Brand Dilemma

So, I’m deep in the rabbit hole of picking out a new rig for some serious gaming, and honestly, I’m stuck in a total deadlock over which CPU and GPU to grab.
The smaller headache is deciding between an i5 4690k or an i5 6600k, but I’ll probably just make a call on that once my budget finally stops being such a moving target. The real nightmare, though, is choosing between the Radeon r9 390 and the Nvidia gtx 970. I'm sitting here wondering if it’s actually worth pulling the trigger on the gtx 970—even if it looks weaker on paper—just to get my hands on stuff like PhysX, MFAA, and all those other extra bells and whistles.

The R9 390 holds a slight edge here due to the extra VRAM, better performance in those initial DX12 benchmarks, and a lower likelihood of dealing with annoying coil whine.

You should probably put more thought into your CPU selection. Given current market prices, they aren't exactly a great value, and you won't see much of a boost from overclocking unless you're just doing it for the thrill of the chase. There are far more practical paths available. For instance, pairing an Intel Core i5-4460 with a mid-range motherboard would free up enough cash to invest in something actually useful. Alternatively, grabbing an Intel Xeon similar to an Intel Core i7-4770 might actually end up being cheaper than buying an i5 6600k plus a cooler and a Z170 motherboard—and you’d be getting more power in the process.

To give you a comprehensive set of recommendations, please specify your total budget, your preferred payment method, and whether you need peripherals included.