Best bang for your buck? Looking for build advice!

Does this look like a solid build for the price?
If anyone has suggestions, I could ditch the case and pocket an extra $100 to swap out some parts, but the total has to stay around $1667 (though I might budge a little if a killer deal pops up). In the end, I decided to go with Intel since I can overclock them, and I'm planning on picking up a new cooler anyway (I’ve been using a Scythe Yasya, but that’s going with my old rig). From what I can tell, the gap between the 6300 and the beefier models is negligible—it seems like the only real difference is a slightly higher stock OC, and I can just run it cooler myself when I'm just downloading stuff or doing background rendering.

Intel FX-Series X6 6300 3.5GHz,14MB,95W,AM3+ $275
HDD Seagate 1TB, Serial ATA III, 7200 rpm $139
MSI R9 270X GAMING 4GB GDDR5 256bit $0.55
ASUS M5A97 R2.0, AM3,AM3+, Intel 970, SB950, $195
DDR3 8GB (2x4GB) Kingston, HyperX Blue, 1600MHz, CL9 $195
Corsair 550W, CS550M Modular PSU, 550 Watt, ATX $199
Coolermaster K280, MIDI, black, USB 3.0, no PS $100

Total $1652

Why I picked this GPU: I do graphic design work—Adobe Photoshop, the occasional AutoCAD session, stuff like that. Since the price jump wasn't massive, I figured the 4GB version was the smarter play.
(Handling 300 layers in a .psd at 300 dpi should be smooth enough, especially since Photoshop utilizes GPU resources way better than it used to a few years back.)

Regarding the RAM: is this enough, and would there be a noticeable difference between a single 8GB stick versus 2x4GB (considering the $3.25 difference and CL10 vs CL9, plus losing dual-channel mode)?

I'm assuming the Corsair 550w modular PSU is plenty? If I remember right, the rating is 80 Plus Gold.

I'm not sweating the hard drive right now, but since I'm selling my old setup, I definitely need something for storage.

So, the big question: should I pull the trigger on this whole setup, or swap something out and save $100 by skipping the case? (I could always throw together a DIY box at home, but I'd really like to finally have something decent.)

Thanks in advance!

It would be a smart move to grab a cooler right away; this heat is brutal, and your system is going to run incredibly hot, especially during rendering sessions (plus, it’ll get loud). You can easily offset that cost by saving money on the power supply—an EVGA 450 at roughly $120 is more than enough. However, if you really want to spend that cash on a high-end unit (Gold rated), I’d personally recommend the EVGA 450 (it isn't modular, but it's a superior PSU), or if you absolutely need modularity, go with the SS-450G
.
Also, when it comes to AutoCAD, the graphics card isn't actually a big deal (assuming you're doing 2D work), 2D, though 3D depends on your source
.
For Adobe Photoshop, you're better off choosing NVIDIA to take advantage of CUDA technology. clickhere
.
Based on all of this, the best value for your money would be the GTX 650 (or the GTX 750 if you plan on doing any light gaming, since it offers better performance for just a little more). Anything above those models offers diminishing returns. Of course, the GTX 270 is significantly better for gaming, but if that's not your priority, stick to the ones mentioned to save money—that way, you can afford an FX 8320, which is a much better CPU for rendering and overall performance.

Additionally, for about the same price, you could pick up a Z3 or Z3+ case, which comes with 3 or 4 fans included.

1 x ASUS M5A97 R2.0, AM3,AM3+, Intel 970, SB950, BUS 5200 MHz, DDR3
1 x Intel FX-Series X6 6300 3.5GHz,14MB,95W,AM3+, FD6300WMHK
1 x DDR3 8GB (1x8GB) Crucial, 1600MHz CL11
1 x TOSHIBA 1TB, 7200rpm, SATA 6 Gb/s, 32MB, DT01ACA100
1 x Napajanje XFX TS Series 550W PSU -P1550S-XXB9
1 x Zalman Z9 U3 mid tower case. 207(W) x 464(H) x 504(D)mm
1 x DVD upisivač Samsung SH-224DB SATA Bulk Black, SATA
1 x Sapphire R9280X 3GB OC Dual-X, 3GB GDDR5 384bit, 28nm
1 x CoolerMaster Hyper TX3, LGA775/1156 and Intel 754/939/940/AM2/AM3

$1675
www.newegg.com

Timothy Kim60 said:...

Look, rendering isn't my main priority here, so I decided to cut some corners and go with a six-core setup instead.
I don't really care about CUDA technology, but thanks for the heads-up anyway. My main focus here is just gaming, so I'm looking for a modular power supply with a little extra headroom on the wattage. 🙂.

