I need your thoughts and tips!

[felix_neko]

So hey guys! 

I've been searching alot about custom PCs and on how to build them.

This is my plan/road to making my own custom build (kinda)  gaming PC. 

 

• My budget :  800€ / 900€ (890 to 1000 USA dollars) i live in europe. 

This doesn't include the price of the monitors,  mouse and keyboard. 

 

• My aim :

My PC will mostly be used for gaming:

(Loads of)  CS:GO

Skyrim and many others (like Watchdogs,  l.a noire and some others...) 

 

I will also use it for some (light/fun)  video editing for youtube (I might start doing some montages of csgo gameplay,  but im not quite sure yet. ), I will also do school work and other kind of 'serious business' but not too much. 

 

• I will be using 2, 1080p,  monitors and yeah...  I dont really know. 

 

• I haven't figured a case for myself,  but I'd like it to be on the table instead of like the usual place which is under,  so it can be a microATX (I know its the term for motherboards but I just can't remember the name)  format , but Im probably gonna stick with a ATX MIDTower. 

 

• My plan (could need some tips) 

So I've done most of my research with pcpartpicker.com and youtube,  and this is what I basically have in mind =

 

1. CPU - for the CPU,  I was thinking about getting an intel i5. 
2. Motherboard - I have literally no idea,  i just think it needs to be ATX and be compatible with like the graphics card and the CPU .. I dont really know. Should be around : 80 - 130€
3. RAM - im getting 2×8GB Ram. Should be around: 50 - 75€
4. GPU - so this is probably one of the most important part of my build and I ended up with 2(3) cards after researching - radeon r9 380 (or the NVIDIA GeForce gtx 970 (or 960). Should be around : 200 - 250€
5. Im gonna be having 1TB, hard-drive, of space and yeah... Idk.  Should be around : 40 -55€
6. My power needed according to pcpartpicker should be like i guess 400W but that sounds really. Im not sure (link to my pcpartppcpartpicker later) should be around: 50 - 75€
7.  
8. Like I said I have no idea what case I want,  I know I want it to look nice,  and not like one of those grey/black cases or like a normal pc you'd have in school or something,  I'd like something kinda futuristic or just something not super generic (like the 'CORSAIR 200R ATX mid-tower' which looks like an upgraded version of the computer cases I had in my secondary),  and preferably something with a side panel (not quite sure tho). Should be around : 50 - 100€
9. As for the CPU cooler,  I'm not sure it should be around : 20-45€

 

Help and tips would be greatly appriciated! 

 

Link: Some of these I just chose randomly because I wasn't sure.

 

 

[Canada EH]

Buy a refurbished computer that has a 4th gen i5 cpu.

bestbuy.com

[felix_neko]

4 minutes ago, Canada EH said:

Buy a refurbished computer that has a 4th gen i5 cpu.

bestbuy.com

But I'd like to build my own PC + I live in europe and we dont have Bestbuy.com

[zMeul]

your idea wasn't bad, here's what I would do for ~800$: http://pcpartpicker.com/list/mqW6r7

 

ditch the 212 EVO, pairing it with a unlocked CPU is a waste - go with a 240mm AIO especially if you plan to OC

if you absolutely have no plan to OC, go with a non-K CPU, keep the 212 EVO and go with a H170 mobo; maybe squeeze an i7 ?

 

stick with 16GB of VRAM

 

go with some beefier video card, GTX1060 is a start; switch to a RX480 if that's your wish

 

forgot the PSU ...

Edited August 30, 2016 by zMeul

[Canada EH]

Well you would save a lot of money.

If you want to OC then buy a tier 1 PSU.

[Canada EH]

Yeah DIY is what I am talking about. Buddy just said he wants to build.

[zMeul]

1 minute ago, EnemySp0tt3d said:

For that budget, its  best to get a ssd.

