Computer Build Comparison?

[TheGameAce]

Trying to figure out which is better here. Let me know if this is in the wrong category;

This is a build I've got fully picked out; http://pcpartpicker.com/p/7cR7NG

Showed this to a friend, and he said I only need 600 watts, that the AMD processor is outdated and crappier than an i7, and that the PSU is awful.

So, he tried to suggest this edited version; http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Cn8Tyc

Can someone pick this apart for me and give me a rundown on it? Trying to stick to spending no more than another $1,100 from what I've already spent.
I've also done research, and the FX-9590 seems to barely come out below the latest gen i7 in most comparisons, and that it's a power hog.

 

[geofelt]

Let me assume this is a gaming build.
I think your friend has a smarter suggestion.
The FX-9550 is awful on a number of counts. First, you can OC a FX-8350 and get close to the same performance for much less. Then, the wattage and heat!!.
When you are done, it will not compete with a i7-4790K at stock, no liquid cooler needed .

Then coolmax is a tier 5 psu:
https://community.newegg.com/eggxpert/computer_hardware/f/135081/t/45344.aspx?Redirected=true

I would do neither.
With Skylake now available, there is absolutely no question in my mind that a new build should be Skylake.
1. Prices for cpu, z170 motherboard and ddr4 ram are almost precisely the same.
2. 6600K has an estimated 5-10% performance improvement per clock over haswell.
Few games can use more than 2-3 cores, so a faster quad is optimum for gaming.
3. 14nm runs cooler, you get a decent overclock without the need for exotic cooling.
4. The Z170 chipset permits the use of much faster ssd devices on the horizon. Samsung 950 pro for example:
http://www.samsung.com/global/business/semiconductor/minisite/SSD/global/html/ssd950pro/overview.html

 

[TheGameAce]

Let me assume this is a gaming build.
I think your friend has a smarter suggestion.
The FX-9550 is awful on a number of counts. First, you can OC a FX-8350 and get close to the same performance for much less. Then, the wattage and heat!!.
When you are done, it will not compete with a i7-4790K at stock, no liquid cooler needed .

Then coolmax is a tier 5 psu:
https://community.newegg.com/eggxpert/computer_hardware/f/135081/t/45344.aspx?Redirected=true

I would do neither.
With Skylake now available, there is absolutely no question in my mind that a new build should be Skylake.
1. Prices for cpu, z170 motherboard and ddr4 ram are almost precisely the same.
2. 6600K has an estimated 5-10% performance improvement per clock over haswell.
Few games can use more than 2-3 cores, so a faster quad is optimum for gaming.
3. 14nm runs cooler, you get a decent overclock without the need for exotic cooling.
4. The Z170 chipset permits the use of much faster ssd devices on the horizon. Samsung 950 pro for example:
http://www.samsung.com/global/business/semiconductor/minisite/SSD/global/html/ssd950pro/overview.html

Hmm alright. Then my only problem is, an Intel i7 is gonna be $100 more expensive...
Could you link me to some of the stuff you've mentioned? Would also appreciate input from other people, and if you mention a change, I would also appreciate you link the item so I can see.
I assume if I go with an i7 I'll need a far less power supply too. But which size specifically, especially if I OC?
(And if I switch, can I go with a cheaper air cooler, or should I stick with that liquid one?)

 

[endeavour37a]

Perhaps start here and adjust as necessary, I agree with most everything geofelt said. For a gaming rig you won't see any difference in a i7 over the i5.


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($248.95 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H5 Ultimate 76.0 CFM CPU Cooler
Motherboard: Asus Z170-A ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($159.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($65.49 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB 100 Million Edition Video Card (Purchased For $330.00)
Case: DIYPC Skyline-07-G ATX Full Tower Case ($102.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.45 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Acer GN246HL 144Hz 24.0" Monitor ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Other: Windows 7 reddit (just upgrade to 10) ($20.00)
Total: $1293.72
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-10-03 17:36 EDT-0400

 

[TheGameAce]

Perhaps start here and adjust as necessary, I agree with most everything geofelt said. For a gaming rig you won't see any difference in a i7 over the i5.


