Long Term Build Plan

[SukaroBlue]

So my current build is about 2 years old and has a crappy upgrade path (Looking back I should never of used an FX processor) so I've decided it's about time to put together another Gaming rig. But as I am broke college I can't afford to buy all the parts for a new PC all at once. So I've decided I'm going to build the computer of the course of a couple of months buying it a few components at a time. My Major goal with this build is to have a good upgrade path so that this system can last for a good while. I'm thinking of a budget of $1000 - $2000 but because this is a long term build my budget is very flexible.

Here is my current Idea on what the build is going to look like. https://pcpartpicker.com/list/9cFdRG

First off that GPU is what my current system is running I'm going to carry it over to my new system to use temporary and buy a brand new GPU last. When I do get a new GPU I'm probably going to go with a 1070 or wait even longer and get an 1170 or whatever it will be called when that comes out. currently this is the 1070 I'm eyeing. https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814126109

The first thing I'm going to buy is the monitor as I need a new monitor ASAP as my other monitors are crap and it's even holding my current system back.

[Colexd]

Get a ryzen 1600

[LHJKO]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 1600 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor  ($197.88 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: Asus - STRIX B350-F GAMING ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($91.88 @ OutletPC) 
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  ($147.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Western Digital - Black PCIe 256GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  ($109.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Western Digital - BLACK SERIES 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($118.89 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 970 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card 
Case: NZXT - Noctis 450 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($129.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA G3 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($60.98 @ Newegg) 
Monitor: Lenovo - L24q 23.8" 2560x1440 60Hz Monitor  ($199.99 @ Amazon) 
Total: $1057.59
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-08-12 02:29 EDT-0400

[SukaroBlue]

Just now, Vernw3 said:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 1600 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor  ($197.88 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: Asus - STRIX B350-F GAMING ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($91.88 @ OutletPC) 
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  ($147.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Western Digital - Black PCIe 256GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  ($109.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Western Digital - BLACK SERIES 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($118.89 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 970 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card 
Case: NZXT - Noctis 450 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($129.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA G3 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($60.98 @ Newegg) 
Monitor: Lenovo - L24q 23.8" 2560x1440 60Hz Monitor  ($199.99 @ Amazon) 
Total: $1057.59
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-08-12 02:29 EDT-0400

Yeah I'm looking at benchmark and the extra cost for the 1600 seems to be well worth it.

[LHJKO]

Just now, SukaroBlue said:

Yeah I'm looking at benchmark and the extra cost for the 1600 seems to be well worth it.

ya it has 2 extra cores for 30$ thaats like buying another half of a cpu

[Jurrunio]

PCPartPicker part list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/Cvyfbj
Price breakdown by merchant: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/Cvyfbj/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 1400 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($156.69 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: Asus - STRIX B350-F GAMING ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($91.88 @ OutletPC) 
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory  ($126.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Samsung - 960 EVO 250GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  ($127.88 @ OutletPC) 
Storage: Seagate - Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($59.99 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: Asus - GeForce GTX 1070 8GB Video Card  ($494.98 @ Newegg) 
Case: NZXT - S340 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($64.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA G3 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($60.98 @ Newegg) 
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit  ($89.89 @ OutletPC) 
Monitor: Acer - G257HU smidpx 25.0" 2560x1440 60Hz Monitor  ($247.50 @ Amazon) 
Total: $1521.77
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-08-12 02:21 EDT-0400

 

I see that you want to use Asus RGB right? If you can omit that the build could be $100 cheaper by using a cheaper mobo and graphics card, but that's up to you.

 

1500X is a factory overclocked 1400 with a bit more cache, no stock cooler and a higher price, so it's not worth it. So I picked the 1400. You might want a 1600, but since AM4 will be around till 2020 (at least), I'd suggest waiting for Zen 2 to come out and see what it can provide. Even buying a 1600 after Zen 2's release is a viable option. A 1400 won't hold a GTX 970 back at all, or a GTX 1070 by very much.

 

Liquid cooler is kind of wasted for Ryzen, since it can't overclock very well and don't produce much heat at it's current overclock limit. You can add that later if you need it anyway.

 

Faster RAM is useful, and this one costs less than your pick. The only problem is the color, which is black. It shouldn't interfere with the build's looks, but some people might find this a deal breaker.

 

For $20 more, you can get an SSD that's a LOT faster.

 

That HDD is very expensive. I know that WD Blacks last longer, but at around twice the price? I would rather go through 2 hard drives. I don't think a WD Black can last as long as 2 cheap hard drives. HDD itself aren't new technology anymore, so there isn't a problem for going cheap on this.

 

Your GTX 970 is still ok today, but a GTX 1070 is necessary for a 1440p monitor. Of course, as you said, you can stick to what you have now until Volta comes out and decide at that time.

 

The case you picked is quite expensive. Of course if you like the looks so much you can stay with that.

