Building my partner his first real pc

[KentuckyJones]

I've built PC's in the past but they have all been for work or family. Recently, my partner let me know that he wanted to join the PCMR and I happily obliged. The biggest dilemma I had was choosing a CPU and GPU. With all the new stuff coming out (ie: GTX 1080, RX 480) I haven't been able to make up my mind on components. Any help or recommendations at all are supported. Thank you

[Tonny]

What is your budget and what kind of use scenario is he gonna have?

[itsMilan]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($326.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X41 106.1 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($96.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Motherboard: MSI Z97S SLI Krait Edition ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($92.98 @ Newegg) 
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury White 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory  ($35.19 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($89.99 @ NCIX US) 
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($47.49 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Video Card  ($399.99 @ Newegg) 
Case: Fractal Design Arc Midi R2 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($99.99 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G2 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($70.98 @ Newegg) 
Total: $1260.59
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-07-11 04:20 EDT-0400

 

This is what I would buy, feel free to correct me if you think I'm wrong.

[handymanshandle]

If this in your budget I think this is pretty well rounded. I'm actually not too sure on what the actual difference is between the SLI and SLI Plus from MSI besides I/O.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($239.99 @ Amazon) 
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H5 Ultimate 76.0 CFM CPU Cooler  ($56.69 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: MSI Z170A SLI ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($97.99 @ Amazon) 
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  ($41.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($89.99 @ NCIX US) 
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($49.99 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1070 8GB G1 Gaming Video Card  ($449.99 @ B&H) 
Case: Fractal Design Define S w/Window ATX Mid Tower Case  ($79.99 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G2 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($80.98 @ Newegg) 
Total: $1187.60
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-07-11 04:39 EDT-0400

[haiimbacon]

the i5 4690 is better and cheaper than both of the CPUs suggested above ._." , tho its a 1150 socket.

 

This is my rig that I built this month  ; http://pcpartpicker.com/list/NYFXPs

 

Ofc it has some stuff that totally puff the price like Windows, Office , peripherals and 2 GPUs that most of them is not really needed O.O...also the monitor. those are mostly extras that you can get around with for free.

 

(I focused my build on visuals , wanted it to be big and pretty and all fancy nstuffs.

Its a black and white clean theme. 

If you are going with it - I suggest waiting for the RX 480 Nitro by Sapphire to match the look of the rig! only few week/s away!)

 

Goodluck with your stuffs :3!

 

[TheRandomness]

16 minutes ago, haiimbacon said:

the i5 4690 is better and cheaper than both of the CPUs suggested above ._." , tho its a 1150 socket.

 

This is my rig that I built this month  ; http://pcpartpicker.com/list/NYFXPs

 

Ofc it has some stuff that totally puff the price like Windows, Office , peripherals and 2 GPUs that most of them is not really needed O.O...also the monitor. those are mostly extras that you can get around with for free.

 

(I focused my build on visuals , wanted it to be big and pretty and all fancy nstuffs.

Its a black and white clean theme. 

If you are going with it - I suggest waiting for the RX 480 Nitro by Sapphire to match the look of the rig! only few week/s away!)

 

Goodluck with your stuffs :3!

 

4790 >>> 4690

6600k >>>>>>>>>> 4690

 

[haiimbacon]

17 minutes ago, TheRandomness said:

4790 >>> 4690

6600k >>>>>>>>>> 4690

 

the 6600 vs 4690 = 4690 

6600k vs 4690k = 6600k 

i7 4790k vs i5 4690k = 4790k (tho costs more by a $100... , the i5 is all you need for your everyday gaming. the i7 is a pointless overkill for a gaming/casual rig >_>...)

 

(edit- corrected mysself on the K version of the i5s)

Edited July 11, 2016 by haiimbacon

[TheRandomness]

21 minutes ago, haiimbacon said:

the 6600 vs 4690 = 4690 

6600k vs 4690k = 6600k 

i7 4790k vs i5 4690k = 4790k (tho costs more by a $100... , the i5 is all you need for your everyday gaming. the i7 is a pointless overkill for a gaming/casual rig >_>...)

 

(edit- corrected mysself on the K version of the i5s)

The 6600 is better due to the new architecture at similar clock speeds. Having more threads is starting to help in games. 

