[DonutDeflector]

The FX CPUs won't bottleneck any single-GPU solution I know of(MAYBE a 290X or Titan). When are you planning to buy? I was trying to put together a part-list for you the other day but I couldn't beat the combo deal you were looking at price wise.

Really though, take Yazen's advice. FX-4300/6300 and a higher end GPU.

I'm choosing the FX-8320 (better performance per $ than FX-8350)
I have a $500 budget.

 

[Yazen]

  I'm choosing the FX-8320 (better performance per $ than FX-8350)
I have a $500 budget.

*If you have a Microcenter that still has the 955BE/965BE for $65, that would definitely be the way to go!  Can have the CPU/Motherboard/8GB RAM for $125-135 + Tax.
 
ONLINE ITEMS:
*128GB SSD for $50-$60 would bring you to ~$200
*500W Antec PSU ~$35=$235
*Antec 300 case? Puts you around $280
*Windforce R9 270 ~$210 = $490 Total
*Find a used 212+/similar cooler on eBay for $10, ~$500 total
 
Can trim the case in favor of more fans, or possibly a better cooler.  I have Amazon Prime/Shoprunner but it would not be a good idea to trust some random person on a forum

 
 

EDIT:  You can always go with a single RAM module and scrap a HDD until you can afford an upgrade.  4GB RAM is enough for many games, tried and true!  Of course, you will not be able to dial certain settings up, or run memory intensive applications in the background.  At least you will have a pleasurable experience until you can cough up the extra change, and have a taste at a very modest midrange system

 
 
EDIT2:  These are all current prices, and I have added about $40 in padding to give a more realistic idea of the total cost.  If I see anything you can use this week I will PM you

 

[linglingjr]

The FX CPUs won't bottleneck any single-GPU solution I know of(MAYBE a 290X or Titan). When are you planning to buy? I was trying to put together a part-list for you the other day but I couldn't beat the combo deal you were looking at price wise.

Really though, take Yazen's advice. FX-4300/6300 and a higher end GPU.

I wish you were right. my 6300 OCed to 4.3GHz bottlenecks my 7970 dual x even at stock clocks....

 

[DefQon]

The 965BE is a dead architecture runs on a dead socket. He will need to sell mobo and cpu off before thinking of upgrading to something better and the FX-8350 (quite a poor performer still) is light years ahead of the early Phenom II X4/X6 CPU's.
 
I would go with a used 2600k Sandy Bridge setup and try add in a bit more $$ to the budget.
 
Used CPU's go for around $150-180 on ebay.
Unless you need the latest Z77 mobo for Thunderbolt (useless), used P67 and Z68X motherboards can be had under $80 decent models too on ebay, sometimes other manufacturers carry B stock or open box deals for the same or less expensive price.
 
Then choose whatever else you want for RAM, GPU, CASE etc etc. 

 

[Yazen]

  The 965BE is a dead architecture runs on a dead socket. He will need to sell mobo and cpu off before thinking of upgrading to something better and the FX-8350 (quite a poor performer still) is light years ahead of the early Phenom II X4/X6 CPU's.
 
I would go with a used 2600k Sandy Bridge setup and try add in a bit more $$ to the budget.
 
Used CPU's go for around $150-180 on ebay.
Unless you need the latest Z77 mobo for Thunderbolt (useless), used P67 and Z68X motherboards can be had under $80 decent models too on ebay, sometimes other manufacturers carry B stock or open box deals for the same or less expensive price.
 
Then choose whatever else you want for RAM, GPU, CASE etc etc. 

True, but you can get the 965+Mobo for $70+tax at Microcenter!  I had a 955BE+GTX460 and it ran Crysis 3 good!  The bottleneck was definitely the 460, and not the CPU.
 
Might be a dead socket, but $0 (+$10 Tax) motherboard?  Hell..  XD

 

[bowei006]

  The 965BE is a dead architecture runs on a dead socket. He will need to sell mobo and cpu off before thinking of upgrading to something better and the FX-8350 (quite a poor performer still) is light years ahead of the early Phenom II X4/X6 CPU's.
 
I would go with a used 2600k Sandy Bridge setup and try add in a bit more $$ to the budget.
 
Used CPU's go for around $150-180 on ebay.
Unless you need the latest Z77 mobo for Thunderbolt (useless), used P67 and Z68X motherboards can be had under $80 decent models too on ebay, sometimes other manufacturers carry B stock or open box deals for the same or less expensive price.
 
Then choose whatever else you want for RAM, GPU, CASE etc etc. 

