Rate my first build; Open to Suggestions

[Blixion]

Hey everyone! I'm a PC gamer for a few years now as a platform, but really, I've been playing on an ASUS X550LA laptop for said years. I can't run any games well enough to be equal in Esports, or just campaign style games for fun. So: I've decided to take the leap into PC building. Here's my component list (working on a $600 budget, or trying to).

CPU: i3-6100 @ 3.7Ghz w/ stock cooler

Mobo: Asrock B150M Pro4 mAtx

Ram: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 8Gb (2x4) DDR4-2400

Storage: PNY 120Gb SSD & WD Blue 1 Tb HHD

GPU: MSI Radeon RX 480 ARMOR OC 4GB

Case: Lian-Li K5X Ebonsteel Series

Power Supply: Rosewill Glacier 500w Semi-Modular PSU 

 

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/8XyRnn

 

Some notes: The case comes with 3 preinstalled fans, but the Mobo only has two case fan ports, so I'm getting a Darkside 1 to 2 Fan Splitter. I also plan to buy a Hyper 212 EVO and another 2x4 Ram kit in the future.

 

I don't have any of the parts in hand yet, but the first one (The Case) is on its way already! Feel free to suggest or criticize my choices all you want. Thanks for reading! 

 

 

[ARikozuM]

Get a 470 and a i5 if you can.

[Blixion]

3 minutes ago, ARikozuM said:

Get a 470 and a i5 if you can.

Is the extra $60 worth it? I'm a high school student, so money isnt very easy to come by. I doubt I'll be playing any super CPU intensive games.

[The Sloth]

2 minutes ago, Blixion said:

Is the extra $60 worth it? I'm a high school student, so money isnt very easy to come by. I doubt I'll be playing any super CPU intensive games.

 

not really nice choice. 

[DaveTheBeast023]

2 minutes ago, Blixion said:

Is the extra $60 worth it? I'm a high school student, so money isnt very easy to come by. I doubt I'll be playing any super CPU intensive games.

 

Just now, nerdslayer1 said:

not really nice choice. 

I agree! 

[masterzpcz]

Try waiting for zen an i3 is OK but a true quad core would be significantly better 

[Herman Mcpootis]

if you can pay abit extra i can recommend this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6400 2.7GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($179.89 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: Asus H110M-A/M.2 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($46.98 @ Newegg) 
Memory: Crucial 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($41.99 @ Jet) 
Storage: PNY CS1311 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($39.99 @ Best Buy) 
Storage: Toshiba 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($46.89 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon RX 480 4GB Red Dragon Video Card  ($191.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Case: Zalman T2 Plus MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($18.98 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($44.98 @ Newegg) 
Total: $611.69
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-12-31 23:41 EST-0500

[DaveTheBeast023]

Just now, masterzpcz said:

Try waiting for zen an i3 is OK but a true quad core would be significantly better 

I would agree with this now that I think about it. Zen is going to change the game from what I can see.

[ARikozuM]

3 minutes ago, Blixion said:

Is the extra $60 worth it? I'm a high school student, so money isnt very easy to come by. I doubt I'll be playing any super CPU intensive games.

Up to you. I think i5 CPU's are the best price to performance.

 

What games will you play?

[Blixion]

4 minutes ago, ARikozuM said:

Up to you. I think i5 CPU's are the best price to performance.

 

What games will you play?

Right now, the main games I play are basic stuff like CSGO (I get 40 fps for reference) and Overwatch (Where I get mostly sub-30). I plan on playing GTAV and Battlefield 1, stuff in the AAA range. Maybe some Fallout or Skyrim here and there.

