Suggestions for my build? Thanks!

[firesoul453]

Hello!

So I plan on making my first build early may and want to make sure my plan is sound. Unfortunately last year something came up and money became an issue.

But anyway here is my current plan. (Btw I can get windows cheap through college). Thank you!


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($179.00 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 LE R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($83.24 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Intel 530 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($56.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 280X 3GB Video Card ($329.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Enermax ECA3253-BW ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec Basiq Plus 550W 80+ Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($64.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $899.17
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-13 17:52 EDT-0400)

What do you think?

My target price was $800, but I am on with paying more if its worth it. Should have $1k on hand this may but gotta pay for tax, price fluctuations and stuff (and less is better of course).

My questions / thoughts.

1. I've been told that an i5 is better by almost everyone I know, but seems like 8 core is not only in the distant future, but games that have came out this year seem to run better on the 8350. I was also considering going all out and getting an i7 but not sure I can fit it into my budget (I think I can get an i7 for $280 though on sale at a store near hear.)
   
2. I figured an i7 would be future proof and outlast that next graphics card I buy too. But idk I'm torn. The benchmarks seem to say the 8350 is fast than an i5 and holds it own against the i7 at a much cheaper price.
   
   Now I do want to make sure my processor is overclock-able so I can add a cooler and overclock it a couple years down the road.
   
   
3. As for graphics card I was looking at the gtx 770 but then found this post and it convinced me to get the r9 280x since when I finally get a second down the road it will perform much better. and just the gtx 770 vs r9 280x seemed neck and neck in performance.
   
   
4. I also have a question about ssd. Is there a cheaper one (price per gig) that can perform about just a well? Intel ones seem so expensive!
   
   
5. Or would it be ok for me to abandoned the ssd and buy one later?
   Here would be my plan. Install os and stuff on my 1tb hard drive. Then maybe 6 months or so when I buy an ssd, remove the hard drive, add the ssd, install windows 8 on ssd and then add the hard drive back. (delete the windows data off the hard drive). Am I missing anything or would this work fine without me losing any files?
   
   
6. Is that motherboard and power supply high quality? I don't know much about brands for them.
   Can this powersupply handle my computer? PCpartpicker says so but similar pre build computers say they require 600watts minimum.
   
7. Anyone have any case suggestions? Not sure how I feel about that case. I know its subjective but still would like some suggestions if you have any.
   

Sorry for all the questions. Just want to make sure everything will work out ok.

Any other comments and or suggestions are very much appreciated.
Unless something drastic happens I WILL be building it this time.
Thanks so much for any help!

 

[Luke1978]

That motherboard isn't a good match with that chip...

GIGABYTE GA-990FXA-UD3

ASRock Fatal1ty 990FX Killer

ASUS M5A99FX PRO R2.0

are probably the closest to your budget anyone would recommend.

Maybe The Gigabyte 970A-UD3P as it has an 8+2 power phase.

 

[ATMINSIDE]

What's your target usage? I'm assuming gaming?
What's your monitor setup? Single? Triple? Resolution?

If 1080p gaming:
CPU: FX 6300/6350
MOBO: GA-970A-UD3P
GPU: GTX 770 4GB (a few games are breaking into the 2GB range at 1080p now)
SSD: Samsung 840 EVO
CASE: Something with better airflow
PSU: Corsair CX500M

 

[Blaylock]

If I were to build a gaming rig on the FX platform with Medium OC potential I would do it this way.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6350 3.9GHz 6-Core Processor ($124.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright TS-140 73.6 CFM CPU Cooler ($46.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock 990FX Killer ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($134.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($85.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($56.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 280X 3GB Video Card ($309.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($53.99 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $915.90
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-13 19:05 EDT-0400)

