PC build for $900

I’m looking for an Intel-based gaming rig—tower only, no peripherals needed. My budget is $2000. Thanks.

Here you go:

FX 8320E
DEEPCOOL GAMMAXX 300
ASUS M5A97 R2.0
KINGSTON 8GB 1600 MHZ
Intel 520 120 GB SSD SATA 3
TOSHIBA 3.5" 1TB SATA 3
GIGABYTE R9 280 3GB DDR5 WF 3X OC
LG GH24NS95 SATA
FORTRON RAIDER 650W 80+ SILVER
ZALMAN Z1 MIDI ATX USB 3.0

= $2000build cost/shipping.

Justin Ortiz said:Looking for an AMD gaming rig without peripherals. Budget $2000. Thanks

1 x Asus M5A97 evo R2.0, AM3+, AMD 970/SB950, DDR3, 4 slots
1 x AMD FX-Series X8 8320 3.5GHz,16MB,125W,AM3+, FD8320FRHK
2 x DDR3 4GB (1x4GB) Crucial, 1600MHz CL11
1 x LG GH24NS DVD writer, DVD±RW, 24x DVD±R ,8x DL , 40x CD-R
1 x Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo,2011,1366/1156/775/AM3/ 626g,13-32dB
1 x XFX TS Series 550W PSU -P1550S-XXB9
1 x 1TB WD Caviar Blue HDD, 1000 GB, SATA3,64 MB, 3.5", 24mj
1 x Sapphire R9 285 2GB OC, 2GB GDDR5 256 bit, 28nm, 2xDVI + HDMI
1 x Zalman Z3 mid tower case. 192(W)x465(H)x430(D)mm. MB standard

$2021
www.newegg.com

1 x AMD FX-Series X8 8320 AM3 box 1
1 x Raijintek Ereboss Black CPU Cooler, 92mm, PWM
1 x Seasonic SS-520GB, 520W PSU
1 x Zalman Z1 Midi Tower, USB3.0, black
1 x SEAGATE HDD DESKTOP SSHD 3.5" / 1TB / 64m/ SATA/ 7200rpm
1 x Gigabyte AMD Radeon R9 285 GDDR5, Cooler(double slot), Retail
1 x Kingston DDR3 HyperX Fury, 1866MHz, 8GB Black
1 x LG GH24NS95 SATA black bulk DVD±RW 24x
1 x Asus M5A97 evo R2.0 motherboard

Total: $2014 Best Buy (free assembly/shipping)

crimsonstag84 said:1 x AMD FX-Series X8 8320 AM3 box 1
1 x Raijintek Ereboss Black CPU Cooler, 92mm, PWM
1 x Seasonic SS-520GB, 520W PSU
1 x Zalman Z1 Midi Tower, USB3.0, black
1 x SEAGATE HDD DESKTOP SSHD 3.5" / 1TB / 64m/ SATA/ 7200rpm
1 x GIGABYTE Video Card AMD Radeon R9 285 GDDR5, Cooler(double slot), Retail
1 x Kingston DDR3 HyperX Fury, 1866MHz, 8GB Black
1 x LG GH24NS95 SATA black bulk DVD±RW 24x
1 x Asus M5A97 evo R2.0 Motherboard

Total: $2014 Best Buy (free assembly/shipping)

This is solid, I love it!!

👍
Honestly, they shouldn't even look at anything else besides this. 😳

Honestly, these guys don't know what they're talking about—his SSD is fine, and he's running an R9 285, which is basically just a more efficient version of the 280 anyway. Plus, he's got a solid combo with the Raider, Seasonic, and that repackaged Seasonic 😁

crimsonstag84, honestly, pairing a board like that with Aidos is a bad move, especially inside a Z1 with an FX 8320. He’s going to run into some serious heat issues since Aidos is facing upward, and let's face it—the Z1 doesn't have the mesh airflow that the Z3 has.

Cut the bickering, everyone.😢

I’m leaning toward picking up the Gigabyte 99fxa motherboard—I have every intention of overclocking that beast of a processor. I noticed the 99xa is about $50 cheaper, but is the "f" version actually worth the extra $25? Also, I’m planning to build this rig myself—do Gigabytica boards still suffer from those issues where they won't recognize the CPU until the BIOS is flashed? Just a heads-up: I don't have any spare processors lying around, so I won't be able to perform a flash if it's needed.

EDIT: Definitely going with an SSD at the top of the list.

The Asus M5A97 evo R2.0 is a total beast when it comes to overclocking...