[KentuckyJones]

Hey all sorry for not getting back sooner. He will be using it for gaming and productivity. He plays Heroes of the Storm, but also plays more demanding titles like The Witcher 3. Budget is about $1,700 USD, I had been looking at the i7 4790 but I'm hearing that i5's (6600K) can be overclocked to have similar performance as the i7. Is this true or not recommended? I've never overclocked before but I'm willing to learn in order to get the best bang for my buck. Also, I'm stumped between the 980 ti, GTX 1070, or 1080. If you have recommendations for Team Red I'm open as well as I have never had issues with AMD in the past. Any help is good help

11 hours ago, haiimbacon said:

the i5 4690 is better and cheaper than both of the CPUs suggested above ._." , tho its a 1150 socket.

 

This is my rig that I built this month  ; http://pcpartpicker.com/list/NYFXPs

 

Ofc it has some stuff that totally puff the price like Windows, Office , peripherals and 2 GPUs that most of them is not really needed O.O...also the monitor. those are mostly extras that you can get around with for free.

 

(I focused my build on visuals , wanted it to be big and pretty and all fancy nstuffs.

Its a black and white clean theme. 

If you are going with it - I suggest waiting for the RX 480 Nitro by Sapphire to match the look of the rig! only few week/s away!)

 

Goodluck with your stuffs :3!

 

Nice build BTW!

 

 

Thanks for all the help and replies folks 

[handymanshandle]

23 hours ago, haiimbacon said:

 

The price difference is negligible, the 6600K is sort of the better buy because it's newer. 

[handymanshandle]

11 hours ago, Kyjones5150 said:

Hey all sorry for not getting back sooner. He will be using it for gaming and productivity. He plays Heroes of the Storm, but also plays more demanding titles like The Witcher 3. Budget is about $1,700 USD, I had been looking at the i7 4790 but I'm hearing that i5's (6600K) can be overclocked to have similar performance as the i7. Is this true or not recommended? I've never overclocked before but I'm willing to learn in order to get the best bang for my buck. Also, I'm stumped between the 980 ti, GTX 1070, or 1080. If you have recommendations for Team Red I'm open as well as I have never had issues with AMD in the past. Any help is good help

Nice build BTW!

 

 

Thanks for all the help and replies folks 

For a purely gaming stand point an i5 is just fine, I plan on using an i5 in my planned build for this fall.

 

Right now the RX 480 is the best AMD has. It's good for 1080p high and ultra settings, decent at the same settings on 1440p. The 1070 is the best for 1440p and okay for 4K, but the 1080 can withstand 4K a little better than the 1070. 

 

[haiimbacon]

34 minutes ago, wcreek said:

For a purely gaming stand point an i5 is just fine, I plan on using an i5 in my planned build for this fall.

 

Right now the RX 480 is the best AMD has. It's good for 1080p high and ultra settings, decent at the same settings on 1440p. The 1070 is the best for 1440p and okay for 4K, but the 1080 can withstand 4K a little better than the 1070. 

 

So , thing is , if they plan on going single-card build , the 1060 seems a bit better;

 

 

 

 

 

If they're aiming higher ,  a Dual RX480 , or a single 1070 would be a great fit. 

 

I personally would rather AMD , for lots of reasons , mostly morals - but performance seems to be superior than a single 1070.

 

[handymanshandle]

1 minute ago, haiimbacon said:

 

In a vaccuum maybe, no official benches of the 1060 are out yet. I mean the price for the 6GB isn't too bad. So I guess if it just knocks the RX 480 into almost absolute oblivion then I guess it would be a good consideration for those considering an RX 480 (myself included). I'm expecting a bit sameness between the 480 and 1060 though.

[haiimbacon]

1 minute ago, wcreek said:

In a vaccuum maybe, no official benches of the 1060 are out yet. I mean the price for the 6GB isn't too bad. So I guess if it just knocks the RX 480 into almost absolute oblivion then I guess it would be a good consideration for those considering an RX 480 (myself included). I'm expecting a bit sameness between the 480 and 1060 though.

Well , it is going to cross the $300 , Sure , nvidia says "Founders edition" is $300 and normal MSRP is $250 , but we're in a nutshell if we think any company going to sell for less than $280. 

 

While the RX480 4GB goes for $200 and performs just as good as the 8gb version (tho I'd recommend the 8GB version , god knows what games have planned for us later on)

 

I'm gonna try to put a build together...make it STYLISH and efficient <3. BRB

[Kurbs]

2 rx480's in crossfire nips at the heals of gtx 1080 in benchmarks I have seen.

[itsMilan]

12 hours ago, Kyjones5150 said:

Hey all sorry for not getting back sooner. He will be using it for gaming and productivity. He plays Heroes of the Storm, but also plays more demanding titles like The Witcher 3. Budget is about $1,700 USD, I had been looking at the i7 4790 but I'm hearing that i5's (6600K) can be overclocked to have similar performance as the i7. Is this true or not recommended? I've never overclocked before but I'm willing to learn in order to get the best bang for my buck. Also, I'm stumped between the 980 ti, GTX 1070, or 1080. If you have recommendations for Team Red I'm open as well as I have never had issues with AMD in the past. Any help is good help

Nice build BTW!

