"Usagi" build log

[Bleedingyamato]

This will be a build log for a desktop I'm building for a friend.  The name means rabbit in Japanese for those who do not know. My friend LOVES rabbits so I felt it was an appropriate name for her future desktop.

 

The purpose of posting this is to help me finish planning out what parts to use but also to show off my work when I do build it and get help if needed with the actual build so it looks really well done.

 

This will be a micro-ATX build with a matching size case since my friend wants this to be somewhat small so it doesn't take up as much space as my NZXT Phantom 240 for reference.

 

I will be reusing a GTX 970 graphics card so I do not need to buy that.  Also I might reuse 2 4GB sticks of ADATA RAM I have lying around but even if I use that for now I'd still plan to eventually upgrade to 2 8GB sticks of some better quality RAM if there is such a thing as high quality RAM.  

 

Currently I'm considering Corsair LPX RAM because I like the low profile look and form factor.  But I had an issue getting the XMP profile on the sticks of that which I used in my main desktop so if anyone has suggestions for other good low profile DDR4 ram that would help A LOT.  

 

Anyway I'll list the parts I have picked out so far and what I still need to decide on so please feel free to offer comments, concerns, suggestions for changes or parts to use for things.

 

ESPECIALLY for things I haven't picked out yet.

 

If I do not list something it means I 100% have no clue what to use yet so PLEASE HELP.  ?

 

Btw: I do prefer Gigabyte if at all possible for a motherboard.  I'm leaning towards the Z170 Gaming 5 micro ATX board.  (I think the only mATX "gaming" board is a 5 but idk for sure.)

I am also open to considering either a H170 or B150 (It's 150 not 170 right?) chipset motherboard.

 

 

For the case fans I'm currently leaning towards these but I'm open to suggestions such as Noctua that I've heard is good but please no icky looking brown fan blades.

Purple led fans would be cool since my friend loves purple but I'm planning to use an LED strip in case I can't find good purple led fans.  So non-led fans might be best.

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01G5I6MRK/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

 

Feel free to suggest purple led fans too just in case the led strip idea doesn't work out.

 

 

 

 

Here I go:

 

OS: Likely a retail copy of Windows 10 Home.  (I know I could find it cheaper but I'm not a fan of grey market in general unless I had no other choice and for my friend I want to stay 100% above board in terms of legality/morals.)

 

Case: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017WL52YS/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_7?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

 

Case fans: 

 

Motherboard: 

 

CPU: Either a 6700 or 6700K (I doubt my friend would ever want to OC but the 6700K is only like $30 more on Amazon so it's very tempting to just get that.)

 

CPU Cooling: Either a Cryorig C7 or H7 I think.  I like how easy the C7 is to install and I've heard the H7 is fairly hassle free as well. 

http://www.cryorig.com/c7.php (Specs on both can be found on Cryorig's site.)

 

RAM:

 

Storage: 250GB Samsung 850 PRO (OS drive), 250GB Samsung 850 EVO (Games), 2TB WD Black (Bulk storage)

 

Graphics card: Resusing my old GTX 970

 

WIFI card: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JNA337K/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151121

 

LED strip: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIAA6P3S85934&cm_re=Cablemod_RGB_led-_-9SIAA6P3S85934-_-Product

 

If I'm forgetting anything please tell me and please don't be offended if I end up disagreeing with a suggestion.  M.Yurizaki

 

I'll tag some people I'm interested in getting input from in particular.  Of course anyone is free to post helpful stuff.

@STRMfrmXMN

@ShadowTechXTS

@wkdpaul

@M.Yurizaki

@manikyath

@TetraSky

@LAwLz

@Octavialicious

@Nena360

[Oshino Shinobu]

From just a quick look over the specs, I would personally recommend considering swapping out the 850 Pro and spending the money on a larger SSD. There's not much difference in performance between the Pro and EVO drives and unless your friend is doing some serious writing (which would be strange on an OS drive), he won't get the benefits of the increased write cycles. 

 

For case fans, my personal preference is the NoiseBlocker Black Silent Pros. They're overall very good, though they can be a bit hard to find (here in the UK, at least).

 

While the PSU is very good, it is also somewhat overkill for a build that isn't all-out. You can save $40 and still get a very good PSU in the EVGA G2 550W http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817438053&cm_re=evga_g2-_-17-438-053-_-Product

 

 

[STRMfrmXMN]

PSU seems fine

[Nena Trinity]

I see no disaster!

