Upgrade from 5 year old laptop (AUS)

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1

This upgrade/build is a very long time coming and now seems like as good a time as any to finally complete it. The main purpose of my build is to run DotA 2 in 1080p@60fps on max settings and run other programs (which I've never had a problem with, so I'm not concerned about them).

Apart from DotA 2, I regularly play Dark Souls 2. I would also like to play other games in my library (such as Chivalry, Gothic 3, Fallout Series, Witcher, Far Cry, Battlefield, etc) but max settings and 60fps are not necessary for these.

The only thing I might change at this point is the case. I'm wondering if I can make this build work in a BitFenix Prodigy - I also have read that the Prodigy M has a better layout and that I should probably go with that. I'll have my OS and DotA on the SDD, maybe Dark Souls 2, with the rest on the HDD. I might overclock - should I use a different motherboard?

The build has exceeded what I originally expected to pay for a build but after my research I feel like the expenditure is necessary and I can afford/justify it. Keep in mind these are Australian prices. My other peripherals I was considering was a Ducky Zero (Brown) and a Cougar 200M, Razer Deathadder, Stealseeries Sensei/Rival or Logitech G502 mouse.

PCPartPicker part list: http://au.pcpartpicker.com/p/pDhHrH

Price breakdown by merchant: http://au.pcpartpicker.com/p/pDhHrH/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor ($78.50 @ Centre Com)

Motherboard: ASRock H81M-HDS Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($63.00 @ CPL Online)

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($99.00 @ IJK)

Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($75.00 @ CPL Online)

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($65.00 @ CPL Online)

Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 270X 2GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($219.00 @ Scorptec)

Case: BitFenix Comrade ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.00 @ PCCaseGear)

Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($69.00 @ CPL Online)

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($115.00 @ PCCaseGear)

Monitor: ViewSonic VA2249S 60Hz 21.5" Monitor ($135.00 @ PCCaseGear)

Total: $967.50

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To be honest, I hate the layout of the Prodigy M.

Things to note:

Really cheap and slow SSD, due to changes in the flash.

You aren't going to be overclocking on a cheap H81 board.  I don't think ASRock's non-z OC supports that - I haven't checked if this has been patched or not, though.  For proper overclocking features, you need Z97.

H81 may also need a bios update to support the G3258.

R9 270 is the same as the 270X.  If you can find it cheaper, go for it.

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Thanks for the quick response!

I was just wondering if it was possible to fit all that stuff in the Prodigy M. I think I'll end up spending more on the case (thinking BitFenix Shadow or Ghost or R5 Define as options).

My other option for the board was an ASRock Z97 Anniversary and the more I look at it the more I see myself going for that instead.

The same? I thought there were differences, albeit minor. The price difference between the 270 and 270X is $20.

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R9 270 just has a lower clockspeed than the 270X, which can be easily changed in AMD's own catalyst control center utility.