Is this a good gaming build?

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Feb 16, 2015
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I'm currently gaming on a second hand PC with an outdated and somewhat busted motherboard. I recently replaced the GPU, but now I'm saving up to buy a new rig. My purpose is a PC that, for the foreseeable future, will be able to run all games at (1920x)1080p/60fps at high to max settings with decent (say 2-4xMS) anti-aliasing. One screen for gameplay through HDMI, and one screen for inventoy, map, etc through DVI.

I'll mostly be playing multiplatform games like Batman : Arkham Knight and the Witcher 3. My timeframe is late May, as that is the release date of the Witcher.

My budget will be around €600-€650. I'm European, so I'm not really looking for help with the best deal. What I am looking for is potential alternatives in the same price range (if it's the same price range in N.A. it's the same price range in EU) that might make a better choice. Everything I need to spend money on will be listed.
I'll be carrying over some parts of my current rig to the next one. I'll mention them as well so you get a better sense of everything in there.

Parts I'll be carrying over
RAM : Corsair XMS3 2x4GB @ 1600Mhz
CPU cooler : Noctua NH-D14
GPU : MSI Geforce GTX 970 4GD5T OC
HDD : 3.5" Western Digital WD5000ADS 500GB @ 7200RPM

Parts I'm planning to carry over, but might replace if adviced
PSU : Corsair Bronze 80 Series CX500 500 Watt
CD/DVD : Sony optiarc ad 5260s

Parts I'm planning on buying and want the most feedback on
Case : Corsair Graphite 230T black
Motherboard : Gigabyte GA-Z97X Gaming 5
CPU : Intel i5 4690k
SSD : Crucial MX100 256GB
HDD : 3.5" Seagate Baracuda 1TB @ 7200RPM
 
Solution
-Lose the CX500 PSU. First 500 watts is borderline, you'll want a bit more if overclocking

http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2311121/power-supply-requirements-nvidia-gpus.html#14243229

Corsair makes some excellent PSUs ... the Axi and HXi are at the top of the market but when you look at the CX series, the C should remind you of "Crappy Capacitors". I'd look at the EVGA B2 750 at $69 which will let you SLI in the future.

The EVGA P2 / G2 series are almost as good as the Seasonic X Series, Corsair AX / HX series, EVGA P2.... The B2 is a step down but not too far.

-I'd rather have the MSI G45 MoBo which is a) $10 cheaper, b) has better network chip and more ports, an extra PCI-E slot. M.2 SATA, is an aesthetic match for your...
-Lose the CX500 PSU. First 500 watts is borderline, you'll want a bit more if overclocking

http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2311121/power-supply-requirements-nvidia-gpus.html#14243229

Corsair makes some excellent PSUs ... the Axi and HXi are at the top of the market but when you look at the CX series, the C should remind you of "Crappy Capacitors". I'd look at the EVGA B2 750 at $69 which will let you SLI in the future.

The EVGA P2 / G2 series are almost as good as the Seasonic X Series, Corsair AX / HX series, EVGA P2.... The B2 is a step down but not too far.

-I'd rather have the MSI G45 MoBo which is a) $10 cheaper, b) has better network chip and more ports, an extra PCI-E slot. M.2 SATA, is an aesthetic match for your GFX card and will make tech support calls a lot easier as tech can't blame the GFX card :)

- Consider the Samnsung 850 Evo (13th) which bis $10 or so more but is ranked higher than the MX100 (79th) ... despite the wide difference, it's only 3%. The Samsing has 5 year warranty to Crucial's 3 year.
http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/ssd-charts-2014/PCMark-7-Gaming,2811.html

- Upgrade to the 1 TB (or 2 TB) Seagate SSHD. The games that don't fit on the SSD will wind up here and the unit will automatically move the game files from the mechanical HD portion to the SSD portion in the background. Once you stop playing Far Cry 3 for example and start playing FC4...it will move the FC3 files off the fast part of the drive and put the FC4 files there.

-4690k is fine

-If y have a bit more cash, I'd try and move up to better case




 
Solution