Best $500+GPU build

[Podozpbking]

After looking at many build templates and browsing the forums this is the best build I've come up with.

Parts picker Link

CPU: Intel i5 6600k 3.5GHz ($229.99@Micro Center)
MoBo: Gigabyte GA-Z170-HD3 ($109.99-$20Bundle-$20rebate=$69.99 @Micro Center)
Hard Drive:Sandisk SSD Plus 120gb ($45.99 @Amazon)
Memory: Cruicial 16gb(2x8gb) DDR4-2133 ($88.99 @newegg)
Tower: Thermaltake Versa H22 ATX tower Case ($39.99-20%promo-$10rebate=$22@Newegg)
PSU: EVGA 500w 80+ (39.99@Amazon)
GPU: budget $250, Geforce GTX 960?


Updated build
Parts Picker Link

CPU:Intel i7-4790k ($259.99 @ Micro Center)
MoBo: MSI z97s Sli Krait Edition ($99.99-$20bundle-$15Rebate=$65 @ Micro Center)
Memory:G.Skill Sniper Series 16gb(2x8gb) DDR3-2400 ($66.99 @Newegg)
SSD : Crucial BX100 250gb ($79.99 @ Micro Center)
Case: Thermaltake Versa H24 ATX ($39.99-%20Promo-$10rebate=$22 @ Newegg)
PSU: Thermaltake TR2 600w 80+ Gold (74.99-%20promo-$20Rebate=$40)
GPU: ?? budget of $250

Build total: $535+GPU+tax

 

[happy medium]

gtx 970, its worth the extra 30$ over your 250$ budget and you get 2 free games. Should be 40% faster than a 960

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125685

 

[SithSolo1]

1 free game. its either or, not both.

Completely agree with the 970 over the 960. Might find some cheaper models next weekend between black friday and cyber monday.

 

[EliteRetard]

If you have access to Microcenter, perhaps consider the 4790k that's on sale for $260.
Sure it's older tech, averages 2% slower clock for clock, but it has a much higher stock speed and includes hyper threading. It will be on the older (and slightly cheaper) DDR3.

Also worth a mention, the new k CPU's do NOT include a CPU cooler, thus you'd need to include one. The 4790k does have a stock cooler, it sucks but would get you by for a while.

As for GPU, this hot deal just recently popped up:

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2455157

A custom R9 290 for $230, or $205 with promo. Simply can't be beat by anything at that price. As mentioned in that thread, it's 77% faster than a GTX 960. A GTX 970 can keep up in most cases, but has a screwed up RAM system that can be an issue (it's only got 3.5GB effective)...and it costs significantly more.

I'd also suggest at least a 256GB SSD, they're usually faster and more relaible along with being a much more usable size.

 

[Podozpbking]

EliteRetard, I understand what you are saying there with the 4790k. My question is Longevity. If I go for a current Generation Processor with the new DDR4 tech now, I could upgrade to a more powerful processor and not have to upgrade MoBo and Memory down the road? And the Mobo with DDR4 has the ability to up to 64gb (not that I see the need for that much in the next two years but never know).

 

[EliteRetard]

I just browsed the Microcenter site, they have a sale on Asrock Z97 MOBOs. They have the Extreme 4 for $60, and Extreme 6 for $70 and still have the $20 combo discount with the 4790k.
http://www.microcenter.com/product/452321/Z97_Extreme4_LGA_1150_ATX_Intel_Motherboard_Refurbished
http://www.microcenter.com/product/452322/Z97_Extreme6_LGA_1150_ATX_Intel_Motherboard_Refurbished
4790k $260 + Extreme 4 $60 - $20 combo = $300

And really the 4790k doesn't need an OC, so you could choose something other than the "Z" overclocking boards as well.

16GB 1.5v DDR3 1600 CAS 9 $67, or 1866 CAS10 $74
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233299&Tpk=N82E16820233299
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104463&Tpk=N82E16820104463

Take the savings from the cheaper DDR3 kits, add that to the savings on your GPU ($20) and you have $35-44 extra vs your current build. That's enough to bump up to a better 256GB SSD (faster, higher durability rating).

