$1600 Gaming and General purpose build, wondering if it's any good.

[MasterChuck]

Hi guys,
I'm going to build a PC at Christmas time or early January. This will be my first build. The build budget is $1600 AUD. I don't need any peripherals, i.e keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, headset or controllers. My preference spis to buy parts off PCCASEGEAR Australia. I'm interested in medium level overclocking. I want to SLI or Crossfire capability for future upgrades. My monitor resolution will be 1920X1200 and when it becomes more economical 2560X1440. Noise doesn't bother me so much but I would rather it didn't sound like a jet taking off when it boots up. I do need an OS with the PC. Power is quite expensive so the lower usage the better. I also plan on getting a 256gb SSD later because I don't think a 128gb SSD is worth it.

Specs:

Intel Build:
CPU: i5 3570k for $264
Motherboard: MSI Z77A-GD80 for $170 (on sale)
GPU: XFX Radeon HD7950 Double Dissipation 3GB for $270 (on sale)
RAM: G.Skill 8gb single 1600mhz for $95
HDD: Western digital blue 1TB for $70
Case: NZXT Phantom 630 for $190
OS: Windows 8.1 home premium 64bit for $115
Optical drive: Samsung SH-224DB 24x DVDRW OEM for $19
PSU: Antec High Current Gamer 900W for $180
CPU Cooler: CoolerMaster Hyper 412 slim for $50 (the hyper 212 is also $50)
Tax: $140
Price: $1565

For AMD Build:
CPU: FX-8350 for $225 or FX-8320 for $180
Motherboard: ASUS Sabertooth 990FX Motherboard R2.0 for $219
GPU: XFX Radeon HD7950 Double Dissipation 3GB for $270 (on sale)
RAM: G.Skill 8gb single 1600mhz for $95
HDD: Western digital blue 1TB for $70
Case: NZXT Phantom 630 for $190
OS: Windows 8.1 home premium 64bit for $115
Optical drive: Samsung SH-224DB 24x DVDRW OEM for $19
PSU: Antec High Current Gamer 900W for $180
CPU Cooler: CoolerMaster Hyper 412 slim for $50 (the hyper 212 is also $50)
Tax: $140
Price: $1575

Website: www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=index

If it's tldr the bottom line is: which build is better and any changes/improvements.

Thanks in advance.
P.S sorry for it being so long.

 

[DSF]

You're working at cross-purposes if you're trying to get low power usage out of an overclocked computer with dual video cards.

I'm assuming that the computing power is actually more important to you than the lower power usage. (And either way, even with fairly expensive per-kWh energy prices, computers generally cost less to run than people expect.)

In the Intel build all of your prices seem pretty reasonable for the kind of computer you're trying to build except for the case and power supply. If you're able to bring those costs down you might get close to affording a 180-240GB SSD. It just seems to me like a hassle to install your OS and whatever apps on your 1TB hard drive only to have to reinstall everything in a few months. That's up to you though.

Just know that you don't need a 900W power supply. Something like 750W would have plenty of headroom.

 

[AVP]

I keep all my games on a separate 1gb western digital black and I can't fill my 128gb ssd. Food for thought.

 

[MasterChuck]

Thanks for the replies. For the PSU would the Corsair TX-750 V2 Be better? What case would you recommend? I really like the look of the Phantom 630 but it could be a bit overkill, would the phantom 410 be better?
I checked the electricity bill and the power usage won't really matter.

 

[arkcom]

Avoid that video card if you can. I had two and rmaed them both. They are insanely hot.

 

[MasterChuck]

Avoid that video card if you can. I had two and rmaed them both. They are insanely hot.

I can get this card if it would be better: Sapphire Radeon HD7950 3GB Vapor-X OC Boost Edition for $279 link: http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=22337&cPath=67

 

[arkcom]

I can get this card if it would be better: Sapphire Radeon HD7950 3GB Vapor-X OC Boost Edition for $279 link: http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=22337&cPath=67

That would be much better.

 

[mfenn]

It seems to me like you're spending a lot of money on a motherboard, PSU, and case trying to get upgradeability. Those costs compromise the system in terms of its two primary use cases, gaming (relatively weak GPU) and general usage (no SSD).

i5 4570K $265
ASRock Z87 Pro4 $145
G.Skill DDR3 1600 8GB $99
GTX 770 $379
Seagate 1TB 7200RPM $69
Samsung DVD Burner $19
Samsung 840 EVO 120GB $105
Antec HCG-620 $105
NZXT Phantom 410 $125
Windows 8.1 64-bit OEM $115
Arctic Cooling Freezer i30 $42
Tax $150
Total: $1618

With this build you lose out on SLI capability, but gain an SSD and a better GPU for ~$50 more. IMHO it would be travesty to build a machine at this budget range without including an SSD, ~120GB is completely manageable with a 1TB HDD to go along with it. The GTX 770 is also a quieter card than the 7950/7970/R9 280X.