This monster is alive! (almost)

[Inspirational]

Hello LTT community. Over these past few days I have had a great time talking with many of the members. You may have seen me around the CPU cooling threads trying to find the right cooler for myself. If so, then hello again!

This is potentially my last thread on this forum, and oh boy it has been fun! So, with all of that being said... Here is the build that I came up with (along with the endless help and tips from the community) in 1 week!

 

Please let me know if you can find a way to drop the price down without slowing the computer too much

 

Here is the link:

The $2600 AUD budget PC build!

 

Or the text version:

• PCPartPicker part list: http://au.pcpartpicker.com/list/dDn2xY
• Price breakdown by merchant: http://au.pcpartpicker.com/list/dDn2xY/by_merchant/
• CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($463.00 @ Shopping Express) 
• CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler  ($99.00 @ CPL Online) 
• Motherboard: MSI Z170A GAMING M5 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($269.50 @ Skycomp Technology) 
• Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory  ($123.00 @ CPL Online) 
• Storage: A-Data Premier SP550 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($95.00 @ CPL Online) 
• Storage: Western Digital RE2 750GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  (Purchased For $0.00) 
• Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($65.00 @ IJK) 
• Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB FTW Gaming ACX 3.0 Video Card  ($679.00 @ Shopping Express) 
• Case: NZXT Noctis 450 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($209.00 @ PCCaseGear) 
• Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($129.00 @ CPL Online) 
• Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit  ($23.00) 
• Wireless Network Adapter: Asus PCE-AC56 PCI-Express x1 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Adapter  ($68.20 @ Skycomp Technology) 
• Monitor: AOC I2481FXH 23.8" 60Hz Monitor  ($209.00) 
• Keyboard: Corsair K70 Wired Gaming Keyboard  ($169.00 @ PCCaseGear) 
• Total: $2600.70
• Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
• Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-09-25 05:48 AEST+1000

[refinedskillz]

Budget?

[Inspirational]

1 minute ago, refinedskillz said:

Budget?

Well, I believe that word is used in 2 ways...

• One to show a limited amount of spending
• Another to show that the spending is minimised

In my case, I mean it in the way that means I have $2600 to spend, so I plan accordingly. 

[MoonlightSylv]

3 minutes ago, refinedskillz said:

Budget?

Uh...

 

5 minutes ago, Inspirational said:

Here is the link:

The $2600 AUD budget PC build!

 

[stconquest]

@Inspirational

 

The Phanteks P400 is an equally well built case for half the cost.  You would want two 140mm fans for the front.  Check out some videos on it.  It comes in black, white and grey.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Case: Phanteks ECLIPSE P400 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($99.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Case Fan: NZXT FN-140RB 62.5 CFM  140mm Fan  ($13.00 @ CPL Online)
Case Fan: NZXT FN-140RB 62.5 CFM  140mm Fan  ($13.00 @ CPL Online)
Total: $125.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-09-25 06:06 AEST+1000

 

The Cryorig H5 performs within 5% of the D14.  It is cheaper and looks better.

 

http://au.pcpartpicker.com/product/Ztp323/cryorig-cpu-cooler-h5ultimate

 

This is a full tower.  It is a really nice case:  http://au.pcpartpicker.com/product/mn3RsY/phanteks-case-phes614pbk

[xephoneration]

Do a m.2 SSD instead faster transfer rate and with that budget you should have one in. 

 

If you can afford it I would also look into the qnix qx2710 Awesome 1440p monitor for the price and is extremely OCable up to 140hz

[antisleep]

Are you planning on upgrading to a 1440p monitor in the future? If not, stick to a 1060.

[stconquest]

1 minute ago, antisleep said:

Are you planning on upgrading to a 1440p monitor in the future? If not, stick to a 1060.

I tried that in his last thread, he wants the power for future additions... like a higher resolution monitor.

