New cheaper then $800ish Budget gaming build

Robert Thomas

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Aug 15, 2013
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Hey Everybody, first time builder here been wanting to do a gaming rig for a while but been to scared to have a go. i have gone and found my parts i would really like others opinions on my build. make sure i have listed everything not missing anything and is going to be compatible or if there is a cheaper/better option of gpu or mobo before i go ahead and start buying the parts. i want something that will be fast to do day to day needs but also be able to keep up with playing some of the newer games ( skyrim, COD, Diablo III, WOW, few examples) preferably at the highest graphics.

Budget Range: $1000 MAX!!!!! if cheaper would be very happy

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, and day to day pc use (internet, office, downloading)

Are you buying a monitor: Not atm will probably look into a HD monitor in the future.

Do you need to buy OS: Yes, Windows 7 or Windows 8??????


Preferred Website(s) for Parts: i have only based all my parts on newegg. but i am happy to use any site with paypal and cheap postage to Australia. or local business is better.

Location: Adelaide, South Australia, AUS

Parts Preferences: I am thinking of intel i5 4670k. but if somebody can suggest a better option i am open to ideas.

Overclocking: Maybe

SLI or Crossfire: Yes

Additional Comments: Prefer it to be quiet running, but still be running cool.

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: Wanting to get into pc gaming but my current pc is FAR from up to it running a pentium 4 dual core with my outdated motherboard. decided it is time to retire this old machine for something more up to date.

PARTS LIST:

CASE:
COUGAR Challenger Black Steel ATX Computer Case with 12cm COUGAR TURBINE HYPER-SPIN Bearing Silent Fans and 20cm LED Fan
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811553008

MOTHERBOARD:
MSI Z87-G45 Gaming LGA 1150 Intel Z87 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Pro Gaming with Killer Networking & Sound Blaster Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130693

CPU:
Intel Core i5-4670K Haswell 3.4GHz LGA 1150 84W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics BX80646I54670K
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116899

GPU:
MSI N650ti-2GD5/OC BE GeForce GTX 650 Ti BOOST 2GB 192-bit GDDR5 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127730

OR

MSI R7870-2GD5T/OC Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127722&Tpk=msi%207870

PSU:
Antec High Current Gamer Series HCG-750 750W ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V v2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Intel Haswell Fully Compatible
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371049

HARD DRIVE:
Western Digital WD Blue WD10EZEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822236339

RAM:
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231428

DVD DRIVE:
LITE-ON Black 12X BD-R 2X BD-RE 16X DVD+R 12X DVD-RAM 8X BD-ROM SATA 12X Blu-ray Burner with Blu Ray 3D Feature IHBS112-04 - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106369

CPU COOLER:
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R2 Continuous Direct Contact 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler Compatible with latest Intel 2011/1366/1155 and AMD FM1/FM2/AM3+
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099

THERMAL:
Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver Thermal Compound AS5-3.5G - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835100007
 
Solution
Looks pretty good to me. You could basically use a bit more graphics juice so a 7870 or GTX760 would be nice.
However I'm sure it's a cost issue. Even on the 650Ti at least D3 will run great, no doubt wow will as well, not sure about highest graphics for the rest of the stuff.

Unless you specifically need the bluray drive that might be a place to get some more budget for graphics and get a DVD burner instead.

rvilkman

Distinguished
Looks pretty good to me. You could basically use a bit more graphics juice so a 7870 or GTX760 would be nice.
However I'm sure it's a cost issue. Even on the 650Ti at least D3 will run great, no doubt wow will as well, not sure about highest graphics for the rest of the stuff.

Unless you specifically need the bluray drive that might be a place to get some more budget for graphics and get a DVD burner instead.
 
Solution

Robert Thomas

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Aug 15, 2013
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thanx for the reply rivlkman. i will take that in to consideration about the graphics cards might have a look might not need the bluray drive as i am getting 1 for my htpc. just spend that extra on the graphics card and it will be good? thanx alot

 

Robert Thomas

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Aug 15, 2013
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thanx i will defiantly look at a 7870 graphics card then and lower psu. apart from that all else is good tho?

 
Another consideration is to get a Ivy Bridge CPU/mobo. I know it was "last" year but it will perform the same as a i5-4670k in gaming. Also, the Z77 mobos have worked out all the kinks and are great. (had a year to perfect and update) This could save you at least $30. That might allow you to get a MSI 760.

Do you have the Sapphire 7870XT model in AUS? It sits between a 7870 and 7950.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202024
 

Robert Thomas

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Aug 15, 2013
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You won't regret getting the i5-3570k + Extreme 4. Excellent quality. You'll easily reach 4.4GHz on this build. Also, extra money throw it onto the GPU. If possible, grab a 7950 on sale. Nvidia released a 760 and 770, so AMD has slashed a lot of prices to compete with the new Nvidia GPUs. It's a great time to be buying a GPU.

What GPUs are you looking at?
 
I am not sure how you fitted all those parts under that budget. I mean the best I was able to plan on au.pcpartpicker.com was this.