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($248.95 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H5 Ultimate 76.0 CFM CPU Cooler
Motherboard: Asus Z170-A ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($159.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($65.49 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB 100 Million Edition Video Card (Purchased For $330.00)
Case: DIYPC Skyline-07-G ATX Full Tower Case ($102.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.45 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Acer GN246HL 144Hz 24.0" Monitor ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Other: Windows 7 reddit (just upgrade to 10) ($20.00)
Total: $1293.72
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-10-03 17:36 EDT-0400

Alright, I'll go ahead and take a look at those soon. Surprised that DDR4 RAM is so cheap now, and motherboards that support it are too. Last I had checked DDR4 and the board and chipset that supported it were quite expensive.
How much of an actual improvement if you don't mind me asking is DDR4 over DDR3?
Also may I ask why you picked the 850 Evo over the 850 pro? From my research, the Pro is about 5 seconds faster in most cases with boot speed, and uses the latest technology with the board stacking, NAND3 I believe they called it.

 

[endeavour37a]

"Alright, I'll go ahead and take a look at those soon. Surprised that DDR4 RAM is so cheap now, and motherboards that support it are too. Last I had checked DDR4 and the board and chipset that supported it were quite expensive.
How much of an actual improvement if you don't mind me asking is DDR4 over DDR3?
Also may I ask why you picked the 850 Evo over the 850 pro? From my research, the Pro is about 5 seconds faster in most cases with boot speed, and uses the latest technology with the board stacking, NAND3 I believe they called it."


Ya the DDR4 pricing has fallen pretty nicely in the past few weeks, always good news for us. Before Skylake/100 series PCH the only boards that supported DDR4 were the X79/X99 boards and yep they are pricey, even today. This new CPU/PCH from Intel sort of brings DDR4 into the mainstream as from this point on most everything will be using it. The LGA 1151 boards did take a bump in pricing over the LGA 1150 boards but not that much, they are still alot cheaper than the 2011v3 boards thankfully. When comparing DDR3/DDR4 of the same spec there is really no difference of performance, but DDR4 will reach speeds that DDR3 won't. And that is where we are going or should I say already there so why not build with it instead of the memory that has seen it's day, longevity and that sort of thing.

The EVO is a bit cheaper and I don't think anyone could tell the difference in the real world of normal use unless they sat around and ran benchmarks all day. The difference between them is pretty small but as you say the PRO is faster, the difference between most all mid to high end SSDs is pretty small really. If you can find a PRO at a good price then go for it as it's a great drive. The storage world is going through some interesting changes right about now with the introduction of PCIe drives that make even the very fastest SATA drive look like a HDD. I wonder why the MB makers are not adding a U.2. interface to their boards (basically a M.2. that cables to a 2.5" drive instead of a small card), Samsung has already came out with one but not with the NVMe protocol, just PCIe 3.0 x 4.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/9650/samsung-announces-950-pro-ssd-their-first-consumer-vnand-nvme-ssd

About that ASUS Z170-A, I just picked that one because of the name and pricing and I read a review on it, I have not read a lot of reviews yet as they are still pretty new. But the ones I have say good things about all of them so far, they all do what they say and are pretty stable for OCing. So you may want to do a bit of research on your MB to find the one that is right for you. They all look really great I think, seems we have finally gotten away from racing red for the top end stuff, even the ROG boards have went in a different direction. It looks like you can stay under $200 and get a great board from whoever you chose.

PS: Could you point me to the link where you read a 850 PRO boots 5 seconds faster than the EVO? That just does not seems right for some reason.....


Here is a guy that has a lot to say about some Z170 gaming boards, pretty short and to the point perhaps worth a look see....