[stconquest]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($463.00 @ Shopping Express)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H5 Universal 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler  ($69.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming K4 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($189.00 @ CPL Online)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  ($116.00 @ IJK)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($122.00 @ Umart)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($65.00 @ IJK)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB FTW Gaming ACX 3.0 Video Card  ($679.00 @ Shopping Express)
Case: Phanteks ECLIPSE P400 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($99.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Power Supply: SeaSonic EVO Edition 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($135.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Wireless Network Adapter: Asus PCE-AC56 PCI-Express x1 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Adapter  ($68.20 @ Skycomp Technology)
Case Fan: NZXT FN-140RB 62.5 CFM  140mm Fan  ($13.00 @ CPL Online)
Case Fan: NZXT FN-140RB 62.5 CFM  140mm Fan  ($13.00 @ CPL Online)
Monitor: Dell U2515H 25.0" 60Hz Monitor  ($439.00 @ Shopping Express)
Keyboard: Corsair Vengeance K70 Wired Gaming Keyboard  ($155.00 @ CPL Online)
Total: $2625.20
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-09-25 06:20 AEST+1000

[antisleep]

1 hour ago, Inspirational said:

Please let me know if you can find a way to drop the price down without slowing the computer too much

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($463.00 @ Shopping Express) 
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H5 Ultimate 76.0 CFM CPU Cooler  ($69.00 @ PCCaseGear) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming 3 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($229.00 @ Shopping Express) 
Memory: Kingston FURY 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  ($96.00 @ CPL Online) 
Storage: OCZ TRION 150 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($89.00 @ CPL Online) 

^For entry level SSD's this is better and cheaper than the Adata SP550

^Consider a 500GB SSD
Storage: Western Digital RE2 750GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  (Purchased For $0.00) 
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($65.00 @ IJK) 
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB SC Gaming ACX 3.0 Video Card  ($659.00 @ Shopping Express) 

^SC version, cheaper but only slightly lower clocked than the FTW
Case: Phanteks ECLIPSE P400S ATX Mid Tower Case  ($109.00 @ PCCaseGear) 
Power Supply: SeaSonic 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($145.00 @ CPL Online) 

^550W version is ~$125

^The EVGA Supernova NEX you had is a bad psu for the price, even the Bronze Seasonic M12II is better.
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit  ($23.00) 
Wireless Network Adapter: Asus PCE-AC56 PCI-Express x1 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Adapter  ($68.20 @ Skycomp Technology) 
Monitor: AOC I2481FXH 23.8" 60Hz Monitor  ($209.00) 

^With all that's saved, you can get a 1440p monitor
Keyboard: Corsair STRAFE RGB Wired Gaming Keyboard  ($169.00 @ CPL Online) 

^cut down version of the K70, RGB leds, MX Brown keys(MX Silent keys is $175)
Total: $2393.20

[Inspirational]

6 hours ago, stconquest said:

@Inspirational

 

The Phanteks P400 is an equally well built case for half the cost.  You would want two 140mm fans for the front.  Check out some videos on it.  It comes in black, white and grey.

1

Funny how that case was the one that I was going to get until I found the NZXT one... Looking at their features:

 

Phantek:

Cheaper

Has room for multiple fan additions

Grey and Red

Can support up to 160mm

 

NZXT:

Design that caught my eye (despite the fact that I was avoiding fancy designs lol)

Comes with 4 preinstalled fans

Expensive

Larger case that can support up to 180mm

 

Dilemma Dilemma Dilemma

 

6 hours ago, stconquest said:

The Cryorig H5 performs within 5% of the D14.  It is cheaper and looks better.

 

http://au.pcpartpicker.com/product/Ztp323/cryorig-cpu-cooler-h5ultimate

 

I will really consider this one, thanks

6 hours ago, stconquest said:

This is a full tower.  It is a really nice case:  http://au.pcpartpicker.com/product/mn3RsY/phanteks-case-phes614pbk

 

It will probably be between the NZXT and the Phantek P400, I like Phantek for the price, but NZXT for its amazing looks. 

[Inspirational]

 

7 hours ago, xephoneration said:

If you can afford it I would also look into the qnix qx2710 Awesome 1440p monitor for the price and is extremely OCable up to 140hz

 

That monitor comes to about $350 AUD

[stconquest]

5 minutes ago, Inspirational said:

Funny how that case was the one that I was going to get until I found the NZXT one... Looking at their features:

 

Phantek:

Cheaper

Has room for multiple fan additions

Grey and Red

Can support up to 160mm

 

NZXT:

Design that caught my eye (despite the fact that I was avoiding fancy designs lol)

Comes with 4 preinstalled fans

Expensive

Larger case that can support up to 180mm

 

Dilemma Dilemma Dilemma

 

I will really consider this one, thanks

It will probably be between the NZXT and the Phantek P400, I like Phantek for the price, but NZXT for its amazing looks. 

