Component list: 03.08.14
I've posted links to german pc hardware sites as well, I know Computerbase very well and it's highly regarded.
We can transfer the Euro prices later in $ Aus.
Philosophy:
Good price / perfomance, good compontents where it matters (CPU, GPU, mainboard, PSU), heat will be no issue
Aim: mid settings for todays games, playable settings for games in a couple of years (4)
CPU & Mainboard: what I wrote
here
CPU
Socket 1150 - Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3
Haswell, Quadcore, 22nm, Hyperthreading, 3,4Ghz normal, 3,8 with Turbo
on market since May of this year, replacement for 1230 v3
+ very good price/performance ratio
+ Xeon CPUs are perfectly fine for private consumer grade desktops and pc gamers
- no free multiplikator (K models)
- Overclocking only up to ~4Ghz feasable
- no integrated graphics unit
Benchmarks /Performance comparison:
http://www.computerbase.de/2014-05/intel-xeon-e3-1231-v3-nachfolger-1230-test/2/ (hover over cpu names to see % comparisons)
Wattage and Temperature:
http://www.computerbase.de/2014-05/intel-xeon-e3-1231-v3-nachfolger-1230-test/5/
Hierarchy chart:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106-5.html (further information, Xeons are not listed)
Price: 206€
Alternative:
Intel i5-4570, 4x 3,2Ghz
lower performance, 20% cheaper
is supported by the mainboard below
same price / perfomance as the Xeon
Price: 164€
Mainboard
Gigabyte GA-H97-D3H
specs:
http://geizhals.at/eu/gigabyte-ga-h97-d3h-a1107992.html
on market since May this year as well
notable features
+ dual bios
+ solid capacitors
new ones:
+ (native) USB 3.0
+ (native) 6x SATA 6Gb/s
+ HDMI 1.4
+ 1x M.2 10Gb/s (new interface for SSD drives)
full specs:
http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=4962#sp
M.2 SSD support list:
http://download.gigabyte.eu/FileList/Document/mb_m.2_support.pdf
CPU Support List (does support Xeon 1231 v3)
http://www.cpu-upgrade.com/mb-Gigabyte/GA-H97-D3H(rev._1.0).html
http://www.gigabyte.com/support-downloads/cpu-support-popup.aspx?pid=4962 (forth from bottom for the Xeon)
Price: 86€
GPU
Gigabyte Radeon R9 280 OC, 3 GB GDDR5
mid performance
reasonable power consumption
good price /performance
Benchmarks:
http://www.computerbase.de/2014-08/grafikkarten-2014-im-vergleich-sommerausgabe/3/
3GB makes it somewhat futureproof
Price: 175€
PSU
bequiet! Straight Power E9 450W ATX 2.4, without Cablemanagement
80Plus Gold certified, mean efficiency: 90%
450W is more than enough, with the components above, peak power need should be
00W
In general, people usually buy overpowered PSUs. Their optimal efficiency is at 80-90% power need for most of them.
Price: 68€
RAM
Any reasonable 8gb kit will do with 1,5V, DDR3-1333 or 1600. DDR4 is just out and too expensive atm. Consult the RAM support list of the MB.
Price: ~60€
Cooling (Air)
for CPU: Scythe Mugen 4, very good price/performance, silent and if need be powerful
Price: 34€
2 x Casefans 120mm: either bequiet! or from Noiseblocker
(number of case fans depends on the case itself)
Price per: ~10€
don't go cheap on the fans, these 10€ ones are worth it.
HDD
2TB or 3TB
something from Seagate, Toshiba, Western Digital
Prices: ~60€ - 90€
to get an SSD might be too expensive
DVD ROM
something from LG, LiteON, or similar
Price: ~10-15€
if you want a BlueRay player, that will cost you ~50€
Card Reader
RaidSonic Icy Box IB-865-B or similar
Price 17€
Case
very subjective choice, make sure its an ATX 2.2 or newer, the one with the PSU at the bottom and space for lenghty graphics cards.
When you don't plan to move it frequently, then steel will do, otherwise go for aluminium. The fewer plastic parts it has, the better.
Price: ranging from 50 to 120€
Monitor
(will add later)
Small stuff
Thermal compound: Arctic Silver 5 - 2,5g syringe
Price: 5€ (don't go cheap on that as well)
Cables: most what you will need will come in the boxes with the mainboard or PSU
maybe you need a CAT5 network cable, from your pc to your router -> plan where your pc will stand and messure the distance to your router
Insulator material/blankets from bitumen (optional), to reduce noise and vibration
----------------------
Total: from 743€ to ~830€
update: +17€
missing: Monitor, Cardreader, something I forgot
Going with current exchange rate of 1.44 $ Aus for 1 €, that'll be 1070$ Aus already, excluding a potential >300$ Aus Monitor.
You might go with a cheaper CPU or case, but to go cheap on the mainboad or PSU is really not advised. The ATI 280 has a really good price performance ratio, however the price for components in Australia can vary with european prices, of course. Then, other components might be better to get. Project cars seems to be hardware intensive as well, as far as I'm informed, it especially profits from higher resolutions -> 4K please. Maybe you get 30-35 fps in 1080p and 16 AF with this rig.
Of course more fps will lower settings, but probably not 50 or 60.
Source:
The main difficulty is to build a pc that should last for 3 or 4 years with that budget.
I'm fighting with my 2 year old 7850 OC to get above 60 fps with mid-settings in AC already, for instance.