Cost Reduction (Initial build was nothing but a pipe dream)

[Cori W]

Hello, so awhile back I was on these forums to get some help putting together an awesome gaming PC, assuming that I could relatively quickly secure the funds to buy the required components... However I quickly realized that the $2200 computer I had come up with was nothing but a pipe dream, and that I would not in the foreseeable future be able to afford it.

So now, 6 months later here I am, still using my trusty 5 year old office turned gaming PC. However this time I have some funds, not as much as I would like, but I do have some.

Basically my goal now is to build a decent computer that'll hopefully last at least 4 years, and cost no more than the $600 - $700 range. Some of the components that I feel are a must is a decent quad-core processor, at least 8GB of RAM, and a decent graphics card.

The bonus items I'd prefer to have but aren't required is an optical drive capable of playing/writing DVD's and playing Blu-Ray's, A keyboard with macro keys and anti-ghosting, A mouse with more than just LMB/RMB/Wheel (Gaming mouse), Speakers separate from the screen, and an SSD drive. (That last one is probably a pipe dream for my price range.)

EDIT: Oh and also I would like the hard drive to be at least 1TB, preferably 2TB.

Anyways I may as well also link my old build here so you can see what my expectations were back then.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($247.98 @ Amazon Canada)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($32.50 @ DirectCanada)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87X-D3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($129.99 @ NCIX)
Memory: Corsair XMS3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($99.99 @ Memory Express)
Storage: Corsair Neutron Series GTX 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($150.50 @ Vuugo)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($92.99 @ Canada Computers)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($409.00 @ Canada Computers)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($119.99 @ Memory Express)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF120 Quiet Edition (2-Pack) 39.9 CFM 120mm Fans ($24.82 @ DirectCanada)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF140 Quiet Edition 67.8 CFM 140mm Fan ($22.99 @ Memory Express)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($119.99 @ NCIX)
Optical Drive: Asus BW-12B1ST/BLK/G/AS Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($74.50 @ Vuugo)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($103.52 @ DirectCanada)
Monitor: Asus VS247H-P 23.6" Monitor ($166.18 @ DirectCanada)
Monitor: Asus VS247H-P 23.6" Monitor ($166.18 @ DirectCanada)
Keyboard: Microsoft SIDEWINDER X4 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($56.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Mouse: Corsair Vengeance M65 Wired Laser Mouse ($70.85 @ Newegg Canada)
Speakers: Creative Labs GigaWorks T20 Series II 28W 2ch Speakers ($103.50 @ Vuugo)
Headphones: Logitech G930 7.1 Channel Headset ($136.00 @ Vuugo)
Total: $2328.45
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-02-28 18:13 EST-0500)

 

[geofelt]

Beer budget with champagne tastes.....

Start with the latest tom's system builder marathon for a template:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/build-your-own-gaming-pc-core-i5,3708.html

The R9-280X is currently overpriced because of bitcoin miner demand.

You can substitute a lesser and cheaper card to meet your budget such as a GTX660.

It is easy to upgrade a graphics card later.

 

[maxwellmelon]

I almost say 600-700 range is going to mean the actual pc part will have to be in the $400-450 area if you include a ok monitor(not the high end not the cheapest), lower end speakers (two plus sub) .

so saying that I don't have a build I could even start to recommend

 

[Cori W]

Alright so in other words... There is no half decent computer in the $600 - $700 range?

... Why do computers have to be so damn expensive? My current computer was $600 + $85 graphics card and it's lasted 5 years.

Although this computer is just a Wal-Mart office computer with a Radeon HD 5570 in it... To be honest all I want is something better than what I have now. The computer I have now only has an AMD Athlon II X2 215 processor (dual core), 3GB of RAM, and a Radeon HD 5570 in it. All I want at this point is something that is noticeably better at running games.

 

[Cori W]

Alright so I've been on PC Part Picker for awhile, and have come to the conclusion that there seems to be no possible way to build a computer for under $600 - $700 while including the OS, and Peripherals.

Does anyone have any possible builds for that price that includes the OS, Monitor, Mouse, and Keyboard while still being half decent at running games?

 

[genrldisaray]

Alright so I've been on PC Part Picker for awhile, and have come to the conclusion that there seems to be no possible way to build a computer for under $600 - $700 while including the OS, and Peripherals.