Size-wise, they are the same.  Interior space is not an issue with either case. 

 

The one benefit of the Noctis (other than it's look), is the fan hub controller.  Phanteks left it out in order to keep the cost down.  That full tower I linked for $140 has a fan hub controller.

[Inspirational]

7 hours ago, stconquest said:

Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming K4 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($189.00 @ CPL Online)

 

The motherboard I had, and the one you are suggesting are almost identical... What is causing the price difference?

7 hours ago, stconquest said:

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  ($116.00 @ IJK)

 

Comparing this to the one I had before, I don't mind paying about $7 more to get a 3200 instead of a 3000

7 hours ago, stconquest said:

Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($122.00 @ Umart)

 

I see you went for Samsung . However, I don't really mind the difference between A-Data and Samsung, considering the $27 difference. In this case, I'll probs stick to the cheaper A-Data SSD

7 hours ago, stconquest said:

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($65.00 @ IJK)

 

I have a spare HDD with me, however, it is relatively old (I got it about 5 years ago) so the cache is only 16MB... Do you think I can get away with not purchasing a new HDD with 64MB cache? Or should I still get it?

7 hours ago, stconquest said:

Case: Phanteks ECLIPSE P400 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($99.00 @ PCCaseGear)

 

Looks like I will have to take a long time off thinking about the two towers, I guess it essentially comes down to price vs design

7 hours ago, stconquest said:

Power Supply: SeaSonic EVO Edition 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($135.00 @ Mwave Australia)

 

A bronze certified power supply... What are your thoughts on this?

7 hours ago, stconquest said:

Monitor: Dell U2515H 25.0" 60Hz Monitor  ($439.00 @ Shopping Express)

 

I will probably get a monitor that expensive later on. For now, I will probably stick to the $209 one I found  

7 hours ago, stconquest said:

Keyboard: Corsair Vengeance K70 Wired Gaming Keyboard  ($155.00 @ CPL Online)

 

Hmm... Cherry MX Brown or Cherry MX Blue for $25 more... Dilemma...

[Inspirational]

7 hours ago, antisleep said:

CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H5 Ultimate 76.0 CFM CPU Cooler  ($69.00 @ PCCaseGear) 

 

This cooler has come up a few times, I will probably go for it

Quote

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming 3 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($229.00 @ Shopping Express) 

 

This mobo doesn't have SATA 6 cables... Should I be concerned about that? Can it still perform as well as the mobo I had chosen?

Quote

Memory: Kingston FURY 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  ($96.00 @ CPL Online) 

 

I'll probably stick to my 3200 RAM sticks for the better performance

Quote

Storage: OCZ TRION 150 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($89.00 @ CPL Online) 

^For entry level SSD's this is better and cheaper than the Adata SP550

^Consider a 500GB SSD 

 

 

I'll check it out

Quote

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB SC Gaming ACX 3.0 Video Card  ($659.00 @ Shopping Express) 

^SC version, cheaper but only slightly lower clocked than the FTW

 

 

 

That is REALLY tempting. However, I want the graphics card to be the best component possible (so it can last the longest without needing an upgrade). So I am not too keen on downgrading the current GPU, despite the slight difference in performance

Quote

Case: Phanteks ECLIPSE P400S ATX Mid Tower Case  ($109.00 @ PCCaseGear) 

 

 

 

Dilemma

Quote

Power Supply: SeaSonic 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($145.00 @ CPL Online) 

^550W version is ~$125

^The EVGA Supernova NEX you had is a bad psu for the price, even the Bronze Seasonic M12II is better.  

 

I'll consider this

Quote

Monitor: AOC I2481FXH 23.8" 60Hz Monitor  ($209.00) 

^With all that's saved, you can get a 1440p monitor

 

 

The size of the monitor doesnt really matter as long as it is equal to or larger than 24". I have been using a 14" laptop screen for 4 years now lol. I am used to small displays.

