$900~ gaming: 1080p / High settings

gordostacoshop

Honorable
Jan 14, 2013
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10,560
A friend of mine is wants to build a gaming rig for around $900. He doesn't care about mining, and doesn't need to do anything but game. He initially played on mine and said he would love something identical, but I talked him into future-proofing a little. (I have an FX6300 and GTX 760) I bought him the NZXT H440 for his birthday, so the case is covered. Here's what I came up with:

CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($179.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($30.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus M5A99FX PRO R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($67.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($64.99 @ Micro Center)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($339.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: NZXT H440 (White/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case (Purchased For $0.00)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX750B BRONZE 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($69.99 @ Micro Center)
Total: $928.91

I also threw together an Intel system, though admittedly, I'm not all that familiar:

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($227.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($30.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI Z87-G45 Gaming ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($134.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($63.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($64.99 @ Micro Center)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($319.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: NZXT H440 (White/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case (Purchased For $0.00)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $942.91

Which one would stretch him further for gaming? Or, if there are changes you would recommend to either system, please indulge me.
 

combine1237

Honorable
Jul 19, 2012
808
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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($227.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($30.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty Z87 Killer ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: GeIL EVO Veloce Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($62.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Sandisk Ultra Plus 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($69.97 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($309.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $946.88
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-29 23:05 EDT-0400)

I changed the parts around so he has a solid semi-modular power supply which antec has built from seasonic.
 
Solution

gordostacoshop

Honorable
Jan 14, 2013
37
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10,560
Ok, so I was on the right track at least :p Is the CM 212 evo ok for minor OCing on the i5? Also, is the GTX 770 better than the AMD alternative for longevity? (like with mantle if it gains steam) He's the type that would sooner stretch a pc 5 years sans upgrades, than upgrade little by little... hence, the 8-core build.

Thanks for the quick reply :)