I'd rather sacrifice the SSD for other component

SSD don't give any direct benefit

[Canada EH]

So buy a Tier 3 or 4 PSU if you want to OC then, from 3d's point of view. 

[zMeul]

1 minute ago, EnemySp0tt3d said:

I would take a ssd over a water cooler any day... Water coolers don't provide any extra performance either. Overclocking is mainly based on silicon lottery. A buddy of mine has a 6600k clocked at 4.9 with a H7. 

if he's serious about OCing, that 212EVO is gonna reach it's limits really fast 

the 6600K is a 91W TDP part with max T_case at 64deg

[zMeul]

5 minutes ago, EnemySp0tt3d said:

If you are talking about its max temp at 64c, it can go higher then that.

and!??! if it can go higher doesn't mean you should push it needlessly 

 

i7 6700K - 91W TDP

oc @4.2Ghz with 212EVO - 80deg: https://tpucdn.com/reviews/CoolerMaster/Masterliquid_Maker_92/images/temp_oc_aida64.png

and for what!?!? 80$ diff

 

as I said, i'd rather ditch the SSD

[felix_neko]

13 hours ago, EnemySp0tt3d said:

If you are talking about its max temp at 64c, it can go higher then that.

Probably not going to OC  that much,  honestly I don't really know how it works... And if I will need to do it. 

[felix_neko]

14 hours ago, EnemySp0tt3d said:

You don't know what you are talking about. 

1) Pre build pcs most likely can't be overclocked AT ALL. And they don't have good enough cooling to do so. And the PSU isn't even the main thing when it comes to overlocking.

For that budget, its  best to get a ssd.

 

Here. This is what I put together. It has a higher quality PSU in it, and more watts. You don't really want to have your PSU running at full load. Never cheap out on the PSU.

http://pcpartpicker.com/list/F7MDqk

I dont know if I want the water cooler,  looks cool but yh.  How will ssd be better?  

 

[felix_neko]

14 hours ago, zMeul said:

your idea wasn't bad, here's what I would do for ~800$: http://pcpartpicker.com/list/mqW6r7

 

ditch the 212 EVO, pairing it with a unlocked CPU is a waste - go with a 240mm AIO especially if you plan to OC

if you absolutely have no plan to OC, go with a non-K CPU, keep the 212 EVO and go with a H170 mobo; maybe squeeze an i7 ?

 

stick with 16GB of VRAM

 

go with some beefier video card, GTX1060 is a start; switch to a RX480 if that's your wish

 

forgot the PSU ...

Here are some q. 

Why will I need a beefier GPU,  and will it have a better or similar performance to the r9 radeon or the GTX 970. I will probably not OC so much as I don't know what it does that much and honestly i dont know if will need it. 

[zMeul]

1 minute ago, felix_neko said:

Here are some q. 

Why will I need a beefier GPU,  and will it have a better or similar performance to the r9 radeon or the GTX 970. I will probably not OC so much as I don't know what it does that much and honestly i dont know if will need it. 

why you need a better video card?

isn't the goal to have 60FPS in games?! I know that's what I seek - you original choice was a R9 380 (GTX960 or GTX970 as alternatives)

I own a GTX970 and I can feel and see it slip away with newer, more demanding, titles

[felix_neko]

1 minute ago, zMeul said:

why you need a better video card?

isn't the goal to have 60FPS in games?! I know that's what I seek - you original choice was a R9 380 (GTX960 or GTX970 as alternatives)

I own a GTX970 and I can feel and see it slip away with newer, more demanding, titles

Sorry, I didnt know you meant 'beefier' as in stronger/better,  but yeah if the GTX1060 is better than the r9, or GTX970, with a (-)(+) 60€ price  thats way better. 

 

14 hours ago, zMeul said:

your idea wasn't bad, here's what I would do for ~800$: http://pcpartpicker.com/list/mqW6r7

 

ditch the 212 EVO, pairing it with a unlocked CPU is a waste - go with a 240mm AIO especially if you plan to OC

if you absolutely have no plan to OC, go with a non-K CPU, keep the 212 EVO and go with a H170 mobo; maybe squeeze an i7 ?