[Bleedingyamato]

33 minutes ago, Oshino Shinobu said:

From just a quick look over the specs, I would personally recommend considering swapping out the 850 Pro and spending the money on a larger SSD. There's not much difference in performance between the Pro and EVO drives and unless your friend is doing some serious writing (which would be strange on an OS drive), he won't get the benefits of the increased write cycles. 

 

For case fans, my personal preference is the NoiseBlocker Black Silent Pros. They're overall very good, though they can be a bit hard to find (here in the UK, at least).

 

While the PSU is very good, it is also somewhat overkill for a build that isn't all-out. You can save $40 and still get a very good PSU in the EVGA G2 550W http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817438053&cm_re=evga_g2-_-17-438-053-_-Product

 

 

I'll keep that in mind about the pro.  I mainly selected it because I think it uses a better type of solid state storage that has a longer lifespan.  That's why I figured having a more reputable OS drive would be good.  But if you're saying the EVO is good too then I'm willing to consider it.

 

I'll try looking for those fans thank you.

 

I realize the PSU might be overkill but I thought a very energy efficient one would be good, the brand is one of the best if I'm right, and most importantly it fits in this case,

 

Due to what I consider a design flaw the HDD cage is placed too far towards the rear of the case which according to corsair restricts PSU length to 160mm.  

 

I was between this and a EVGA GS but I want this one if I can afford it because it's more efficient and most importantly it's not too long.  For a smaller form factor PSU it's very good.  

 

Otherise yes I would've been fine with a G2 but it wouldn't fit sorry...

 

I appreciate the suggestions.  If you have any more I'd love to hear them.  

 

Particularly about a motherboard if you have any I should consider.

 

 

[Bleedingyamato]

13 minutes ago, STRMfrmXMN said:

PSU seems fine

Yeah.  I figure this is better quality than a GS so unless I absolutely couldn't afford it I think I'll get this one.

 

Any comments about other parts I've picked out or suggestions for what I still need?

 

In particular case fans and motherboard?

 

Links would help too if you do have any ideas.

[Bleedingyamato]

12 minutes ago, Nena360 said:

I see no disaster!

Any suggestions for the parts I still need?

 

Like case fans.

 

 

[STRMfrmXMN]

4 minutes ago, Bleedingyamato said:

Yeah.  I figure this is better quality than a GS so unless I absolutely couldn't afford it I think I'll get this one.

 

Any comments about other parts I've picked out or suggestions for what I still need?

 

In particular case fans and motherboard?

 

Links would help too if you do have any ideas.

Everything looks fine to me.

[MoonlightSylv]

1 hour ago, Bleedingyamato said:

-snip snop snoop-

looks good, for RAM and motherboard, just get the ones with the features and looks you want at a price you like.

I'd grab two more fans, two intake at the front and an exhaust at the back.

[Bleedingyamato]

On September 17, 2016 at 4:56 PM, ShadowTechXTS said:

looks good, for RAM and motherboard, just get the ones with the features and looks you want at a price you like.

I'd grab two more fans, two intake at the front and an exhaust at the back.

But part of what I'm unsure about is the difference between chipsets.  H vs. B vs. Z idk what the differences are.

 

It makes picking a motherboard tricky.

 

Aren't you supposed to use even fan configs?  Like 2 in 2 out or 1 in 1 out?

[Bleedingyamato]

On September 17, 2016 at 4:37 PM, STRMfrmXMN said:

Everything looks fine to me.

Except I still need a motherboard for one thing...

[STRMfrmXMN]

1 hour ago, Bleedingyamato said:

Except I still need a motherboard for one thing...

They're all generally pretty decent these days. Find one that fits your budget from Asrock/Asus/MSI/Gigabyte/EVGA, etc.

[MoonlightSylv]

2 hours ago, Bleedingyamato said:

But part of what I'm unsure about is the difference between chipsets.  H vs. B vs. Z idk what the differences are.

Z is if you want to OC, H has all features of Z but without overclocking, B is for budget motherboards.

2 hours ago, Bleedingyamato said:

Aren't you supposed to use even fan configs?  Like 2 in 2 out or 1 in 1 out?

Not necessarily, the fans on your cooler and GPU make 2 in (at front) 1 out (at back) a pretty good config.

[Bleedingyamato]

50 minutes ago, ShadowTechXTS said:

Z is if you want to OC, H has all features of Z but without overclocking, B is for budget motherboards.

Not necessarily, the fans on your cooler and GPU make 2 in (at front) 1 out (at back) a pretty good config.

