Help a New Builder- $800-900 (CAD)

[FourCorners]

First off I'd like to say hi as this is my first post on the forum (Other than a few contest entries in the past(. I've been a LTT view for a few months now and have lurked around the forum for a while but never really got involved so here's my first crack at it.

 

Reasoning for build

I'm coming off a a cheap HP laptop that runs an AMD CPU that ran at more that 95 degrees before I tried ripping the motherboard out to try an clean the heat sink out.

 

Location Location Location

I live in Canada and have both an NCIX and Canada Computers in my area so, I would prefer to buy local to save on shipping, but wouldn't mind too much about buying online from trusted sites like Tiger Direct, Newegg, or Amazon

 

Budget

I want to aim for under $800 but will cap out at $900, so I will need some help trying to reduce costs of what I had in mind.

 

Peripherals and Monitors

Yes, I`m including the monitor in the budget- more on the monitor later

I don`t need an OS I I already have Windows 7 and will be reusing an the SSD in my laptop

In terms of a keyboard, I will include in the budget but...I have a cheap wireless Logitech key board but have been on the market for a mechanical one and have been eyeing the Logitech g710+ so any opinions on it would be nice , The main reason I `m interested in it is because of the dedicated media keys, volume scroll wheel, white back light, G/ Macros keys and the Cherry MX Browns that have the tactile bump but are still reasonably quiet compares to the Blues.

 

Uses

I know the system I want to build is a bit overkill for the usual internet browsing,YouTube videos and games I play (Minecraft and Fifa cause that's all my current PC can handle) but I wan to get into more FPS games and content creating like video editing and music production. I also know that I pretty late in the mining game but I also want to take a crack at Litecoin mining to off set the costs of this build.

 

 

So here's what I have come up with so far from my limited knowledge of YouTube videos

 

 

PCPartPicker part list: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/mRTQcf

Price breakdown by merchant: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/mRTQcf/by_merchant/

 

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor  ($159.99 @ NCIX) 

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($31.98 @ Newegg Canada) 

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-D3P ATX AM3+/AM3 Motherboard  ($79.99 @ Canada Computers) 

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($88.79 @ DirectCanada) 

Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  (Purchased For $0.00) 

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($54.99 @ Canada Computers) 

Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 280 3GB WINDFORCE Video Card  ($229.99 @ NCIX) 

Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case  ($49.99 @ NCIX) 

Power Supply: Corsair CX 500W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($62.12 @ Amazon Canada) 

Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer  ($16.79 @ DirectCanada) 

Monitor: AOC i2367Fh 60Hz 23.0" Monitor  ($139.99 @ NCIX) 

Total: $914.62

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-03 08:52 EDT-0400

 

* Dsclaimer- most of the parts I picked out are currently on sale so the prices will be higher in a week from this post but I do plan on buying parts ASAP and start building within the next two weeks/ when I get all my parts

 

 

Explanation

 

CPU- Since I'll be trying to video edit on Adobe and play more CPU then GOU intensive games like Minecraft, I figured I should go the more but weaker cores route of AMD with the 8-core FX8320. However, to reduce the price, I may gothe 6-core fx 6300 route. And unless someone can convince me to drop an extra $100 on my CPU to get the i5 4690/ 4690k, I'll probabbly stick to AMD and away from Intel.

 

CPU Cooler- Since I may OC in the future and knowing the AMD CPUs run hot, I figured I would go with affordabble and popular Cooler Master 212 Evo

 

MOBO- This is probbably what I need the most help with as I know close to nothing about which MOBO to choose... I basically relied on PCpartPicker to find a realtively cheap board that is comparable with the FX 8320 which I believe has a AM3+ socket.  And from reading this sub forum, I think I want to also stay away from the cheaper ASRock boards too.  So the only really request from the MOBO I have is compatibility  with my CPU and case and I guess decent on board sound and USB 3.0 4 Ram slots so that I can upgrade to 16gb of Ram later

 

RAM- I'll basically buy the cheapest 2x 4gb set of 1600 mhz ram as dual channel is faster than a single stick of 8gb ram, unless I can find a really good deal as they do seem a bit cheaper. However I would like to know which brand of RAM I should trust should I find a deal, I think Kingston's HyperX fury or older blu lines, G skill's Ripjaw, and Adata's XPG seem legit, Corsair's Vengence is usually more expensive. But how are crucial's ballistic because I see Austin Evens use it a lot in his build guides, and Mushkin?

