Gaming PC Build Ideas

Hey everyone, I've been mulling over a gaming build for a while now. Here’s the list I’ve put together—I don't care about overclocking one bit.

CPU Intel Core i5-4690 or 4460

Motherboard Gigabyte H97M-HD3 (or whatever else since OC isn't my thing)

Kingston memory, HyperX Fury Black 1866, 2x4gb

240GB 2.5" Kingston SSD HyperX Fury

2TB Western Digital HDD, 64MB, SATA3, 7200 Black

Gigabyte GTX 970 G1 gaming

Still undecided on the PSU and case—haven't locked down the rest of the parts yet, so I'm open to suggestions. Budget is roughly $1,500, though I've realized some components aren't worth the premium because they don't actually bump up game performance much compared to cheaper options—like with the CPU)

Let me know what you experts think.

Go with the Intel Core i5-4460 or maybe the 4440; there isn't much of a difference in games since a few hundred MHz won't really change much.
For an SSD, I'd probably stick with a Samsung EVO. Price-wise they're pretty close, and the EVO is just better.
You don't really need the Black series if you're mostly using it for storage. It’s only worth it if you're obsessed with long warranties. Otherwise, just grab a WD Blue, Toshiba, or Seagate...

1 x Asrock H97 ANNIVERSARY, s1150, Intel H97, 4 x DDR3, 1 x PCI Ex
1 x Intel Core i5-4460 (3.20GHz,1MB,6MB,84 W,1150) Box
1 x 8GB (2x4GB) Kingston memory, 1866MHz, CL10, HyperX Fury
1 x Samsung 120 GB 850 Series Basic, 120 GB, 2.5", SATA3
1 x Western Digital HDD 1TB, Caviar Blue 10EZEX, 1000 GB, SATA3, 64 MB, 3.5", 24mo
1 x Fortron 600W PSU, Hyper, PPA6003302, 12cm fan
1 x Gigabyte GTX 970 G1 gaming, 4GB GDDR5, DVI, DP, GVN970G14GD-00
1 x Zalman R1 mid tower case. 192(W) x 465(H) x 450(D)mm.
1 x LG GH24NS DVD burner, DVD±RW, 24x DVD±R ,8x DL , 40x CD-R

$2775
www.newegg.com

You could also go this route:

Intel Core i5-4440
ASRock B85 Pro4
Crucial 8GB 1600 MHz
Samsung 120 GB 850 Series Basic SATA3
Toshiba 1TB 3.5" SATA3
Sapphire AMD Radeon R9 290 4GB TRI-X DDR5
LG DVD-RW SATA
Fortron Raider 650W 80+ Silver
Fractal Design Define R4 BP Plexy

= $2630.

- You don't really need to jump up to an H97 chipset—honestly, Broadwell isn't going to give you any massive boost in CPU performance anyway.
- Right now, prices for the GTX 970 are pretty steep, so the R9 290 is a way better value if you want similar performance.
- Plus, the total price for the whole build drops significantly, and you end up getting a much nicer case and a higher quality PSU.

What’s actually the difference between B85 and H97? And does the brand even matter—does it really? Honestly, it feels like those "gaming" boards are just a massive cash grab...

In my personal opinion, it’s actually better to pick up a Green drive when you're buying an SSD. Since you don't really need high speeds for bulk storage, the slower pace can actually help extend its lifespan. Personally, I've been running two 2TB Green drives for five years now, and Hard Disk Sentinel still shows them at 100% health.

The biggest dealbreaker here is definitely that Broadwell support—once you factor that in, everything else is pretty much irrelevant. At the end of the day, you're really just looking at the actual physical specs of the board itself. B85, H97It’s kind of a toss-up, honestly—it really just comes down to what you actually need out of your rig. If you're looking at those mid-range "gaming" cards that aren't exactly cheap, I'd say picking up an excellent one is definitely the move. Killerica.

After digging through everything for a while now

Asus B85M-E motherboard

Intel Core i5-4460 CPU

Sapphire AMD Radeon R9 290 TRI-X, 4 GB GDDR5 graphics card

8 GB Kingston memory (2 x 4) DDR3, 1866MHz HyperX Fury Black

2 TB Western Digital HDD

240 GB Kingston SSD HyperX Fury

Now, I'm sitting here wondering if I should just grab a better board—maybe something like this http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/B85PRO_GAMER/. Not sure if it's actually worth the trouble, though. It's running about $117 more than the one I listed.

Why would you even bother with an mATX board for a build like this? Just grab a decent ATX board with a proper layout—it makes way more sense. And honestly, don't go thinking that just because it's an Asus, it's going to last you forever. Their boards aren't exactly the gold standard for reliability anymore; that reputation kind of went down the drain right around the Sandy Bridge era. Also, you don't really need Dual Channel RAM since you won't notice much difference over single channel anyway—plus, sticking with a better board gives you more breathing room for upgrades later. Though, let's be real, you'll probably end up jumping past 16GB soon enough anyway. As for the V300, stay far away from that one and just go for a higher capacity Samsung 850 EVO instead—after they messed with the NAND and the firmware, the performance took a massive hit. That Asus isn't worth it, but if you actually wanted something better than a B85 chipset, maybe look at a Killerica. You don't even need to spend hours researching this stuff—just listen to some solid advice and you won't screw this up 😉

Damn, I didn't even realize this was m-ATX

Which board would you guys go with?
https://www.amazon.com/shop.aspx?exte...do=&brandid=-1

This one looks decent—good price point too.
http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Fatal...20Performance/

Western Digital Green? Or should I look elsewhere?