Best 1151 Z170 Skylake Gaming Motherboards for the Money 2015
http://www.anandtech.com/show/9485/intel-skylake-z170-motherboards-asrock-asus-gigabyte-msi-ecs-evga-supermicro
http://www.toptengamer.com/skylake-gaming-pc/



Intel Skylake Z170 Motherboards: A Quick Look at 55+ New Products
by Ian Cutress on August 5, 2015 7:59 AM EST
http://www.anandtech.com/show/9485/intel-skylake-z170-motherboards-asrock-asus-gigabyte-msi-ecs-evga-supermicro

You may have already seen these but maybe not, Anandtech has review a few boards now and does a good job, that is where I read the ASUS review.

 

[TheGameAce]

"Alright, I'll go ahead and take a look at those soon. Surprised that DDR4 RAM is so cheap now, and motherboards that support it are too. Last I had checked DDR4 and the board and chipset that supported it were quite expensive.
How much of an actual improvement if you don't mind me asking is DDR4 over DDR3?
Also may I ask why you picked the 850 Evo over the 850 pro? From my research, the Pro is about 5 seconds faster in most cases with boot speed, and uses the latest technology with the board stacking, NAND3 I believe they called it."


Ya the DDR4 pricing has fallen pretty nicely in the past few weeks, always good news for us. Before Skylake/100 series PCH the only boards that supported DDR4 were the X79/X99 boards and yep they are pricey, even today. This new CPU/PCH from Intel sort of brings DDR4 into the mainstream as from this point on most everything will be using it. The LGA 1151 boards did take a bump in pricing over the LGA 1150 boards but not that much, they are still alot cheaper than the 2011v3 boards thankfully. When comparing DDR3/DDR4 of the same spec there is really no difference of performance, but DDR4 will reach speeds that DDR3 won't. And that is where we are going or should I say already there so why not build with it instead of the memory that has seen it's day, longevity and that sort of thing.

The EVO is a bit cheaper and I don't think anyone could tell the difference in the real world of normal use unless they sat around and ran benchmarks all day. The difference between them is pretty small but as you say the PRO is faster, the difference between most all mid to high end SSDs is pretty small really. If you can find a PRO at a good price then go for it as it's a great drive. The storage world is going through some interesting changes right about now with the introduction of PCIe drives that make even the very fastest SATA drive look like a HDD. I wonder why the MB makers are not adding a U.2. interface to their boards (basically a M.2. that cables to a 2.5" drive instead of a small card), Samsung has already came out with one but not with the NVMe protocol, just PCIe 3.0 x 4.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/9650/samsung-announces-950-pro-ssd-their-first-consumer-vnand-nvme-ssd

About that ASUS Z170-A, I just picked that one because of the name and pricing and I read a review on it, I have not read a lot of reviews yet as they are still pretty new. But the ones I have say good things about all of them so far, they all do what they say and are pretty stable for OCing. So you may want to do a bit of research on your MB to find the one that is right for you. They all look really great I think, seems we have finally gotten away from racing red for the top end stuff, even the ROG boards have went in a different direction. It looks like you can stay under $200 and get a great board from whoever you chose.

PS: Could you point me to the link where you read a 850 PRO boots 5 seconds faster than the EVO? That just does not seems right for some reason.....


Here is a guy that has a lot to say about some Z170 gaming boards, pretty short and to the point perhaps worth a look see....

Best 1151 Z170 Skylake Gaming Motherboards for the Money 2015
http://www.anandtech.com/show/9485/intel-skylake-z170-motherboards-asrock-asus-gigabyte-msi-ecs-evga-supermicro
http://www.toptengamer.com/skylake-gaming-pc/



Intel Skylake Z170 Motherboards: A Quick Look at 55+ New Products
by Ian Cutress on August 5, 2015 7:59 AM EST
http://www.anandtech.com/show/9485/intel-skylake-z170-motherboards-asrock-asus-gigabyte-msi-ecs-evga-supermicro

You may have already seen these but maybe not, Anandtech has review a few boards now and does a good job, that is where I read the ASUS review.