I got 4 years out of my 965 BE
 
My old motherboard was on its last legs a few months ago. I was NOT going to spend more than $55 on an AM3/AM3+ motherboard. Thankfully, there was a small Newegg sale on a good Gigabyte mobo that went back to $100 a few days later. I bagged that, and its rebate for $55
 
I'm gonna be probably upgrading my mobo and CPU next year. Not sure if DDR4 is going to be an option or if I want it. I was an early adopter of DDR3. I paid $200 for 6GB's. 

 

[bowei006]

   
Um.....are you being serious or not because you put "What every mainstream gaming laptop thinks under that...
 
Really though, I'm thinking it would bottleneck.

Not being serious by the way. 
 
Don't spend $400 on a CPU if your budget is only $500
 
I was just making fun of how many modern laptops and some desktops are cutting corners at high prices by only giving Intel HD graphics.

 

[DefQon]

  I'm gonna be probably upgrading my mobo and CPU next year. Not sure if DDR4 is going to be an option or if I want it. I was an early adopter of DDR3. I paid $200 for 6GB's. 

DDR4 isn't slated for release possibly Q4 of this year or Q1 of 2015. Current speculation is that it will be very expensive, more so then it was with 1.8v DDR3 ram for socket 775 was more then half a decade ago, then they had the complete new architecture 1156/1366 socket released and DDR3 sticks dropped to 1.5/1.65v due to design issues with the new stuff, so backwards compatibility wasn't valid.
 
I don't think I will be upgrading my system until any games or tasks I do will actually fully utilise my systems power. Maybe upgrade when Skylake or so comes out but yet again Intel said that they are going with BGA processor/motherboard package all-in-one and that would be the death of socket based CPU's. Say bye bye to upgradeable processors and motherboards.

 

[214324]

Q1 2015 sounds about right since that fits very well with AMD's current timing for APUs.

 

[bowei006]

  DDR4 isn't slated for release possibly Q4 of this year or Q1 of 2015. Current speculation is that it will be very expensive, more so then it was with 1.8v DDR3 ram for socket 775 was more then half a decade ago, then they had the complete new architecture 1156/1366 socket released and DDR3 sticks dropped to 1.5/1.65v due to design issues with the new stuff, so backwards compatibility wasn't valid.
 
I don't think I will be upgrading my system until any games or tasks I do will actually fully utilise my systems power. Maybe upgrade when Skylake or so comes out but yet again Intel said that they are going with BGA processor/motherboard package all-in-one and that would be the death of socket based CPU's. Say bye bye to upgradeable processors and motherboards.

My sad hopes are that DDR4 won't be a huge upgrade with current system utilization, application efficency, etc so that I won't feel the need to get it

 

[DefQon]

At the moment, the hardware is plenty fast it's the software/optimisation part still playing catchup.

 

[TsukiNick]

  At the moment, the hardware is plenty fast it's the software/optimisation part still playing catchup.

I run into problems with games with an overclocked i5 4670k @ 4.3GHz and a GTX 780, 16GB of DDR3, Solid State Drive.  Devs just don't care about PC customers enough unless they are making PC exclusives.

 

[DefQon]

Devs just don't care about PC customers enough unless they are making PC exclusives.

Pretty much. 
 
Believe it or not, these so called next gen consoles (PS3/PS4/Xbox 360/One) is killing the gaming industry, while greedy companies such as EA and Activision earn a lot of revenue from console sales, they're dumbing down games for the already dumbed down generation (no offense to those born after 1995).

 

[VXAce]

  Pretty much. 
 
Believe it or not, these so called next gen consoles (PS3/PS4/Xbox 360/One) is killing the gaming industry, while greedy companies such as EA and Activision earn a lot of revenue from console sales, they're dumbing down games for the already dumbed down generation (no offense to those born after 1995).

No offense taken. It's true (I was born after 1995, for the record). A lot of people now just want the game to come to them, no thinking needed. I'm guilty of that too.
 
But rather than "dumbing" down a game, I think it's more of repeating the same thing over and over again. In a way it's dumbing it down, but an audience can play and enjoy the game without having to think much more. And the companies can turn out games a lot faster, since they don't have to restart the process, just build on the old one.

 

[VXAce]

  I'm choosing the FX-8320 (better performance per $ than FX-8350)
I have a $500 budget.

 
What are you building again? When I built my FX-8320 build I had a $1000 budget. Most of which actually went into the CPU and mobo. Heck, I actually went over budget.
 

Hahaha that five and a quarter bay toaster is pure awesome. Windows based software controls for variable time and temps? I wan this would be the best gift ever.

Just picked up a 77 Bonneville heater core for my rad. I have all my master cam code generated, I just need to buy copper or brass stock and cnc the water block abd cover.

Someone sounds like they are having fun.
 
Whoops, double post.