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Help with building a new pc (1500$ budget max)

JackMack
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(It's a copy paste from Tom's Hardware trying to get as many answers as possible)A quick background story ! I feel like my gaming days are not going to last much longer since I will be super busy. In about 2 months I plan on buildingicon1.png a good enough gaming pc, that would let me play games at great settings; such as (the witcher 3, fallout 4, gta 5) in that order... 
It's important to mention that I don't plan on overclocking stuff since i'm a total noob or mess too much with it; however after doing some research I have a few things in mind :

1 - CPU - I was thinking i5-4690K since I heard good things about it (as far as I understand the K version is unlocked and can be overclocked. Should I go with the regular or K version since it's like 20$ +/- ?)

2 - CPU Fan - (I got nothin there, suggestions ?)  I never had water cooling, would buying a better cooling fan be enough ?

3 - GPU - GTX 970 4gb MSI OC (my last 2 gpus were from msi and proved reliableicon1.png, so I would stick to nvidia and maybe MSI too)

4 - Motherboard - : (something cheap and reliable, suggestions ?) do not plan on SLI.

5 - Ram - I would think that for 2 years, 8GB would be enough, right ? (something cheaper and good if it exists ?)

6 - PSU - would 550-600 be enough ? what model ?

7- Hard Driveicon1.png - I never had an SSD so ignorance is bliss I guess, in this case... yet again I would like to keep it on the cheap side. Would a 2TB suffice ? (currently have 1TB on my old pcicon1.png, would like to have more than 1) Any model & brand ? 

8 - CDRom - do I even need one ? 

9 - Screen - I already have a Samsung monitor with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 which should suffice...10

10- tower - I don't need anything flashy, maybe something that would be easy to open and clean and with enough room for the components to breathe (not plastic)

I'm excited to see what you boys think and I will also do my own research on the side, until around mid January.1500$ being the max amount, going below is always a +. Thanks in advanceicon1.png !

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Link: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/RTBWkL
 

Case: NZXT S340 (Black or White)
Motherboard: MSI H170 PC Mate
Processor: Intel Core i5 6600
CPU Cooler: Scythe Mugen 4
RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX (2x4GB) 2400MHz
GPU: MSI Nvidia GeForce GTX 980ti 6GB
SSD: Samsung 850 EVO 250GB
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 2TB
PSU: EVGA SuperNova G2 550W
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Total: $1357.19

 

You can always upgrade your ram if you want to.

Hope you like it :)

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CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($226.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($134.99 @ B&H) 


Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($85.89 @ OutletPC) 


Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 390X 8GB Video Card  ($393.98 @ Newegg) 


Power Supply: XFX TS 650W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply  ($44.99 @ Newegg) 

Total: $1087.80

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-17 04:35 EST-0500

 

I went with an R9 390X because the GTX 980 is 100$ more expensive and not worth it 

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CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($226.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($134.99 @ B&H) 
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($85.89 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 390X 8GB Video Card  ($393.98 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: XFX TS 650W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply  ($44.99 @ Newegg) 
Total: $1087.80
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-17 04:35 EST-0500
 
I went with an R9 390X because the GTX 980 is 100$ more expensive and not worth it 

 

THIS ONE

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THIS ONE

Upgrade options:

Upgrade to 16GB of RAM (some bad ports have shown increased performance with more ram)

Get a CPU cooler (you will need that for overclocking otherwise the stock cooler is fine)

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THIS ONE

Well a to high PSU, an overclockable Processor even tho when he isn't going to overclock, he could go for the GTX 980ti which is way better.

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well pc partpicker's glitched. There are no 980ti's and Titan X's coming up. rip. Was gonna make a build but but thats gone. But on topic, go for a Xeon 1231 v3 and 980ti, you'll be able to fit that in easily.

Xeon 1231 v3/ H81m - P33 / 8GB Corsair Vengeance/ GTX 950/ Fractal Design Core 1000.

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well pc partpicker's glitched. There are no 980ti's and Titan X's coming up. rip. Was gonna make a build but but thats gone. But on topic, go for a Xeon 1231 v3 and 980ti, you'll be able to fit that in easily.

