Advice for first time PC builder

[swek]

Hi!

 

It's going to be my first time building a PC and I would like some opinions on how to make it better/cheaper, as after picking parts the costs seems a little high when I've seen lower. Will be using this PC for watching shows, surfing web, playing games such as LoL and select AAA titles. Please let me know your thoughts and opinions, I'm going for a black-red build so it would be nice if you could suggest parts within that color scheme haha.

I may also have to do some video/photo editing for college projects and presentations so it would be nice to have little to no lag for those, but certainly NOT PROFESSIONAL grade stuff. So I'd like to avoid paying a professional grade price

 

 

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($215.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i GTX 70.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($109.99 @ Best Buy)
Motherboard: MSI Z170A GAMING M3 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($144.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial BX100 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($79.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($116.63 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 950 2GB Video Card  ($144.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Corsair 450D ATX Mid Tower Case  ($104.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: Corsair RM 450W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($73.98 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit)  ($89.88 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1166.42
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-08 04:20 EST-0500

 

 

EDITED: Hi all thanks for the input! I've taken all your considerations and put together this build. Please give me your opinions.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6400 2.7GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($180.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! PURE ROCK 51.4 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($19.90 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI B150 Gaming M3 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($91.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial BX100 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($79.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($116.63 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 380 4GB Video Card  ($219.99 @ Micro Center)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($67.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit)  ($89.88 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1042.33
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-08 05:04 EST-0500

 

But I'm a little concerned if the huge looking be quiet! cooler would fit in the case?

[ADZ_123_!"£]

Swap the 6600 out for a 4690 and with the money you have saved on cpu mobo and ram get an R9 380.

[swek]

Looks pretty good for a first build but id recommend getting a higher wattage psu like the evga p2 650 or something like that.

 

Welcome to the forums and enjoy your time

 

hey thanks for replying! why a 650 tho? cuz the "calculator" said that only ~285 would be needed so i thought a even a 550 watt would be overkill?

[YT2002]

Hi!

 

It's going to be my first time building a PC and I would like some opinions on how to make it better/cheaper, as after picking parts the costs seems a little high when I've seen lower. Will be using this PC for watching shows, surfing web, playing games such as LoL and select AAA titles. Please let me know your thoughts and opinions, I'm going for a black-red build so it would be nice if you could suggest parts within that color scheme haha.

I may also have to do some video/photo editing for college projects and presentations so it would be nice to have little to no lag for those, but certainly NOT PROFESSIONAL grade stuff. So I'd like to avoid paying a professional grade price

 

 

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($215.99 @ SuperBiiz)

CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i GTX 70.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($109.99 @ Best Buy)

Motherboard: MSI Z170A GAMING M3 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($144.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($84.99 @ Newegg)

Storage: Crucial BX100 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($79.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($116.63 @ Amazon)

Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 950 2GB Video Card  ($144.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Case: Corsair 450D ATX Mid Tower Case  ($104.99 @ Micro Center)

Power Supply: Corsair RM 450W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($73.98 @ Newegg)

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit)  ($89.88 @ OutletPC)

Total: $1166.42

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-08 04:20 EST-0500

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/VGMBK8

[PCPartPicker part list](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/VGMBK8) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/VGMBK8/by_merchant/)

 

Type|Item|Price

:----|:----|:----

**CPU** | [intel Core i5-6400 2.7GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80662i56400) | $180.99 @ SuperBiiz 

**CPU Cooler** | [be quiet! PURE ROCK 51.4 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/be-quiet-cpu-cooler-bk009) | $19.90 @ Newegg 

**Motherboard** | [MSI B150 Gaming M3 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-motherboard-b150gamingm3) | $91.98 @ Newegg 

**Memory** | [G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f42133c15d16gvr) | $84.99 @ Newegg 

**Storage** | [Crucial BX100 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/crucial-internal-hard-drive-ct250bx100ssd1) | $79.99 @ SuperBiiz 

**Storage** | [Western Digital BLACK SERIES 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/western-digital-internal-hard-drive-wd2003fzex) | $116.63 @ Amazon 

**Video Card** | [XFX Radeon R9 380 4GB Double Dissipation Video Card](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-video-card-r9380p4255) | $172.98 @ Newegg 

**Case** | [NZXT S340 (Black/Red) ATX Mid Tower Case](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/nzxt-case-cas340wbr1) | $79.98 @ Newegg 

**Power Supply** | [EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-power-supply-110b10750vr) | $49.99 @ NCIX US 

**Operating System** | [Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit)](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/microsoft-os-kw900140) | $89.88 @ OutletPC 

 | *Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts* |

 | Total (before mail-in rebates) | $1017.31

 | Mail-in rebates | -$50.00

 | **Total** | **$967.31**

 | Generated by [PCPartPicker](http://pcpartpicker.com) 2015-11-08 04:26 EST-0500 |

This PC is a much better value and performs better.

