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Can't decide between my own build and a combo, please help!

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  • Power Supplies
  • Graphics Cards
  • Build
  • Components
  • CPUs
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Build My Own or Buy The Combo?

Total: 5 votes

  • Build My Own
  • 20 %
  • Buy The Combo
  • 40 %
  • Do Something Else
  • 40 %
June 17, 2014 8:35:17 PM

So, I do have a thread going to help me pick out my own parts, I'll link it here but I found a combo that might make me go another way so I made a new thread so I could poll and have a more accurate title. http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2184750/cpu-cool...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?I...

AMD FX-8350 Black Edition Vishera 4.0GHz (4.2GHz Turbo) Socket AM3+ 125W 8-Core Desktop Processor FD8350FRHKBOX
GIGABYTE GA-990FXA-UD3 AM3+ AMD 990FX + SB950 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
GIGABYTE GV-R929WF3-4GD Radeon R9 290 4GB 512-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 HDCP Ready Video Card
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-1600C9S-8GXM
LG Black 16X BD-R 2X BD-RE 16X DVD+R 5X DVD-RAM 12X BD-ROM 4MB Cache SATA Blu-ray Burner WH16NS40
Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive Bare Drive
SAMSUNG 840 EVO MZ-7TE250BW 2.5" 250GB SATA 6Gb/s MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
XFX P1-850B-BEFX 850W ATX12V 2.2 & ESP12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Full Modular Active PFC Power Supply
Thermaltake Chaser Series Chaser MK-I (VN300M1W2N) Black SECC ATX Full Tower Computer Case

Newegg has this deal for “$1,378” and then discounted down to $1,250, is this a better setup than the one I have?

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Gfk84D

CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($174.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H55 57.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($114.00 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2400 Memory ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($89.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 280X 3GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($298.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (Gunmetal/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($88.27 @ OutletPC)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($102.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1229.15

I upgrade the 280x to a 290, the 120 gb SSD upgrades to a 250 gb, I get a blu-ray burner and the power supply seems to be better as well, in exchange for a decrease from 16 gb of ram down to 8 gb, and instead of my NZXT phantom case I get the thermaltake case, and I have to get an operating system.
The newegg deal seems to me to be the way to go, I could just sell the thermaltake case and get my NZXT case instead, and the pros and cons look like this:

Pros:
Better GPU (280x becomes 290)
Bigger SSD (130 more GB’s)
Get a nice dvd/blu ray (instead of my budget option)
Better power supply

Cons:
Decrease from 16 gb ram to 8 gb
Have to sell the thermaltake case to get the one I want.
Need to get an operating system ($100)

What stays the same:
AMD FX-8350
Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3
Hard drive

I know the difference between 8 and 16 GB wont matter that much, but as I use AutoCAD for school and am bad about having a million things going at once the 16 GB would definitely help, I could always get another 8 GB stick in the future. Let me know what you guys think, it’s so close I can’t decide which way to go :/  Thanks for all the help!

More about : decide build combo

a b ) Power supply
a b U Graphics card
a b à CPUs
June 17, 2014 8:38:40 PM

I wouldn't really say "better" power supply, the EVGA SuperNOVA is a great offering. In any case, I'd go with that combo.
a b ) Power supply
a b U Graphics card
a c 144 à CPUs
June 17, 2014 8:40:54 PM

Wow, this might be the first time ever that a Newegg super bundle actually has all half-descent parts. The only disadvantage I see here is that it's Vishera :D 

The first generation SUPERNOVA is mediocre, no where near the same quality as the G2.
Related resources
June 17, 2014 8:45:43 PM

It's hard to say, but that link says that the newegg one is unavalable :( 

i think you could prob tweak your build to make it better then the newegg one.
a b ) Power supply
a c 86 U Graphics card
a c 506 à CPUs
June 17, 2014 8:46:49 PM

Here is the best of all worlds.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/mgQMTW
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/mgQMTW/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($76.66 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial M500 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.92 @ Amazon)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 290 4GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($389.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (Gunmetal/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Power Supply: XFX 650W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1224.47
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-06-17 23:46 EDT-0400
June 17, 2014 9:18:25 PM

@bustarhymes: I don't know, the link worked for me I can put it in my cart... How would you tweak my original list to make it better? I could probably only spend $100 more at most.