Anandtech suggested the BX100 (avoid BX200), OCZ ARC 100, or Mushkin Reactor as good budget SSD's. Looks like you can get the 250GB BX100 at Microcenter for $80:
http://www.microcenter.com/product/...III_6Gb-s_25_Solid_State_Drive_CT250BX100SSD1

 

[bystander36]

EliteRetard, I understand what you are saying there with the 4790k. My question is Longevity. If I go for a current Generation Processor with the new DDR4 tech now, I could upgrade to a more powerful processor and not have to upgrade MoBo and Memory down the road? And the Mobo with DDR4 has the ability to up to 64gb (not that I see the need for that much in the next two years but never know).

If you got a 4790k, you probably would have no reason to upgrade it until both platforms are obsolete.

 

[EliteRetard]

EliteRetard, I understand what you are saying there with the 4790k. My question is Longevity. If I go for a current Generation Processor with the new DDR4 tech now, I could upgrade to a more powerful processor and not have to upgrade MoBo and Memory down the road? And the Mobo with DDR4 has the ability to up to 64gb (not that I see the need for that much in the next two years but never know).

It's looking like there wont be much of an upgrade for the new 1151 socket, the originally planned CPU has been pushed back and a smaller refresh CPU added in place (KabbyLake). As I mentioned earlier it also seems the newer generation CPUs aren't gaining much in the way of speed, with Intel favoring other efficiency improvements.

I need to correct my previous statement, SkyLake is more than 2% it's almost 6% faster clock for clock compared to Haswell (the 4790k). It was compared to Broadwell that it was only 2.4% faster. Anyway it's likely the refresh chips that would work in the 1151 MOBO you buy now will be in a similar low digit improvement (~5%). Because the 4790k is much higher clocked and has HT vs the 6600k you can enjoy performance improvements higher than 5% right now.

Yes you can OC the 6600K to near the clock speed of the 4790k, but you'll still be missing out on the HT. At equal clock speeds the improvements of the 6600k probably will equalize the performance benefit of HT on the 4790k, so it's still a decent option. As I showed in my previous post though, there are enough savings in the older platform (even if we ignore the lack of cooler on the 6600k) to get you a decent component upgrade...so it's all a matter of compromises, and which ones make the most sense to you.

 

[mysticjbyrd]

EliteRetard, I understand what you are saying there with the 4790k. My question is Longevity. If I go for a current Generation Processor with the new DDR4 tech now, I could upgrade to a more powerful processor and not have to upgrade MoBo and Memory down the road? And the Mobo with DDR4 has the ability to up to 64gb (not that I see the need for that much in the next two years but never know).

A skylake motherboard isn't future proof. The only thing you could upgrade to is Kabylake, which likely wouldn't be much of an upgrade at all. Cannonlake will almost certainly be on a different socket. I guess you would be able to reuse the DDR4 memory though.

 

[EliteRetard]

I did a little more browsing for fun, I was thinking maybe you should go up one size on the PSU. I found a Thermaltake 600w 80+Gold PSU for the same $40 (after a rebate) at Newegg.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153225&Tpk=N82E16817153225

These newer TR2 PSUs are getting good reviews, this one has a higher efficiency rating than the EVGA you picked, and because it offers a higher maximum output you should be operating closer to the ideal load range (two thirds) during gaming. Staying below the maximum output increases efficiency further, and should reduce wear on a PSU. A high end PC with an R9 290 GPU will draw around 400 watts total from the PSU during gaming.

