$1400 AUD Gaming PC Build

[BlueElephant]

Hi, I am a first time builder and want to play some of the upcoming games as well as a bit of BF4 at modest to high settings at a playable FPS (40+ average if possible).
Here it goes

Approximate Purchase Date: Within the next 2 weeks

Budget Range: AUD $1400 not including postage.

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming

Are you buying a monitor: No

Do you need to buy OS: Yes

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Australian if possible

Location: Western Australia, Australia

Parts Preferences: not really, just reliable brands.

Overclocking: No, unless it will give noticeable improvements

SLI or Crossfire: Yes - later this year

Your Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080

Additional Comments: I don't really care about noise levels, not really about aesthetics and I will probably install more aftermarket fans.

Why Are You Upgrading: Finally wanted a gaming PC that will outperform and play console games that look good.


I have spent a while researching and choosing parts however I do not know if these would be the best for my budget and requirements, also I can increase the budget if necessary.
Here is what I have come up with so far.

CPU
Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor AUD $212 - will this bottleneck Crossfire/sli GPU's?
MotherBoard
ASRock Z87 Extreme3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard AUD $149
Memory
G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory AUD $108
Storage
Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive AUD $69 - going to buy a Samsung 840 pro 120gb later on.
Video Card
MSI Radeon R9 280X 3GB Video Card AUD $389
Case
Cooler Master N600 Windowed ATX Mid Tower Case AUD $89
Power Supply
XFX ProSeries 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply AUD $179
Optical Drive

LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer AUD $22 - to install OS
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 8.1 - OEM (64-bit) AUD $115
Total Cost: $1331.90

Here is the Permalink if you prefer this

Please give me advice on what you would do differently or a setup that would be better. Thankyou!

 

[realchaos]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($212.00 @ CPL Online)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($148.89 @ Mwave Australia)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($108.00 @ CPL Online)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.00 @ CPL Online)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 280X 3GB Video Card ($389.00 @ CPL Online)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($125.00 @ CPL Online)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($179.00 @ PLE Computers)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($23.00 @ CPL Online)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - OEM (64-bit) ($115.00 @ CPL Online)
Total: $1368.89
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-24 17:39 EST+1100)

-Better quality case with better airflow. That will greatly benefit future crossfire.
-Cheaper psu. XFX is still a great brand and yes, 850w is plenty for a crossfire set-up.
-Full size ATX motherboard so you'll get more room between the two crossfire'd cards so they can get more fresh air.

 

[BlueElephant]

Thankyou realchaos for the reply, my only concern (which is probably unneeded) would any of the lower model i5 cpu's bottleneck crossfire 280x's? I'm updating my list now - awesome picks!

 

[realchaos]

No it won't. The i5-4440 and 4570 are essentially the same chip. The only difference between the two is that the 4440 is clocked 100mhz lower. That 100mhz will make NO difference other than the fact that it costs more.

 

[Scremin34Egl]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($275.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty Z87 Killer ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($179.00 @ CPL Online)
Memory: Kingston HyperX 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($105.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.00 @ CPL Online)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 280X 3GB Video Card ($389.00 @ CPL Online)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.00 @ CPL Online)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($179.00 @ PLE Computers)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($22.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - OEM (64-bit) ($115.00 @ CPL Online)
Total: $1412.00
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-24 17:56 EST+1100)

If you are overclocking, you will need a cooler, else this should set you up nicely for crossfire in the future

 

[BlueElephant]

Right now I am changing the case to the Cooler Master that Scremin34Egl suggested, the i5-4440, the XFX PSU and the G.Skill Ares Series 8GB RAM, thanks for the help - any more possible improvements?

 

[Scremin34Egl]

Right now I am changing the case to the Cooler Master that Scremin34Egl suggested, the i5-4440, the XFX PSU and the G.Skill Ares Series 8GB RAM, thanks for the help - any more possible improvements?

Maybe add in an ssd

And if you are overclocking, you might want the k processor with a cooler, else everything looks good to me

 

[BlueElephant]

Maybe add in an ssd

And if you are overclocking, you might want the k processor with a cooler, else everything looks good to me

Thanks for your continued help! Is overclocking worth it in my situation, will it cause any noticeable difference in games? I will probably add an SSD later on.

 

[realchaos]

You can definitely add in a SSD later on as an upgrade.

About the overclocking, it's really up to you. The "K" variant of the processor costs an extra $60-70 more than the i5-4440. Additionally, you'll also need an aftermarket cpu cooler in the future when you do want to overclock. A stock i5 will not bottleneck crossfire 280X, but some people still prefer to have the option to overclocking because it can increase the life span of your processor a bit by having it run faster. It's all up to you, whether or not you feel that the extra money justifies it.

 

[Scremin34Egl]

Maybe add in an ssd

And if you are overclocking, you might want the k processor with a cooler, else everything looks good to me

Thanks for your continued help! Is overclocking worth it in my situation, will it cause any noticeable difference in games? I will probably add an SSD later on.

It depends on the type of game, whether it's cpu or gpu dependent.

CPU dependent games, yes you will see a little difference

GPU dependent games, probably not

CPU dependent, eg, Company of Heroes 2
http://
Notice the scaling, same cpu, different clock speeds. As you can see, a slight difference in the framerate from the overclock

GPU dependent, BF4 singleplayer
http://
Multiplayer would be the opposite

 

[BlueElephant]

Thanks again, I might get the 4670k at base right now then think about overclocking later on. Chose your answer as the best as you have been continuously helping. Thankyou.