Quote

Keyboard: Corsair STRAFE RGB Wired Gaming Keyboard  ($169.00 @ CPL Online) 

^cut down version of the K70, RGB leds, MX Brown keys(MX Silent keys is $175)

 

 

What do you mean cut down version? They are about the same price, but note that I am looking for Cherry MX blue

[stconquest]

29 minutes ago, Inspirational said:

1.  The motherboard I had, and the one you are suggesting are almost identical... What is causing the price difference?

 

2.  Comparing this to the one I had before, I don't mind paying about $7 more to get a 3200 instead of a 3000

 

3.  I see you went for Samsung . However, I don't really mind the difference between A-Data and Samsung, considering the $27 difference. In this case, I'll probs stick to the cheaper A-Data SSD

 

4.  I have a spare HDD with me, however, it is relatively old (I got it about 5 years ago) so the cache is only 16MB... Do you think I can get away with not purchasing a new HDD with 64MB cache? Or should I still get it?

 

5.  Looks like I will have to take a long time off thinking about the two towers, I guess it essentially comes down to price vs design

 

6.  A bronze certified power supply... What are your thoughts on this?

 

7.  I will probably get a monitor that expensive later on. For now, I will probably stick to the $209 one I found  

 

8.  Hmm... Cherry MX Brown or Cherry MX Blue for $25 more... Dilemma...

1.  I am not exactly sure.  AsRock makes good motherboards.  You will not see any performance difference between either board.  There might be some features that each board has where the other does not. 

 

2. 

 

3.  I agree with you.  I recently opted for a cheaper SSD because I know I don't need the speed benefit of the 850EVO.  It was $35 cheaper to go with a Patriot Ignite.  You get 10 more GB though, not a good trade off though.

 

4.  Mass storage can be added as you need it.  I would leave it out to save money as you might not need it for a long time... like years.

 

5.  If the Noctis is going to make you feel good just looking at it, go for it.  Double the price kills me though.  I recommended the Enthoo Pro to my cousins husband.  I knew it was well made, but actually seeing it in person was a nice relief.  Phanteks makes really nice cases.

 

6.  Bronze, gold, silver, etc... those are efficiency ratings.  There is not much difference between bronze and gold.  The NEX (gold efficiency) you have picked is actually a lower quality unit than the bronze unit I have picked out.  They use cheaper parts in the Supernova NEX line.

 

EVGA OEM rough breakdown:

 

Seasonic - GS/PS - good to great quality.

 

Superflower - B2/G2/P2 - good to great quality

 

FSP - B/B1/G1(NEX)/BQ/GQ - bad to good quality

 

No, EVGA does not make power supplies. 

 

7   

 

8.  Keyboards are loud enough already.  Adding a click noise (tactile bump, aka blue) is not something I personally want.  Do you live alone? 

[Inspirational]

1 hour ago, stconquest said:

1.  I am not exactly sure.  AsRock makes good motherboards.  You will not see any performance difference between either board.  There might be some features that each board has where the other does not. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had a look online, and I believe that the AsRock mobo is quite old compared to the M5. It also appears to have less SATA.

Quote

3.  I agree with you.  I recently opted for a cheaper SSD because I know I don't need the speed benefit of the 850EVO.  It was $35 cheaper to go with a Patriot Ignite.  You get 10 more GB though, not a good trade off though.

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

Quote

4.  Mass storage can be added as you need it.  I would leave it out to save money as you might not need it for a long time... like years.

 

At this stage, I am also considering a large SSD instead of getting an SSD and HDD, since I already have the old HDD. Do you know much about how the U.2 connections work? Perhaps I can grab a really good SSD (with lots of space) that fits onto an U.2 ?

My motherboards website states this:

 

TURBO U.2 HOST CARD (Optional)

"The U.2 Host Card delivers performance up to 32 GB/s and allows support for next gen 2.5-inch SSDs using the U.2 connector. A redriver chip is added to increase data transfer speed."

 

Now when the website says "optional" does that mean that I would have to manually request them to provide the mobo with it, or does it mean that I have the option of using it? 

Also, perhaps I can take advantage of this "turbo U.2" and just grab a relatively sized SSD that will match that instead of SSD + HDD?

I am also up for using M.2 if the mobo supports it.

 

EDIT: After doing some research, it seems as though M.2 would be a more suitable choice.

Also I just realised! I have an1TB External Toshiba HDD (that uses USB 3.0). Please consider this too!

Maybe one of these for M.2 ? 

http://au.pcpartpicker.com/products/compare/Tr7CmG,VrH48d,FdDzK8/

The budget for the SSD/M.2 etc is $200 AUD btw.

 

Here is the link if you would like more info on the mobo.

