No excess, solid gaming/work rig

[SgtMichaels]

I'm getting into more powerful pc usage, upgrading from a lenovo y70. 

I intend to make a budget oriented pc build that can handle virtually every game at 1080p, 60hz with very high-max settings. (I do NOT intend to upgrade my current monitor any time soon). However, I also intend to do a little bit of streaming and I will also be doing biology/chemistry lab work when needed. Essentially, I am aiming for a pc that is considerably all-around. 

This brings me to my main question: If I do not intend to have above average resolution and frame rates, but do want to have decent performance at 1080p, 60hz with most game and have decent processing power, should I invest in an i7 6700k paired with a gtx 1060 or an i5 6600k? I only question the actual performance difference between an i5 and 6600k in some light multithreading operations.

This is also taking future proofing into consideration because I understand that cpu relevance between generations is longer lasting compared to gpus. I'd like to have a gpu that will stay decent for several years, plus a gpu upgrade is usually more expensive than a cpu one for most purposes.

 

Thank you very much.

 

PCPartpicker link: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/RrsJpb 

(keep in mind that I will be ordering from Amazon and the prices vary a bit)

[JCBiggs]

why would you not build for 4k when you can get a good 4k monitor for under 200.... so your going to build a "solid" gaming rig.....what with old parts? just no.

 

how much do you want to spend. thats the only question you need to answer. 

[SgtMichaels]

Because I already own a 1080p monitor and don't want to spend extra on something I already have. 

The parts are going to be all brand new for the pc itself. I have all of the peripherals I need already. At this point it's an either or situation for me with the budget I have at around $950 tops.

[Hal_9000]

7 minutes ago, SgtMichaels said:

I'm getting into more powerful pc usage, upgrading from a lenovo y70. 

I intend to make a budget oriented pc build that can handle virtually every game at 1080p, 60hz with very high-max settings. (I do NOT intend to upgrade my current monitor any time soon). However, I also intend to do a little bit of streaming and I will also be doing biology/chemistry lab work when needed. Essentially, I am aiming for a pc that is considerably all-around. 

This brings me to my main question: If I do not intend to have above average resolution and frame rates, but do want to have decent performance at 1080p, 60hz with most game and have decent processing power, should I invest in an i7 6700k paired with a gtx 1060 or an i5 6600k? I only question the actual performance difference between an i5 and 6600k in some light multithreading operations.

This is also taking future proofing into consideration because I understand that cpu relevance between generations is longer lasting compared to gpus. I'd like to have a gpu that will stay decent for several years, plus a gpu upgrade is usually more expensive than a cpu one for most purposes.

 

Thank you very much.

Without a number on the budget I'm just gonna start here: 

 

 

1070 for 1080p will future-proof you for a long time and will work at 1440p if you wanted to upgrade the monitor. The 6600k can easily be clocked higher but since you said you want to do some streaming the 6700k may be a bit better for multitasking because of its hyperthreading. Honestly a 4790k or even going back to good old sandy bridge with a 3770k may be an option also. An I7 will give you performance gains in multithreading to some degree in light multithreaded operations but if it light I don't see why not get an I5.

[SgtMichaels]

5 minutes ago, Hal_9000 said:

Without a number on the budget I'm just gonna start here: 

 

 

1070 for 1080p will future-proof you for a long time and will work at 1440p if you wanted to upgrade the monitor. The 6600k can easily be clocked higher but since you said you want to do some streaming the 6700k may be a bit better for multitasking because of its hyperthreading. Honestly a 4790k or even going back to good old sandy bridge with a 3770k may be an option also. An I7 will give you performance gains in multithreading to some degree in light multithreaded operations but if it light I don't see why not get an I5.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/RrsJpb

That is about my budget and build. 

Okay. Thanks for the info. So the i5 performance will still be fairly decent? I understand there is a performance gain between the i5/i7 but is the difference worth the extra premium?

[Hal_9000]

2 minutes ago, SgtMichaels said:

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/RrsJpb

That is about my budget and build. 

Okay. Thanks for the info. So the i5 performance will still be fairly decent? I understand there is a performance gain between the i5/i7 but is the difference worth the extra premium?

I'd say no if you don't plan for major multitasking. Overclock the I5 a bit (Which you can Cryorig H7) and you should be fine. If you encounter FPS drop or streaming problems my bet is its the CPU. If you plan to stream allot of triple a titles then the I7 hands down but if you don't plan to stream triple a titles to often and want to stream some indie games then the I5 will work. 

[SgtMichaels]

1 minute ago, Hal_9000 said:

I'd say no if you don't plan for major multitasking. Overclock the I5 a bit (Which you can Cryorig H7) and you should be fine. If you encounter FPS drop or streaming problems my bet is its the CPU. If you plan to stream allot of triple a titles then the I7 hands down but if you don't plan to stream triple a titles to often and want to stream some indie games then the I5 will work. 

Yeah I only am planning on streaming MOBAs and less intensive games, so that's great news. 

Thank you very much for the help!

