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manirelli's Build Guide

11
$1000 Gaming Build
by manirelli
Permalink:   (33 comments)

On a 1000 dollar budget we recommend most users step up from the Intel i5-4460 and select the overclockable Haswell Refresh i5-4690k. Unless you are building a workstation or enthusiast machine this is the de facto standard for gaming builds at the moment.

With a processor designed for overclocking you will want to upgrade your stock cooler to a higher performing model. The Phanteks PH-TC14PE is consistently one of the top performing air coolers, available at a fantastic price point, and offered in a wide range of colors to match the theme of your computer.

To allow overclocking on the i5-4690k we have selected the Gigabyte GA-Z97-HD3 motherboard. This motherboard supports up to 32GB of memory, six SATA 6Gb/s devices, multiple expansion cards, and excellent linux compatibility. For this build and most machines outside of the top end enthusiast realm we have opted to go with 8GB of DDR3 memory. The parametric filter we used will find the best price on 8GB kits of memory that are within Intel’s recommended specifications for our build. With a 1000 dollar budget we can increase the allocation to our storage needs. Using the parametric filters this build will incorporate an SSD with at least 128GB of space and a minimum of 1TB of mechanical storage at 7200rpm.

With the release of the GeForce GTX 970 we have revised our 1000 dollar build to include this powerhouse of a graphics card. At its current price there is no other GPU that can compare on a price or performance level. Many benchmarks show it going toe to toe with 780ti which should provide you with 60fps across nearly all modern games at 1080p.

All of our components will be housed within the Fractal Core 3500. This case has a gorgeous brushed aluminum finish, room for enthusiast CPU coolers, modular hard drive bays, and front panel USB3.0. The entire build is powered by a Corsair CX600M power supply – a high performing unit for the price that allows for great cable management using a semi-modular design.

Part List
Parts Are Compatible: No issues/incompatibilities found.
Estimated Wattage: 347W
Component Selection Base Price Promo Shipping Tax Price Where
CPU
$229.97 FREE $229.97 SuperBiiz
CPU Cooler
$74.99 -$10.00 FREE $64.99 Newegg
$10.00 mail-in rebate
Motherboard
$108.99 Free two-day shipping with Amazon Prime $108.99 Amazon
Memory
Parametric Memory From Filter:
  • Speed: DDR3-1600, DDR3-1866, DDR3-2133
  • Type: 240-pin DIMM
  • Size: 8GB (1x8GB), 8GB (2x4GB)
  • Voltage: 1.35V - 1.5V
$62.99 FREE $62.99 Newegg
Storage
Parametric Storage From Filter:
  • Capacity: 128GB - 6TB
  • Type: SSD
$59.99 Free two-day shipping with Amazon Prime $59.99 Amazon
Parametric Storage From Filter:
  • Capacity: 1TB
  • Type: 7200RPM
  • Form Factor: 3.5"
$45.01 $3.99 $49.00 Amazon
Video Card Parametric Video Card From Filter:
  • Chipset: GeForce GTX 970
$329.98 FREE $329.98 NCIX US
Case
$49.98 $49.98 NCIX US
Power Supply
$69.99 -$10.00 FREE $59.99 Newegg
$10.00 mail-in rebate
Base Total: $1031.89
Mail-in Rebates: -$20.00
Shipping: $3.99
Total: $1015.88
(Using your selected merchants and only including nearby in-store pickup prices)
* Some physical dimension restrictions cannot (yet) be automatically checked, such as cpu cooler / RAM clearance with modules using tall heat spreaders.
 
Comments
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mdhol 8 points 28 days ago

I'd personally just use a 212 EVO and get a better psu. I don't see any reason to buy anything other than a gold rated fully modular psu if you plan on spending more than 900 on a build.

 
 
Flaminate 3 points 28 days ago

Isn't the EVGA 970 cooler absolute ****?

 
 
swimmer1929 2 points 27 days ago

That's what I thought too. But the system for this list picks the cheapest 970. The EVGA one is the cheapest for a reason lol

 
 
jacobs4525 [1 Build] 1 point 19 days ago

The version on this list is. It is worth noting that they quickly released the ACX 2.0 design that fixed the main flaws with their first design.

 
 
friedfacekkk [1 Build] 2 points 29 days ago

VISUEL NON DISPONIBLE

You might want to revise some of the pics.

 
 
manirelli [Staff,Submitter] [1 Build] 1 point 29 days ago

Where are you seeing this picture? I just quickly went through all the locations for the site and did not have that pop up.

 
 
friedfacekkk [1 Build] 1 point 28 days ago

Well, it says VISUEL NON DISPONIBLE on my computer. Maybe it's just me who's seeing it.

