It’s that time of the year when we’re looking for gift ideas. But what do you get the PC gamer or enthusiast on your list? They can be a tough crowd to shop for. Not to worry! No matter who is on your list, we’ve got some product recommendations that include the right features, ranging from the bang-for-the-buck winners to high-end choices. These are some of the best of the best computer components around that will thrill any PC user.
Let’s get started with our Futurelooks 2014 Holiday Gift Guide.
Processors and Motherboards
Regular users and gamers on a budget will like the Intel Quad Core Core i5-4670K ($234 US) processor paired with a GIGABYTE GA-Z97X Gaming 3 ($149 US) motherboard, which includes the great OP AMP Creative audio and AMD CrossFireX/NVIDIA SLI features for a richer gaming experience. Or course, for $60 more, you can get the Core i7-4790K quad-core octo-thread processor instead which will last you for many years to come.
For a bit less, gamers can pair up with an AMD FX-8350 8-Core ($160 US) processor and GIGABYTE G1.Sniper A88X ($98 US) which also features the OP AMP audio and AMD CrossFireX support for greater gaming experience. If you don’t have a need for the audio, we also recommend the ASUS A88X-Pro ($110 US) motherboard. In either case, stability is top notch.
On the higher end for content creators, the Intel Core i7-5930K 6-Core Haswell-E processor ($580 US) and ASUS X99 Deluxe ($384) offer ample high end connectivity, overclocking, performance and other features. If you’re looking to save some money for other upgrades, the GIGABYTE GA-X99-UD4 ($229 US) is very affordable offering a basic platform without sacrificing performance. Each of these boards are amazing workhorses.
Memory
DDR3 memory is required for all the latest AMD and Intel Z97 motherboards. For a great enthusiast’s bang for buck, we’ve seen the awesome affordable Kingston HyperX Fury and high performance Savage series.
The 16GB Fury 1600 MHz ($157 US) is slightly more affordable coming in black, red, blue and awesome white heat sinks. The cherry red Savage 1600 MHz is also the same price but comes in frequencies up to 2400 MHz ($111). We’ve also seen Corsair Vengeance Pro 8GB 1600 MHz and 1866 MHz for about $78 US, with the Vengeance 16GB ($175) kits costing about twice as much.
DDR4 memory is required for any Intel X99 platforms. One of the best options we’ve seen thus far is the Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB 2666 MHz k($290 US) it, thanks to its high compatibility and XMP profiles. It’s not a bad price, not to mention that it’s low profile to fit larger CPU coolers. For totally high end solution, Kingston’s HyperX Predator 16GB 3000 MHz ($362) is not only extremely fast XMP memory and will most likely outpace your CPU. However, the kit can also be down clocked and memory timings lowered for very good processor performance.
Storage
Now that you’ve selected memory, it’s time for an SSD and HDD. Beginning with entry level, an Intel 730 240GB SSD ($110 US) looks good and performs well as an OS drive. The 480GB model is just $100 more. Further up the high performance scale, the Samsung 840 Pro 512GB ($300) is a very good performance SSD popular among work station users. If cost isn’t holding you back, we found the Samsung 840 EVO 1TB for $400. That’s a palpable cost in our book.
Rather than take up all the space on your SSD, we recommend a good 1TB or 2TB platter drive. The Seagate Barracuda 2TB hard drive can be found for an impressively low $80 US. It won’t improve system performance like an SSD, but it makes a great backup or primary storage drive.
Computer Enclosures
There are so many great computer cases to choose from that it simply makes sense to recommend something that offers cooling fans, toolless drive bays, high quality materials and a good design theme. Don’t settle for anything less.
Beginning with full towers for this portion of our gift guide, the Thermaltake Urban T81 ($169 US) is a very clean design offering multiple dual and triple radiator cooling, but it is also completely modular inside which is great for all kinds of space for mods. For more artistic curves as well as similar cooling potential, the NZXT Phantom, Phantom 530 or Phantom 630 ($120-$150) continue to hold the award in that area.
Moving to mid-towers, the NZXT H440 ($110) looks contemporary but eliminates front 5.25 or floppy bays. It’s very easy on the eyes, plus it shows off your system nicely. The Thermaltake V51 ($110) follows a close second for a more contemporary theme. However, if you have a bit more to spend and looking for something to create discussion, there are two enclosures that leap to mind: the In Win 904 Plus ($199) which is a favorite among many professionals and D-Frame that will impress gamers and enthusiasts alike.
Power Supplies
We recommend only purchasing trusted 80Plus certified power supplies, no matter what you’re building. They conserve more power. Some trusted brands include Corsair, be quiet!, NZXT, Thermaltake, Rosewill and Seasonic. Whether you want small and efficient or big, bad and powerful, they’ve got you covered. Here are a few good ones.
