Gaming PC Builds – May 2013
Choose Your Budget…
- Gaming PC Build of the Month ( $600 ): May 2013
- Gaming PC Build of the Month ( $1000 ): May 2013
- Gaming PC Build of the Month ( $1500 ): May 2013
Yep, I have upped the per-usual low budget $500 build to a $600 this May 2013. I have felt that I kept getting pushed higher and higher to keep up with continually increasing prices while still providing a solid quality build – therefore a higher budget build category. This build will be for anyone who is on a tight budget who wants to be assured they are building a high performing gaming build, while keeping up with newer games.
The most exciting build in my opinion though this month is the $1000 build. I decided to go with all the rage and go with a super sleek compact Mini ITX gaming PC build. I use a BitFenix Prodigy case that comes in several colors and looks very nice. The best part about the build is that not only is it so sexy & compact, it still pumps out the same performance.
Down to the $1500 build you will find a super expandable build. One that not only comes with all of the power you will most likely need for Gaming right now, but room to always keep adding more. The current build comes with an all powerful overclocked version of the Radeon 7970 graphics card, an Intel 3570K to overclock the heck out of, a solid state drive, a total of 16GB of RAM and plenty of space in the full tower Fractal Design Define XL R2 to keep adding hardware as you please.
(Game at Smoothly with Medium – High settings at 1920X1080 resolutions)
Gaming PC Build Recipe:
All hardware is linked to Amazon.com – You Can also try Amazon.ca (CANADA) • Amazon.co.uk (UK) Newegg.com (US) • Newegg.ca (CANADA) Scorptec.com.au(AUS) pccasegear.com (AUS) to shop for these parts.| Hardware Link | |
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| Estimated Price: | $ 620 |
Processor |
AMD FX-4300 FX-Series Four-Core Processor Edition, Black AM3 FD4300WMHKBOX Price: $109.99 |
Motherboard |
Gigabyte GA-970A-DS3 AM3+ AMD 970 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard Price: $79.99 |
Graphics Card |
EVGA GeForce GTX660 2048MB GDDR5 192-Bit, Dual DVI-D, HDMI, DP and 3-Way SLI Ready GPU Graphics Cards 02G-P4-2660-KR Price: $204.99 |
RAM |
Corsair Vengeance 8 GB ( 2 x 4 GB ) DDR3 1600 MHz (PC3 12800) 240-Pin DDR3 Memory Kit for Core i3, i5, i7 and Platforms SDRAM CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9Price: $59.98 |
Hard Drive |
Western Digital Caviar Blue 500 GB SATA III 7200 RPM 16 MB Cache Bulk/OEM Desktop Hard Drive – WD5000AAKXPrice: $56.00 |
Power Supply |
Corsair Builder Series CX 500 Watt ATX/EPS 80 PLUS (CX500)Price: $58.24 |
Computer Case |
NZXT CS-NT-S210-B Black Aluminum Source 210 ATX Mid Tower / Computer CasePrice: $34.19 |
Optical Drive |
Samsung 24x SATA DVD¡ARW Internal Drive without Software, Black SH-224BB/BEBEPrice: $17.99 |
Overview: $600 Gaming PC Build
This month, I have decided to make the lower end budget Gaming PC Build into a $600 one. This allows me to still keep a budget oriented build, however with a higher confidence of knowing that you (the builder) are going to build a quality gaming PC, even if it’s at a budget.
This $600 gaming pc will be able to play the most recent games at anywhere from medium to the highest settings with a high FPS rating at resolutions of 1920X1080. The 2GB GeForce GTX 660 is a very capable graphics card that is the best in its class and budget, and especially so with 2GB of memory.
Paired with the AMD FX 4300, you can have some great performance expectations, especially if you keep in mind that this AMD processor can easily be overclocked due to its unlocked multiplier. ( Here is a helpful video if you need some help overclocking the FX 4300).
This month also includes a better motherboard – the Gigabyte GA-970A-DS3 full ATX sized motherboard that has USB 3.0 and many features included in much more expensive boards; such as the potential to CrossFire and memory up to 32GB.
Overall you will have a great build with 8GB of total RAM, 500GB hard drive storage space, 500Watts in a quality Corsair Builder Series 500W PSU – and this will all be encased in a quality budget oriented NZXT CS-NT-S210-B PC case.
