Need help building a new PC

[Madia]

My 5 year old dell (core i5 750, 560ti) is dying (crashes with anything graphics intense - tried a new gpu, didn't work) and I need to get a new pc however I don't want to get another pre built. I've installed psus/gpus/heat sinks but have never built a pc from the ground up. I don't think I'll have any problem installing the hardware but I'm not comfortable with having to go into bios for anything since I've hardly used it all. Ideally I want to put everything together, turn on the computer, install windows 10, install the drivers and be done with.

My budget is in the neighborhood of $1000. I mostly use my computer for web browsing and some gaming. I used to buy all my games on PC but since I've got a PS4 I only see myself playing PC only games such as X-Com 2, Pillars of Eternity, etc. Honestly a lot of the games I've been playing aren't graphics intense so I don't want to spend extra for an enthusiast card. Also I'll be playing at 1080p.

So far the parts I've been looking at are:

CPU: Core i5-4590 ($180): http://www.amazon.com/Intel-i5-4590...ive=165953&creativeASIN=B00J2LIFBY&ascsubtag=[site|thaus[cat|[art|[pid|B00J2LIFBY[tid|14426751098575357[bbc|LEPRIX

Motherboard: MSI Z97 Gaming 5 ($150): http://www.amazon.com/MSI-DDR3-2600...0K23BZVI/?&tag=bom-tomshardware-20&ascsubtag=[site|thaus[cat|[art|[pid|B00K23BZVI[tid|14426751648787436[bbc|LEPRIX

Storage: Samsung 850 EVO 500GB 2.5-Inch SATA III Internal SSD ($160): http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OBRE5UE/?tag=bom_tomshardware-20&ascsubtag=[site|thaus[cat|[art|[pid|B00OBRE5UE[tid|14426752350824892[bbc|LEPRIX

GPU: MSI GeForce GTX 960 ($160): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127844

PSU: Rosewill HIVE Series HIVE-650S Continuous 650W@40°C Power Supply ($65):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($88): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($50): http://www.microcenter.com/product/404779/Carbide_Series_200R_Mid_Tower_ATX_Computer_Case

Optical Drive: Dvd/Cd writer (~$15/$20)

Windows 10 OEM

Am I missing anything obvious like parts not being compatible? The hardest part to pick was the motherboard since a lot recommended ASRock but recent reviews said there was a problem where if you unplugged the power cable and moved it to another location the motherboard wouldn't function so I decided on the MSI instead. I know storage seems low but I don't use more than ~375gb and I can always put in a 1TB 7200rpm later. I was originally going to go with a 750ti but the rebate on 960 puts it only ~$25 more so I chose that instead. 650 PSU is probably more than I need but I don't mind an extra $10 or so spent.

Any thoughts/suggestions would be highly appreciated.

 

[Ken g6]

The main thing I'd change is the motherboard. You should have no problem with a cheap H97. I have no idea what's going on with the reviews you speak of.

Here's a potential build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: *Intel Core i5-4690 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($212.95 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: *ASRock H97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($66.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: *Mushkin ECO2 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($81.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: *Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($159.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: *Hitachi Deskstar 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($42.90 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 960 2GB SuperSC ACX 2.0+ Video Card ($174.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: *Antec Green 450W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Directron)
Optical Drive: *Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer ($12.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) ($97.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $955.66
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-09-19 13:32 EDT-0400

 

[Charlie98]

Everything looks OK to me, for the most part. You did spec a locked CPU, so the Z97 board is unnecessary, let alone a 'gaming' board. Just find a reasonable featured H97 board... unless you want to OC, then you need to get a K-chip to go with that Z97 board.

If you still have your GTX560Ti, you might want to just try that before spending the loot on a 960, the 560 is still a viable card, although I don't know the specifics for the games you listed. You can always easily upgrade later on.

RAM prices have come down lately, so I don't see a problem with 2x 8GB, although it's probably overkill for you.

A 650W PSU is a reasonable choice.

Assembling a PC isn't that bad... the hardware is the easy part, but don't be afraid of the BIOS, just go slow and think about what you are doing. For a non-OC CPU like the one you listed, there's very little you can do in the BIOS anyway.

 

[Madia]

Thanks for the help. The motherboard is what I know the least about (I didn't know the difference between a h97 and z97). The reviews I was referencing were from newegg's for the mobo pick from the sticky thread, an asrock z97:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

I definitely won't put the $150 in the mobo and look for something sub $100. I've noticed some z97's are cheaper than h97's (for example the following msi z97 I was looking at is cheaper than it's h97): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130779&cm_re=msi_z97-_-13-130-779-_-Product
Does that usually mean the z97 is a lower quality than the more expensive h97 or is it just how it works with rebates/discounts sometimes?

For the cpu is the i-5 4690 worth the extra $30 over the Core i5-4590?

 

[Charlie98]

The Z-boards are usually better featured over the H counterparts, but in some cases they sell for less outright or after rebates, etc. If you see a Z board for less, it's OK. Also, you might be able to save a little bit more by going mATX vs full ATX... you really won't be missing anything except a few PCIe slots.

I would not be afraid of ASRock boards, they are a very good budget board. I built a general use PC with a bottom line H81 ASRock board, it does just fine; I have no reason to doubt any of their other products. Gigabyte is my favorite, but I would buy an ASRock no qualms.

All that $30 is getting you is .2GHz faster processor. If you are going to drop that kind of coin, you might as well go 4670K and learn how to OC. (it's not as hard as you think.)

 

[Madia]

Thanks again. Looking at the mobo's I think I'll go with the ASRock Z97 Anniversary for $85 after rebate: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...asrock_z97_anniversary-_-13-157-528-_-Product

What should I expect to do in Bios once I get everything together? I know with the ram I'm getting I should enable the XMP. Is there anything else? I'm not sure if anything will be need to be done with the hard drive since I'm just getting the SSD for now and will only add a mechanical if I need the extra space.

 

[Ken g6]

I'm not sure if anything will be need to be done with the hard drive since I'm just getting the SSD for now and will only add a mechanical if I need the extra space.

Ah...
AH...
AHCI!!!

I'm not sure, that may be standard these days, but it doesn't hurt to check and make sure it's enabled.

Edit: P.S. Good mobo choice.

 

[Charlie98]

I'm not sure, that may be standard these days, but it doesn't hurt to check and make sure it's enabled.

I was thinking about that... I think it is.

OP, you need to make sure AHCI is enabled before loading the OS is what he's saying, particularly with an SSD. That is... AHCI vs IDE.

 

[Madia]

Thanks for the heads up. Honestly I didn't even think about that and the only thing regarding hard drives in bios I remembered was raid which doesn't apply in my case. I'll make sure it's on AHCI.

 

[ArisVer]

You may see the BIOS setting as: IDE, AHCI/RAID

 

[Madia]

Thanks again for all the help. I put everything together yesterday and am now typing on my new pc. Everything was pretty straight forward and the quality is a lot better than a pre-built.