What do you guys think of this build?

So, like the title says, I'm looking for some input on this build. It's sitting at about $1,000 over at Amazon.com. If you guys suggest swapping anything out, please try to keep the total price pretty much the same. Thanks in advance. 🙂

-Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz, Haswell

-ASUS Z87-K, 1150, Intel ® Z87, DDR3, 4 slots, 1600 MHz

-Corsair CX Modular Series CX500M Power Supply, 500 Watt, ATX, ATX12

-DDR3 8GB (2x4GB) Kingston, 1600MHz, CL9, HyperX Genesis, KHX1600

-Sapphire R9 270X 2GB, OC Boost, 2GB GDDR5 256bit, 28nm, 2xDVI

-Seagate 1TB HDD, Serial ATA III, 7200 rpm, ST1000DM003

Benjamin Nguyen83 said:Like the title says, I'm looking for some thoughts on this build. The price is sitting right around $6,500 at Best Buy. If you guys suggest swapping anything out, please try to keep the total cost roughly the same. Thanks in advance. 🙂

-Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz, Haswell

-ASUS Z87-K, 1150, Intel ® Z87, DDR3, 4 slots, 1600 MHz

-Corsair CX Modular Series CX500M Power Supply, 500 Watt, ATX, ATX12

-DDR3 8GB (2x4GB) Kingston, 1600MHz, CL9, HyperX Genesis, KHX1600

-Sapphire R9 270X 2GB, OC Boost, 2GB GDDR5 256bit, 28nm, 2xDVI

-Seagate 1TB HDD, Serial ATA III, 7200 rpm, ST1000DM003

Honestly, if I were you, I'd ditch that ASUS board for this one instead: and swap out that Seagate drive for this:
Do you even need a case? If you do, just grab this:

Does it really have to be ADM? Amazon is just as great of a shop...

Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4 (3.40GHz,1MB,6MB,84 W,1150) Box
MSI Z87-G43_GAMING Z87 (S1150, DDR3, USB3.0,USB2.0
Kingston HX Beast.,D3,1600MHz, 8GB(2x4) KHX16C9T2/8X
MSI R9 280 x 3GB, DVI, HDMI, mDP
WD Caviar Blue 1 x 1TB SATA 3 WD10EZEX
Fortron Aurum S PSU 500W,80+ GOLD
Zalman mid tower case black, ZAL-Z3 plus

$2169 Amazon.com (Components ready to go and they'll even assemble it for free)

If you look at this setup realistically, it’s essentially the same as the one from ADM—it actually packs a significantly stronger graphics card. If you ask me—and I mean this sincerely—I wouldn't opt for the Intel Core i5-4670K option; if we could shave some money off there, we could easily squeeze in an SSD, or maybe even upgrade to a slightly nicer case...

I’m with them—nobody’s actually asking any questions here. 👍

Grace Peterson17

Just a heads-up, you might want to be careful with those recommendations. 😉>

The Z3 + isn't even available right now, the RAM prices are way too high, and there's no decent cooler for overclocking—plus the temps are noticeably lower. Also, that R9 280 x model is kind of a dud—it runs hot, has VRM issues, and it's loud compared to other cards.

Michelle Martinez6

Are you paying cash or using a credit card? If you're going the card route, let us know where you're buying from, which card you're using, and how many installments you're looking at.

Are you even planning on overclocking the CPU and GPU?

What kind of games are you planning to play?

Do you already have a case and an optical drive? If you do, let me know what they are—and for the drive (DVD/CD), check if it's SATA or PATA.

What's your monitor resolution? Is this build strictly for gaming and basic stuff like movies and browsing?

Thinking about adding an SSD later on?

graniteharbor85 said:Everyone's just nodding along here—nobody’s actually asking any real questions. 👍

Grace Peterson17

Maybe be a little more careful with those recommendations... 😉

The Z3+ isn't even available, the RAM is too tall, there's no decent heatsink for overclocking (which means significantly higher temps), and that R9 280 x model is pretty subpar—you'll run into high temperatures and VRM issues, plus it's way louder than other options.

Michelle Martinez6

Are you paying cash or using a credit card? If you're going the card route, let us know where you're shopping, which card you're using, and how many installments you're looking at.

Do you actually plan on overclocking the CPU and GPU?

What kind of games are you planning to play?

Do you already have a case and an optical drive? If so, tell us what they are—and for the drive (DVD/CD reader), double-check if it's SATA or PATA.

What's your monitor resolution? Is this build strictly for gaming and basic stuff like watching movies or browsing the web?

Thinking about adding an SSD later on?

🙂 Tell me you're joking, please... The Z3 is definitely available for order. Sure, the RAM has high heatspreaders, but that'll only be an issue if you try to cram in some absolutely massive air cooler—and even then, you could just swap them out for ADAT RAM for the same price, so I don't see the problem. And how on earth can you claim the MSI R9 280 x is a bad model? Seriously, what would you even consider a "good" model then?

You might want to double-check your facts before trying to correct everyone else when things don't quite add up.

It’s available on one link but not the other... though honestly, who cares? It’s not like we know if he even needs a case in the first place.

Look, I’m not saying the MSI isn't a decent model, but it's just the truth—CLICK.

