Build Guides

Published on September 25th, 2014 | by Dan

8

PC Build Guide – September 2014

Welcome to the September version of our PC build guides. As with before, we have implemented hard price limits ($500, $800, $1300, $1800) on ourselves and have had to make tough decisions with each build. Your personal budget will likely be flexible, but we hope this article will give you a baseline. You can of course spend more or spend less, but you run into a case of diminishing returns at either end. Please keep in mind that pricing information is immediate and may not necessarily reflect real prices by the time you have read this article.

This month, the Enthusiast and Professional builds both welcome the recent release of Nvidia’s new flagship video cards, the GTX 970 and GTX 980. Both cards currently represent an excellent value at their respective price points and allow us to improve other aspects of the higher-end builds without breaking the bank!

The Starter ($500 maximum)

Part list permalink: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/fHrbyc

• CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 ($118.93 @ OutletPC)
• Motherboard: MSI Z97 PC MATE ATX LGA1150 ($79.99 @ Micro Center)
• Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (1x8GB) DDR3-1866 ($74.99 @ Newegg)
• Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5″ 7200RPM ($53.98 @ OutletPC)
• Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R7 260X 2GB WINDFORCE ($109.99 @ Newegg)
• Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
• Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W ($29.99 @ Newegg)

Total: $497.86

The Sweet Spot ($800 maximum)

Part list permalink: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/jfRm23

• CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K ($224.73 @ OutletPC)
• CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO ($34.99 @ Newegg)
• Motherboard: MSI Z97-G55 SLI ATX LGA1150 ($114.99 @ Amazon)
• Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3-1600 ($74.99 @ Newegg)
• Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5″ 7200RPM ($53.98 @ OutletPC)
• Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 280 3GB WINDFORCE ($199.99 @ Newegg)
• Case: NZXT Source 220 ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.99 @ Amazon)
• Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W ($59.99 @ Newegg)

Total: $797.65

The Enthusiast ($1300 maximum)

Part list permalink: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/qfGZWZ

• CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K ($339.99 @ Newegg)
• CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO ($28.52 @ OutletPC)
• Motherboard: MSI Z97-G45 Gaming ATX LGA1150 ($129.99 @ Newegg)
• Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3-2133 ($149.99 @ Newegg)
• Storage: Crucial M500 120GB 2.5″ SSD ($70.98 @ Newegg)
• Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5″ 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($53.98 @ OutletPC)
• Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB SSC ACX 2.0 ($359.99 @ Amazon)
• Case: NZXT Phantom (White) ATX Full Tower Case ($99.99 @ Newegg)
• Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 750W ($74.99 @ NCIX US)

Total: $1288.42

The Professional ($1800 maximum)

Part list permalink: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/P79DnQ

• CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K ($338.95 @ OutletPC)
• CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i ($94.98 @ OutletPC)
• Motherboard: Asus MAXIMUS VII HERO ATX LGA1150 ($203.99 @ NCIX US)
• Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3-2133 ($149.99 @ Newegg)
• Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5″ SSD ($169.99 @ B&H)
• Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5″ 7200RPM ($53.98 @ OutletPC)
• Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 4GB ($549.99 @ Amazon)
• Case: NZXT Phantom (White) ATX Full Tower Case ($99.99 @ Newegg)
• Power Supply: Corsair RM 850W ($129.99 @ Amazon)

Total: $1791.85

Have a suggestion? Leave it in the comments!

nipnops

Dan

I put the OO in Swagoo. One of the founders of KBMOD. I stream on Twitch as well as writing and editing for the website.

View nipnops's posts

Related Posts

PC Build Guide – May 2018 →

PC Build Guide – January 2018 →

PC Build Guide – September 2017 →

PC Build Guide – July 2017 →