Future Upgrade Query

I have been planning to upgrade my PC - essentially, the CPU, Mobo and RAM. The upgrade is still maybe 1 or 2 months down the line. I had one question, based on which I will plan the budget.

I have a HD 6870 GPU. As of now, I do not have plans to upgrade to a costlier and newer card. However, if I were to buy a second-hand HD 6870 and xfire the two, would that performance be somewhat similar to a single GPU 7870 or R9 270x?

Do you guys think it's a good idea to spend 6-7K on a second hand 6870 for a xfire setup? Or should I save up and buy a newer card (say, R9 280x) instead?

6870 XF will be good IMO.

Thanks. I am not a big fan of buying stuff second hand, but if I can get a good quality 6870 and xfire @ around 6-7K, I think I might go for it.

Another question: I have been looking at Intel Xeon E3 1230 v3 processor. This looks almost similar to i7 4770, minus IGP and OC modifier. I can't seem to find it online in India, but it seems to be be priced around $250. When and if it releases in India at a similar price to i5 4670K, will this be a more performance-based alternative (at the cost of overclocking) than the i5 -K series? Especially for games like Battlefield 4, which seems to benefit from hyper threading?

yeah. 6870 CF would be the best idea. but i suspect your cpu will bottleneck. you many need to upgrade your cpu.

Xai said:
Another question: I have been looking at Intel Xeon E3 1230 v3 processor. This looks almost similar to i7 4770, minus IGP and OC modifier. I can't seem to find it online in India, but it seems to be be priced around $250. When and if it releases in India at a similar price to i5 4670K, will this be a more performance-based alternative (at the cost of overclocking) than the i5 -K series? Especially for games like Battlefield 4, which seems to benefit from hyper threading?

sure. if you do not want to overclock and will use a gpu always, it is a better choice over i5 k series.
also you can look at e3 1245 v3. it has igpu and slightly lower price than i7 4770.

rijinpk1 said:
yeah. 6870 CF would be the best idea. but i suspect your cpu will bottleneck. you many need to upgrade your cpu.

Yes. Upgrading CPU, Mobo and RAM are my priorities. GPU was an after-thought I had when I was browsing OLX a few days back

Xai said:
Yes. Upgrading CPU, Mobo and RAM are my priorities. GPU was an after-thought I had when I was browsing OLX a few days back

if you are getting good cpu+mobo, then 6870 CF will offer much greater gaming experience than your previous set up.

Save up money and get a beast single gpu - you will never regret

ASHISH65 said:
Save up money and get a beast single gpu - you will never regret

let he upgrade to a capable cpu first

ASHISH65 said:
Save up money and get a beast single gpu - you will never regret

He can get the performance of 7850 for just 6500. What is the problem?

I am planning i5 4670K, Asus Gryphon and 8 GB of RAM (Ripjaws maybe).

However, this Xeon has got me thinking. I will wait and see the pricing in India.

As it is, I am in two minds about FX 8350 or i5 4670K. I am sure a lot of discussion on this topic has already happened on this subject here. Still I can't somehow shake off the feeling of seeing i5 do better on benchmarks (and AMD reportedly performs bad in WoW - which I tend to play most often). So I am more inclined towards Intel at the moment.

2 x hd 6870 will generate a lot heat.hd 6870 x 2 consumes around 350w :hot:

V

with that, get a hyper 212 evo also.

ASHISH65 said:
2 x hd 6870 will generate a lot heat.hd 6870 x 2 consumes around 350w

I think TX 650 will handle it..so no worries on that!

^ he is also gone a upgrade his cpu + oc too. I will not suggest 2 * hd 6870 here at all

ASHISH65 said:
^ he is also gone a upgrade his cpu + oc too. I will not suggest 2 * hd 6870 here at all

Oc will not happen if he decides to get that xeon.