Edit: I guess I should mention I don't have an exact review for this product, but from similar models.
This review is for a different brand but it shares the same manufacturer/platform/internals:
http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story6&reid=420

This review is from an older TR2 bronze unit in a 700 watt flavor:
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/thermaltake-tr2-700-w-power-supply-review/11/

This shows the bronze units are good, and the gold rated units are potentially very good. Unfortunately there's another lineup labeled TR2 that sucked and many people hated, giving the lineup a bad reputation. It's still possible to find the old "crappy TR2" units for sale...so some people assume all TR2 units are bad. While it does make it tougher to buy a good Thermaltake PSU if you don't know what you're looking for, I'm quite confident that the 600 watt gold unit I recommended above is a good unit (model PS-TR2-0600NPCGUS-G). For the same final price as the EVGA unit you were thinking of getting, this should be better all around (higher efficiency, higher wattage, as good or higher quality).

 

[Mondozei]

AMD has a much better offering in the budget space for GPUs. The 280X, if you can buy it new somewhere, simply crushes the 960. Don't bother with the 380X, which is performing identically yet costs $30 dollars or more.

It's become a truism on this forum, but there's a reason for it, it's absolutely the case that the best bang of the buck you can make is a used 280X off from craigslist/ebay for $100-120 dollars if you can find it. Nothing beats it.


See here and compare the 280X and the 960.

Not even close. The 280X overclocks decently as well. The 960 is a total failure compared to it.

Other than that, I'd say waiting for a good deal for black friday for a GPU is probably the next big bet, either getting a 970 or a 390(~290X in that chart). I'd say the 970 is a better GPU than the 390 as of right now but DX12 will change that, as the AMD GPUs have done better in DX12 benchmarks. So it depends on your usecase, how often will you upgrade?

If you plan on upgrading next year again, then get the 970 as its better in DX11 at 1080p(with overclocking). If you don't plan to upgrade within the next two years, then get the 390 for (better) DX12 support.

 

[EliteRetard]

*snip*

Other than that, I'd say waiting for a good deal for black friday for a GPU is probably the next big bet, either getting a 970 or a 390(~290X in that chart). I'd say the 970 is a better GPU than the 390 as of right now but DX12 will change that, as the AMD GPUs have done better in DX12 benchmarks. So it depends on your usecase, how often will you upgrade?

If you plan on upgrading next year again, then get the 970 as its better in DX11 at 1080p(with overclocking). If you don't plan to upgrade within the next two years, then get the 390 for (better) DX12 support.

Why would you recommend a GTX 970 at $280+ over an R9 290 at $230 (or less)? Or have you just not noticed that the 290s have continued to drop in price to this point? I still can't understand why people say the 970 is "better", it clearly isn't. Even at similar prices I wouldn't recommend a 970 over a 290, Nvidia lately has been an a**hole company and the 970 is a botched product. They have proven over the last 3 generations that they don't support their GPUs over time. The 970 is especially prone to future issues since it needs special attention in software to work around it's broken RAM setup.

 

[guskline]

In my opinion, EliteRetard is giving VERY sound advice considering the OPs $$$ constraint.

 

[happy medium]

GTX 970 at $280+ over an R9 290 at $230

There is a reason the GTX970 IS THE BEST SELLING HIGH END CARD FOR THE PAST YEAR.
Overclocking.......the gtx970 will overclock to gtx980 speeds and run cooler and use less power and be just as quiet or more quiet and a free game.

The 290 might overclock to 290x speeds, and at that point it uses way more power and gives way more heat. iT STILL WILL BE MUCH SLOWER THAN A GTX970.

Look where the gtx980 is @1080p , that's where the 970 will overclock too.

On a side note I just picked up this game and my overclocked 960 runs it at a locked 60fps high settings, 1080p. Same as a r9 290 but I paid 170$.

 

[Ranulf]

If you got a 4790k, you probably would have no reason to upgrade it until both platforms are obsolete.

Ditto this. If you can get in on the Microcenter deals, its the best route. X99 mobos/chips look like the better upgrade platform for just cpu than skylake. Past experience has shown me that having faith in drop-in cpu upgrades with intel based mobos is not such a good idea.

 

[happy medium]

the best bang of the buck you can make is a used 280X off from craigslist/ebay for $100-120 dollars if you can find it. Nothing beats it.

until the card breaks and you have no warrantee . don't forget that.