 

stick with 16GB of VRAM

 

go with some beefier video card, GTX1060 is a start; switch to a RX480 if that's your wish

 

forgot the PSU ...

I don't know much about motherboards as there are so many different ones and yeah,  also dont know what unlocked/locked CPU mean. 

 

Thanks for your reply btw. 

 

[zMeul]

27 minutes ago, felix_neko said:

I don't know much about motherboards as there are so many different ones and yeah,  also dont know what unlocked/locked CPU mean.

the CPU you chose, Intel® Core™ i5-6600K, is a unlocked CPU - that "K" is the indicator

unlocked CPUs are overclockable - you can still buy it and not overclock it, but that's like buying a Maserati to keep it in the garage

to overclock that CPU you also have to pair it with a Z170 chipset mobo, and that's what you did - even if it was out of coincidence 

 

what you could do, drop to a H170 chipset mobo and go for a Core i7-6700 - the difference would be ~60$

"if" this fits in your total budget - and you totally can cool it with the 212 EVO

[felix_neko]

38 minutes ago, zMeul said:

the CPU you chose, Intel® Core™ i5-6600K, is a unlocked CPU - that "K" is the indicator

unlocked CPUs are overclockable - you can still buy it and not overclock it, but that's like buying a Maserati to keep it in the garage

to overclock that CPU you also have to pair it with a Z170 chipset mobo, and that's what you did - even if it was out of coincidence 

 

what you could do, drop to a H170 chipset mobo and go for a Core i7-6700 - the difference would be ~60$

"if" this fits in your total budget - and you totally can cool it with the 212 EVO

That helped me alot!  Thanks!  And I researched abit about the GTX 1060 and it looks like im gonna take that one,  as it is stronger, better fps and cheaper which is amazing!  Thanks! 

Is it possible for me to buy a not-over-clockable CPU and MOBO and then upgrade to one that IS, inthe future if I find a need to? If I cant,  can you give me a reason of why I should Overclock or why I shouldn't. 

 

When choosing the parts it was a coincident that I chose the overclockable MOBO. ?

[felix_neko]

47 minutes ago, zMeul said:

the CPU you chose, Intel® Core™ i5-6600K, is a unlocked CPU - that "K" is the indicator

unlocked CPUs are overclockable - you can still buy it and not overclock it, but that's like buying a Maserati to keep it in the garage

to overclock that CPU you also have to pair it with a Z170 chipset mobo, and that's what you did - even if it was out of coincidence 

 

what you could do, drop to a H170 chipset mobo and go for a Core i7-6700 - the difference would be ~60$

"if" this fits in your total budget - and you totally can cool it with the 212 EVO

That helped me alot!  Thanks!  And I researched abit about the GTX 1060 and it looks like im gonna take that one,  as it is stronger, better fps and cheaper which is amazing!  Thanks! 

Is it possible for me to buy a not-over-clockable CPU and MOBO and then upgrade to one that IS, inthe future if I find a need to? If I cant,  can you give me a reason of why I should Overclock or why I shouldn't. 

 

When choosing the parts it was a coincident that I chose the overclockable MOBO. ?

 

Edit : Also I have no idea about the Fan thats just he first One I chose,  how many fans should I have - and is it better to have 1 good one or whatever or 2/3 ok ones????  Or does none of this matter? 