V

eXtreme Power Supply Calculator

Calculate it.
I'm just saying, in case he is going to x-fire it, then 650 will suffice.

with the i5 and 6870cf config, Minimum PSU Wattage: 380 W
Recommended : 430 w
and with the fx 8350 and r9 270x, Minimum PSU Wattage: 348 W
Recommended PSU Wattage: 398W

Vish2a9l said:
eXtreme Power Supply Calculator

Calculate it.
I'm just saying, in case he is going to x-fire it, then 650 will suffice.

that is not the case here. ashish mentioned about the total power consumed by the dual gpu which is 350watts higher than the fastest single gpu 780 ti,, but at a lower performance.,

V

oops okay. but for another 6k, he can get a 6870 which is obv better than getting a new r9 270x as he will save more in 6870 and 270x might go way out of budget.

Vish2a9l said:
oops okay. but for another 6k, he can get a 6870 which is obv better than getting a new r9 270x as he will save more in 6870 and 270x might go way out of budget.

that was what my point was

I still can't decide between FX 8350 and i5-4670K. I might even go for i7-4770K, but that's a bit too costly.

I get that there are two main points in favor of FX 8350 - one that its lower price point helps to get a better GPU, and second that the newer games seem to utilize multiple cores of the FX chip better. The disadvantage is, that each core of FX is weaker than each core of the i5.

I am not sure how the FX compares against the i5 in new games, even after the edge it gets in multi-core optimized games. Is the i5 going to fall behind, even with 4 stronger cores? Will FX 8350 perform better in newer games? How consistent will either chip be? Will 8 cores of FX be better than the more powerful 4 cores of i5? Is it wise to buy an older chip now?

iirc watch dogs recommended cpu specs are i7 or fx 8350 and cpu will probably be upgraded after many years so my vote goes to amd

Xai said:
I still can't decide between FX 8350 and i5-4670K. I might even go for i7-4770K, but that's a bit too costly.

I get that there are two main points in favor of FX 8350 - one that its lower price point helps to get a better GPU, and second that the newer games seem to utilize multiple cores of the FX chip better. The disadvantage is, that each core of FX is weaker than each core of the i5.

I am not sure how the FX compares against the i5 in new games, even after the edge it gets in multi-core optimized games. Is the i5 going to fall behind, even with 4 stronger cores? Will FX 8350 perform better in newer games? How consistent will either chip be? Will 8 cores of FX be better than the more powerful 4 cores of i5? Is it wise to buy an older chip now?

Xeon FTW!

Xai said:
I still can't decide between FX 8350 and i5-4670K. I might even go for i7-4770K, but that's a bit too costly.

I get that there are two main points in favor of FX 8350 - one that its lower price point helps to get a better GPU, and second that the newer games seem to utilize multiple cores of the FX chip better. The disadvantage is, that each core of FX is weaker than each core of the i5.

I am not sure how the FX compares against the i5 in new games, even after the edge it gets in multi-core optimized games. Is the i5 going to fall behind, even with 4 stronger cores? Will FX 8350 perform better in newer games? How consistent will either chip be? Will 8 cores of FX be better than the more powerful 4 cores of i5? Is it wise to buy an older chip now?

> Do not care about the internals of processor. Just look at the benchmarks.

> i5 is currently faster than 8350 in games but as you have mentioned that 8350 allows a better graphic card to be included, so finally 8350 system be able to provide better gaming performance.

> there is absolutely no appearant gaming performance difference between an i5 and i7. i7 for gaming is a big overkill.

And also there is nothing like future proof in pc world- when new cpu architecture arrives -New games will favour new one only ,just get what is best in present

Just got a reply from MD Computers hat Xeon E3 1230 V3 will be available @ Rs 18500. Worth it?

I suppose there won't be a need for a Z87 board with Xeon. What board would be better?

Xai said:
Just got a reply from MD Computers hat Xeon E3 1230 V3 will be available @ Rs 18500. Worth it?

I suppose there won't be a need for a Z87 board with Xeon. What board would be better?

e3 1245 v3 is available at 19k. ask them. for that xeon get asus h87 pro. no need of z87 mobo.

Xai said:
Just got a reply from MD Computers hat Xeon E3 1230 V3 will be available @ Rs 18500. Worth it?

I suppose there won't be a need for a Z87 board with Xeon. What board would be better?