To kind of thing never really crossed my mind before—honestly, I used to be pretty indifferent about it—but thanks to you guys, I’ve started paying much closer attention to component availability. In the past, I felt like I was getting roasted for these tiny, trivial details, with everyone acting like my builds were absolute disasters just because of minor things. Now that I am actually being careful, I noticed you're still pointing them out, but hey, you did admit you were mistaken once, so I appreciate the honesty 🙂

As for that MSI model R9 280 x, I actually had no idea about that specific issue. All I'd heard was that some folks ran into trouble where games wouldn't properly recognize the full 3GB of VRAM. I'll definitely keep an eye out for that from now on, so thanks for the heads-up 😘

Alright, I’ve put together a full build list for you. If you already have some parts lying around—like a case, a cooler, or a power supply—just let me know the brands. We might be able to scavenge them and save some cash, or maybe we can just swap out your current GPU for this one instead.

1 x Intel Core i5-4670K soc 1150 1 x Asrock s1150 Z87 Killer
1 x Asrock s1150 Z87 Killer
1 x Patriot Viper3 1600Mhz, 8GB (2x4GB)
1 x Western Digital HDD, 1TB, 7200rpm, Caviar Blue
1 x LG GH24NS sat Bulk crn 24 x 1
1 x Fortron Raider S 550W, 80+ SILVER
1 x Zalman mid tower case white
1 x Gigabyte GF GTX760 OC, 2GB GDDR5, DVI, DP
1 x CPU Hladnjak Raijintek Themis, 120mm, PWM

Total: $2213
Free assembly and delivery from futur IT!

Looking at this setup right now, honestly—he could easily squeeze in a GTX 770 and a 120GB SSD. If you ask me, he’d be much better off ditching that K-series processor and that pricey Z87 motherboard; he'll feel a massive boost from an SSD and a beefier graphics card way more than he ever would from just overclocking the CPU...

Intel Core i5 4570
Gigabyte GA-B85M-D3H motherboard, 1150, iB85, D3, S3, U3, DVI, mA
8GB DDR3 1600MHz (2x4) XPG v1 kit AD
MSI GeForce GTX770 OC TF graphics card, 2GB DDR5
WD Caviar Blue 1TB SATA 3 WD10EZEX Hard Drive
Kingston 120GB SSD, SSDNow V300 SATA 3 SV300S37A/120G
Fortron Aurum S PSU 600W, 80+ GOLD power supply
Zalman mid tower case black, ZAL-Z3 PLUS

$2236 Amazon.com (Components in stock + free assembly)

Alright, here’s the AMD build. I’ve already baked everything into the config so you don't have to stress about compatibility. You're getting one of the beastly coolers on the market right now and a killer motherboard, which basically means you can overclock this thing into orbit whenever you feel like it. Everything is packed into a high-quality, roomy, well-ventilated case, and the GPU? Absolute monster. 😉

1 x AMD FX-Series X8 8320 AM3 box
1 x Gigabyte GA-990XA-UD3 Sck
1 x Patriot Viper3 Blue Sapphire 1600Mhz,8GB (2x4GB)
1 x MSI GeForce GTX770 OC TF, 2GB DDR5
1 x Western Digital HDD, 1TB, 7200rpm, Caviar Blue
1 x Fortron Raider S 550W, 80+ SILVER
1 x Noctua NH-D14 Cooler, Intel/AMD
1 x Zalman mid tower case black(Z12 plus)

Total-$2225
Free assembly and shipping from futur IT

swiftpilot said:Here’s the AMD version—I’ve gone ahead and put everything together in this build for you so you don't have to worry about a thing. You're getting one of the beefiest coolers on the market right now, paired with an absolute beast of a motherboard that lets you overclock to the moon whenever you feel like it. Everything is housed in a high-quality, spacious, and well-ventilated case, and honestly, the GPU is just insane. 😉

1 x AMD FX-Series X8 8320 AM3 box 1 x Gigabyte GA-990XA-UD3 Sck
1 x Gigabyte GA-990XA-UD3 Sck. AM3+, USB3.0, ATX
1 x Patriot Viper3 Blue Sapphire 1600Mhz,8GB (2x4GB)
1 x MSI GeForce GTX770 OC TF, 2GB DDR5
1 x Caviar Blue 1 x Fortron, 1TB, 7200rpm
1 x Fortron Raider S 550W, 80+ SILVER
1 x Noctua NH-D14 Cooler, Intel/AMD
1 x Zalman mid tower case black(Z12 plus)

Total-$2225
Free assembly and shipping from futur IT

It’s not a bad setup, really—though I do have a little nagging doubt about that power supply. Since you went with the 8320 processor, which is quite the power hog (especially if you decide to start overclocking), I'm a bit worried about the headroom. If only it were a 550W unit with an 80+ Gold rating, or maybe even a 600W 80+ Bronze model, I'd feel much better about it.

What are you guys even talking about? 😬

The FX 8320 and GTX 770 don't even pull 400W under full load, so with the rest of the components, you're looking at less than 450W total.

There’s still plenty of headroom for overclocking, and that Raider can definitely push out more than 600W if needed. 😉

Timothy Fisher79 said:It’s not a bad build, but man, that power supply is making me nervous. Pairing it with an FX 8320 is asking for trouble since those chips are absolute power hogs once you start overclocking. If only he had at least a 550W 80+ Gold unit or maybe a 600W 80+ Bronze to play it safe.

Look, there’s zero reason to panic about the PSU here. Honestly, he’ll probably end up with more headroom than he thinks after the overclock settles down. And seriously, let’s skip the toxic "expert" advice based on guesswork. You're just confusing people and making yourself look silly.

Anyone else notice the OP hasn't even shown up since the first post? You guys are all agreeing with him without him answering a single one of McLovin's questions. 😁