 

 

Thanks for all the help and replies folks 

Oveclocking a cpu to get similar performance to a CPU that's already on the market is not a smart idea. You will dealing with power and cooling performance, plus performance degradation. It's definitely not been done before, but it's not really futureproof if you understand what I'm saying.

 

And about the GPU, I think the 980ti is at a great FPS per Dollar ratio.

But a newer or AMD gpu is fine too.

 

Also I didn't know your budget was higher, so wait around for my updated build.

[haiimbacon]

http://pcpartpicker.com/list/G87GGf

 

Alright how about taht ?  

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($238.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper D92 54.8 CFM Rifle Bearing CPU Cooler  ($36.88 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: MSI Z170A KRAIT GAMING 3X ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($147.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Memory: Corsair Dominator Platinum 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory  ($109.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Sandisk Ultra II 480GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($126.08 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($47.49 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon RX 480 8GB Video Card (2-Way CrossFire)  ($269.99 @ B&H) 
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon RX 480 8GB Video Card (2-Way CrossFire)  ($269.99 @ B&H) 
Case: Corsair Carbide Clear 600C ATX Mid Tower Case  ($139.99 @ Amazon) 
Power Supply: EVGA 1000W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($159.99 @ Amazon) 
Total: $1547.38
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-07-12 05:26 EDT-0400

 

 

About the GPU , I say wait for the Sapphire Nitro RX480. sexy mofo.

[itsMilan]

1700 build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor  ($369.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X41 106.1 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($96.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Motherboard: Asus X99-A/USB 3.1 ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard  ($193.98 @ Newegg) 
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($134.97 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($89.99 @ NCIX US) 
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($83.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Video Card  ($423.98 @ Newegg) 
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro M Acrylic ATX Mid Tower Case  ($87.98 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($79.99 @ Newegg) 
Monitor: BenQ GL2460HM 24.0" 60Hz Monitor  ($138.99 @ Amazon) 
Total: $1700.85
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-07-12 05:32 EDT-0400

[haiimbacon]

2 minutes ago, itsMilan said:

1700 build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor  ($369.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X41 106.1 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($96.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Motherboard: Asus X99-A/USB 3.1 ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard  ($193.98 @ Newegg) 
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($134.97 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($89.99 @ NCIX US) 
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($83.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Video Card  ($423.98 @ Newegg) 
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro M Acrylic ATX Mid Tower Case  ($87.98 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($79.99 @ Newegg) 
Monitor: BenQ GL2460HM 24.0" 60Hz Monitor  ($138.99 @ Amazon) 
Total: $1700.85
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-07-12 05:32 EDT-0400

GTX 980 TI - but 60hz monitor ? ._. 

 

also a better solution would be the 1070 over the 980 ti.

[itsMilan]

1 minute ago, haiimbacon said:

GTX 980 TI - but 60hz monitor ? ._. 

 

also a better solution would be the 1070 over the 980 ti.

As I explained, I think the 980ti is at a greater value at the moment.

About the monitor I dumped out, is from a previous private system.

PCpartPicker saved it for some reason.

[itsMilan]

Fixed 1700 build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor  ($369.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X41 106.1 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($96.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Motherboard: Asus X99-A/USB 3.1 ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard  ($193.98 @ Newegg) 
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($73.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($40.49 @ NCIX US) 
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($47.49 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Video Card  ($423.98 @ Newegg) 
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro M Acrylic ATX Mid Tower Case  ($87.98 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($79.99 @ Newegg) 
Monitor: Asus VX24AH 24.0" 60Hz Monitor  ($277.96 @ B&H) 
Total: $1692.84
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-07-12 05:38 EDT-0400

[haiimbacon]

2 minutes ago, itsMilan said:

As I explained, I think the 980ti is at a greater value at the moment.

About the monitor I dumped out, is from a previous private system.

PCpartPicker saved it for some reason.

I still believe that a more modern technology would be a wiser solution , it'll be support for more time , and most likely to receive driver updates that'll eventually push the 980ti off the shelf. 

Sure , maybe for now the 980ti is a better choice - but we need to look at the timeVSvalue. we want it to last.

[FRN]

40 minutes ago, Kurbs said:

2 rx480's in crossfire nips at the heals of gtx 1080 in benchmarks I have seen.

Real life application wise, its not a good practice to crossfire since not all games support multi GPU setups.