The Outerhaven Builder’s Gamut – July 2015 Edition

Mid-Tier:

This is where we get into the gamer’s wheelhouse. This build is set for High or Ultra game settings, depending on the game. This build also allows for easy upgrading and solid cable management, as well as ease of overclocking, if you so desire.

Processor: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core

Most games require an i5 or equivalent, and this specific i5 processor, the 4670K is ready for overclocking (Intel “K” processors allow for higher levels of overclocking). You can squeeze out 4.2 GHz for each core, but make sure you don’t use the stock cooler if you’re going to do this. A Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO, or a solid watercooling system would be your best bet for overclocking this card. Outside of that, however, it’s the perfect processor for your streaming needs, as well as gaming at high or ultra settings.

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-GAMING 7 ATX LGA1150

Again, support for USB 3.0 is included, so your super speed devices such as the Samsung Galaxy S5, Note 4 and S6 models can charge pretty quickly, and USB 3.0 external drives can transfer data at a quick pace. The Killer NIC (network interface card) will lessen latency and lag, and the “safe” gamer settings will prevent any settings botches, especially if you have little siblings who play on your rig.

Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Red 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1333

Interested in video or audio editing? The more RAM you have, the faster the rendering time, and coupled with the i5, 16 GB of DDR3-1333 RAM will serve you well, especially since DDR3 RAM prices are rapidly decreasing as DDR4 becomes more readily available. Oh yeah, and your games will run pretty smooth too.

OS Drive: Crucial BX100 250GB 2.5″ Solid State Drive

SanDisk and Samsung have their praises sung. I’m sitting with a SanDisk Ultra Plus in my rig right now. However, Crucial can do just as much as SanDisk and Samsung can. The BX100 series of SSDs are durable and long lasting, and since you’re only using it as your OS and program drive, you won’t overwrite your drive as much.

Data Drive: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5″ 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive

This is the drive you save your games and files to. Much like in the budget build, this will be your best friend for storage.

Video Card (GPU): MSI GeForce GTX 960 4GB

The GTX 960 4GB doesn’t necessarily blow the R9 380 series out of the water, but it beats it out enough to see a significant difference, and its power consumption is significantly lower than the AMD card. It’s clock speeds are faster and the pixel rate is higher. Your games will definitely stand out with this card.

Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower

It’s a quiet case, so for those who don’t like noise, this will be a godsend. It’s also a virtually tool-less design, so if you aren’t as inclined to screw everything in, you’ll find no problems here. This also has native USB 3.0 support through the front ports, as long as your motherboard has a header, which the one in this build does.

Power Supply: SeaSonic 450W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX

Back again with SeaSonic. This build tops out at 317W, so a 450W PSU is more than enough for comfortable use. Also, this PSU is semi modular, so you can plug in only what you need, and keep the other wires for later upgrades.

Now for the pricing:

So it’s an extra dollar and change more. Doesn’t change the fact that you’ll love how quiet your machine will run in the case, and how little power you’re consuming with the PC being on. The USB 3.0 ports in the front are useful for you Samsung Galaxy-heads out there, and the gaming performance should be to your tastes for the price that you’re paying. Now, we ’bout to get BALLIN’!