Custom Build Advice - Hardware & Software

Hi guys, hoping to get some opinions on this build: CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper T4 Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty H87-PERFORMANCE Memory: Corsair CMX8GX3M2A-1600C9 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 Storage #1: Samsung 120GB SSD 840 EVO Series Storage #2: Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive Storage #3: Hitachi HDS72202 2TB (transfer from current system) Storage #4: (if necessary) Samsung HD502IJ 500GB (transfer from current system) (I run a graphic design business so this would be used mostly for work stuff). Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 280X (OC) 3GB GDDR5 Case: BitFenix Shinobi ATX Case Fans: Corsair Air Series AF120 Performance Power Supply: Corsair 650W VS650 Optical Drive #1: LG BD-RE BH10LS30 (transfer from current system) Optical Drive #2: H&L DVDRW GSA-H73N (transfer from current system) Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (64-bit) Sound: ASUS XONAR-DR I live in Australia, the land of exorbitant and retardedly high prices, so with a lack of sales this system has come to $2032 including building, hardware, software & OS installation and advanced shipping from Melbourne to Sydney, but includes a few games for free. My budget is 3000, but I was aiming to get as close to 1500 as possible with the best performance. Are there any parts here that could be replaced or dropped? I want something that will be able to last me a few years but also be upgradable (my current old and busted Dell XPS system is annoyingly not).

The i7 is worse for gaming than the i5 unless you disable hyperthreading, completely ruining the point of getting the i7 in the first place. If this isn't the computer you'll be using for your work and you won't be using it a lot for rendering/compiling/etc, an i5 4670k would be just as good. The motherboard is non-overclockable(H87 chipset) with a processor that is. If you want to overclock, get something with the Z87 chipset like the MSI G45 Gaming or Gigabyte (U)D3H. If you don't, get a B or H series chipset MSI G41, like the B85-G41 and a processor that doesn't have the K at the end of the model. The Seagate Barracuda drives are significantly cheaper than the WD Black drives and perform better, so you should consider them instead The Corsair CX600M should be a tad cheaper and be modular

[QUOTE=RandomGamer342;43764109]The i7 is worse for gaming than the i5 unless you disable hyperthreading, completely ruining the point of getting the i7 in the first place. If this isn't the computer you'll be using for your work and you won't be using it a lot for rendering/compiling/etc, an i5 4670k would be just as good. The motherboard is non-overclockable(H87 chipset) with a processor that is. If you want to overclock, get something with the Z87 chipset like the MSI G45 Gaming or Gigabyte (U)D3H. If you don't, get a B or H series chipset MSI G41, like the B85-G41 and a processor that doesn't have the K at the end of the model. The Seagate Barracuda drives are significantly cheaper than the WD Black drives and perform better, so you should consider them instead The Corsair CX600M should be a tad cheaper and be modular[/QUOTE] Thanks, with the changes implemented I'm looking at 1829 incl. shipping, so a saving of 200 bucks. I've chosen to skip the sound card as I'm using some pretty stock speakers/headphones and I know it's not really worth it. Will the CX600M be able to take the load of the overclocked CPU/GPU as well as a larger PSU would? This is all a bit new to me.

With your graphic design business, can the programs take advantage of hyperthreading? That would make the i7 worth the money.

600 watts is enough for any single GPU system.

[QUOTE=Levelog;43764488]With your graphic design business, can the programs take advantage of hyperthreading? That would make the i7 worth the money.[/QUOTE] From what I can find, Photoshop will use hyperthreading occasionally, but I work more in inDesign and Illustrator where any performance increase would be less noticeable. I doubt the i7 would make enough of a difference in my work to justify the 200 dollars extra - maybe if I rendered video or 3d more often?

[QUOTE=RandomGamer342;43764109]The i7 is worse for gaming than the i5 unless you disable hyperthreading, completely ruining the point of getting the i7 in the first place. If this isn't the computer you'll be using for your work and you won't be using it a lot for rendering/compiling/etc, an i5 4670k would be just as good. The motherboard is non-overclockable(H87 chipset) with a processor that is. If you want to overclock, get something with the Z87 chipset like the MSI G45 Gaming or Gigabyte (U)D3H. If you don't, get a B or H series chipset MSI G41, like the B85-G41 and a processor that doesn't have the K at the end of the model. The Seagate Barracuda drives are significantly cheaper than the WD Black drives and perform better, so you should consider them instead The Corsair CX600M should be a tad cheaper and be modular[/QUOTE] Isn't the 4770K plain better than the 4670K for gaming, just not $100 extra better?

[QUOTE=DVH;43768599]Isn't the 4770K plain better than the 4670K for gaming, just not $100 extra better?[/QUOTE] It's the same processor, except the 4770k has hyperthreading.

[QUOTE=Death_God;43768654]It's the same processor, except the 4770k has hyperthreading.[/QUOTE] Also a bit more cache and a bit higher clocks, but that's not worth $100 either.