@damric: which PSU are you referring to? I really just want something efficient and quiet
a b ) Power supply
a b U Graphics card
a c 144 à CPUs
June 17, 2014 10:14:12 PM

Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($88.27 @ OutletPC)

Don't get that one. The good SUPERNOVA is the G2/P2/T2, which starts at 750W.
June 17, 2014 10:39:23 PM

Yea the newegg one doesn't have liquid cooler or 16gb of ram so I was thinking you could drop those and get i5 and r9 290. But the newegg one also has blu-ray and a bigger SSD, so your computer would be better insome ways but not others.

The newegg one is actually priced pretty well, I'm not so sure you could beat it dollar for dollar but you could definately match it. It's up to you whether you want to buy the newegg one with the case you don't like or just build yourself.
June 18, 2014 1:57:08 PM

ah good god I forgot about the CPU cooler not being included :/  this makes it that much more tough. I think to get the newegg one, all told it would cost me $1,400 in the end, and I would still only have 8 GB of ram, in exchange for basically a better GPU and more SSD space. Now I'm leaning towards just building my own but I'm still wondering if I'm leaving value on the table here
a b ) Power supply
a c 86 U Graphics card
a c 506 à CPUs
June 18, 2014 6:51:19 PM

Orrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr you could get this which is better than either

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/mgQMTW
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/mgQMTW/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($76.66 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial M500 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.92 @ Amazon)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 290 4GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($389.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (Gunmetal/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 650W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1224.48
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-06-18 21:50 EDT-0400
June 18, 2014 8:28:35 PM

CTurbo: I appreciate the list, but this list lacks an SSD and a CPU Cooler and I have pretty much decided on the 8350, I think I'm definitely going that way. Decided on pretty much everything but the PSU, everything else is locked in:

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/DsjhmG

CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($169.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H55 57.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($65.48 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($109.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2400 Memory ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($89.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 280X 3GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($298.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (Gunmetal/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($88.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($102.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1228.36

I've read that the Seasonic 620 is a good, modular, energy efficient budget option. Anything wrong with it or some better PSU that I'm missing? If not I'm ordering this build tomorrow!
a b ) Power supply
a c 86 U Graphics card
a c 506 à CPUs
June 18, 2014 8:39:14 PM

Quote:
CTurbo: I appreciate the list, but this list lacks an SSD and a CPU Cooler and I have pretty much decided on the 8350, I think I'm definitely going that way. Decided on pretty much everything but the PSU, everything else is locked in:


What? It has both. It has a Crucial M500 240GB ssd, and the 4590 comes with a cpu cooler.

The 4590 is way faster than the FX8350 and the 290 is way faster than the 280x. I don't get it.
The 8350 is a 2 year old cpu on a 5 yr old platform. No upgrade path. Nothing.
The 4590 is only a few weeks old and the H97 motherboard will support the next generation of Intel cpus. Awesome upgrade path.

There is no advantage for getting the FX. Not even the price advantage which is supposedly the biggest thing it has in it's favor.






The SeaSonic 620w psu is GREAT, but that XFX 650w psu for $29 cheaper is also made by SeaSonic so it is also top notch.
a b ) Power supply
a b à CPUs
June 18, 2014 8:48:16 PM

CTurbo said:
Quote:
CTurbo: I appreciate the list, but this list lacks an SSD and a CPU Cooler and I have pretty much decided on the 8350, I think I'm definitely going that way. Decided on pretty much everything but the PSU, everything else is locked in:


What? It has both. It has a Crucial M500 240GB ssd, and the 4590 comes with a cpu cooler.

The 4590 is way faster than the FX8350 and the 290 is way faster than the 280x. I don't get it.
The 8350 is a 2 year old cpu on a 5 yr old platform. No upgrade path. Nothing.
The 4590 is only a few weeks old and the H97 motherboard will support the next generation of Intel cpus. Awesome upgrade path.

There is no advantage for getting the FX. Not even the price advantage which is supposedly the biggest thing it has in it's favor.






The SeaSonic 620w psu is GREAT, but that XFX 650w psu for $29 cheaper is also made by SeaSonic so it is also top notch.


You don't even have to worry about a few weeks old. It is coming out in stores in 7 days. The best part is that you should be able to get one straight off the bat as most people have the 4760 and do not have the money or the will to upgrade. :D 
June 19, 2014 9:10:06 AM

Sorry, completely missed the SSD in your list, I apologize.

I like this list a lot, is the 4590 better than the 8350 though? I have no bias towards brands, just trying to find the best one for the money, and it looks here like they are comparable, but the 4590 only beats the 8350 in single-core performance, and the 8350 kills the 4590 when overclocked, which I do plan on doing, also the 8 cores helps with multitasking which I am horrible at doing, so bias aside which one is right for me?

