Support NeoGAF

[dmr87]

The chinese part of VR-Zone is saying Broadwell for desktop is coming May-June 2015. Swedish site Sweclockers is reporting on it too, vr-zone as the source.

http://chinese.vr-zone.com/113127/i...bdw-y-is-the-first-will-rts-in-ww37-05192014/

https://translate.googleusercontent...i-2015&usg=ALkJrhiuaG3VvgWtEAhB1evGf4WZvDX76g

 

[crush7337]

Thinking of upgrading my 560ti to either a 770 or a 280x. Looking at benchmarks the GTX 770 seems to be a little faster but the AMD card has 3GB VRAM. I only run at 1920 x 1080 though so I'm not sure if I need more than 2GB.

I remember reading reviews that the reference 280x cards ran pretty hot, how do the ASUS or XFX cards compare temperature wise? Would I still need to get a cooler for it?

Any thoughts? Was slightly leaning towards the 770 since the Watch Dogs bundle saves me $60.

 

[boneso]

http://www.dabs.com/products/xfx-55...e=awin&utm_medium=affiliates&utm_content=AW00

http://www.dabs.com/products/xfx-55...e=awin&utm_medium=affiliates&utm_content=AW00

Having a quick look at Core i5s, surprised that Amazon is cheaper than eBay for the 3570K against the BINs. They have it for £145.

Thanks for the info but its still £40 more that i havent got spare. and probably a more expensive mobo.

 

[theytookourjobz]

Would anyone want to do me a huge favor and buy a Windows 8 key from the softwareswap reddit for me? I don't have an account there and the rules require a 30 day old account some posts for posting there. I'd be glad to throw you a few bucks extra for the trouble.

 

[Alduin]

Alright, have been putting off building my PC for almost two years now. I hope I can finally build it in the next few weeks.
Made a part list (don't worry about the case) right here:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (£163.94 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (£25.76 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Pro3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£68.90 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Kingston Beast 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£58.00 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Crucial M500 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (£50.15 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£39.50 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 2GB WINDFORCE Video Card (£238.80 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£45.26 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £690.31
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-21 13:55 BST+0100)

I want to buy everything from Amazon UK. Budget is around £700 and will be mainly used for gaming in 1080p.
Any suggestions for changes?

 

[Jag]

So I accidentally bought the wrong card, a GTX 750ti for a Dell PC I got for my dad, it cost $150 but will cost around $30 to RMA to Newegg and ship it back. (it needed more power than the PS had).

I currently have a Radeon HD 7850 in my gaming rig and a Radeon 5700 in my son's gaming rig. Is it worth the $120 to keep the GTX 750ti for me and give my 7850 to my son? Or will I not see a big difference? In the US.

 

[kharma45]

Thanks for the info but its still £40 more that i havent got spare. and probably a more expensive mobo.

Motherboard wouldn't have been. Plenty of decent ones around £70 that would've done the job.

The £40 you could've found in that build. The cheaper XFX PSU for instance, that Corsair RAM there is another area as it's usually £5-10 more than most and the 280X say from Sapphire would be another £10-20 cheaper than that ASUS one.

 

[Reuenthal]

i did itttttttttt



pls critique



Yeah I didn't pull up anything about the OEM this go around, but Corsair has had some SuperFlower units made too so I'm not too worried about it (Especially since the V700 isn't listed on newegg/amazon anymore).

Regarding motherboards, what about Asus Z97 A. Despite posting here some weeks ago, I still haven't bought anything due to waiting for Devil Canyon and also due to the Z97 release that also happened after my posts. Anyway, I have that motherboard in my cart, are the others a better choice?

 

[LilJoka]

Core i7-4790K: Base freq 4.0GHz, Turbo Boost freq 4.4GHz, 4 cores/8 threads, 8MB cache, TDP of 88W From Hexus.net

So it looks like that random site was right? The non K CPU is differently clocked to the K CPU.

 

[prodystopian]

Just so I'm clear.

4690K/4790K out in like 2 weeks as 'Devil Canyon' aka Haswell refresh and hopefully better clockers / TIM gap & TIM.