[Blixion]

Updated link to the build.

https://pcpartpicker.com/user/Blixion/saved/fGW4D3

[Blixion]

My thing is, I probably won't even have enough money to buy all the parts (I want to get them all at the same time instead of one by one) by the time Zen comes out. When it does, I can just try and save the extra money for it then, but right now, I have to at least have a CPU in mind for reference, and then even if I do buy the i3, I can upgrade to Zen a month or two later. I'm guessing Zen is going to have to be on an AM4 Mobo so that'll also drag the price up. Like I said, being a Junior in high school, $600 in itself is at least two months of working because I have to pay car insurance and general living costs. Zen is rumored to be around $300 and then a new Mobo will be at least $150 more, so all in all, it'd end up being around a $1000 build by that point.

[Bleedingyamato]

Please don't get a 212 EVO.    Get a Cryorig H7 from Newegg instead.  It's easier to install and is nice and quiet from what I noticed when I put one in a build that was a present for a friend.

 

What sort of games do you want to be able to play?    Just esports type stuff or more demanding games like Doom or Rise of the Tomb Raider?

 

I'd suggest getting an i5-6600K if you can afford it.  It'll perform better than the i3 and last you longer before needing to consider upgrading your CPU.  Even if you wouldn't OC it the K version is a slight bump in clock speed for a negligible additional cost and gives you the option to OC in the future.  

 

Unless you have a good reason for a 2x4GB kit of RAM I'd suggest switching to a 2x8GB kit.  16GB of RAM is a good amount to ensure you'll be able to do plenty without available RAM running low and using only 2 slots gives you room for future expansion if you'd ever need it.

 

I'd suggest getting a Samsung 250GB 850 EVO (or pro if you could afford it since the pro will last longer) since from what I've heard Samsung is pretty much the top ssd brand in terms of reliability.  Sandisk is decent as a cheaper option and Intel also one of the best if I'm not mistaken.  

 

Regardless of ssd brand I'd suggest at least a 250GB for your OS drive just to give you more room to work with.  

 

If you're set on AMD and a 480 then I'd suggest getting a sapphire brand card.  I forget what other brands are good for AMD but I know for sure I've heard sapphire is considered one of the best brands for AMD.  

 

I'd avoid a Rosewill PSU.  Idk if it's any good but I doubt it.  I'd suggest either EVGA or Seasonic.  At least a bronze rated PSU but I'd suggest gold if you can afford it for a bit better energy efficiency and hopefully quieter PSU.

@STRMfrmXMN is the person to ask about PSU quality and suggestions or PSU stuff in general so far as I know.  Ask him and he can help you most likely.  

 

 

 

The H7 and the PSU are really the only things I'd most strongly suggest changing.  

 

Things like the PSU and ram are certainly optional if money is an issue.

 

Though assuming you hopefully change your PSU and get the H7 if you can afford it that 6600K would be a good thing to change to as well.

 

 

I hope my comments are helpful.  Sorry if I seemed harsh in any way.  Good luck with your build!

 

 

 

Btw, before you start your build be sure to get a 3/16 inch nut driver for the motherboard standoff screws, a number 2 phillps screwdriver I think is the right size, and if static electricity is a concern an anti-static wrist strap too.  

 

Some arctic silver 5 thermal compound is also good.    Or better yet ask on here about what thermal compound to use besides ac5.  I think someone had told me about another thermal compound that the company that makes ac5 also makes that's made of something different that's a bit better.  I just can't remember what it's called sorry.  

 

 

 

 

[Bleedingyamato]

8 minutes ago, Blixion said:

Right now, the main games I play are basic stuff like CSGO (I get 40 fps for reference) and Overwatch (Where I get mostly sub-30). I plan on playing GTAV and Battlefield 1, stuff in the AAA range. Maybe some Fallout or Skyrim here and there.

An i5 being a true quad core CPU is better than a dual core i3 and I believe it would help give you a more stable fps.

 

Or maybe help reduce dps dips.  Pretty sure one or both of those.

 

The i3 should be good enough if you don't want or can't get the extra money for an i5.  If you do go i5 I'd still say try to afford a 6600K but I'd suggest at least a 6500.  The 6400 seems to me like the clock speed is too low which will hurt you in games that can't make use of multiple CPU cores.  

