Suggestions for a ~1500-1800 USD build

[Torgent]

Hey guys, I have saved up a small amount to build a brand new desktop. I've been doing all of my gaming on my laptop for a few years and I am now ready to step back into having a more dedicated machine.

My budget is 1500-1800 USD
I would like to play MMOs and shooters mostly. (Archeage, WoW, etc)
I am in the US
No parts currently that can be used
I do need an OS
I currently have all peripherals I need

Thanks for any help, if you can offer a full build I would love to look at that. If just parts that helps me as well!

[Idrinkwhiterussians]

Here is a quick build I put together for you:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.00 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock 3 113.8 CFM Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU Cooler ($79.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($89.99 @ TigerDirect)
Memory: Avexir Core series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($75.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($104.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($55.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 290 4GB DirectCU II Video Card ($379.00 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Titanium Grey) ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1269.89
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-14 11:06 EDT-0400

There is a good amount of wiggle in your budget to get different parts. I went under budget, but this will play just about anything well at 1920x1080. (Not sure what resolution monitor you have)

1. 4690k for overclocking. No need to go to an i7 if you are just gaming.
2. Dark Rock 3 is a GREAT air cooler, and looks lovely.
3. Good MB for the price. Keeps with the color theme.
4. 2133 Mhz RAM is only a bit more than 1600.
5. SSD could be upped to 512 GB for ~$100 more.
6. Radeon 290 is a good price/performance ratio for GPU. You could most certainly upgrade this within your price range, but that might be silly depending on what resolution your monitor is. (1920x1080 would not need an upgrade)
7. Lovely case with a window, built for silence.
8. 650W PSU that is fully modular for a great price.
9. You could drop the optical drive if you wanted.

The color theme is black/red, but you could change that if you wanted. Again, you have plenty of wiggle room for a great performing system.

Also, if you live near a Micro Center, you can get a really nice MB/CPU combo discount.

[Torgent]

Thank you for the quick reply!

Unfortunately I do not live near a Micro Center, but the machine you put together looks great and even comes under budget.

I still want to see a few others just to make a decision, but your build allows me to spend some money on a new monitor or something. I will definitely let you know which I decide upon, and even update with pictures and such when I actually get to building it

[Idrinkwhiterussians]

Its no problem!

If you are going to buy a new monitor, you could take a look at a lovely IPS panel. Something like:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Monitor: Dell U2412M 60Hz 24.0" Monitor ($259.99 @ Dell)
Total: $259.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-14 11:59 EDT-0400

If you want high quality sound, you could get some audio gear to go with the build too. Something like a good pair of headphones and a Schiit Audio Magni/Modi stack.

[Torgent]

Thanks, yeah I've looked at that monitor before and if I were to buy one I would definitely look at it again.

- - - Updated - - -

There is a chance that this budget could be pushed to 2000-2200 now.

[Idrinkwhiterussians]

If the budget is raised, you might look into upping the GPU to a 290x. I would seriously consider audio options at that point also. There is not really a whole lot to update in the build that would make it NOTABLY better, other than the GPU. But again, if you are going 1920x1080 or 1920x1200, the upgrade there would be mostly superfluous.

You could get a pair of good headphones, a DAC, headphone amp and a speaker setup for the extra budget. like:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Other: Schiit Magni ($109.00)
Other: Schiit Modi ($109.00)
Other: PYST Interconnect ($22.00)
Other: HIFI Man HE-400 Headphones ($300.00)
Other: M Audio AV 40 speakers ($149.00)
Total: $689.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-15 10:57 EDT-0400

Now, this is going a bit overboard, and you could go cheaper on the headphones. It is just a suggestion of something to add on as the rest of the budget would best be suited for peripherals.

[Torgent]

Thanks again, I have headphones and speakers that I enjoy so I probably wouldn't purchase new ones. If I were to purchase new peripherals it would be a monitor.

[Torgent]

It seems more likely that this build budget will be closer to the 2k mark than I had originally thought. I will know for sure in around a week.