 
 
manirelli [Staff,Submitter] [1 Build] 1 point 28 days ago

Are you browsing from the US version of the site? Can you tell what part that picture is popping up for? Would you mind posting a screenshot so I can look into it?

 
 
friedfacekkk [1 Build] 1 point 28 days ago

Nope it's gone. You can feel free to delete my comments if you want.

 
 
LegendH4 2 points 27 days ago

Want to make this build but is there a better windowed case for this?

 
 
Zircon57 2 points 26 days ago

When reading through the specs on the Gigabyte motherboard, I see that it does not support SLI. Now that a 970 is being used instead of a 290, what would be a better alternative board? Thanks!

 
 
exit65 1 point 21 days ago
 
 
Oniros 2 points 11 days ago

Can't see the link, what was it?

 
 
xhazza16 1 point 1 day ago

GIGABYTE GA-Z97X-SLI LGA 1150

 
 
noobskiller0_0 2 points 21 days ago

what about a msi GeForce GTX 970 4GB? because people's rating for the EVGA is bad its around 3 starts on the other hand the msi is rated at 5 stars.

 
 
xx116xx [3 Builds] 1 point 29 days ago

To be honest, that version of the 970 looks ugly. Also, why is the 290 mentioned in the description?

 
 
manirelli [Staff,Submitter] [1 Build] 3 points 29 days ago

Hah, looks like that didn't get deleted when I was adjusting the old one. Nice catch.

The GPU selected is done via parametrics and is simply the least expensive one right now.

 
 
xx116xx [3 Builds] 1 point 29 days ago

Ah, much better.

 
 
yzzapS 1 point 15 days ago

This will be my first build if i go through with it, however, I'm concerned with how I would get the OS installed and how i could make the build WiFi compatible. Also, could I do 2 x 8Gb RAM sticks? Or how could I get 16Gb of RAM?

 
 
NeonLights 1 point 1 day ago

Once you get everything pieced together and plugged in, you can install the OS from a disc or USB drive. If you want WiFi built in you'd need a different (And potentially more expensive) motherboard, so I would suggest just getting a USB WiFi adaptor. Make sure the adaptor will work with the router you have, but I've seen adaptors for as low as $20. As for RAM this motherboard has 4 slots if I remember correctly, so you can do 2x8, or 4x4 combination to get your 16gb. Personally I would recommend running 2x8gb in dual-channel mode, it would be faster. Although on a side note you really wouldn't need 16gb unless you are planning on doing a lot of editing or streaming, 8gb would suffice for gaming :)

 
 
sdupuis19 1 point 14 days ago

Why did you guys use the zotac 970 instead of other brands like MSI and Asus? If it's because it's the cheapest one, wouldn't you want to choose one that is in stock?

 
 
manirelli [Staff,Submitter] [1 Build] 1 point 14 days ago

The parametric filter selects the lowest cost product based on specified criteria.

 
 
Dahreaper 1 point 14 days ago

Would it be ok if i replace the case by this one ? does it change something ?

http://www.thermaltake.com/products-model.aspx?id=C_00001969

 
 
carterdavison 1 point 13 days ago

$1000 build? It's £817 where I live and that $1300! Screw you and your cheap prices :(

 
 
Crazycookie 1 point 12 days ago
 
 
Hussein.H 1 point 9 days ago

Not a great list... Could have chosen numerous better parts!

 
 
Www94 1 point 8 days ago

wouldnt this be a better motherboard for the 1000$ build? Asus Z97-A

 
 
ImYourChrist 1 point 3 days ago

I don't see point recommending the worst 970 existing. That might be just me. Quite a few other parts I'd change too. Not really impressed by this build.

 
 
realmister 1 point 1 day ago

"To allow overclocking on the i5-4690k we have selected the Gigabyte GA-Z97-HD3 motherboard. This motherboard supports up to 32GB of memory, six SATA 6Gb/s devices, multiple expansion cards, and excellent linux compatibility."

Ok, I'll just go ahead and ask. Exactly what features a mobo has to pack to be considered a good mobo for overclocking?

 
 
AAnil 1 point 1 day ago

i would use an amd cpu insted since im a amd fanboy

 
 
beef_cheese 0 points 24 days ago

Why is a CPU cooler included? The i5 says it includes a CPU cooler.

 
 
manirelli [Staff,Submitter] [1 Build] 1 point 24 days ago

For overclocking. You can't really do much on the stock cooler.

 
 
NeonLights 1 point 1 day ago

Alot of stock coolers aren't very good either