hydramerlin

I plan on driving out to a MicroCenter sometime soon. I'm looking to pick up a CPU, motherboard, and RAM and don't have anything I can use from other builds. I'm sticking with a 1080p, 60hz monitor for the time being. Currently, the CPUs they offer under $200 are: i5 8400: $169.99 R5 2600: $159.99 R5 2600X: $189.99 R5 1600: $139.99 R7 1800X: $199.99 I'm primarily use my PC for playing games like Overwatch, Diablo, Civilization, and older console titles with emulation. Occasionally, I'll use Premiere or AfterEffects for a video project or play some triple-A titles. I'm considering going with the 8400 since I don't have to worry about RAM compatibility or getting an X470 board on Ryzen (or X370 board in this case) to get the most of my CPUs performance. I really like the 2600x since it runs at higher clocks that the 1600 at a lower voltage, but the high cost of RAM and decent OC-ing motherboards puts me off. I got some extra questions while I'm at it. Does it make more sense to buy a cheaper chip but with a better motherboard or a more expensive chip and have to potentially cheap out on the other aspects of the computer? Is the whole cheap VRMs on AMD motherboards right now even an issue? Is this cause for concern for upgrades in the future with potentially higher core count Ryzen CPUs on the way?

From what I can tell, the 1070 seems to play max out (or nearly max out) games at 2560x1440. Driving games at 3440x1440 would require more GPU power, so a 1080 would make more sense if you wanted to play AAA titles. These graphs come from: http://techgage.com/article/nvidia-geforce-gtx-1080-review-a-look-at-4k-ultra-wide-gaming/ They have more ultrawide benchmarks. These are the games that (I think) most people care about at the moment. For reference, a 1070 reaches titan x levels when overclocked.

Gigabyte has been really off recently when it comes to customer support, so I wouldn't go for that card. I personally wouldn't want a single fan card in my system if I could fit a dual or triple fan card. I would go for the Zotac card due to the warranty.

don't pay 800 dollars for a GTX 1080, even if it is that Rgb strix variant. I don't know if you list has an error, but there's an rog strix 1080 at newegg for $710 dollars. If you really want an area where you could splurge, go for a 950 Pro m.2 ssd. It's available in 256 and 512 gb variants. They're one of the fastest ssd's on the market.

It's the Iphone 6s for sure. They used NVMe storage for their 6s lineup, thus the speed.

I would recommend changing the RX 480 for a GTX 1060. The 480 is a good card, but at that price, it loses its value. Check: http://www.nowinstock.net/computers/videocards/nvidia/gtx1060/ to see if the card is in stock since it was newly released. I'd recommend the MSI Armor Version for the same price at newegg. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127964&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-Veeralava LLC-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=6202798&SID= For the cpu, you can get away with a 6500 and save a bit of money. Or even better, get a 6600k and a z170 motherboard. You should try to get a Windows key as they are around $15-20. For a mouse and a keyboard, pick up a dedicated gaming mouse like the Rival 100 or the Thermaltake Talon. From the reviews I seen, that mouse is abysmal.

I was just looking at mechs on Amazon (odd habit of mine) and I found this one. It's weird to find any mechanical keyboard that's wireless and I honestly didn't know there was a market for this. Thanks for the comments!

Found this keyboard on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Drevo-Calibur-Bluetooth-Wireless-Mechanical/dp/B01H6DNIHU/ref=sr_1_191?ie=UTF8&qid=1469345006&sr=8-191&keywords=wireless+mechanical+keyboard Comes with Outemu switches, in black or blue, and two different case colors (black and white). This keyboard is wireless and comes with the pseudo-RGB with 7 or so colors and multiples modes. It seems too good to be true.... Thoughts? Does anyone have this keyboard

Like the background music! Some LTT videos seem like they could use it and it's cool that it has been added. The music could be a tad bit quieter since it becomes distracting after a while, but overall, this is a really good integration of background music. About the OP3, it seems like a phone in a price range that I'd be willing to get!

Nope it will. Btw I just slapped a bunch of parts together. The core of the build should be fine, but you may want to tweak the list for your needs (more storage, different cooler, case, or motherboard, better aesthetics). Also, keep note that many of the GTX 1080's aren't retailing for $600 dollars (I know that MSI has a blower style one that is for sure to be 600, but the other custom designs are priced higher). PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/list/mgYxFd Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/list/mgYxFd/by_merchant/ CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($338.99 @ SuperBiiz) CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H5 Ultimate 76.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($56.60 @ Amazon) Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming K4 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($123.98 @ Newegg) Memory: GeIL EVO POTENZA 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($49.98 @ Newegg) Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($89.22 @ Amazon) Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.49 @ OutletPC) Case: Fractal Design Define R5 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($109.99 @ NCIX US) Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ Amazon) Other: GTX 1080 ($600.00) Total: $1516.24 Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-06-03 22:45 EDT-0400

If all you want are parts in the 700 dollar range, you'd be best off with a build (I tried to make a black and red asthetic) like this. It is $13 dollars over, but that was allocated toward the SSD. Just like Ophidio stated, the SSD will help everything feel snappy and quick in the build. And if you can, PLEASE wait for the RX 480 (or the GTX 1060 if you'd really want an Nvidia gpu). The RX 480 will at least be as powerful as the R9 390/GTX 970, gpus that retail for $300 at the moment. Also, there are 2 TB hard drives for only $10 more and if you play a lot of games, that will come in handy. Happy building! PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/list/srWscc Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/list/srWscc/by_merchant/ CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($194.99 @ SuperBiiz) Motherboard: MSI H110M Gaming Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($68.99 @ NCIX US) Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($28.99 @ Newegg) Storage: A-Data Premier SP550 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($54.99 @ NCIX US) Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.49 @ OutletPC) Case: Corsair SPEC-02 ATX Mid Tower Case ($54.99 @ NCIX US) Power Supply: SeaSonic 520W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($61.99 @ SuperBiiz) Other: RX 480 ($200.00) Total: $712.43 Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-06-02 02:38 EDT-0400

Firstly, do you want to have a monitor, keyboard, or mouse included in your budget? In addition to connecting wires and parts together, you'd need to get Windows for your computer (buying and installing isn't difficult) and install drivers for your parts after you've built the computer. The LTT video for a budget PCs talks about the building process and there are plenty of other videos that talk about how to shop for certain components and what all the jargon means. Also, there are new graphics cards coming out that will indubitably perform much better (for their price) than the current offerings. It would be in your best interest to wait a month or so before the new graphics cards are released.

Go with the one with more of your buddies. It is purely multiplayer (as you pointed out), so go with console if most of your friends are there. It's the same case for me and Battle field 4. Most of my friends were on console, so I picked it up first on console. But that doesn't mean forget about PC! Pick up a copy of Overwatch when it becomes cheap on PC to enjoy all dat PCMR-goodness!

Enjoy! Compare what he got to other benchmarks.

Could you go 4460 and the r9 380x? It really wouldn't make much of a difference: it's a tad cheaper, tad higher clock speed, and haswell refresh (newer than the 4440),