Alright to get started I live in Texas, my budget has a soft cap of 1000, and semi of 1700, and I can go into the 2k range (But I would like to avoid this if possible), I do need peripherals, and I am a hard core gamer, I have never overclocked, I don't even fully understand what that really means. >.> I am scared to death of water cooling, but if need be I can put up with it. I do need a os, and I have no preference to this matter.
I really want a solid 60 fps or more at 1440 or higher if I can do that, I will be playing anything from Total War to Arma to Dragon Age to 100% Orange Juice, to Risk of Rain, to lastly league of legends. I really don't know what the difference in Key boards are so I can't make too much a input into this. As for my mouse, I tend to switch off depending on how into I am into what I am doing, so I guess combination. I would like to start 1 monitor or so decent size, I am actually using a 27 inch tv and it's not that great, but I like that size although I could go bigger, but I really don't want a smaller one.
I am a complete and total novice when it comes to building a pc or doing anything of the sort myself or at all, so all and any help would be greatly appreciated.
Ok. Wall of text. Let's slowly go through these questions.
1. So $1,000 budget for the USA. $1,700 is max, basically. That's fine - that'll get you a pretty good gaming rig.
2. You need peripherals! Ok. Peripherals are really subjective, since people like different switches/grips and what not. So I ask you:
What kind of hand grip do you have? Find out here: http://www.epicgear.com/en/technologies/types-of-mouse-grip
What kind of switch type do you like? Find out here: http://www.overclock.net/t/491752/official-mechanical-keyboard-guide
Cherry MX switches are the most common. Choosing a keyboard with Cherry MX Blues, Browns, Reds, or Blacks is preferred since those tend to be the most common switches. I know it's hard to decide, since you can't feel any of the switches. Try walking into a Best Buy, or sometimes Fry's Electronics. Mechanical keyboards are on display sometimes, and you can have a feel for yourself. If you want, go ahead and read the whole guide on mechanical keyboards - it's quite informative.
So that's the mouse and keyboard. Do you need anything else? Specifically, do you need:
- Wifi?
- Headphones/Headset?
- Microphone?
- Speakers?
3. Overclocking is simply running the hardware faster than the manufacturer recommends. This results in the use of higher voltages(sometimes), better performance, and higher temperatures.
4. Ok, there's no need to be afraid of watercooling. There are plenty of watercoolers out there today that are "All In Ones". It's basically a block that you mount onto your motherboard, with pre-attached hoses that feed into a radiator which you mount fans to. Then you mount the radiator in your case. It's simple - you don't have to worry about messing with liquids. However, I usually recommend air cooling since it's often a lot quieter(contrary to popular belief), and is less prone to failure. I believe that the type of watercooling that you are scared of is custom watercooling - having a block and connecting tubes and fittings, and then filling up the loop with water/coolant and all. We won't go there in this price bracket.
5. For the operating system, go with the latest. Windows 8.1. There's someone one the buy/sell/trade forum selling keys for cheap, and many of the regulars have vouched that they work with no problems: http://mskeystore.tictail.com/
6. 1440p gaming, huh? Most 1440p monitors are 27" - just so you know. A solid 60fps shouldn't be too hard, although CPU-heavy games like Arma and other unoptimized games may have trouble hitting that framerate with all the settings bumped to max.
7. Keyboards and mouse explained above.
8. You want to play at 1440p. TVs in general are very bad for playing games - the pixels have a very slow response time, resulting in blurry/ghosting images and stuff. Monitors should be no problem.
Here's a build. Both the CPU and the GPUs are overclockable - although if you don't want to you don't have to overclock them. They'll run just fine out of the box. I'm also not sure if you care about having a window in your case to look at your parts.
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/gqtt4D
If you have any questions, just leave a reply. Also, it would be great if you answered the questions so that I can get more information to get you a better build.
For starters, thank you for taking the time out to help me and type all that out for me. It does mean a lot. I played maybe 10-15 minutes of games and found out I was a claw for the mouse and Cherry Blacks do look a nicer fit for me, because I switch game types so often and confuse clicks in the middle of the night. If you can I do have a 200 budget for a pair of head phones, I do not need a mic, I have a spare Snowball around here somewhere. So if I do overclock them (CPU/GPU) how would I do that? Is it alright to always overclock? Does that effect part life, or anything?
I'm currently on my phone, so I'll post again with an updated build later today.
As for part degradation, it depends on how hard you push your over clocks. If you only bump your voltage a little but, then there's no problem really. If you really try to get the most performance out of a piece of silicon, going into risky chip-frying voltages and super fast clockspeeds, then there will be significant decreases in part life.
This video explains over clocking quite well.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPmDSYRKnXM
There are plenty of over clocking guides. A google of your specific CPU, as well as your GPU will often help as it gives you an idea of how far you should push your overclock
Personally, I overclock only if I need it. This often happens when the system starts to show its age, and over clocking the parts can get you another year or couple months of usage out if it.
Others who don't overclock often think that the price premium of buying a fancier motherboard and an aftermarket cooler is not worth the performance boost. Its really up to what you want to do with the computer.
I'm no audio guy (yet). Hopefully someone can pipe in with a headphone suggestion, although the recent videos by TekSyndicate can give you some ideas.
Do you need WiFi?
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/ZLccmG
That is a terrible case go with a corsair 450d or 750d, and maybe a bigger psu like 750w-850w... Minus the case, and psu everything else is really good...
Ideally I'd pick something like a Define R4 or R5, but I tried to cut some corners to stay within a budget. The 200R isn't a bad cade - its just inexpensive and isn't as nice or fancy as the more expensive options.
What's wrong with the power supply? XFX power supplies are OEM by Seasonic. They are reliable. And of course, 80+ Bronze because I couldn't fit 80+ Gold without killing the budget.
I just bought a a Fractal Define R4 w/window for $80 or without the windows it's $70 on Newegg today only.
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/D2vVCJ < heres a rig thats a little more future proof even if it's not quite as powerful on the gpu end.