New Z170/6600K quality gaming/general tasks build

[v0id]

Hi everyone!

So, I'm thinking of building a new PC. I've been out of the PC hardware game for quite a long time but am interested in getting back into things. Currently, I'm running a circa 2009 AMD Phenom II x3 720 rig, with similarly aged other components. It's served me well for a long time, but as of late I have a little bit more free time for stuff like video games, so I'm thinking of putting together something new that would constitute an absolutely massive upgrade from what I've been working with for so long. The most pressing issue with my current rig is that my ~10 year old PSU appears to be dying, so I'm having some weird power issues when I attempt to run somewhat more graphically intensive games. The PSU definitely needs to be replaced, and I already have something new on the way, but everything else should really be replaced as well.

I haven't looked too much into Kaby Lake, but from what little I understand it doesn't represent a massive upgrade from the Skylake architecture. Given my interest in keeping costs relatively low while still purchasing quality components, I've decided to go with the Skylake Socket 1151 platform. It seems to offer quality performance at a reasonable price, and is a mature platform at this point.

I should note that that unfortunately, finances don't permit me to buy all the components I'm considering at once, so I'm already considering purchasing the components in distinct "phases" and will probably have to spread even the first phase purchases over two months. It is what is, alas.

Anyway, enough talk. Let's get to the standard Q&A:

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1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.

Mostly general office/web browsing use, as well as some moderate to serious gaming. I'm not super hardcore about this stuff but would like to put together a new rig that will allow me to play all the latest stuff.

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread

As for the PC, I'd like to keep it to $1000-1200. I'm probably buying a few other components (keyboard, mouse, monitor, etc) a bit down the line that will increase the total price to $1,700-1,800.

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.

Good ol' USA

5. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy, ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc.

I don't really care, but it seems pretty clear that Intel is where you go for high performance CPUs these days. From what I understand the GPU picture is a little more muddled but NVIDIA generally offers the higher performance (and more expensive) parts.

6. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.

This is a little complicated. I do intend to use some old parts initially but replace them before too long. As I mentioned above, most of my current build dates to 2009 and I'm pretty worried about the continued longetivity of certain components like mechanical HDDs, etc. In any event, for at least a little while I'm planning on using the following components:

Microsoft ergonomic wireless keyboard (?)
Microsoft wireless laser mouse 6000
NEC MultiSync 20WMGX2 20.5" LCD monitor
1TB 7200RPM WD Black (?) HDD
EVGA GTX 680 video card
EVGA Supernova G2 550W PSU (I *just* purchased this, to try and address the power issues I described above. From what I've read it's an excellent PSU and more than enough for a single-GPU PC.)

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.

I would like to overclock, yes. Am not super interested in spending all my time tweaking BIOS values but if I can get a substantial boost over the 6600K clocks, that would be great.

8. What resolution, not monitor size, will you be using?

My current monitor is 1680x1050 (lol) but I am interested in a significantly larger 2560x1440 monitor. See below.

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?

Soon. I'd like to pick up as much stuff as I can during the Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales. I'm hoping to score some pretty significant discounts from current prices. That said, it's pretty likely that I'll have to spread out my initial purchases over November and December.

10. Do you need to purchase any software to go with the system, such as Windows or Blu Ray playback software?

That's a good question. I have a legit DVD copy of Windows 7 x64 Home that I upgraded this summer to Windows 10. I don't intend to use my old PC after I build this one - is there any way I can transfer my current Win 10 license to the new PC with minimal hassle? Will I have to buy a new license?

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In any event, here's what I was planning. The "Phase 1" components will come first and comprise the guts of the new PC. The "Phase 2" components include things like a new monitor, keyboard, mouse, etc that I would like to replace but can wait a little to do so.

Phase 1: http://pcpartpicker.com/list/dVMtWX

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor - $237

Seems pretty obvious as a fast and overclockable but still somewhat reasonably priced CPU.

CPU cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler - $35

From what I've read, this is the hot new best-in-class budget air cooler. Oddly, it doesn't seem that much more expensive (maybe ~$10) than the classic Cooler Master 212 EVO which has been popular forever. Seems worth the money, guys?

