PC Build for a friend

[melchiorvester]

I am currently looking at parts for a new PC build for a friend who has never built a computer before but wants to fairly soon. I have been looking around at parts and trying to keep it in his budget of $1000 USD without monitor and peripherals.

 

He plans to do gaming like CS:GO, CIV, etc. and doing some 3D modeling with some CAD software.

 

Nothing special with 4k or VR stuff.

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/MelchiorVester/saved/Q9Rj4D

 

The list will be changing as I go and get suggestions from people

 

I would like some feed back on what you guys think about this and give me recommendations on this.

Edited July 13, 2016 by melchiorvester

[elago]

It's solid, maybe get a 1060 instead of the 970.

[RuLeZ]

Change the GTX 970 for some RX 480 AIB that are coming very soon, the rest seems nice.

[Flavortown2k16]

1060 insted of 970. or maybe aib 480. Wait for the 1060 benchmarks and then decide

[melchiorvester]

2 minutes ago, RuLeZ said:

Change the GTX 970 for some RX 480 AIB that are coming very soon, the rest seems nice.

From what I have been looking at the 970 still out preforms the RX 480. Plus most of the RX 480 I see are not $200 or else I would have put that in

[RuLeZ]

1 minute ago, melchiorvester said:

From what I have been looking at the 970 still out preforms the RX 480. Plus most of the RX 480 I see are not $200 or else I would have put that in

The GTX 970 performs about the same at DX 11, but loses with DX 12 and Vulkan, plus the RX 480 can be bought with 4GB and 8GB variants, the GTX 970 just with 3,5GB+512MB, the AIBs will increase the clock and make a even better buy. The only case which you should buy a GTX 970 is if you really NEED cuda cores.

[Energycore]

Get a GTX 970 for $260 while you can, and you can fit an overclockable i5-6600K into the budget.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($229.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Deepcool GAMMAXX 400 74.3 CFM CPU Cooler  ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170-HD3 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($110.59 @ OutletPC)
Memory: *Corsair Vengeance LPX 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: A-Data Premier SP550 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($57.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($47.49 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card  ($259.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($64.95 @ Directron)
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 450W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit  ($83.89 @ OutletPC)
Wireless Network Adapter: *Gigabyte GC-WB867D-I PCI-Express x1 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Adapter  ($35.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1000.75
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-07-13 14:33 EDT-0400

[Energycore]

42 minutes ago, RuLeZ said:

The GTX 970 performs about the same at DX 11, but loses with DX 12 and Vulkan, plus the RX 480 can be bought with 4GB and 8GB variants, the GTX 970 just with 3,5GB+512MB, the AIBs will increase the clock and make a even better buy. The only case which you should buy a GTX 970 is if you really NEED cuda cores.

Or if it's cheaper, like it is right now

[SliceT]

42 minutes ago, RuLeZ said:

The GTX 970 performs about the same at DX 11, but loses with DX 12 and Vulkan, plus the RX 480 can be bought with 4GB and 8GB variants, the GTX 970 just with 3,5GB+512MB, the AIBs will increase the clock and make a even better buy. The only case which you should buy a GTX 970 is if you really NEED cuda cores.

https://www.computerbase.de/2016-07/doom-vulkan-benchmarks-amd-nvidia/

 

With the new Vulkan patch 480 outperforms the 970 by over 30%!

[RuLeZ]

17 minutes ago, Energycore said:

Or if it's cheaper, like it is right now

it will not be in literally 1 week, if he really wants to get a worse computer for not waiting 1 week, then its his fault.

[Energycore]

1 minute ago, RuLeZ said:

it will not be in literally 1 week, if he really wants to get a worse computer for not waiting 1 week, then its his fault.

Well, we don't know for sure that it will be cheaper

 

But you can take my build and substitute an RX 480 or GTX 1060 and it will hold its own very well.

[Serpius]

1 hour ago, melchiorvester said:

I am currently looking at parts for a new PC build for a friend who has never built a computer before but wants to fairly soon. I have been looking around at parts and trying to keep it in his budget of $1000 USD without monitor and peripherals.

