Project: Citrus - 2000 USD Gaming-Oriented PC

[Kewlstein]

Hello, everyone. Recently, after being for about a year with a prebuilt ASUS ROG gaming PC with a non-openable case and high motherboard temperatures, I've decided it's time to join the bandwagon of self-built PCs. However, my experience operating inside or building in PCs is extremely limited, as I've only ever seen inside a PC once with a friend helping me clean a graphics card fan. Therefore, I've led myself to binge-watching all the top tech channels on Youtube, such as LTT, Paul's Hardware, Awesomesauce Network, Tek Syndicate, HardwareCanucks, etc, and my journey has led me here. Without any further sidetracking then, here's the details:

 

1. Budget & Location

I have a budget of (up to) $2000. I'd prefer if the components chosen aren't TOO on the budget side, but not TOO extreme. I'd like the best performance for my buck. As for where I am, I am located in the state of Florida, and since it's the state famous for its citrus, I chose the project name to be Citrus. (clever, right?)

2. Aim

The system I plan to build is going to be aimed at primarily gaming, and secondarily entertainment, so i'll need good graphics performance as well as good audio performance. My graphics don't need to be too enthusiast grade, i've got a general idea of either choosing an RX 480 or GTX 1060. As for audio cards and performance, i'm completely out of the loop on how that stuff works.

3. Monitors

I plan on only using one monitor, and it'll stay that way for (probably) many years. I DO multitask, but I don't multitask enough to warrant needing more than one monitor, plus monitors can get pretty expensive.

4. Peripherals

As for keyboard, mouse, and headphones, I can handle them myself, as I can get VERY picky when it comes to the peripherals. However, I will need assistance on choosing a monitor. Also, as for the operating system, would I be better off with an OEM or Retail Windows 10 key?

5. Why are you upgrading?

My current machine is a pre-built gaming PC bought from Best Buy. It has reasonable specs (see the speccy screenshot included), however I feel as DirectX 12 has been introduced, the GTX 760, although a good card, will soon become simply not enough to handle next-gen games. Another reason for upgrading is so I can easily upgrade and swap out parts at my leisure, and for a final little bit, I believe that mobo temperature that speccy shows seems a bit on the high side, so i'd like to be able to provide better cooling in my new self-built PC.

 

6. Other Notes & Tidbits

As for other preferences, I'd like this PC to have an orange/black color scheme, if possible. I'm currently not sure about if I should choose Water or Air cooling, that decision will probably come once all of the decisions on what parts to get are locked in. Also, as one final (possibly noob) question, I'm conflicted on x99 motherboards. Are they backwards compatible with Skylake CPUs, or do they only work with Broadwell-E? From what i'm seeing, X99 did exist before Broadwell-E was released, which is a bit confusing if X99 can only be used with Broadwell-E. Thank you to whoever is able to answer.

 

Conclusion: I'll need help on choosing: CPU, CPU Cooler, Motherboard, Memory kit (preferably 16GB DDR4), Video Card (preferably either RX 480 or GTX 1060), Storage (I would be fine with having both an HDD and SSD, but not too on the expensive side, please), computer case, (medium ATX preferred, window not needed, can go with full tower ATX if needed), monitor, water-cooling peripherals (if I choose to do water cooling, air cooling if not), and a PSU.

 

Thank you for reading if you got down here to the bottom. I know it may be a lot to take in, but keep in mind I am extremely new to the concept of building my own PC, so any help you can give is extremely appreciated!

 

Attached is the speccy screenshot of my current PC.

[VerticalDiscussions]

Keep the cpu, i say. Thats an extra 250-300$ you save. The display is also pretty nice, i got the MX239H, no complaints so far about image quality or brightness. Obviously its my 2nd monitor (1st created a shadow on the left side of the display, as in "ofuscated pixels"), but its design and build quality are fantastic. If you can, you can always get the new one, which is 1440p. Get a 1080 at least also.

[Kewlstein]

Just now, VerticalDiscussions said:

Keep the cpu, i say. Thats an extra 250-300$ you save.

I'll see if that is possible, however at the current time my current case seems like it wasn't even designed to be opened by whoever bought it.

[VerticalDiscussions]

2 minutes ago, Kewlstein said:

-snip-

Alright then. You should perhaps then buy a mid tower, with lots of air-room. You could either get a steel sound dampened case with good back/bottom airflow or a steel open case with dust filters and excellent airflow.

[Kewlstein]

1 minute ago, VerticalDiscussions said:

Alright then. You should perhaps then buy a mid tower, with lots of air-room. You could either get a sound dampened case with good back/bottom airflow or a stainless steel open case, with dust filters and excellent airflow.

Would the Carbide 330R be a good choice?

[Kewlstein]

Update, I've found out how to take the case apart, however it does void the warranty of the computer. I'd also prefer not to take it apart right now, because it's the only one I have currently capable of gaming.

[VerticalDiscussions]

Yeah, the carbide 330R is a good choice. A new case is really recommended tough

[Kewlstein]

Alright.

[Matias_Chambers]

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/list/NfKb8K
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/list/NfKb8K/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($344.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
CPU Cooler: Corsair H110i GTX 104.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($98.99 @ NCIX US) 
Motherboard: ASRock Z170 Pro4 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($92.98 @ Newegg) 
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2800 Memory  ($67.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($90.49 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($47.49 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1080 8GB G1 Gaming Video Card  ($629.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($59.99 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G2 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($75.98 @ Newegg) 
Monitor: Acer XF270HU 27.0" 144Hz Monitor  ($552.98 @ Newegg) 
Other: Windows 10 Home ($35.00)
Total: $2096.87
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-07-31 07:56 EDT-0400

[Kewlstein]

17 minutes ago, Matias_Chambers said:

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/list/NfKb8K
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/list/NfKb8K/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($344.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
CPU Cooler: Corsair H110i GTX 104.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($98.99 @ NCIX US) 
Motherboard: ASRock Z170 Pro4 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($92.98 @ Newegg) 
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2800 Memory  ($67.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($90.49 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($47.49 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1080 8GB G1 Gaming Video Card  ($629.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($59.99 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G2 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($75.98 @ Newegg) 
Monitor: Acer XF270HU 27.0" 144Hz Monitor  ($552.98 @ Newegg) 
Other: Windows 10 Home ($35.00)
Total: $2096.87
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-07-31 07:56 EDT-0400

WOW. This is amazing, the only thing i'd wish is for a case that has the ability to have a window on the right side, such as the Dark Base 900 Pro. The reason for this is due to my desk I simply do not have the room to place the case where I could actually see a window on the left side unless I got a whole new desk. This seems absolutely great though, just could use a few tweaks IF I do end up using a case with a window.

Edited July 31, 2016 by Kewlstein
re-wording after reviewing the parts.