Nice, but not surprising.

About nuclear: No, just no.
First of all there's a slight difference between a nuclear submarine which can dock and refuel and where a reactor malfunction will at worst result in the death of the crew, a crew which by the way is sitting on 92.2Mt worth of nuclear warheads. The best possible outcome in case of a reactor shutdown would be no casualties. Compare that with what happens on a Mars colony. No power ->You're fucked. Any replacement parts are at least 18 months away. Everyone dies.

You're right about shipping fuel though. It's not feasible. The solution is not to ship any fuel. Photovoltaics will have to do. Think about it. No one would be insane enough to have the ship powered by a nuclear reactor during flight. There probably won't be a return trip so you can use those panels. You'll need a few more but shipping them should be doable. Bonus: Prices will be falling below 1$/W for a run of the mill system soon, so even factoring in radiation hardening, which is a given in nuclear reactors, and only a bit more than half the irradiance they should actually be cheaper. Unless you're getting it built by the Chinese you're looking at >4.5$/W for a nuclear power plant on Earth. That's excluding fuel cost and let me tell you, shipping to Mars is expensive. A few million dollars per ton just to get it into orbit, not even close to Mars. A rough estimate says 1 ton of uranium should get you about 20 years at 2MW, so around 2kW/kg. Add the rods and it's <1kW/kg. Even with current technology solar panels should get you 150W/kg on Mars. Add the reactor or life expectancy >20 years for the panels and it's not looking good. It's simply not worth dealing with the risks and complexity.

Fermi Paradox is just a discrepancy between the expected amount of life and the actual amount. According to what we know it should be far higher. Which means either the universe is a lot more dangerous than we thought it is or life and evolution aren't as easy as we think they are.
So mathematical probability isn't an argument you should be using to tell us there's no life out there.
Also going by mathematical probability Boltzmann brain wins by a very large margin.

Probably aliens.

So you think G-Sync isn't worth it?

Both are 1920*1080, 144Hz, TN panel.

Yes, actual names instead of "some of the big new releases" would be helpful. That's what I meant with "If you could be a bit more precise (which games specifically?)".

I'll just assume that a 380 is enough, still a step up from the 270X.
i5-4590/4690 let alone K and therefore overclocking isn't happening on that budget. i5-4460 vs i3-4170 I'm going to choose the i3, with the higher clockrate there shouldn't be a difference in TF2 and other games don't need nearly as much CPU power so clockrate is king anyway.
That frees up enough money for an SSD.
The ASRock B85M-Pro3 doesn't have any PCI slots, only PCIe so if you need one we'll have to change that.

https://azerty.nl/winkelmandje/winkelmandje/?legen=1&product%5B478347%5D=1&product%5B621783%5D=1&product%5B649182%5D=1&product%5B452330%5D=1&product%5B827192%5D=1&product%5B739949%5D=1&product%5B629898%5D=1&product%5B834177%5D=1&product%5B794624%5D=1

No, 50$ more is a dealbreaker. It's not just the GPU. I haven't checked shipping but
-the GPU went up 20$ (+10$, -10$ MIR)
-RAM went up 4$
-Combo deal CPU + mobo 25$ MIR is gone -> +15$ (CPU 10$ cheaper at SuperBiiz)

You've got two options:
-Wait for deals or
-Quick and dirty workarounds if you want to buy it right now

Of course dropping down to a 260X would still be more than enough for 30fps in GTA V on medium, but I promised 30fps on high and 60fps on medium and I'll be damned if I can't deliver.
Take the price increase of GPU and CPU (+35$), different RAM (+2$ to old price but -2$ to new price) and drop the cooler for now (-34.50$). Total +2.50$. Still over budget but it's bearable.
You don't need the cooler until you overclock and when that time comes you can buy it and easily swap the stock cooler for it.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-A (NFC Express Edition) ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($59.00 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($37.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($46.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R7 265 2GB Video Card ($119.99)
Case: Thermaltake Versa H22 ATX Mid Tower Case ($33.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $557.84
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-09-22 04:37 EDT-0400

Other 265s, just in case:
Sapphire Radeon R7 265 same price
another Sapphire Radeon R7 265 4$ more.

I know it's not 550$ anymore and I am deeply ashamed.
Sometimes you get the deals, sometimes you don't.