Note : If you are looking at prices of Newegg, they would vary a lot from the prices of your country. So if you are taking the newegg.com as a reference then you are very wrong. The price difference is a lot between newegg.com and prices at australia.

Anyways this was the best I was able to plan and still going above the budget. I am not sure how you fitted the 4670k and every bells and whistles in that budget.

Anyways did you mean 1000 US Dollars which equals to 1107.05 Australian Dollar

Anyways here is the best build I was able to plan from au.pcpartpicker.com for around that budget.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Mwave Australia)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($39.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Motherboard: ASRock 970 EXTREME4 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($119.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Memory: Kingston HyperX 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($85.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($72.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card ($235.00 @ Scorptec)
Case: Thermaltake VM600M1W2Z ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Mwave Australia)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($89.00 @ PLE Computers)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($25.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($115.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Total: $1028.98
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-08-23 01:57 EST+1000)

I cannot get the prices any lower without compromising.
 
If you can live without overclocking

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4430 3.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($212.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B85M-HD3 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($89.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($89.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($72.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card ($235.00 @ Scorptec)
Case: Thermaltake VM600M1W2Z ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Mwave Australia)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($89.00 @ PLE Computers)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($25.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($115.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Total: $985.99
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-08-23 02:04 EST+1000)

Still it is literally impossible to fit in 4670k + Z87 board + CPU Cooler + 660 under the 1000 AUD budget.
 

Rafeed Iqbal

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Apr 8, 2013
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i agree with sangeet, if OP is buying in australia, don't you think pc part picker australia be better to compare prices than newegg america?

but build wise, all these builds have weak gpus and comparatively overpowered cpus.

IMO the fx-6300 + gtx 760/7970 is the sub $1000 OC (non sli) king.this is what i'd get:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($139.95 @ Mwave Australia)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($39.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Motherboard: ASRock 970 EXTREME4 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($119.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Memory: Kingston Blu 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($85.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($72.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($309.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Case: Corsair Carbide Series 300R Windowed ATX Mid Tower Case ($109.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 520W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($89.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($25.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($115.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Total: $1101.95
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-08-23 04:24 EST+1000)


if you wan't intel and no oc:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4430 3.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($212.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Motherboard: ASRock H87 Performance ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($125.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($89.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($72.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Video Card: Asus Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card ($285.00 @ Scorptec)
Case: Corsair Carbide Series 300R Windowed ATX Mid Tower Case ($109.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 520W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($89.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($25.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($115.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Total: $1121.00
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-08-23 04:42 EST+1000)

 
Well.. you are hundred dollars above the budget. Keep that in mind. You should not exceed the budget. 30-40 dollars are quite okay but going 100 dollars above the budget is not an option, when he wants to keep it as low as possible.

Also here are some questions for the OP.

1. Do you mean 1000 US Dollars or 1000 Australian Dollars? Please clarify
2. Would you overclock? Yes or No (Maybe is a bit confusing as it does not clear what you want.)
3. AMD or Intel and why?
 

Robert Thomas

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Aug 15, 2013
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Thanx to everybody who has replied I am going to try to get all you questions answered.

First of all I ment au$ but I wasnt sure of a good site to start looking at the parts and this forum seemed to use newegg a bit so I thought newegg was a good srarting place. This post was more of a parts list. To make sure i have everything i needed. Once I have got my completed parts list I will then start looking more local and start shopping around newegg was more of a guide but by the sounds of it not the best 1 to use.
Would you recommend buying from newegg or thier prices arent that good?

I will go and check out pc part picker au for a better idea for au prices.

I dont have a preference between intel or amd. Intel was just my starting point but if there is a better amd cpu for a similar price please do tell.

I said maybe to overclocking as I have never really looked into it. And have no exp with it but I would want to give it a go if it is easy enough to do.

my budget is not 100% as it is more buying the parts over a few weeks so if it has to cost more it will just be a couple more weeks before it gets completed.

I have realized I probably dont need a dvd drive or the hard drive as I can re use the 1 from my current pc.

And as for operating system I have got both windows 7 and windows 8 I can install. So i dont need to buy that either. I havent yet used windows 8 so I was unsure of what people thing of it without having the touch screen experience.

thanx for all the answers and questions much appreciated
 
Thanks for clearing in all the doubts, so for your need, this is the build I suggest you to go with.

+ 7970 is much better than the 660 (660 < 7870 (all the versions) < 660ti < 7950 < 670 < 760 < 7970). Quite a lot difference there.
+ 650W PSU is Ideal for overclocking in the future
+ A 990FX would give you much more ability to overclock.
+ 8350 is better than the 8320 if you are planning to overclock in the future.

So, my advice would be to get this build and run at stock speeds and overclock in the future when you feel like you need the extra performance.

Anyways as for now, this build is pretty much an awesome build for gaming and I would have no problem in recommending this build for gaming.