 

[RussianSensation]

After looking at many build templates and browsing the forums this is the best build I've come up with.

Parts picker Link

CPU: Intel i5 6600k 3.5GHz ($229.99@Micro Center)
MoBo: Gigabyte GA-Z170-HD3 ($109.99-$20Bundle-$20rebate=$69.99 @Micro Center)

I'd go with an i7 4790K as suggested. You didn't add a price of an after-market cooler for the 6600K as it doesn't come with a heatsink. A stock i7 4790K will beat an overclocked 6600K in a lot of AAA games.

An i5-6600K will lose badly to an i7 4790K in multi-threaded apps/games.
http://www.sweclockers.com/test/20862-intel-core-i7-6700k-och-i5-6600k-skylake/14#content

Memory: Cruicial 16gb(2x8gb) DDR4-2133 ($88.99 @newegg)

That's not a good value.

If you go i7 4790K, 16GB DDR3 2400 is $66.99. That's $22 to put towards the slightly more expensive i7 4790K CPU which is much better than the i5-6600K.

i7 4790K vs. i5-6600K vs. i7-6700K
http://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/luke-hill/intel-core-i7-6700k-i5-6600k-skylake-cpu-review/5/

If you insist on Skylake, spend $1 more and get 16GB DDR4-3000
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...220977&cm_re=16gb_ddr4-_-20-220-977-_-Product

Tower: Thermaltake Versa H22 ATX tower Case ($39.99-20%promo-$10rebate=$22@Newegg)

H24 model costs the same.

PSU: EVGA 500w 80+ (39.99@Amazon)

Thermaltake TR2 Gold 600W = $74.99 - 20% off (ends Nov 26) - $20 MIR = $40.

OR

XFX Core Edition PRO850W for $55.

GPU: budget $250, Geforce GTX 960?

No, 960 is overpriced and slow.

HIS iPower IceQ X² OC Radeon R9 290 = $230
Gigabyte 970 = $280
PowerColor R9 390 for $275

^ If you plan to keep your card for a while, pick the R9 390. If you are on a very limited budget, pick the R9 290. If you play Project CARS, Anno 2205, World of Warcraft, the Witcher 3, pick the 970.

 

[Podozpbking]

I will be honest I do not think I will be overclocking anytime soon or at least not to the mid or upper end of OC. So base processing speed probably would be the best option. looking at what people are saying, if I go with a i7-4790k what budget motherboard can I get without bottlenecks?

Micro center has the Asrock z97 Pro4 89.99-10rebate-20bundle=$59.99
Add the Their price for the i7 4790k: $259.99
I am $20 over the i5-6600k but savings on the memory, allow me to swap to i7 for roughly equal cost.
I am wondering is this MoBo even worth it? Elite you made the comment of not even needing a Z chip MoBo because overclocking wasn't necessary for the 4790k? If that is so, could I save by purchasing a none OC MoBo?

 

[RussianSensation]

I will be honest I do not think I will be overclocking anytime soon or at least not to the mid or upper end of OC. So base processing speed probably would be the best option. looking at what people are saying, if I go with a i7-4790k what budget motherboard can I get without bottlenecks?

If you are not going to be overclocking much, I recommend the i7 4790K even more over the i5-6600K. There are just 3 things you should know with the mobo you picked:

1) It doesn't support SLI
2) It doesn't support USB 3.1
3) It doesn't support M.2 PCIe SSDs @ 3.0 x4 speed (only limited to 2.0 x2 speed = slow)

If none of these are a concern, it's a good board for a single GPU setup.

To answer your other question, there are cheaper H97 motherboards but they don't natively support DDR3 memory at higher speeds without overclocking. Z97 boards such as the Pro4 will be more prepared to accept DDR3-2400 I linked for you since it's already been pre-qualified by the manufacturer:

DDR3 2933 O.C., 2800O.C., 2400 O.C., 2133 O.C., 1866 O.C, 1600, 1333, 1066

This matters because unfortunately some games are very sensitive to DDR speed. That's why I recommend DDR3-2400 for you if pairing it with an i7 4790K.