 

Quote

5.  If the Noctis is going to make you feel good just looking at it, go for it.  Double the price kills me though.  I recommended the Enthoo Pro to my cousins husband.  I knew it was well made, but actually seeing it in person was a nice relief.  Phanteks makes really nice cases.

 

 

 

 

 

2

Yea this decision will take me a while to make... With that being said, I guess we can ignore it for now  

Quote

6.  Bronze, gold, silver, etc... those are efficiency ratings.  There is not much difference between bronze and gold.  

 

Hmm, so I have two power supplies here that I am not sure about...
EVGA SuperNOVA 650W 80+ Gold Cert. Fully Modular - $129 AUD

vs

SeaSonic EVO 620W 80+ Bronze Cert. Fully Modular - $135 AUD

 

Which one would you say best suits me?

Quote

8.  Keyboards are loud enough already.  Adding a click noise (tactile bump, aka blue) is not something I personally want.  Do you live alone? 

1

Not alone lol... With that being said... I know that the Blues are loud, however, I haven't had the pleasure of using them before so I don't know HOW loud they can get... For the keyboards, basically, I want one that is quite satisfying to use, since I plan on using the keyboard for a multitude of tasks.

• Gaming
• Editing
• Writing essays
• Writing a novel
• Casual Typing / Browsing

I want the satisfaction of Blue, but not insanely loud. I also don't need Reds (as I believe they are the lightest and barely give any feedback when typing).

If you have some more experience with the Cherry MX types, please let me know what the best solution for me would be!

 

Thanks!

[stconquest]

1 hour ago, Inspirational said:

 

I had a look online, and I believe that the AsRock mobo is quite old compared to the M5. It also appears to have less SATA.
At this stage, I am also considering a large SSD instead of getting an SSD and HDD, since I already have the old HDD. Do you know much about how the U.2 connections work? Perhaps I can grab a really good SSD (with lots of space) that fits onto an U.2 ?
My motherboards website states this:
TURBO U.2 HOST CARD (Optional)
"The U.2 Host Card delivers performance up to 32 GB/s and allows support for next gen 2.5-inch SSDs using the U.2 connector. A redriver chip is added to increase data transfer speed."
Now when the website says "optional" does that mean that I would have to manually request them to provide the mobo with it, or does it mean that I have the option of using it? 
Also, perhaps I can take advantage of this "turbo U.2" and just grab a relatively sized SSD that will match that instead of SSD + HDD?
I am also up for using M.2 if the mobo supports it.
EDIT: After doing some research, it seems as though M.2 would be a more suitable choice.
Also I just realised! I have an1TB External Toshiba HDD (that uses USB 3.0). Please consider this too!
Maybe one of these for M.2 ? 
http://au.pcpartpicker.com/products/compare/Tr7CmG,VrH48d,FdDzK8/
The budget for the SSD/M.2 etc is $200 AUD btw.
Here is the link if you would like more info on the mobo.

Yea this decision will take me a while to make... With that being said, I guess we can ignore it for now  
Hmm, so I have two power supplies here that I am not sure about...
EVGA SuperNOVA 650W 80+ Gold Cert. Fully Modular - $129 AUD
vs
SeaSonic EVO 620W 80+ Bronze Cert. Fully Modular - $135 AU
Which one would you say best suits me?
Not alone lol... With that being said... I know that the Blues are loud, however, I haven't had the pleasure of using them before so I don't know HOW loud they can get... For the keyboards, basically, I want one that is quite satisfying to use, since I plan on using the keyboard for a multitude of tasks.

 

• Gaming
• Editing
• Writing essays
• Writing a novel
• Casual Typing / Browsing

I want the satisfaction of Blue, but not insanely loud. I also don't need Reds (as I believe they are the lightest and barely give any feedback when typing).

If you have some more experience with the Cherry MX types, please let me know what the best solution for me would be!
 

 

 

Motherboard

 

You are talking an almost $100 difference and you will get no added performance for spending the extra money.  The AsRock board has plenty of SATA III (6GBs) sockets.  I really have to look hard at MSI board because they like to double their phases often enough to worry me.  With Skylake it is not so bad as the CPU architecture and processes are so damn efficient as far as energy is concerned.  This all relates to clean power delivery to the CPU.