 

Edit: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/RnqDLk I swapped the Black drive for a green

[Swndlr]

This is what I would do

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($215.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($24.99 @ Micro Center)
Motherboard: MSI H170 Gaming M3 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($111.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR4-2666 Memory  ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($86.95 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($51.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 390 8GB Video Card  ($309.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: NZXT S340 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($67.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 620W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($61.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit)  ($89.88 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1131.62
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-08 04:27 EST-0500

[Castdeath97]

1- Sense you are getting a unlocked processor get a cheaper H170 board and no need for this expensive water cooler since you can't overclock.]

2- You are spending more on your CPU than your GPU, it should be vice verse in a gaming build. Get a i5 6400 (has better value) and a R9 380 4GB.

3-You are spending a lot on the Case, get a cheaper one like the s340.

4-The hard drive is overpriced, get something cheaper.

[Castdeath97]

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/VGMBK8

[PCPartPicker part list](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/VGMBK8) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/VGMBK8/by_merchant/)

 

Type|Item|Price

:----|:----|:----

**CPU** | [intel Core i5-6400 2.7GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80662i56400) | $180.99 @ SuperBiiz 

**CPU Cooler** | [be quiet! PURE ROCK 51.4 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/be-quiet-cpu-cooler-bk009) | $19.90 @ Newegg 

**Motherboard** | [MSI B150 Gaming M3 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-motherboard-b150gamingm3) | $91.98 @ Newegg 

**Memory** | [G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f42133c15d16gvr) | $84.99 @ Newegg 

**Storage** | [Crucial BX100 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/crucial-internal-hard-drive-ct250bx100ssd1) | $79.99 @ SuperBiiz 

**Storage** | [Western Digital BLACK SERIES 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/western-digital-internal-hard-drive-wd2003fzex) | $116.63 @ Amazon 

**Video Card** | [XFX Radeon R9 380 4GB Double Dissipation Video Card](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-video-card-r9380p4255) | $172.98 @ Newegg 

**Case** | [NZXT S340 (Black/Red) ATX Mid Tower Case](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/nzxt-case-cas340wbr1) | $79.98 @ Newegg 

**Power Supply** | [EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-power-supply-110b10750vr) | $49.99 @ NCIX US 

**Operating System** | [Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit)](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/microsoft-os-kw900140) | $89.88 @ OutletPC 

 | *Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts* |

 | Total (before mail-in rebates) | $1017.31

 | Mail-in rebates | -$50.00

 | **Total** | **$967.31**

 | Generated by [PCPartPicker](http://pcpartpicker.com) 2015-11-08 04:26 EST-0500 |

This PC is a much better value and performs better.

 

Edit: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/RnqDLk I swapped the Black drive for a green

 

Get a better power supply like the EVGA G2, BS or GS.

 

Also no need for that cooler in unlocked CPU, unless he really needs silence. 

[B0aty]

To change one thing, I'd say a better graphics card. A 970 would be a good choice for the green team, or even a r9 390 has better gta v performance and near equal everywhere else.

[YT2002]

Get a better power supply like the EVGA G2, BS or GS.

 

Also no need for that cooler in unlocked CPU, unless he really needs silence. 

Ok, is the SuperNEX bad, I was going to suggest that for a friend of mine. With the cooler, I did it for quietness, it was only $20. You may actually be able to take of the fan and have it passive, the skylake chips consume 65W

[swek]

1- Sense you are getting a unlocked processor get a cheaper H170 board and no need for this expensive water cooler since you can't overclock.]

2- You are spending more on your CPU than your GPU, it should be vice verse in a gaming build. Get a i5 6400 (has better value) and a R9 380 4GB.

3-You are spending a lot on the Case, get a cheaper one like the s340.

4-The hard drive is overpriced, get something cheaper.

 

what would you suggest for the hard drive? I was afraid that WD green would be too slow because of the 5400rpm and it basically not being meant for primary storage. and i did some resarch and found out the seagate had the highest failure rates out of all HDD manufacturers and i want to avoid hard drive failure as much as possible.

[UnlimitedTMD]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/knh47P

 

I would go for this, your watercooler is not necessairy at all, hyper 212 will do fine.

And your mobo could be cheaper, but your choice tho.

WD Black is good, but may be  overpriced, samsung EVO is a solid ssd.

 

380 will give you more power, but costs some more, but it would be smart

to wait for the 380x or wait till black friday, because the costs savings

will be huge.

 

Your case was a bit on the expensive side for this kind of a build, your own choice tho.