[Aereldor]

50 minutes ago, SgtMichaels said:

Yeah I only am planning on streaming MOBAs and less intensive games, so that's great news. 

Thank you very much for the help!

Not so fast-

52 minutes ago, Hal_9000 said:

Overclock the I5 a bit (Which you can Cryorig H7) and you should be fine. 

You can't do that with a H110 motherboard, or a B150 or H170 motherboard either. You need a Z170 motherboard, otherwise you're stuck running at stock.

[SgtMichaels]

Yeah I understand that. The H110 mobo is only for now and I will upgrade that to a z170 later on.

[SgtMichaels]

3 minutes ago, Aereldor said:

Not so fast-

You can't do that with a H110 motherboard, or a B150 or H170 motherboard either. You need a Z170 motherboard, otherwise you're stuck running at stock.

Yeah I understand that. The H110 mobo is only for now and I will upgrade that to a z170 later on.

[Aereldor]

8 minutes ago, SgtMichaels said:

Yeah I understand that. The H110 mobo is only for now and I will upgrade that to a z170 later on.

You can afford to have a PC that can max out any game at 1080p 60Hz, have a Core i5 6600k and a Z170 motherboard, and still not have to spend $950. I have all that in this build for $800- and it's very pretty too.

• Get your CPU and motherboard from a Micro Center. They have 6600ks for $200 and you get another $30 off with the purchase of any compatible motherboard. It makes for a hell of a saving.
• In fact, you can upgrade to a Core i7 6700k (only $250 from Micro Center) and still be $100 below your budget. However, you won't notice a difference unless you're using your PC for heavily multithreaded tasks like video editing and rendering or development and 3D modelling.
• This motherboard is a placeholder, but you should be able to find an equally good $100 Z170 board at Micro Center. Just keep in mind that the case is Micro-ATX, so you'll need to get a Micro-ATX board for it to fit.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($29.88 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: MSI Z170M Mortar Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($108.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Memory: Avexir Core Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  ($69.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: PNY CS1311 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($59.99 @ Best Buy) 
Storage: Hitachi Ultrastar 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($39.99 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon RX 480 4GB NITRO+ 4G Video Card  ($219.99 @ NCIX US) 
Case: Apevia X-QPACK3-RD MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($48.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 450W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($56.97 @ Newegg) 
Other: Core i5 6600k (Micro Center In-Store, with motherboard bundle) ($170.00)
Total: $804.79
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-12-11 16:29 EST-0500

[SgtMichaels]

8 minutes ago, Aereldor said:

You can afford to have a PC that can max out any game at 1080p 60Hz, have a Core i5 6600k and a Z170 motherboard, and still not have to spend $950. I have all that in this build for $800- and it's very pretty too.

• Get your CPU and motherboard from a Micro Center. They have 6600ks for $200 and you get another $30 off with the purchase of any compatible motherboard. It makes for a hell of a saving.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($29.88 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: MSI Z170M Mortar Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($108.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Memory: Avexir Core Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  ($69.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: PNY CS1311 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($59.99 @ Best Buy) 
Storage: Hitachi Ultrastar 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($39.99 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon RX 480 4GB NITRO+ 4G Video Card  ($219.99 @ NCIX US) 
Case: Apevia X-QPACK3-RD MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($48.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 450W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($56.97 @ Newegg) 
Other: Core i5 6600k (Micro Center In-Store, with motherboard bundle) ($170.00)
Total: $804.79
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-12-11 16:29 EST-0500

wow that is quite the price drop... Although this looks amazing, I really want to stay with amazon with all of my parts if possible for their reliable customer service and return policies. I just checked Micro Center online and they don't have such a deal, and I don't have very many tech stores around me, or that I'm willing to drive to. 

 

Also, I really don't care about the look of my build right now. I just care that it can hold the components and it fits on my desk. I'm definitely not buying any gpu with less than 6gb of VRAM. I'm really in an either or situation, opting for greater cpu or gpu performance while retaining longevity of the build. 

If an i5 can stream MOBAs and do audio/video editing and handle basic bio/chem lab work, I'm going for the 1070. If the 1060 or a rx480 8gb can stay relevant for several years longer for 1080p performance, then I'm going for an i7. 

Edited December 11, 2016 by SgtMichaels
added clarity

[Aereldor]

22 minutes ago, SgtMichaels said:

I just checked Micro Center online and they don't have such a deal

Yes, they do-

6600k- http://www.microcenter.com/product/451885/Core_i5-6600K_35GHz_1151_Boxed_Processor

6700k- http://www.microcenter.com/product/451883/Core_i7-6700K_40GHz_LGA_1151_Boxed_Processor

 

22 minutes ago, SgtMichaels said:

Also, I really don't care about the look of my build right now. I just care that it can hold the components and it fits on my desk.

This case is great value, easy to build in, and compact. 

22 minutes ago, SgtMichaels said:

I'm definitely not buying any gpu with less than 6gb of VRAM. I'm really in an either or situation, opting for greater cpu or gpu performance while retaining longevity of the build. 