I think this is wrong. the 4690K and 4790K are Haswell refresh, which is different from Devil's Canyon. I think this because at anandtech they differentiate the two:

For a lot of users interested in overclocking CPUs or who have already moved to Haswell, this refresh will seem almost pointless. It is a chance for Intel to combine the release of a new chipset with a series of CPUs so system integrators and retailers can start selling bundles. For the enthusiasts especially, the new overclocking-focused Devil’s Canyon and Pentium-K processors supposedly coming soon are being awaited with bated breath.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/7963/the-intel-haswell-refresh-review-core-i7-4790-i5-4690-and-i3-4360-tested/13

 

[Brerlappin]

Guys just 2 quick questions. Im going to sell my old rig to a friend and i dont want to rip him off but im not sure what would be a fair price for the following:

Case: NZXT Lexa Blackline
Mobo: Abit P35 pro
CPU: Q6600 Quad Core
PSU: Seasonic 550w (i think, either 550 or 600w)
GPU: MSI Twin Frozr 560ti 2GB
Ram: 8GB Ram
HDD: WD 1TB HDD

I have the option of either selling him this for a slightly higher price, or lowering the price and swopping the 560ti for an ATI 4870 1GB i have here. I wasnt thinking of charging much, €300 with the 560ti / €250 with the 4870? sound fair?

Also question 2, would you consider moving from the 560 to a 4GB 770 a good upgrade? How long roughly could you expect the 770 to be good for?

 

[Serandur]

Thinking of upgrading my 560ti to either a 770 or a 280x. Looking at benchmarks the GTX 770 seems to be a little faster but the AMD card has 3GB VRAM. I only run at 1920 x 1080 though so I'm not sure if I need more than 2GB.

I remember reading reviews that the reference 280x cards ran pretty hot, how do the ASUS or XFX cards compare temperature wise? Would I still need to get a cooler for it?

Any thoughts? Was slightly leaning towards the 770 since the Watch Dogs bundle saves me $60.

Just a few questions:

1. Do you have any interest in exclusive features of either AMD or Nvidia? Such as Mantle with AMD or physX and downsampling with Nvidia?

2. Do you mean the Asus and XFX non-reference cards? The Asus DirectCu II 280x is a great card, should be much cooler and quieter than the reference 280X and would be my personal preference as far as 280Xs go. If you're trying to save money, though, the Gigabyte 280X is a cheaper and great choice as well. I'm not too familiar with the XFX model, but it would certainly also be quieter and cooler than the reference, no need to buy another cooler for any of these.

3. Would a 4 GB 770, considering the $60 saved with Watch Dogs, be out of your budget range (at ~$400)? Did you have a specific model of the 770 in mind?

You may or may not care, but the 280Xs are also currently coming with three AMD-sponsored games of your choice from a list including Battlefield 4, Tomb Raider, Sleeping Dogs, Thief, Alan Wake, etc.

 

[boneso]

Motherboard wouldn't have been. Plenty of decent ones around £70 that would've done the job.

The £40 you could've found in that build. The cheaper XFX PSU for instance, that Corsair RAM there is another area as it's usually £5-10 more than most and the 280X say from Sapphire would be another £10-20 cheaper than that ASUS one.

The RAM was £58.97, 280X was £147, both included shipping. I haven't found any other brand 280X for cheaper than that.

 

[kiyomi]

Alright, have been putting off building my PC for almost two years now. I hope I can finally build it in the next few weeks.
Made a part list (don't worry about the case) right here:



I want to buy everything from Amazon UK. Budget is around £700 and will be mainly used for gaming in 1080p.
Any suggestions for changes?

Looks pretty good, you could go with one of those XFX PSUs that kharma was recommending to the other guy, roughly same power output etc but with a 5 year warranty.

If you can wait another few weeks/a month, go Z97 and Devil's Canyon, it's what I'm doing.

Core i7-4790K: Base freq 4.0GHz, Turbo Boost freq 4.4GHz, 4 cores/8 threads, 8MB cache, TDP of 88W From Hexus.net

So it looks like that random site was right? The non K CPU is differently clocked to the K CPU.

Yep. It's kind of frustrating that the 4690K looks like it's only gonna get a 100mhz boost over the 4670K. Just another reason to tempt me into getting a 4790K. lol

I think this is wrong. the 4690K and 4790K are Haswell refresh, which is different from Devil's Canyon. I think this because at anandtech they differentiate the two:



http://www.anandtech.com/show/7963/the-intel-haswell-refresh-review-core-i7-4790-i5-4690-and-i3-4360-tested/13

Nah, 4690K and 4790K are Devil's Canyon. 4790, 4690 and 4360 are Haswell refresh.

 

[prodystopian]

Nah, 4690K and 4790K are Devil's Canyon. 4790, 4690 and 4360 are Haswell refresh.