Getting the Intel lets me use the stock CPU cooler because I wont be overclocking, which lets me put that money into the 290, but with the 290 being only $60 more than the 280x that's an expense that I can fit into my budget and still stay right under $1,300

Also, I definitely like that PSU if it's cheaper and still efficient. Is it modular though? I tried finding some info on it but couldn't really find much

Thanks for all the help guys, I'm really close, going to make a decision and buy today.
June 19, 2014 9:34:27 AM

I think this is where I want to be. It seems like the fx-8350 is better after overclocking, and newegg actually has like 3 combos with this setup. I even got the xfx 290. Can this setup be beat for under $1,300?

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/tnwK23

CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($169.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H55 57.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($114.00 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($154.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial M500 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($53.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 290 4GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($369.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (Gunmetal/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 650W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($102.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1261.89
June 19, 2014 9:39:37 AM

I think you have a good system there. the r9 290 and the 240GB SSD i like a lot. Some people might argue the CPU but if you overclock it you should be fine for gaming.
a b ) Power supply
a b à CPUs
June 19, 2014 10:20:27 AM

The4rchitect said:
I think this is where I want to be. It seems like the fx-8350 is better after overclocking, and newegg actually has like 3 combos with this setup. I even got the xfx 290. Can this setup be beat for under $1,300?

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/tnwK23

CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($169.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H55 57.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($114.00 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($154.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial M500 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($53.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 290 4GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($369.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (Gunmetal/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 650W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($102.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1261.89


My friend has the same budget, and I HAVE A BUILD FOR HIM. Maybe this is good for you? Much better than the AMD CPU.
***THERE IS NO WINDOWS ON THIS ONE***


PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/XsyqBm
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/XsyqBm/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($339.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H55 57.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI Z97-GAMING 5 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($158.99 @ Mac Mall)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($77.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 760 4GB TWIN FROZR Video Card ($289.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Phantom (White/Red) ATX Full Tower Case ($112.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($95.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer ($19.55 @ Amazon)
Total: $1287.43
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-06-19 13:16 EDT-0400

The i7 has 4 cores w/ hyperthreading, which means it has 8 threads, same as the FX-8350. That aside, the i5 when overclocked can still beat the 8350. Now here is a copy with windows.

This build has an i5. BUT, when overclocked, it can still beat the 8350. At regular speeds, It can beat a overclocked 8350. This one DOES have windows. The above one was just to show the i7.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/LDTqBm
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/LDTqBm/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($239.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H55 57.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI Z97-GAMING 5 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($158.99 @ Mac Mall)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($77.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 760 4GB TWIN FROZR Video Card ($289.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Phantom (White/Red) ATX Full Tower Case ($112.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($95.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer ($19.55 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (32/64-bit) ($94.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1282.42
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-06-19 13:19 EDT-0400


Both of these builds can beat the 8350, at stock clocks or overclocked. Easily.
a b ) Power supply
a b U Graphics card
a b à CPUs
June 19, 2014 11:37:55 AM

XxD34THxX said:
Both of these builds can beat the 8350, at stock clocks or overclocked. Easily.


While that may be the case for single threaded programs, the 8350 is a fine chip. I'm running an 8350 at 4.2 GHz with an R9 290 and it works just fine for me. Don't buy into the hype that you have to have a 4770k or even a 4670k to game, because that's not the case at all. The 8350 is also a champ overclocker, and I've seen many people over at my other home overclock.net who have taken it well beyond 5.0GHz.
a b ) Power supply
a c 86 U Graphics card
a c 506 à CPUs
June 19, 2014 6:42:24 PM

I'm hard on the FX8350 because it is 2 years old. It's NOT a terrible chip, but it is NOT as good as the 4590, even when overclocked, no matter how high it's overclocked. The i5 is WAY stronger in single core performance, but it also has 4 cores which means that 90% of the time, it's not even close, and only when the FX is maxing all 8 cores, which is rare, will it even compete with i5. (the 4590 easily outperforms a 6 core FX6300 when it's 6 cores are maxed.)



I just don't see any reason to start a new build with old tech that pretty much requires overclocking as much as possible from the beginning because it's lacking in power(comparably). Again, the FX8350 is not a bad chip, there is just simply no advantage in getting it at this point.

A regular locked i5 will be great for years.
!