$1,000 Gaming Build Ideas

So, a buddy of mine decided he finally wants to build a gaming rig, and I suggested he start a thread here—mostly because you guys were such a huge help when we were picking out his CPU cooler. Plus, there are plenty of experts around who know their way around a build, and since he's right here in Los Angeles, we won't even need to worry about shipping... he can just settle up in cash!

Alright, let's see what you guys can do with this 😉

The AMD build

AMD CPU desktop FX-Series X8 8320 (3.5GHz,16MB,125W,AM3+) box
Gigabyte GA-990XA-UD3 motherboard, AM3, A990X, D3, S3, U3, FW, A
MSI GeForce GTX770 OC TF graphics card, 2GB DDR5
Thermaltake Contac 39 CPU cooler
8GB DDR3 1600MHz (2x4) HyperX Genesis Blu KIN, KHX1600C9D3B1K2/8GX
Samsung 120 GB 840 evo Basic SSD MZ-7TE120BW
WESTERN DIGITAL HDD Desktop Caviar Blue (3.5", 1TB, 64MB, SATA III-600). WD10EZEX
Aurum sa pas 400 w power supply, 80+ GOLD
LG DVDRW 24 x GH24NS95 SATA black bulk
Zalman mid tower case black, ZAL-Z12 plus

Total: $7,130.91
Newegg, free assembly included

Alright... I think we just need a few tweaks here:

Power Supply:

Motherboard:

Case (with more fans):

The Intel build

desktop Core i5-3570K (3.4GHz/6MB,77W,Socket 1155,Cooling Fan) box
Asus Z77-A
MSI GeForce GTX770 OC TF, 2GB DDR5
Thermaltake Contac 39
HyperX Genesis 8GB 1600MHz (2x4) DDR3
WESTERN DIGITAL HDD Desktop Caviar Blue (3.5", 1TB, 64MB, SATA III-600). WD10EZEX
Seasonic SS-520GB, 520W
LG DVDRW 24x GH24NS95 SATA black bulk
Zalman mid tower case black, ZAL-Z12 PLUS

Total cost: 7.015,04
Best Buy, free assembly included

crimsonstag84 said:Alright... just need to tweak a few things here:

Power Supply:

Motherboard:

Case (needs better airflow):

Look, I swapped in the Z12 plus because that Z9 plus case is an eyesore. As for the power supply, honestly, I wasn't even digging past the first page of results because I was just chasing the lowest price tag, so I threw in a Fortron. And I went with the Gigabyte board just to keep us from blowing through the budget too fast.

I think I'm going to go with this AMD version—I feel like I'll get a bit more bang for my buck compared to the Intel option. Thanks for all the help!

1 x Asus Z77-A, Intel Z77, ATX, dual Channel 4 xDDR3
1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz, socket 1155, box
1 x DDR3 8GB (2x4GB) Kingston, 1600MHz, CL9, HyperX Genesis, KHX1600
1 x MSI GeForce GTX770 OC TF
1 x Corsair 500W CX Series 80+ Bronze, ATX12V v2.3
1 x Zalman Z9 U3 mid tower case. 207(W) x 464(H) x 504(D)mm
1 x Samsung SH-224DB sat Bulk Black, SATA
1 x Cooler master Hyper 212 Evo,2011,1366/1156/775/AM3/ 626g,13-32dB
1 x Seagate 1TB, Serial ATA III, 7200 rpm, DESKTOP SSHD,8GB SSD

$2362
Free shipping and assembly included for the list $667 above.
Can't fit an SSD within 7k, so I swapped in a hybrid drive (SSD+HDD) instead. Also, don't cheap out on the motherboard, especially if you're planning to overclock. 🙂

Plus, the retailer charges $13 per package, and since you're getting two, you're already blowing past your budget by $100-$150, maybe even $67 more depending on how you spec it.

AMD build:

1 x DDR3 8GB (2x4GB) Kingston, 1600MHz, CL9, HyperX Genesis, KHX1600
1 x MSI GeForce GTX770 OC TF
1 x Corsair 500W CX Series 80+ Bronze, ATX12V v2.3
1 x Zalman Z9 U3 mid tower case. 207(W) x 464(H) x 504(D)mm
1 x Samsung SH-224DB sat Bulk Black, SATA
1 x Cooler master Hyper 212 Evo,2011,1366/1156/775/AM3/ 626g,13-32dB
1 x Gigabyte GA-990XA-UD3, AM3+, AMD 990X SB950, 4x DDR3
1 x AMD CPU desktop FX-Series X8 8320 3.5GHz,16MB,125W,AM3+, FD8320FRHK
1 x WD10EZEX Fortron, 1000 GB, SATA3,64 MB, 3,5", 24mj
1 x Samsung 120 GB 840 evo Basic, SSD disk, Capacity 120 GB, 2,5"

$2301

frozenbadger76 said:...plus they're right here in NYC, so no shipping needed—just paying cash!

@Robert Rodriguez2

😛

EDIT: Here’s how I’d tweak the AMD build a bit:

AMD CPU desktop FX-Series X8 8320 (3.5GHz,16MB,125W,AM3+) box
Asus M5A97 evo R2
Seasonic S12G-450 Gold, 450W
ZAL-CNPS10X Optima Zalman
Zalman mid tower case black, ZAL-Z9 plus Kingston DDR3 1600
Kingston DDR3 1600MHz,C11, 8GB, KVR16N11/8
Toshiba DT01ACA100 1TB 3.5''
ADATA 128GB XPG SP900 SSD, 2.5" SATA 3 ASP900S3-128GM-C
LG DVDRW 24 x GH24NS95 SATA black bulk
MSI GeForce GTX770 OC TF, 2GB DDR5

Total: $2317 centro.hr