Could someone please look over my build?

[opscopez]

Hello!

I'm a total noob when it comes to PC building, but I'm slowly learning more and more. I have a budget build that I've been working on recently and I'd really appreciate an opinion from someone who's been in this area of expertise longer than I have (hardly 1/2 of a year).

I'd like my build to be able to support high-end games and also be able to do a bit of 3D-Modelling as well, but the 3D-Modelling is something I would do mostly as a hobby and nothing else. I do want to be able to record the games using Dxtory or Fraps (whichever will work better with the build) and then edit them in Premiere Pro. All of this, of course, would require an intense build and I want to make sure I'm doing it right, as this is my first time getting set up with building computers. Also, I don't mind toning down game graphics a little bit to compensate for recording CPU usage or just overall gaming.

I would really appreciate anybody's feedback for my build, regarding what I could do to make it better while still staying within my budget ($1200 and yes, I have gone a little over). All the parts need to be available in Canada if you do offer some.

Thanks in advance,
OPSCOPEZ

Build part list is here.

 

[Calnin]

The fx 8320 would give you better performance in 3d rendering/recording/etc. but suffers in gaming compared to intel CPUs.

The gigabyte 970 ud3p will support a decent overclock on the 8320. It'll be able to match fx 8350 speeds.

I changed the case to lower price.

Changed the ram for lower priced ram that has a lower CAS latency.

Added in a cpu cooler, which would help keep the cpu cooler when overclocking.

Changed PSU to a cheaper PSU and still a good quality PSU.

You could lower the price a bit more if you go with a r9 270x gpu, it'll still be able to play games on high/ultra settings. It'll be lower frames than the r9 280, but it's still a good gpu.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($164.95 @ Vuugo)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($31.86 @ DirectCanada)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3P ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($104.75 @ Vuugo)
Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($159.99 @ NCIX)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.99 @ Canada Computers)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 280 3GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($259.99 @ NCIX)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($54.49 @ DirectCanada)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($82.99 @ Canada Computers)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($99.79 @ DirectCanada)
Monitor: Hannspree HE225DPB 21.5" Monitor ($170.01 @ TigerDirect Canada)
Keyboard: Lenovo PREFERRED PRO FULL-SIZE Wired Standard Keyboard ($29.50 @ Vuugo)
Mouse: SteelSeries Sensei RAW Wired Laser Mouse ($54.99 @ NCIX)
Total: $1268.30

 

[Iron124]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Memory Express)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H81-D3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($49.99 @ NCIX)
Memory: Kingston 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($49.99 @ Memory Express)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.99 @ Canada Computers)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 280 3GB DirectCU II Video Card ($229.99 @ NCIX)
Case: NZXT H230 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Memory Express)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($69.99 @ NCIX)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($99.79 @ DirectCanada)
Monitor: Hannspree HE225DPB 21.5" Monitor ($170.01 @ TigerDirect Canada)
Sound Card: StarTech PCISOUND4CH 16-bit 48 KHz Sound Card ($19.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Keyboard: Lenovo PREFERRED PRO FULL-SIZE Wired Standard Keyboard ($29.50 @ Vuugo)
Mouse: SteelSeries Sensei RAW Wired Laser Mouse ($54.99 @ NCIX)
Total: $1109.21
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-07-22 18:54 EDT-0400


First off, I got that icky 6300 outta there and went with a nice i5. (A 6300 is a great CPU for a $700 build, not a $1200 one.) XFX is a great PSU, but EVGA also makes a very nice product for about $30 less, so I opted for that to save you some money. If you want to keep the XFX for the quality, by all means go for it. I also found an incredible deal on ram, $30 or so less than the next competitor, must be a huge sale.

Anything else I changed was just a cheaper version of what you already had. This build should offer better performance-per-dollar and a superior upgrade path.

 

[opscopez]

I was contemplating the i5 quad core, but then dismissed it as the 6300 had 6 cores AND pumped out 3.5ghz. What made you change it?

Also, would 8gb be better than 16? I intend to play AND record pretty intensive games.

Otherwise, I was really happy with your solution!

 

[Calnin]

In most things, the i5 outperforms the fx6300. The 6300 has the extra cores and faster speed, but the i5 has the superior architecture for gaming. The extra cores in the fx 6300 could help in video editing but I think you'd be sacrificing too much on the gaming side for it.

As for the RAM question, that's usually based on what your budget is. 8gb is usually enough for gaming. 16 will do better when you're multitasking. If you have to sacrifice too much for the extra 8gb of RAM, I'd say it's not worth it. You could still play intensive games with 8gb of ram and a decent graphics card. With recording and video editing, the extra ram would help, but it's not something that should have the budget poured into and sacrificing from other parts.

 

[opscopez]

Alright. Thank you very much!