Does anyone have any possible builds for that price that includes the OS, Monitor, Mouse, and Keyboard while still being half decent at running games?

Building a complete system that will be decent for gaming with a $700 budget just isn't going to happen. You could technically put a system together for that, but you would be making serious sacrifices on the quality and performance of every single part. It's just not worth it. Your best bet is to keep saving until you have $1000 to $1200 to spend, you'll get so much more for your money. If your budget isn't going to change for the foreseeable future, you might want to consider a console. As much as I hate recommending against PC gaming, you could get a PS4, a few games and whatever peripherals you might need with your current budget, and at least be able to play current games while you save for a solid gaming rig.

 

[stuperstrong]

Build a computer based around the amd a10-7850k apu. It won't blaze, but it'll be better than what you have, and still run any game you want in 780p, and 1080p on lower settings. And when you have more money, you can switch from integrated graphics to a dedicated.

 

[Cori W]

Alright so what if I change the criteria for this $600 - $700 budget to not include the peripherals? I'm giving my current computer to my dad when I get the new one and he already has all the peripherals except for a screen, which I'll be giving him 1 of my 2 monitors. The price will still have to include the OS though... Unfortunately.

EDIT: Actually I might be able to get away with adding $100 to the budget for the OS... Just gotta tell a little white lie to get it. xD Alright so in that case let's say an $800 budget, which includes the OS, meaning the components budget is $700. (Without peripherals)

EDIT: This is probably TMI but I feel like venting a little here, my budget WOULD BE $1000 if I didn't owe someone $200... -_-

 

[Cori W]

Alright so after much stressful decision making and price cutting... I've come up with this.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($209.75 @ Vuugo)
Motherboard: ASRock B75 PRO3-M Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($93.05 @ Newegg Canada)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($89.79 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.99 @ Canada Computers)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 650 1GB Video Card ($137.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Case: Thermaltake Commander MS/I Snow Edition (White/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($51.50 @ Vuugo)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ Canada Computers)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($18.50 @ Vuugo)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($98.87 @ DirectCanada)
Total: $814.42
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-01 18:36 EST-0500)

It would be awesome if I could get some opinions/advice on this build.

EDIT: Also what would be your opinions on going with an Intel Core i3-3220 instead of an Intel Core i5-3470? Obviously the i5-3470 is going to be better overall but the i3-3220 being hyperthreaded would make up for that a little bit right? (Currently looking for even more price cutting because I forgot about the $100 in tax this is going to cost.)

EDIT: Changed out the Intel Core i5-3470 down to an i3-3220... Which is still better than my current AMD Athlon II X2 215 quite significantly, and drops the cost of the new build down by about $80.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-3220 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($129.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Motherboard: ASRock B75 PRO3-M Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($93.05 @ Newegg Canada)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($89.79 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.99 @ DirectCanada)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 650 1GB Video Card ($137.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Case: Thermaltake Commander MS/I Snow Edition (White/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($51.50 @ Vuugo)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ Canada Computers)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($18.50 @ Vuugo)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($98.87 @ DirectCanada)
Total: $734.66
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-01 18:33 EST-0500)

 

[stuperstrong]

I don't know if you have a nearby microcenter... But if you do, they can get you this system for about 500 bucks... It's not terrible, and leaves room for upgrades later down the road... The integrated graphics isn't the best thing in the world, but it will play your games for now.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/32zow

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/32zow
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/32zow/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/32zow/benchmarks/

CPU: AMD A10-7850K 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor ($178.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Asus A88X-PRO ATX FM2+ Motherboard ($108.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Elite 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($89.78 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX750B BRONZE 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($67.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Microcenter)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $671.68
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-01 23:37 EST-0500)

Forgot to mention that the Apu will also crossfire with the R7 250 if you ever wanted to do that. Might be worth investing in more Ram with the Apus integrated too.

 

[Cori W]

Unfortunately I don't have a microcenter nearby, the closest one to me is 225km (140mi) and a border crossing away. I live in Ontario so the prices are higher, and am in a smaller town far from any cities so I'm pretty much forced to buy online. That build you have there actually ends up being more expensive than my current build. ($771.82 vs. $734.66)

Anyways, what do you think of that last build I came up with?