Reasoning.
You won't need an 8 core processor for virtually any game. 6 Core would be more than enough.
Definitely do not put an 8 core on the motherboard you have listed. The power section on that board wont last long. Especially if you start to OC. I chose the Killer because it is a great gaming board with decent OCing ability.
These CPU's run very hot and you will want an aftermarket cooler. The one listed has been getting very good reviews. If you want to save another $10 or so the Cooler Master 212EVO is another very good inexpensive air cooler.
I chose a slightly fast ram for the price I feel its worth it. Nothing wrong with your choice, this one is faster is all.
The Samsung are very good SSD's I don't know much about Intels. As for your media tank HDD the one you chose is fine.
For video if you're going to go R9 280X Power color is a good choice. MSI is good to, Power color is just cheaper.
Cases are very user dependant, just make sure you get one that has all the features you want and will house the larger air coolers. 165mm and bigger is a good place to start as most large air coolers are 160mm tall.
PSU's are very important. If it fails they have been known to take out many other things with it. There is a list of OCF recommended PSU's in the PSU section. Corsair is a widely recommended company for these. I chose a 600W for price. If you DO plan on getting a second video card I would consider a 750W although that may not be necessary.( I like to have a larger PSU JIC)

Happy shopping

 

[firesoul453]

That motherboard isn't a good match with that chip...

GIGABYTE GA-990FXA-UD3

ASRock Fatal1ty 990FX Killer

ASUS M5A99FX PRO R2.0

are probably the closest to your budget anyone would recommend.

Maybe The Gigabyte 970A-UD3P as it has an 8+2 power phase.

Thanks you. I'll be sure to upgrade my motherboard.

What's your target usage? I'm assuming gaming?
What's your monitor setup? Single? Triple? Resolution?

If 1080p gaming:
CPU: FX 6300/6350
MOBO: GA-970A-UD3P
GPU: GTX 770 4GB (a few games are breaking into the 2GB range at 1080p now)
SSD: Samsung 840 EVO
CASE: Something with better airflow
PSU: Corsair CX500M

I forgot to mention that. Gaming and programming set up. I have one monitor but plan on getting a second for code. I'd like to be able to play a game at full screen windowed mode on one while something else on the other.

Thanks for your part suggestions. I'll definitely keep them in mind!

But any particular reason you like the gtx 770 better?

The link I posted above seemed to suggest (a couple of the benchmarks at 1080p) that the gtx 770 and r9 280x are almost identical in performance but when I finally add a second the r9 280x wins every time.

Either way thanks!

If I were to build a gaming rig on the FX platform with Medium OC potential I would do it this way.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6350 3.9GHz 6-Core Processor ($124.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright TS-140 73.6 CFM CPU Cooler ($46.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock 990FX Killer ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($134.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($85.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($56.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 280X 3GB Video Card ($309.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($53.99 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $915.90
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-13 19:05 EDT-0400)

Reasoning.
You won't need an 8 core processor for virtually any game. 6 Core would be more than enough.
Definitely do not put an 8 core on the motherboard you have listed. The power section on that board wont last long. Especially if you start to OC. I chose the Killer because it is a great gaming board with decent OCing ability.
These CPU's run very hot and you will want an aftermarket cooler. The one listed has been getting very good reviews. If you want to save another $10 or so the Cooler Master 212EVO is another very good inexpensive air cooler.
I chose a slightly fast ram for the price I feel its worth it. Nothing wrong with your choice, this one is faster is all.
The Samsung are very good SSD's I don't know much about Intels. As for your media tank HDD the one you chose is fine.
For video if you're going to go R9 280X Power color is a good choice. MSI is good to, Power color is just cheaper.
Cases are very user dependant, just make sure you get one that has all the features you want and will house the larger air coolers. 165mm and bigger is a good place to start as most large air coolers are 160mm tall.
PSU's are very important. If it fails they have been known to take out many other things with it. There is a list of OCF recommended PSU's in the PSU section. Corsair is a widely recommended company for these. I chose a 600W for price. If you DO plan on getting a second video card I would consider a 750W although that may not be necessary.( I like to have a larger PSU JIC)

Happy shopping

I did look into the 8320 but haven't considered the 6300 much. Would that processor be a bottleneck for two r9 280x s?



But if I abandoned my ssd right now is there any reason why I couldn't just reinstall windows later on a future ssd and leave my original 1tb hard drive intact? My reasoning is that my 1tb hard drive would still be useful but a 6300 would be pretty much useless if I later upgrade.

