Small, future-proof gaming PC

[Timmiej93]

I have been thinking about buying a console for a long time, but have now decided that one of those is not my cup of tea. I'd rather have a small, future-proof PC, on which I could play some of the games with a controller.

That's why I'm here. I've been out of the PC building loop for a long time (except for watching the LTT videos), so I could use some (a lot of) help. To start off, here are the answers to the Build Plan Thread Recommendations thread:

1. Budget and location: I would say the budget is unlimited, just keep it real. But, since people prefer hard numbers, I'd say my budget is €2000. I can always tune suggestions to my liking of course. My location is the Netherlands.
2. Aim: I want to use this PC as a gaming PC specifically. I might use it for other stuff, but gaming is the main (and most demanding) aim.
3. Monitors: Probably only one at a time. I would probably like to use a 21:9 1080p or 1440p display. If I'd stay with a 16:9 screen, it'd be a 1440p for sure. I don't think I would use multiple monitors in the future.
4. Peripherals: I would need to get all the peripherals new. I've got some stuff lying around, but I would prefer new stuff. So basically: Keyboard, mouse, monitor. A PS4 controller will be added to this too at some point.
5. Why are you upgrading?: I currently don't have a gaming PC. I've got a "decent" laptop, which runs most games at an OK rate, but I just don't want to use my laptop for that purpose anymore. I would like to use my laptop for when I want to be mobile, but still do PC stuff that I don't want to do on a phone or tablet (word processing etc), and I'd like to use the new PC for gaming, and word processing etc. when I don't need to be mobile. Basically, this PC should be a gaming PC/console combo. Some games I'd play with mouse and keyboard, up close, others I'd play with a controller (on my TV, because of the larger viewing distance).

So, now we've got that, let's get to the things I would like. I've been looking around a lot lately, but the amount of info and things you need to know to make an educated decision is just crazy. I know I would like a GPU in the GTX 980Ti or GTX 1070 range, but I don't have a clue what variant of those would be best for me. That's why my 'wishlist' is quite basic/general.

 

First some things I think are important:

• Noise. Or rather, the absence of it. I don't mind a few fans blowing when I'm gaming, but my current laptop pretty much tries to take off like a Harrier jump-jet when I do anything more than browsing. So basically: All fans should be as quiet as possible. If the very quiet ones are terribly expensive, I would love a few alternatives, so I can decide if I want to trade the cash for the quiet, or not.
• Ease of use. I know water cooling is cool, but I absolutely do not want any leakages or stuff like that. I know it's very reliable these days, but I just don't want any fuss. This doesn't mean I'm against WC., but it does mean that WC. should be a big improvement over air cooling for me to see it as an advantage.
• Pre-assembled. I've been thinking about building the rig myself, but I don't think I want to do this. I'm quite confident in what I'm doing, but I really don't want to ruin a very expensive part, just because I didn't handle it properly. Those prices just make me nervous.
• No overclocking. I just don't plan to overclock anything. I feel like the speed of devices is determined by the producer for a reason, and don't need the extra speed, so there's no reason for me to do it.

 

The base stuff:

• Case: I would love to have the Dan Cases A4-SFX, but it's not available at the moment, it's expensive, and it has no dust filters. All stuff I don't really like. After some searching, I came across the Fractal Design Nano S (no window). I quite like the looks of it, would've preferred it to be a bit smaller, but I can live with this size. So if you've got suggestions for a case that's similar or smaller, I'm always interested. 
• CPU: This is a very random selection. I checked the specs of a few YouTubers I watch, and kept in mind that they use their CPU mostly for gaming/rendering, so it's probably a bit overkill to match them. On the other hand, it's future-proofing. I eventually came to the i7-4790K 4.0GHz. I'm not at all stuck on this CPU, it's just something I came up with. Feel free to suggest anything you'd think would match my rig better.
• GPU: Again, going for overkill because of future-proofing. Checking PassMark benchmarks, I came up with the GTX 1070 / GTX 980 Ti. Be warned, I am a dedicated member of the green team. I've only had good experiences with them, and don't really feel like switching for "no reason". I definitely won't discard any AMD suggestions, but I do prefer NVIDIA stuff.
• Storage: I'm quite devoted to having two drives from Samsung: A 256 (ish) GB drive for my OS, and a 1TB drive for general purpose storage. Both should be SSD's, preferably from the EVO series. I've compared some versions, but I don't really know what the differences are, so any version is good. If you know more than me (probably all of you) and have a suggestion for better storage, I'm all ears.
• RAM: I'm not committed to any brand here. I would prefer 32GBs, but in my testing on PCPartPicker, I noticed that many motherboards that fit in these small cases only take up to 16GBs. If 32GBs won't go, 16 will do too. I have a thing for Corsair, but I don't have a reason for it (probably because I've seen a lot of Corsair over here), so I'm open for anything here.

