gaming PC Parts List

[Instantpotato]

Hello, looking to build a gaming PC. Haven't done a new build in a long time. Done a bit of research and this is what I've got so far.

The motherboard not too sure but needs to be in that price range.

Monitor definitely not sure, haven't done the research too in depth

I want to do 1080p gaming.

I have a define R4 case, Corsair 750AX PSU and a coolermaster 212 CPU cooler

Also any thoughts on keyboard and mouse would be great
[PCPartPicker part list](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/9DXkyc) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/9DXkyc/by_merchant/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i54690k) | $199.99 @ Micro Center
**Motherboard** | [Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD3H-BK ATX LGA1150 Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-motherboard-gaz97xud3hbk) | $126.99 @ SuperBiiz
**Memory** | [G.Skill Trident X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2400 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f32400c10d8gtx) | $75.89 @ OutletPC
**Storage** | [Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-internal-hard-drive-mz75e250bam) | $118.98 @ OutletPC
**Video Card** | [Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-video-card-gvn970ixoc4gd) | $328.99 @ Amazon
**Operating System** | [Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit)](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/microsoft-os-wn700615) | $87.75 @ OutletPC
**Monitor** | [Acer GN246HL 144Hz 24.0" Monitor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/acer-monitor-umfg6aab01) | $236.99 @ SuperBiiz
| *Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts* |
| Total (before mail-in rebates) | $1195.58
| Mail-in rebates | -$20.00
| **Total** | **$1175.58**
| Generated by [PCPartPicker](http://pcpartpicker.com) 2015-02-28 16:14 EST-0500 |

 

[Ken g6]

So, to confirm the rest of the questions in [thread=80121]the sticky[/thread]:

1. "I want to do 1080p gaming."
2. Your budget is $1200?
3. You're in the USA? Near a Micro Center I assume?
5. No brand preference?
6. "I have a define R4 case, Corsair 750AX PSU and a coolermaster 212 CPU cooler"
7. Overclocking, I assume?
8. 1080p
9. Building within the next month?
X. Yes, Windows.

Nothing's jumping out at me as being bad if the above answers are correct. KB & mouse partly depend on your remaining budget.

Oh, PCPP doesn't know about Micro Center bundles, so if you really are near one manually set your mobo price to $100 and that will help your budget.

 

[mfenn]

The parts you've picked out are generally OK, but I wold make a couple of changes:

- RAM: The kit you picked out has tall heatspreaders and has to run at 1.65V with loose timings to hit DDR3 2400. All of the cheap "high speed" kits you see out there are doing those same two tricks to standard RAM to get the big up front number. You might as well buy a DDR3 1600 8GB CAS 9 1.5V kit for $56 and bump it up yourself if that's your fancy
- SSD : There's nothing wrong with the 850 EVO except that it costs too much for what it is. You can pick up a similar caliber drive in the Crucial MX100 256GB for $100.

 

[jji7skyline]

Good well-rounded build. Like mfenn said, you could get a cheaper SSD for not much of a performance impact. Otherwise though, fine config.

 

[Termie]

The parts you've picked out are generally OK, but I wold make a couple of changes:

- RAM: The kit you picked out has tall heatspreaders and has to run at 1.65V with loose timings to hit DDR3 2400. All of the cheap "high speed" kits you see out there are doing those same two tricks to standard RAM to get the big up front number. You might as well buy a DDR3 1600 8GB CAS 9 1.5V kit for $56 and bump it up yourself if that's your fancy
- SSD : There's nothing wrong with the 850 EVO except that it costs too much for what it is. You can pick up a similar caliber drive in the Crucial MX100 256GB for $100.

This is all correct, except for one detail: G.Skill's TridentX DDR3-2400 kit isn't a cheap kit bumped up to 2400. It's actually a higher-end kit with relatively tight 10-12-12-31 timings at 2400MHz. I have it, and my DDR3-1600 and 1866 kits can't touch its timings at any voltage. I'm not saying the OP needs that kit, but a $56 DDR3-1600 kit is most definitely not the same product.

Also, as an aside, the tall heatspreaders on the TridentX are actually removable, if that's a concern.

 

[mfenn]

This is all correct, except for one detail: G.Skill's TridentX DDR3-2400 kit isn't a cheap kit bumped up to 2400. It's actually a higher-end kit with relatively tight 10-12-12-31 timings at 2400MHz. I have it, and my DDR3-1600 and 1866 kits can't touch its timings at any voltage. I'm not saying the OP needs that kit, but a $56 DDR3-1600 kit is most definitely not the same product.

Also, as an aside, the tall heatspreaders on the TridentX are actually removable, if that's a concern.

I would definitely not consider anything above 9-9-9-24 to be "tight" timings when looking at DDR3 in general. You are right that they are relatively tight when compared to other DDR3 2400 kits though. Dropping the voltage down to the standard of 1.5V, you'll on average get DDR3 1866 CAS 9 with that kit.

At any rate, I agree that buying a high clocked RAM kit is of dubious value for the OP. I would also add "especially when it isn't that fast if you drop it down to a long-term voltage".

 

[Instantpotato]

Well thanks for the replies, I ordered alll the the parts over the weekend. The last time I built a system and really tinkered with it was like 2005 an Athlon64 system. So I've been doing a crash course on researching. So it's going to be fun playing around with all the new toys, that's what I'm looking forward to. I haven't even played a game in years. Never used an LCD monitor before except at work. My current set up is connected to an hdtv so gaming doesn't work too well. Maybe I could do a small build log, is there a spot for that in these forums? and if my only bad calls were paying a little too much for ram and ssd then that's not too bad, better than having critical costly mistakes. Thanks again!

 

[DSF]

Probably the simplest place to do a build log is just right here in your own thread.

Good luck!

 

[mfenn]

Probably the simplest place to do a build log is just right here in your own thread.

Good luck!

:thumbsup::thumbsup: Agree. We're always happy to hear feedback on the build process!

 

[Instantpotato]

This is actually two builds in one. I have to take out the existing parts from the define r4 case and put it in a new case with a new psu. I ran into a big problem already as the pci express connector broke off the motherboard as I was removing the video card. Now the old motherboard is junk.

As far as the new gaming build goes I have everything except the motherboard, which should arrive tomorrow. I have a day off on Tuesday and I will try to get it up and running and post some pictures.