Motherboard: ASRock Z170 Extreme3 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard - $102 after mail-in rebate

I had some trouble picking out a Z170 motherboard as there are *so many* products available right now. Basically, I'm looking for a reliable, high quality mid-range board with some nice features that's less than $150. Specifically, I'm looking for a couple of things: i) Though I do not intend to run dual GPUs any time in the foreseeable future, it seems like a good idea to get a mainboard that offers at least x8/x8 PCI 3.0 x16 SLI/Crossfire operation (ii) Though I do not intend to immediately purchase an M2 SSD, it's possible in the future, so I'd like at least one M2 slot (iii) RealTek ALC 1150 sound would be nice but not required as I'm running a pretty standard 2.1 speaker setup (iv) it seems like a good idea to get a board with at least one USB 3.1(c) port, as that's where phones and other connectivity seem to be going, and finally (v) a nice, easy overclock if possible. The manufacturer of the ethernet port doesn't concern me as I will be using a separate wireless adapter.

I was also looking seriously at the Gigabyte Z170-UD3 as it seems like a really nice board at a very slightly higher price than some of the ASRock offerings. I don't have anything against ASUS but their boards seem a little more expensive for the same features that other manufacturers offer. Any advice or testimonials are welcome.

RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws 4 Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory - $80

As far as I can tell, DD4 is currently a commodity market. All the RAM I saw is basically the same price, so it's hard to imagine what differentiates the various manufacturers. I've used G.Skill successfully in the past. I understand at least 3000 MHz RAM is important for overclocking purposes.

SSD: SK hynix SL308 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive - $124

I read on Tom's Hardware that this was a very nice SSD and delivered Samsung 850 EVO performance at somewhat reduced prices. I don't think can afford an M2/PCIe SSD right now, so this seems like the way to go. I don't really have a great sense of the performance differential between SSDs, having never used one, so if it doesn't matter and I should just go cheap, let me know.

Case: Fractal Design Define R5 - $80

From what I've read, this is a really nice, quiet, and restrained case that's excellent to build in and is currently on sale a couple of places. This will be replacing an ancient Lian Li case that is not quiet at all and hard to build in. Good riddance.

PSU: EVGA SuperNOVA G2 550W 80+ Gold PSU - $75 after mail-in rebate

I actually just purchased this already. As I mentioned above, my current PSU (a 500W Silverstone) does not appear equipped to adequately power my current GPU, an elderly GTX 680, which my friend gave me earlier this summer. I've been experiencing some power issues lately, so hopefully the new PSU will resolve them. From what I've read it's a high-quality and reasonably quiet PSU.

Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WDN4800 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi Adapter - $39

Hey, it's a WiFi adapter. Maybe I should go cheap here?

Total: $771

What do you guys think? If I can shave off a couple bucks here or there, that would be great, but I feel like I'm already going pretty cheap. Let me know what you guys think. Again, some of the specific products could change, as I will be keeping an eye out for Black Friday sales later this month.

Thanks for any and all suggestions! Phase 2 shopping list coming soon.

 

[v0id]

OK, Phase 2 parts. As you'll see, these are a little less pressing than the actual guts of the new PC, but most of my current stuff is quite old so I'll be looking to purchase these items relatively soon (within ~3 months), as finances allow.

Phase 2: http://pcpartpicker.com/list/MjzcM8

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB Video Card - $235

From what I've read, while the 1060 might not be totally equipped to crush 1440p at high settings, it sounds pretty close. From what I understand these cards perform better than the AMD offerings which are at a slightly lower price point. Given that I'm not exactly a Hardcore Gamer I don't really feel like it's worth it to invest in a GTX 1070, although I suppose I could be convinced otherwise. I'm also seeing a lot of sales on these cards as of late, so I can only imagine they'll be priced very attractively come Black Friday.