Lol what? There are still GTX 980ti's and Titan X on pcpartpicker.

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Lol what? There are still GTX 980ti's and Titan X on pcpartpicker.

No its there but pcpartpicker can't find any listings with price on it.

Xeon 1231 v3/ H81m - P33 / 8GB Corsair Vengeance/ GTX 950/ Fractal Design Core 1000.

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No its there but pcpartpicker can't find any listings with price on it.

Total List: http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/video-card/#c=224,221

 

Example Brand 980ti: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-video-card-gtx980tigaming6g

Example Brand Titan X: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-video-card-gtxtitanx12gd5

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The links you sent me work, but then I open a new tab there are no 980ti's on the list. "Like the main first page list" and after if I go to the specific graphics card area there are still only 2 listings for 980ti without prices, it just might be an AU thing coz I'm au.pcpartpicker.com

 

Xeon 1231 v3/ H81m - P33 / 8GB Corsair Vengeance/ GTX 950/ Fractal Design Core 1000.

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The links you sent me work, but then I open a new tab there are no 980ti's on the list. "Like the main first page list" and after if I go to the specific graphics card area there are still only 2 listings for 980ti without prices, it just might be an AU thing coz I'm au.pcpartpicker.com

Hmm.. Wel that's probably it because it does list them all on pcpartpicker.com

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@JackMack

I'd have suggested the same thing. That's the route I took with my computer, too. I'd recommend it for sure. With that budget, get the most modern platform.

I was thinking of getting a evga gtx 970 ftw instead and switch the 4690k for a i5 6600 skylake. What motherboard RAM and PSU would go with that ?

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I was thinking of getting a evga gtx 970 ftw instead and switch the 4690k for a i5 6600 skylake. What motherboard RAM and PSU would go with that ?

How about this:

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/dxDHcf

I think that link is displaying 2 video cards. If so, just delete one from the list. I can't seem to make it give me a link without them both on there. 

 

 

Explanations for what I picked:

The Z170 board:

**Has an overclocking ability, but the 6600 you picked doesn't. So that would allow you to either change your mind now and get a K (unlocked processor) or upgrade options in the future. 

**Supports 2-way SLI in case you want to upgrade and add another GTX 970 in the future. 

**Supports DDR4 XMP so that you can use modules faster than 2133. 

**Cheapest one that fits those descriptions, still a reasonable price, and in-budget.

 

Memory:

** It's fast and a reputable brand. You could even afford 16GB if you wanted it now. If you do, get a 8GBx2 kit. 

 

Storage:

** Those were already there from some one else's suggested parts list that I edited.  They look good to me.  I have Samsung drives, too.

 

Video card:

**That's probably the one you wanted.

 

Case: 

**My computer is in one, and one of my son's computers is in one. I really like it a lot.  

 

PSU:

** Familiarity. I've bought a few EVGA PSUs and so far they're good, but I haven't had them long enough to comment on longevity. But the word on the street is that they're very high quality. 

** 650W is overkill for one 970, but not for two. So this goes back to one of the reasons for picking the motherboard. It gives you the ability to upgrade in the future. 

** It's fully modular, so if for any reason you had to remove it (warranty service, upgrade, etc) you don't have to disconnect all the cabling in the system. Just unplug the PSU. 

 

 

Don't forget a Wifi adapter if you're not going to use an ethernet cable. You can reuse the one you already have if you wanted.  I use a $15 USB TP-Link N adapter and it works perfectly as advertised. In fact, I bought one for me and one for my son's computer. They're both fine. 

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How about this:

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/dxDHcf

I think that link is displaying 2 video cards. If so, just delete one from the list. I can't seem to make it give me a link without them both on there. 

 

 

Explanations for what I picked:

The Z170 board:

**Has an overclocking ability, but the 6600 you picked doesn't. So that would allow you to either change your mind now and get a K (unlocked processor) or upgrade options in the future. 