 

What I mean is:  when you see an AsRock board, or an ASUS board with 8+2 power phases on the board, you know that those are distinct phases.  With MSI, they will sometimes advertise 10 phases (8+2), but in reality it is really only 6.  What they will do is take 4 distinct phases for the CPU and split them to lighten the load on each of the four phases.  So 4x2+2=10 phases.  Other boards are really 8+2 phases.  While splitting phases for most users won't affect their performance, the board will be hotter.  If someone is really trying to push an overclock and wants the juice, things can get messy.

 

So when you talk about spending 1/3 more money on a board I have not researched, I will tend to fall back to what I already know.  With the AsRock board you get all the performance and the red/black theme.  I will not recommend the M5.  I just don't know much about it and absolutely do not see the value of the extra cost even if the board is good.

 

SSD/NVME

 

For general use and gaming there will be very little benefit from a 950/951.  No SSD in the world transfers data at 32GB/s.  Realistically, the 950 (NVMe drive) delivers anywhere from 1.5x-5x the performance of the 850 EVO... depending on the workload.  It is a lot faster, but will you benefit from it?

 

A 500GB SSD, or even a 1TB SSD is nice to have.  That is up to you.  I would take capacity over speed.  The SATA III is fast enough for me.

 

PSU

 

I don't know about that FSP unit (NEX650G).  It is FSP so I would have to find out reviews to see what is inside it.  I would go the safe route and grab the Seasonic since the price is close.

 

The efficiency rating (bronze, gold, etc...) refers to how much power the unit needs from your outlet to deliver the advertised juice to the PC.  So if a bronze unit (85% efficiency) is rated for 500W, it will draw around 575W from the outlet to get that 500W.  If a gold unit is at 90% efficiency, the same 500W will require 550W from the outlet.

 

The only difference between bronze and gold is your electric bill.  The difference is not much at all.

 

Keyboard

 

I use a $10 keyboard so I am no good to you here.    I would rather spend the money elsewhere, but that is just me. 

 

 

 

[JHY]

http://au.pcpartpicker.com/list/vfKh7h

[Inspirational]

3 hours ago, stconquest said:

Motherboard

 

You are talking an almost $100 difference and you will get no added performance for spending the extra money.  The AsRock board has plenty of SATA III (6GBs) sockets.  I really have to look hard at MSI board because they like to double their phases often enough to worry me.  With Skylake it is not so bad as the CPU architecture and processes are so damn efficient as far as energy is concerned.  This all relates to clean power delivery to the CPU.

 

What I mean is:  when you see an AsRock board, or an ASUS board with 8+2 power phases on the board, you know that those are distinct phases.  With MSI, they will sometimes advertise 10 phases (8+2), but in reality it is really only 6.  What they will do is take 4 distinct phases for the CPU and split them to lighten the load on each of the four phases.  So 4x2+2=10 phases.  Other boards are really 8+2 phases.  While splitting phases for most users won't affect their performance, the board will be hotter.  If someone is really trying to push an overclock and wants the juice, things can get messy.

4

Interesting

3 hours ago, stconquest said:

 

So when you talk about spending 1/3 more money on a board I have not researched, I will tend to fall back to what I already know.  With the AsRock board you get all the performance and the red/black theme.  I will not recommend the M5.  I just don't know much about it and absolutely do not see the value of the extra cost even if the board is good.

1

I will have another look at the mobo's that are available, compare it with the one that you recommend, and then give the final decision

3 hours ago, stconquest said:

SSD/NVME

 

For general use and gaming there will be very little benefit from a 950/951.  No SSD in the world transfers data at 32GB/s.  Realistically, the 950 (NVMe drive) delivers anywhere from 1.5x-5x the performance of the 850 EVO... depending on the workload.  It is a lot faster, but will you benefit from it?

 

A 500GB SSD, or even a 1TB SSD is nice to have.  That is up to you.  I would take capacity over speed.  The SATA III is fast enough for me.

2

At this stage, I am going to grab one solid, decently sized SSD. If you have any recommendations for them, let me know, the budget for SSD is now about $180ish AUD.

3 hours ago, stconquest said:

PSU

 

I don't know about that FSP unit (NEX650G).  It is FSP so I would have to find out reviews to see what is inside it.  I would go the safe route and grab the Seasonic since the price is close.

 

The efficiency rating (bronze, gold, etc...) refers to how much power the unit needs from your outlet to deliver the advertised juice to the PC.  So if a bronze unit (85% efficiency) is rated for 500W, it will draw around 575W from the outlet to get that 500W.  If a gold unit is at 90% efficiency, the same 500W will require 550W from the outlet.

