Feedback on parts list for friend

[john01dav]

Hello,

 

I am building a gaming computer for a friend soon. They will do both office-type work and moderate gaming on this computer. It will run a Windows 10 and Linux dual boot. The parts list is here. The budget is $US1,000, although, some increase is acceptable but discouraged. I would like to have feedback on:

• Linux Support
• Any way to make it a bit cheaper without sacrificing any or very little performance, storage, usable lifespan, or games compatibility?
• The case only has front panel USB 2.0. The person this is for doesn't care about USB version, but, will the front panel ports still be usable as 2.0 ports despite the motherboard supporting 3.0? The selected motherboard is the cheapest one according to PcPartPicker.
• Is the power supply acceptable? I know it is quite bad to skimp on these.
• Will the ram have clearance with the Hyper 212 Evo?
• Anything else that could be improved

I am mainly posting this here because it is a good idea to get someone else to look over a parts list before buying anything.

[_Rapid]

When you say moderate gaming, will that require a gtx 1070? As in, is he going to play 1440p/4k at high/med settings? If so, I would consider a CPU upgrade. I think the 1070 is abit overkill and would go with something more like a 1060 or RX 480.

[john01dav]

Just now, _Rapid said:

When you say moderate gaming, will that require a gtx 1070? As in, is he going to play 1440p/4k at high/med settings? If so, I would consider a CPU upgrade. I think the 1070 is abit overkill and would go with something more like a 1060 or RX 480.

Would a better CPU actually effect gaming performance though? I have seen many videos on Youtube from LinusTechTips and others saying that anything above a mid-end i5 is perfectly sufficient. They will play at 1080p -- and possibly even below.

[_Rapid]

Just now, john01dav said:

Would a better CPU actually effect gaming performance though? I have seen many videos on Youtube from LinusTechTips and others saying that anything above a mid-end i5 is perfectly sufficient. They will play at 1080p -- and possibly even below.

The only reason I can see for a 1070 is gaming at 1440p/4k. And it has been known for i5's to bottleneck 1070/80s at higher resolutions that 1080p. I was trying to find a reference video but can't seem to find it, will try to edit in or repost.

[DrM]

first of all, that psu is terrible. drop the 212 evo and spend a bit more on the psu. if you get the normal 6500 and not the oem one, it comes with a stock cooler. the usb 2.0 thing is fine, since mobos have headers for both. if you are playing at 1080p, then a 1070 is overkill unless your friend plans to upgrade his monitor later. windows 10 pro is also a waste if you dont plan to use any of the features (bitlocker and remote desktop being the most prominent).

 

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

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($198.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus H110M-A/M.2 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($57.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  ($32.27 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($69.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Western Digital Red 3TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($108.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: PNY GeForce GTX 1060 6GB Video Card  ($249.99 @ Best Buy)
Case: Enermax Thorex ATX Mid Tower Case  ($28.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 450W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($44.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSC0B DVD/CD Writer  ($13.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit  ($92.19 @ Amazon)
Total: $898.28
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-09-05 20:47 EDT-0400

[CosmicButterGuy]

I'm confused how your list all adds up to $1200.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($204.50 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H170N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($113.99 @ Amazon) 
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($63.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($88.48 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($49.99 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 1060 6GB Mini Video Card  ($254.98 @ Newegg) 
Case: Phanteks Enthoo EVOLV ITX Mini ITX Tower Case  ($74.99 @ Amazon) 
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA GS 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($79.99 @ Amazon) 
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home Full - USB 32/64-bit  ($119.00 @ Amazon) 
Total: $1049.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-09-05 20:59 EDT-0400

What ever you do, do not buy windows from sites like G2A or Kingwin

[DrM]

22 minutes ago, CosmicButterGuy said:

I'm confused how your list all adds up to $1200.

it has a 1070 instead of a 1060

[john01dav]

On 9/5/2016 at 7:47 PM, DrM said:

first of all, that psu is terrible. drop the 212 evo and spend a bit more on the psu. if you get the normal 6500 and not the oem one, it comes with a stock cooler. the usb 2.0 thing is fine, since mobos have headers for both. if you are playing at 1080p, then a 1070 is overkill unless your friend plans to upgrade his monitor later. windows 10 pro is also a waste if you dont plan to use any of the features (bitlocker and remote desktop being the most prominent).

 

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

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($198.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus H110M-A/M.2 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($57.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  ($32.27 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($69.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Western Digital Red 3TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($108.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: PNY GeForce GTX 1060 6GB Video Card  ($249.99 @ Best Buy)
Case: Enermax Thorex ATX Mid Tower Case  ($28.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 450W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($44.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSC0B DVD/CD Writer  ($13.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit  ($92.19 @ Amazon)
Total: $898.28
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-09-05 20:47 EDT-0400

Thanks for this list. I'll probably do this one and then add in a 1080p monitor (they have one of the original (4:3) flatscreens right now). My main concern with Windows 10 home is the privacy issues and whether or not it is possible to remove all spyware from that edition.