New PC build

[The_Prof]

Hello! I am going to be doing a first time build and plan to do so by mid year. The current spec sheet is:

 

Intel i5 6600: This is a similar price on newegg to the 6500

EVGA GTX 960 4GB: Pretty much the only games I play are from the elder scrolls series, so this is sufficient to run modded Skyrim, being the newest game.

ASUS z170 Pro gaming: I chose this because it comes with solid specs and features at a decent price.

Corsair Vengeance 4x8 DDR4: I chose to go with 32GB because this allows me to run more of the script heavy Skyrim mods whilst having chrome tabs open or whatever. It is also future proofing my pc to an extent for other things.

Intel 535 series 240GB SSD: Because I think that the 535 series is a fine ssd for my purposes. I don't need mega read/write speeds, but I want more than a HDD can offer.

ASUS 24x Optical Drive: Because I want an optical drive. 'Nuff said.

Corsair Obsidian 750d: The reason I want this one is because it has a glass side panel- something that is purely cosmetic, but also because I intend to upgrade things in the future, and this case provides plenty of room for that. I also chose this for building, I would like a lot of room when I am building.

Corsair CX series 600w PSU: I chose this because it is semi-modular, a great feature and because amazon made the EVGA 600w model for prime members only. Damn.

Intel liquid cooler: I chose the Intel liquid cooling because, from what I have read, as well as from a friends experience, cools the CPU quite well. It also comes with LED's. They look badass. 

 

This comes to a total cost of $1635 NZD or $1151 USD

 

[Rodniz]

Dont take that intel liquid cooler. overpriced. I prefer tower coolers, since there is no pump as a potential source of failure. Dark rock pro or something like that.

 

I would go with a 120gb 850 evo and take another 1tb for mass storage, or do you have already smth like that?

[The_Prof]

Already have 1tb drive sorted from a local source. Thank you for feedback.

[Herman Mcpootis]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6400 2.7GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($299.00 @ PC Force) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B150M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($148.34 @ PB Technologies) 
Memory: Corsair 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($74.64 @ Aquila Technology) 
Storage: OCZ TRION 150 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($106.90 @ PB Technologies) 
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card  ($555.00 @ Paradigm PCs) 
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case  ($124.00 @ Paradigm PCs) 
Power Supply: Silverstone 600W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply  ($147.00 @ Paradigm PCs) 
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer  ($31.00 @ 1stWave Technologies) 
Total: $1485.88
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-04-09 14:08 NZST+1200

[i respawn.]

25 minutes ago, The_Prof said:

Hello! I am going to be doing a first time build and plan to do so by mid year. The current spec sheet is:

Intel i5 6600k

EVGA GTX 960 4GB

ASUS B150 Pro Gaming/Aura

Corsair Vengence 2x8GB DDR4

Intel 535 series 240GB SSD

ASUS 24x Optical Drive

Corsair Obsidian 750d

EVGA 600w bronze power supply

Intel liquid cooler

 

This comes to a total cost of $1517 NZD or $1033 USD.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.

An unlocked CPU is a total waste of money with that chipset  go for a non 'K' CPU.I wouldn't go for a bronze psu at that wattage...go for something 80+ gold from companies like cooler master, corsair or EVGA.and what are your purposes for the PC?Are you sure u need that case?

[Aereldor]

You don't need 16 gigabytes of RAM- games won't be using more than 8 for some time, even if they cite higher RAM requirements on the box. This was the case with Star Wars: Battlefront. At any rate, I have left the option for you to upgrade to 16 gigabytes by buying another stick of the same memory later on.

Games tend to be more CPU-intensive, and you should consider getting a locked CPU instead and spending more on a graphics card. Furthermore, you've chosen a locked chipset motherboard, which won't let you overclock that Core i5 6600k and negates the benefits of an expensive AIO liquid cooler. Instead of getting a better motherboard, you're better off stepping down to the locked core i5 CPUs- which are still very capable.