I thought B was business motherboards?  Whatever that means.

 

I'll keep that in mind but for now I'm planning to stick with 1 in 1 out to save money and keep things simple.

 

Depending on if I want to dip into my savings I might need to spread out buying parts over a few weeks to a month.

 

So to speed up gathering parts I want to save as much money as I can without compromising on things that would be a waste to replace soon after building the computer.  CPU, motherboard being two things I'm the "get the good stuff now" category.

[Bleedingyamato]

1 hour ago, STRMfrmXMN said:

They're all generally pretty decent these days. Find one that fits your budget from Asrock/Asus/MSI/Gigabyte/EVGA, etc.

Isn't ASrock a crap budget brand?

 

Is MSI good?

 

I thought ADUS is supposed to be decent for motherboards but I have no idea where I'm getting that idea from.

 

EVGA makes motherboards?

 

 

Part of the issue is not fully underselling the difference between H, B, and Z chipsets.

[MoonlightSylv]

Just now, Bleedingyamato said:

I thought B was business motherboards?  Whatever that means.

Maybe I was wrong? Idk? Most cheap boards are B.

 

Just now, Bleedingyamato said:

I'll keep that in mind but for now I'm planning to stick with 1 in 1 out to save money and keep things simple.

If you get the 6700k get the Z170 board.

[Bleedingyamato]

9 minutes ago, ShadowTechXTS said:

Maybe I was wrong? Idk? Most cheap boards are B.

 

If you get the 6700k get the Z170 board.

Plenty are H too.  H and B seem to be on the cheaper end.  

 

 

I'm having a REALLY hard time deciding between the 6700 and the 6700K.  There's only about a $30 difference and I'm sure my friend would get a long period of use out of either CPU.

 

My friend isn't all that techy so she wouldn't be overclocking if I got the 6700K for her unless I bothered to do it myself at some point in the future if she needed the extra performance to run games properly.  

 

Though by then she'd probably be better off with a new CPU and motherboard..   ?

 

I'm tempted to get the 6700 to save a little money but every time I'm close to thinking I've decided I get this nagging feeling like "why not get the better one?".

 

It's hard being me.  ?

[STRMfrmXMN]

1 hour ago, Bleedingyamato said:

Isn't ASrock a crap budget brand?

 

Is MSI good?

 

I thought ADUS is supposed to be decent for motherboards but I have no idea where I'm getting that idea from.

 

EVGA makes motherboards?

 

 

Part of the issue is not fully underselling the difference between H, B, and Z chipsets.

Asrock has been a viable option at least since Ivy Bridge. 

 

MSI is good, yes. Good customer support too, iirc. Ask @thekeemo

 

Asus is pretty good but their support sucks and Asus anti-surge gets triggered more than Tumblr. Just be sure to turn it off if you plan on actually using your PC ever.

 

EVGA makes motherboards, yes.

 

H series boards are Z series boards minus overclocking support. A lot of times they have weaker VRMs due to this since VRMs handle all the voltage going to the CPU and if you don't overclock your CPU you don't need as much power. Z series boards have all the basic features and allow for overclocking and tend to have better VRMs. B-series chipsets are near the bottom. On Haswell you have H81<B85<H97<Z97 for reference of a "worst to best" system. B-series chipsets often have all the features of an H97 board but have even worse VRMs and often skimp on things like USB 3.1 and that sort of thing.

[thekeemo]

10 minutes ago, STRMfrmXMN said:

Asrock has been a viable option at least since Ivy Bridge. 

 

MSI is good, yes. Good customer support too, iirc. Ask @thekeemo

 

 

Warranty wise

evga -> MSI ----> Gigabyte ---> Asus -> asrock

Number of dashes count

This is for USA

For Canada flip evga and MSI

For international flip gigabyte and asus

[Bleedingyamato]

I started ordering parts.  I don't have them yet but here's pictures for now.

[WkdPaul]

@Bleedingyamato Damn, totally forgot to hit reply when I first came in ...

 

Anyway, so here it is;

 

I agree with @Oshino Shinobu about the SSD, I also think it would be better to have only one, bigger SSD than 2 smaller ones...

 

Now for your current question, for the CPU, I wouldn't bother with the unlocked one unless you were sure she's going to need the PC headroom. So going with a locked CPU and a motherboard that doesn't have OC capabilities gives a bit more budget for something else or simply is pure savings.