 

On to more general side. 

• Optical drives: None. Never use it, I'll get an external one if I ever really need one.
• Peripherals: I'll take a look at these myself after I get the PC. All suggestions for hooking up a PS4 controller to the PC would be cool though.
• PSU: Just anything that works with a bit of extra space (for efficiency loss, future-proofing, all that stuff).
• OS: Windows 10 Home. 
• Connectivity: 
  • Ethernet: I believe a Gb ethernet connector is pretty much the default these days, which makes it my baseline too. Open for suggestions about less though. 
  • WiFi: Not required. Don't mind it as an option.
  • Bluetooth: Preferably, in case I ever want to use a BT headset.
• Sound: I plan on using the PC with a 5.1 sound system (which I kinda converted to a 3.1). If there are dedicated rear and sub audio jacks, that'd be cool, but it's not a requirement, since the system converts a stereo signal to surround itself.

 

I believe this pretty much covers everything. If I forgot anything, feel free to ask, I'll try to respond ASAP.

Anyways, thank you for taking the time to read all this, I know it's a lot to go through. I'm looking forward to your responses.

Tim

 

-- Edit: Clicked send, and immediately remembered something I wanted to say. Derp.
I don't think I want to build this PC myself. I'm quite confident in what I'm doing, but I just don't want to risk messing up a 500+ bucks part, just because I didn't handle it properly. I'll add this to the 'wishes' part of the post too.

Edited August 25, 2016 by Timmiej93
No self-building and no overclocking preferences added.

[Aytex]

Trust me you can be rough with pc parts and not break them, just be smart when dealing with them

 

Your parts look pretty good but why not get the 6700k?

[Kantor]

if you dont want to build it yourself you could look for a pc builder near you.

 

but if you know what your doing i would build it yourself be careful with the cpu don't force it but otherwise pc parts are pretty tough dont use excessive force.

[roylapoutre]

Well, first thing that comes to mind is the CPU. Since you're building a brand new PC, I feel like it's a bit of a waste to go with the i7 4790K. Don't get me wrong, it's an excellent CPU, but you should consider getting the latest platform from Intel (i.e an i7 6700k instead). The only reason to go with the older one is price. If you find an awesome deal on a i7 4790k or if it's already quite a bit cheaper than a 6700k, go for it.

 

As for the GPU, don't think a 1070/980 Ti is overkill for 1440p. It's not at all ! I would consider these cards as the minimum to get a great experience at 1440p. Depending on how hungry future games will be, they could become obsolete faster than you think. But for now, they're the sweet spot.

 

I know you said you're on "green team", even though you apparently never tried AMD which is a bit ridiculous but whatever, but you should consider what AMD has to offer in the future if you don't need your PC right now. AMD Zen CPUs are coming, as well as their Vega architecture for GPUs. Still something to consider, at least to see the prices go down because right now, the high end market is dominated by Intel/Nvidia, and the prices are quite high for what you're getting.

[dantayy]

You could build a overkill 6700k GTX 1080 build with €2000, if you don't want to spend so much get a 6600k with a GTX 1070. If you dont plan to overclock then get the 6700/6600 instead of the 6700k and 6600k

[Mr.Humble]

24 minutes ago, Timmiej93 said:

original post

Hi, this is my modification of a build I suggested to @Alexford  here, this time using the Fractal Design Node 304.

 

I figured the 2000€ budget is including monitor/periferals, so I tuned it down a bit. You can view the original build using the Dan A4-SFX here: http://de.pcpartpicker.com/list/WBq4sJ

 

PCPartPicker part list: http://de.pcpartpicker.com/list/qL9JM8
Price breakdown by merchant: http://de.pcpartpicker.com/list/qL9JM8/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  (€238.38 @ Amazon Deutschland)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U12S 55.0 CFM CPU Cooler  (€61.99 @ Aquatuning)
Motherboard: Asus Z170I PRO GAMING Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard  (€144.37 @ Mindfactory)
Memory: Kingston FURY 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  (€148.92 @ Mindfactory)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  (€97.84 @ Mindfactory)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  (€74.62 @ Mindfactory)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  (€74.62 @ Mindfactory)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1070 8GB G1 Gaming Video Card  (€464.45 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Case: Fractal Design Node 304 Mini ITX Tower Case  (€79.58 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Power Supply: Corsair 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  (€122.84 @ Mindfactory)
Total: €1507.61
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-08-25 15:10 CEST+0200

