Building a budget gaming PC

[RFtheMAN]

Hi everyone,

I'm new here and quite a noob concerning building gaming rigs. I have already scoured the forum and collecting some info. So I came up with a configuration and was wondering if you guys/girls approve? I have to mention, that I'm on a tight budget though. As I already mentioned, I intend to use the pc mainly for gaming (new releases).

CPU: AMD FX-4300
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO
GPU: XFX Radeon HD 7870 Double D
PSU: XFX Core Edition PRO 550W
MOBO: GIGABYTE GA-990-FXA-UD3
RAM: Corsair Value Select DDR3 1600Mhz (2x4GB)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 Plus
HDD: WD Caviar Green 2TB

I have also read that Intel outperforms AMD. But I was wondering if the FX-4300 is going to bottleneck my system; when I'm playing games?

 

[stickmansam]

The seagate 2tb is cheaper and faster than the green drive
I would get better ram for only a bit more
You can get a cheaper case since the MB doesn't have USB3 headers (Not that the 921 supports them)(cases with USB3 front panel are about $10-15 more)(you can get other cases too if you like)
ASUS MB over the gigabyte one due to pricing (similar build quality and power delivery [AFAIK])
I would spend up to get the 7870XT (there is a $5 less one wbut worse cooling) and the FX6300
Overall it is cheaper than your planned build

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($129.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($31.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus M5A99X EVO R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston Predator Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($97.59 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 XT 2GB Video Card ($244.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $744.52
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-02-23 21:43 EST-0500)

Your original planned build for comparison

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-4300 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor ($109.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($31.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($133.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($39.00 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Green 2TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($98.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7870 2GB Video Card ($232.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $761.90
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-02-23 21:46 EST-0500)