$1200 budget Gaming PC Build [Suggestions]

[sub-80]

Hey guys;

am making $1200 gaming pc build for my niece and nephew. It will be used for gaming (All types), school work and entertainment. One condition for this build is that it would be future proof. Am not sure about the motherboard. Also chose 770 instead of 280x is because I think geforce experience is alot easier to use and less hairy than AMD. Am considering placing an i7 instead of i5 to make it more future proof. Suggest which part can be bettered or make your own build.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Micro Center)
Motherboard: MSI Z87-G45 Gaming ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($79.02 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Hybrid Internal Hard Drive ($83.24 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($339.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair Professional 750W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1067.19
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-05 10:10 EDT-0400)

 

[Blain]

am making $1200 gaming pc build for my niece and nephew.

It will be used for gaming (All types), school work and entertainment.

One condition for this build is that it would be future proof.

...impossible

NEXT!

 

[NewYorksFinest]

Seagate hard drives aren't that reliable; they always fail on me in a year. I would buy a western digital or toshiba. Also, I would add an aftermarket cooler. Finally, add an SSD.

 

[NewYorksFinest]

...impossible

NEXT!

X2

 

[sub-80]

what do you suggest? they are heavy gamers but new to pc gaming and mostly the games they play are regular load games like dmc, tomb raider, sims and minecraft.

Should I go with i7-4770k or wait for the maxwell processors?

Seagate will be removed. Which is better hybrid hdd or 1ssd and 1 hdd (7200rpm)?

 

[lehtv]

4670K + MSI Z87-G45 Gaming + G.Skill 2x4GB 1866 $434 ($419 AR) @ newegg
MSI GTX 770 2GB $320 @ amazon
Sandisk Ultra Plus 256GB $120 @ amazon
WD Blue 1TB $60 @ newegg
Lite-On DVD-RW $15 AP @ newegg
Seasonic G-750 $100 AP ($80 AR), ends 4/6 @ newegg
Fractal Design Define R4 Black Pearl $80 AP @ newegg
Win 8.1 $90 @ outletPC

$1219 ($1184 AR)

Should I go with i7-4770k or wait for the maxwell processors?

Maxwell is an NVIDIA GPU architecture, not an Intel CPU architecture. No, you shouldn't go i7-4770k, the money is better spent elsewhere

I think this build is as "future proof" as it gets on your budget. Future proof is just another way to say "bang for buck" but more misleading

 

[sub-80]

this looks amazing thank you lehtv

but should I get i7

 

[NewYorksFinest]

what do you suggest? they are heavy gamers but new to pc gaming and mostly the games they play are regular load games like dmc, tomb raider, sims and minecraft.

Should I go with i7-4770k or wait for the maxwell processors?

Seagate will be removed. Which is better hybrid hdd or 1ssd and 1 hdd (7200rpm)?

If all they play is those games, that video card is overkill.

The i7-4770K is really fast, but really only fits in with $2000+ builds. The i5-4670K is fine.

The cooler master hyper 212EVO for $40 is an excellent cooler.

I would buy a WD 1TB and a Samsung 128GB SSD for ~$120.

 

[sub-80]

If all they play is those games, that video card is overkill.

The i7-4770K is really fast, but really only fits in with $2000+ builds. The i5-4670K is fine.

The cooler master hyper 212EVO for $40 is an excellent cooler.

I would buy a WD 1TB and a Samsung 128GB SSD for ~$120.

They are new pc gaming so am not sure what games they be into. currently they're minecraft addicts. And they play those ps3 games described.

That is why am contemplatring should I get a high eng cpu and mobo and a low end gpu. and if they are into high load games I just replace the low end vga with a high end vga. what do you suggest.

 

[sze5003]

Don't get a low end gpu go mid range and you really don't need the i7 for what they play. In a couple of more months the new line or processors will be out so spending the extra money on the i7 doesn't make much sense.

I have the evo 212 cooler and it is good, a bit louder than stock but it helped me over clock to 4.2ghz.

 

[lehtv]

The i7-4770K is really fast, but really only fits in with $2000+ builds. The i5-4670K is fine.

Not quite true, 4770K can be justified even in a $1000 build if there's need for hyperthreading. In $1500 gaming builds, 4770K should be standard

The cooler master hyper 212EVO for $40 is an excellent cooler.

True Spirit 120M is a bit better

 

[NewYorksFinest]

How about this...

Intel Core i5-4670K: $230

Cooler Master Hyper 212EVO: $30

ASRock Extreme4: $130

8GB Corsair Vengeance DDR3-1600: $70

Western Digital 1TB Black: $90

Samsung 250GB SSD: $150

EVGA GeForce GTX 770: $350

Corsair 200R: $60

Corsair 600W: $70

Windows 8.1: $100

Total: $1280.00

 

[NewYorksFinest]

Not quite true, 4770K can be justified even in a $1000 build if there's need for hyperthreading. In $1500 gaming builds, 4770K should be standard



True Spirit 120M is a bit better

Those are both your opinion.

 

[NewYorksFinest]

Not quite true, 4770K can be justified even in a $1000 build if there's need for hyperthreading. In $1500 gaming builds, 4770K should be standard



True Spirit 120M is a bit better

Those are both your opinion.
:biggrin:

 

[lehtv]

How about this...

There's a potential compatibility issue with the Vengeance fins getting in the way of the Hyper 212 Evo fan.