Edited August 25, 2016 by vojta.pokorny
link to original thread

[GirlFromYonder]

25 minutes ago, Timmiej93 said:

snip

 

This has everything u asked for under $2500

Spoiler

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

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($319.99 @ B&H) 
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i v2 70.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($104.99 @ B&H) 
Motherboard: Asus MAXIMUS VIII GENE Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($208.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  ($76.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($89.39 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($47.49 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB FTW Gaming ACX 3.0 Video Card  ($439.99 @ Newegg) 
Case: Fractal Design Node 804 MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($89.99 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA P2 650W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($103.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit  ($92.99 @ Best Buy) 
Case Fan: be quiet! SilentWings 2 50.5 CFM  120mm Fan  ($23.90 @ NCIX US) 
Case Fan: be quiet! SilentWings 2 50.5 CFM  120mm Fan  ($23.90 @ NCIX US) 
Case Fan: be quiet! SilentWings 2 50.5 CFM  120mm Fan  ($23.90 @ NCIX US) 
Case Fan: be quiet! SilentWings 2 50.5 CFM  120mm Fan  ($23.90 @ NCIX US) 
Case Fan: EK Vardar F3-120 63.0 CFM  120mm Fan  ($19.99 @ NCIX US) 
Case Fan: EK Vardar F3-120 63.0 CFM  120mm Fan  ($19.99 @ NCIX US) 
Monitor: Asus PB278Q 27.0" 60Hz Monitor  ($389.99 @ Newegg) 
Keyboard: Corsair K70 RGB Wired Gaming Keyboard  ($189.99 @ Newegg) 
Mouse: Logitech G502 Wired Optical Mouse  ($59.99 @ Best Buy) 
Total: $2350.35
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-08-25 09:15 EDT-0400

 

[Mr.Humble]

1 minute ago, DeezNoNos said:

This has everything u asked for under $2500

  Hide contents

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

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($319.99 @ B&H) 
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i v2 70.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($104.99 @ B&H) 
Motherboard: Asus MAXIMUS VIII GENE Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($208.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  ($76.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($89.39 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($47.49 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB FTW Gaming ACX 3.0 Video Card  ($439.99 @ Newegg) 
Case: Fractal Design Node 804 MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($89.99 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA P2 650W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($103.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit  ($92.99 @ Best Buy) 
Case Fan: be quiet! SilentWings 2 50.5 CFM  120mm Fan  ($23.90 @ NCIX US) 
Case Fan: be quiet! SilentWings 2 50.5 CFM  120mm Fan  ($23.90 @ NCIX US) 
Case Fan: be quiet! SilentWings 2 50.5 CFM  120mm Fan  ($23.90 @ NCIX US) 
Case Fan: be quiet! SilentWings 2 50.5 CFM  120mm Fan  ($23.90 @ NCIX US) 
Case Fan: EK Vardar F3-120 63.0 CFM  120mm Fan  ($19.99 @ NCIX US) 
Case Fan: EK Vardar F3-120 63.0 CFM  120mm Fan  ($19.99 @ NCIX US) 
Monitor: Asus PB278Q 27.0" 60Hz Monitor  ($389.99 @ Newegg) 
Keyboard: Corsair K70 RGB Wired Gaming Keyboard  ($189.99 @ Newegg) 
Mouse: Logitech G502 Wired Optical Mouse  ($59.99 @ Best Buy) 
Total: $2350.35
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-08-25 09:15 EDT-0400

 

And you can use it as a gaming NAS in the future with that case, something I am planning to do at some point

[GirlFromYonder]

@Timmiej93 try the node 804 

 

[Timmiej93]

17 minutes ago, Aytex said:

Trust me you can be rough with pc parts and not break them, just be smart when dealing with them

 

Your parts look pretty good but why not get the 6700k?

 

13 minutes ago, Kantor said:

if you dont want to build it yourself you could look for a pc builder near you.

 

but if you know what your doing i would build it yourself be careful with the cpu don't force it but otherwise pc parts are pretty tough dont use excessive force.

I know, I'm not that worried about breaking them, but I've killed some stuff by static electricity already, don't feel like doing that to new stuff. I know the chances are slim, but with these prices, I just don't want to risk it. I'd rather pay a few bucks for it at a PC builder.