I totally overlooked the missing 'K' there. That makes more sense. Thanks.

 

[theytookourjobz]

Should I pull the trigger on a Gigabyte r9 290 4GB for $334 from Amazon Warehouse Deals??

 

[Seanspeed]

Should I pull the trigger on a Gigabyte r9 290 4GB for $334 from Amazon Warehouse Deals??

Yes.

EDIT: Which model? Does it have an aftermarket cooler? I'd be wary of a reference design card unless you're confident with running a hot, noisy card.

 

[Brerlappin]

Guys just 2 quick questions. Im going to sell my old rig to a friend and i dont want to rip him off but im not sure what would be a fair price for the following:

Case: NZXT Lexa Blackline
Mobo: Abit P35 pro
CPU: Q6600 Quad Core
PSU: Seasonic 550w (i think, either 550 or 600w)
GPU: MSI Twin Frozr 560ti 2GB
Ram: 8GB Ram
HDD: WD 1TB HDD

I have the option of either selling him this for a slightly higher price, or lowering the price and swopping the 560ti for an ATI 4870 1GB i have here. I wasnt thinking of charging much, €300 with the 560ti / €250 with the 4870? sound fair?

Also question 2, would you consider moving from the 560 to a 4GB 770 a good upgrade? How long roughly could you expect the 770 to be good for?

quoting for bottom of page

 

[theytookourjobz]

Yes.

EDIT: Which model? Does it have an aftermarket cooler? I'd be wary of a reference design card unless you're confident with running a hot, noisy card.

Picture shows Windforce on the card. 3 fans. That's aftermarket right?

 

[teiresias]

So I'm rather certain I'm going to upgrade my i7-870 to a Haswell refresh 4970k when they release with a Z97 motherboard. CPU still works fine, but the mobo has been giving me SATA issues for over a year now, so I think it's time to just ditch it (I've said this in this thread before on every CPU cycle, but other monetary obligations have always popped up to delay my upgrade - and I need a PCSX2 and a Dolphin performance boost of all things!). I'm not sure holding out for Broadwell will be worth it since I don't know if we have any non-rumored timetable for it.

I'm thinking when I do this I might upgrade my 212+ to a Noctua NH-D14. Anyone think this is worth it? Looking around the cooling performance increase seems fairly substantial between the two, but geez does it look like a beast, haha!

 

[Serandur]

So I'm rather certain I'm going to upgrade my i7-870 to a Haswell refresh 4970k when they release with a Z97 motherboard. CPU still works fine, but the mobo has been giving me SATA issues for over a year now, so I think it's time to just ditch it (I've said this in this thread before on every CPU cycle, but other monetary obligations have always popped up to delay my upgrade - and I need a PCSX2 and a Dolphin performance boost of all things!). I'm not sure holding out for Broadwell will be worth it since I don't know if we have any non-rumored timetable for it.

I'm thinking when I do this I might upgrade my 212+ to a Noctua NH-D14. Anyone think this is worth it? Looking around the cooling performance increase seems fairly substantial between the two, but geez does it look like a beast, haha!

If you think you can fit it in your case, it's absolutely worth it, especially if Devil's Canyon really is the overclock-targeted beast they're marketing it as.

 

[teiresias]

If you think you can fit it in your case, it's absolutely worth it, especially if Devil's Canyon really is the overclock-targeted beast they're marketing it as.

I have a Silverstone Fortress-02 so no problem fitting in the case. I'm more worried I'll need to spring for new RAM for the clearance than anything else, lol.

 

[kennah]

Be careful though. The Devils Canyon part is the 4790K. A 4970K would be a Socket 2011 part if it existed. So don't buy a 4930k by accident

 

[Demon Lizardman]

So, I am sorry if I am saying this again like a broken record, the i 4790 devil canyon will be out in about 2 weeks right?

 

[Serandur]

I have a Silverstone Fortress-02 so no problem fitting in the case. I'm more worried I'll need to spring for new RAM for the clearance than anything else, lol.

Heh, what kind of RAM do you have?

So, I am sorry if I am saying this again like a broken record, the i 4790 devil canyon will be out in about 2 weeks right?

Might be a month, we're not really sure but it is likely to be in June.

 

[kennah]

"I need a new pc" 2014 ot2 - we do not know release dates or how things will work on unreleased software.

 

[teiresias]

Be careful though. The Devils Canyon part is the 4790K. A 4970K would be a Socket 2011 part if it existed. So don't buy a 4930k by accident

Yeah, typo, too many numbers.

