Vexzarium

280x.
 
I'm surprised this is still being debated. It's a long known fact that the 280x outperforms the 960 all day long. The 960/4gb is no contest either.
 
270x > 750ti
280x > 960
290x > 970
980 > 290x
Titan X > Your Couch
 
295x2 doesn't count as this is a Multi-GPU solution. But if I had to:
 
295x2 > 980
295x2 ? Titan X

280x every time.

280x.
 
I'm surprised this is still being debated. It's a long known fact that the 280x outperforms the 960 all day long. The 960/4gb is no contest either.
 
270x > 750ti
280x > 960
290x > 970
980 > 290x
Titan X > Your Couch
 
295x2 doesn't count as this is a Multi-GPU solution. But if I had to:
 
295x2 > 980
295x2 ? Titan X

You'll need a USB Flash Drive. You go here: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/p/?LinkId=271128
 
After it downloads, run it, and follow the instructions. It will make your flash drive into a bootable Windows 8.1 installation device. You'll pop the flash drive into your new computer when you've finished building it, and power it on. Mash the BIOS key, usually "Del", and set the flash drive as your primary boot device. Save and Exit. Follow the on screen instructions. During the installation, you'll enter the Key you purchased from G2A.
 
P.S. ASRock makes awesome motherboards.

4690K if you're just gaming and have a Z board. 4790K if you want to mix some streaming and editing in there too. Both are excellent options either way.

From what I've heard, the person it was built for says it is still looking brand new. But when building in it, I was scared poopless of scratching it.
 
I think that goes for almost any case with acrylic side panels. One of the coolest "Budget" cases I've ever worked in though... that and the Enthoo Pro that encloses my build.
 
P.S. "Budget" for me is $50-$100. Not to be confused with a $30 Senty... that is what I'd consider "Junk"

BEST PSU for the money.
 
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817438017
 
You will benefit greatly from a fully modular power supply.

$200 and $350 which one will win?
the $270 290x will

Thanks for the replies guys. I have decided im going with the lightning.

I know this but it took a lot of convincing him to get him to atleast this quality which is the lowest I'd recommend. If it were me I'd get him a seasonic S12II for $10-12 more. Maybe if another quality psu drops in price close enough to the CX or 500B I can convince him to spend the little extra

For most games, even the Pentium-K is a better performer. And if that doesn't have enough threads, an i3 usually is a better choice for gaming. And in regards to the FX-8350 or the like, a few bucks more get's you an i5, which is in an entirely different league all together. This forum is here for a community to work together to help people, and at this time, AMD CPU's are not really a way to save money at all... in the end, you're wasting money. Yes, they are cheaper. But for a few bucks more, you can have significantly better performance. I'll continue to suggest Intel in each price bracket in accordance with someone's budget. At least until AMD releases a better option in each bracket.
 
I do the same exact thing for GPU's. Whichever is best in someone's price range is the one I'm going to suggest. Which is commonly AMD/ATI at this time. At least until you get towards the $400+ mark... then Nvidia takes over my suggestions. And I like the 750ti more than the 260x, so my favor normally goes towards Nvidia in the <$150 range.
 
If someone is absolutely set on a certain brand, I'll make my normal suggestions, but I also accommodate them with additional suggestions within their preferred brands.

MSI Lightning 290X, it eats GTX 970 for breakfast.

This. So much this.
 
Also even though a pentium or i3 is not great for mutlithreaded tasks like rendering, you actually have an upgrade path with intel. If you buy an 8350 there isn't anything better you can get (because nobody should ever buy any FX9xxx processors)

For most games, even the Pentium-K is a better performer. And if that doesn't have enough threads, an i3 usually is a better choice for gaming. And in regards to the FX-8350 or the like, a few bucks more get's you an i5, which is in an entirely different league all together. This forum is here for a community to work together to help people, and at this time, AMD CPU's are not really a way to save money at all... in the end, you're wasting money. Yes, they are cheaper. But for a few bucks more, you can have significantly better performance. I'll continue to suggest Intel in each price bracket in accordance with someone's budget. At least until AMD releases a better option in each bracket.
 
I do the same exact thing for GPU's. Whichever is best in someone's price range is the one I'm going to suggest. Which is commonly AMD/ATI at this time. At least until you get towards the $400+ mark... then Nvidia takes over my suggestions. And I like the 750ti more than the 260x, so my favor normally goes towards Nvidia in the <$150 range.
 
If someone is absolutely set on a certain brand, I'll make my normal suggestions, but I also accommodate them with additional suggestions within their preferred brands.

I just buy whatever I'm itching for.

Get the 4690K. Very, very, very powerful CPU.

This one http://www.bestbuy.com/site/acer-h6-series-23-ips-led-hd-monitor-black/4751006.p?id=1219103673253&ref=199&loc=8BacdVP0GFs&acampID=1&siteID=8BacdVP0GFs-vfnXZ42o4w99kLfXZiiQNw
Go for 1080p IPS.

OP, if you are afraid of the GTX-970, pick up a 290x. Make sure it's a good one... i.e. Lightning, Tri-X, or Vapor-X. 290x is a bit more powerful for around the same cost, but the 970 may have features that are more to your liking.
 
Either card will do the trick, it's all about what you prefer. I'm only saying that if the 970's VRAM "issue" (that was blown out of proportion) scares you, there is a damn good alternative. Go with what makes ya happy. Neither card breaks a sweat at 1080p.

At 1080p, you wont encounter many issues with the VRAM. At 1440p+, you may. It's still a good card.

Yes, that is correct. If for some reason, our cooler decided to leak and happens to damage other hardware in your system, we will provide compensation for the damaged components, replace your cooler with a brand new one, and cover postage fees both ways so you don't pay a dime when you send the damaged parts back to us for evaluation. That's all true, provided that our findings would point out to our cooler being the culprit during investigation. 
 
With that said, leak issue is the least report we get from our customers ever since we started AIO coolers, so they are pretty rare, but they do happen. And when it does, we'll make sure that you guys are well taken care of. 

I know but I can't hate on Jay as a person. He's a pretty cool cat! He just got into the right career!

Not everyone has Nvidia sending three Titan X's like JayzTwoCents. lol

I like buying an older generation of GPU's and monitors. You get kick ass stuff for a lot less cash. I'm always a resolution or two behind the new standards(1440p, UHD). This time I went for a GPU a bit below the best, so below a 980, Titan X, or 295x2, and find myself a bit surprised by just how overkill this card is for 1080p.

Very horrible stereotype. The reference 290x's were a barbecue pit, but the rest are pretty good. Just like Nvidia cards, there are a few 290x's you should really avoid.
 
Like i said, my 290x is likely the coolest running air-cooled card I've ever used. With my former G1-970 being second or third.