Comparing all the parts to my suggestion, the CPU, motherboard and RAM are $11 more expensive without any improvement, the hard disk is $30 or +50% more expensive just for a few more years of warranty, the SSD is $30 more expensive for essentially no difference, the graphics card is $30 more expensive and doesn't run as cool and quiet, the case saves $20 but doesn't stay as quiet and is more cheaply built, the PSU saves only $10 while losing 150W and a whole lot of quality, a few percent of efficiency and two years of warranty.

 

[sze5003]

There's a potential compatibility issue with the Vengeance fins getting in the way of the Hyper 212 Evo fan.

Comparing all the parts to my suggestion, the CPU, motherboard and RAM are $11 more expensive without any improvement, the hard disk is $30 or +50% more expensive just for a few more years of warranty, the SSD is $30 more expensive for essentially no difference, the graphics card is $30 more expensive and doesn't run as cool and quiet, the case saves $20 but doesn't stay as quiet and is more cheaply built, the PSU saves only $10 while losing 150W and a whole lot of quality, a few percent of efficiency and two years of warranty.

I have vengeance ram and the evo 212 it barely touches the ram. Get the low profile type and it should be good.

 

[mfenn]

They are new pc gaming so am not sure what games they be into. currently they're minecraft addicts. And they play those ps3 games described.

That is why am contemplatring should I get a high eng cpu and mobo and a low end gpu. and if they are into high load games I just replace the low end vga with a high end vga. what do you suggest.

I think that's a bad idea. There are very few games that are CPU-intensive but not GPU intensive. Usually a game is low CPU/low GPU, low CPU/high GPU, or high CPU/high GPU.

There is really no reason to be buying an i7 4770K on your budget. You'd be better off putting that $100 into the GPU like lehtv did in his build.

 

[sub-80]

how much of a future proof do you think lehtv or newyorkfinest build will last, with at least medium settings used?
I am thinking 3 years what about you?

 

[NewYorksFinest]

how much of a future proof do you think lehtv or newyorkfinest build will last, with at least medium settings used?
I am thinking 3 years what about you?

Or, you can...

Buy windows and peripherals for $200 and a monitor for $100.

 

[Pr0d1gy]

how much of a future proof do you think lehtv or newyorkfinest build will last, with at least medium settings used?
I am thinking 3 years what about you?

Honestly, future proofing is 100% about the motherboard in my humble experience.

OP, if you want the most future proof board then this is probably not it because you'd be looking at multi gpu/cpu configurations. If that is not something you are wanting to get into, then this is a phenomenal board especially for someone who is hardlined and gaming. I have had this board in my cart for months and will probably end up buying it right at the end of it's life cycle for my main office/shooter pc.

In my experience the tech moves fast enough that multi hardware solutions are rendered semi-pointless and they often can suffer from bugs brought on by having 2 horses in the stable so to speak.

My advice, keep it simple and get the best pieces you can for the motherboard or just wait until the next tech cycle. It may not be every 18 months now but it's still every 2-3 years.

I remember my first build was near the end of the single core era and I bought what I could and ended up switching out the cpu, hard drive, power supply, and RAM in that thing at least 2-3 times each until, within 2-3 years of my initial build, I had the top of the line gear for that motherboard; and that computer never so much as farted in my general direction until it died a few months ago. I ended up spending less than you are now and ended up with a top of the line computer that kicked so much tail for like 8 or 9 years iirc.

I don't know why I went on this little diatribe, but I hope it helps someone.

 

[DSF]

how much of a future proof do you think lehtv or newyorkfinest build will last, with at least medium settings used?
I am thinking 3 years what about you?

If the games they play are all along the lines of Minecraft the computer could last 7-8 years.

Assuming that they do play some more demanding games you're looking at 3-5 years or so, with a graphics card update in 2-3 years if they play high-intensity 3D games.

I wouldn't worry about trying to make a computer competent beyond 3 years unless you know you will be unable to upgrade in the future.

 

[mfenn]

Honestly, future proofing is 100% about the motherboard in my humble experience.

I'd say your experience is outdated. Sadly, the days of having many CPU generations on a single socket look to be behind us. Intel is changing things up every tick, and AMD isn't doing much better with the proliferation of APU sockets.

 

[Blain]

I think this build is as "future proof" as it gets on your budget.
Future proof is just another way to say "bang for buck" but more misleading

Future proofing involves spending as much $$ as it takes, in order not to have to upgrade in a year or so... That is not another way of saying "bang for the buck"
The $1200 budget doesn't allow for "future proofing".

 

[lehtv]

Future proofing involves spending as much $$ as it takes, in order not to have to upgrade in a year or so... That is not another way of saying "bang for the buck"
The $1200 budget doesn't allow for "future proofing".

The best way to future proof is to save money and spend it on future components (c) Ken g6. This implies that in order to save money, or avoid overspending, while still fulfilling the immediate requirements you set for the PC, you have to think about bang for buck.

 

[sze5003]

I always go for best performance for the best dollar amount I want to spend. $1200 can get you a decent gaming rig. When I initially out my pc together I paid $980 including a monitor. I was using a 560ti at the time. Over the next year after I paid off all the pc components I bought the 7970ghz and then when ssd's dropped price I grabbed one, waited for another ssd deal months later and bought the Samsung new from eBay for a good price at the time.

You can't really future proof. You need a good cpu and gpu for heavy games and a mobo that is decent. The rest you can change any time you have money to spend.

I've had this pc 3 years and it runs every game or app I throw at it flawlessly.