PC Build Guide – January 2015
Welcome to the January 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.
After missing a few months, the build guides have returned for the new year! We haven’t seen any huge changes recently, but every price point continues to represent equal or better value than before. Every build represents great value, and the Professional in particular is truly monstrous this month, featuring two overclocked Gigabyte GTX 970s in SLI.
The Starter ($500 maximum)
Part list permalink: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/fBgtsY
- CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 ($106.75 @ OutletPC)
- Motherboard: MSI Z97 PC MATE ATX LGA1150 ($79.99 @ Newegg)
- Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (1x8GB) DDR3-1866 ($68.97 @ OutletPC)
- Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5″ 7200RPM ($49.88 @ OutletPC)
- Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB FTW ACX ($129.99 @ Newegg)
- Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
- Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze ($32.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $498.55
The Sweet Spot ($800 maximum)
Part list permalink: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/WRsLYJ
- CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K ($219.88 @ OutletPC)
- CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO ($28.75 @ OutletPC)
- Motherboard: MSI Z97-G55 SLI ATX LGA1150 ($108.99 @ Newegg)
- Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (1x8GB) DDR3-1866 ($68.97 @ OutletPC)
- Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5″ 7200RPM ($53.97 @ OutletPC)
- Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 760 2GB WINDFORCE ($209.99 @ Newegg)
- Case: NZXT Source 220 ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.99 @ Amazon)
- Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $795.53
The Enthusiast ($1300 maximum)
Part list permalink: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3pGLYJ
- CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K ($318.75 @ OutletPC)
- CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO ($28.75 @ OutletPC)
- Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-Gaming 5 ATX LGA1150 ($138.99 @ SuperBiiz)
- Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3-2133 ($133.98 @ Newegg)
- Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5″ SSD ($78.97 @ OutletPC)
- Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5″ 7200RPM ($53.97 @ OutletPC)
- Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB WINDFORCE ($359.99 @ Amazon)
- Case: NZXT Phantom (White) ATX Full Tower Case ($104.99 @ Micro Center)
- Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 750W 80+ Gold ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1298.38
The Professional ($1800 maximum)
Part list permalink: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/v29rLk
- CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K ($318.75 @ OutletPC)
- CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
- Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-GAMING 7 ATX LGA1150 ($167.99 @ SuperBiiz)
- Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3-2133 ($133.98 @ Newegg)
- Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5″ SSD ($129.98 @ OutletPC)
- Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5″ 7200RPM ($53.97 @ OutletPC)
- Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB WINDFORCE – 2-Way SLI ($359.99 @ Amazon)
- Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB WINDFORCE – 2-Way SLI ($359.99 @ Amazon)
- Case: NZXT Phantom (White) ATX Full Tower Case ($104.99 @ Micro Center)
- Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 750W 80+ Gold ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1799.61
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vol1tion
BrandonBrandon started his PC gaming days playing Doom II (IDDQD/IDKFA for life) and has been hooked on online gaming since the original Starsiege: Tribes. The way to his heart is through proper grammar, corn dogs, and cookie cake.
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