 

SSD- I'll be reusing the Samasung SSD I used to upgrade my laptop a few years a ago and chucking the stock one back in, but I will the SDD and OS loaded on it work if I just plug and play into my new system? Will the my new MOBO need to set up some sort of new settings from its BIOS?

 

HDD- I needed at least 1TB of storge so I figured that the cheaper Seagate Baracuda is a better option that the WD blue or Black that costs more

 

GPU- The fun part!- There are a few r9 280s on sale for only 20-30 bucks more than an r9 270x so I went for the beefer 3gb of vram 280s. However I'm crossed up between Gigabyte's Windforce card and Sapphire's  Dual X Card as they are on sale for the same price. I think out of the two brands most people Sapphire but although Gigabyte's Windfoce I beieve is louder, comes with frees games (the AMD never settle Gold bundle). So which card?

 

Case- Unless there are better options, I think I stay with an ATX case. The only main requirement is that the case can't exceed 17 inches in height as anything tall won't fit under my old school PC desk that has a special spot for the PC tower. I figure'd that Corsair's more open design will be easier for a first timer like me to build in, and I like the simplistic look, so I went for th 200r (and it's pretty cheap for a Corsair case)

 

PSU- PC Part Picker rated my system for drawing 439W so I figured a 500W supply would be enough. My question is other than better cable management, does a modular supply deliver better efficiency since there are less or no loose and unwired cables in the case? I think this is one of places I can probably save a bit if I go for a non modular supply like EVGA one on sale at NCIX

 

ODD- I'm just old school and could use a disk drive

 

Monitor- The one I chose is what I could find to be the cheapest 1080p IPS display with at least 1 HDMI port for a future PS4 I might hook up to, and it "frameless", but is AOC a trusted brand? If not can you guys recommend another 1080p IPS monitor with at least 1 HDMI port?

 

 

Thanks in advance for reading this wall of text and for time and help

[Scratchy1215]

I actually like the build, the 280 is a great value card and the 8 core cpu is right above anthlon and such when it comes to performance and right below the i5s and the price is great. i personally use that series of PSUs and ive heard some people say its not good but i like it. only thing im not very educated about yet is monitors so ill leave that to someone else

[shayned1997]

sounds like a great build to me

[Pumba217]

looks really nice, great bang for your buck!

[Manny Calavera]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor  ($159.99 @ NCIX) 

CPU Cooler: Enermax ETS-T40-TB 86.7 CFM CPU Cooler  ($36.98 @ Newegg Canada) 

Motherboard: Asus M5A99X EVO R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard  ($119.99 @ NCIX) 

Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($70.48 @ Newegg Canada) 

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($54.99 @ Canada Computers) 

Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 280 3GB WINDFORCE Video Card  ($229.99 @ NCIX) 

Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case  ($49.99 @ NCIX) 

Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($59.99 @ NCIX) 

Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer  ($16.79 @ DirectCanada) 

Monitor: AOC i2367Fh 60Hz 23.0" Monitor  ($139.99 @ NCIX) 

Total: $939.18

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-03 10:43 EDT-0400

 

the cpu cooler is a bit quieter, and better mobo

also much better PSU

[FourCorners]

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor  ($159.99 @ NCIX) 

CPU Cooler: Enermax ETS-T40-TB 86.7 CFM CPU Cooler  ($36.98 @ Newegg Canada) 

Motherboard: Asus M5A99X EVO R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard  ($119.99 @ NCIX) 

Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($70.48 @ Newegg Canada) 

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($54.99 @ Canada Computers) 

Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 280 3GB WINDFORCE Video Card  ($229.99 @ NCIX) 

Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case  ($49.99 @ NCIX) 

Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($59.99 @ NCIX) 

Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer  ($16.79 @ DirectCanada) 

Monitor: AOC i2367Fh 60Hz 23.0" Monitor  ($139.99 @ NCIX) 

Total: $939.18

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-03 10:43 EDT-0400

 

the cpu cooler is a bit quieter, and better mobo

also much better PSU

 

 

Thanks! But isn't 750W a bit overkill?

[Manny Calavera]

Thanks! But isn't 750W a bit overkill?

not much tho when you OC that cpu and gpu. also that unit is very good.

[FourCorners]

I also forgot to ask, what are good bang for buck case fans?