I haven't kept up with the pricing and release cycle on computer hardware recently, so I'm actually a bit clueless now when it comes to making a build. My girlfriend's little bro is looking for a gaming/multimedia consumption rig, and I'm thinking it'd be nice to get him the following:

- 256GB SSD
- at least 1TB of hard drive space, preferably more
- Decent i5/i7 capable of handling several of the processor-intensive ffdshow filters
- Single GPU that runs recent games on high settings at a minimum of 60 FPS at the monitor's native resolution
- 2560x1440 or 2560x1600 monitor
- Good mouse/keyboard

I dug around Newegg a bit but can't seem to fit all of that into the budget (He's got $1350 to pay for the after taxes/shipping cost). Am I doing this wrong? Are the stated specs possible for that cost, and if not, what's the best I can do?

Do you live near a Microcenter? Hit for hit the prices there are on par with with Newegg, sometimes better. I fucking love Microcenter. I built my computer there for about $1600 - that includes two monitors but I got what is seen as a low end keyboard.

Probably the hardest thing to accommodate when in a price crunch is going to be the SSD, in my novice opinion.

I think the hardest thing to accommodate is the monitor size. If he settled for a 1080p standard he could pay quite a bit less for both the monitor and a less powerful GPU that can fit his budget. Monitor + GPU shouldn't be more than 50% of his budget, obv. He could probably get a GTX 770 or 780, but the step up from here which I think can handle the settings he wants (new games on high settings and 2560x1600) is going to be the GTX Titan line rolling in at $1k.

Even in the plans for my newer extreme rig I'm not going over 1080p.

Videos aren't commonly produced in resolutions higher than 1080p, either.

---

SSD prices are a little under $1/GB. It's been stagnant there for awhile. Paying less is compromising reliability.

Post has been edited 1 time(s), last time on Aug 7 2013, 7:05 pm by Sacrieur.

He has a fair budget but wants high performance with extraordinary display size? I have no idea how you could make that happen. Now if he'd be willing to spend 2k that's another story.
Settle for full hd and anyone here can give you a nice build within his budget.

Yip, the monitor and required GPU are by far the biggest outlier on this wishlist.

Requirements and price are not in line. Something has to give. Preferably the resolution going down to 1080p, but if the budget was raised to 2500$ we could do this comfortably.

Anyway I did this for fun:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($299.58 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Xigmatek Dark Knight II SD1283 Night Hawk Edition 89.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($53.48 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus SABERTOOTH Z87 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($251.42 @ Outlet PC)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($62.47 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($62.47 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($237.72 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.18 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($374.24 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: NZXT H630 ATX Full Tower Case ($149.78 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: SeaSonic X Series 850W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($178.17 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($18.17 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Asus PB278Q 27.0" Monitor ($592.88 @ Amazon)
Total: $2364.56
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-08-07 18:45 EDT-0400)

This is a build done properly. No corners were cut and the choice of parts are indicative of the budget. All parts are reliable and of good quality. Every dollar below this he goes sacrifices performance and/or reliability. I didn't bother with a keyboard or mouse since those are too personal an item to have someone else select. As I said previously, he either needs more money or lower standards. This build could be redone for 1080p at a fraction of the cost.

Similar build done for 1080p:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC12DX_BK 68.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($53.48 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Pro3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($94.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($58.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($62.47 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($237.72 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.18 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: HIS Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($243.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($54.88 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($76.52 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($18.17 @ Newegg)
Monitor: BenQ XL2420T 120Hz 24.0" Monitor ($320.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1573.59
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-08-07 18:57 EDT-0400)

Post has been edited 3 time(s), last time on Aug 7 2013, 10:57 pm by Excalibur.

I couldn't meet your requirements of modern games running high settings on 2560x1440 at 60 FPS. The GPU would be $1000 and the monitor would be $500, and it's kinda hard to make the rest of the computer with -$150.

