Help me build a pc around a 280x toxic

[Jakelandry]

Hey guys. I've been researching numerous components to start my first low budget gaming build. Basically my scenario goes like this...

I play league of legends, wow, and a few older nostalgiac games that nearly anything can run at max settings. As of now I have a dell Inspiron with an e6550 that I dug out of the dumpster at my work and I threw 4 gigs of ram and a sapphire 7750 into it just to have something better to play league on than my laptop. Well it has worked perfect for my needs for the past 9 months but an opportunity to start a build has arisen. A friend started a build then parted everything out and he still has a toxic 280x he wants to get rid of. He currently uses a laptop to play league so I told him I would even swap him my setup for his card and he agreed. Also My birthday is in a few days and my girlfriend asked me what I wanted and this seems to be a good time to snag some more parts.

I will be starting my build around the 280x and I'm having trouble deciding on what cpu to go with since everything else is based around what I choose there. Originally I wanted a fx6300, but I was also under the impression the gpu he wanted to trade was a 270x, so now I'm not sure which cpu route to take. I researched the fx8320 because I've always been an Amd fan but it seems more practical for me to go the Intel quad core route because I don't really have a use for an 8 core processor.

But on the other hand, and it seems somewhat ironic, the amd seems more future proof due to the advancement of efficiently using more cores in gaming even though it has been around quite some time. I guess another benefit to it would be the reliability of the Amd because it's been around longer, thus it must be decent.

I know by my terminology I seem like I have no clue about computers but I'm not a complete idiot. I became interested in computers around the pentium 2/ windows 98 time when I was just a kid. I've always just swapped around components from other computers as they became outdated and people just threw them out so I'm fairly clueless about anything that's new or not stock obviously.

I intend to use this computer to play games like skyrim, hl2, league, wow, and some old rts games, but I want the ability to mess around with fps games because I've never had the chance with my limiting hardware previously.

So basically, what I'm asking is what cpu for up to the $200 range would best support a sapphire toxic 280x?

Also any other components you wish to contribute are welcome especially cases cause this card is MASSIVE and If I go amd I will likely overclock it with a hyper 212 Evo. Thank you for your time.

 

[CTurbo]

Can't you just list all of the parts you need and your budget? You'll get better responses this way.

 

[Jakelandry]

Well, it seems everything depends on the cpu.

The psu will be dependent on if I overclock or not. I would assume it will at least be a 750 due to a 300 watt overclocked amd and the toxic draws crazy power. I'll probably go with a gold rated one if I overlock.

Ram will just be 8 gigs of whatever the highest speed my mobo will support. Likely g skill ripsaw judging by reviews.

Mobo will depend on what cpu. Don't need bells and whistles, just something overclockable if I go amd for sure.

Absolutely no clue on case.

Typical seagate 1tb 7200 rpm hdd.

I know that's not terdibly helpful, I just planned to work everything else in around the cpu.

 

[CTurbo]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($188.95 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($69.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($48.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA GS 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $467.80
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-06-11 22:45 EDT-0400



Don't bother with AMD

 

[Jakelandry]

That does seem like an adequate setup. The only thing that concerns me is the fact that the cpu is locked. Apparently if I want to even bother overclocking an i5 I'll be investing $230+ For a k-series. Would a 550w psu be suitable if I did chose to go with a k series i5 and overclock? I'd like a bit of head room on the power supply because I feel like most of the other components hold their value a little better and sell a little easier so selling them and upgrading would be less of a hassle.

 

[CTurbo]

550w watts is plenty for any single video card on the market, but there is nothing wrong with getting a 600-750w unit.

The 4590 is locked but it is very strong. Stronger than every AMD on the market no matter how high they are overclocked.

You will pay a lot more extra to be able to overclock than just the price of the K model i5. You would also have to pay extra for a Z97 motherboard AND buy an after market cpu cooler. You would be looking at around $100 extra to have a viable overclocking build. It is not worth it.

 

[CTurbo]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($188.95 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($69.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $258.84


vs

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.98 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($26.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-Gaming 5 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($95.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $352.95

 

[CTurbo]

Here are a few great 650-750w psus

http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/compare/antec-power-supply-ea650green%2Cevga-power-supply-110b20750vr%2Cevga-power-supply-220gs0650v1%2Cxfx-power-supply-p1650gts3x/


and a few more with a 850w thrown in

http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/compare/antec-power-supply-ea650platinum%2Cantec-power-supply-edg650%2Cantec-power-supply-tp750c%2Cevga-power-supply-110b20850v1/

 

[Jakelandry]

Thank you for all your suggestions. I assumed it would cost me about 100 extra if I wanted to overclock. With console gaming now taking advantage of 6 and 8 core processors, you don't think that an amd will have advantages on newer games as they start better utilizing the larger quantity of cores?

 

[CTurbo]

No sir even a dual core i3 outperforms the 6 core AMDs in most games, and the 8 core AMDs in a lot of games. Get an i5.

