Gaming PC Compatability Check

Solution
As far as compatibility, I think you are ok.

I might buy a cm hyper212 cooler for $30 instead.
The 92mm fan on the tx3 is noisy and not so effective.

Your r9-280 can do with a 550w psu.
If you are anticipating dual cards,
Here is my canned rant on planning for dual cards:
-----------------------------Start of rant----------------------------------------------------
Dual graphics cards vs. a good single card.

a) How good do you really need to be?
A single GTX650/ti or 7770 can give you good performance at 1920 x 1200 in most games.

A single GTX660 or 7850 will give you excellent performance at 1920 x 1200 in most games.
Even 2560 x 1600 will be good with lowered detail.
A single gtx690,7990, GTX780ti or R9-290X is about as...
As far as compatibility, I think you are ok.

I might buy a cm hyper212 cooler for $30 instead.
The 92mm fan on the tx3 is noisy and not so effective.

Your r9-280 can do with a 550w psu.
If you are anticipating dual cards,
Here is my canned rant on planning for dual cards:
-----------------------------Start of rant----------------------------------------------------
Dual graphics cards vs. a good single card.

a) How good do you really need to be?
A single GTX650/ti or 7770 can give you good performance at 1920 x 1200 in most games.

A single GTX660 or 7850 will give you excellent performance at 1920 x 1200 in most games.
Even 2560 x 1600 will be good with lowered detail.
A single gtx690,7990, GTX780ti or R9-290X is about as good as it gets for a single card.

Only if you are looking at triple monitor gaming, or a 4k monitor, might sli/cf will be needed.
Even that is now changing with triple monitor support on top end cards and stronger single card solutions.

b) The costs for a single card are lower.
You require a less expensive motherboard; no need for sli/cf or multiple pci-e slots.
Even a ITX motherboard will do.

Your psu costs are less.
A GTX660 needs a 430w psu, even a GTX780 only needs a 575w psu.
When you add another card to the mix, plan on adding 200w to your psu requirements.

Even the most power hungry GTX690 only needs 620w, or a 7990 needs 700w.

Case cooling becomes more of an issue with dual cards.
That means a more expensive case with more and stronger fans.
You will also look at more noise.

c) Dual gpu's do not always render their half of the display in sync, causing microstuttering. It is an annoying effect.
The benefit of higher benchmark fps can be offset, particularly with lower tier cards.
Read this: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-geforce-stutter-crossfire,2995.html

d) dual gpu support is dependent on the driver. Not all games can benefit from dual cards.

e) dual cards up front reduces your option to get another card for an upgrade. Not that I suggest you plan for that.
It will often be the case that replacing your current card with a newer gen card will offer a better upgrade path.
The high end Maxwell and amd 8000 or 9000 series are due the end of the year or next year.
-------------------------------End of rant-----------------------------------------------------------

Lastly, the FX-8350 is ok for a budget cpu. But... you have no upgrade path. If you have any inkling at all that you may want more cpu capability, then starting with a similarly priced intel quad would give you upgrade options.
 
Solution
[PCPartPicker part list](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/GFZVGX) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/GFZVGX/by_merchant/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i54670k) | $219.99 @ Amazon
**CPU Cooler** | [Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-cpu-cooler-rr212e20pkr2) | $29.98 @ OutletPC
**Motherboard** | [ASRock Fatal1ty Z97 Killer ATX LGA1150 Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-fatal1tyz97killer) | $134.99 @ Newegg
**Memory** | [G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f317000cl11d8gbsr) | $84.98 @ OutletPC
**Storage** | [PNY XLR8 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/pny-internal-hard-drive-ssd9sc240gmdarb) | $109.38 @ NCIX US
**Video Card** | [Sapphire Radeon R9 280X 3GB Dual-X Video Card](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/sapphire-video-card-100363l) | $249.99 @ Newegg
**Case** | [Antec Nine Hundred ATX Mid Tower Case](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/antec-case-ninehundred) | Purchased For $69.99
**Power Supply** | [XFX 850W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-power-supply-p1850snlb9) | $69.99 @ NCIX US
**Optical Drive** | [LG UH12NS30 Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/lg-optical-drive-uh12ns30) | $39.99 @ Newegg
**Operating System** | [Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit)](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/microsoft-os-gfc02050) | $88.98 @ OutletPC
**Monitor** | [Asus VX228H 60Hz 21.5" Monitor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-monitor-vx228h) | $119.99 @ Newegg
**Keyboard** | [Razer Blackwidow 2014 Wired Gaming Keyboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/razer-keyboard-rz0300392800r3u1) | $95.14 @ NCIX US
| | **Total**
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available | $1313.39

did a few modifications to give u more futureproofing and upgrade paths :)


 

trnrbrn

Reputable
Jun 30, 2014
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