So I used this site as a heavy reference and came up with this build. What do you think?

I decided against the i5 4670k because I'm not going to overclock. Also I chose the case I chose because it is better looking than the recommended case. I know I'm going to deeply regret buying half the recommended size for the SSD but I think I'll manage.

All parts have been ordered. This is my final build

• Intel Core i5-4670 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor
• Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler
• Gigabyte GA-Z87X-D3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard
• Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
• Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk
• Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
• MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card
• Corsair 400R ATX Mid Tower Case
• SeaSonic 650W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply
• Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer
• Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit)

I think you are just wasting your time buying such a small SSD.

Are you sure you are comparing the same version of Windows, 7 and 8 are the same where I shop, 7 Ultimate is more expensive because there is no 8 ultimate, that would be the only difference.

Motherboards all have ethernet built in now.

Yeah, from what ive read you cant use more than 80% of SSDs capacity anyway, so going with a small one does not leave that much free space for games etc.

Also it seems that motherboard has ethernet port to plug your cable from modem.

Thanks. Back to 128 then.

If you're going for ridiculously expensive, why not add a couple of bucks and get a 3TB hard drive instead of 1TB? 1TB won't last through the Steam winter sale. Just go for the largest hard drive you can find. If you can invest $1000 on a PC, why not spend it on the stuff that matters? CPU, GPU and RAM are easily upgraded over time, and if you go for mid tier now, and upgrade in a year, the mid tier stuff then will be better than the most expensive stuff right now, while swapping hard drives are pretty much the most time consuming part of building a modern PC, as moving terabytes of data takes a lot of time.

Personally I've never spent more than $300 at a time on a PC, I just get the most expandable motherboard and upgrade it over time for as long as the CPU socket, GPU slot and form factor is supported.

@mikey87144: Yup 128 is much better but I personally got a 256 GB and a 1TB HDD. Also great build and component choices btw!

@fisk0: I'm also getting a PS4 so I see the games being spread out. I do already have a massive list of games waiting to be played but I don't see myself keeping them on my HDD after I'm finished with them.

@gaspower: Thanks. Hopefully it turns out well after I'm finished building it.

yep, if you are busting your budget, consider holding off on the ssd entirely until a later date.

Windows is like 30 GB, battlefield 3 is like 34 GB, that, and the adobe suite, is pretty much what i can fit on my 120 GB ssd.

64 GB is a big no-no.

Regarding K versions of that cpu.What if you get bored half a year from now, and want to try out overclocking?

I personally think the K is worth skipping one pizza, to have the ability to overclock, especially when you are shelling out cash for an aftermarket cpu.

looking pretty good otherwise.

Devildoll knows what he's talking about... if you can go for a K version, do it and 120GB SSD at the minimum... otherwise all looking good, K versions of intel chips just come to a personal choice really, when your cpu starts to show its age in a few years, might be worth just upgrading the cpu alltogether instead of over-clocking very little performance gain anyway... Sometimes too much is made about over-clocking, its a nice buff sometimes but doesn't really add all that much extra performance unless your overclocking to the extremes anyway..

You could always just overclock to the extremes and if you accidentally make the card explode, buy a new one then.

Worth the gamble.

I don't see myself overclocking with this build. Maybe when I have to take everything out and start again I might do it. Besides to get any real benefit wouldn't I have to invest in more cooling? If that's the case I'd rather just buy a new CPU.

You can overclock on air if you have a decent cooler. I can personally recommend the NH-D14 from Noctua. The D14 is a bit pricey, but it's super quiet and cools excellently. The case you picked looks good, it comes with 3 fans stock. If you're looking to add more for whatever reason check out these.

For a $1000 PC build you should be going for a GTX 770. Forego the small SSD; with 64GB limit and the amount of space the OS you will only be able to store one full sized game at a time. Also drop the DVD drive - unless you can think of consistent situations in which you will absolutely need it right now the DVD drive is a vestigial component.

Here is a build I created:

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus GRYPHON Z87 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($161.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance Pro 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($63.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($399.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Cougar Spike MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 650W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)

Total: $1020.91

(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-08-07 23:53 EDT-0400)

Went with the K series because it's just $5 more than the locked series, which is a minuscule portion of the overall budget. I chose an mATX purely because I like smaller rigs. You can change it out for an equivalent quality Gigabyte or Asus ATX board at a similar price. The Cougar case I chose is a great case for the price. Decent build quality and good airflow. It only takes in mATX and ITX boards though, so if you choose to go with an ATX board you will need to change the case as well. Lastly, if you get this build right now the PSU I chose is on a steep sale and is a steal at that price.