EDIT: I guess you’ll have to ditch the old burner if you want both a top-tier board and an SSD:

1 x AMD FX-Series X8 8320 AM3 box 1 x
1 x Zalman Z1 Midi Tower, USB3.0, black
1 x Kingston DDR3 HyperX Fury, 1866MHz, 8GB Black
1 x Asus M5A97 evo R2.0
1 x Zalman CNPS10X OPTIMA, AMD/Intel
1 x Intel SSD 520 (120GB, 2.5in SATA 6Gb/s, 25nm, MLC)
1 x Toshiba DT01ACA100 1TB 3.5"
1 x Gigabyte AMD Radeon R9 280, GV-R928WF3OC-3GD, 3072 MB
1 x Fortron Raider S PSU 650W, 80+ SILVER

Total: $2014

If you can stretch your budget just a little bit $27, maybe grab the Raijintek Ereboss.

crimsonstag84 said:The Asus M5A97 evo is also an absolute beast when it comes to overclocking...

Then what's the deal with the ASUS M5A99? Isn't that sitting right up there with the 990FXA tier? Whereas the M5A97 stays in the 970FXA class. Personally, I’m just looking for the best bang for my buck here.😛

EDIT: If you toss me a lighter, I'll get cooking.

EDIT 2: Pushing $100 above isn't even an issue.

At last:

1 x AMD FX-Series X8 8320 AM3 box 1
1 x Zalman Z1 Midi Tower, USB3.0, black
1 x Kingston DDR3 HyperX Fury, 1866MHz, 8GB Black
1 x Asus M5A97 evo R2.0
1 x Intel SSD 520 (120GB, 2.5in SATA 6Gb/s, 25nm, MLC)
1 x Toshiba DT01ACA100 1TB 3.5"
1 x Gigabyte AMD Radeon R9 280, GV-R928WF3OC-3GD, 3072 MB
1 x Raider S PSU 650W, 80+ SILVER
1 x Raijintek Ereboss Black, 140mm, PWM

Total: $2047

I guess the main difference is that the M599X EVO and the 990FXA-UD3 actually support full Crossfire with two cards.

It’s a little bit over what I wanted to spend, but if we're talking about gaming, maybe 🙂

1 x AMD FX-Series X8 8320 AM3 box 1 x
1 x Gigabyte 970A-DS3P, AM3+, AMD 970 SB950, 4x DDR3 2000(O.C.)/1866
1 x XFX TS Series 550W PSU -P1550S-XXB9
1 x Toshiba DT01ACA100 1TB, 7200rpm, SATA 6 Gb/s, 32MB
1 x Intel SSD 520 120GB, 2.5", SATA III-600, R/W:550/520MB/s
1 x Zalman Z3 mid tower case. 192(W)x465(H)x430(D)mm. MB standard
1 x Crucial 8GB (1x8GB) DDR3, 1600MHz CL11
1 x ZALMAN CNPS 5X, socket 775/1155/1156/AM2/AM2/AM3

$1326

+

gtx 780

crimsonstag84 said:Finally:

1 x AMD FX-Series X8 8320 AM3 box 1
1 x Zalman Z1 Midi Tower, USB3.0, black
1 x Kingston DDR3 HyperX Fury, 1866MHz, 8GB Black
1 x Asus M5A97 evo R2.0
1 x Intel SSD 520 (120GB, 2.5in SATA 6Gb/s, 25nm, MLC)
1 x Toshiba DT01ACA100 1TB 3.5"
1 x Gigabyte AMD Radeon R9 280, GV-R928WF3OC-3GD, 3072 MB
1 x Raider S PSU 650W, 80+ SILVER
1 x Raijintek Ereboss Black, 140mm, PWM

Total: $2047

The M599X EVO and the 990FXA-UD3 both handle full Crossfire (dual GPUs); that’s basically the only real difference between them.

I'd stick with the 285... and an SSHD...
An SSD isn't going to change much for gaming, plus you'll need a beefier power supply for this setup. The 285 pulls less power, and in certain games, it actually beats out the 280. It's not a massive leap, but it has newer tech and a different GPU architecture than the 280.

Amy Vaughn12 🙏

Honestly, I wouldn't even look at an R9 285 at these prices. Dropping over $250 is just way too much. If you look at $33, they have the 280X with a genuine triple-fan Windforce design, which is a much better deal. But hey, all that talk is moot when you realize you can grab an Asus GTX 780 for just $250 🙏