Building a High-end gaming PC where should I start?

[wishbone346]

So I'm wanting to build a gaming PC that will be able to keep up or exceed the next gen consoles, but I've got no idea where to start or how much money I'm looking at spending. Any info, pointers, etc would be greatly appreciated.

Budget - Prefer to stay as close to $1000 dollars as possible, but can go higher if necessary. Absolute limit would probably be $2000.

Resolution - Going to use my LCD television as the monitor so 1080i?

Games / Settings Desired - Basically looking to match or exceed the abilities of the Xbox One and PS4.

Any other intensive software or special things you do (Frequent video encoding, 3D modeling, etc) - Really don't do much else outside the normal internet activities and typing for school.

Country - United States

Parts that can be reused - None, I'm looking to do this from the ground up.

Do you need an OS? - As I said I'm doing this ground up so yeah I need an OS.

Do you need peripherals (e.g. monitor, mouse, keyboard, speakers, etc)? - Need a mouse and keyboard. Have everything else.

[chazus]

First, we'll move this to the build/upgrade subforum.

Second, I'd suggest filling out the info from This Sticky and we can get you rolling.

[Arbiter]

Budget
Resolution
Games / Settings Desired
Any other intensive software or special things you do (Frequent video encoding, 3D modeling, etc)
Country
Parts that can be reused
Do you need an OS?
Do you need peripherals (e.g. monitor, mouse, keyboard, speakers, etc)?

[Deleted]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.98 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($96.48 @ Newegg)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 Low Profile Red 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($109.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.85 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card ($329.99 @ B&H)
Case: Deepcool TESSERACT BF ATX Mid Tower Case ($35.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Rosewill Hive 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1074.21
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-16 03:00 EST-0500

There's your base unit. Buy keyboard and mouse to suit you. It's a little over after rebates, but that's an astonishing amount of kit for the price. You can lose the HDD if you need to for now, which will drop the post-rebate price to around $1020.

[wishbone346]

Thanks so much for the help!

Now on to the next question. I'm totally new to DIY pc building. I know there are a lot of video tutorials out there, but are there any you'd all suggest I use when I jump into this? Or do you think it'd be better for me to just pay someone to put the rig together?

[Herbert]

I'd get a store to do it for you. There's a place near me (NCIX - Canada) that charges 50$ and it includes a 1 year warranty. NCIX is also in the USA, but im not sure how it works for them building it. I never trust shipping companies (USPS, etc...) with things like this.

[Arbiter]

And for installing Windows:



I do recommend you also pick up a DVD Drive if you don't have another way to get Windows 8.1 on a USB drive to install Windows. They're pretty cheap.

If you aren't confident that you could tackle it by the time you've gone through all of these videos then you may be more comfortable paying someone to build it for you. You probably wouldn't even have to watch but one before you realize how easy it is. All three pretty much show the same thing with just some focusing on different points. Watching all three would probably reduce any possible questions and concerns.. Picking out parts is the hardest part and tenangry's got that covered for you. Rest is like big boy legos.

[wishbone346]

Thanks for the tips, guys. Do I need to worry about what specific DVD Drive to get with the current setup, or will any do?

[Arbiter]

Thanks for the tips, guys. Do I need to worry about what specific DVD Drive to get with the current setup, or will any do?

Typically anything that can read DVDs. Older ones don't use SATA and those won't work without an adapter, but I linked one in my previous post although it was linked through a sentence :P. Here you go: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-op...rw24b1stblkbas.

[Deleted]

Build it yourself.
if I can teach my 65 year old mother (who didn't know how to turn a PC on) how to build a PC and installed the OS, im pretty sure any one can do it.

All the parts fit in one place, and once place only. all you need is a screw driver, and a bit of common sense