Finally my new monster PC is up and running!

I've been a PC gamer since 1995 and I'm a true PC gamer at heart and I've built several comps over the years, but the last PC I bought was in 2008. Between the years 2009 to 2013 I've been stuck with console gaming (mainly PS3) due to different unfortunate circumstances but last year I decided to get back into PC gaming for real and since December 2013 I've tried to plan in detail what new PC hardware to buy.

The process of choosing the right parts was difficult but finally I'm done and this is my new PC:
(Intel or Nividia was never a choice since I'm a huge AMD fan)

AMD FX-6300 Black Edition CPU  -  105 Euros  (Note: I bought the FX-8350 but broke off one pin, then I realized the FX-6300 is just as fast for gaming)

Gigabyte Radeon R9 290 4GB GDDR5 PCI-Express 3.0, "Windforce 3X" GPU - 420 Euros

Gigabyte GA-990XA-UD3 Socket-AM3+ muthaboard - 95 Euros

Samsung SSD 840 EVO 250GB BK OEM Basic kit - 140 Euros

Seagate Barracuda 2 TB 7200rpm HDD - 85 Euros

Samsung DVD RW - 18 Euros

Crucial DDR3 BallistiX Sport 16GB KIT Sport,1600MHz RAM - 145 Euros

Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo CPU cooler  - 34 Euros

Corsair CX 750M 750W PSU  - 80 Euros

NZXT Phantom 410 Midi Tower Red Case -  105 Euros

Microsoft Windows 8.1 OEM version OS - 90 Euros

Samsung LS27 C750PS 27 inch moniter - 245 Euros

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All in all 1572 Euros (around $2,100)

(PC without moniter: 1327 Euros) (rufly $1,750)

In the past it usually took me one whole day to build a PC and get it to work with OS and games, but this time it took around three (!) days.

To my surprise the hardware installation turned out to be the most difficult and I damaged the CPU due to pushing it too hard into the motherboard when installing the aftermarket CPU cooler (I broke off one pin on the FX-8350 that I originally bought, had to throw it away and ended up buying a cheaper FX-6300 instead, so you could add another 150Euros/$200 to the total cost due to the broken FX-8350 CPU). Overall though, I must admit that the hardware installation of a PC today is much easier than it was in the 90's and early 2000's despite the destroyed CPU. I was just rusty.

Meanwhile, and to an even bigger surprise, the software installation was a piece of cake! In the past I had to put many frustrating hours into messing with BIOS settings, installing Windows, updating drivers, updating with Service Pack, updating programs I don't even remember... some protocol you always had to manually download and install in the past, formatting drives, allocating IRQ addresses and trying to mess around with network and internet settings, but this time I literally didn't have to do anything! I just putted the Windows 8.1 install DVD in and it installed automatically without any hassle whatsoever and everything just worked! I could run my first game within an hour. That was just wow and totally unheard of in my world! It's amazing how consumer friendly Microsoft has become since Windows XP. That was such a relief after all the hardware hassle and a very pleasant experience.

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I am very happy with this powerful AMD machine. I can run all games on max settings. I am very proud. Very happy. Nuffin beats PC gaming.

Nice build, but damn that's one bulky case... for my tastes, anyway :P

Do you have pics of your cable management? And how does that FX6300 compare against an i5? Because I'm planning to upgrade soon.

Yeah, it's a fairly big tower but I wanted it that way. Easier to switch part inside the machine, plus I really wanted a red case.

Cable management with this case is excellent. My camera just ran out of batteries so can't take a pic but I assure it's very convenient. You have several tunnels that go into the back area of the case where all cables are nicely stacked together. In the main space of the case there's your usual couple of cables that "obstruct" somewhat, like the power cables to the motherboard, the PCE-express cables and such. Airflow and conveniency is excellent though.

I think an i5 is much faster for desktop tasks but in gaming, even in RTS games and other CPU heavy games like Skyrim, under high quality graphics settings it's only 10-15% faster, tops.

What do you currently have for PC?

Nice!

Just wondering what made you pick up the 6300 over the 8350?

Thank you. Exactly.

I've felt so dumb for many years now, until today. I feel like a new man.

I originally bought an FX-8350 but accidentally broke it while installing (pushed it too hard when it wasn't in the correct position while installing the CPU cooler which lead to many broken pins, and one pin broke off completely so CPU wouldn't post).

I felt sad about it (and ashamed) and replaced it with a 45 Euros cheaper FX-6300 instead.

Ouch on the broken 8350.. Still, at least you didn't damage the motherboard.

And very nice build you've got there. If you have 3DMark, do post some benchmarks. Curious to see how an all AMD system performs.

On anther note planning to renew my PC as well. Just waiting on Intel for their Haswell refresh - 4790k (should be out soon), then higher end Maxwell for the graphics card. Already ordered my ram; 16gb 1866, (4x4GB) Patriot Viper 3 to go with it.

Maxwell, which generation of Nvidia is that? The GTX680 and GTX780 cards, or is the upcoming gen?

Master race!

Woah. Master Race? More like Monster Race.
That PC is so powerful Capcom might make it a new monster in the Monster Hunter series.

I'm not a PC enthusiast, but that seems like one hell of a machine.
NASA must be so proud (?)
Well, back to playing League of Legends running at 3-5 FPS at min. settings.