 

The only difference between bronze and gold is your electric bill.  The difference is not much at all.

 

Fair enough, after digging around, I found the Corsair CXM 750W 80+ Bronze. What do you think about this one? Reliable?

3 hours ago, stconquest said:

Keyboard

 

I use a $10 keyboard so I am no good to you here.    I would rather spend the money elsewhere, but that is just me. 

 

For keyboard, I decided to go with the one that you recommended. I think it was the vengeance one, that uses the Cherry MX brown.

[Inspirational]

So I found a 500GB SSD. There is only 1 problem that needs solving and then I am officially finished.

The motherboard.

Now technically I can buy everything on this list (as I filtered out everything I don't need, and the price has been set). With that being said, which one would you guys recommend for me? Note: I have updated my "final build" that can be found in my signature. Or >>>FINAL BUILD IS HERE<<<.

 

List of possible MotherBoards!

 

I am currently leaning towards the MSI Z170A Gaming M5 because of all the positive reviews + it's MSI.

[stconquest]

@Inspirational

 

Firstly, I will state that you don't learn this stuff in one day.  Take your time and keep asking questions.  I will reveal my process as I answer the questions.

 

If I am looking for general information I will find a product and search:  ADATA SP550 480GB, review.  (<Product Name><specific information regarding the product>)

 

You get used to what sites will provide comprehensive tech-based reviews as you do this over and over.

 

 

 

Let's start with the motherboard.  I copied the name of the MSI board from PCPP and hit up a review:  http://techreport.com/review/28938/msi-z170a-gaming-m5-motherboard-reviewed

 

Now I did not go through the whole review because I was looking for one thing only:  Phases to the CPU.  Again, as I mentioned previously... that board touts "10-phases to the CPU".  That is a lie.  There are no controllers on the market that support 10 phases.  So this board actually has 5 phases that are split or doubled. 

 

This is not a bad thing in general, but you are paying through the nose for this board and there are better options for lower cost.  I like the ASUS Z170 AR (8 phases, real ones), but you will have to change the red/black theme, to Black/White (with blue/silver accents).

 

 

 

Most cheaper SSDs are based on TLC flash.  I searched the Adata SP550 to check on the controller as well.  I quickly found a review noting the SP550 was a TLC flash drive, and uses a SM (Silicon Motion) controller.  TLC flash is fine, MLC flash is more reliable as time goes on.  TLC drives have a tendency to lose speed accessing older files (like old windows files) over extended periods of time, I am talking years.  You might have to reinstall windows a year or two or now to gain the speed back. 

 

Both my SSDs are MLC so I cannot verify if what I read on TLC is true.  I would not worry too much about it as there are ways to get around the problem. 

 

 

Now the power supply... WHOA!!! Dude, you picked a crapp-ish unit.  CXM units with the grey sticker are okay.  The rest are crappy.  To help you speed up the leatrning process, one of our members here has done a lot of the leg work for us: 

 

I personally stay at Tier 3 or higher.  You can probably get away with a Tier 4, but why get a worse unit for the same money.

 

 

 

[stconquest]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($463.00 @ Shopping Express)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H5 Universal 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler  ($69.00 @ PCCaseGear)  <<White version of the H5
Motherboard: Asus Z170-AR ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($230.00 @ IJK)
Memory: G.Skill TridentZ Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory  ($137.50 @ Newegg Australia)  <<TridentZ sticks are apparently some of the best for overclocking RAM
Storage: Crucial MX300 750GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($267.88 @ RamCity)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB FTW Gaming ACX 3.0 Video Card  ($679.00 @ Shopping Express)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro M ATX Mid Tower Case  ($115.00 @ Scorptec)  <<Same as the P400, but with a different outer face
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G2 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($149.00 @ PCCaseGear)  <<Decided to give you a top tier suggestion, the 620W M12 EVO from Seasonic would be fine
Wireless Network Adapter: Asus PCE-AC55BT PCI-Express x1 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Adapter  ($75.00 @ Shopping Express)
Case Fan: be quiet! Pure Wings 2 61.2 CFM  140mm Fan  ($16.00 @ PCCaseGear)  <<Front intake
Case Fan: be quiet! Pure Wings 2 61.2 CFM  140mm Fan  ($16.00 @ PCCaseGear)  <<Front intake
Monitor: Asus VC239H 23.0" 60Hz Monitor  ($178.00 @ Mwave Australia) 
Keyboard: Corsair STRAFE RGB Wired Gaming Keyboard  ($169.00 @ CPL Online)  <<I did not want red lights on a white-ish build.  You can go with a Ducky to save, but you lose static media keys and static volume control
Total: $2564.38
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-09-26 02:17 AEST+1000

