The Brick 2.0 - Need help and opinions

Atro_

Solid State Member
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Location
USA
So, I've finally figured out a budget that will allow me to purchase a PC, after having my tuition and books paid for, I'm glad to say that I have an extra ~$700 to build a computer that I can use for general gaming. I want to be able to run a few games on at least Medium graphics at the least, breaking the barrier between High. I've configured some parts and I'm wanting a second opinion on it before I start purchasing anything. I have two different setups here that I'm thinking about and I want help from you guys :D

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor
Motherboard: ASRock H97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard
RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600
Storage: Western Digital 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 280 3GB
PSU: Corsair CX 500W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply
Case: Cougar Volant (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case

Questions:
- With no OC intended, do you guys recommend an aftermarket cooler?
- I've been told around the internet a few times I should invest more into the PSU, will this PSU be sufficient?
- Will this system be able to handle gaming while streaming and recording? (Recording games such as Elder Scrolls Online, Torchlight 2, Minecraft, CoD/BF?

Thanks everyone!
 
Good setup but I would change a few things around to get a better video card.

The H97 board is kinda pointless unless you want an M.2 SSD later on, otherwise I suggest just getting an H81 board for about 40 bucks cheaper.

Buy the absolute cheapest 8GB 1600 set of RAM newegg has available for purchase when you are 100% ready to buy. This can save you anywhere from 10 to 30 bucks on RAM.

With the savings in mind I fully recommend trying for a GTX 770 for 2 reasons. It's faster than the 280, and Shadowplay really takes all the "PC work" out of streaming and recording. OBS and FRAPS for recording are heavy hitters on machines whereas Shadowplay when functioning properly takes pretty much 0 resources to stream or record 1080p.

To the PSU, It will handle the 770 or 280 but just remember it's a budget PSU and therefore should be treated as such. If your budget can't push the 770 even with getting cheaper RAM and the H81 board then at least go for a Seasonic S1211 620w.
 
The Asus H81 E is the one I have recommended to a few here with success.

As to RAM, not really. We are pretty much at the stage of DDR3 that anything works with anything. Usually Team is the cheapest and if it is go with it.

Another thing, idk if you have your heart set on that case, but for a little more the 200r to me is a superior case.
 
Hmm, not too dead set on the case, but what's your reasoning for the 200R being a better case? Also, I read online that the H81 E does not have a USB 3.0, which isn't a deal breaker for me :p But I'll definitely do some more research on it before I consider swapping out!
 
The H81 E doesn't have a USB 3 front header, but has plenty of USB3 ports in the back.

The 200r has a better setup for airflow, Corsair build quality, and IMO a much better designed HDD/SSD setup. Just personal preference though.
 
I see, I see. I'll consider that then :p What company do you recommend buying the GTX 770 from?
 
Hmm, I reconfigured the setup to fit in what you suggested but it took my system's price up about $30 :) It's not too bad of a jump but I would like to keep it minimal. Does the GPU listed have a real major advantage over the R9 280? Or GTX equivalent of it?
 
The 770 is a significant increase over the 280 as the 770's competitor would be the 280x, or 7970GHz edition. The 280 is a rebranded 7950.

The only other option below it would be the 760, while that or the 280 would stay in budget it is a good deal lower in performance. The Nvidia cards have the upper hand with Shadowplay since you want to stream and record.

This eVGA happens to be the cheapest 770 on Newegg right now.
EVGA GeForce GTX 770 DUAL SuperClocked 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 SLI Support w/ EVGA ACX Cooler Video Card 02G-P4-2776-KR - Newegg.com

So it's up to you. The 280 which has only a very slight advantage in performance compared to the 760, or get the 760 with Shadowplay compatibility while performing a good deal less than the 770.
 
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