 

Edited August 31, 2016 by felix_neko

[zMeul]

21 minutes ago, felix_neko said:

Is it possible for me to buy a not-over-clockable CPU and MOBO and then upgrade to one that IS, inthe future if I find a need to? If I cant,  can you give me a reason of why I should Overclock or why I shouldn't.

to overclock you have to buy a Z170 motherboard

what overclocking gives - a boost in performance for no additional cost

 

you shouldn't overclock if you can't keep the CPU cool

 

overclocking stresses CPU, having it run hot stresses it even further - how quantifiable that is, I don't recall anyone doing studies on this issue

but, if you take care of your CPU, it will be around for a very long time

[Coaxialgamer]

I would get this : 

 

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

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($198.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B150M-DS3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($56.98 @ Newegg) 
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  ($55.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: A-Data Premier SP550 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($38.99 @ NCIX US) 
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($47.49 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 1070 8GB Video Card  ($409.99 @ B&H) 
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case  ($44.99 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($43.30 @ OutletPC) 
Total: $896.72
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-08-31 09:54 EDT-0400

[Devin92]

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

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($198.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B150M-DS3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($56.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  ($55.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: A-Data Premier SP550 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($38.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($47.49 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 1070 8GB Video Card  ($409.99 @ B&H)
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G2 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($79.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $917.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-08-31 10:10 EDT-0400

 

Made some change to Coaxialgamer's build. A small form factor case and a better psu. comes to 920 usd. not overclockable cpu, if you dont like the look/noise of the stock cooler throw in a coolermaster T3/T4 cooler, which is around 30 usd.

[felix_neko]

1 hour ago, zMeul said:

to overclock you have to buy a Z170 motherboard

what overclocking gives - a boost in performance for no additional cost

 

you shouldn't overclock if you can't keep the CPU cool

 

overclocking stresses CPU, having it run hot stresses it even further - how quantifiable that is, I don't recall anyone doing studies on this issue

but, if you take care of your CPU, it will be around for a very long time

So im probably not going to overclock,  but anyways if I get an intel i7-6700 not over-clockable would that be good ? Or should I have the i5-6700 instead? 

[zMeul]

Just now, felix_neko said:

So im probably not going to overclock,  but anyways if I get an intel i7-6700 not over-clockable would that be good ? Or should I have the i5-6700 instead? 

if you have the money for the i7, go with that - it will help with your video editing

[felix_neko]

1 hour ago, Devin92 said:

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

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($198.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B150M-DS3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($56.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  ($55.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: A-Data Premier SP550 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($38.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($47.49 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 1070 8GB Video Card  ($409.99 @ B&H)
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G2 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($79.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $917.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-08-31 10:10 EDT-0400

 

Made some change to Coaxialgamer's build. A small form factor case and a better psu. comes to 920 usd. not overclockable cpu, if you dont like the look/noise of the stock cooler throw in a coolermaster T3/T4 cooler, which is around 30 usd.

Looks very nice!!  But I have a question,

Why do you need ssd AND a hard-drive,  wouldn't just 1 TB be enough.... 

Anyways I like the idea of a MicroATX format Case,  thx!  And the PSU looks very good! But I might stick with the GTX1060 as it way way cheaper,  and I can then spend the Xtra money on something else,  unless the 1070 is really that good,  that I should spend the Xtra 200dollars on it... 

 

But thanks alot for the reply! 

 

[Devin92]

19 minutes ago, felix_neko said:

Looks very nice!!  But I have a question,

Why do you need ssd AND a hard-drive,  wouldn't just 1 TB be enough.... 

Anyways I like the idea of a MicroATX format Case,  thx!  And the PSU looks very good! But I might stick with the GTX1060 as it way way cheaper,  and I can then spend the Xtra money on something else,  unless the 1070 is really that good,  that I should spend the Xtra 200dollars on it... 

 

But thanks alot for the reply! 

 

if you dont go ham on AAA games on ultra setting and want 60+ fps, then gtx1060 is enough for you. expecially when u mainly play csgo. save the money to buy a 250Gb SSD or a better looking case?

 

SSD is for your os and frequently played games/ frequently used softwares, so they can load faster. for eg, SSD load windows probly 5s faster than HDD. 1TB hdd is for mass storage like movies and video clips/ records, hdd is generally much slower than SSD.