Heh, what kind of RAM do you have?

Honestly, it's been so long since I looked, but I THINK it's G.Skill Ripjaws series RAM with worthless red heatsink outcroppings (bought it back in 2010 so I can't even remember the speed it is, I don't overclock it in any case).

 

[Serandur]

Yeah, typo, too many numbers.



Honestly, it's been so long since I looked, but I THINK it's G.Skill Ripjaws series RAM with worthless red heatsink outcroppings (bought it back in 2010 so I can't even remember the speed it is, I don't overclock it in any case).

In my own case (Phantom 410), I got a PH-TC14PE cooler (very similar in size, shape, and ability to the NH-D14) and though I had low profile RAM, I had trouble fitting it in its normal orientation (where it pushes air through both heatsinks). I had to switch it around so both fans were pulling through the heatsinks instead and it still performs great. I cannot vouch for the NH-D14's ability to do the same thing, but that could be an option if necessary.

 

[Demon Lizardman]

So a 4790 would work for a z97 but not a z87 from what I am hearing?

 

[Filth]

PC randomly died last night. I'm building fresh. God speed

 

[Big Takeover]

So a 4790 would work for a z97 but not a z87 from what I am hearing?

Just the K, not the locked 4790. That works on Z87. I don't think this is 100% confirmed yet that Devil's Canyon is Z97-only. That's the assumption however.

 

[riflen]

"I need a new pc" 2014 ot2 - we do not know release dates or how things will work on unreleased software.

We'll still get asked. The trick is to not answer the daft ones, there's only so many times you can type "No-one knows. Make a decision."

Look at the latest thread on Watch_Dogs performance wherein Ubisoft say you'll need a CPU with >9000 on passmark to run Ultra settings. That place is a frenzy of misinformation and uninformed nonsense from people who haven't the first clue about the topic. For years we get games that are heavily single-threaded, then a big game arrives that allegedly takes advantage of parallelism and people flip because the game is "unoptimised".

People want guarantees and they want to know that X component runs Y games at Z settings for N years. Even though Y and Z are indefinable.

 

[michaelius]

quoting for bottom of page

I moved from 470 to 770 and it more or less doubled my fps.

 

[mkenyon]

We'll still get asked. The trick is to not answer the daft ones, there's only so many times you can type "No-one knows. Make a decision."

Look at the latest thread on Watch_Dogs performance wherein Ubisoft say you'll need a CPU with >9000 on passmark to run Ultra settings. That place is a frenzy of misinformation and uninformed nonsense from people who haven't the first clue about the topic. For years we get games that are heavily single-threaded, then a big game arrives that allegedly takes advantage of parallelism and people flip because the game is "unoptimised".

People want guarantees and they want to know that X component runs Y games at Z settings for N years. Even though Y and Z are indefinable.

10/10 post.

So you're saying that my PC can't run Watch Dogs 3?

 

[kharma45]

Sooner watch dogs launches the better so we can dispel this whole 8 cores is needed myth.

 

[dwells]

I've got $30 for a CPU cooler - do I get a Hyper 212 Evo, or do I go for the entry-level closed loop Zalman LQ-310? I can't find anything that compares the two. Noise matters to me a bit more than performance.

 

[Chocobro]

Hey kharma45, mkenyon, kennah, and Hazaro! I have come back to build a second PC. Due to circumstances, I have to order the parts before tonight and I want to know if there are any changes I should make before I do so.
The person wants to play the the upcoming and current games well. I think the build is similar to my first PC. It is preferred that I can upgrade parts (primarily the GPU) and OC in the future. He said he's willing to spend "around $1,000," didn't give me a solid number, but as you can see I'm a bit over that.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($223.98 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($35.98 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($146.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial M500 240GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($114.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Dual Superclocked ACX Video Card ($269.99 @ Newegg)
Case: BitFenix Shinobi Window ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1141.89
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-21 11:25 EDT-0400)

 

[maneil99]

I've got $30 for a CPU cooler - do I get a Hyper 212 Evo, or do I go for the entry-level closed loop Zalman LQ-310? I can't find anything that compares the two. Noise matters to me a bit more than performance.