 

[Podozpbking]

1) It doesn't support SLI
2) It doesn't support USB 3.1
3) It doesn't support M.2 PCIe SSDs @ 3.0 x4 speed (only limited to 2.0 x2 speed = slow)
If none of these are a concern, it's a good board for a single GPU setup.

Forgive my horrible ignorance as I stumble into the vastness of the PC world.
SLI is for running multiple GPUs? I don't plan on running multiple GPU because this is a beginning step into PC gaming and I don't have the budget for a very strong build. Future(2-3years) I do plan on building a 2k machine.
The 3.1 USb support I understand the concern there.
Explain to me if I need the PCIe right now? I'm coming from a console gaming background and a laptop with 5year old i7. I think a basic SSD running my OS is going to blow me out of the water. But I am very open to suggestions because as I said I have little to no experience in PC building.

To answer your other question, there are cheaper H97 motherboards but they don't natively support DDR3 memory at higher speeds without overclocking. Z97 boards such as the Pro4 will be more prepared to accept DDR3-2400 I linked for you since it's already been pre-qualified by the manufacturer:

DDR3 2933 O.C., 2800O.C., 2400 O.C., 2133 O.C., 1866 O.C, 1600, 1333, 1066

This matters because unfortunately some games are very sensitive to DDR speed. That's why I recommend DDR3-2400 for you if pairing it with an i7 4790K.

So stick with the Z97 to fully utilize the 2400 Ram.

One more naïve question:
Down the road (6months) I attempt to overclock the i7, I assume I would need a aftermarket cooling system?

 

[RussianSensation]

Forgive my horrible ignorance as I stumble into the vastness of the PC world.

Please ask as many questions as you want! That's how you'll learn. :thumbsup: Also, it's very important that you are satisfied with your choice and have the info necessary to help you make that decision. Believe me you are building a PC in an age where either the i5-6600K or the i7 4790K are excellent CPUs. This isn't like the old days where in 18-24 months something else would come out 2-2.5X faster and your $1500 PC is outdated.

SLI is for running multiple GPUs? I don't plan on running multiple GPU because this is a beginning step into PC gaming and I don't have the budget for a very strong build.

SLI is combining multiple Nvidia graphics card. The Z97 board you are eyeing can only combine multiple AMD cards. It's just a feature down the line that you may or may not use. It doesn't sound like you'll need it anyway.

Future(2-3years) I do plan on building a 2k machine.

Well in that case, the PCIe SSD support should be irrelevant since you'll have an all new motherboard. BTW, the i7 4790K CPU is good enough to last you 2-3 years so you may not even need a new CPU platform in 2-3 years unless you want one.

The 3.1 USb support I understand the concern there.

This one is iffy since we still do not have USB 3.1 external HDDs or SSDs as far as I know. So for now this is more of a marketing feature.

Explain to me if I need the PCIe right now? I'm coming from a console gaming background and a laptop with 5year old i7. I think a basic SSD running my OS is going to blow me out of the water.

You don't need it and it's way out of your budget. I was just thinking down the line say in 3-5 years should you keep this system or pass it on to a relative/girlfriend, etc. If this doesn't concern you and you plan on reselling the parts in 2-3 years and building a faster rig with the $ you'll save, this is a non-issue.

PCIe SSD is just a native connection to get faster performance out of SSD storage in terms of transfers (reads and writes). You don't need it for gaming, it's more for productivity.

BTW, how are you going to store your PC games? 120GB SSD isn't enough. Were you thinking of getting an external hard drive later?
http://slickdeals.net/f/8286383-wes...nal-usb-3-0-hard-drive-120-fs-in-store-pickup

On the SSD front, maybe you can browse SlickDeals.net over the next 7-10 days as I have a feeling you may be able to snag a $50 240GB SSD or at least a faster 128GB SSD than the Sandisk Plus model you picked if it goes on sale for $10 less.

