Previously requested but updating now for changes. Budget of $1200.

Your previous build is okay. Some of the parts have newer revisions. Here's one for your consideration:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type Item Price
CPU Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor $199.99 @ Micro Center
CPU Cooler Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler $30.99 @ SuperBiiz
Motherboard Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD5H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard $129.99
Memory Kingston Fury Black Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory $68.99 @ SuperBiiz
Storage Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive $104.99 @ Amazon
Video Card Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB WINDFORCE 3X Video Card $329.00 @ NCIX US
Case Fractal Design Define R5 ATX Mid Tower Case $106.98 @ Newegg
Power Supply SeaSonic 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply $90.00 @ Newegg
Optical Drive Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer $13.99 @ Newegg
Operating System Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit (OEM) (64-bit) $92.00 @ B&H
Wireless Network Adapter Asus PCE-N53 802.11a/b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter $35.99 @ SuperBiiz
Total
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available $1202.91
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-14 11:19 EST-0500

Some build notes:

  • CPU / motherboard - Unlocked model to allow overclocking. Also included a cheap aftermarket CPU cooler. Newer CPU / motherboard models.

  • RAM - For your listed usages, you probably will not see to close to 8GB of usage. This is easily upgraded if you want extra memory in the future.

  • Storage - Cheaper 250GB model. Very likely you cannot tell the difference in real-world usage between the Crucial's MX100 vs Samsung's newer 850 EVO.

  • Graphics card - Great for 1080 / 1440P gaming. Will struggle as a single card if you decide to upgrade your display to 4K. Would highly recommend another GTX 970 if you switch to 4K and you play anything remotely demanding.

  • Case - Your requested Define R5.

  • Colour scheme - Mostly black. Motherboard is black / gold. Graphics card shroud is mostly black. RAM is also black.

/r/buildapcforme Thread