**Supports 2-way SLI in case you want to upgrade and add another GTX 970 in the future. 

**Supports DDR4 XMP so that you can use modules faster than 2133. 

**Cheapest one that fits those descriptions, still a reasonable price, and in-budget.

 

Memory:

** It's fast and a reputable brand. You could even afford 16GB if you wanted it now. If you do, get a 8GBx2 kit. 

 

Storage:

** Those were already there from some one else's suggested parts list that I edited.  They look good to me.  I have Samsung drives, too.

 

Video card:

**That's probably the one you wanted.

 

Case: 

**My computer is in one, and one of my son's computers is in one. I really like it a lot.  

 

PSU:

** Familiarity. I've bought a few EVGA PSUs and so far they're good, but I haven't had them long enough to comment on longevity. But the word on the street is that they're very high quality. 

** 650W is overkill for one 970, but not for two. So this goes back to one of the reasons for picking the motherboard. It gives you the ability to upgrade in the future. 

** It's fully modular, so if for any reason you had to remove it (warranty service, upgrade, etc) you don't have to disconnect all the cabling in the system. Just unplug the PSU. 

 

 

Don't forget a Wifi adapter if you're not going to use an ethernet cable. You can reuse the one you already have if you wanted.  I use a $15 USB TP-Link N adapter and it works perfectly as advertised. In fact, I bought one for me and one for my son's computer. They're both fine. 

 I will go with the Ram, Hdd ,dont know about ssd since I never had one and I guess in this case ignorance is bliss ? I know I could have the windows boot up in seconds but I dont really know if I care that much, will think about it some more... Anyways, I'd rather stick to one gpu card, and since I don't overclock, it has to be a pretty good card that comes with a little boost out of the box.(I've had the GTX 460 & 660  twin frozr editions along the years, I pushed them hard and never had problems...) I was thinking maybe something like gtx 970 evga FTW or SSC editions, ZOTAC ZT-90106-10P with 3 fans and that's boosted quite a bit; or I could just go with the MSI 970. I had considered the gtx 980 but since i will be using it at 1920x1080 dont know if it's worth wasting the extra dollars. 

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 I will go with the Ram, Hdd ,dont know about ssd since I never had one and I guess in this case ignorance is bliss ? I know I could have the windows boot up in seconds but I dont really know if I care that much, will think about it some more... Anyways, I'd rather stick to one gpu card, and since I don't overclock, it has to be a pretty good card that comes with a little boost out of the box.(I've had the GTX 460 & 660  twin frozr editions along the years, I pushed them hard and never had problems...) I was thinking maybe something like gtx 970 evga FTW or SSC editions, ZOTAC ZT-90106-10P with 3 fans and that's boosted quite a bit; or I could just go with the MSI 970. I had considered the gtx 980 but since i will be using it at 1920x1080 dont know if it's worth wasting the extra dollars. 

An SSD is more than just boot time. Applications/games launch much faster. True, ignorance is bliss... it's one of those "never go back" kind of things after you use one.  I'm with you about one GPU, though. Potential compatibility issues isn't something that interests me. Nevertheless, I intentionally bought a motherboard that supports it just in case I change my mind in the future. 

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/MqTLGX

That's slightly altered to save a few dollars on a power supply of the same make/model, but less power since you won't need it.  It also has a different board also because it's a little cheaper and still supports XMP for faster DDR4. 

 

You've probably researched and know more about the different 970 models than I.  But if you have it in the budget and you were considering something faster than a 970, I'd suggest it. Depending on the specific games you play and how long you don't want to upgrade, it could be worth it to get a ballsy one now.  I have a 980ti and I use it with my 1080p TV.  My game library isn't that big (I'm resisting Steam sales as much as I can) but the most demanding game I'm playing right now is Assassin's Creed Syndicate and having the 980ti is certainly useful at maximum settings.  I also have GTA5. The same thing can be said about that game.  So it really just depends on what graphics settings you'll be happy with... or what your eyes can even see for whatever titles you play.  I'm still not sure I'm noticing a difference between Ultra and High when I play Syndicate. I might as I put more hours into it, though, and as I become more accustomed to what I'm looking at. 

