Help with building a new PC

[c0ck7aiL]

Hi guys,

I'm thinking of building a new PC soon. I've selected a price range of around $800-1200. So far I have this set-up in mind:

CPU: AMD FX 8350k or 8320k? (im gonna be overclocking as hard as i can)
CPU Cooling: CM Seiden 120mm Liquid or??
MB: 990fx or 970?
GPU: radeon r9 270x or?
RAM: 2x8GB @ 1866mhz (brand?)
PSU: 750w or lower?(brand?)
HDD: 2TB 7200RPM (brand?)
Case: CM N600 or?

I'm open to any suggestions and please describe why you are recommending something. Thanks in advance.

 

[quilciri]

I'm guessing from your prelim build you want a gaming machine. What else will the PC be used for?

Do you need OS/mouse/keyboard/monitor/speakers or headphones included in the budget?

 

[c0ck7aiL]

Mainly a gaming machine.
I don't need anything else except the machine. My current hardware is just fine except the rig itself

 

[quilciri]

Okedoke. Here's a rig along the lines of what you were thinking. I highly recommend 990fx for the ability to use SLI/crossfire. You can drop in another 970 here without changing any components.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($132.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.75 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock 990FX Killer ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($121.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($124.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial M500 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($104.03 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Green 3TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($99.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PNY GeForce GTX 970 4GB XLR8 Video Card ($324.99 @ Directron)
Case: Antec VSK-2000 ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: Antec HCG M 850W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($13.99 @ Newegg)

Total: $1055.70
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-13 14:42 EST-0500

What I would build on that budget is a bit different, I'll post it in a few minutes.

 

[RCFProd]

You really should go with i5/Xeon E3 V3. AMD FX for that budget is out of order.

 

[quilciri]

This is more along the lines of what I would do with a game machine on that budget right now. It will max every game @ 1080p over 60fps for a long time (including crysis 3 😀), and will get close to doing so at 4k resolutions as well.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1226 V3 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($214.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 Extreme3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($104.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial M500 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($104.03 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 290X 4GB Video Card (2-Way CrossFire) ($269.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 290X 4GB Video Card (2-Way CrossFire) ($269.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Thermaltake Commander MS-I ID ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: SeaSonic X Series 1050W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($13.99 @ Newegg)

Total: $1232.94
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-13 15:04 EST-0500

 

[RCFProd]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($242.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI H97 PC MATE ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($88.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($75.04 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card ($337.99 @ B&H)
Case: Corsair SPEC-01 RED ATX Mid Tower Case ($51.42 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/RSBS DVD/CD Writer ($15.74 @ Amazon)
Total: $917.04
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-13 14:56 EST-0500

I've gone the non-overclocking route with a smaller budget. It's still high end graphics with a GTX 970. The CPU is basically an i7-4770 without graphics card, so it has hyper threading for great multitasking performance but games won't use hyper threading. They might in the future.

An option is to go with 2x8 GB instead like you suggested plus an SSD that is atleast 120gb.

 

[quilciri]

You really should go with i5/Xeon E3 V3. AMD FX for that budget is out of order.

I generally agree, and that build was for what the op was originally thinking. If you do plan on overclocking, AMD's 6300 and 8320 are amazing bang for the buck and absolutely worth it.

 

[RCFProd]

You really should go with i5/Xeon E3 V3. AMD FX for that budget is out of order.

I generally agree, and that build was for what the op was originally thinking. If you do plan on overclocking, AMD's 6300 and 8320 are amazing bang for the buck and absolutely worth it.

I see your point, I didn't see the part of him willing to overclock. Anyways, I'm not an OC enthousiast so see if you can get a great build for him . I personally don't think OC'ing is necessary but you can produce great results.

 

[c0ck7aiL]

I see. Thanks for your suggestions, but I have a few questions. I know that Intel CPUs have a better single-core performance than the AMD ones, but I'm fond of overclocking and Intel are not built for that. So If I can get 4.2-4.5 GHz out of a 8320(for which i need a good mobo => more money invested) with good cooling system, would it be much better than the Xeon or just a little bit(worth the money or not)? I can live without overclocking, right now I've got two monitors and I multitask quite a bit. For the Crossfire or SLI, I've done my research and I don't want double VGUs because a lot of games do not detect them. For the cooling, right now, in my PC I've got a TT Frio tech advanced I got on a super nice deal wired up to my phenom II 1055t @ 3.5ghz(as much as the mobo gives) and if I'm not upgrading to liquid cooling, I don't need another CPU fan. For the SSD, a lot of people think they are overpriced? and are they really worth the loads of money for that much of space? As much as I'd like one, I'm tight on budget and would it be better if I get a 1x 2TB HDD at 7200 RPM or 1x 1TB HDD at 7200RPM and 1x 120GB SSD? About the RAM, it will surely be 16GB, no less. As for the PSU, I realise I'll need a better one if I'm OC-ing but, isn't 1050W a bit of waste on that Setup?
Thanks for the quick responses guys!

 

[c0ck7aiL]

@RCFProd, I like your setup a lot. I will take it into account.

 

[c0ck7aiL]

So, basically, I picked out this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($158.95 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus Sabertooth 990FX R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($175.95 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate 600 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($138.18 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($77.75 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card ($329.95 @ B&H)
Case: Antec Nine Hundred ATX Mid Tower Case ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Thermaltake 850W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1210.75
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-14 07:49 EST-0500

I think it's pretty good? Gonna use my frio advanced for the CPU cooling and OC the CPU to 4.7GHz ... What do you guys think? Also, when I'm playing a game I also have like 5 programs running on top of it, so I stopped on the AMD?

 

[quilciri]

All evidence points to the 8320 and 8350 being binned the exact same. meaning that AMD did not take "worse" performing chip cores and put them into the 8320. Both chips routinely reach the same overclocks, both chips perform identically.

Between the extra motherboard cost and the memory, you're spending $100 extra just for 1866 RAM. It's a very tiny performance bump for a big chunk of your budget.

The Seagate 600 ssd's are terrible. If you're going to spend $1/GB or more on a SSD (which I don't recommend doing anyway), get this. It's better in every way (and cheaper!)
Samsung 850 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($110.98 @ OutletPC)

cheers!

 

[c0ck7aiL]

All evidence points to the 8320 and 8350 being binned the exact same. meaning that AMD did not take "worse" performing chip cores and put them into the 8320. Both chips routinely reach the same overclocks, both chips perform identically.

Between the extra motherboard cost and the memory, you're spending $100 extra just for 1866 RAM. It's a very tiny performance bump for a big chunk of your budget.

The Seagate 600 ssd's are terrible. If you're going to spend $1/GB or more on a SSD (which I don't recommend doing anyway), get this. It's better in every way (and cheaper!)
Samsung 850 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($110.98 @ OutletPC)

cheers!

Thanks man. So,
1.Should I get an SSD at all? or should I get a 3TB HDD 7200RPM HDD? If so, can you recommend me one?
2.I'm getting that MB specifically for the CPU Overclock. What MB can I get that has the same potential for overclocking on?

 

[quilciri]

check the first build I posted. swap in the antec 900 and drop the CPU cooler.