Monitor: Asus PB328Q 32.0" 60Hz Monitor - $470

I don't think this is a very well known monitor, but at the beginning of the year it received an absolutely glowing review from Tom's Hardware (http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/asus-pb328q-32-inch-amva-qhd-monitor,4427.html), and that was at a much higher price. I was considering a 27" 1440p monitor but like the idea of something even bigger at a reasonable price. I don't think I'll be concerned too much about the DPI. I'm also not really concerned about the 75Hz refresh rate or the lack of GSync or FreeSync. Both these features seem to add significant cost to the final product and I don't think I'll play enough/care enough about games to make them worth my while.

The only issue I'm concerned about is that various NewEgg reviewers mentioned their monitors showed up with several dead pixels. Is this a pretty typical problem? Are there any large-ish, high quality, reasonably priced 1440p panels I should consider?

HDD: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM HD - $74

It's a large HDD. I'm worried my current HDD, a WD Black 1TB that is probably 9 or 10 years old, might die before too much longer. Does Seagate make reasonably reliable HDDs these days?

DVD: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer - $20

Is it just stupid to actually buy one of these? Will I ever use it? Seems better to have and not need than need and not have.

Keyboard: Corsair STRAFE Wired Gaming Keyboard - $100

Seems to be among the cheaper high-quality mechanical keyboards. I have never tried them but I think I'll like the Cherry Brown switches here. Perhaps I should get a tester of some sort before I actually commit to a certain mechanical switch. Are there any cheaper/better choices here?

Mouse: Logitech M705 Wireless Laser Mouse - $31

I used to have one of these for several years, and I liked it a lot. Time for another one, I guess.

Total Phase 2 cost: $930

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As before, any comments or suggestions are welcome. Thanks!

 

[v0id]

Bump. No thoughts? Maybe this kind of setup has been done to death already.

 

[UsandThem]

Bump. No thoughts? Maybe this kind of setup has been done to death already.

Maybe a little......

I don't have much time right now to go over everything in your post, but here are a couple of suggestions if I was building a computer and using it for what you stated in your first post:

1. If you are at least a moderate gamer and are moving to a 1440p monitor, get the GTX 1070. There are starting to be deals on them, so you can find them with promo codes, a credit card exclusive code (like Amex on Newegg).

2. You don't need a $300 motherboard, but the one you picked out is a little on the low-end side. I'd maybe look at spending $20-$40 and getting one that has a thicker PCB, and maybe just built a little bit better. It's not a horrible board by any means, but even Asrock has some boards that are a step up or two that you could take a look at.

3. A lot of people on here use G Skill and Corsair, but there are other very good brands like Crucial, Kingston, etc. DDR4 3000 - DDR 3200 is the sweet spot for price/performance, and usually not that much more expensive than the slower stuff. The key is to make sure it's on the motherboard manufacturer's QVL or certified to properly work by the RAM manufacturer on your motherboard. If you just pick RAM without checking, sometimes it will work fine, and other times it might cause instability or weird errors/crashes.

 

[v0id]

Maybe a little......

Thanks for these suggestions UsandThem, and thanks again for your help in my other thread about by PSU! I will look into spending a little bit more for a higher quality mainboard. As I mentioned in my message I am also considering the Gigabyte Z170-UD3, which is a little more expensive but probably better than that ASRock model. I recall you posting somewhere that you have a UD5 and that you liked it a lot.

 

[UsandThem]

OK, a few other ideas on what you posted (and when I do these "build my PC" requests, I just offer ideas on what to research before buying to make sure you are buying what will work best for you):

1. Do you really need a $100 keyboard over a nice Logitech or Microsoft one? (only you can answer this by trying some out).

2. Seagate is not the most popular choice on this site. One of the moderators here actually made a post not long ago about many of his Seagates dying shortly after the warranty ended. Western Digital is the most popular choice, but there are some fans of Toshiba and Hitachi on here as well.