400W should be enough.
The Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 and WD Blue WD10EZEX are technically very similar and pretty much identical in terms of speed. The Seagate is cheaper so that's what I'd choose. If you don't need 1TB you could a 500GB HDD to save money or an SSD instead though it'll be more expensive.

I've already got multiple builds prepared, you just have to tell me what you need.

The -frag guy was at it again. Well guess what, I just +fragged every post.

#644
I don't care about the mobo, but could you buy some GPUs and SSDs for me?

Also is 76$ some kind of Australian meme?

EDIT: Seriously, I'd buy a few, but I need an Australian adress to ship it to.

Here's the plan: TF2 loves CPU, CS doesn't need much GPU and neither does GTA V only on medium settings. In fact even a 265 is enough for 60fps on medium and 30fps on high. 3/4 of the 270X's performance, 3/5 of the price. That frees up some money to go balls to the wall on the CPU. i5-4690K because why the hell not. Unless you don't want to overclock of course.
Now with the 265 you can get a CX430M, cheaper and semi-modular. One drawback though: If you ever upgrade to a GPU that needs two power connectors you'll have to use a molex to pcie 6/6+2/8 pin adapter.
I changed the case aswell mostly for two reasons: It's cheaper and got dust filters.
It only supports coolers up to 155mm. This is slightly less than the "big enough for 99% of all coolers" 160mm. For example the 212 Evo won't fit. I don't like that thing anyway. But there's the Cryorig H7 which replaced the Enermax ETS-T40-TB as my recommendation in the "Yes I know it's 30-35$ and the 212 Evo is often on sale for 25$, but it's cooler and quieter"-category. Bonus: It's only 145mm tall so no problems here.

In the end it's 5$ over budget, but keep in mind that thing will only need one GPU upgrade to last until the next decade.
Without further ado:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($239.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.50 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-A (NFC Express Edition) ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($59.00 @ Newegg)
Memory: Mushkin ECO2 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($35.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($46.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R7 265 2GB Video Card ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Thermaltake Versa H22 ATX Mid Tower Case ($33.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $555.34
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-09-21 15:47 EDT-0400

If you absolutely must keep it below 550$ get a Hitachi Desktar E7K100 or simply a smaller HDD. If 240GB are enough you could drop the HDD and the cooler, you can get both later once the need arises, and get a 850 Evo.

I'm glad to see it's working!

While it is uncommon it's not the first time I've seen a computer in a box, but everyone should do a test build on the motherboard box (or wherever you want really) anyway to check for DOA parts, before you put any more work into building it properly.

So technically you did the right thing for the wrong reason.

A lot of cards are available in both PCI and PCIe versions.

Without another shop and avoiding CPL your best option is the ASRock B85M Pro4.

Still 1550$. But if you get the PowerColor 390 instead of the MSI 390 or 970 the total would still be under 4000$.
I didn't read your previous post properly. The only advantages of the 970 are: It's smaller and uses less power. The 390 is cheaper and faster. For the PowerColor vs other 390s it's just the size. That thing is huge. A really long triple slot cooler. Definitely stays cool though.
Are you going to use any PCIe cards? It would block all except the bottom slot and that's PCI, so if you need PCIe instead you'll need a different motherboard. Won't cost much or change anything else.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($315.00 @ CPL Online)
Motherboard: MSI B85M-E45 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($85.00 @ Centre Com)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($75.00 @ Centre Com)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($145.00 @ IJK)
Storage: Toshiba 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($130.00 @ IJK)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 390 8GB PCS+ Video Card ($464.00 @ PLE Computers)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($59.00 @ IJK)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($95.00 @ CPL Online)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($17.00 @ IJK)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home Full (32/64-bit) ($149.00 @ IJK)
Monitor: BenQ XL2411Z 144Hz 24.0" Monitor ($449.00 @ IJK)
Mouse: Zowie FK2 Wired Optical Mouse ($95.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Headphones: Audio-Technica ATH-A700X Headset ($179.00 @ Centre Com)
Other: Zalman Microphone ZM-MIC 1 ($12.00)
Total: $2269.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-09-22 00:54 AEST+1000