I'll address the 6700k suggestion at the bottom.

 

 

13 minutes ago, roylapoutre said:

Well, first thing that comes to mind is the CPU. Since you're building a brand new PC, I feel like it's a bit of a waste to go with the i7 4790K. Don't get me wrong, it's an excellent CPU, but you should consider getting the latest platform from Intel (i.e an i7 6700k instead). The only reason to go with the older one is price. If you find an awesome deal on a i7 4790k or if it's already quite a bit cheaper than a 6700k, go for it.

 

As for the GPU, don't think a 1070/980 Ti is overkill for 1440p. It's not at all ! I would consider these cards as the minimum to get a great experience at 1440p. Depending on how hungry future games will be, they could become obsolete faster than you think. But for now, they're the sweet spot.

 

I know you said you're on "green team", even though you apparently never tried AMD which is a bit ridiculous but whatever, but you should consider what AMD has to offer in the future if you don't need your PC right now. AMD Zen CPUs are coming, as well as their Vega architecture for GPUs. Still something to consider, at least to see the prices go down because right now, the high end market is dominated by Intel/Nvidia, and the prices are quite high for what you're getting.

Again, I'll address the 6700k suggestion at the bottom.
 

You actually have a very good point on the GPU part, didn't really think about that. My mind is still very much in 1080p mode, so the 1080/980Ti should be plenty there, but at 1440, it'd be a different story, like you said. I'll think about that.

And yes, I know being on the green team for no reason is pretty much BS. I'd call somebody out on that too, when they didn't have any experience with the other team. It's just a comfort thingy. I've been with NVIDIA for my entire life, which makes it so that I know most stuff about them. AMD just doesn't have that good of a reputation for me, and I don't really want to try if AMD is for me on this kind of build. 

 

11 minutes ago, Ernest_L said:

You could build a overkill 6700k GTX 1080 build with €2000, if you don't want to spend so much get a 6600k with a GTX 1070. If you dont plan to overclock then get the 6700/6600 instead of the 6700k and 6600k

If I may ask, why would you suggest the non-K version if I'm not gonna overclock them (I'm not)? Looking at benchmarks, the non-K version performs about 10% worse, but also costs 10% less. Why not just spend the extra money for the linear performance boost?

 

----- Horizontal line break thingy -----

 

About the 6700k suggestions:

Looking at the benchmarks, the 6700k performs a bit worse to similar to the 4790k, for pretty much the same money. Why would you all suggest the 6700k? Just because it's more recent? Are there other things I'm missing?

[Kantor]

1 minute ago, Timmiej93 said:

If I may ask, why would you suggest the non-K version if I'm not gonna overclock them (I'm not)? Looking at benchmarks, the non-K version performs about 10% worse, but also costs 10% less. Why not just spend the extra money for the linear performance boost?

the 6700k can be overclocked the 6700 cannot dont par for the capability if you arnt going to use it.

[roylapoutre]

3 minutes ago, Timmiej93 said:

About the 6700k suggestions:

Looking at the benchmarks, the 6700k performs a bit worse to similar to the 4790k, for pretty much the same money. Why would you all suggest the 6700k? Just because it's more recent? Are there other things I'm missing?

If you talk about gaming performance, it's actually the same or even a bit better with the Skylake platform. The first benchmarks showed the 4790k better than the 6700k, but right now, the 6700k is ahead apparently. Of course, the difference is not worth 50 or 100$ more for the 6700k. Like I said, if the 4790k is significantly cheaper, it's a no brainer  I myself upgraded to a 4790k from a 3750k only because of the price. I had a great deal with a 4790k 80€ cheaper than a 6700k, the choice was obvious

[Mr.Humble]

3 minutes ago, Timmiej93 said:

Looking at the benchmarks, the 6700k performs a bit worse to similar to the 4790k, for pretty much the same money. Why would you all suggest the 6700k? Just because it's more recent? Are there other things I'm missing?

New architecture, DDR4, Thunderbolt support, lower heat output, and the list continues

[Aytex]

4 minutes ago, Timmiej93 said:

 

 

I mean I'm only recommending it cause the small % increase and it being the newest so if you can get it without compromising other performance like GPU then I say go for it

 

Just buy a anti static leg/wrist band

[Guest]

5 minutes ago, Timmiej93 said:

 

About the 6700k suggestions:

Looking at the benchmarks, the 6700k performs a bit worse to similar to the 4790k, for pretty much the same money. Why would you all suggest the 6700k? Just because it's more recent? Are there other things I'm missing?

