$1200 budget +/- $100 potential ITX build for a friend.

[zacRupnow]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/TLCYGX

May consider a GTX 960 depending on his graphics appetite and/or dropping the 2nd SSD until the first is mostly full, 16Gb Ram is more than enough but aesthetically 8Gb vs 16 was a difference of $20-30 for the ones he liked. Primary function is gaming and Chrome.

He is Colourblind, does anyone know if that has much effect (if any) for graphics? On the PC side does it take GPU less power in games with colorblind mode on (I.E. Not rendering certain colours)? And the personal side, are certain graphic effects not noticeable (aside from colour of course)?

 

What do you guys think? 

[themaniac]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/TLCYGX

May consider a GTX 960 depending on his graphics appetite and/or dropping the 2nd SSD until the first is mostly full, 16Gb Ram is more than enough but aesthetically 8Gb vs 16 was a difference of $20-30 for the ones he liked. Primary function is gaming and Chrome.

He is Colourblind, does anyone know if that has much effect (if any) for graphics?

 

What do you guys think? 

looks good except i dont think thats a good watercooler but i could be wrong

[ciprian97pop]

nice build

about that color blind thing, try some software that might help him

like this one

https://www.ryobi-sol.co.jp/visolve/en/

[byalexandr]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/TLCYGX

May consider a GTX 960 depending on his graphics appetite and/or dropping the 2nd SSD until the first is mostly full, 16Gb Ram is more than enough but aesthetically 8Gb vs 16 was a difference of $20-30 for the ones he liked. Primary function is gaming and Chrome.

He is Colourblind, does anyone know if that has much effect (if any) for graphics? On the PC side does it take GPU less power in games with colorblind mode on (I.E. Not rendering certain colours)? And the personal side, are certain graphic effects not noticeable (aside from colour of course)?

 

What do you guys think? 

Nope, same amount of power, it just renders in different colors. Gimme a sec and for $1200 I will put together something very noice.

 

Edit: Do you already have the Stinger mITX board?

[dizmo]

Why not just get a 1TB SSD?

Get the G2, not the G1 PSU if you're going that route.

The R9 390 is better for the money.

I don't think Windows Pro really has any benefits.

[zacRupnow]

looks good except i dont think thats a good watercooler but i could be wrong

I have an H100i and it's the only thing in my case I can hear.

[DarkBlade2117]

Looks, good except for the PSU. Get s G2 not G1. As for the SSDs why? A single 500Gb and 1Tb HDD would be a better choice.

If this was me I'd drop the SSDs in general, get windows 7/8 from reddit or G2A and get the upgrade to 10. http://pcpartpicker.com/p/mvWpsY Like this and add a 980Ti but that's me,

[zacRupnow]

Edit: Do you already have the Stinger mITX board?

No, but I've only heard good things about EVGA anything, aside from the Interview monitor but the only complaint I saw there was the TN panel.

[byalexandr]

No, but I've only heard good things about EVGA anything, aside from the Interview monitor but the only complaint I saw there was the TN panel.

You don't have a price on the mobo then, so it's excluded from the cost. I will fix dis!

 

Edit: Here you go, better performance and more storag space while still having the speed where it counts.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($229.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

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

Motherboard: MSI Z97I AC Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($127.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory  ($79.99 @ Amazon) 

Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($89.99 @ Amazon) 

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($47.78 @ OutletPC) 

Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 390 8GB Video Card  ($329.98 @ SuperBiiz) 

Case: Phanteks Enthoo EVOLV ITX Mini ITX Tower Case  ($67.98 @ Newegg) 

Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G2 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($96.50 @ Newegg) 

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro OEM (64-bit)  ($138.89 @ OutletPC) 

Total: $1319.08

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-08-19 21:20 EDT-0400

 

If I could I would recommend an SG13 from Silverstone, very nice chassis. I have the SG05, it basically the same except the SG13 is a bit bigger to accommodate an ATX PSU and a longer GPU (although my SG05 is modified to do both of those things anyway lol).

[zacRupnow]

Why not just get a 1TB SSD?

Get the G2, not the G1 PSU if you're going that route.

The R9 390 is better for the money.

I don't think Windows Pro really has any benefits.