Gigabyte H87-d3h is enough for that cpu

rijinpk1 said:
e3 1245 v3 is available at 19k. ask them. for that xeon get asus h87 pro. no need of z87 mobo.

MD is getting overpriced. E3 1245 V3 @ Rs 20,200. For 600 more, primeabgb is selling i7 4770. :S

Xai said:
MD is getting overpriced. E3 1245 V3 @ Rs 20,200. For 600 more, primeabgb is selling i7 4770. :S

xeon e3 1245 v3 should be the choice than i7 4770. ask some other local shops to get competitive price.

rijinpk1 said:
xeon e3 1245 v3 should be the choice than i7 4770.

I'm sorry - maybe I am missing something here, but other than the price, I can't find any other significant difference. How is the xeon better?

ARK | Compare Intel® Products

Xai said:
I'm sorry - maybe I am missing something here, but other than the price, I can't find any other significant difference. How is the xeon better?

ARK | Compare Intel® Products

what else you need for the same performance?

rijinpk1 said:
what else you need for the same performance?

Touche'.

Anyway, thanks for the advices. It's still a couple of months before I actually purchase stuff, but this has been educational.

By the way, I am also trying to see if it is possible to ship something through Intel's Employee Discount. It's a long shot, but keeping my fingers crossed.

Any idea if customs charges (and how much) are applicable on CPUs being imported/shipped to India from US?

Xai said:
Touche'.

Anyway, thanks for the advices. It's still a couple of months before I actually purchase stuff, but this has been educational.

By the way, I am also trying to see if it is possible to ship something through Intel's Employee Discount. It's a long shot, but keeping my fingers crossed.

Any idea if customs charges (and how much) are applicable on CPUs being imported/shipped to India from US?

Use this

New Import Duty & Taxes Calculation | DutyCalculator

ASHISH65 said:
Use this New Import Duty & Taxes Calculation | DutyCalculator

Thanks

Quick question though - Will the product value be Retail Price or the Invoiced (discount) price? (the help says "price you paid for the item" - so I hope that's the discounted value)

I decided to splurge a bit. I have around 55K saved up. Here's the config I am looking at:

Intel i7 4770K @ 23,000
Asus Maximus VI Hero @ 18,000
CM Hyper 212 Evo @ 3,000
G-Skill RipjawsX (1600) 8 GB @ Rs 6,500
Corsair Carbide 400R @ 5,500 (or Carbide 500R)

Company bonuses roll out on March-end, so I will probably get a GPU upgrade as well. Should R9 280X suffice at single monitor 1080p for like 3 years?

Will Corsair TX650 psu be enough for a 280X/290?

Xai said:
I decided to splurge a bit. I have around 55K saved up. Here's the config I am looking at:

Intel i7 4770K @ 23,000
Asus Maximus VI Hero @ 18,000
CM Hyper 212 Evo @ 3,000
Corsair Carbide 400R @ 5,500 (or Carbide 500R)

Company bonuses roll out on March-end, so I will probably get a GPU upgrade as well. Should R9 280X suffice at single monitor 1080p for like 3 years?

Will Corsair TX650 psu be enough for a 280X/290?

Maximus hero is big overkill unless you want make world records,Get Asus Z87-a @ 13k, more than enough

TX650 is enough for R9 280x

R9 280x would be fine for 1080p for next 2 years

Okies.

Updated previous post with RAM.

Get this ram with eyes closed - Kingston HyperX Blu DDR3 4 GB PC RAM (KHX1600C9D3B1/4G) - Buy RAM Online @ Best Price on Snapdeal.com

Order 2 of them

What are you polanning to do with i7 4770k? If you intend to do just gaming, even an i5 4570k will be perfectly enough.

harshilsharma63 said:
What are you polanning to do with i7 4770k? If you intend to do just gaming, even an i5 4570k will be perfectly enough.