Here's the first shot, with Intel and Nvidia:


Went cheap on the case, only one 8GB stick of RAM, but otherwise it's a solid build. The monitor is 1080p but has a 120Hz refresh rate and 2ms response time. I just picked a mechanical keyboard and mouse that were cheap and had good reviews (I have a Gigabyte mouse myself and can say it works well).

The total on that after the promos is very nearly $1350, and the MIR takes it down to that final price.

Personally, I'd get a cheaper but bigger monitor (he'll probably care more about the physical size of the monitor than anything else about it, anyway, unless he's technically inclined) and put more money toward the case and GPU.

Second attempt, with AMD (which I'm less familiar with):


Cheaper CPU and motherboard (though certainly not the cheapest you could go with either), and it shows. Changed the RAM to two 4GB sticks instead of one 8GB stick, and chose a cheaper SSD that seems to have decent reviews. I don't remember if you're a WD or Seagate guy, so I alternated the HDD just to show the available option. The GPU should outperform the 760 for all non-gaming tasks as well as some games. Chose a better case for just a wee bit more cash. The monitor is larger and cheaper than the other one. The keyboard is also cheaper (the cheapest mechanical keyboard I could find), but the reviews on it don't look too hot. The mouse is also super cheap (the cheapest laser I could find), and while it looks kinda lame and doesn't have the extra buttons, it would still probably serve well for gaming purposes.

The PSU is a steal, though, which is why I chose it for both builds. I guess if you really want to move money around you could look for a cheaper PSU, but I wouldn't know which one to get.

After tax/shipping, it's just over $1300 upfront.

Edit:

If you get a smaller HDD you can fit a GTX 770 in here!

There isn't one. Not one that's worth getting, anyway. They either come in lower wattage or lower quality (usually both, since this is basically the lowest priced Seasonic). I did just see an XFX onsale for $29.99 after MIR, but it's only 550W

Edit: Why not opt for a lower priced LGA1155 socket? It should be possible to find a steal on a motherboard. With the Xigmatech cooler, OC'ing is possible with good old sandy bridge.

I think the SSD is going to have to get knocked back to 128 GB. The 300R isn't a bad case, but I'm not sure I'd recommend it with the xigmatech, sounds like it could get kinda cramped with a video card. Ex's build is really scraping by on the bare minimum. I second that he can't go any lower without sacrificing quality or performance.

Post has been edited 4 time(s), last time on Aug 8 2013, 1:12 pm by Sacrieur.

Newegg promo code NEWCUSTOMER08 for $10 off $50.

CPU: Intel Core i5-3330 3.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($174.99 @ Newegg) combo with psu for $5 off
Motherboard: MSI H61M-P31/W8 Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($47.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Team Elite 8GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model TED38G1600HC1101 ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: A-Data Premier Pro SP900 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($159.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7850 1GB Video Card ($119.99 @ Newegg) AFFW85VGA promo code for an additional 13% off, stacks with combo for case
Case: Cooler Master NSE-200-KKN1 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg) combo with video card
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg) combo with cpu for $5 off
Monitor: 27" X-Star 2560x1440 Monitor ($279 + tax (optional) @ ebay)
Keyboard: Microsoft SIDEWINDER X4 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($49.96 @ Amazon) ***bad price, good is $35
Mouse: Logitech G400 Wired Optical Mouse ($46.99 @ Expansys US) ***bad price, good is $25
Total: $1029.86 *** not accurate, real price is below this.

You can double up the graphics card for that extra oomf, but the 7850 and the i5 should manage to get 60+ fps on most games without intensive graphics settings. I would recommend going AMD for this build though, as the 8350 is cheap now, and you can get cheap decent boards too. Also, I didn't shop around for the mouse and the keyboard as the g400 is one of the best mice you can buy, but it's overpriced right now. When your friend says "good" keyboard, I assume he means blinking LEDs, so the sidewinder x4 is excellent. Personally I'd recommend a ducky green if he wants an actually good keyboard, not just full of gimmicks. Otherwise the microsoft comfort curve 2000 is one of the best keyboards you can buy for less than $20.