 

He plans to do gaming like CS:GO, CIV, etc. and doing some 3D modeling with some CAD software.

 

Nothing special with 4k or VR stuff.

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/MelchiorVester/saved/Q9Rj4D

 

I would like some feed back on what you guys think about this and give me recommendations on this.

 

For about $40 more, this computer build is far better and stronger.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($199.99 @ B&H) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170-HD3P ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($102.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Memory: Crucial 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($59.99 @ Adorama) 
Storage: Transcend SSD340 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($84.77 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($48.89 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon RX 480 8GB Video Card  ($269.99 @ B&H) 
Case: Corsair SPEC-01 RED ATX Mid Tower Case  ($39.99 @ Amazon) 
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($83.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit  ($85.95 @ Amazon) 
Wireless Network Adapter: Gigabyte GC-WB867D-I PCI-Express x1 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Adapter  ($29.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Total: $1006.54
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-07-13 14:56 EDT-0400

[Serpius]

25 minutes ago, Energycore said:

Get a GTX 970 for $260 while you can, and you can fit an overclockable i5-6600K into the budget.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($229.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Deepcool GAMMAXX 400 74.3 CFM CPU Cooler  ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170-HD3 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($110.59 @ OutletPC)
Memory: *Corsair Vengeance LPX 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: A-Data Premier SP550 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($57.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($47.49 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card  ($259.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($64.95 @ Directron)
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 450W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit  ($83.89 @ OutletPC)
Wireless Network Adapter: *Gigabyte GC-WB867D-I PCI-Express x1 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Adapter  ($35.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1000.75
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-07-13 14:33 EDT-0400

 

Why did you pick out a memory kit that is rated for 3000 MHz when the processor can only accept RAM bus speeds up to 2133 MHz?

 

That SSD you picked is horribly made is not reliable for long term use. 

[Energycore]

6 minutes ago, Buzzsaw said:

Why did you pick out a memory kit that is rated for 3000 MHz when the processor can only accept RAM bus speeds up to 2133 MHz?

 

That SSD you picked is horribly made is not reliable for long term use. 

I shall now provide a rebuttal, good sir or madam

 

Every Z170 motherboard allows support for DDR4 kits faster than 2133 MHz via OC mode. And since memory bandwidth has been found to impact game performance (exhibit 1) I recommend fast DDR4 to Z170 users.

 

This SSD may not perform like an 850 EVO, but I have no idea where you're basing your claims of it beimg terrible. You can look at its review over at tomshardware (exhibits 2 and 3). Ultimately, it is a fine SSD that while showing the shortcomings of TLC, will still perform massively bettter than a hard drive.

Exhibit 1

Exhibit 2

 

Quote

We tested the Adata SP550 back in November 2015. At the time the price was too close to Samsung’s 850 EVO 500GB but Adata took our advice and dropped the price from $160 to $109. The new price makes this Silicon Motion, Inc. SM2256-based SSD a true value-focused product that delivers high storage capacity at an excellent price point.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-ssds,3891-2.html

 

Exhibit 3

Quote

Wrapping things up, I want to return to the broader question of what the ADATA SP550 does for the SM2256's reputation. In short, it helps a lot. The SM2256 clearly isn't the blockbuster that the SM2246EN controller was and isn't fully living up to the original expectations, but it does now have a place in the market.

To that end the ADATA Premier SP550 takes shape as a properly working implementation of an SM2256-based SSD, without the ugly surprises of the Crucial BX200.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/10131/the-adata-premier-sp550-ssd-review

[melchiorvester]

So it seems to be a debate over the GPU right now. As I see right now I don't find any RX 480 less then $400 and I will hold out and probably tell my friend to wait to see what the price and performance for the 1060 will be

[melchiorvester]

1 hour ago, Energycore said:

Get a GTX 970 for $260 while you can, and you can fit an overclockable i5-6600K into the budget.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($229.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Deepcool GAMMAXX 400 74.3 CFM CPU Cooler  ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170-HD3 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($110.59 @ OutletPC)
Memory: *Corsair Vengeance LPX 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: A-Data Premier SP550 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($57.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($47.49 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card  ($259.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($64.95 @ Directron)
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 450W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit  ($83.89 @ OutletPC)
Wireless Network Adapter: *Gigabyte GC-WB867D-I PCI-Express x1 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Adapter  ($35.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1000.75
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-07-13 14:33 EDT-0400