For now. Since next-gen games are seemingly utilizing ,multiple cores/hyper-threading more, it might be possible that the i7 will perform better in more games. I can't know for sure, but I want to be on the safe side. I know it's a gamble, and an expensive one at that, but I would not be upgrading my CPU for 4-5 years.

if budget permits, you can go for i7 4770k for sure as future games are likely to be benefited from hyperthreading of i7. but for gpu part, get 290 to be on a safer side for a longer period of time than 280x.

you could consider fx-8350

Xai said:
For now. Since next-gen games are seemingly utilizing ,multiple cores/hyper-threading more, it might be possible that the i7 will perform better in more games. I can't know for sure, but I want to be on the safe side. I know it's a gamble, and an expensive one at that, but I would not be upgrading my CPU for 4-5 years.

I would rather go for i7 4770 and an H87 board and invest remaining cash in GPU or get i5 4570k and Asus Grphon.

harshilsharma63 said:
I would rather go for i7 4770 and an H87 board and invest remaining cash in GPU or get i5 4570k and Asus Grphon.

I was initially inclined towards the i5-K. With the advice from forum members, I leaned more towards Xeon, due to HT.

In my opinion, i7 4770/ Xeon E3 1245 V3 setup will be a good bargain - saves money and has HT, and same performance as stock i5.

But then I realized that I have enough saved up to afford i7 4770K setup, and since I will not upgrade for at least 4-5 years, this would keep me safe and comfy. I figure, if my dual core Phenom II 550 BE can last 4 years, i7 -K will probably last more and perform better.

I am not an experienced overclocker - I only OCed my Phenom II X2 550 BE to about 3.4 (can only manage 3.2 now). So I am not even sure if I can fully utilize a -K series CPU, but it would be something to learn at least.

My office bonuses come out in March, so I was planning to buy R9 280X/290 with that.

just make sure you get a bad ass pricey cpu cooler [ preferably liquid based ] for ocing i7 4770k and a good motherboard if possible from Asus ROG series.

I am keeping R9 290 central to the upgrade. First I will ensure that I can buy 290, and then depending on the remaining funds, I will either go for i7 4770K, or Xeon E3 1245 V3.

Will TX650 suffice for i7 overclocking and 290?

Do I still need an aftermarket cooler (CM Hyper 212 Evo) if I don't OC (Xeon build)?

Xai said:
I am keeping R9 290 central to the upgrade. First I will ensure that I can buy 290, and then depending on the remaining funds, I will either go for i7 4770K, or Xeon E3 1245 V3.

Will TX650 suffice for i7 overclocking and 290?

better get a 750watts unit.

Xai said:
I am keeping R9 290 central to the upgrade. First I will ensure that I can buy 290, and then depending on the remaining funds, I will either go for i7 4770K, or Xeon E3 1245 V3.

Will TX650 suffice for i7 overclocking and 290?

Do I still need an aftermarket cooler (CM Hyper 212 Evo) if I don't OC (Xeon build)?

For R9 290 ,you need atleast 750w

if you dont overclock, get either hyper tx3 evo or hyper 101 evo. no need of 212 evo. or you can consider antec a40. but i dont know how better it is compared to hyper tx3 evo.

Get Hyper 101 with eyes closed for xeon, it performs almost same as Tx3 at less price

ASHISH65 said:
For R9 290 ,you need atleast 750w

Ouch. That's an expense I did not foresee. This definitely shifts the scales more towards the cheaper Xeon build.

Assuming Corsair TX series have Power Factor of 0.8, then my APC 1100 VA should be able to handle even a TX 850, right?

Xai said:
Ouch. That's an expense I did not foresee. This definitely shifts the scales more towards the cheaper Xeon build.

Assuming Corsair TX series have Power Factor of 0.8, then my APC 1100 VA should be able to handle even a TX 850, right?

Which model do you have. VA is NOT equal to Watt. If you happen to have BX1100CI, you are limited to 660 W. Check APC's website for exact max. power output in Watts.

Xai said:
Ouch. That's an expense I did not foresee. This definitely shifts the scales more towards the cheaper Xeon build.

Assuming Corsair TX series have Power Factor of 0.8, then my APC 1100 VA should be able to handle even a TX 850, right?