 

I went all-out with my system because I don't really want to upgrade for a while and it was in my budget. I have an unlocked i7, but I don't overclock it yet. In the future I probably/likely will as an "upgrade" instead of actually buying a new processor. Plus the stock speed of an unlocked processor is slightly faster than a locked one. 

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overclock the i5 to remove any potential bottlenecks. it shouldn't bottleneck most games hard, but the i7 is better and is now being recommended these days for triple a titles.

 

this is a non-sli build

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($239.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC12DX_BK 68.5 CFM CPU Cooler  ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus Z170-P ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($124.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Team Dark 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-3200 Memory  ($57.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($61.49 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($44.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB HYBRID Video Card  ($689.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case  ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($103.86 @ Mac Mall)
Total: $1463.18
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-21 14:20 EST-0500

BigDay

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An SSD is more than just boot time. Applications/games launch much faster. True, ignorance is bliss... it's one of those "never go back" kind of things after you use one.  I'm with you about one GPU, though. Potential compatibility issues isn't something that interests me. Nevertheless, I intentionally bought a motherboard that supports it just in case I change my mind in the future. 

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/MqTLGX

That's slightly altered to save a few dollars on a power supply of the same make/model, but less power since you won't need it.  It also has a different board also because it's a little cheaper and still supports XMP for faster DDR4. 

 

You've probably researched and know more about the different 970 models than I.  But if you have it in the budget and you were considering something faster than a 970, I'd suggest it. Depending on the specific games you play and how long you don't want to upgrade, it could be worth it to get a ballsy one now.  I have a 980ti and I use it with my 1080p TV.  My game library isn't that big (I'm resisting Steam sales as much as I can) but the most demanding game I'm playing right now is Assassin's Creed Syndicate and having the 980ti is certainly useful at maximum settings.  I also have GTA5. The same thing can be said about that game.  So it really just depends on what graphics settings you'll be happy with... or what your eyes can even see for whatever titles you play.  I'm still not sure I'm noticing a difference between Ultra and High when I play Syndicate. I might as I put more hours into it, though, and as I become more accustomed to what I'm looking at. 

 

I went all-out with my system because I don't really want to upgrade for a while and it was in my budget. I have an unlocked i7, but I don't overclock it yet. In the future I probably/likely will as an "upgrade" instead of actually buying a new processor. Plus the stock speed of an unlocked processor is slightly faster than a locked one. 

I'm also trying to increase my steam library a bit and that's part of the reason why I dont want to go all out. I have a few more questions if you dont mind...

1) If I were to go for a gtx 980 instead, which brand would you recommend ? MSI or EVGA 

2) I'm guessing a quality 550 would also be enough for a single 980 ?

3) Corsair or Evga psu wise? 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139059&cm_re=psu_550_gold_corsair-_-17-139-059-_-Product

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817438053&cm_re=evga_super_nova_psu_550-_-17-438-053-_-Product

4) Would there be the difference if I were to go for a MSI z170A M5 instead of the one you recommended. I'm quite an amateur when it comes to motherboards.

5) If I'm getting a 250gb ssd, I would install windows on it and some programs. My 2GB hdd would have my steam library, do you think it's still worth it ?

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I'm also trying to increase my steam library a bit and that's part of the reason why I dont want to go all out. I have a few more questions if you dont mind...

1) If I were to go for a gtx 980 instead, which brand would you recommend ? MSI or EVGA 

2) I'm guessing a quality 550 would also be enough for a single 980 ?

3) Corsair or Evga psu wise? 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139059&cm_re=psu_550_gold_corsair-_-17-139-059-_-Product

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817438053&cm_re=evga_super_nova_psu_550-_-17-438-053-_-Product

4) Would there be the difference if I were to go for a MSI z170A M5 instead of the one you recommended. I'm quite an amateur when it comes to motherboards.

5) If I'm getting a 250gb ssd, I would install windows on it and some programs. My 2GB hdd would have my steam library, do you think it's still worth it ?

1. This is a good time of year to look for higher-end parts that you normally might not buy. Sales and rebates are plenty.  

