Suggested System Combination

The matched components shown here are the suggested system configuration. Other components found further down this page.

The foundation of the system is an 8-core AMD processor. Links shown here are direct non-affiliate links to New Egg. Thanks to T.P. for helping configure this system. Click here for the Amazon product listing.

Case. NZXT H440 STEEL Mid Tower Case. Next Generation 5.25-less Design. Include 4 x 2nd Gen FNv2 Fans, High-End WC support, USB3.0, Matte BLK/Red ($119)
Hard Drive for Operating System. Crucial M500 CT240M500SSD1 2.5″ 240GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive SSD (Was $179, on sale for $99)
Hard Drive for User Data. WD BLACK SERIES WD3003FZEX 3TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5″ Internal Hard Drive ($184)
Motherboard. ASUS Crosshair V Formula-Z AM3+ AMD 990FX + SB950 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Gaming Motherboard with 3-Way SLI/CrossFireX Support and UEFI BIOS ($239)
Power Supply. CORSAIR CXM series CX750M 750W ATX12V v2.3 SLI CrossFire 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply New 4th Gen CPU Certified Haswell Ready ($89)
Processor. AMD FX-8350 Black Edition Vishera 8-Core 4.0GHz (4.2GHz Turbo) Socket AM3+ 125W Desktop Processor FD8350FRHKBOX ($179)
Processor Cooling Fan. Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO – CPU Cooler with 120 mm PWM Fan ($34)
RAM. CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ16GX3M2A1600C10 ($165)
Video Card. ASUS DirectCU II R9280-DC2T-3GD5 Radeon R9 280 3GB 384-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card ($229)

Alternative Equipment & Components

Below are some alternative options for equipment and components.

Computer Cases

CPU Cooling Fan

Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO – CPU Cooler with 120 mm PWM Fan ($34)

Hard Drives

Hard Drive for Operating System. Crucial M500 CT240M500SSD1 2.5″ 240GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive SSD (Was $179, on sale for $99)
Hard Drive for User Data. WD BLACK SERIES WD3003FZEX 3TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5″ Internal Hard Drive ($184)

Motherboards (Must Match Processor)

Power Supply

CORSAIR CXM series CX750M 750W ATX12V v2.3 SLI CrossFire 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply New 4th Gen CPU Certified Haswell Ready ($89)

Processors (Must Have Compatible Motherboard)

RAM

CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ16GX3M2A1600C10 ($165)

Video Card

ASUS DirectCU II R9280-DC2T-3GD5 Radeon R9 280 3GB 384-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card ($229)

Other System Combos

The ultimate Windows workstation and gaming computer is configured using the Black NZXT computer case with red accent trim as shown below. All components fit neatly inside the case. Credit to T.P. for helping configure this system. Click any image below for a larger gallery view.