HIghly recommend spending the extra $ to get the gold seasonic PSU, a 2nd 7850, and a different motherboard with 2 pci express slots. x16 x4 is fine, so pretty much any h77 will do.

Games like Hitman Absolution and Metro are impossible to get 60 fps on except on very low settings, but skyrim and starcraft 2 are heavily CPU based and will let you hit very high numbers with seemingly poor hardware. The "i want 60 fps minimum" request is one of the dumbest things you can ask for, since 7 years later, we still can't play crysis on max settings.

Post has been edited 1 time(s), last time on Aug 10 2013, 5:59 am by rockz.

Those are awesome deals, rockz!

Running at 2560x1440? While it's a good deal with the case bundle, the card can't even run an average 60 FPS for quite a few games on high settings at 1920x1080 resolution (and don't tell me getting BF3 to 60 FPS on the second-highest graphics setting is unreasonable), which means it would be considerably lower for the same settings at a higher resolution. Running in Crossfire seems almost mandatory to hit the other requirements, but he specified he only wants a single GPU. In my eyes that would require at least an HD 7950 or GTX 760.

I say forgo the 2560x1440 requirement, especially if you're looking for good gaming performance without breaking your budget.

Thanks for the responses everyone, looks like my fears about hardware being too expensive have come true (although holy crap rockz, you certainly know how to squeeze pennies! That combo looks awesome for its price).

I ended up selling him one of my old monitors and frankensteined Ex/Roy's suggestions with one of my friend's builds to get a ~$1130 build (he paid me $200 for the monitor) with a 7950 and FX-8320. Once he gets his next paycheck he can purchase another stick of RAM and a second 7950. Again, thank you all for the replies, this would not have been possible without your help.

You can get a 7970 right now for $365 after MIR.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202001

1st, they modified the FOV. 2nd, no card did well on BF3. 3rd, I can grab plenty of charts that put the 7850 above 60fps average on a lot of games. 4th, AMD drivers suck, so they get better as time goes on. We're a year into those drivers.

I personally love my 27" monitor, so I will always recommend it.

Awesome. Give us a list when its all done.

I was referring to the 1920x1080 graph in particular, where half of the other cards (which aren't the very-top-of-the-line cards of today, just more high-end than probably can fit in this budget) were able to get at least 60 FPS on those settings; assuming the FOV was unchanged but the resolution was bumped up to 2560x1440, I would expect the HD 7850 to do worse, not better. But my search for gaming benchmarks on the HD 7850 at 2560x1440 has failed, so if you could provide some evidence to support your claim that it handles plenty of modern games above the 60 FPS average, I'll immediately revoke my skepticism that the card may not be powerful enough.

And just to be clear, I have nothing against the monitor; it's an amazingly low price for what it is. I just don't think the GPU will be able to suffice running at the monitor's native resolution above medium settings for modern games.

I consider sc2 a modern game, and I was running over 60 fps on my 5770.

Why would you consider SCII a modern game?

rockz, this is unusually unprofessional from you, when asked for evidence that the card is fast enough to answer a) with personal experience b) without describing the test scenario (detail settings, what's going on when the measurement was done) and c) picking a game that was already light on the hardware when it was released several years ago.

I must admit I am also somewhat doubtful the card can handle such resolutions better than much more expensive cards. Hard evidence please. (There's plenty of reviews that show that all except the most expensive cards go below 60fps when you run them above full hd on high or better details on newer games.)

no card is fast enough under his terms, especially not any AMD card. He needs a 770 or 780 to even hope to reach the proper minimum framerate. There are also no reviews that do 2560x1440 or 1600 without AA, which is absolutely silly, since AA is useless on this level, I'm being very lenient with the limiting constraint.

Everything made after crysis to me is a modern game, since we still can't play that game on max settings.

sc2 isn't light on hardware.

But that's because of bad coding.