Once again thanks!

 

[Blaylock]

The only real need for an 8 core would be for heavy video rendering or other heavy processing pprogram.most games only use 2 to 4 cores with just a handful using more than 4. That processor would not be a bottleneck for any GPU in games. At least not to my knowlegde.

Speaking of upgrading/future proofing. This is a subject that many have been debating. The FX platform has run its course and AMD will not be producing it much longer. They have publicly announced their push towards the integrated APU's.(FM2+ socket). If you truly want to future proof with AMD this the FM2+ is the more likely platform. However, even that doesn't guarantee up-gradability, but it's the most likely candidate.

 

[ATMINSIDE]

By the time you need a second 280X/770 for single 1080p gaming it'd be more cost effective to just buy into the newest generation of GPUs.
Either will max out almost any game at 1080p without issue.

What kind of programming are you looking at? Will it take a lot of processing power to compile?
If not, the 6300 or 6350 are your best bet for the lesser power/heat to deal with, without any real hit in gaming performance.

 

[firesoul453]

The only real need for an 8 core would be for heavy video rendering or other heavy processing pprogram.most games only use 2 to 4 cores with just a handful using more than 4. That processor would not be a bottleneck for any GPU in games. At least not to my knowlegde.

Speaking of upgrading/future proofing. This is a subject that many have been debating. The FX platform has run its course and AMD will not be producing it much longer. They have publicly announced their push towards the integrated APU's.(FM2+ socket). If you truly want to future proof with AMD this the FM2+ is the more likely platform. However, even that doesn't guarantee up-gradability, but it's the most likely candidate.

By the time you need a second 280X/770 for single 1080p gaming it'd be more cost effective to just buy into the newest generation of GPUs.
Either will max out almost any game at 1080p without issue.

What kind of programming are you looking at? Will it take a lot of processing power to compile?
If not, the 6300 or 6350 are your best bet for the lesser power/heat to deal with, without any real hit in gaming performance.

Ah ok, well in that case I will hold off on the larger power supply.

Thats a shame about AMD. (The FM2+ is pretty much just APU's correct?) I know APU's will probably become standard in the long run, but I don't see that happening for a long time. I know its hard to predict the future but I certnaly cannot see an a10 apu or whatever 2-5 years from now being much better (CPU wise) than say the 8350.

As for the 6300, I was under the impression that it doesn't overclock nearly as well and that each core of the 8350 would definitely outperform the 6300.

I know its my decision I am just not sure I would be satisfied with the 6300. It works ok now but what about in the future? Idk lol. When I'm spending about $1k on a computer I kinda want to to be top of the line and reasonably future resistant. I kinda feel 8320 might be a good compromise and am now leaning in that direction.

Well thanks for your time guys. I am definitely still open to any suggestions/comments anyone has but I'll certainly post my complete build when it finally happeneds if anyone is interested.

 

[ATMINSIDE]

Truth is, 1K isn't going to get you the top of the line.
You're primarily gaming, therefore you should focus on the GPU.

I ran the 6300 for quite a while in my daily PC (its now in my server). They're awesome CPUs.
Honestly, I think it ran better than this 2600K.

 

[Blaylock]

Ya, the 63xx series for your purposes will overclock just as well as an 83xx series. Most of the time the Maximum OC is determined by three things. Silicon Lottery(lucky good chip), Amount of cooling(the cooler the better) & Quality of Motherboard(VRM/Mosfets power section). I'm assuming here that you are looking for a medium OC and not planning on attempting to set Benchmark records. For gaming and most applications +/-300Mhz wouldn't even be noticeable.

Atmin is completely correct in saying for a gaming rig it is best to get the very best GPU you can then build around that. Of course, you need a capable system to handle everything else, but GPU is boss for gaming rigs. I also agree that in a few years when you're ready to get your second card you're money would be better spent on a new modern card rather that a second older card. In fact many here will sell their older card to afford a better newer card.

Hope this helps.