I changed it to a 6600K since its been on my mind for a long time but I decided now that if he is going to use the PC for a long time then I might as well add on the extra few dollars and put on a Cooler Master Hyper TX3 since the 212 EVO won't fit in that case it says

[Energycore]

3 minutes ago, melchiorvester said:

I changed it to a 6600K since its been on my mind for a long time but I decided now that if he is going to use the PC for a long time then I might as well add on the extra few dollars and put on a Cooler Master Hyper TX3 since the 212 EVO won't fit in that case it says

Yeah that case doesn't like tall coolers, I would change it tbh

 

Tha Hyper TX3 won't cool an OC CPU well

[melchiorvester]

2 minutes ago, Energycore said:

Yeah that case doesn't like tall coolers, I would change it tbh

 

Tha Hyper TX3 won't cool an OC CPU well

Suggestions? I wans't going to plan to overclock him very high. Just start off as base clock for now and If he wants I can show him how to overclock to maybe 4.0GHz

[Energycore]

24 minutes ago, melchiorvester said:

Suggestions? I wans't going to plan to overclock him very high. Just start off as base clock for now and If he wants I can show him how to overclock to maybe 4.0GHz

NZXT S340

Enermax Ostrog

Even a NZXT Source 210 would be fine

Rosewill blackbone

[melchiorvester]

7 minutes ago, Energycore said:

NZXT S340

Enermax Ostrog

Even a NZXT Source 210 would be fine

Okay I made that change since the Corsair case raised back in price and I replaced it with the NZXT Source 220 and a Cooler Master EVO 212

[Energycore]

21 minutes ago, melchiorvester said:

Okay I made that change since the Corsair case raised back in price and I replaced it with the NZXT Source 220 and a Cooler Master EVO 212

Oh, gonna need a Z170 chipset motherboard to overclock the CPU.

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/product/Fn7CmG/gigabyte-motherboard-gaz170hd3

[melchiorvester]

5 minutes ago, Energycore said:

Oh, gonna need a Z170 chipset motherboard to overclock the CPU.

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/product/Fn7CmG/gigabyte-motherboard-gaz170hd3

You know I didn't even think about that... The board you linked has sorta bad reviews on Amazon atleast. The question is now is it really worth it to overclock and pay the extra money for the case, mobo, and CPU?

[Energycore]

1 minute ago, melchiorvester said:

You know I didn't even think about that... The board you linked has sorta bad reviews on Amazon atleast. The question is now is it really worth it to overclock and pay the extra money for the case, mobo, and CPU?

I wouldn't trust user reviews because they usually only speak of the bad, but if in doubt take this other one

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/product/GYH48d/asrock-motherboard-fatal1tyz170gamingk4

[Prokart2000]

3 minutes ago, melchiorvester said:

You know I didn't even think about that... The board you linked has sorta bad reviews on Amazon atleast. The question is now is it really worth it to overclock and pay the extra money for the case, mobo, and CPU?

Overclocking would give a bit of an increase but it depends if you want to spend the money on a cpu cooler, a board with good power phases for it and the k sku.

[Serpius]

7 hours ago, Energycore said:

I shall now provide a rebuttal, good sir or madam

 

Every Z170 motherboard allows support for DDR4 kits faster than 2133 MHz via OC mode. And since memory bandwidth has been found to impact game performance (exhibit 1) I recommend fast DDR4 to Z170 users.

 

You're forgetting one crucial component here... the original user's PCPartpicker. 

 

I followed what the original poster wanted in terms of processor, then modified the computer build based on that. Nothing else was assumed.

 

That i5 6500 processor has very limited overclocking capabilities unlike the 'k' processors which do have more flexibility in terms of overclocking.

 

Again, I go back to what Intel says about the i5 6500 processor specifications. Maximum of 2133 MHz for RAM modules and that's what I followed irrespective of what kind of motherboard it goes on.