Tx series psu is having power factor of more than 0.9 at most(all) the loads. also the apc ups which we usually use have a power factor of 0.6 and hence a 1100va ups can provide 1100X0.6= 660watts of power. if you get a psu of greater wattage ,say tx 850, does not mean that it consumes 850 watts all the time.

rijinpk1 said:
Tx series psu is having power factor of more than 0.9 at most(all) the loads. also the apc ups which we usually use have a power factor of 0.6 and hence a 1100va ups can provide 1100X0.6= 660watts of power. if you get a psu of greater wattage ,say tx 850, does not mean that it consumes 850 watts all the time.

But what happens when the system is at load? Suppose R9 290 is at full load, will 1100VA ups be able to provide sufficient power to TX750/TX850 psu?

Xai said:
But what happens when the system is at load? Suppose R9 290 is at full load, will 1100VA ups be able to provide sufficient power to TX750/TX850 psu?

sure.. it can

harshilsharma63 said:
Which model do you have. VA is NOT equal to Watt. If you happen to have BX1100CI, you are limited to 660 W. Check APC's website for exact max. power output in Watts.

Model Number is BR1100CI-IN, and as pointed out by rijinpk1, output power capacity is 660W.

Is Corsair TX 750 enough to power a i7 + R9 290 setup, or should I get TX 850?

Xai said:
Model Number is BR1100CI-IN, and as pointed out by rijinpk1, output power capacity is 660W.

Is Corsair TX 750 enough to power a i7 + R9 290 setup, or should I get TX 850?

if you use a single 290 only, tx 750 is sufficient(keeping overclocking in mind). you can also consider seasonic m12ii 750 are sufficient too. if you want to crossfire later, get the 850W unit.

rijinpk1 said:
if you use a single 290 only, tx 750 is sufficient(keeping overclocking in mind). you can also consider seasonic m12ii 750 are sufficient too. if you want to crossfire later, get the 850W unit.

Cool. Going to check out the street prices this Saturday.

Xai said:
Model Number is BR1100CI-IN, and as pointed out by rijinpk1, output power capacity is 660W.

Is Corsair TX 750 enough to power a i7 + R9 290 setup, or should I get TX 850?

> Yeah, that UPS might not be able to provide enough power when your system is at load.

> TX 750 is perfectly enough. Use this online tool: eXtreme Power Supply Calculator

harshilsharma63 said:
> Yeah, that UPS might not be able to provide enough power when your system is at load.

> TX 750 is perfectly enough. Use this online tool: eXtreme Power Supply Calculator

The tool showed recommended PSU Wattage as 538W, with following config:

1 CPU = i7 4770, CPU Utlization = 100%, 4 sticks DDR3 RAM, AMD R9 290, 3 Regular Sata HDD, 1 Flash SSD, 4 USB Devices, 4 120mm fans, 100% system load.

Now, if I understand this right, then at load, system will consume approx 540W. Input from APC BR1100CI-IN is 660W, which should be just marginally enough, considering some power will be lost during conversion from input to output.

Is that correct?

Xai said:
The tool showed recommended PSU Wattage as 538W, with following config:

1 CPU = i7 4770, CPU Utlization = 100%, 4 sticks DDR3 RAM, AMD R9 290, 3 Regular Sata HDD, 1 Flash SSD, 4 USB Devices, 4 120mm fans, 100% system load.

Now, if I understand this right, then at load, system will consume approx 540W. Input from APC BR1100CI-IN is 660W, which should be just marginally enough, considering some power will be lost during conversion from input to output.

Is that correct?

actually, the ups kicks in when the electricity is cut off. else the power from the mains are just balanced and given to the psu. so even if your pc takes 800W load,ups is not gonna interrupt it until electricity gets cut off. correct me if i am wrong

Xai said:
The tool showed recommended PSU Wattage as 538W, with following config:

1 CPU = i7 4770, CPU Utlization = 100%, 4 sticks DDR3 RAM, AMD R9 290, 3 Regular Sata HDD, 1 Flash SSD, 4 USB Devices, 4 120mm fans, 100% system load.

Now, if I understand this right, then at load, system will consume approx 540W. Input from APC BR1100CI-IN is 660W, which should be just marginally enough, considering some power will be lost during conversion from input to output.

Is that correct?

Theoretically it's correct but only by a vary tiny margin in case of the APC BR1100CI-IN and should hold your rig just fine with it's battery backup under load condition.