Well thanks for all that information. Always nice to learn more. Still have a lot to learn myself. Lots.
As for the link about the Pro being 5 seconds faster, I believe a lot of people on the reviews section for newegg that had the evo were saying that it was between 3 - 5 seconds faster. That was months ago though, so I might be a bit inaccurate. Might have to look up actual benchmark comparisons. It only appealed to be because of higher speeds, and after like 10 years of crappy computers that could barely do any games, I want to try and get the fastest stuff I can at the best prices I can, within my range.
And if you don't mind me asking, for costs, is buying certain parts used fine? I know it probably wouldn't be for a PSU, maybe not even for a mobo, but I'd like to know. From research, I get different opinions, except for RAM, where people generally say that it doesn't really wear out unless you heavily abuse it.

 

[endeavour37a]

I don't really buy used parts but there is nothing wrong with looking for good deals. Not sure how the warranties would work, and of course their is always a question about how good the part is your getting, worth looking into I guess. If I had the money and planned on having something for a long time I would get new to make sure the warranties were good parts not abused, just me.

About the SSD stuff, I would suggest a 250GB EVO drive, a 120Gb is going to fill up pretty fast, the EVO is cheaper than the PRO, you won't be able to tell the difference in performance. 5 year vs 10 year warranty, it's not worth the extra money, if you get 5 years out of it you got your money's worth. And by 2021 SATA will be pretty much a dead end, everything will be on PCIe anyway.

NE pricing right now.....
120 EVO $67.99
128 PRO $89.99
250 EVO $89.99
256 PRO $139.99

The good buy is the 250GB EVO.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147359
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA1J22CK9323
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147372
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147360

 

[TheGameAce]

I don't really buy used parts but there is nothing wrong with looking for good deals. Not sure how the warranties would work, and of course their is always a question about how good the part is your getting, worth looking into I guess. If I had the money and planned on having something for a long time I would get new to make sure the warranties were good parts not abused, just me.

About the SSD stuff, I would suggest a 250GB EVO drive, a 120Gb is going to fill up pretty fast, the EVO is cheaper than the PRO, you won't be able to tell the difference in performance. 5 year vs 10 year warranty, it's not worth the extra money, if you get 5 years out of it you got your money's worth. And by 2021 SATA will be pretty much a dead end, everything will be on PCIe anyway.

NE pricing right now.....
120 EVO $67.99
128 PRO $89.99
250 EVO $89.99
256 PRO $139.99

The good buy is the 250GB EVO.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147359
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA1J22CK9323
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147372
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147360

Ok, guess I'll go with the Evo. *Edit* Removed what I was gonna say, since I scrolled up and noticed the answer.
I will ask one last thing though; Is Windows 8.1 really faster for games, or is 7 the exact same in speed?

 

[endeavour37a]

I would go as far as to say if you sat down on 2 identical machines one with EVO and the other with PRO I bet $100 you would not be able to tell me which was which after 2 hours on each. Same could be said between an I5 and i7 in gaming, you would not be able to notice any difference, PCIe 3.0 is twice as fast as 2.0, plug an Titian X in to either one and you would not be able to tell which one is faster.

With that said, I can tell you really want a PRO, then you should get one because that is what you want. Yet doubling your capacity for the same dollars on a really fast drive (the EVO is faster then most SSDs on the market) is to me a no brainier, confused yet . It's your money and your machine, do what is going to make you happy in the long run.

I could not answer that question as I have never ran 8 or 8.1 and don't bother to read anything about them because I am not interested in either one. I would suggest 7 or 10, why bother with 8? I can't tell any difference at all between 7 Home and 10 Pro, they seem about the same to me. Not much help here, perhaps start another thread.