YASB, looking for help

[imported_kethdredd]

Hello all,

It has been 6 years since my last system build, and I'm completely out of the loop.
I'm looking to build a new system and would appreciate some help. Every time I build a new system it seems to get a little bit more overwhelming.

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. Gaming, general computer use.

2. $1000 budget

3. USA build. I usually purchase everything from newegg. Amazon will also work.

5. No brand preference

6. I have a ATX case. Reusing keyboard/monitor/mouse/cd drive

7. NO overclocking. I want to put this thing together and not think about it for 5 years. Stability is key.

8. 1920x1080. I would like the flexibility to get a new monitor with a higher resolution sometime in the future.

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?
"soon"

10. Need windows 10

I do want 16 gigs of ram. Everything else I'm pretty flexible on.

Thanks!

 

[sinisterDei]

Something like this:

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($204.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z170A-X1/3.1 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($92.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($96.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($178.07 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1070 8GB Mini ITX OC Video Card ($379.22 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($85.85 @ Amazon)
Total: $1098.09
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

I restricted my vendors to Newegg and Amazon as you mentioned; some of the parts are available cheaper from other vendors.

It's a bit above your $1000 budget, but you have some choices. First off, I went for a GTX 1070 to provide you longevity and >1080p possibilities. You could easily drop to an 8GB RX480 and your gaming experience at 1080p wouldn't change, and it'd be around $170 cheaper.

Additionally, you provided no details on what your storage requirements were, so I went with a single 500 GB SSD. If you want more space, you could drop to a 250 GB SSD and add a 7200 RPM mechanical drive for approximately the same amount of money.

Lastly, I know you're not planning on overclocking, but buying the 6600K CPU + CM 212 EVO HSF for this system would represent a pretty minimal cost increase (~$50 total) and would provide you the option to overclock, if you wanted. Even if you don't, the K series CPU will hold its value longer if you ever sell things used in the future, since future buyers would value the overclockability.

 

[UsandThem]

I'm going to go with a slightly different build suggestion for the following reasons:

1. You said you want something that you don't have to think about for 5 years (i7 CPU).
2. You game at 1080p now (and you can buy a different video card if you want to game at 4k in the future). You can also go with a RX 480 8 GB for roughly the same price (or a little less on sale).
3. PSU is gold rated, fully modular, and has 7 year warranty.
4. If you play a lot of games, you will need storage that will hold them all. You don't want to fill up all the space on a SSD if you play a lot of games.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/zLH8Ps

If you live near a Fry's or Micro Center, you can often get discounts on CPU/motherboard purchases. You may be able to even get a 6700k for roughly the same price as the 6700. I know you said you don't want to overclock, but it is simple as pressing a button in your BIOS. Even if you still say "overclocking is the devil!", the 6700k has faster stock speeds than the 6700 as well, and I have seen them on sale for the same price of a regular 6700.

Anyways, that's my .02.

 

[sinisterDei]

Definitely get the PSU recommended by UsandThem, not the one on my list.

I dislike the Motherboard on his list for its Realtek NIC and lack of USB 3.1, though I do prefer ASUS as a brand.

For 99% of use cases, I don't think the i7 is worth the cost difference compared to an i5. I say this as the owner of an i7-6700k. It is a higher frequency CPU (4 GHz on the 6700k) but again, I still think the 6600K is the way to go and just perform the easiest OC in the world and set it to run at 4.1 GHz or so and move on.

The GPU in my build is *much* faster, but at 1080p the gaming experience compared to the GTX 1060 6GB or the RX 480 8GB will be identical. Only go with the 1070 in my build if you're planning on moving to 1440p or 1600p in the near future. Neither build is 4K capable for most modern games.

That's my $.02, either system would be good.

 

[imported_kethdredd]

Thanks for the input guys. I'm definitely going to add a traditional hard drive. Any suggestions if I upped the budget to $1300?

I think I want to go with the 1070. Whats the deal with the mini itx form factor? I'm a little worried about overheating.

I'm not that familiar with As Rock, I've had good luck with ASUS boards in the past. What are your thoughts on 32gb vs 16?

 

[UsandThem]

Thanks for the input guys. I'm definitely going to add a traditional hard drive. Any suggestions if I upped the budget to $1300?

I think I want to go with the 1070. Whats the deal with the mini itx form factor? I'm a little worried about overheating.

I'm not that familiar with As Rock, I've had good luck with ASUS boards in the past. What are your thoughts on 32gb vs 16?

1. Asrock is just fine (I own an Asus, Asrock, and Gigabyte board myself). They used to be a subsidiary of Asus until they were spun off as an independent company. Just pick a board with good user reviews, and maybe catch a good sale on a nice board like the Asus Z170-A which Newegg had on sale the other day for $130.

2. You do not need 32 GB of RAM for gaming. There are currently only 3 games that use more than 8 GB out there. 16 GB is plenty and will be more than enough for many years.

3. The smaller cards tend to run a little warmer (because they have less of a heatsink and one fan). I prefer full size cards like the Gigabyte G1 or MSI Gaming X series.

4. If you increase your budget to $1300, you can have the GTX 1070 and the 6700k.

 

[sinisterDei]

I picked that card simply because it's the least expensive 1070 available, and the Gigabyte 1070 Mini cooling solution is OK. I'd avoid the ZOTAC Mini one, I read a review of it and it had significantly more difficulty keeping up with the thermals than the Gigabyte one. That said, if you can find a non-mini-ITX one for the same price, go for it! The 1070s in my system are Gigabyte... Windforce... something or others. They're not mini, and when I bought them they were the least expensive 1070 I could find.

Agreed with UsandThem on the not needing 32 GB of RAM- I have 32 GB of RAM in both of my systems, but only for virtualization reasons. Gaming never even touches 10 GB.

Agreed again on the $1300 adding the 6700k into your budget. I'm not sure you'd really notice the difference between a 6600k and 6700k, but it is the faster CPU if only because of its L3 and clockspeed. $1100 would definitely be a good number to go to, that'd net you the 6600k and the 1070, and you'd be pretty high end at that point.

 

[imported_kethdredd]

Thanks again for the help guys. I pulled the trigger today, went with the 6700k and the 1070. Looking forward to playing PC games again.

 

[sinisterDei]

Enjoy!