Tried a 1TB SSD in the mix only fits in budget if he chooses 960 over 970. I'll be looking into AMD Probably 290x over a 390.

Windows Pro, your probably right, might go with 8.1 or 7 since the whole "auto-updates can't be turned off and paid end of the year update or OS becomes invalid" thing is still a possibility. PSU respose below last person quoted.

Looks, good except for the PSU. Get s G2 not G1. As for the SSDs why? A single 500Gb and 1Tb HDD would be a better choice.

If this was me I'd drop the SSDs in general, get windows 7/8 from reddit or G2A and get the upgrade to 10

I prefer to stay away from software on G2A or Reddit for building for others, I'll risk it myself but they are know to occasionally end up with stolen or otherwise illegitimate keys.

SSDs vs HDDs we're still talking about - the main point being the type of storage amounts needed.

PSU response below next quote.

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

Motherboard: MSI Z97I AC Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($127.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory  ($79.99 @ Amazon) 

Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($89.99 @ Amazon) 

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($47.78 @ OutletPC) 

Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 390 8GB Video Card  ($329.98 @ SuperBiiz) 

Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G2 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($96.50 @ Newegg) 

I have the first H100i and it's a bit loud, I'll look into the GTX version and also see how my friend likes it aesthetically.

That Motherboard, I looked at it for some HTPC setups and passed it off due to the connections layout, lack of fan connections, only 4pin CPU power and many reviews about how hard it is to work with.

Memory is pretty much set on Adata for no reason other than I can recommend it and he likes the look of it in my PC, I'll be telling him about Avexir's and Crucial's RAM with LEDs too.

I Decided on Crucial SSD for the legendary reliability, I have an un-usable Samsung 840 Evo due to the Algorithm bug, my 850 Pros are fine but when building for others I'll go with reliability over Aesthetics or cheap prices unless the person requests a specific product.

 

If we decide to go for AMD I'd choose a 290x over the 390 being the minor performance upgrade it is, I would say it's best to put that $100 difference into an SSD, But the AMD GPU build doesn't turn out cheaper in this scenario.

 

Here is the build now in current effect (excluding 2nd storage device, still talking on that)

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/KzfWRB 

 

For all of you: Found the P2 650 PSU is cheaper than the G2 http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-power-supply-220p20650x1

And Also Thanks for the input, definitely changed some parts and will come back in the build log section unless he decides to Ascend from a pre-built place or not Ascend at all.

[brob]

There is no need for a psu larger than 500W. One is not going to be adding a second gpu.

 

To get close to budget sacrifices have to be made. Going with a less expensive but very good cpu cooler is one of those.

 

No real reason to go with Haswell. Skylake is very close in price and the Z170 Stinger motherboard is available.

 

Along the same lines as the cpu cooler, 8GB of memory is more than sufficient for gaming. Kingston is an excellent brand.

 

Unless there are features in Windows 10 Pro that are needed, the home version is sufficient.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($249.95 @ B&H)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($26.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: EVGA Stinger Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($199.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston FURY 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2666 Memory  ($68.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial BX100 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($83.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($48.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card  ($319.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo EVOLV ITX Mini ITX Tower Case  ($68.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: SeaSonic G 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit)  ($99.78 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1237.65
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-08-20 00:47 EDT-0400

[zacRupnow]

There is no need for a psu larger than 500W. One is not going to be adding a second gpu.

 

To get close to budget sacrifices have to be made. Going with a less expensive but very good cpu cooler is one of those.

 

No real reason to go with Haswell. Skylake is very close in price and the Z170 Stinger motherboard is available.

 

Along the same lines as the cpu cooler, 8GB of memory is more than sufficient for gaming. Kingston is an excellent brand.

 

Unless there are features in Windows 10 Pro that are needed, the home version is sufficient.

The budget is not fixed at $1200, in the title +/- $100 was accurate.

I've already addressed most of this and adjusted the list accordingly, Skylake is available now, that I did not know, thought it was all out of stock or on back order. DDR4 is still expensive and no benefit to this rigs purpose and as shown by Linus Skylake review it is once again not much more appealing to consumers than Ivy Bridge. 500W PSU vs a 650W PSU, there should be enough headroom for GPU upgrades in the future and if a future GPU is AMD the extra power will be needed or if Nvidia takes a break off the efficiency path set by Maxwell they might go for all out horse power. I will look into the performance of Skylake over Haswell but this build will not be catering to integrated graphics so I don't see it as necessary to sacrifice the Quality and Aesthetics of other components to have a newer incremental update of a CPU. But I will look into Skylake's non GPU updates in their relevance to this PC.