 

[stuperstrong]

Let me actually change my partpicker to yours and see what I can come up with. I wouldn't recommend the Gtx 650, for the price you could probably get a R7 card.

 

[Cori W]

Right so I looked into the R7 cards and found that the R7 260 1GB is actually quite a lot better than the GTX 650, but only costs $15 - $20 more. Also since the motherboard I picked only has CrossFire support and not SLI support it'll be better for me to get a card with CrossFire support anyways, which the R7 260 1GB has... So all in all, here's the new build... Opinions?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-3220 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($129.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Motherboard: ASRock B75 PRO3-M Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($93.05 @ Newegg Canada)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($89.79 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.99 @ DirectCanada)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R7 260 1GB Video Card ($154.99 @ Memory Express)
Case: Thermaltake Commander MS/I Snow Edition (White/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($51.50 @ Vuugo)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ Canada Computers)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($18.50 @ Vuugo)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($98.87 @ DirectCanada)
Total: $751.67
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-02 04:25 EST-0500)

 

[Cori W]

So it turns out that one of my relatives has a new copy of Windows 7 that they haven't used and they're willing to give it to me for half of what it normally costs ($50), which free's up a little bit of my budget.

So I've gone ahead and changed the power supply to a 600W Semi-Modular one. The reason I've picked 600W is because I'm thinking that in the future I could get a second video card to run alongside the first one, the only thing I would like to know now is if there would be any bottlenecks in the following build if I were to add a second video card.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-3220 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($129.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Motherboard: ASRock B75 PRO3-M Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($93.05 @ Newegg Canada)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($89.79 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.99 @ Canada Computers)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R7 260 1GB Video Card ($154.99 @ Memory Express)
Case: Thermaltake Commander MS/I Snow Edition (White/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($51.50 @ Vuugo)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($74.99 @ Canada Computers)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($18.50 @ Vuugo)
Total: $677.80
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-02 06:03 EST-0500)

 

[Cori W]

Alright you know what... I'm bouncing all around with my build right now making modifications... But I'm done now... I swear... I think I'm happy with this now.

Could I get some opinions?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-3220 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($129.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Motherboard: ASRock B75 PRO3-M Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($93.05 @ Newegg Canada)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($89.79 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.99 @ Canada Computers)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 270 2GB Video Card ($212.00 @ Vuugo)
Case: Thermaltake Commander MS/I Snow Edition (White/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($51.50 @ Vuugo)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ Canada Computers)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($18.50 @ Vuugo)
Total: $709.81
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-02 06:43 EST-0500)

 

[stuperstrong]

Sorry about the delayed reply... If you have some money to free up getting a cheaper windows 7, that helps a lot... Personally I'd avoid the corsair CX series, stick with the EVGA, and go with 500 for a single GPU, or spend a few more bucks to get the 750W to allow SLI/Crossfire down the road. Though with a R9 270, or a GTX 760 (a lot better for the money), you won't need to upgrade for awhile and still be able to play high resolution pretty easy. The newer generation I3 are about the same price. Ripsaw ram has great ratings, I've never used it, but it seems you can't go wrong (I use crucial ballistix, cheaper with microcenter heh). I've never used Asrock, but I've heard mixed reviews, I personally use asus exclusively, but they do run more, but there is a gigabyte for a bit more. Changed the case, because the CM HAF has some amazing ratings... This is a bit more than you had posted on your previous one, but if you can get a little more money, it'd make a world of difference, I can of course tweak it down a bit more, just takes some time since I'm not used to the prices for Canada.

http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/32P9O

PCPartPicker part list: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/32P9O
Price breakdown by merchant: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/32P9O/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/32P9O/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($129.99 @ NCIX)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H87M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($109.99 @ NCIX)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($88.00 @ Vuugo)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.79 @ DirectCanada)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($289.99 @ NCIX)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($57.99 @ NCIX)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX750B BRONZE 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ NCIX)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($18.50 @ Vuugo)
Total: $829.24
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-02 12:52 EST-0500)

 

[stuperstrong]

http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/32Phn

PCPartPicker part list: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/32Phn
Price breakdown by merchant: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/32Phn/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/32Phn/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($129.99 @ NCIX)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H87M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($109.99 @ NCIX)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($88.00 @ Vuugo)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.79 @ DirectCanada)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card ($184.99 @ Memory Express)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($57.99 @ NCIX)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($44.99 @ NCIX)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($18.50 @ Vuugo)
Total: $689.24
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-02 12:54 EST-0500)

