Suggestions for Building a Gaming PC?

[S_Juanita]

I'm currently planning on building my own PC (I would have the shop put it together for me). I'm building a desktop, but I'm not sure specifically what parts to get and from which brand.

Budget: $1000 or less
Needed for: Gaming, 3d rendering, general schoolwork
I am already planning on getting an i5 CPU.

Lastly, if I have an old monitor would it be best to use that one or buy a new one?
Thanks!

 

[EarthDog]

Welcome!

Are you going to need to buy....: Windows? Keybaord and Mouse? Monitor? If so, is that included in your budget?

 

[S_Juanita]

I would most-likely need to buy windows and a mouse. The monitor I have should suffice, so that doesn't have to be included.

 

[Janus67]

Where are you located? Do you have a microcenter near you?

 

[ATMINSIDE]

What resolution is the monitor?
If you don't know the resolution, can you get the make and model?

 

[Lukart]

This is a good option for a bit of everything.
Extreme 4 is a good board and cuppled with M.2 memory your system will pretty fast in most applications and specially loading stuff.
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/p2jc6h

The VGA, perhaps I would hold until next month as AMD and Nvidia are releasing new cards.

p.s: if your monitor is old, do your eyes a favor and get a new one. Don't spend too much time working in front of a old screen your eyes will pop

 

[ATMINSIDE]

This is a good option for a bit of everything.
Extreme 4 is a good board and cuppled with M.2 memory your system will pretty fast in most applications and specially loading stuff.
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/p2jc6h

The VGA, perhaps I would hold until next month as AMD and Nvidia are releasing new cards.

p.s: if your monitor is old, do your eyes a favor and get a new one. Don't spend too much time working in front of a old screen your eyes will pop

Locked CPU, aftermarket CPU cooler (on a CPU you can't OC, which includes a heatsink already), slow RAM, and two SSD's?
Not sure where you're going with this one...

 

[wingman99]

Do you want to overclock the CPU?

 

[S_Juanita]

Where are you located? Do you have a microcenter near you?

I do not have a microcenter nearby. The closest is in NYC, and I live upstate.

Do you want to overclock the CPU?

I am most-likely not going to overclock the CPU. I am currently leaning toward getting an i5 6600. Is this a good investment?

What resolution is the monitor?
If you don't know the resolution, can you get the make and model?

I'm honestly not sure right now, but I can check later. For now we'll assume it's 1080p. If it's lower I might buy a new one anyway (though I doubt it is lower).

(Sorry for the late reply btw. I've been rather busy.)

 

[wingman99]

For 3D rendering if your budget allows a i7 6700k should give you more performance, however with a $1000 dollars the i5 6600 is a good high-performance value, PC components are not a investment.

You could get a good used GTX 970 real soon in June because of pascal new GTX 1070.

 

[S_Juanita]

I think I'll stick with the 6600. Also, investment admittedly wasn't the best word. I think the word I was looking for was "deal."
Either way, I'll be looking into the GTX 970. Thanks!

 

[Dlaw]

PC components are not a investment.

I beg to differ (because my wife thinks they are...)

Seriously though, I've "invested" quite a bit of money into this machine. I won't get a monetary return on it, for sure, but I've already got probably 4000 hours of use out of it since I initially built it last year, and the water parts probably have 1000 hours on them since March (active usage, the PC is on 99% of the time, but not always in use). I've already got my money out of this system, in my opinion.

 

[wingman99]

I beg to differ (because my wife thinks they are...)

Seriously though, I've "invested" quite a bit of money into this machine. I won't get a monetary return on it, for sure, but I've already got probably 4000 hours of use out of it since I initially built it last year, and the water parts probably have 1000 hours on them since March (active usage, the PC is on 99% of the time, but not always in use). I've already got my money out of this system, in my opinion.

You have a vary nice wife

4000 hours is sweet for use, defiantly have your use out of it, that is they way I feel when upgrade most of the time. If you don't feel regret, that is all that matters.

 

[Dlaw]

You have a vary nice wife

4000 hours is sweet for use, defiantly have your use out of it, that is they way I feel when upgrade most of the time. If you don't feel regret, that is all that matters.

You ain't lying!

Yea, when I'm not on it, my wife is, and when we aren't, the kids are. If nobody's on it, it's because we're all sleeping, or not home. Plus, I get people asking me to build their systems for me all the time because they see my rig, and figure I must know what I'm doing. So far, that's payed for my keyboard and one of my Xbox One controllers.

 

[Lukart]

Locked CPU, aftermarket CPU cooler (on a CPU you can't OC, which includes a heatsink already), slow RAM, and two SSD's?
Not sure where you're going with this one...

Did this considering he wanted stability and performance. If he doesn't overclock, the system is pretty fast.
M.2 for OS and software.
SSD for files.

Since he's going to be moving heavy files, nothing beats SSDs as you know.
Of course yea, a HDD for storage is ideal. But if your playing all around...

Just my 2 cents

 

[S_Juanita]

Did this considering he wanted stability and performance. If he doesn't overclock, the system is pretty fast.
M.2 for OS and software.
SSD for files.

Since he's going to be moving heavy files, nothing beats SSDs as you know.
Of course yea, a HDD for storage is ideal. But if your playing all around...

Just my 2 cents

I'm a she but it's fine
I appreciate all of you guys' input. I'm still torn on which motherboard to get. I tried comparing a few on newegg and pcpartpicker, but it just seems like such a toss up. Almost all of the higher rated ones seem to be pretty expensive (or have like two reviews). I really don't want to spend more than $150 for a motherboard, but I also don't want a super cheap one. Maybe instead of a specific motherboard could you suggest what I should look for in a motherboard or what brands you would advise against?

Also, my monitor is an emachine, and it has a 1330 x 768 resolution. Is this good enough to keep?

 

[ATMINSIDE]

Anything in the ASRock Extreme series will serve you well.

I would get a 1080p monitor at a minimum.

 

[Dlaw]

I'm with ATM, 768 won't look very good with modern OSs, and a 970 will run 1080p admirably.

 

[S_Juanita]

Alright 1080p it is then. I'll leave that separate from my $1000 budget as I do have some extra money to spend.
Thanks!