You can get this instead-

http://pcpartpicker.com/product/7wgPxr/msi-radeon-rx-480-8gb-gaming-x-video-card-radeon-rx-480-gaming-x-8g

 

22 minutes ago, SgtMichaels said:

If the 1060 or a rx480 8gb can stay relevant for several years longer for 1080p performance, then I'm going for an i7. 

They can and they will. They both rival a GTX 980 in performance, which can still max out titles at 1080p and even 1440p. Furthermore, the GTX 1060 had a 12% lead at 1080p at launch, but the RX 480 has closed the gap, and it only falls behind by about 2% now. AMD's just better with drivers. It's possible that the RX 480 will surpass the 1060 in performance soon.

 

Also, AMD doesn't antiquate their old cards on purpose like NVIDIA does, which is why an R9 290 beats the snot out of a GTX 780 today, even more than it did at launch.

 

Go for the Core i7. Once again, Micro Center does have this deal. I would recommend asking someone passing a Micro Center while visiting you to pick up the CPU and motherboard for you, or consider a trip to the nearest one if it's close enough.

[SgtMichaels]

13 minutes ago, Aereldor said:

Yes, they do-

6600k- http://www.microcenter.com/product/451885/Core_i5-6600K_35GHz_1151_Boxed_Processor

6700k- http://www.microcenter.com/product/451883/Core_i7-6700K_40GHz_LGA_1151_Boxed_Processor

It says "not carried at micro center store" when I click on either link.

Quote

This case is great value, easy to build in, and compact. 

You can get this instead-

http://pcpartpicker.com/product/7wgPxr/msi-radeon-rx-480-8gb-gaming-x-video-card-radeon-rx-480-gaming-x-8g

This sounds a bit enticing.

Quote

 

They can and they will. They both rival a GTX 980 in performance, which can still max out titles at 1080p and even 1440p. Furthermore, the GTX 1060 had a 12% lead at 1080p at launch, but the RX 480 has closed the gap, and it only falls behind by about 2% now. AMD's just better with drivers, and doesn't antiquate their old cards on purpose like NVidia does, which is why an R9 290 beats the snot out of a GTX 780 today. It's possible that the RX 480 will surpass the 1060 in performance soon.

So, esssentially, while the rx480 lags behind at the moment (marginally), it should survive the next few generations of gpus for 1080p gaming due to driver updates/optimization?

Quote

Go for the Core i7. Once again, Micro Center does have this deal. I would recommend asking someone passing a Micro Center while visiting you to pick up the CPU and motherboard for you, or consider a trip to the nearest one if it's close enough.

I'm living alone and don't have access to a car or have any one I know who is willing to do that kind of thing for me. 

Also, thank you so so much for taking the time to help me with this. Really appreciate it.

 

edit: i switched to micro center online store... i am an idiot.

Edited December 11, 2016 by SgtMichaels
i am an idiot.

[Aereldor]

Just now, SgtMichaels said:

It says "not carried at micro center store" when I click on either link.

That's strange. Maybe you have to change the store location- it might be out of stock at some stores. Hell, I'm in India and I still see the deal.

 

3 minutes ago, SgtMichaels said:

So, esssentially, while the rx480 lags behind at the moment (marginally), it should survive the next few generations of gpus for 1080p gaming due to driver updates/optimization?

Since it's caught up to the 1060, reducing the lead from 12% to just 10% at 1080p (and 0% at 1440p), it might surpass the 1060 by as early spring next year. Indeed- NVidia seems to antiquate their cards faster than AMD, so the RX 480 has better perceived longevity.

 

5 minutes ago, SgtMichaels said:

I'm living alone and don't have access to a car or have any one I know who is willing to do that kind of thing for me. 

Alright, then you might have to stick with the Core i5 6600k, or sacrifice gaming performance and longevity by going with a 4GB RX 470 if you really need that video editing horsepower. Keep in mind that ordering from multiple retailers gets you better prices.

 

Since I've just used Amazon, You're paying roughly $125 more for the same performance with this build. I also had to go with a GTX 1060 6GB as there aren't any good deals on good 8GB RX 480s on Amazon. The only good 8GB RX 480 is $40 more than the cheapest 6GB 1060 (which is a good card). Even without the micro-center deal, you're still not going to be able to fit a Core i7 6700k or a GTX 1070 in this budget unless you roll back either the CPU or GPU based on what matters to you more; editing, or gaming.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($248.00 @ Amazon) 
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler  ($43.53 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: Asus Z170-P ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($98.83 @ Amazon) 
Memory: Avexir Core Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  ($78.18 @ Amazon) 
Storage: PNY CS1311 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($59.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Hitachi Ultrastar 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($39.99 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB Mini Video Card  ($249.18 @ Amazon) 
Case: Corsair 100R ATX Mid Tower Case  ($39.99 @ Amazon) 
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($67.13 @ Amazon) 
Total: $924.82
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-12-11 17:13 EST-0500