Robert Rodriguez2 said:I’ve got one ASUS M5A97 R2.0 on hand—it's an AM3/AM3+ board running that Intel 970 chipset with the SB950, supports up to 5200 MHz and DDR3.
I've got one Intel FX-Series X6 6300, 3.5GHz, 14MB, 95W, AM3+.
Just one stick of DDR3 8GB Crucial RAM, running at 1600MHz with CL11 latency.
One 1TB Toshiba hard drive—7200rpm, SATA 6 Gb/s, with 32MB cache (Model: DT01ACA100).
1 x XFX TS Series 550W PSU -P1550S-XXB9
One Zalman Z9 U3 mid-tower case. Dimensions: 8.15" (W) x 18.27" (H) x 19.84" (D).
I've got one Samsung SH-224DB SATA Bulk Black DVD burner on my hands—standard SATA interface.
I've got one Sapphire R9280X 3GB OC Dual-X sitting here—it’s the 3GB GDDR5 version with that 384-bit bus and the 28nm architecture.
I've got one CoolerMaster Hyper TX3 on hand—it fits LGA775, 1156, and all those various Intel and AMD sockets like 754, 939, 940, AM2, and AM3.

$1675
I can't believe I'm even looking at this site right now. It’s like trying to navigate a maze designed by someone who hates efficiency. Everything about this interface feels outdated—it's clunky, unintuitive, and honestly, just a headache to deal with. You'd think in this day and age, an official American government portal would actually function without feeling like a relic from the nineties. It’s frustrating when you're just trying to get things done and the technology keeps getting in your way. Total mess.

I don't give a damn about CD/DVD drives. Seriously, what's the actual point of picking up a Z9 case? I've already got a solid front panel that works just fine, and honestly, I couldn't care less about how the rig looks. All I care about is raw performance. Why would I bother?
I’m stuck in this loop of indecision—should I go with the AMD 280 or the GTX 270?

What do you guys think about this build? I’m actually considering cannibalizing an old case to use as a custom stand for the motherboard and HDDs—just gonna DIY something up and build a little homebrew rig.
I've got one kit of DDR3 8GB (2x4GB) Kingston HyperX Blue, running at 1600MHz with CL9 timings.
I’ve got one ASUS R9280X sitting here—it's an AMD Radeon card, PCIe 3.0, with 3GB of VRAM.
Intel FX-Series X6 6300 3.5GHz, 14MB, 95W, AM3+ FD6300WMHK
I've got one XFX TS Series 550W PSU (P1550S-XXB9) up for grabs.
Just one 1TB Seagate hard drive, SATA III, spinning at 7200 rpm (Model ST1000DM003).
I’ve got one Scythe Ashura SCASR-1000 here. It’s an older model, compatible with a bunch of different sockets like 775, 1155, 1156, 1366, and those old AM2/AM2+/AM series setups.
$1621 In the BIOS.
Would this PSU actually hold up for this CPU and GPU combo? I'm assuming there isn't a massive power gap between the 280 and the 280x, right?

Daniel Lee14 said:I'm not doing heavy rendering, so I went with a six-core compromise.
I don't care about CUDA technology, but thanks for the heads up. This is mainly for gaming, and I wanted a modular power supply with some extra headroom 🙂.

Don't need a CD/DVD drive. Why bother with a Z9 case? I've already got a solid front panel, and looks don't matter to me—just performance.
Stuck between choosing the AMD 280 or the GTX 270.

What do you guys think of this build? (I'm actually thinking about gutting an old case to make a DIY stand for my motherboard and HDDs, then just slapping this together as a hobby project.
1 x DDR3 8GB (2x4GB) Kingston, HyperX Blue, 1600MHz, CL9
1 x ASUS R9 280X-DC2T-3GD5, AMD Radeon, R9280X, PCIe 3.0, 3072 MB
1 x Intel FX-Series X6 6300 3.5GHz,14MB,95W,AM3+, FD6300WMHK
1 x EVGA 450 PSU -P1550S-XXB9
1 x HDD Seagate 1TB, Serial ATA III, 7200 rpm, ST1000DM003
1 x SCYTHE Ashura SCASR-1000, s. 2011/775/1155/1156/1366/AM2/AM2+/AM
$1621 from Micro Center.
Will this PSU handle this CPU+GPU combo? (Assuming there isn't much difference between the 280 and 280x)

It's fine. 🙂
I picked a Zalman case because you get three or four fans included right out of the box, and the build quality is decent.

The PSU is basically a Seasonic inside, so it’s more than enough to run this setup.

Robert Rodriguez2 said:It's solid! 🙂
I went with the Zalman case because you get 3 or 4 fans right out of the box, and honestly, the build quality is pretty decent for what it is.

And the power supply is basically just a rebranded Seasonic inside, so it’s more than enough juice to push this rig.

Does Micro Center have any cases under $67 that aren't complete garbage? I just need something to hold my components together since I won't have the time to custom-build a chassis before winter hits.

Which of those cheap cases are actually worth the money? I don't care about fans—I've already got plenty of those lying around. My only real requirement is that there's enough room inside and that it’s a bit larger. (I actually found an old 400mm fan that still works; it's huge, like a baby's head. I used to mount stuff like that directly onto the side of a case to cool down my Radeon 9800 XT and Athlon 3000 setup. Seriously, it’s actually better if it's cheap so I don't feel bad about cutting holes in the side panel. Looks don't matter at all.

The main priority here is gaming performance.

Look, let's be real about this.

is any of those cheap cases actually worth the money?

Just slightly above $67 - decent ATX cases start around $40 (with USB 3.0 included)
You can grab something from Micro Center for about $20, or if you want to do it right, just pick up a Corsair Phoenix and call it a day. At the end of the day, they're all pretty much the same thing.