One more naïve question:
Down the road (6months) I attempt to overclock the i7, I assume I would need a aftermarket cooling system?

Ya, you'd want one for sure as the stock cooler will become too noisy and hot. Even with stock temps, don't be surprised if the i7 4790K is hitting high 80s/low 90s. It's OK though as those are still safe. Just take your time securing the stock cooler as those push-pins can get annoying.

i7 4790K boosts to 4.4Ghz out of the box but with all 4 cores at 4.7Ghz, it gets hot even on high-end air cooling.

In my opinion, EliteRetard is giving VERY sound advice considering the OPs $$$ constraint.

Ya, I agree. I actually went back to check some reviews on Skylake and spent a bit of time verifying that yes indeed i7 4790K is a better CPU than i5-6600K and is very close to the i7 6700K. I remember reading how some reviews weren't representative of Skylake's performance since they used slower DDR4-2133-2400 memory but even when I checked reviews that used DDR4-2800-3200 memory, i7 4790K was still on the heels of the 6700K.

 

[mysticjbyrd]

until the card breaks and you have no warrantee . don't forget that.

Your sole reason to choose the 970 was the overclock potential, which also voids the warranty.

Also, the 970 can't be the best selling card, because of overclocking, as most people don't overclock. People follow a herd mentality, and atm the herd purchases Nvidia. That's as about as deep as the rabbit hole goes. It doesn't matter if AMD sells a superior product, the majority will follow everyone else. That's why this 'argument' is known as argumentum ad populum fallacy.

 

[Podozpbking]

SLI is combining multiple Nvidia graphics card. The Z97 board you are eyeing can only combine multiple AMD cards. It's just a feature down the line that you may or may not use. It doesn't sound like you'll need it anyway.

Found the Asrock z87 Extreme4 refurbished at micro Center for $52 after bundle. Would this be comparable or a step back due previous Gen?
Or an MSI z97 SLI Crait

BTW, how are you going to store your PC games? 120GB SSD isn't enough. Were you thinking of getting an external hard drive later?
http://slickdeals.net/f/8286383-wes...nal-usb-3-0-hard-drive-120-fs-in-store-pickup
On the SSD front, maybe you can browse SlickDeals.net over the next 7-10 days as I have a feeling you may be able to snag a $50 240GB SSD or at least a faster 128GB SSD than the Sandisk Plus model you picked if it goes on sale for $10 less.

I plan on running OS (windows 7 64bit) and a game or two on the SSD. My gaming habits do not have me playing multiple games back to back. I tend to focus heavily on one at a time. At the moment I have a few External USb3.0 drives storing my videos and pictures that still have plenty of space, as a short term option. But if storage is an issue I'll either upgrade my SSD or add a new one. Thanks for the heads up I'll keep my eyes open.

i7 4790K boosts to 4.4Ghz out of the box but with all 4 cores at 4.7Ghz, it gets hot even on high-end air cooling.

I think I'll cross that bridge when I get there.

 

[Shmee]

The Z87 may require (most likely) a bios update to work with the 4790k. Which I believe would need a non haswell refresh CPU. So I would recommend not doing a Z87 setup with the 4790k

 

[Headfoot]

Don't skip a decent aftermarket cooler. It's annoying to change it later, and a Coolermaster Hyper 212 Evo is on sale on slickdeals right now for $22. This will allow a solid overclock at decent temperatures for cheap. You can also add a second fan later for not much cash and increase cooling a bit. I also would skip the z87 refurb board.

Do you have a Windows license? Otherwise you need to factor in that $100 cost too. $100 is for an OEM license that is tied to your motherboard, so if you upgrade you'd technically need another license. The Windows 10 Home license you get boxed is $140, comes on a USB3.0 stick and allows for I think 5 mobo changes as long as you only ever run it on a single machine at a time. They changed the license model a bit on Windows 10 so I might be a little off but thats the gist. I went with the $140 version because I will probably be upgrading soon