This can play any game you throw at it at Very-High Ultra at well above 40 (even more) Frames Per Second. It is much better than the 660 + 8320 build.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($235.00 @ Mwave Australia)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($39.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Motherboard: ASRock 990FX Extreme3 ATX AM3+/AM3 Motherboard ($136.08 @ Mwave Australia)
Memory: Kingston HyperX 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($85.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($375.00 @ PLE Computers)
Case: Thermaltake VM600M1W2Z ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Mwave Australia)
Power Supply: XFX 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($104.00 @ PLE Computers)
Total: $1034.07
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-08-23 15:10 EST+1000)

I hope this helps. Take a look at the build and tell me what you think about it. Your feedback would be highly appreciated.
 

Rafeed Iqbal

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Apr 8, 2013
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sangeet's build is okay, but you can easily fit a intel cpu into your new budget :

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($263.00 @ Mwave Australia)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($39.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($119.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($89.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($375.00 @ PLE Computers)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 335 Upgraded ATX Mid Tower Case ($45.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($89.00 @ PLE Computers)
Total: $1019.00
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-08-23 15:25 EST+1000)

plus this will scale very well with crossfire, if you want to crossfire in the future plus it will oc better than a new haswell cpu.

this will beat any amd build with a equivalent gpu, mobo, ram, etc. in most games as it's per core performance is better. only in games which make use of all of the FX-8350's cores do you see the amd chip being able to compete.

the psu in my build is sufficient, if your worried about that.

the ram sangeet has chosen is using a little too much voltage (1.65V) so i changed that.

the case in my build is not the best but is okay and will work well, if you could stretch your budget a bit maybe you could get a bitfenix merc alpha or whatnot.

the mobo is the intel equivalent of the one sangeet has chosen. It will oc well, and has sli support.

i agree with sangeet about the gpu.

the cpu cooler in both our builds are good enough to oc the cpu a bit.
 
1. I prefer AMD More.

2. You simply cannot crossfire with a 550W PSU.

3. 1.65 Voltage is no problem with AMD CPU's. Intel CPU's require less than 1.58 Volts, but 1.65 Volts is good with AMD CPU's, hence that is not little too much voltage it is no problem at all. Just because PCPartPicker says that 1.65 Volt is too much for a haswell CPU does not mean that it is not suitable with an AMD CPU. The RAM is just fine for an AMD Build.

4. Motherboard has SLI support but I am not sure why you are pointing out that because he has a AMD GPU which is technically Crossfiring, and with a 550W PSU, you cannot crossfire.

5. That case I do not recommend. The CM Elite Series is as bad as it can get.

6. Also can you tell me what is wrong with the AMD?
 

Rafeed Iqbal

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Apr 8, 2013
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sli/crossfire is basically the same and the mobo supports both.

if that case is so bad, op can get the one you chose.

i simply did not tell him crossfire as soon as he gets the pc.

the 550w will easily do single gpu, when he wants to CF he can get another psu.

why intel is better:
http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/core_i5_3570k_review,21.html

one of the many reviews which show the 3570k outperforming the amd processors.

 
Well.. the 7970 and 8350 can handle every game that is out right now without a problem.

And for the next gen games the AMD would be better as the next gen games are sure to utilize more than 4 cores that is when the Multi Threaded performance of the 8350 would help him.

Since it can handle any current game at 50+ FPS easily at very high - ultra setting and it would be much better than i5 on the next gen games.

Hence my vote goes to 8350 because it is still a beast for current games and it is much better for the next gen games than any i5 on the market.

So I would stick to the 8350. It is cheaper and more future proof for gaming.
 

Rafeed Iqbal

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Apr 8, 2013
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oh really? why are you so sure ? where's your source? how many years have you been working in the game development industry?
how do you even know that the 8 core cpu in the next gen consoles are so similar to the 8350?

the 8350 is a great cpu for those who can't fit an intel k series cpu into their budget, but op can.

when op is saving no money by going the amd route, why should he?
 

sacara21

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Jul 16, 2013
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CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme6 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($174.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($72.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($249.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Cougar Challenger-B (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($60.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B3ST/BLK/G/AS DVD/CD Writer ($25.64 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1009.53
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-08-23 12:25 EDT-0400)

Here is a build that is *slightly* over your budget. It keeps the 4670k and the RAM and case that you wanted. As for the MOBO, it is on a combo deal with the processor for $45 off, making a $190 mobo, $145. If you need to cut the budget even more you can choose a different motherboard. For a cheaper alternative I suggest the MSI G43. It is the mobo I use and it is pretty good. Doesn't have as many options as the G45 gaming edition, but it is a solid board. Also I added a gtx 760. I have chose EVGA as the manufacturer so you can keep your budget down. Personally, I have this card as well (the EVGA rendition) and it works like a dream. But since I have gotten it everyone has told me I should have gone with the Gigabyte WIndforce version.

All in all this build keeps many of the original parts you wanted and also you have room for cheaper options on your MOBO, RAM, Case. Good luck!

EDIT: Just saw that you meant AUD. I will refine this build with AUD and repost when I get home.