 

1440p resolution is wasted on a 23.8" screen since the difference between 1440p and 1080p can only be seen in a side by side comparison. If you are going for a 1440p screen then I suggest to start at 25".

[SukaroBlue]

2 minutes ago, Leshya said:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 1600 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor  ($197.88 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: Asus - STRIX B350-F GAMING ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($91.88 @ OutletPC) 
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory  ($126.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Crucial - MX300 275GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  ($97.89 @ OutletPC) 
Storage: Seagate - Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($59.99 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1070 8GB SC GAMING ACX 3.0 Black Edition Video Card  ($444.89 @ OutletPC) 
Case: Fractal Design - Define C ATX Mid Tower Case  ($64.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA G3 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($60.98 @ Newegg) 
 

Monitor: Lenovo - L24q 23.8" 2560x1440 60Hz Monitor  ($199.99 @ Amazon) 
Total: $1345.48
 

 

A cheaper variant.

Thats a pretty good build a more of the end price I'll probably pay  for but NZXT Phantom style cases are kind of a tradition for me so Ill probably stick with the Noctis case.

[SukaroBlue]

10 minutes ago, Jurrunio said:

PCPartPicker part list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/Cvyfbj
Price breakdown by merchant: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/Cvyfbj/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 1400 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($156.69 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: Asus - STRIX B350-F GAMING ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($91.88 @ OutletPC) 
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory  ($126.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Samsung - 960 EVO 250GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  ($127.88 @ OutletPC) 
Storage: Seagate - Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($59.99 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: Asus - GeForce GTX 1070 8GB Video Card  ($494.98 @ Newegg) 
Case: NZXT - S340 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($64.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA G3 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($60.98 @ Newegg) 
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit  ($89.89 @ OutletPC) 
Monitor: Acer - G257HU smidpx 25.0" 2560x1440 60Hz Monitor  ($247.50 @ Amazon) 
Total: $1521.77
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-08-12 02:21 EDT-0400

 

I see that you want to use Asus RGB right? If you can omit that the build could be $100 cheaper by using a cheaper mobo and graphics card, but that's up to you.

 

1500X is a factory overclocked 1400 with a bit more cache, no stock cooler and a higher price, so it's not worth it. So I picked the 1400. You might want a 1600, but since AM4 will be around till 2020 (at least), I'd suggest waiting for Zen 2 to come out and see what it can provide. Even buying a 1600 after Zen 2's release is a viable option. A 1400 won't hold a GTX 970 back at all, or a GTX 1070 by very much.

 

Liquid cooler is kind of wasted for Ryzen, since it can't overclock very well and don't produce much heat at it's current overclock limit. You can add that later if you need it anyway.

 

Faster RAM is useful, and this one costs less than your pick. The only problem is the color, which is black. It shouldn't interfere with the build's looks, but some people might find this a deal breaker.

 

For $20 more, you can get an SSD that's a LOT faster.

 

That HDD is very expensive. I know that WD Blacks last longer, but at around twice the price? I would rather go through 2 hard drives. I don't think a WD Black can last as long as 2 cheap hard drives. HDD itself aren't new technology anymore, so there isn't a problem for going cheap on this.

 

Your GTX 970 is still ok today, but a GTX 1070 is necessary for a 1440p monitor. Of course, as you said, you can stick to what you have now until Volta comes out and decide at that time.

 

The case you picked is quite expensive. Of course if you like the looks so much you can stay with that.

 

1440p resolution is wasted on a 23.8" screen since the difference between 1440p and 1080p can only be seen in a side by side comparison. If you are going for a 1440p screen then I suggest to start at 25".

After looking at some benchmarks I've decided to go with the 1600. As for the liquid cooler I can't stand the looks of air coolers and the one I'm getting is only $60. Though cooler master does sell a cheaper one that i probably get instead. I like the SSD you recommended I think might get that one instead. I know WB blacks are expensive but I'm rather abusive when using my hard drives and can not afford data lose so i'll stick with the hard drive. As for ram black is fine but what I'm really looking for is blue ram as in the future i want to have either alternating Blue and white or blue and black. I reeaaallly like the noctis. As for the monitor I'm actually going to buy a new one very soon but i guess i could wait an extra week to order a better monitor.

[SukaroBlue]

Alright here is an updated part list with all the changes I'm currently committed to. https://pcpartpicker.com/user/Sukaro/saved/y9X999

I haven't changed ram yet as I'm looking for a single 16gb instead of 2 8gb sticks even though i know single is slower I'm looking at upgradability here and a single 16gb gives me more options in the future.

 

The changes where

Changed out the ryzen 1500x to the ryzen 1600

Changed the cooler from cooler master MasterLiquid 120 to Master Liquid lite 120 as ryzens don't need thst much cooling

Changed my M.2 NVMe drive to a samsung 960 evo 250gb