 

[firesoul453]

Truth is, 1K isn't going to get you the top of the line.
You're primarily gaming, therefore you should focus on the GPU.

I ran the 6300 for quite a while in my daily PC (its now in my server). They're awesome CPUs.
Honestly, I think it ran better than this 2600K.

Ya, the 63xx series for your purposes will overclock just as well as an 83xx series. Most of the time the Maximum OC is determined by three things. Silicon Lottery(lucky good chip), Amount of cooling(the cooler the better) & Quality of Motherboard(VRM/Mosfets power section). I'm assuming here that you are looking for a medium OC and not planning on attempting to set Benchmark records. For gaming and most applications +/-300Mhz wouldn't even be noticeable.

Atmin is completely correct in saying for a gaming rig it is best to get the very best GPU you can then build around that. Of course, you need a capable system to handle everything else, but GPU is boss for gaming rigs. I also agree that in a few years when you're ready to get your second card you're money would be better spent on a new modern card rather that a second older card. In fact many here will sell their older card to afford a better newer card.

Hope this helps.

I mean I wasn't expecting the best computer money can buy or anything for $1k but would I be better off waiting until I save up a bit more? Like wait a month or two and have $1200-$1400 to spend? Would that be worth the wait? Or would a $1k computer be a better value.

On that note about use graphics cards, which parts would you be willing to buy used?
Obviously from a seller that has some decent feedback.

But would you trust a used GPU in the long run? Looks like I might be able to get an R9 280x for right around $260 and 8gb ram for $50.

I was surprised when you guys mentioned the 6300. Toms hardware pretty much everyone told me to get an i5 and forget amd.


Once again thanks!

 

[ATMINSIDE]

I ran this build for quite a while as my daily machine:

FX-6300 @ 4600MHz 1.45V (Now in my server)
Noctua NH-D14 (Still in use)
Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3 (You would get the UD3P now - board is in my server now)
4x4GB G.SKILL 1600MHz 9-9-9-24-2T 1.5V (Could easily do 2x4GB, but I use my computer for rendering/CAD as well as gaming - still in use)
EVGA GTX 770 2GB (Ran great for 1080p - selling since I got my 780 for 3x1080p)
Samsung 840 EVO 500GB (Still in use)

I got the CPU, Motherboard, and Cooler used.
Before my 770 I had a 560Ti that I got used and ran for ~1.5yrs. It has been running the last ~6mo in my roommate's computer.
I got my current CPU and motherboard used.

As long as you're sticking to decent places (I prefer forums, especially this one) and the seller is decent then you won't have a problem at all buying used.

I needed a new board/cpu for the server due to a hardware incompatibility otherwise I would have never switched to my 2600K.
Honestly, I think the FX-6300 "felt" smoother than the 2600K.

 

[Blaylock]

An i5 can outperform an FX in game senarios, but this comes at a premium-cost. There have been numerous debates here on the cost/value ratio between AMD and Intel. If you were able to wait a month or two to get you to the $1200-$1400 range then I would recommend that and go with the latest platform i5 with a decent MoBo and aftermarket cooler. Be sure to get the "K" version as the non-K's are not overclockable. To my knowledge the Intels aren't as demanding voltage wise as AMD.

As far as used equipment its always a crap shoot of course. If you're able to buy from someone you know/trust or from a shop that's willing to offer a warranty than thats always a plus. Something to remember is some manufactures will honor warranties regardless of how many hands the item has passed thru, others will only honor to the original purchaser. Also once you get I believe 100 posts here and have a valid email address with OCF you can request access to the classifieds. Here are the rules for them. Generally this is a great place to buy/sell because the more time you spend here the more you get to know/trust the other members.

On buying used GPU's, be carefull buying cards that were used for mining or folding. These cards are sometimes running at 100% load for months at a time. If the owner is , lets say carefree, the cards may run very hot the whole time. This could shorten the life of the card. I'm not trying to discourage you on these, just inform you. Also this usually doesn't void the warranty so many users will RMA the card after their done with it and sell the replacement cards. It's brand new still in the packaging-Bonus.