Which build should I do?

[handymanshandle]

I'll preface this with what I want out of my PC. I want it to game at either 1440p or 1080p at high to ultra settings in just about any game. I might eventually get into photo work and other work that requires a reasonable amount of detail. I'd prefer that you suggest based off these builds but if you feel the urge to suggest a new build I might take it into account. While I'm not sure I really need 2TB, it is about a $12 difference which isn't too bad for getting double the storage.

 

I'm not sure I really have a budget since I need to get a job and start saving first but rather the most I'd be willing to save/spend is about $1800 for everything. Keyboard and mouse I'm not really willing to change them out since for what they are, they're already pretty cheap.

 

ATX/H440 - GTX 1070 (1440p)

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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($219.99 @ Newegg) 
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H5 Ultimate 76.0 CFM CPU Cooler  ($56.60 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: MSI Z170A SLI PLUS ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($139.98 @ Amazon) 
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 Memory  ($56.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($84.99 @ NCIX US) 
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($71.99 @ Newegg) 
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB SC Gaming ACX 3.0 Video Card 
Case: NZXT H440 (Matte Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($109.99 @ Amazon) 
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G2 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($74.99 @ Amazon) 
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro OEM 64-bit  (Purchased For $0.00) 
Monitor: Dell P2416D 23.8" 60Hz Monitor  ($290.13 @ B&H) 
Keyboard: Logitech G610 Wired Gaming Keyboard  ($89.00 @ Amazon) 
Mouse: Logitech G502 Wired Optical Mouse  ($79.99 @ Amazon) 
Other: EVGA ACX 3.0 GTX 1070  ($400.00)
Total: $1666.64
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-06-16 18:24 EDT-0400

mITX/Manta - RX 470 or RX 480 (4GB) - 1080p

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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($219.99 @ Newegg) 
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X41 106.1 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($89.99 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: EVGA Z170 Stinger Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($123.98 @ Newegg) 
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 Memory  ($56.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($84.99 @ NCIX US) 
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($71.99 @ Newegg) 
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 380 4GB NITRO Dual-X OC Video Card  ($194.99 @ Newegg) 
Case: NZXT Manta Mini ITX Desktop Case  ($129.99 @ Amazon) 
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G2 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($74.99 @ Amazon) 
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro OEM 64-bit  (Purchased For $0.00) 
Monitor: Dell U2417H 24.0" 60Hz Monitor  ($285.80 @ Amazon) 
Keyboard: Logitech G610 Wired Gaming Keyboard  ($89.00 @ Amazon) 
Mouse: Logitech G502 Wired Optical Mouse  ($79.99 @ Amazon) 
Total: $1494.69
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-06-16 18:25 EDT-0400

mITX/Manta - GTX 1070 (1440p)

Spoiler

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($219.99 @ Newegg) 
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X41 106.1 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($89.99 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: EVGA Z170 Stinger Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($123.98 @ Newegg) 
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 Memory  ($56.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($84.99 @ NCIX US) 
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($71.99 @ Newegg) 
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB SC Gaming ACX 3.0 Video Card 
Case: NZXT Manta Mini ITX Desktop Case  ($129.99 @ Amazon) 
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G2 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($74.99 @ Amazon) 
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro OEM 64-bit  (Purchased For $0.00) 
Monitor: Dell P2416D 23.8" 60Hz Monitor  ($290.13 @ B&H) 
Keyboard: Logitech G610 Wired Gaming Keyboard  ($89.00 @ Amazon) 
Mouse: Logitech G502 Wired Optical Mouse  ($79.99 @ Amazon) 
Other: EVGA ACX 3.0 GTX 1070  ($400.00)
Total: $1704.03
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-06-16 18:26 EDT-0400

 

[roughavoc]

All look good, I wouldn't get the H440 due to its poor airflow but cases are really person specific on if you like the look ect. (S340 cough)

I would go with the 1070 builds, will last you a few years before you're gonna be wanting an upgrade.

[STRMfrmXMN]

Best for your money is the first option so I'd probably go with that.

[handymanshandle]

1 hour ago, roughavoc said:

All look good, I wouldn't get the H440 due to its poor airflow but cases are really person specific on if you like the look ect. (S340 cough)

I would go with the 1070 builds, will last you a few years before you're gonna be wanting an upgrade.

I like the H440 and the Manta. If I did go with the Manta I would be using a Kraken X41 because of cost and aesthetic, I don't expect it cool as good as the H5 Ultimate but good enough to get a pretty easy OC (like not really touching the voltages) out of it with out the CPU running too terribly hot.

1 hour ago, STRMfrmXMN said:

Best for your money is the first option so I'd probably go with that.

I like the first and third one, or as @roughavoc said the 1070 builds. Though I'm leaning towards the mITX one because idk. It looks a little better? But it does cost more and the X41 isn't as good as the H5 Ultimate. But all that aside the NZXT Manta while a pretty large mITX case it's still an mITX case so it has a smaller foot print than the H440. But yeah I think that the first build does have a slightly better value for what I'm getting even though the RX 470/RX 480 option would be the cheapest.

[semithotamatic]

The first h440 is almost exactly the same as the build that I just started. I prefer 1440p for gaming, so in my mind it would be whether or not you want the system to be mITX or standard.

[handymanshandle]

1 hour ago, JGunnz said:

The first h440 is almost exactly the same as the build that I just started. I prefer 1440p for gaming, so in my mind it would be whether or not you want the system to be mITX or standard.

+1 for the Steve Buschemi profile pic...

 

But yeah I'm not too picky, I'm just not sure if I should go 1440p or 1080p. Because 4K IPS displays are still too expensive. If I wanted to go with a TN or VA 4K panel then sure it would work but then I might want to upgrade to a GTX 1080 which can handle 4K decently but idk. 1440p still seems like that sweetspot in terms of going above 1080p. It's just that some people consider 1440p a dead-end resolution because scaling up or down to/from 4K to/from 1080p is easier. Which I don't disagree, I don't expect 1440p to become the standard but I find 4K still a bit of a niché if you want to game at the native resolution.

[handymanshandle]

@Ryan_Vickers I figured I'd tag you to maybe get some insight from you.