VGA died- new setup needed, looking for some advice

[Deleted]

Hello!

My old VGA died a few days ago, and since I have a fairly old system (core 2 duo cpu, ddr2 ram etc), I decided to build a new rig.

My goals for the new setup:

• Decent single screen 1080p gaming (MMOs and new, more demanding games like BF4,GTA V)
• Be futureproof for about 2-3years (not necessarily ultra or high settings, but being able to handle new releases at medium or so)

I live in a country with 27% sales tax, so computer parts are significantly more expensive, that’s why I won’t be able to say a limit for the setup in $.

That being said, I have this config in mind:

CPU: Intel i5 4690 (I don’t plan on OCing my CPU)
MOBO: ASUS H97 Plus
RAM: 8GB or 16GB DDR3 1600Mhz (Probably Corsair Vengeance or Kingston HyperX Fury)
VGA: AMD Radeon R9 280 3GB OC or R9 280X or Nvidia GTX770 (Probably would choose the Gigabyte Windforce editions of the AMD cards, and maybe the ASUS DirectCUII for the 770)

Already have (from my current build): Western Digital Blue 1TB HDD, 240Gb Kingston V-Series SSD, LG Flatron 2442V monitor, a Sharkoon VG4-W chassis and a Corsair CX600 600W psu.

I would be glad if you could share some advice with me regarding the following questions:


1. As the price difference between the 8 and 16Gb ram is about the same as the price difference between R9 280 and 280X/770, I don’t know if it would be better to have an R9 280 and 16gigs of ram, or 280x/770 and only 8 Gbs of ram?

2. If you think I should go with the more expensive VGAs, would you recommend a 770 with only 2Gbs of VRAM, or a 280X with 3 GB? I see some games asking for more than 2GB for higher settings even now, and I expect their numbers to rise in the years to come. (I can only afford the 2gb version of the gtx770)

3. Since I don’t plan on OC-ing my CPU, it is my understanding that a motherboard with a H97 chipset would suffice and it would be a waste to buy a Z97 one and a 4690K cpu. Please correct me if I’m mistaken!



Thank you for reading this post, and thank you for your replies in advance! Also, please don't hesitate to point out any major flaws you see with my planned build!

[Edit: Sorry, I thought I posted this in the appropriate sub-forum]

[Deleted]

The short version is: Get rid of the Builder PSU. I'd change to something like the XFX Pro 550w or even the 650, if you drop your RAM down to 8GB. Every other choice is adequate, but you're losing something by not OCing in 'futureproofing' performance. I'd also consider stretching for the GTX970 over the 770 and the 280X, but that would mean leaving in the PSU, which I'm very wary of, if I'm honest.

[Deleted]

Thanks for the input. I have read some bad reviews about the corsair cx series psu, and since the XFX PRO 650 costs roughly the same, I will go for that one. The reason why I didn't want to OC the CPU is because it voids the warranty, but I guess I could opt for a 4690K and a Z97 chipset mobo at a minimal cost increase. I would love a gtx970 but it's out of my budget at the moment.

[TheDeeGee]

As for a PSU i recommend only Corsair or Seasonic.

Don't cheap put on a PSU, it's heart of your System and can make or break it.

I have a Seasonic Platinum 760 myself.

[Remilia]

-Some- Corsair PSU are okay.

Thanks for the input. I have read some bad reviews about the corsair cx series psu, and since the XFX PRO 650 costs roughly the same, I will go for that one. The reason why I didn't want to OC the CPU is because it voids the warranty, but I guess I could opt for a 4690K and a Z97 chipset mobo at a minimal cost increase. I would love a gtx970 but it's out of my budget at the moment.

Eh, can OC it once warranty runs out for extra performance. >.>