Upgrades / Alternatives for the $600 Gaming PC Build:
Here you will find some hardware alternatives to the hardware already included in the build above. Keep in mind that these are alternatives and are all compatible with the current build. If you want some more suggestions for alternatives or additions to the current build, you may leave a comment below and I will respond back as soon as I can.
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Gaming PC Build Recipe:
Capability: Game with Extreme settings at 1920X1080 resolutions and even High Settings in some games at 2560×1600
All hardware is linked to Amazon.com – You Can also try Amazon.ca (CANADA) • Amazon.co.uk (UK) Newegg.com (US) • Newegg.ca (CANADA) Scorptec.com.au(AUS) pccasegear.com (AUS) to shop for these parts.
Overview: Gaming PC Build ( $1000 )
I absolutely love the $1000 build this month – it’s so compact and stylish. Utilizing the Intel 3570K processor again matched with the PowerColor Radeon HD 7950 “Boost Edition” 3GB graphics card you will have no fret gaming in all newer games maxed out at 1920×1080.
This month I decided to go with all the rage and do a Mini-ITX sized build using the very compact featured filled Gigabyte GA-Z77N-WIFI motherboard with built in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, USB 3.0 and PCI Express 3.0. This Mini-ITX motherboard fits perfectly into the sleek colorful BitFenix Prodigy PC Case. The Prodigy also comes in the following colors – orange, red, white and black. You can read more about the BitFenic Prodigy at BitFenix’s Wesbite.
The other specifications for the $1000 build include, 8GB of Corsair Vengeance memory, a solid 750 Watt Corsair HX series PSU and 1TB of hard drive space with a Western Digital Blue hard drive.
$1000 Gaming PC Build Additions / Alternatives
The following are additions and or alternatives to pair with the $1000 PC build above; each of the hardware are compatible with the $1000 build. If you have any questions for further additions / hardware alternatives, please feel free to leave a comment below and I will get back to you as soon as I can.
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Add a CPU Cooler:  |
Gaming PC Build Recipe:
Game with Extreme settings at resolutions of 2560×1600
Overview: Gaming PC Build ( $1500 )
A very nice adaptable build the $1500 gaming PC build is this month. We have the usual Intel 3570K processor, which you will be able to easily overclock when paired with the infamous aftermarket Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO CPU cooler and the solid ASUS P8Z77-V motherboard. This ASUS motherboard also comes with built in WiFi, a couple of PCI Express 3.0 slot (home for a future second graphics card perhaps) and plenty of USB 3.0.
I have also included the very powerful MSI Radeon HD 7970 Overlocked 3GB graphics card that comes in at an attractive price this month. This Radeon HD 7970 will allow you to blaze through any new games (and up-coming games) all the way up to resolutions of 2560×1600 easily.
Other notable features include a 256GB Crucial m4 solid state drive to be used as a boot drive and the store your most used games & software. We have a ton of memory with the packaged of 2x8GB 16GB of Kingston HyperX Blu memory, a 1TB Western Deigital Blue Hard Drive, 750 Watts of power with the Corsair Professional Series 750AX modular power supply and all that will be stored in a nicely designed Fractal Design Define XL R2 Titanium PC case.
$1500 Gaming PC Build Additions / Alternatives
The following are some additional hardware / alternatives to what are already included in the build above. If you have any questions on these or if you want some other alternative ideas, please let me know by commenting below and I will get back to you as soon as possible.
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 Cooler Master Seidon 240M – Liquid CPU Water Cooling Kit with Pre-filled Coolant and Copper Heatsink ($95.99) |
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Concluding May 2013’s Gaming PC Builds:
Another great month for several PC builds. The biggest change to the builds this month, was the addition of a $600 gaming PC build. This took place of the previous $500, but allows for the ever increasing prices of our economy as well as a higher assurance of quality parts for your build.
A well notable change to the $1000 build, was my decision to go with a Mini ITX type build, to make it as sleek and compact as possible – without compromising performance. If I were to go with a build this month, my choice would be dead-set on the $1000 in terms of performance /price / style – not to mention the Mini ITX motherboard included comes with WiFi and Bluetooth built in, not too shabby for its size and price.
The $1500 build may not be as compact and stylish as the $1000 build, but it does pack one hell of a punch with the Radeon 7970 Overclocked graphics card. This build leaves plenty of room for future upgrades, packs a powerhouse of 16GB of memory and comes with a snazzy SSD.
As per usual, if you have any questions please let me know via the comments below!
May 2013’s Gaming PC Hardware Overview Video:
$500
$1000
$1500
