Best $500+GPU build

[sm625]

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).

There isnt going to be anything more powerful than a i5-6600k for that platform. The best you will do is a one-generation-newer i7 with HT and 5% more IPC a year from now, and anything newer will need yet another new motherboard. That's not much at all, it's within the overclocking overhead variability between chips. In other words, luck is a bigger factor than waiting for new tech.

 

[RussianSensation]

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.

Ya, I would go with the new Asrock Z97 Pro4 board. Not sure about the Hyper 212 Evo. If he isn't overclocking, the stock cooler is just fine. If he is overclocking and wants to reuse the CPU cooler for years to come, it's way better to spend $40 and get something much better.

One of the main issues with the PC building community is that they often get stuck on products that used to be good but have long been superceeded by far superior offerings or prices on much better products have fallen to the point where the previous recommendations do not make any sense. 212/212 Evo, Arctic Silver 5, etc. happen to be products that are way past their prime time.

This cooler for $5 or example is better than the 212 Evo.
http://www.performance-pcs.com/spire-thermax-eclipse-iii-universal-cpu-cooler.html

 

[Podozpbking]

So from the suggestions I have Updated the 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

I found the MSI z97s Board for $5 more. According the onsite comparisons and my limited knowledge it seemed to offer more features than the Asrock z97 pro4. I live 10min away from a micro center so I plan on going in and physically looking and at, and talking to a few of those techs about the differences of the boards.

I'm trying to figure out if the more opinions and information I get is increasing my knowledge or making me more confused.

 

[RussianSensation]

SSD : Crucial BX100 250gb ($79.99 @ Micro Center)

I'm trying to figure out if the more opinions and information I get is increasing my knowledge or making me more confused.

I like your new build a lot more than what you started with. Between the BX100 and Samsung Evo 850 250GB, I probably would go for the EVO myself since their performance should be close but the Evo has 2 extra years of warranty. MicroCenter's flyer for November 23-28th shows Samsung 850 EVO 250GB for $69.99.

 

[Headfoot]

One of the main issues with the PC building community is that they often get stuck on products that used to be good but have long been superceeded by far superior offerings or prices on much better products have fallen to the point where the previous recommendations do not make any sense. 212/212 Evo, Arctic Silver 5, etc. happen to be products that are way past their prime time.

This cooler for $5 or example is better than the 212 Evo.
http://www.performance-pcs.com/spire-thermax-eclipse-iii-universal-cpu-cooler.html

I agree generally but not on this one.

It performs a couple degrees better than the 212+in the few reviews I can find (can't find an Evo head to head comparison, but the evo is a degree or 2c better), but you can't get it on Amazon or Newegg so the shipping alone makes it not $7 more, but $14-20 more depending on how much shipping costs. Not really worth it imo for 2-3c over the 212+ and probably a little less over the Evo.

And the best air coolers are still the same as they always been, Noctua's high end. For thermal paste the new default for me is Noctua's NT-h1. But AS5 isn't that much worse than its competitors when you read the really high quality reviews, so its a suboptimal choice sure but its not a huge slip up.

 

[RussianSensation]

And the best air coolers are still the same as they always been, Noctua's high end. For thermal paste the new default for me is Noctua's NT-h1. But AS5 isn't that much worse than its competitors when you read the really high quality reviews, so its a suboptimal choice sure but its not a huge slip up.

I don't feel like derailing the thread since for stock clocks the OP is fine with the stock cooler and his budget is so limited, he is better off trying to squeeze a GTX970/390 in there, not worry about a high-end air cooler.

Noctua's coolers are overpriced so to say they are the best is subjective. NH-D15 will barely outperform a Thermalright True Spirit 140 for more than double the price.
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/coolers/display/noctua-nh-d15_5.html#sect0

Even the basic True Spirit 120 is better than the Hyper 212 Evo. And no AS5 is nowhere close to the top pastes so it's not worth it at all especially since it's electrically conductive. AS5 was already inferior to MX-2, Tuniq TX-2 and MX-4 and those are ancient pastes. The Thermalright Chill Factor 3 is also better than the AS5 and it comes free with their coolers - so need to waste $ on inferior AS5 or spend extra money on the Noctua paste.

GPU: ?? budget of $250

If you have AMEX or Visa, you can get $25 off $200 with purchases on Newegg. Newegg has an XFX R9 390 for $260 after MIR which with $25 off, drops it down to $235.

 

[EliteRetard]

Sorry for dropping out of this thread, I had to make a trip to the land of Oz (seriously).

Anyway, now that I'm back I'm curious how things went...did you make any purchases? If so, have you started the build process? Any more questions, did you decide on a GPU yet?

 

[happy medium]

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

Can you show me a link that says it will void your warranty?

 

[EliteRetard]

Can you show me a link that says it will void your warranty?

Let's keep this debate in the video card section. Which video card is more popular or not, specific warranty issues etc. isn't really relevant to a general build. And at this point we don't know where he is at with the build. Perhaps he has already chosen his parts.

I only bumped the thread to see if he had any other questions or needed any help putting things together.

 

[Braxos]

A 6700/6600 with cooler and a 250 ssd and no gfx for now but add it later. You will have ddr4 the future of ram and prices dropping, plus usb 3.1 and m2 support.? As I have heard the igpu on them are ok. More upgrade potential later on as the 4790k that is at his max. Ddr3 in 3 years may cost more then ddr4 if they are out of the market/production.