Now, for upgrade paths later on. I ditched the SSD in the build because there is no room for it in the budget. Anything under 128GB isn't worth it IMO. Constantly using something like SteamTool to constantly switch your games between the SSD and HDD isn't worth the slightly faster load times. Wait until you have the spare cash to get a bigger sized SSD and then reformat your computer to make the SSD as your primary drive.

This is what I came up with: HERE

a cheap AMD setup that will last longer then an i5 just pureply because it has 8-cores instead of 4, with the cross over between the console war and games being multi-platform, now is the time to go with more cores as both X-1/PS4 are 8 core AMD chips, it might be worth thinking about for compatibility wise and 8 physical cores is better then just having multi-threaded cores. In actual live gaming, there was only a 1FPS difference between the 8350 and the i73770. Lots will say im just full of shit haha but thats okay you can do your own research theres plenty of info out there that backs me up, for example, X-Split works a lot better on AMD 8-core over Intels i7. Did this just for no particular reason really just to show you can build a monster PC for 1000$....

total came to: $1010.05.

Edit: I also got much faster RAM in there as well, instead of the bulk standard 1600Mhz RAM, I stuck some 2100Mhz Gskill Sniper RAM in there. Can always go with a GTX 760 instead of the listed 770 and stick a fast SSD in the build in addition to the 1TB harddrive as well if you wanted to.

@vackillers: @andorski:

I like both of your builds. Only thing is I really wanted an SSD. Even people like Jeff who value space over everything admits that it really makes your PC snappy. As far as the video cards I debated going for the 770 and just switching parts but numerous forums say that you're not getting that much more performance for the price. 2-3 years from now I might just get the higher end version but right now the 760 seems fine.

@mikey87144: Also down the line if you are going to get a better GPU anyway, you wouldn't have to reinstall everything unless you're switching to an AMD card. Just stick with that build and yes an SSD does make everything incredibly snappy. WIth my rig, it boots in under 10 seconds. You can never go wrong with getting an SSD. The only downside with an SSD is that it's harder to tell if when it'll actually die compared to an HDD. Symptoms would start popping up with an HDD and you can use an application to test but with an SSD its harder.

Personally, what I did was install the OS and the programs on the SSD and just save all the other media (movies, pictures, documents, games) in the larger HDD. In Steam, most games now have the option to be able to directly download in another drive. With Origin, you just need to set where your default download destination is from the settings and just create a folder in your HDD drive.

I recommend you get the Samsung SSD's since as far as I've read it is incredibly reliable. Also Western Digital HDDs are also pretty good especially with their customer service. I was able to return an HDD and got an advanced replacement within the week. I did have to pay for the market price since I went with the quick replacement option but you get your money back once they have confirmation that they have received your defective HDD.

@gaspower: I meant when the time comes and I have to build a new PC. New CPU, GPU etc.

I plan to save almost everything on the other HDD. The OS, programs and current game I'm playing will be the only things on the SSD.

Yeh i've got my 3770k overclocked a gigahertz with the D14 with no dramas. Be wary though it's a bit of a monster, so make sure you have room.

Yeh it's pretty great. You can install windows with room for a few games on an 128 gb ssd, and then just use a 1- 3tb for everything else. It's worth it just for having windows on it.

If you haven't bought it yet and are in the US, there are some great prices on 7950s and 7970s. Seems like they are clearing stock for the 9xxx cards.

7950 for $200 after the rebate, I haven't followed things a ton lately but I'm pretty sure it out performs the 760.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131478

Depends in what games. Memory heavy games like Skyrim and Battlefield 3 will perform better on a 7950, but for most games I'm pretty damn sure the 760 is better. But for 200$, I would say the 7950 is the better deal.

Its only a better deal so long as the drivers aren't complete crap. I stick with nvidia because of their track record with a hell of a lot better driver support for their graphics cards over AMD and I've had both. Its a shame that something so simple can cripple the radeon cards so badly, when they work, their fantastic!! but when you dont, you only get frustrated and pissed and feel like you've wasted your money.

you have a coolermaster 212 evo in that shopping cart, so you already have the necessary add-ons, enough to get extra performance for $0.

