| Slimebeast said: In your sig it says 1800mhz RAM. But speed of RAM is still totally irrelevant unless you overclock the CPU, correct? I won't overclock. |
Ram speed is totally irrelevant unless you have integrated graphics like AMD's APU's.
Just get 8-16Gb of DDR3 1600mhz as that's the sweet spot. (I would lean towards 16Gb as that's going to be plenty for years to come and Windows can cache that bit extra.)
As for GPU's, you can't go wrong with the Radeon R9 290.
However, I wouldn't bother buying a Radeon R9 290 if all you are going to be gaming at is 1920x1080, you would be better served with the Radeon 280/280X/7950/7970. - Whichever you can find cheaper.
You would want at-least a 2560x1440 monitor to stretch the R9 290's legs.
For the CPU, I would opt for a Core i5 4670K or 4770K, there are games out that just don't push the threads needed to make AMD's CPU's kick into another gear, plus you would save money on the energy bill.
I would only go AMD at this point unless you are on an extreme budget or intend to use software other than games that can use all 8 threads or intend to overclock the CPU with some exotic cooling like Helium.
AMD won't be updating the AM3+ socket in 2014, there might be an update in 2015 or they may cancel the entire platform to focus on FM2+. - So you might be left in the lurch with no option of something faster.
On my FX 8120 system, demanding single and dual threaded games *really* struggle, like StarCraft 2 when there is a ton of units on screen. (Think: 600+ with Physics)
Or Sins of a Solar Empire once players start to lay down lots of land mines.
And don't even get me started on Arma...
I always like an underdog, AMD is a good company, but when it comes to your wallet you need to make the choice, just remember by choosing an AMD CPU you won't be getting the best all-around performance. - The performance may be "good enough" but that's up to you.
--::{PC Gaming Master Race}::--