[Blixion]

2 minutes ago, Bleedingyamato said:

An i5 being a true quad core CPU is better than a dual core i3 and I believe it would help give you a more stable fps.

 

Or maybe help reduce dps dips.  Pretty sure one or both of those.

 

The i3 should be good enough if you don't want or can't get the extra money for an i5.  If you do go i5 I'd still say try to afford a 6600K but I'd suggest at least a 6500.  The 6400 seems to me like the clock speed is too low which will hurt you in games that can't make use of multiple CPU cores.  

If I upgraded to an i5-6500, it would bump up my price to about $670. Then, with the H7, up to $700. For a PSU, if I was to change it, I'd go with a Corsair CX550M which bring it to $715. (I really want the setup process to be smooth and I would enjoy at least semi-modular at a good price) I messaged the guy you recommended for this topic. Because it is my first build, I don't plan on OC'ing of any kind so the negligible bump for the extra cost for the 6600K isn't worth it in my mind. My whole purpose is to make it a starter build that I can upgrade in the future, so I think to start the parts I have should fit me well, and they definitely fit my budget. Maybe I'll be making more money quicker than I thought I would, but it is a wholly self funded project as a 16 year old, and making $8 an hour, it will be difficult to stack up cash like this. If I do find it easier to make money than I previously thought (I start my new job on Monday) then I might well grab your suggested upgrades. Thanks so much for the feedback!

[Bleedingyamato]

13 minutes ago, Blixion said:

If I upgraded to an i5-6500, it would bump up my price to about $670. Then, with the H7, up to $700. For a PSU, if I was to change it, I'd go with a Corsair CX550M which bring it to $715. (I really want the setup process to be smooth and I would enjoy at least semi-modular at a good price) I messaged the guy you recommended for this topic. Because it is my first build, I don't plan on OC'ing of any kind so the negligible bump for the extra cost for the 6600K isn't worth it in my mind. My whole purpose is to make it a starter build that I can upgrade in the future, so I think to start the parts I have should fit me well, and they definitely fit my budget. Maybe I'll be making more money quicker than I thought I would, but it is a wholly self funded project as a 16 year old, and making $8 an hour, it will be difficult to stack up cash like this. If I do find it easier to make money than I previously thought (I start my new job on Monday) then I might well grab your suggested upgrades. Thanks so much for the feedback!

That's fair.  Though at least consider getting the H7.  Your ears will thank you.  ?

[Blixion]

3 minutes ago, Bleedingyamato said:

That's fair.  Though at least consider getting the H7.  Your ears will thank you.  ?

Yeah, seeing the reviews on PcPP make me consider it greatly. What I'm secretly hoping is that the further I reduce the price, a family member might decide to be nice and donate a portion of the costs.

[Blixion]

Also, because of how disturbingly awful my current computer gaming setup is, I could probably go much cheaper and end up with an infinitely better experience. I might create another build that's cheaper and see if maybe doing a cheaper one might make more sense since it is the first of hopefully many builds in my future. I'm actually gonna create a cheaper version of the current one while watching the newest WAN show. Back with a link shortly, if you're interested.

[Blixion]

Here's the cheap one: https://pcpartpicker.com/user/Blixion/saved/#view=QWrGXL

and here's the updated one: https://pcpartpicker.com/user/Blixion/saved/#view=fGW4D3

 

I don't know which way to go. Would the cheaper one run BF1 at 60+ fps on less than ultra? On ultra? I'm so used to playing on low settings that I probably won't play ultra anyways.

[ARikozuM]

9 hours ago, Blixion said:

I don't know which way to go. Would the cheaper one run BF1 at 60+ fps on less than ultra? On ultra? I'm so used to playing on low settings that I probably won't play ultra anyways.

You don't need the CPU cooler for right now and the SSD can be bought later as well if it will save you money. The 2nd option gives you longevity as far as gaming goes.