3. Like you mentioned, the SK Hynix SSD was liked by Tom's. I have no hands-on experience with the brand, so all I can say it appears to be a good "budget" drive. There are several new M.2 drives being released soon, and they all outperform SATA SSDs, and some are not that much more expensive. For example, another member posted this in the storage forum the other day:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews...80.html?_ga=1.148452151.1011764958.1453236284

The 240 GB version should be around $115, with the 480 GB version at $200. You could read and decide if a drive like this would work for you. Samsung is getting ready to release the 960 EVO as well, and it looks like an awesome drive.

4. As far as motherboards go, I'd read some reviews on these. They have a few features your first choice didn't that you'll probably want in a year or two (like USB type-C): EDIT: Your first choice did have USB type-C. I just missed it

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157652&ignorebbr=1

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128841&ignorebbr=1

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132691&ignorebbr=1

One thing to note, the Asus does not have as good as audio as the first two (ALC887 vs ALC1150). You have to go up in Asus's z170 line-up to get that.

5. I'd buy a 'AC' USB adapter if your wireless router has 'AC' on it, as it's faster. However, if your wireless router doesn't, then I'd just pick up one with good reviews. The one you picked looks fine, and has good reviews, but TP-Link's website doesn't have any Windows 10 drivers, so they might have dropped support for it (last driver update was in June 2014).

 

[UsandThem]

Thanks for these suggestions UsandThem, and thanks again for your help in my other thread about by PSU! I will look into spending a little bit more for a higher quality mainboard. As I mentioned in my message I am also considering the Gigabyte Z170-UD3, which is a little more expensive but probably better than that ASRock model. I recall you posting somewhere that you have a UD5 and that you liked it a lot.

I still really like my UD5, and it is very stable and is well built. But one issue I have (and one I saw another long-time member here post about it in the motherboard sub-forum) is Gigabyte's utilities. Before the Windows 10 Anniversary update, everything worked fine for over 6 months (app center, SIV, and @Bios). However, after that update I had to uninstall all their utilities because they caused issues. Not a biggie, I have seen this many times over the years with large Microsoft updates. My issue is Gigabyte hasn't updated them since June 2016. Really the only thing I miss (and the only reason I installed the app center) was SIV (system information viewer). That's where you can see your temps, and set up a custom fan profile (which I had tuned perfectly for performance/quietness).

Motherboards like Asus, you can simply set fan profiles in the BIOS. So, that's my only gripe with Gigabyte right now.

 

[v0id]

I still really like my UD5, and it is very stable and is well built. But one issue I have (and one I saw another long-time member here post about it in the motherboard sub-forum) is Gigabyte's utilities. Before the Windows 10 Anniversary update, everything worked fine for over 6 months (app center, SIV, and @Bios). However, after that update I had to uninstall all their utilities because they caused issues. Not a biggie, I have seen this many times over the years with large Microsoft updates. My issue is Gigabyte hasn't updated them since June 2016. Really the only thing I miss (and the only reason I installed the app center) was SIV (system information viewer). That's where you can see your temps, and set up a custom fan profile (which I had tuned perfectly for performance/quietness).

Motherboards like Asus, you can simply set fan profiles in the BIOS. So, that's my only gripe with Gigabyte right now.

Good looking out, U&T. I like that Gigabyte MBs tend to be a bit cheaper than ASUS ones with the same features, but if they're not updating their BIOS or drivers, that's certainly something to consider. I'll keep an eye on the Black Friday sales and if a good deal comes up on an ASUS board I'll nab it. And thank you again for helping out this helpless fool when it comes to DIY hardware!

 

[quietplates]

For the budget, I'd get a 6700K, for which sales can be found for ~299$

 

[lukart]

Good looking out, U&T. I like that Gigabyte MBs tend to be a bit cheaper than ASUS ones with the same features, but if they're not updating their BIOS or drivers, that's certainly something to consider. I'll keep an eye on the Black Friday sales and if a good deal comes up on an ASUS board I'll nab it. And thank you again for helping out this helpless fool when it comes to DIY hardware!

The Extreme 4 is actually a pretty damn good motherboard.
I mean you will be fine with that one, but if you play around with overclocking maybe you should consider something bit more expensive with more power phases.