It's more then possible in his budget.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
| Type | Item | Price |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor | $179.99 @ NCIX US |
| Motherboard | Asus Z87-A (NFC Express Edition) ATX LGA1150 Motherboard | $54.99 @ Newegg |
| Memory | Team Dark 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory | $47.99 @ Newegg |
| Storage | Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive | $94.99 @ Amazon |
| Storage | Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $46.99 @ NCIX US |
| Video Card | XFX Radeon R9 295X2 8GB Core Edition Video Card | $636.50 @ Newegg |
| Case | Azza CSAZ-XT1 W ATX Full Tower Case | $107.98 @ Newegg |
| Power Supply | EVGA 850W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply | $79.99 @ NCIX US |
| Monitor | Acer GN246HL 144Hz 24.0" Monitor | $199.99 @ Newegg |
| Keyboard | Cooler Master CM Storm Devastator Gaming Bundle Wired Gaming Keyboard w/Optical Mouse | $26.99 @ NCIX US |
| Other | Acer G257HU smidpx 25-Inch WQHD (2560 x 1440) Widescreen Monitor | $279.61 |
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts | ||
| Total (before mail-in rebates) | $1861.01 | |
| Mail-in rebates | -$105.00 | |
| Total | $1756.01 | |
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-16 22:04 EDT-0400 |
Cheaper then OPs original build, and more or less gives the same performance.