[Thunder Down Under]

I personally always wanted to build this http://pcpartpicker.com/p/npZMNG and this http://pcpartpicker.com/p/7D6wQ7 and all you would have to do is change the case.

[brob]

The budget is not fixed at $1200, in the title +/- $100 was accurate.

I've already addressed most of this and adjusted the list accordingly, Skylake is available now, that I did not know, thought it was all out of stock or on back order. DDR4 is still expensive and no benefit to this rigs purpose and as shown by Linus Skylake review it is once again not much more appealing to consumers than Ivy Bridge. 500W PSU vs a 650W PSU, there should be enough headroom for GPU upgrades in the future and if a future GPU is AMD the extra power will be needed or if Nvidia takes a break off the efficiency path set by Maxwell they might go for all out horse power. I will look into the performance of Skylake over Haswell but this build will not be catering to integrated graphics so I don't see it as necessary to sacrifice the Quality and Aesthetics of other components to have a newer incremental update of a CPU. But I will look into Skylake's non GPU updates in their relevance to this PC.

 

If one has a Haswell system, certainly Skylake doesn't make much sense as an upgrade. However, if this is a new system the added performance, more current interfaces, and improved platform longevity make Skylake a better choice than Haswell.

 

I am very puzzled at the statement that Skylake means a necessary sacrifice in quality and aesthetics. I would certainly argue that the same or better quality is available in Skylake as in Haswell. And, from what I have seen there are as many appearance options in Skylake as Haswell.

 

Since Nvidia is well ahead of AMD in terms of performance and sales, I seriously doubt they will do an about face during the life of this system. But that is a matter of opinion.

[zacRupnow]

If one has a Haswell system, certainly Skylake doesn't make much sense as an upgrade. However, if this is a new system the added performance, more current interfaces, and improved platform longevity make Skylake a better choice than Haswell.

 

I am very puzzled at the statement that Skylake means a necessary sacrifice in quality and aesthetics. I would certainly argue that the same or better quality is available in Skylake as in Haswell. And, from what I have seen there are as many appearance options in Skylake as Haswell.

Skylake has no more longevity than my 4790K, it is a bit newer and has no advantage in SKylake over Haswell lifetime for a standard user, Haswell and Skylake will become bricks in the same amount of time, that time being probably 15-20 years with the "get a new PC" time probably at 7-10. And Skylake performance vs Haswell for non-overclockers is like a GTX 680 vs a GTX 770. Quality is available in Skylake platforms parts but not at any prices that allow all the criteria of this build to be met.

[brob]

Skylake has no more longevity than my 4790K, it is a bit newer and has no advantage in SKylake over Haswell lifetime for a standard user, Haswell and Skylake will become bricks in the same amount of time, that time being probably 15-20 years with the "get a new PC" time probably at 7-10. And Skylake performance vs Haswell for non-overclockers is like a GTX 680 vs a GTX 770. Quality is available in Skylake platforms parts but not at any prices that allow all the criteria of this build to be met.

 

By longevity I mean that it has newer tech. Tech that will be supported past the tech on Haswell. DDR4 is just one example. I suspect that within a year or two DDR3 will be hard to find and more expensive than DDR4.

 

Obviously you have made up your mind, so I won't bother pursuing the matter.

[zacRupnow]

By longevity I mean that it has newer tech. Tech that will be supported past the tech on Haswell. DDR4 is just one example. I suspect that within a year or two DDR3 will be hard to find and more expensive than DDR4.

 

Obviously you have made up your mind, so I won't bother pursuing the matter.

I get what you meant, I just don't see finding new memory to be important if both slots are used from the beginning of Ascension. If it were my personal rig I'd unlock budget and go for bleeding edge everything, and I'd do that for this too if it fit in with the balance of budget and part purpose, unfortunately it requires sacrifices in other areas to make Skylake while maintaining the main purpose.