Between those two brands, I'd go with either one. I have no preference. I've never used a modern GPU from either one, but I have modern other components from both. They're both reputable brands that make quality stuff, so you could safely pick whichever one has the faster GPU at a price you like. 

But since you asked, I might get this one http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-video-card-04gp42983kr because it has a fast clock and it's under $500. ($450 on Newegg) 

 

2. According to PC Part Picker, definitely.  

3. Well, the better question is "Between these two specific PSU's"... because between those two, I'd say the EVGA for sure. The Corsair unit is for lesser demanding computers.  I have the 850w version of that G2. I'm satisfied so far. 

 

4. I have that same MSI motherboard and it's pretty fancy. It has some neat features. 

5. I'd say it's worth it, sure.  My OS and some games are installed on my 250GB Samsung 840 Evo drive. The rest of my games are on secondary drives. I don't have any regular hard drives, but if I did, I'd be just as happy with it. It's easy to set Steam or any other client to use multiple drives and when you launch the games there's literally no difference to the user.  I've given myself a limit of keeping at least 40GB of free space on my SSD boot drive. The OS needs empty space to run well (pagefile, temporary internet files, cache, all that other shit). 

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1. This is a good time of year to look for higher-end parts that you normally might not buy. Sales and rebates are plenty.  

Between those two brands, I'd go with either one. I have no preference. I've never used a modern GPU from either one, but I have modern other components from both. They're both reputable brands that make quality stuff, so you could safely pick whichever one has the faster GPU at a price you like. 

But since you asked, I might get this one http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-video-card-04gp42983kr because it has a fast clock and it's under $500. ($450 on Newegg) 

 

2. According to PC Part Picker, definitely.  

3. Well, the better question is "Between these two specific PSU's"... because between those two, I'd say the EVGA for sure. The Corsair unit is for lesser demanding computers.  I have the 850w version of that G2. I'm satisfied so far. 

 

4. I have that same MSI motherboard and it's pretty fancy. It has some neat features. 

5. I'd say it's worth it, sure.  My OS and some games are installed on my 250GB Samsung 840 Evo drive. The rest of my games are on secondary drives. I don't have any regular hard drives, but if I did, I'd be just as happy with it. It's easy to set Steam or any other client to use multiple drives and when you launch the games there's literally no difference to the user.  I've given myself a limit of keeping at least 40GB of free space on my SSD boot drive. The OS needs empty space to run well (pagefile, temporary internet files, cache, all that other shit). 

First of all thanks ! you've been very helpful, I think I'll have almost everything that I want soon ! There is one thing though... supposedly fallout 4 is using hyperthreading and who knows what the future holds; since I don't upgrade often I was wondering if going for the i7 4790k instead of the i5 6600k would be a better choice even though the i5 6600 is newer tech !?

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First of all thanks ! you've been very helpful, I think I'll have almost everything that I want soon ! There is one thing though... supposedly fallout 4 is using hyperthreading and who knows what the future holds; since I don't upgrade often I was wondering if going for the i7 4790k instead of the i5 6600k would be a better choice even though the i5 6600 is newer tech !?

Personally, I like going for the newest platform when a whole new system is being built. Skylake has a more broad future and DDR4.  

Are you sure a 6700 or 6700k is out of the question? 

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Personally, I like going for the newest platform when a whole new system is being built. Skylake has a more broad future and DDR4.  

Are you sure a 6700 or 6700k is out of the question? 

totally ! and I think i'm going back to gtx 970 here's what I have for now :

 

1) i5 6600k or i7 4790k

2) gtx 970 evga or msi

3) Cooler master hyper evo 212

4) MSI H170A PC Mate ATX LGA1151 

5) Corsair Vengeance LPX 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-3000 Memory

6) WD BLACK SERIES WD 2003 FZEX 2TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5 ( I  might get an ssd at a later date, seagate has quite a few bad reviews)

7)  NZXT S340 

8) EVGA Super NOVA G2 550W

9) windows 10 home edition

10) can you recommend a good and cheap mouse and keyboard ?

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