 

[stuperstrong]

http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/32Pk2

PCPartPicker part list: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/32Pk2
Price breakdown by merchant: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/32Pk2/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/32Pk2/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($129.99 @ NCIX)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H87M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($109.99 @ NCIX)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($88.00 @ Vuugo)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.79 @ DirectCanada)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 270 2GB Video Card ($212.00 @ Vuugo)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($57.99 @ NCIX)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($44.99 @ NCIX)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($18.50 @ Vuugo)
Total: $716.25
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-02 12:55 EST-0500)

 

[stuperstrong]

Another option, is to wait a couple weeks for the reclusive R7 265 to come out, which is a bit more powerful than a GTX 750TI or Radeon 7850, but a little less than the R9 270, but quiet a bit cheaper.

 

[Cori W]

Alright so I actually really like that last build you posted there, and am definitely going to be going with the Intel Core i3-4130 now. Also I think I had looked at the Gigabyte GA-H87M-D3H before and if I recall it's a pretty good Mobo. As for the Video Card and Memory, I think those are good choices as well.

The only thing I'll be changing immediately with that build is the Hard Drive as I would like to have at least 1TB, and I also do have a concern with the case you have chosen. The reason I'm concerned about the case isn't a question of quality as it seems like a pretty good case, but rather a question of compatibility. The Mobo has Onboard USB 3.0 Headers and the case doesn't have any Front Panel USB 3.0 Ports.

With those two things out of the way something I would also like to mention is that I talked to my dad and apparently he has several Optical Drives sitting around and has already found one that I can use for this computer, meaning that I can save $18.50 on the Optical Drive, which is good because I'll be paying $10 more for the 1TB Hard Drive over the 500GB one.

Here's the components list as it stands now.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($129.99 @ NCIX)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H87M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($109.99 @ NCIX)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($88.00 @ Vuugo)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.99 @ DirectCanada)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 270 2GB Video Card ($212.00 @ Vuugo)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($57.99 @ NCIX)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ Canada Computers)
Total: $712.95
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-02 16:48 EST-0500)

(Like I said though I'm slightly concerned about the lack of Front Panel USB 3.0 Ports on the Case)

 

[stuperstrong]

Thought I picked the 1tb hdd, must have overlooked it. You can always change the case, just comes down to preference really. I just built a new system using the Antec Eleven Hundred (Idk how much it is there and I'm not home) but I love it. My last case was a corsair 500r and I absolutely loved it. Another option is the 300R or the thermaltake chaser a31. Just with the 500w Psu, you probably won't cross fire. Also, depending on the time frame look for the r7 265.

 

[stuperstrong]

http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2047493/computer-build.html

This is what my antec 1100 looks like, pics are at the bottom. I can find ones of my 500r if you want.

 

[Cori W]

Well I'm getting the money within 8 business days, so if it comes out before then I'll have to consider it for the obvious price advantage. If it doesn't come out by then however, I'll just stick with the R9 270.

As for the case, thanks for the recommendations but they all seem out of my price range. If it wasn't for taxes and shipping I could spend more but unfortunately I can't exceed maybe $60 for the case. Although I'm wondering about if Front Panel USB 3.0 Ports are necessary? I'm thinking of just going with the Cooler Master HAF 912. Since my Mobo has 2 USB 2.0 and 4 USB 3.0 ports, could I just hook up the 2 USB 2.0 Ports to the front panel ports and if I ever wanted something to run USB 3.0 I could just plug it directly into the Mobo?

EDIT: That's a nice looking computer you have there.

 

[stuperstrong]

Yeah, I don't think you'll be using that many usb 3.0 ports honestly... It really just comes down to whether you really want them on the front or not.

 

[Karadjgne]

For the price you have for the motherboard, I'd go with the ATX version, instead of the micro, you'll get basically the same board except with the ATX verion, you get pci-e x1 slots, and a lot of little add ons like flash readers, usb 3.0 hubs etc can be used in a pci-e x1 vrs using a full pci slot, which is slowly being replaced.