Xai said:
The tool showed recommended PSU Wattage as 538W, with following config:

1 CPU = i7 4770, CPU Utlization = 100%, 4 sticks DDR3 RAM, AMD R9 290, 3 Regular Sata HDD, 1 Flash SSD, 4 USB Devices, 4 120mm fans, 100% system load.

Now, if I understand this right, then at load, system will consume approx 540W. Input from APC BR1100CI-IN is 660W, which should be just marginally enough, considering some power will be lost during conversion from input to output.

Is that correct?

Also consider the PSU's efficiency. Considering your PC will need 500 W. With an 80 plus PSU, tit will need 625 W from the wall outlet/UPS. After considering PSU's internal losses due to age, it may be working very close to it's max capacity.

How is HiS R9 280X, compared to Asus one? I went to Chadni Chowk (GC Avenue, Kolkata) today, checking prices - HiS 280X is around 21K, whereas Asus one is about 24K.

~~HiS~~ 290 is 40.5K. - [Correction:] I think this was Sapphire Tri-X OC version.

At 21k, HIS 280X is a fantastic deal.

Thought so.

Vedant quoted 21K for HiS 280X, and 31K for Sapphire 290. Excluding tax, and "subject to change", of course.

Xai said:
Thought so.

Vedant quoted 21K for HiS 280X, and 31K for Sapphire 290. Excluding tax, and "subject to change", of course.

290 makes more sense at 31k. price of 280x is also excellent.

So, I finally bought most of the stuff. Phase I of the upgrade completed.

Component	Model	Price
CPU	Intel i7 4770	Rs 19,550
Motherboard	Gigabyte GA-H87-D3H	Rs 8100
RAM	Kingston HyperX Blu 2*4GB	Rs 5700
CPU Cooler	Cooler Master Hyper 101	Rs 1450
Cabinet	Corsair Carbide 500R	Rs 7100

Prices are excluding tax. All bought from Vedant.

A few words regarding the choice of components:

i7 4770 - I was looking for the Xeon, but they were not readily available. Also, I realized that most people do not actually realize that Xeon E3 1245 V3 is basically i7 chip. I figured that if for some reason I need to resale my CPU, then it would be relatively easier to sell off an i7.

Gigabyte GA-H87-D3H - Was cheaper than Asus H87 Pro, which was not available at the moment in Vedant. I was not in the mood to walk to Eastern Logica (they quoted good price for Asus H87 Pro) for just one item. Also, I needed to go for a cheaper board to accomodate the costlier cabinet.

Corsair Carbide 500R - I did something silly here. I always liked 500R better than 400R, but 400R is much more value for money. Thing is, that 400R was not available in Vedant, MD Computers, IT Arena. I was informed by Vedant that the latest batch of 400R had some issues with switch, so they awere recalled by Corsair. I bought Corsair Carbide 500R instead. When they brought the cabinet, it was white and I realized I forgot to mention I wanted it in black. So I asked them to deliver a black one to my address. So, I still have to wait a week to have the cabinet delivered. Well, at least the cabinet isn't bad!

Phase II to commence in April

My sincerest thanks to all who adviced me in this thread. ASHISH65, rijinpk1, harshilsharma63, topgear, snap and Cilus - your help and guidance are highly appreciated

I will post pics once my cabinet is here and I set up my new rig.

Congrats

you got components at good price :wink:

Waiting for pics :razz:

congrats and post pics

Congrats!

congrats

post pics

and change your sig

Hey guys, sorry for the delay with pics. Was busy with some work, and the cabinet came in late. Finally installed today. Here are the pics:

Congrats! Cable management can be improved significantly.

Xai said:
Hey guys, sorry for the delay with pics. Was busy with some work, and the cabinet came in late. Finally installed today. Here are the pics:

View attachment 13740
View attachment 13741
View attachment 13742

nice

Xai said:
Hey guys, sorry for the delay with pics. Was busy with some work, and the cabinet came in late. Finally installed today. Here are the pics:

View attachment 13740
View attachment 13741
View attachment 13742

Time for you to change the siggy : Add 500R instead of 400R

BTW, congrats bro.

topgear said:
Time for you to change the siggy : Add 500R instead of 400R BTW, congrats bro.

