How's this for a $700 build?

[jhames]

Here's the PCPartPicker link:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3cqO4

I'm actually getting two fans, so the chassis will have a total of three fans. After shipping and taxes, it costs me a bit under $700. It will primarily be for gaming, but I do a lot of ArcGIS too, as well as a little Photoshop (nothing intensive) and eventually a bit of Blender. I opted for AMD stuff instead of Intel/Nvidia because I'm sort of on a budget. I'm not too picky when it comes to graphics, but I like good texture quality and I like to play in 1080p when possible. How do you guys think this will hold up for modern titles? What's the overclocking capabilities with the Cooler Master CPU Cooler? Remember I'm only using a 430 watt PSU.

I'm upgrading from an MSI GX60 laptop. It had a 7970m which was really nice (I know it's hard to compare desktop graphics with laptop graphics, but I hope the R9 270 is a nice jump forward), but the CPU/APU held me back in the things I wanted to do.
Any other suggestions or anything else that seems blatantly bad? 😛

 

[okcnaline]

It should be okay. If you're Overclocking, use a water cooling system. If you leave as is, the system looks okay.

 

[jhames]

I didn't want to really bother with water cooling to be honest, plus I'm on a budget. I don't plan on overclocking a lot (or at all if I feel everything already runs good enough). How will the Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO do when it comes to cooling an overclocked 6300?

 

[ingtar33]

ah... the 7970m is close to the same power as a r9-270... well in the same ballpark anyway.

 

[IDontUnderstand]

Here is a modified version

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($109.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($79.79 @ Newegg)
Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($63.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Antec One ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Case Fan: Cooler Master SickleFlow 69.7 CFM 120mm Fan ($7.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $621.70
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-19 00:09 EDT-0400)

1. GTX 660 will be able to run 1080p games on medium/high.
2. CM Hyper 212 Evo is one of the best value cooler on the market, price for performance wise

 

[jhames]

@ingtar33
Meaning the R9-270 is better or worse? If it's the same, I'm okay with that. I just want to make sure I'm not downgrading. 😛

@IDontUnderstand
I may be wrong, and better is a very subjective term, but isn't the R9-270 a bit more powerful than the 660? Thanks for the PSU though. I'll switch to that most likely.

 

[okcnaline]

Coincidentally, the GTX 660 is ~100 points worse for G3D Mark. The R9 270 is unnoticeably better than the 660.

And if you're over clocking, don't get it to 4Ghz or so. Just try to stay safe as you have a fan cooler. You don't have a serious cooling device for oc.

 

[IDontUnderstand]

You are right, I forgot about that.

Go with the suggested RAM too. A-Data is a decent brand.

R9 270X if you can afford it

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($109.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($79.79 @ Newegg)
Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($63.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 270X 2GB Video Card ($215.38 @ Newegg)
Case: Antec One ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Case Fan: Cooler Master SickleFlow 69.7 CFM 120mm Fan ($7.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $647.09
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-19 00:32 EDT-0400)

or R9 270 if you prefer

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($109.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($79.79 @ Newegg)
Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($63.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 270 2GB Video Card ($178.60 @ Newegg)
Case: Antec One ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Case Fan: Cooler Master SickleFlow 69.7 CFM 120mm Fan ($7.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $610.31
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-19 00:35 EDT-0400)

 

[jhames]

Sorry if it seems like I'm asking a lot of questions, but would I have problems if I kept the Corsair CX430M? PCPartPicker is saying 359 watts, but I want to make sure that 430 is enough. I know it wouldn't hurt to bump it to 500, especially if I plan on overclocking a bit, but I feel 600 would be overkill, would it not?

 

[IDontUnderstand]

1. Corsair CX series are not made out of quality components. It's not just about it's wattage.
2. 500W PSU will be able to handle those cards, but since the closest to 500W, good quality PSU I can find was the XFX Core Edition 550W, I put it in the build.
3. It's better to overkill a little bit than be too little whenever you want to add a wireless adapter or fan or whatnot. However, it's not recommended to get a 800W PSU for every build. 150-200W over the recommended value is preferred and acceptable,

 

[jhames]

Thanks mate. I'll upgrade to at least a 500 watt then. Cheers!

 

[IDontUnderstand]

Make sure it's high quality PSU.
Use this list to help you (this list is the go-to place for PSU recommendation)
http://www.eggxpert.com/forums/thread/323050.aspx

For now, I still recommend the XFX Core Edition 550W, since it's the cheapest high quality PSU on the market at this moment.
However if you cannot afford it, there is a EVGA 500B for an acceptable quality for cheaper.
http://www.ncixus.com/products/?usaffiliateid=1000031504&sku=85625&vpn=100-B1-0500-KR&manufacture=eVGA&promoid=1230

Keep in mind that the quality of a PSU can affect the rest of the system, saving $20 on a PSU can cause your entire $800 system to go down as simple as a unstable incoming wattage.

Good luck.