EVGA makes some good power supplies, but they have a bad power supply for each good one they make- the 80+ KR series and the 'B' series are examples of this, and largely, their entire 'bronze' lineup when building a high-end system. Check this useful whitelist for further reference-

All in all, here are the improvements, incorporated into a build that yields much better performance at the same cost- thus, far better value- and all from a single merchant, for your purchasing convenience.
 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($340.40 @ PB Technologies)
Motherboard: Asus H110M-A Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($111.55 @ PB Technologies)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($51.75 @ PB Technologies)
Storage: OCZ TRION 150 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($106.90 @ PB Technologies)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($82.80 @ PB Technologies)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 390 8GB Nitro Video Card  ($550.84 @ PB Technologies)
Case: Corsair SPEC-01 RED ATX Mid Tower Case  ($90.55 @ PB Technologies)
Power Supply: Cooler Master VSM 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($155.24 @ PB Technologies)
Total: $1490.03
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-04-09 14:49 NZST+1200

[yasho2249]

As everyone is saying go for a non k cpu or a z series Chipset. Also u wont need 16gb for gaming. I would prefer a GTX 970 4gb or R9 390 8gb with that CPU 

http://www.tomshardware.com/faq/id-2729891/bottlenecking-guide-chart-2015.html

Hav a look for CPU and Gpu pairing 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, The_Prof said:

Hello! I am going to be doing a first time build and plan to do so by mid year. The current spec sheet is:

Intel i5 6600k

EVGA GTX 960 4GB

ASUS B150 Pro Gaming/Aura

Corsair Vengence 2x8GB DDR4

Intel 535 series 240GB SSD

ASUS 24x Optical Drive

Corsair Obsidian 750d

EVGA 600w bronze power supply

Intel liquid cooler

 

This comes to a total cost of $1517 NZD or $1033 USD.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.

This one has the budget allocated a bit better: http://nz.pcpartpicker.com/p/Jd8CBm

I would always recommend some mechanical storage for games and documents and stuff

[The_Prof]

On 09/04/2016 at 2:41 PM, Aereldor said:

Furthermore, you've chosen a locked chipset motherboard, which won't let you overclock that Core i5 6600k

So it's not possible to force an overclock then?

[Aereldor]

30 minutes ago, The_Prof said:

So it's not possible to force an overclock then?

That made me giggle a little.

No, I'm afraid not. Back in the day (and recently with that Skylake 'bug'), you could use base-clock overclocking to overclock CPUs with locked multipliers, but the motherboard has always been a constant. Some chipsets just don't support overclocking, and while there are exceptions, your motherboard is not one of them.

I would highly advise using the build I cited instead of yours, because of its vastly superior performance and better value.

[The_Prof]

4 minutes ago, Aereldor said:

No, I'm afraid not. Back in the day (and recently with that Skylake 'bug'), you could use base-clock overclocking to overclock CPUs with locked multipliers, but the motherboard has always been a constant. Some chipsets just don't support overclocking, and while there are exceptions, your motherboard is not one of them.

Okay, thank you. I have made some tweaks on my build based on yours and others suggestions.

[Aereldor]

4 minutes ago, The_Prof said:

Okay, thank you. I have made some tweaks on my build based on yours and others suggestions.

Honestly, with motherboards, spend only on the features you need. If you're looking at a H170/B150 board and an H110 board has the same features, get that instead and use what you save to get a better CPU or Graphics Card. Motherboards do not impact performance- they only affect features; so if you can get what you need for cheaper, there's absolutely no reason not to get that instead.

 

Also, for a gaming build, more GPU, less CPU. Almost every major title out there is GPU-bound. For example, I'm running a 2GB GTX 960 with a significantly less powerful Core i3 4160, and I almost never see CPU usage go above 60%. That's why I advised you to get an i5 6500 and a more powerful R9 390 instead.

