Build for my friend

Xrunner98

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May 22, 2014
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Hey guys, I have a friend who has a ~$900 budget (with monitor and windows), and I was thinking of this: Going to be ysed for mainly gaming.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($173.95 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.95 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($71.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($62.95 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($46.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 960 2GB SuperSC ACX 2.0+ Video Card ($199.99 @ Micro Center)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($37.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA GS 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.01 @ Mwave)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($12.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($87.79 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Acer G227HQLbi 60Hz 21.5" Monitor ($119.99 @ Micro Center)
Total: $932.59
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-18 13:48 EDT-0400
 
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($173.95 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M PRO4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($79.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: A-Data XPG V2 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($51.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.49 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 280X 3GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($209.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Enermax ECA3253-BL ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.98 @ Directron)
Power Supply: XFX 650W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($12.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($87.79 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Cooler Master R4-L2R-20AC-GP 69.0 CFM 120mm Fan ($4.99 @ NCIX US)
Monitor: Acer G227HQLbi 60Hz 21.5" Monitor ($119.99 @ Micro Center)
Total: $904.04
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-18 13:58 EDT-0400

Better mobo and bpu. Higher wattage psu. Cheap RAM. Better hdd (lower failure rate). Windowed case.

Hope this helped!
 

I believe that the 960 is a bit better than the 280x.. The 280x only has give or take 10 more fps in most games maxed out than the 960 and it's power draw and heat output is much higher.
 
I'm an Nvidia guy but I'm not so sure I would invest in a 2GB card anymore. The 960 GTX is cooler and uses less power but the 280x has a more stable experience with the 3GB. I asked a long time ago for Tom's to do a 770 2GB vs 4GB in BF4 multiplayer. It never happened and everyone kept saying 2GB is fine for 1080. I just let it go but I've always felt that a 3+ GB is worth it.
 


It's not worth it if your gpu keeps overheating. Really 2 gb is fine for 2gb. For what he plays: TF2, minecraft, and CSGO, it shouldn't be a problem.
 


Overheating? Is he going to keep the GPU in a vacuum? The 280x does run warmer than the 960 GTX but it's not a furnace like Nvidia's 400 series. And where do you see what games he's playing?
 


My other friend had a 280x and it kept overheating for him. What do you mean "where do you see what games he's playing"? I just told you what games he is playing.
 


Sorry. I mistook posts there. I thought the post was from another forum member. Best of luck.
 
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4570 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B85M-GAMING 3 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($49.59 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($46.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 290 4GB PCS+ Video Card ($269.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Enermax ECA3253-BL ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.98 @ Directron)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($42.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($12.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($87.79 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Acer G227HQLbi 60Hz 21.5" Monitor ($119.99 @ Micro Center)
Total: $905.29
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-18 22:42 EDT-0400

Or you can get a better GPU by sacrificing a bit on the CPU end, performance would probably not be very different but it would have lower power consumption:
http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/2015-vga-charts/compare,3664.html?prod%5B7477%5D=on&prod%5B7280%5D=on&prod%5B7202%5D=on&prod%5B7283%5D=on


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4160 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor ($109.98 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($71.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($46.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB SSC ACX 2.0 Video Card ($315.04 @ Amazon)
Case: Enermax ECA3253-BL ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.98 @ Directron)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($42.49 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($12.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($87.79 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Acer G227HQLbi 60Hz 21.5" Monitor ($119.99 @ Micro Center)
Total: $902.23
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-18 22:20 EDT-0400

I also recommend your friend to expend a bit more in the monitor and get one of this:

First option - http://pcpartpicker.com/part/acer-monitor-umfg6aaa01

Second option - http://pcpartpicker.com/part/benq-monitor-gl2460hm
 
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