Quote Originally Posted by J.Dre View Post
@Sam,

Maximum Performance Configuration:

  • CPU: AMD FX-8350 8-Core Black Edition [+$179] (Amazon)
  • GPU: Wait for Maxwell [+$150~]
  • Motherboard: ASUS Z97-A ATX w/ Intel GbLAN, 3 PCIe x16, 2 PCIe x1, 2 PCI, 1 x M.2, 1x SATA Express, 4x SATA 6Gb/s [+$140] (Amazon)
  • PSU: Corsair CX 500W ATX/EPS (80 PLUS) [+$50] (Amazon)
  • RAM: Corsair Vengeance Pro Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 2400MHz [+$95] (Amazon)
  • Storage (Primary): 128GB Samsung 850 PRO [+$110] (Amazon)
  • Storage (Secondary): Western Digital 1TB SATA III 7200 RPM 64 MB Cache [+$75] (Amazon)

Sub-total: $799
Taxes: $55.93
Total: $854.93


Budget Configuration:

  • Removed - Samsung 850 PRO SSD [-$110]

Sub-total: $689
Taxes: $48.23
Total: $737.23

To save some money, just remove the SSD. It's not necessary. You may think the memory is also unnecessary, but it's only $10 more than 1600MHz memory. So, why not? The GPU price is an estimation. This may go up or down a little bit, but the rest is spot on. That is the best configuration I could come up with right now. Maxwell consumes (on average) 30% less energy. So, a 500W PSU should be plenty.

Hopefully this helps you decide.
Thanks @J.Dre, really appreciate your help.

I'm probably looking to buy before Maxwell is released - under those circumstances do you think the GTX 750Ti is a good option?