Which benchmarks ?

[roylapoutre]

1 minute ago, vojta.pokorny said:

New architecture, DDR4, Thunderbolt support, lower heat output, and the list continues

Lower heat output isn't true. The Skylake processors are as hot as their Haswell counterparts (thanks to their stupid thermal interface)

[Mr.Humble]

Just now, roylapoutre said:

Lower heat output isn't true. The Skylake processors are as hot as their Haswell counterparts (thanks to their stupid thermal interface)

Can't speak from experience, but my understanding was that although the chips have the same-ish TDP they run a bit cooler.

[roylapoutre]

5 minutes ago, vojta.pokorny said:

Can't speak from experience, but my understanding was that although the chips have the same-ish TDP they run a bit cooler.

The difference I saw was around 2-3°C which is negligeable for me if you have a great enough CPU cooler  

[Mr.Humble]

2 minutes ago, roylapoutre said:

The difference I saw was around 2-3°C which is negligeable for me if you have a great enough CPU cooler  

Yeah that's basically within the statistical error margin. As I said, no hands-on experience with that

[Timmiej93]

54 minutes ago, vojta.pokorny said:

New architecture, DDR4, Thunderbolt support, lower heat output, and the list continues

So basically it's just more future-proofing? That would make sense for the build I'm looking for. 

 

52 minutes ago, lee32uk said:

Which benchmarks ?

I always check PassMark (.com). They seem to have pretty much every CPU/GPU in their database, and I like their website. Never heard anything bad about them, so I primarily check those.

 

---------------------------------------------------

 

So I've put something together on a local PC builder's website (Alternate). This is what I'm at right now:

Spoiler

 

1 x be quiet! Straight Power 10 700W, 700 Watt PSU - €124,90

1 x Samsung 750 EVO, 250 GB SSD - €69,90

1 x Samsung 850 EVO, 1 TB SSD - €314,-

1 x Corsair 16 GB DDR4-3000 Kit, RAM - €92,90

1 x Intel® Core i7-6700K, 4,0 GHz (4,2 GHz Turbo Boost) socket 1151 processor - €349,-

1 x Noctua NH-D14, CPU-cooler - €74,90

1 x EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 FTW Gaming ACX 3.0, GPU €529,-

1 x Fractal Design Define Nano S, Desktop case - €69,90

1 x Microsoft Windows 10, Software - €99,-

1 x ASUS MAXIMUS VIII IMPACT, socket 1151 motherboard - €254,-

 

Total: €1.977,50

 

 

So this is a €2000 (2250USD, 2900CAD) PC, no peripherals, no extra case fans (Mostly based on vojta.pokorny and DeezNoNos (love your name)'s suggestions).

 

Changing the 1070 out for an EVGA 1080 FTW puts me at €2250.
This would mean that, including the peripherals, the total would reach something like €3000. Not that big of a deal, but I'm just wondering what I need.
If I get a 1070 with a 1440p screen, I don't want to be scaling my graphical settings back in titles that come out in 2017/2018, that's not why I bought it. Of course I can always upgrade the GPU, but I'd rather not do that in the first or second year of running. What do you guys think, 1070 or 1080?

Also, some other stuff I'm unsure about:

• PSU. None of the two you suggested were available at the local builder. I don't know about the reputation 'be quiet!' has in PSU's, but it seemed fitting, since I wanted a quiet PC. 
• CPU cooler. Again, both weren't available. I picked a Noctua, since the noiseproduction was low, and airflow was high. Would that one do the trick?
• Case fans. I haven't got a lot in there. The case comes with a 120 and a 140, which I'd probably want to exchange for quieter ones, but I don't have a clue how many I would need. Any suggestions?

As for the 1TB SSD: <10yo voice> I just want it. </10yo voice>. I know it's crazy to have normal storage on an SSD, and I'll never use the read/write speeds for anything that really requires them, it's just that I don't want a spinning disk anymore. I used to have a (basic home) desktop that was perfectly quiet, until you opened up explorer and it had to spin up the drive. I know I'm loosing 200 bucks, and not gaining much, but I just want this for peace of mind.

 

Also, the builder website gives me two notices, which I have no idea about what this means for me:

1. Memory - Processor: The speed of your memory is higher than the default speed that is supported by your chosen CPU. In general, the memory can be used without issues, but the memory's speed will be set at the max. speed that is supported by the CPU. 
2. Memory: The memory you chose does not meet the JEDEC standard. If you order the system assembled, the memory will be set at DDR4 timings, in accordance with the JEDEC standard.

