Comments/concerns on this All-around AMD build

Alecanto11b

Honorable
Dec 28, 2013
9
0
10,510
In the past i used an Intel/Nvidia build but for what I payed I never quite felt like I had recieved my money's worth, and ended up selling it for a nice return. After extensive research I am convinced AMD can better fulfill my need for a great all-around PC for around 1000$ (not including case, optical drive, or high-capacity storage drive because I already have those from an older build, monitor will come later as I plan on using my T.V. initially). I do alot of gaming, mainly strategy titles like Total War (Rome 1+2, Medieval 2 are my faves, and still enjoy older games like Knights of Honor and Stronghold), and also BF4 and The Witcher series. I have rarely spent more than 30$ on a game so I am not looking for something that can play Watch Dogs at max settings (which I've read is another poorly optimized Ubisoft title anyways). Witcher 3 will probably be the exception, so hopefully this will achieve good performance there. I am also a begginer programmer with the intent of doing game development in the near future so I am defintitly open to suggestions there in terms of software that I could use. I plan on gaming at 1080p/120 Hz but I am still waiting to find a good value on a Monitor, so I'll worry about that later. Also I will be doing some light overclocking. The case I have is a Thermaltake Urban S21 mid-tower but I'm pretty sure there won't be any issues with fitting everything inside. Here are the components I have decided on:

CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus Sabertooth 990FX R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($170.30 @ Amazon)
Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($72.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 290 4GB PCS+ Video Card ($399.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($64.99 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit)
Total: $1008.24
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-07-31 02:51 EDT-0400

Another note: I use Amazon Prime exclusively because I am stationed in Hawaii and otherwise the shipping would be absurd. Also I get $100 back in rewards for every $1000 I spend so $1100 is the absolute limit.
Thanks in advance for all help.
 

Alecanto11b

Honorable
Dec 28, 2013
9
0
10,510
I appreciate the input on the GPU cooler and the size of the CM Hyper 212 EVO and I will absolutely look into that. But I am not convinced the i5 is a better value for being about $50 more. Unless you can provide evidence with the specific titles I mentioned than I will stick to the 8350, this is an AMD build and I am not interested in creating another Intel vs. AMD thread. Also, I don't have a problem with Win 8 because it worked well in my last build but recently I've been using 7 on my old laptop and I just find it is a better fit for me and can be had for a little bit cheaper.