 

Perfect choices for the rest IMO

[Bleedingyamato]

5 hours ago, wkdpaul said:

@Bleedingyamato Damn, totally forgot to hit reply when I first came in ...

 

Anyway, so here it is;

 

I agree with @Oshino Shinobu about the SSD, I also think it would be better to have only one, bigger SSD than 2 smaller ones...

 

Now for your current question, for the CPU, I wouldn't bother with the unlocked one unless you were sure she's going to need the PC headroom. So going with a locked CPU and a motherboard that doesn't have OC capabilities gives a bit more budget for something else or simply is pure savings.

 

Perfect choices for the rest IMO

It's ok.  I still appreciate the response.

 

My thinking is that even the OS drive would still be be used enough to worry about having the longest lifespan possible.  Since aside from the OS some games could still be put on the drive along with programs like iTunes that would see regular use.

 

Or am I misunderstanding something?  I'm just guessing with that stuff.  ?

 

Anyway, my thinking was have a separate SSD for only games to keep the usage off the OS drive SSD to prolong its useful life.

 

Also 250GB SSDs I'd think would tend to be cheaper than 500GB ones.  Especially on eBay if I'm hoping to save some money by buying new/sealed SSDs there.  The larger the drive the higher the perceived worth and the more sellers want and sheeple ebayers will bid things up to.   

 

If you think a single SSD (and settling for an EVO instead of a pro) might let me get more space in total I'm open to the idea but since I already have a 250GB 850 EVO purchased I'm likely stuck with the 2 SSD plan this time.

 

 

I want to do a mini-itx build with a 1060 in it (for fun I guess? ?) eventually so I'll keep the one SSD idea in mind for that.  For a build like that more space on less drives would be important I'd think.

[Bleedingyamato]

5 hours ago, wkdpaul said:

@Bleedingyamato Damn, totally forgot to hit reply when I first came in ...

 

Anyway, so here it is;

 

I agree with @Oshino Shinobu about the SSD, I also think it would be better to have only one, bigger SSD than 2 smaller ones...

 

Now for your current question, for the CPU, I wouldn't bother with the unlocked one unless you were sure she's going to need the PC headroom. So going with a locked CPU and a motherboard that doesn't have OC capabilities gives a bit more budget for something else or simply is pure savings.

 

Perfect choices for the rest IMO

The main reason I'm considering the 6700K is to maximize the useful life of the build before my friend would have to consider a new one.

 

Even without overclocking it's still at least a minor improvement over a 6700 right?

 

 

The 6700 is still a very good CPU correct?

 

It would use less power and with the overkill H7 cooler on it the H7 would probably be extremely quiet I'd think.  ?

[WkdPaul]

@Bleedingyamato I might have misunderstood, I thought you were going with two 240-250GB SSD. That's why I was suggesting one 480-500GB SSD instead. One large SSD will be cheaper than two smaller ones (to give you an idea check PCPartPicker and sort the SSDs by $/GB, large ones are often cheaper.

 

As for the CPU, a locked CPU would be completely fine, they both would last as long, the only advantage with the 6700k would be to OC it and get a bit more life out of it. But then, will she really OC when the PC is near the end of it's lifetime? I think that would be a legitimate question.

[Bleedingyamato]

11 minutes ago, wkdpaul said:

@Bleedingyamato I might have misunderstood, I thought you were going with two 240-250GB SSD. That's why I was suggesting one 480-500GB SSD instead. One large SSD will be cheaper than two smaller ones (to give you an idea check PCPartPicker and sort the SSDs by $/GB, large ones are often cheaper.

 

As for the CPU, a locked CPU would be completely fine, they both would last as long, the only advantage with the 6700k would be to OC it and get a bit more life out of it. But then, will she really OC when the PC is near the end of it's lifetime? I think that would be a legitimate question.

I am looking to get two 250GB SSDs.  That was correct.  

 

I just meant that since I already had gotten the one 250GB 850 EVO that I'd have to do the two SSD idea instead of considering one big SSD.

 

Like I said my assumption is that getting two SSDs would let my friend have one for the OS and commonly used programs like iTunes but save some wear and tear on it by keeping games modtly restricted to the other SSD and a HDD once I'm able to add that.

 

I'd be the one trying to figure out how to OC.  My friend knows how to do generál stuff for average use but stuff like OCing and building PCs isn't stuff she knows about or is interested in.  

 

Which is fine of course.  Not everyone has to have an interest in knowing how to do more than install programs and play games or surf the Internet, etc.