AIO are way to expensive and offer nothing more then a good air, Use a 212 and adjust the fan speeds so it fits your sound budget

 

[kharma45]

Hey kharma45, mkenyon, kennah, and Hazaro! I have come back to build a second PC. Due to circumstances, I have to order the parts before tonight and I want to know if there are any changes I should make before I do so.
The person wants to play the the upcoming and current games well. I think the build is similar to my first PC. It is preferred that I can upgrade parts (primarily the GPU) and OC in the future. He said he's willing to spend "around $1,000," didn't give me a solid number, but as you can see I'm a bit over that.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($223.98 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($35.98 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($146.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial M500 240GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($114.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Dual Superclocked ACX Video Card ($269.99 @ Newegg)
Case: BitFenix Shinobi Window ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1141.89
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-21 11:25 EDT-0400)

Does he need so much RAM? If it's just gaming stick to 8GB.

Have a look at this

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($223.98 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.94 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($146.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial M500 240GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($109.29 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($56.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 280 3GB TWIN FROZR Video Card ($219.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Rosewill Hive 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $952.14
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-21 11:57 EDT-0400)

 

[Xamdou]

How is this Asus monitor guys?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B2HH7G0/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Specs
Resolution: 1920 x 1080
Refresh Rate: 144Hz
Response Time: 1ms
Viewing Angles: 170°(H) / 160°(V)
Contrast Ratio: 80,000,000:1
Inputs:
HDMI
DVI

Still looking for a gaming monitor...

 

[scogoth]

10/10 post.

So you're saying that my PC can't run Watch Dogs 3?

Not if you keep dumping those K|NGP|N cards

 

[dwells]

AIO are way to expensive and offer nothing more then a good air, Use a 212 and adjust the fan speeds so it fits your sound budget

That's the thing though, the Zalman LQ-310 closed loop cooler is $30 after a $30 rebate, so it comes out to the same price as the Hyper 212 Evo. I know closed loop systems aren't great, but I'm tempted at that price.

 

[blinkz]

So I am looking to spend about 1000-1200 on a gaming pc, nothing too fancy I just want to be able to run games at decent settings and don't really care about ultra high and all that.

Can anyone point me in the right direction for a quite pc with good airflow thats able to run games decently.

 

[scogoth]

So I am looking to spend about 1000-1200 on a gaming pc, nothing too fancy I just want to be able to run games at decent settings and don't really care about ultra high and all that.

Can anyone point me in the right direction for a quite pc with good airflow thats able to run games decently.

You should check out this thread http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=745567

 

[Lagaff]

Alright, have been putting off building my PC for almost two years now. I hope I can finally build it in the next few weeks.
Made a part list (don't worry about the case) right here:



I want to buy everything from Amazon UK. Budget is around £700 and will be mainly used for gaming in 1080p.
Any suggestions for changes?

Buy a Z-97 motherboard

 

[Sword Of Doom]

Motherboard wouldn't have been. Plenty of decent ones around £70 that would've done the job.

The £40 you could've found in that build. The cheaper XFX PSU for instance, that Corsair RAM there is another area as it's usually £5-10 more than most and the 280X say from Sapphire would be another £10-20 cheaper than that ASUS one.

He's already bought the parts so what's the point in this?

 

[Chocobro]

Does he need so much RAM? If it's just gaming stick to 8GB.

Have a look at this

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($223.98 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.94 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($146.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial M500 240GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($109.29 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($56.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 280 3GB TWIN FROZR Video Card ($219.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Rosewill Hive 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $952.14
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-21 11:57 EDT-0400)

I would say if there isn't 16GB RAM, he would use that as a way to complain about game crashing and stuff. Then possibly buy RAM then; rather buy it now and later. I will highly consider switching to 8GB RAM after discussing it.
The changes look good. I noticed the video card change, I assume the R9 280's performance is more-or-less equal to that of the GTX 760 since the MSRP is the same? Damn...it's better?

 

[maneil99]

That's the thing though, the Zalman LQ-310 closed loop cooler is $30 after a $30 rebate, so it comes out to the same price as the Hyper 212 Evo. I know closed loop systems aren't great, but I'm tempted at that price.

Coolermaster is 13 db in silent mode, Zalman is 31 db

 

[IMACOMPUTA]

Anyone want to trade me 2x290's for an Asus dcuii 780ti?
Or trade me another 780ti for... Something way less than what its worth?

 

[mkenyon]

AIO are way to expensive and offer nothing more then a good air, Use a 212 and adjust the fan speeds so it fits your sound budget

Shenanigans.

Would you rather troubleshoot and work in this:

Or this:

Both Define R4 cases.

Not if you keep dumping those K|NGP|N cards

Ouch, bro.