Computer Build

[O'Dette]

Hey, guys.

So, I'm (fairly certain I will be) working a job over the summer that will net me ~$2000 by the end of July, which is also when the job ends. I've already set aside ~$1100 for building a new computer*, and I thought I'd open my idea up to you guys to see what you think about the build I've been working the preliminaries on.

Just some basic rules.
1. I'm trying to keep costs on the computer itself below $1200 at the very least, $1300 at the very most. Obviously I want the latter over the former.
2. I'm not trying to build some supercomputer. I just want something that can run well and at slightly-better-than-decent graphics big games like ArmA III, Star Citizen, etc.
3. This computer needs to be easily portable (as I'm bringing it to college with me when my next semester starts in late August) and therefore needs to be inside a tower.
4. I know practically nothing about how computers actually work, so explain why you want to make a change to my proposed build and what effect it will have on the PC.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/d7HTD3

Thanks,
O'Dette

*I actually plan on enlisting with the 506th not long after I come home from school in early May, meaning that this computer is mainly meant to be acquired before I return to college rather than before I join up.

[1LT (Ret) Ryan]

Do you have anything to start off?

A case or any sort of peripherals? I'll let others get into the nuts and bolts of the machine because I only feel like digging through mounds of reviews if I'm building it for myself and I'm sure others are already up to date with it all so it will be easier for them. I do know any sort of build, it's nice if you can save on the cheap stuff. Also I'd highly recommend getting a premium account on newegg. No interest for 12 months on anything over 500 bucks. Makes the hit of buying a new computer not so bad if you pay it over a few months.

Other will probably correct me if i'm wrong, but i feel like an SSD and high level CPU are the two best things to get for running ARMA 3 specifically. Graphics card would be a second.

[O'Dette]

I have a mouse and can probably get a keyboard on the cheap. Either way, I've got both figured into my computer build as is just for simplicity's sake.

As for a monitor, that's a bit rougher deal. I hope I can requisition an old one from either my family or from a family friend.

[SSG (Ret) J. Patterson]

Get quality RAM and HDD. What you have is not exactly going to last. Get corsair/g.skill for memory and a WD hard drive, your SSD choice is solid. I'd look into a few other motherboards as well. MSI, Asus and Gigabyte make great boards, but their entry-mid level aren't nearly as good as their mid-high/gaming boards.

[Korian]

Go for DDR4 ram

[O'Dette]

Here is a parts-list put together by a family friend. It's a bit pricier though, see what you think about this one.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/bGrdwP

Personally, it's a bit too much out of my price-range, but is there anything you guys can gleam from this that we can drag down to a cheaper build?

[SFC (Ret) M. Brewer]

You can buy a pretty decent pre-built PC that will run Arma very well for under $1000 not including a monitor.  And, even waiting a few months, prices on the current hottest stuff will go down a little bit.  I thought about building my own PC but I was willing to spend just a little more for a nice pre-built system that runs everything on ultra graphics for under $1000.  That was a little over a year ago.

There's lots of choices out there for less expensive pre-built pc's in my opinion.

-Brewer

[Alexandrov]

i reckon you don't need half the stuff in that list and also what SPC Brewer said is pretty accurate

[SFC (Ret) M. Brewer]

If you're looking to run Arma...you don't need that beefy of a graphic card.  I have a GeForce 760 and an i7 processor take that money and put it into a better CPU....or some peripherals like a better mouse/keyboard/headphones etc.

My basic system is thus:

Intel i7-4770 CPU @ 3.4GHz
8GB DDR3 1600 RAM
Windows 8.1 64bit
Nvidia GeForce GTX 760
1TB HDD

I would bet that you can get a similar system to mine now for about $800.  Search newegg.com for tons of "gaming" systems that are available.

-Brewer

[O'Dette]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/dGNmWZ

I found this while going on Google. What sayeth thee?

[SFC (Ret) M. Brewer]

I'd definitely go with an i7 processor.  Arma relies on the CPU more than the GPU and if you're ever going to record or want to render videos, the higher powered processor will be worth the extra $150 or so.

Also, you didn't include an operating system in your build.  Windows 8.1 is the way to go as it will have a free upgrade to Windows 10 this summer.  Even with all of that any your stated budget you'll have $300-400 for other goodies like a good headset and mouse which I would say are the first things to spend money on.  I lived with a the not-so-great keyboard that came with my system for a year before I upgraded.  You can see my current setup here:  Link   And don't forget a good quality lava lamp.  An essential part of any awesome gaming system.   

[Thach]

Intel i7-4770 Quad-core 3.4GHz so you get the multi-threading that i5's don't have = $300
G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) = $130
MSI z97-Gaming 5 or ASUS z97-A LGA 1150 Motherboard = both $150
GeForce 960 or 970 GTX is nice and won't be all that expensive when you're planning on buying = anywhere from $200-$400 probably
750-800w Power Supply = $95
250GB SSD  = $100
2TB HDD = $100
CPU Heatsink + Fan will cost ~$40 for air cool
Case: Whatever you can afford, but the Fractal Design R5 is an amazing case = $110
Monitor: Something around 1ms response time and the faster the refresh rate, the better
Mouse: Whatever you want
Keboard: Whatever you want

That's a quick base list that you can use that will give you a pretty good gaming computer and have it last, plus you can mix and match different components with this to get it down to a cheaper price point. Finding things on sale and buying them is always a good idea too.

Edit: Note that you could always move down to an Intel i5 as games rarely, if ever, take advantage of more than 2 threads, so unless you are planning on doing video editing and rendering, things of that nature, than an i5 may be more in line with what you are looking for. And it'll be cheaper.

[Goldberg]

Here you go, 1200 exactly http://pcpartpicker.com/p/xZyWCJ

[Alexandrov]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/dGNmWZ

I found this while going on Google. What sayeth thee?

this look alot better a windows 7 operating system in your build and your all set don't worry windows 7 also has a free upgrade to windows 10 this summer also if you want would recommend a samsung ssd if you have the spare money

[O'Dette]

Okay, been looking at these suggestions.

Thanks, guys, really, it's helping a lot.

PV2 Goldberg, I like your build, but I don't wanna go Windows 8.1. I'll stick with Windows 7.