@mikey87144: hows the build coming along btw?

@gaspower: I have the case, motherboard, cpu, gpu, and psu. I got a slightly better psu, the difference was $3 so why not, and right now I'm trying to figure out what's the best SSD I can get for $100. I'm willing to go a little over if it's worth it but most of the forums seem to be pointing me toward Samsung SSDs.

@mikey87144: If you can add at least $83 to your $100 budget for an SSD you can get this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147248&nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL082913&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL082913-_-EMC-082913-Index-_-SSD-_-20147248-L0D

That's Samsung's brand new model of SSD's and 250GB for $183 is a steal. I think it's a time limited sale so I'm not sure when it's going to stay up. For reference, I got my Samasung 840 PRO 250GB SSD for about $218.

EDIT: BTW, are you getting an AMD CPU or Intel? I read that AMD CPUs seem to have a problem with the SSD but its one user review though so you need to read up more to be certain.

EDIT 2: Probably just a hedge case since there is another user that says the contrary also I just check your partlist and your getting Intel (Hehe!). Anyway, if you can squeeze in a $183 just for that SSD then you are definitely set!

EDIT 3: Okay, NCIX is even cheaper for about $6 less ($176.99). Here's a modified list that I made with the Samsung EVO SSD. http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1xXM7

@gaspower: Yea, I was looking at that earlier and you're probably right. It's too good of a deal to pass up. With 250 I'm pretty sure I would be more than set. That's enough to not worry about HDD management considering my music and videos are going to live on the normal drive. You talked me into it.

This is my updated list and like I said I got some of the parts already.

@mikey87144:

Alright sir! Happy to hear that. Good luck with the build!

Btw, if its any consideration, when I just installed the games on the HDD (its a WD Black) instead of the SSD I didn't find that the games we're running sluggishly or the boot times were significantly slower. What I did find to be incredibly snappy was...everything else! Boot times were fast, programs started really fast, shut down time was incredibly fast, etc. Lastly, you also don't use the typical defrag on an SSD, if you're getting the Samsung SSD you can just use the Magician application that comes with it to do the maintenance and optimization. Btw, just a last question, are you going to be on Win 7 or Win 8?

@gaspower: Win 7 more than likely. I've used Win 8 for about 2 hours and it was the worst OS experience I had since Win ME. That being said I can get the upgrade to 8 for free through my job and it will be the best version of it. If 8.1 isn't bad I might upgrade but 7 is excellent though.

@mikey87144: I've been using Win 8 with StartIsBack and so far it's been pretty good. I kinda got used to Win 8 (yes the interface is pretty bad) but having StartIsBack has been pretty awesome. You can check that out for 30 days if you want if ever you decide to upgrade to 8 down the line.

@gaspower: StartisBack is an add on interface?

@mikey87144: Ah yeah, its pretty seamless, you just download it and install. You can check it out here. Here's also a video:

@gaspower: You might have just sold me on 8. Aside from the horrible interface how does 8 run after long use. I know it's faster but how much? Any compatibility issues you ran into?

@mikey87144: So far I have encountered certain programs/installers not running since it is not recognized by the SmartScreen filter, and it's usually with safe freeware like CCleaner, etc. All you have to do is just click on More Info (instead of OK since that would just mean you are letting the SmartScreen prevent it from running) and there is an option wherein you can just continue with running the program. Other than that, I have not encountered any other program compatibility problems but just to be safe just stick with Win 7 since 8.1 is coming around and there might be some issues that could be encountered that we don't know as of yet that would probably be needed to be ironed out.

@gaspower: Finished my build. Everything works. I just have to go to Fryes later today to pick up a 3 pin to molex plug since the case was apparently missing it. My WIN number is 7.8, (CPU). Thanks for convincing me to get 250 GB. After it formatted I really see the wisdom. Any other pearls of wisdom you can share?

@mikey87144: Haha! Sure thing sir! Well there are other duders here who are far more knowledgeable than I am, I can't really think of anything else other than to just install the games on the HDD and the OS install is on the SSD which I probably already mentioned hehe! Congrats on the new build by the way!