FX 6300 + R9 280 or Core i5 4440 + R9 270

[Maarij K]

I am building a pc for the first time and I cant decide which option would be better. The system will be used primarily for gaming. I live in the UAE, and prices are very high here. I will be buying my parts from gear-up.me. My maximum budget is 3000 AED (around $800). I have come up with the following builds:

Build 1 - (Intel)

Intel Core i5-4440 - 753.00 AED
http://gear-up.me/cpu-intel-core-i5-4440-box-3-1ghz-lga1150-vga.html

ASUS B85-PLUS - 353.00 AED
http://gear-up.me/asus-b85-connect-plus-gaming-mouse-battle-it.html

Sapphire AMD R9 270 2 GB (256) - 742.00 AED
http://gear-up.me/sapphire-amd-r9-270-2-gb-256-of-the-active-2xd-h-dp.html

1TB HDD WD10EZRX 64 MB SATAIII - 254.00 AED
http://gear-up.me/1tb-hdd-wd10ezrx-64-mb-sataiii-600-intellipower2rz.html

DDR3 Crucial Ballistix 8GB (2x4GB) 1600MHz - 338.00 AED
http://gear-up.me/ddr3-crucial-ballistix-8gb-2x4gb-1600mhz-cl9-1-5v.html

Fortron FSP500-60GHN 80PLUS BRONZE 500W - 247.00 AED
http://gear-up.me/fortron-fsp500-60ghn-80plus-bronze-black-500w.html

CoolerMaster K281 PLUS Case - 283.00 AED
http://gear-up.me/coolermaster-casemiditower-k281-plus-atx-black.html

TOTAL - 2,970.00 AED


Build 2 - (AMD)

AMD FX-6300 6core - 474.00 AED
http://gear-up.me/cpu-amd-fx-6300-6core-box-3-5-ghz-14mb.html

ASUS M5A97 LE R2.0 - 320.00 AED
http://gear-up.me/asus-m5a97-le-r2-0-avg-license.html

ASUS R9280-DC2T-3GD5 - 996.00 AED
http://gear-up.me/asus-r9280-dc2t-3gd5.html

1TB HDD WD10EZRX 64 MB SATAIII - 254.00 AED
http://gear-up.me/1tb-hdd-wd10ezrx-64-mb-sataiii-600-intellipower2rz.html

DDR3 Crucial Ballistix 8GB (2x4GB) 1600MHz - 338.00 AED
http://gear-up.me/ddr3-crucial-ballistix-8gb-2x4gb-1600mhz-cl9-1-5v.html

Fortron FSP500-60GHN 80PLUS BRONZE 500W - 247.00 AED
http://gear-up.me/fortron-fsp500-60ghn-80plus-bronze-black-500w.html

CoolerMaster K281 PLUS Case - 283.00 AED
http://gear-up.me/coolermaster-casemiditower-k281-plus-atx-black.html

TOTAL - 2,912.00 AED

Which system is better for gaming and everyday tasks? Should I get an SSD for the AMD build? Please offer feedback and suggestions.

 

[rolli59]

The Intel build is superior both with CPU and GPU except you got the title wrong and it should be other way around!
Instead of considering SSD for the AMD build go with the R9 280 in the Intel build for overall better computer.

 

[plywrlw]

Build A gets my vote, better performance out of the box and the differences between the R9 270X and the 280 aren't huge. I can't find much on that PSU but I suspect it's not particularly good. Try and get a unit from Antec, XFX, Seasonic, EVGA or Corsair (but not VS or CX)

This one would be an good choice http://gear-up.me/chassis-and-psu/power-supply-unit/seasonic-s12ii-520-520w-80-plus-bronze-retail.html

*Edit I see you've got the R9 270 there, there is a noticable difference between that and the 280 but I'd still stick with the better platform as the 270 is still a good card and you're likely to want to upgrade your GPU long before you want to change CPU/motherboard

 

[kasol kay]

very good both of them would change the psu for something better seasonic evga corsair whatever just not fsp aurum cheap brands and suggest you don't get an ssd since they always drop in price 128 or 256 just isn't enough for games even if you have an hdd i know how it is to purchase stuff in other country's so i wont link stuff and as long as its 80 plus and from a decent brand you will be ok so to sum it up get a better psu and don't get ssd yet and you will notice of difference going with the 280 and you might want to wait and get the maxwell gpus tonga or whatever in September and see if you can get the haswell refresh if you decide to go with intel good luck

 

[Maarij K]

The Intel build is superior both with CPU and GPU except you got the title wrong and it should be other way around!
Instead of considering SSD for the AMD build go with the R9 280 in the Intel build for overall better computer.

Build A gets my vote, better performance out of the box and the differences between the R9 270X and the 280 aren't huge. I can't find much on that PSU but I suspect it's not particularly good. Try and get a unit from Antec, XFX, Seasonic, EVGA or Corsair (but not VS or CX)

This one would be an good choice http://gear-up.me/chassis-and-psu/power-supply-unit/seasonic-s12ii-520-520w-80-plus-bronze-retail.html

*Edit I see you've got the R9 270 there, there is a noticable difference between that and the 280 but I'd still stick with the better platform as the 270 is still a good card and you're likely to want to upgrade your GPU long before you want to change CPU/motherboard

Would the stronger CPU run games better?

 

[plywrlw]

For demanding games like Watch Dogs, BF4 and Assassin's creed the stronger i5 will be better and has more potential to play games well in the future. There's always the option of overclocking the FX 6300 to bring its performance closer to that of the i5

 

[Maarij K]

What motherboard should I get? I am not planning to overclock. A lot of people are telling me to get the z97, but it takes me over my budget.

 

[plywrlw]

Nothing wrong with the b85 you originally chose. For more bells and whistles you could go h97 but you won't see a performance difference, just more features