Moving to power, some of the most affordable 80Plus Bronze include the NZXT HALE82 V2 700 ($80 US) modular power supply for a reasonable price and it’s painted white. The next impressive step up is Corsair’s HX Series HX750 80Plus Gold ($130) modular PSU which is essentially also Seasonic at heart. The HX is a work horse favorite among professionals and enthusiasts pushing high end systems.
One of the higher end units to resist our laboratory beatings is the be quiet! Dark Power Pro 10 850 80Plus Gold ($240 US) and it continues to be a very resilient modular power source. The fan cabling is an especially nice touch for DIY enthusiasts. The Thermaltake ToughPower Grand 850W is also an impressive choice in the $129 range. We’re still running a 1000 W model since the week it launched without issue.
Graphics Cards
Starting with entry level cards ranging $160 to $190 US with 2GB video memory, the ASUS STRIX GTX 750 Ti OC Edition or GIGABYTE GTX 750 Ti Black Edition are two good choices. We found the STRIX overclocked really well which is great for a budget card. Both provided a good medium settings level experience on the latest game titles.
For a smoother 1080p experience, you’ll want a capable video card. We recommend moving up to a very quiet GIGABYTE GTX 760 OC 4GB ($296 US) video card or racier ASUS STRIKER GTX 760 4GB ($280) card. Both allow higher graphical details in games thanks to more memory and more CUDA cores.
The best 1080p and 2K gaming experience with maximum game settings on the latest games requires a higher end video card. We recommend jumping straight to an MSI GTX 970 Gaming 4G ($384 US), which offers higher factory frequencies as well as a neat red thermal design. And, finally, the ASUS STRIX GTX 970 OC 4GB ($375) video card also boasts higher frequencies but slightly more compact design. For another $100, you’ll be in the GTX 980 range.
Lets not forget that AMD also makes very good graphics cards as well. The MSI R9 280X Gaming 3G ($330) creates very smooth frame rates in game. It’s also a pretty quiet card thanks to the two large cooling fans. The red on black theme is also easy on the eyes not to mention matches many of the computer enclosure themes.
CPU Cooling (Air)
While there are plenty of CPU cooler options to choose from, it’s a very tough choice, because so many look and perform very admirably. Here are some of our favourite air coolers.
With cost in mind, the Thermaltake NiC C5 ($55 US) will do an admirable job thanks to its quality design and red theme. If you fancy a white theme and similar cooling performance, the Phantek PH-TC12DX ($60) will also cool relatively well for a budget cooler. But for overclocking, you may want something a little better.
Our premium overclocking air cooler selection includes the be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 3 ($60 US) and Thermaltake Frio Extreme ($85-90). Both boast dual radiators. The Dark Rock Pro 3 is a beautifully crafted jet black cooler and the Frio Extreme more conventional brushed aluminum design sporting a very a affordable $60 US. In either case, the coolers are quiet yet very capable of cooling well.
CPU Cooling (H20)
We’ve come to appreciate the silence and simplicity of air coolers, but liquid coolers seem to be all the rage. Here are a couple really good ones that we are recommending as part of this PC DIY gift guide.
One of the top 280mm (2 x 140mm fan) liquid cooling systems (LCS) is the NZXT Kraken X61 ($140 US) thanks to its useful fan control software, since many motherboards don’t offer this kind of full control through the BIOS.
Pictured above, the Thermaltake Water 3.0 Ultimate ($140) is simply the best 360mm (triple 120mm) LCS avaiable. Just make sure your computer enclosure supports the LCS you choose. Otherwise, move back up to the Enclosure and Power Supply sections again to find one of the compatible enclosures we recommended.
Headsets
Good quality audio is a must-have item for experiencing the best games, music and other media. One of our top PC headsets to own, offering high-end audio quality, is the Kingston HyperX Cloud Gaming headset. It sells for about $80 to $97 US. Don’t let the name full you. That quality sound is generated by QNAP drivers, which really stands out when paired with a good analog motherboard or audio card. And, they’re quite comfortable as well as come in black or white.
Some users appreciate plugging in a single USB cable instead. The Corsair Vengeance 1500 V2 7.1 gaming headset boasts a 50mm driver creating big sound for your big games. Corsair’s headset software helps users get the right sound for the right game. Pricing ranges from $75 to $95 from Amazon or Newegg.
That’s Our List!
We’ve recommended some of the all-time best computer components money can buy that are worth your hard-earned money, made with high quality materials, offer very good value and of course components that will make superb gifts. In fact, one could build one impressive computer that will last for years just going down the list.
So don’t wait any longer. Right now is a really a great time to buy with all the holiday sales going on. Get that special someone an upgrade this Christmas. Sneak it under the tree, send them on a scavenger hunt, hide it in the their stocking, or just tape it to their arm. They will love it either way.