Could anyone explain what this means for me? Am I spending too much money on memory, since it'll be throttled or something?

[Guest]

You are better off looking at an actual review rather than a benchmark. The i7 6700K should be better in most games.

 

That memory notice just means that the ram is higher than the tested JEDEC rating. Anything over 2133MHz is classed as overclocked Ram. All you need to do in most cases is enable the xmp profile in the bios and you are good to go. Some Ram/Board combos can be a bit fussy though. As far as I know only the Z170 chipset supports anything over 2133MHz.

 

 

 

 

[Timmiej93]

Some other questions that popped into my mind, while checking some stuff:

 

What is the main difference between the two suggested motherboards? One is about €150, the other €250, while they seem to be pretty much the same. Is it purely a case of preference? 

I've also done some trimming (switched the 1TB SSD for a 500GB, can always add / upgrade later, switched MoBo to the cheaper one), so I'm thinking I'll swap the 1070 for the 1080. The 1080 does seem to be that extra bit of umpf, for future-proofing (again). What version of the 1080 would you guys recommend? I haven't got a single clue what to look for in all those versions, or where I could compare them, without looking through spec sheets I don't understand.

 

For the Dutch (or Belgian / German) folks here: Could you recommend me a place that builds your custom PC? I'm using Alternate atm, because I've dealt with them before, so I know and trust them. I found some other companies out there, but since I've never dealt with those before, I don't feel like sending them 2k, without even knowing if they company is legit.

 

 

4 hours ago, lee32uk said:

You are better off looking at an actual review rather than a benchmark. The i7 6700K should be better in most games.

 

That memory notice just means that the ram is higher than the tested JEDEC rating. Anything over 2133MHz is classed as overclocked Ram. All you need to do in most cases is enable the xmp profile in the bios and you are good to go. Some Ram/Board combos can be a bit fussy though. As far as I know only the Z170 chipset supports anything over 2133MHz.

 

You're right about that, can't put it any other way. Benchmarks are just the easiest for me to compare them though. It's hard to find CPU vs CPU comparisons that have exactly those 2 you are looking for. 

[Guest]

4 minutes ago, Timmiej93 said:

You're right about that, can't put it any other way. Benchmarks are just the easiest for me to compare them though. It's hard to find CPU vs CPU comparisons that have exactly those 2 you are looking for. 

There won't be a huge difference between them in gaming. As you are building from scratch though you might as well go with the latest cpu/chipset. The prices should be pretty much equal anyway, although I know it can vary from Country to Country. 

 

If you look at UK prices for example, the i7 6700K is a bit cheaper than the i7 4790K.

 

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/products/cpu/#s=13&f=34,40,57&sort=a7&page=1

[Timmiej93]

So I've been hanging out on a Dutch forum for a while, with the same question, sharing the info you guys gave me, to see what their thoughts were (and to find a Dutch assembler). 

 

At the moment, I'm looking at the following:

• CPU: i7-6700k
• CPU cooler: Scyth Mugen 4 PCGH Edition
• MotherBoard: Asus B150I Pro Gaming/Wifi/Aura
• GPU: MSI 1080 Gaming X 8G
• RAM: Kingston HyperX Fury 16GB
• PSU: be quiet! Straight Power 10 500W

There are some points people can't seem to agree on though. The first one is the CPU. Some are saying it's BS to buy a 6700k if you're not overclocking, some say it's perfectly fine. In my mind, the K gives a little bit more performance for a little bit more money, so why not?

 

The motherboard is also a discussion point, especially in combination with the 6700k. Somebody said they wouldn't use the 6700k on a motherboard where VRMs are cooled passively. I asked for some details on that reasoning, but haven't got that until now. Can somebody here enlighten me?

Somebody else just said "An i7 6700k in combination with a B150 motherboard. Not a handy combo.". Again, I asked what's his reasoning for that claim, but I haven't heard back from them unfortunately.

 

Then finally, there has been some discussion over the PSU. Some people were saying that the 500W be quiet! PSU is kinda a waste of money, since the Corsair RM550x is just a few bucks more, but quality is way higher. On that part, people agreed. But then people stated their fears about using a semi-passively cooled PSU in a small case. I haven't gotten much detail on that from them either.

 

I hope somebody here can enlighten me a bit on these points, since I'm not experienced enough to know what's right and what's wrong.