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($315.00 @ CPL Online)
Motherboard: MSI B85M-E45 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($85.00 @ Centre Com)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($75.00 @ Centre Com)
Storage: Toshiba 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($99.00 @ IJK)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 390 8GB PCS+ Video Card ($464.00 @ PLE Computers)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($59.00 @ IJK)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($95.00 @ CPL Online)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($17.00 @ IJK)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home Full (32/64-bit) ($149.00 @ IJK)
Headphones: Audio-Technica ATH-A700X Headset ($179.00 @ Centre Com)
Other: Zalman Microphone ZM-MIC 1 ($12.00)
Total: $1549.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-09-22 00:55 AEST+1000

2.5k build: Win10 and reduced to 3 shops. CPL only for CPU and PSU. Can't change that without paying more.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($315.00 @ CPL Online)
Motherboard: MSI B85M-E45 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($85.00 @ Centre Com)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($75.00 @ Centre Com)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($145.00 @ IJK)
Storage: Toshiba 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($130.00 @ IJK)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card ($519.00 @ IJK)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($59.00 @ IJK)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($95.00 @ CPL Online)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($17.00 @ IJK)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home Full (32/64-bit) ($149.00 @ IJK)
Monitor: BenQ XL2411Z 144Hz 24.0" Monitor ($449.00 @ IJK)
Headphones: Audio-Technica ATH-A700X Headset ($179.00 @ Centre Com)
Other: Zalman Microphone ZM-MIC 1 ($12.00)
Total: $2229.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-09-22 00:01 AEST+1000

1.5k build: Win10, added FK2. Dropped down to 380 to meet the budget. 960 is the slightly slower nVidia alternative. Can't get rid of CPL completely without increasing the price. Should be <1500$ including the QcK+. Same case now aswell because why not.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($315.00 @ CPL Online)
Motherboard: MSI B85M-E45 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($85.00 @ Centre Com)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($75.00 @ Centre Com)
Storage: Toshiba 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($99.00 @ IJK)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 380 2GB Video Card ($289.00 @ Centre Com)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($59.00 @ IJK)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($95.00 @ CPL Online)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($17.00 @ IJK)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home Full (32/64-bit) ($149.00 @ IJK)
Mouse: Zowie FK2 Wired Optical Mouse ($95.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Headphones: Audio-Technica ATH-A700X Headset ($179.00 @ Centre Com)
Other: Zalman Microphone ZM-MIC 1 ($12.00)
Total: $1469.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-09-22 00:12 AEST+1000

I forgot to ask, overclocking yes or no?

Rough draft for the 2.5k without overclocking.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($315.00 @ CPL Online)
Motherboard: MSI B85M-E45 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($85.00 @ Centre Com)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($75.00 @ Centre Com)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($145.00 @ IJK)
Storage: Toshiba 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($130.00 @ IJK)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 390 8GB PCS+ Video Card ($464.00 @ PLE Computers)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($59.00 @ IJK)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($95.00 @ CPL Online)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($17.00 @ IJK)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 OEM (64-bit) ($129.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Monitor: BenQ XL2411Z 144Hz 24.0" Monitor ($449.00 @ CPL Online)
Headphones: Audio-Technica ATH-A700X Headset ($179.00 @ Centre Com)
Other: Zalman Microphone ZM-MIC 1 ($12.00)
Total: $2154.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-09-21 22:59 AEST+1000

I can easily bring the number of shops down later, just tell me how many is your max. If you prefer pickup umart got the same price on a lot of those parts aswell.

970 instead of 390 is an option if you mind the power consumption.

I wouldn't go for Win10 yet, but it's your choice. If you don't like the weird key policy after an upgrade to Win10 then go for it.

1.5k draft without overclocking.
Do they FK2 and QcK+ count towards the budget? Because that would mean it was over budget.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($315.00 @ CPL Online)
Motherboard: MSI B85M-E45 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($85.00 @ Centre Com)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($75.00 @ Centre Com)
Storage: Toshiba 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($99.00 @ IJK)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 390 8GB PCS+ Video Card ($464.00 @ PLE Computers)
Case: Silverstone PS08B (Black) MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($44.00 @ Umart)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($95.00 @ CPL Online)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($17.00 @ IJK)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 OEM (64-bit) ($129.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Headphones: Audio-Technica ATH-A700X Headset ($179.00 @ Centre Com)
Other: Zalman Microphone ZM-MIC 1 ($12.00)
Total: $1514.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-09-21 23:11 AEST+1000

No, not yet. I didn't want to put in even more work before the previous results were verified. Also manually setting RAM timings is a pain in the ass.

It does say "TODO: speed vs timings" in the results file for that reason.