[The_Prof]

On 09/04/2016 at 2:41 PM, Aereldor said:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($340.40 @ PB Technologies)
Motherboard: Asus H110M-A Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($111.55 @ PB Technologies)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($51.75 @ PB Technologies)
Storage: OCZ TRION 150 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($106.90 @ PB Technologies)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($82.80 @ PB Technologies)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 390 8GB Nitro Video Card  ($550.84 @ PB Technologies)
Case: Corsair SPEC-01 RED ATX Mid Tower Case  ($90.55 @ PB Technologies)
Power Supply: Cooler Master VSM 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($155.24 @ PB Technologies)
Total: $1490.03

I am sorry, but I fail to understand how it is better. I know it will be a nuisance, but would you be able to explain why each part is better? I would be greatly appreciative if you could spare me the effort. Thank you in advance.

[The_Prof]

1 minute ago, Aereldor said:

Also, for a gaming build, more GPU, less CPU

I am going to be doing other tasks, as the amount of time I have to game is less thanks to school. So I am willing to sacrifice some GPU performance for more multi-tasking ability and CPU performance.

[Aereldor]

2 minutes ago, The_Prof said:

I am sorry, but I fail to understand how it is better. I know it will be a nuisance, but would you be able to explain why each part is better? I would be greatly appreciative if you could spare me the effort. Thank you in advance.

I already did. Please read through my previous post- specifically, the half that you didn't quote.

 Here- I'll quote it for you.

On 4/9/2016 at 8:11 AM, Aereldor said:

You don't need 16 gigabytes of RAM- games won't be using more than 8 for some time, even if they cite higher RAM requirements on the box. This was the case with Star Wars: Battlefront. At any rate, I have left the option for you to upgrade to 16 gigabytes by buying another stick of the same memory later on.

Games tend to be more CPU-intensive, and you should consider getting a locked CPU instead and spending more on a graphics card. Furthermore, you've chosen a locked chipset motherboard, which won't let you overclock that Core i5 6600k and negates the benefits of an expensive AIO liquid cooler. Instead of getting a better motherboard, you're better off stepping down to the locked core i5 CPUs- which are still very capable.

EVGA makes some good power supplies, but they have a bad power supply for each good one they make- the 80+ KR series and the 'B' series are examples of this, and largely, their entire 'bronze' lineup when building a high-end system. Check this useful whitelist for further reference-

And now, since you so kindly asked me to spare you the effort, I'll tell you again.

 

You picked a locked motherboard and an overclocking CPU. It's a waste of money, as you won't be able to overclock it at all. Seeing as you won't be able to overclock it, it won't get too hot, and you won't need the aftermarket liqued cooler. Hence, get a locked CPU like the one I suggested, and since that won't get hot, just use the stock cooler. It's fine for your needs.

 

Like I said, games don't use more than 8 gigabytes of RAM, and neither do browsers. Unless you're doing some serious video/3D/music production work, 8 gigabytes is just fine, and I did get one stick so you can add in another later and upgrade to 16. I already said this.

 

I picked the R9 390 because it's going to last you a lot longer before you have to upgrade, which is a good reason to invest a little more even if you don't care that it's a much better performing card than the GTX 960, which is already struggling at 1080p with the most demanding titles.

 

The power supply I picked comes from a more reliable manufacturer and the model has been validated by experts and has proven to be vastly superior to the EVGA 'B' or 'KR' series PSU you picked out. @STRMfrmXMN can tell you more.

 

The case is a subjective decision, and you can go with the 750D if you want- there's nothing I have to say about that. I picked up the SPEC-01 because it's great, cheap, and suits your needs.

 

Go with the Intel SSD if you want, but you don't have any mass storage besides that if you do. I got a less expensive SSD and a 1TB HDD instead, as that'll actually hold your games and files rather than fill up in a week.

 

10 minutes ago, The_Prof said:

I am going to be doing other tasks, as the amount of time I have to game is less thanks to school. So I am willing to sacrifice some GPU performance for more multi-tasking ability and CPU performance.

Unless your school wants you to edit video, work with 3d modelling software, produce music, or run a server/rendering box out of your house, you won't benefit much from more CPU horsepower.

Given the GPU-bound nature of games, you'll almost certainly be able to multitask, and without games, you needn't even worry. I usually have 2-3 Chrome windows with at least four tabs open on each, iTunes, VLC, Sibelius, Skype, Microsoft Word, and Sony Movie Studio 13 open at the same time, and I don't see a single hiccup, even though I'm running a significantly less powerful CPU- the Core i3 4160. 