 

Good Keyboard:  http://au.pcpartpicker.com/product/LZ6BD3/ducky-keyboard-dk9008s3busalaaw1

[antisleep]

12 hours ago, Inspirational said:

This mobo doesn't have SATA 6 cables... Should I be concerned about that? Can it still perform as well as the mobo I had chosen?

Yes it does. It comes with 4 cables like most ATX motherboards. If there's a motherboard tier list they probably belong in the same tier with the MSI in your list. For $230 AUD it's one of the best for the price mobos in your area. HardwareCanucks Review

 

 Asus Z170-AR ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($230.00) is another good pick if you're going with black&white scheme.

 

12 hours ago, Inspirational said:

What do you mean cut down version? They are about the same price, but note that I am looking for Cherry MX blue

Cut down version of the Corsair K70 keyboard itself, not the price. The Strafe I recommended has RGB lighting which is why it's slightly pricier, the K70 in your list has only RED leds. Check out their other differences: https://youtu.be/aDac7XTlrV0

 

For switches I don't recommended Cherry MX Blues, their clicks maybe satisfying but it's annoying to anyone near your or when your talking to someone on the mic. Safe picks are Browns, Reds, MX Silent.

 

 

3 hours ago, Inspirational said:

I have updated my "final build" that can be found in my signature. Or >>>FINAL BUILD IS HERE<<<

Avoid Corsair CX Green PSU's for high end systems. Get either of these Seasonic M12II 620W 80+ Bronze ($135) / Seasonic SSR-650RM 80+ Gold ($145) / EVGA SuperNOVA G2 650W 80+ Gold ($149)

[Inspirational]

1 hour ago, stconquest said:

Firstly, I will state that you don't learn this stuff in one day. 

 

I am aware of this, and that's why I have been floating around the forums for close to a week now. I could have rushed it through and bought parts that "looked like they would work together," however, I decided to take my time and get some help from people who know more about this topic.

 

Quote

Take your time and keep asking questions. 

 

I don't like taking up anyone's time, so I was starting to hurry the process along (especially after finding out that my mate had found all the parts for his PC within a few days and ordered them already). With that being said, if you guys are genuinely interested in helping, then I will slow down once more. This will most certainly extend the time it will take to find the best solution. So if you guys are fine with that, then yes, I will again take my time and keep the questions rolling.

 

Quote

I will reveal my process as I answer the questions.

 

Yes, your thought process is very helpful.

 

Quote

If I am looking for general information I will find a product and search:  ADATA SP550 480GB, review.  (<Product Name><specific information regarding the product>)

 

You get used to what sites will provide comprehensive tech-based reviews as you do this over and over.

 

Let's start with the motherboard.  I copied the name of the MSI board from PCPP and hit up a review:  http://techreport.com/review/28938/msi-z170a-gaming-m5-motherboard-reviewed

 

Now I did not go through the whole review because I was looking for one thing only:  Phases to the CPU.  Again, as I mentioned previously... that board touts "10-phases to the CPU".  That is a lie.  There are no controllers on the market that support 10 phases.  So this board actually has 5 phases that are split or doubled. 

 

 

That's quite interesting. Looks like the marketing department is doing their best to make the mobo seem better than it really is. I shouldn't be surprised at this haha

 

Quote

Now the power supply... WHOA!!! Dude, you picked a crapp-ish unit.  CXM units with the grey sticker are okay.  The rest are crappy.  To help you speed up the leatrning process, one of our members here has done a lot of the leg work for us: 

 

I personally stay at Tier 3 or higher.  You can probably get away with a Tier 4, but why get a worse unit for the same money.

2

 

I thought the one I had found was good? Apparently not  I had a look at that tier list, it seems to be rather useful. I agree with you on sticking to Tier 3 and higher. As I had mentioned before, I want to make a build that will last a long time, and not breakdown/require an upgrade from me.