I'm checking Best Buy since they're the cheapest option for me right now—both for shipping and the parts themselves.

He already gave you a recommendation:

The price at Starbucks is kind of a rip-off, so maybe just grab this more expensive one at $10 instead:

Honestly, forget those total nonsense builds; you're just paying extra for the $33 brand name and getting nothing for it.

As for the drive, I’d probably skip the green ones. They seem to have issues and I've seen plenty of them die on me. You can run games off an HDD anyway, so it's probably better to just get a decent, faster drive like the Toshiba, WD Blue, or Seagate options mentioned above...

Honestly, everything you need has already been laid out for you above. He explained exactly what you should pick up, so I really don't see why you're still struggling or searching for more options. You're just going to end up overcomplicating things for no reason.

fadedorca66 said:He already gave you a recommendation:

The price at Starbucks is kind of a rip-off, so maybe just grab this more expensive one at $10 instead:

Honestly, forget those total nonsense builds; you're just paying extra for the $33 brand name and getting nothing for it.

As for the drive, I’d probably skip the green ones. They seem to have issues and I've seen plenty of them die on me. You can run games off an HDD anyway, so it's probably better to just get a decent, faster drive like the Toshiba, WD Blue, or Seagate options mentioned above...

Regarding that comment about the Green drives—honestly, I haven't seen a single one fail on me. The only ones that have died are the WD Blue ones, and I've had several go belly up while still under warranty. Blue is just garbage...

Look, I'm not about to sprint to Best Buy just because of the first suggestion I hear—don't take that the wrong way—but I'm trying to be smart with my cash here, especially since I'm getting conflicting advice anyway.

I've got about $800 to work with.🤔

What actually makes those fortron power supplies any different?

For instance, this one is slightly cheaper than a fortron Raider 650w.

Gerald Gonzalez6 said:Look, I'm not about to sprint to Best Buy just because of the first suggestion I hear—don't take that the wrong way—but I'm trying to be smart with my cash here, especially since I'm getting conflicting advice anyway.

I've got about $800 to work with.🤔

What actually makes those fortron power supplies any different?

For instance, this one is slightly cheaper than a fortron Raider 650w.

It’s fine that you’re being meticulous, but why are you picking out components one by one from an online retailer just to ask about each individual part? You were already given the recommendation... Best value.Look, there's no point in wasting everyone's time by posting "What kind of power supply is this?" again. It's worse—both in performance and value—than the one already recommended to you. Honestly, that’ll likely be the case for pretty much anything else you ask about in the future.

No need for the extra fluff—unless it actually answers my question. Thanks.

Look, my point is that you're wasting time questioning things you don't actually need to be asking about. I'm just trying to explain that to you.

Look, we totally get what you're trying to do with your budget, but you gotta realize we haven't just popped up out of nowhere—we aren't suggesting this stuff for no reason. It seems like you haven't really done much digging yet, and honestly, if you don't know your way around current HW trends and components, it's easy to mess up. Grace Kern gave you some solid advice, but if you try to DIY this without a plan, you're just going to end up tangled in a mess and buying the wrong parts. Is there a specific reason you're even looking at HG Srot? I ask because their specific parts—like the motherboard and the GTX 970—are pricier, and they don't even have the R9 290 you were looking for. Plus, their service just isn't on the same level as futur or Adm, who are basically the gold standard for US web shops when it comes to custom builds, hardware selection, and actually handling returns.

Fortron power supplies have had a great reputation for years—specifically the FSP group behind them. Right now, the Hyper / Raider deals are absolute best buys; they have zero competition because they offer a lower price point than everyone else while providing a rock-solid platform, better warranties, plenty of connectors, high efficiency, and stable voltages. There’s really no need to blow extra cash on something more expensive if you specifically asked for a budget build that can still handle everything you need.

graniteharbor85 said:Look, we totally get what you're trying to do with your budget, but you gotta realize we haven't just popped up out of nowhere—we aren't suggesting this stuff for no reason. It seems like you haven't really done much digging yet, and honestly, if you don't know your way around current HW trends and components, it's easy to mess up. Grace Kern gave you some solid advice, but if you try to DIY this without a plan, you're just going to end up tangled in a mess and buying the wrong parts. Is there a specific reason you're even looking at HG Srot? I ask because their specific parts—like the motherboard and the GTX 970—are pricier, and they don't even have the R9 290 you were looking for. Plus, their service just isn't on the same level as futur or Adm, who are basically the gold standard for US web shops when it comes to custom builds, hardware selection, and actually handling returns.

Fortron power supplies have had a great reputation for years—specifically the FSP group behind them. Right now, the Hyper / Raider deals are absolute best buys; they have zero competition because they offer a lower price point than everyone else while providing a rock-solid platform, better warranties, plenty of connectors, high efficiency, and stable voltages. There’s really no need to blow extra cash on something more expensive if you specifically asked for a budget build that can still handle everything you need.

Plus, 😁

😁 As far as I can tell, everything runs fine—until you try to mess around with CF/SLI.