think it's now $100 more than what you're buying. The Device manager now reports I have 8 CPUs.

I believe that what makes a lot of difference right now in the system and the way it performs is that I am running off the SSD for the system. I had been installing programs onto the system drive but now I'm running out of space (it was only a 240Gb Kingston SSD I bought a couple months back). EDIT: "SSD" - Solid State Drive... getting cheaper now.

Also, I have 32GB RAM. I bought them at wholesale price.

 

Candy Crush

 

Deviuz posted an amazing build for you, basically it's 'top of the line' specs for your budget, you can't go wrong following his build

BUT... few things to consider:
1. from what we know of next gen consoles(mainly PS4); games will be utilizing more cores, the PS4 has EIGHT cores, the i5-3570k recommended will hold up fine for the next 2 maybe 3 years(since the new intel chip, Haswell, is slated for release in less than 2 months), but these are only 4 cores; while it is true most games currently does not utilize more than 2, that may change rapidly.
2. I would recommend at least 4gb of DDR5 memory on the graphics card, the status quo of gaming resolution is 1080p, and that barrier is about to pop, 1440p and 1600p are on the rise, and they're rising fast, more ram lets you push higher resolution much easier, not to mention you may want to have 2 monitors, 1 for gaming, other for netflix/whatever, 3gb will be borderline obsolete in the coming 18 months.
3. more system ram, go for 16, 2x8gb.. it's cheap, why not?
4. get a beefier power supply, 80bronze is meh, aim for 750w and 80gold (NOT NECESSARY)
5. the fractal case is good, but dropping some extra dollars on a better case wouldn't be a bad since, especially since it's something you can re-use

best of luck to you my friend

 

Processor: i5 3570k. Avoid the i7's if you're limited on funds. The biggest difference between i5's and i7's is hyperthreading. In gaming, this won't help you very much at all. Read up on it and understand the difference before commiting. That extra $100 could go to much much more useful things. If you really are set on something better than an i5/4 cores, get a 6 core.

Instead of spending the extra $100 on an i7, buy a water cooling block. You can easily get an extra 15%+ gain overclocking the 3570k vs the the couple points on an i7.

Before purchasing a motherboard, decide what you are looking for on a motherboard. Some higher end motherboards have a lot of features you may never use. No point in buying a $250 motherboard with all the frills if you have no intention on using them.

Go with 16 gigs of RAM. Its around $100.

Video card: If you go with Nvidea, go with an unlocked 670. Don't bother with a 680. Again, you only get marginal gains that you can make up with an unlocked 670. As others stated, figure out what games you plan on playing. I prefer Nvidea as they use less power and benchmark well against AMD's. AMD's on the otherhand crunch numbers a whole lot better than NVidea. If you plan on doing bitcoin mining or distributive computer, AMD is definitely the way to go.

If you plan to expand later, put off getting things like SSD drives that can be added later.

If you don't need your build immediately, take a month to buy the parts and watch prices from different places. I was able to upgrade up a bit by waiting for things to go on sale.

 

If you plan for this rig to be in a room where you also like to chill out when not playing games, I highly recommend investing in the quietest CPU Coolers and Power Supplies money can buy. You won't regret it.

 

You can get the most for your money if you build it yourself.

 

16 gigs is too much for gaming.

Caps out at 8