[STRMfrmXMN]

On 4/9/2016 at 6:57 PM, The_Prof said:

Hello! I am going to be doing a first time build and plan to do so by mid year. The current spec sheet is:

Intel i5 6600k

EVGA GTX 960 4GB

ASUS B150 Pro Gaming/Aura

Corsair Vengeance 2x8GB DDR4

Intel 535 series 240GB SSD

ASUS 24x Optical Drive

Corsair Obsidian 750d

EVGA 600w bronze power supply

Intel liquid cooler

 

This comes to a total cost of $1517 NZD or $1033 USD.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.

 

Apologies all. I may not have been specific enough in my wording, and would like to rectify so that I can help you all to be more helpful to me.

The reasoning behind my parts:

 

Intel i5 6600k: I have chosen this because I intend on overclocking for heavy tasks.

EVGA GTX 960 4GB: Pretty much the only games I play are from the elder scrolls series, so this is sufficient to run modded Skyrim, being the newest game.

ASUS B150 Pro gaming/aura: I chose this because it comes with solid specs and features at a decent price.

Corsair Vengeance 2x8 DDR4: I chose to go with 16GB because this allows me to run more of the script heavy Skyrim mods whilst having chrome tabs open or whatever. It is also future proofing my pc to an extent for other things.

Intel 535 series 240GB SSD: Because I think that the 535 series is a fine ssd for my purposes. I don't need mega read/write speeds, but I want more than a HDD can offer.

ASUS 24x Optical Drive: Because I want an optical drive. 'Nuff said.

Corsair Obsidian 750d: The reason I want this one is because it has a glass side panel- something that is purely cosmetic, but also because I intend to upgrade things in the future, and this case provides plenty of room for that. I also chose this for building, I would like a lot of room when I am building.

EVGA 600w bronze PSU: I chose this because it is fairly cheap, as well as being pretty good performance wise.

Intel liquid cooler: I chose the Intel liquid cooling because, from what I have read, as well as from a friends experience, cools the CPU quite well. It also comes with LED's. They look badass. 

 

I'd replace the 960 with a 380 if it saves you money as the 380 is a better card while I'd replace the PSU with an EVGA 750B2 since they're cheap and much better than the regular old 500B/600B. 750W is overkill as hell but they're still great value.

[The_Prof]

6 minutes ago, Aereldor said:

You picked a locked motherboard and an overclocking CPU. It's a waste of money, as you won't be able to overclock it at all. Seeing as you won't be able to overclock it, it won't get too hot, and you won't need the aftermarket liqued cooler. Hence, get a locked CPU like the one I suggested, and since that won't get hot, just use the stock cooler. It's fine for your needs.

 

Like I said, games don't use more than 8 gigabytes of RAM, and neither do browsers. Unless you're doing some serious video/3D/music production work, 8 gigabytes is just fine, and I did get one stick so you can add in another later and upgrade to 16. I already said this.

 

I picked the R9 390 because it's going to last you a lot longer before you have to upgrade, which is a good reason to invest a little more even if you don't care that it's a much better performing card than the GTX 960, which is already struggling at 1080p with the most demanding titles.

I think I will go with the locked CPU now. Sorry to be a pain. Thank you so much for your insights and thoughts, it was a great help.

[Aereldor]

Just now, The_Prof said:

I think I will go with the locked CPU now. Sorry to be a pain. Thank you so much for your insights and thoughts, it was a great help.

You're not being a pain- it's just feels like a slight when you go to the effort of typing something out and it's ignored, then asked for again. Although I apologize for being harsh- I should have been more patient reiterating my explanation.

[The_Prof]

21 minutes ago, Aereldor said:

You're not being a pain- it's just feels like a slight when you go to the effort of typing something out and it's ignored, then asked for again. Although I apologize for being harsh- I should have been more patient reiterating my explanation.

Thank you. I have now changed the original post to reflect the changes made.