 

[Jakelandry]

Okay well since I'm still kind of on the fence about which processor and mobo to go with and my birthday is rapidly approaching I huess I will just ask my girlfriend to maybe get me some other components.

Maybe I should get a power supply that could keep up with an overclocked Amd just in case. Is ram kind of "universal" I'm aftermarket mobos? Would there be any better cases I should look into that could fit an Evo 212 in case I go that route? Id also like it to have a clear side so I can look at the toxic or whatever else appealing goes in.

Once again thanks for your help. You've certainly opened my ears to an i5 platform. My main problem is I keep tryin to keep the cpu in a fair price range for her to pay and that's hard with Intel.

 

[CTurbo]

My main problem is I keep tryin to keep the cpu in a fair price range for her to pay and that's hard with Intel.

It's not. AMD is not "better for a budget" as you're probably misled to believe. It seems like you have already made up your mind to build an overclocking AMD build for some reason, but it won't be any cheaper than the i5 build if it comes anywhere near the performance level of the weakest i5, and then if it IS a lot cheaper, it won't even compete with an i3.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($188.95 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($69.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $258.84

vs

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($134.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($26.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3P ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($74.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $236.95




Ok so for about $22 cheaper, that is a decent overclocking AMD build, but it won't come near the i5 4590's performance level no matter how high you overclock. That's the cheapest AMD motherboard that would give you a good overclock. You COULD get a cheaper AMD motherboard, but you could forget about overclocking completely if you do.

This would outperform the overclocking AMD build above and it's a few dollars less if you're THAT tight on money.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($163.95 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($69.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $233.84

You could save $5 more by getting the microATX version of that motherboard.

 

[Jakelandry]

I think what's keeping amd as an option is the fun of playing with the overclocking and the minuscule multi core advantage at the sacrifice of 5-10 frames on some games. I'm not leaning in their favor, I'm just trying to determine which is more important to me.

The reason I brought up price was because the initial plan was to present my girlfriend with $150ish worth of parts, which originally covered a processor. I'm not against spending a little more, especially on a cpu and mobo, it would just require me to suggest $150 in other parts and I will buy the cpu/mobo myself, hence my last post asking about other parts.


EDIT:

I think I may be bought on an i5 4590. I do still have a few questions though.

Does the fact that it comes with integrated graphics inhibit its performance in any way? Like is there a comparable i5 without the integrated graphics? Should I get an aftermarket cooler to go with this cpu?

Would there be any benefit to researching other motherboards such as a z97 pro4 or is the one you suggested sufficient?

 

[CTurbo]

Does the fact that it comes with integrated graphics inhibit its performance in any way? Like is there a comparable i5 without the integrated graphics? Should I get an aftermarket cooler to go with this cpu?

No, No, and No

Would there be any benefit to researching other motherboards such as a z97 pro4 or is the one you suggested sufficient?

Not really. The Z97 only offers two features that the H97 does not, overclocking and SLI support, and the cheaper Z97 don't even offer SLI support.

 

[Jakelandry]

Alright well ive decided on the following:

Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146190&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

CPU
i5-4590 staples price matched micro center

PSU I got used for 40 bucks. may be a decent deal, may not. Worst case scenario i'm out 40 bucks.
https://pcpartpicker.com/part/antec-power-supply-tp750

HDD
https://pcpartpicker.com/part/western-digital-internal-hard-drive-wd10ezex

Now comes the part i'd like advice on. I really like the look of the orange/black combos ive seen. The only problem im having is all the orange motherboards seem to be junk.

I'd like this one for asthetics but it has TERRIBLE reviews.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128705R&cm_re=Gigabyte_GA-Z97X-SOC-_-13-128-705R-_-Product

Then there's the gigabyte phoenix but its not really orange. IT just has orange leds on the back side.

Then theres this gigabyte that has some orange, I just feel like its not enough.... It seems to be a fairly decent one though.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128728R&cm_re=Gigabyte_h97-_-13-128-728R-_-Product

For memory I will probably go with G.Skill ares cause it comes in orange. Unless someone has a better suggestion.
https://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f31600c9d8gao

Ive also considered going with a blue/orange combo like this mobo with the ares ram.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157512&cm_re=asrock_h97_pro4-_-13-157-512-_-Product

Basically I need to pick ram and a MOBO so any suggestions from you guys is welcome. You've been a great help so far.

 

[CTurbo]

That RAM and motherboard would be fine except there is no reason to get such an expensive motherboard. All you need is a H97 but there aren't any orange/black ones.

 

[Jakelandry]

Okay I went with the h87 pro4 mobo and ares ram. I believe I only have one more question for now. I plan to put this computer on a shelf above my tv. To still have access to the Usb ports I'm going to have to run a bunch of extensions for my mouse (roccat cone pure), tritons, and keyboard. Instead of having 3-4 different extensions can I just run a single usb 3.0 hub and use ALL of my devices on the same hub? I feel like it can power them all but I don't know how the computer would distinguish different inputs from the mouse and keyboard since they go back through a single use port. Any suggestions? Thanks again for the help.