 

And for your psu, I would really go for this EVGA one, because EVGA makes solid

Power supplys for a bit more power and sadly money

[swek]

Hi all thanks for the input! I've taken all your considerations and put together this build. Please give me your opinions.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6400 2.7GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($180.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! PURE ROCK 51.4 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($19.90 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI B150 Gaming M3 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($91.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial BX100 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($79.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($116.63 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 380 4GB Video Card  ($219.99 @ Micro Center)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($67.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit)  ($89.88 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1042.33
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-08 05:04 EST-0500

 

The only thing that worries me other than price is whether the large cpu cooler would fit in the smaller case?

[swek]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/knh47P

 

I would go for this, your watercooler is not necessairy at all, hyper 212 will do fine.

And your mobo could be cheaper, but your choice tho.

WD Black is good, but may be  overpriced, samsung EVO is a solid ssd.

 

380 will give you more power, but costs some more, but it would be smart

to wait for the 380x or wait till black friday, because the costs savings

will be huge.

 

Your case was a bit on the expensive side for this kind of a build, your own choice tho.

 

And for your psu, I would really go for this EVGA one, because EVGA makes solid

Power supplys for a bit more power and sadly money

 

I've made some changes

[rjfaber91]

what would you suggest for the hard drive? I was afraid that WD green would be too slow because of the 5400rpm and it basically not being meant for primary storage. and i did some resarch and found out the seagate had the highest failure rates out of all HDD manufacturers and i want to avoid hard drive failure as much as possible.

 

If you want to avoid failures at all costs, look no further than HGST...

[Castdeath97]

what would you suggest for the hard drive? I was afraid that WD green would be too slow because of the 5400rpm and it basically not being meant for primary storage. and i did some resarch and found out the seagate had the highest failure rates out of all HDD manufacturers and i want to avoid hard drive failure as much as possible.

That research you read had refabrished drives and had poor testing conditions so don't trust it.

[rjfaber91]

That research you read had refabrished drives and had poor testing conditions so don't trust it.

 

How the hell do you know that? She didn't even link the research she read... The general consensus really does seem to be that Seagate drives are the least reliable from the big three hard drive manufacturers, with HGST easily winning and Western Digital coming second. That's not to say Seagate drives are inherently unreliable (I should know, I've had two of them for years now), but compared to the other available brands, they do come out less well in pretty much every test that is conducted on them, lab-conditions and real-world alike.

 

 

The only thing that worries me other than price is whether the large cpu cooler would fit in the smaller case?

 

Yes, it would fit. The S340 has 161mm CPU cooler clearance, and the Pure Rock is 155mm tall, so theoretically there's 6mm of clearance, and I'm willing to bet that in reality it's going to be closer to 15mm.

[swek]

How the hell do you know that? She didn't even link the research she read... The general consensus really does seem to be that Seagate drives are the least reliable from the big three hard drive manufacturers, with HGST easily winning and Western Digital coming second. That's not to say Seagate drives are inherently unreliable (I should know, I've had two of them for years now), but compared to the other available brands, they do come out less well in pretty much every test that is conducted on them, lab-conditions and real-world

http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/175089-who-makes-the-most-reliable-hard-drives

Yep you're right hitachi's hard drive do seem to be the most reliable. But first I gotta check out their prices tho

[Castdeath97]

How the hell do you know that? She didn't even link the research she read... The general consensus really does seem to be that Seagate drives are the least reliable from the big three hard drive manufacturers, with HGST easily winning and Western Digital coming second. That's not to say Seagate drives are inherently unreliable (I should know, I've had two of them for years now), but compared to the other available brands, they do come out less well in pretty much every test that is conducted on them, lab-conditions and real-world alike.

 

 

 

Yes, it would fit. The S340 has 161mm CPU cooler clearance, and the Pure Rock is 155mm tall, so theoretically there's 6mm of clearance, and I'm willing to bet that in reality it's going to be closer to 15mm.

Because it is the most recent one and the one most people link, anyhow people have already discussed it's reliability. (And yep he even linked it I was right)

 

http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/109633-january-31st-2014-the-wan-show-document/

 

http://www.tweaktown.com/articles/6028/dispelling-backblaze-s-hdd-reliability-myth-the-real-story-covered/index.html

 

 

If you have any other test link them. 

[rjfaber91]

(And yep he even linked it I was right)

 

As it turned out, yes, but there was no way for you to know what test was meant before that link was posted, and that assumption was the very thing I had an issue with, not the results of the actual test.

[Castdeath97]

As it turned out, yes, but there was no way for you to know what test was meant before that link was posted, and that assumption was the very thing I had an issue with, not the results of the actual test.

I'm just used it, I have been in the forum for ages and people keep linking/referring to the same article.