Oh, it's 400R only. The 500R black still was not available, but new stock of 400R had come in - so I asked Vedant to give me 400R instead of 500R, and saved some money

Xai said:
Oh, it's 400R only. The 500R black still was not available, but new stock of 400R had come in - so I asked Vedant to give me 400R instead of 500R, and saved some money

how much did you pay for that?

rijinpk1 said:
how much did you pay for that?

Rs 5300 (excl. tax) for Corsair Carbide 400R

Xai said:
Rs 5300 (excl. tax) for Corsair Carbide 400R

thanks

K

Xai said:
So, I finally bought most of the stuff. Phase I of the upgrade completed.

Component Model Price
CPU Intel i7 4770 Rs 19,550
Motherboard Gigabyte GA-H87-D3H Rs 8100
RAM Kingston HyperX Blu 2*4GB Rs 5700
CPU Cooler Cooler Master Hyper 101 Rs 1450
Cabinet Corsair Carbide 500R Rs 7100

Prices are excluding tax. All bought from Vedant.

A few words regarding the choice of components:

i7 4770 - I was looking for the Xeon, but they were not readily available. Also, I realized that most people do not actually realize that Xeon E3 1245 V3 is basically i7 chip. I figured that if for some reason I need to resale my CPU, then it would be relatively easier to sell off an i7.

Gigabyte GA-H87-D3H - Was cheaper than Asus H87 Pro, which was not available at the moment in Vedant. I was not in the mood to walk to Eastern Logica (they quoted good price for Asus H87 Pro) for just one item. Also, I needed to go for a cheaper board to accomodate the costlier cabinet.

Corsair Carbide 500R - I did something silly here. I always liked 500R better than 400R, but 400R is much more value for money. Thing is, that 400R was not available in Vedant, MD Computers, IT Arena. I was informed by Vedant that the latest batch of 400R had some issues with switch, so they awere recalled by Corsair. I bought Corsair Carbide 500R instead. When they brought the cabinet, it was white and I realized I forgot to mention I wanted it in black. So I asked them to deliver a black one to my address. So, I still have to wait a week to have the cabinet delivered. Well, at least the cabinet isn't bad!

Phase II to commence in April

My sincerest thanks to all who adviced me in this thread. ASHISH65, rijinpk1, harshilsharma63, topgear, snap and Cilus - your help and guidance are highly appreciated

I will post pics once my cabinet is here and I set up my new rig.

Congrats

It's almost month-end. Salary time = new GPU time

Looking at R9 290.

I know this was answered before keeping OC in mind. But, without OC on my current setup, will TX650 be enough for R9 290, or do I need to buy 750W psu?

Also, I read R9 290 runs very hot - around 90C, by design. Is it better to go for HiS model (cheaper, but I hear HiS cooling system is good), or with the Sapphire Tri-X model (costlier)?

Xai said:
It's almost month-end. Salary time = new GPU time Looking at R9 290.

I know this was answered before keeping OC in mind. But, without OC on my current setup, will TX650 be enough for R9 290, or do I need to buy 750W psu?

Also, I read R9 290 runs very hot - around 90C, by design. Is it better to go for HiS model (cheaper, but I hear HiS cooling system is good), or with the Sapphire Tri-X model (costlier)?

As far as I know HIS does not offer any non-reference 290. Sapphire tri-x is a good card and I have been using it for 1 month. It is yet to touch 90 degrees.
I am using it with a 620W PSU, but again I don' t have a custom CPU cooler and my processor is i5.

Bought Sapphire Tr-X R9 290 from Vedant @ Rs 36,200.

The card is a monster. My GPU score on 3DMark jumped to almost 40K from 17K

Congrats!

Congrats. Happy gaming

Xai said:
Bought Sapphire Tr-X R9 290 from Vedant @ Rs 36,200.

The card is a monster. My GPU score on 3DMark jumped to almost 40K from 17K

Beauty and the Beast

anyway, congrats bro.