Custom PC Opinions

[nbe412]

I'm building a PC that l will use for light gaming, and other everyday tasks.I need it to last me a long time, and it must be upgradeable for a long while. Please be brutally honest, and don't hesitate to give me a totally new build if mine sucks. If you change a component, please give an explanation as to why you did that.
Thanks!
Build: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/p7FHCJ

 

[Suztera]

If you plan to upgrade your graphic card in the future, get a decent psu first else you would have to get a psu when you want to upgrade to a more demanding gpu.

Theses are decent psu and ideally the minimum you should spend.
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-power-supply-p1550sxxb9
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-power-supply-110b20750vr

 

[ComputerSecurityGuy]

It's alright. But if you want to upgrade later get a better PSU (although for $9 after promo, you could probably justify the Tier 4 (I think it was) power supply, just expect to have to replace it if you get a better GPU.

 

[USAFRet]

Change the SSD. That particular model has issues.
And if that is to be the only drive in the system, 120GB is too small.

 

[envy14tpe]

Same price, but with better components.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper TX3 54.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($16.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97-D3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($79.05 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: OCZ ARC 100 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($41.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB TWIN FROZR Video Card ($104.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: NZXT S340 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($54.40 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($23.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $531.38

 

[JonnyDough]

For what you're trying to build a 430w or 500w would probably be sufficient. 750w is overkill for most systems. The key here is to try to get the most bang for your buck by building a balanced system. That takes some experience, which half the posters here lack. I own 12 gaming systems. Most are overclocked. I don't think the 750TI is a very good card for it's cost when you consider you can get a card almost twice as powerful for $50 more. I also don't think you need a $50 case, a $30 case will suit you fine if you're on a budget. The OCZ drives have had some issues in the past, and 120GB's fills up pretty quick. Kingston Drives are known to be pretty solid. I own two and have had no issues yet. You might be just as well served with a Western Digital Blue 1TB drive though. A bit slower but most of the time you won't really notice much. The EVGA PSU he listed is good though. Not a bad cost at all if the shipping is free.

 

[nbe412]

Same price, but with better components.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper TX3 54.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($16.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97-D3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($79.05 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: OCZ ARC 100 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($41.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB TWIN FROZR Video Card ($104.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: NZXT S340 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($54.40 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($23.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $531.38

What is the difference beween the i5 4590 and the i5 6600? Isn't the 6600 better?

 

[dark_lord69]

That 120 GB drive will fill up fairly fast, I'd go with a 240 - 250 GB drive. I got one (240GB) for $60 yesterday at best buy.
Also, when it comes time to upgrade your video card. You may decide you want one that consumes a lot more power. I'd suggest a 550-600W power supply, to ensure you can upgrade to any video card you decide to upgrade to without having to upgrade the power supply as well.

Also, Yes, the 6600 is faster than the 4590. Not sure why envy14tpe chose that one. Also, when it comes to future upgrading possibility you should not choose the older 1150 socket that he has chosen.

 

[JonnyDough]

If you're building new, go with a system that uses DDR4 and get yourself some cheap but fairly fast RAM.

 

[envy14tpe]

The i5-6600 is slightly better, but is it $25 better? nah. Same goes for DDR4. We thought there would be a big jump but that isn't true. Going with a DDR3 architecture saves another $25. This $50 can go towards a better PSU or even a 240gb SSD. Those are more important than the latest CPU.

I'm assuming you are on budget. If not then yes get DDR4 + i5-6600. However, I you should have at least a 520W PSU and it really is nice to have a 240gb SSD.

 

[JonnyDough]

The reason I told him to go with DDR4 is not because it offers more performance, but it will also have more resale value and more future use. If you're building a new system, may as well go with newer technology - if not, you may as well buy used.

 

[envy14tpe]

The reason I told him to go with DDR4 is not because it offers more performance, but it will also have more resale value and more future use. If you're building a new system, may as well go with newer technology - if not, you may as well buy used.

Resale? RAM? The DDR3 RAM sells for $30. That's so cheap. Even in 4 years you could probably sell it for $10 or less. But really, at that price being able to use great quality RAM that has essentially the same performance as DDR4 at almost half the cost....

Don't get me wrong. I like new tech, but there is a certain price that it isn't worth buying new. Would you pay $400usd for a i5-6600 if you could get a i5-4690k for $200? Point is there are diminishing returns. It is ok to pay more for new tech assuming it is priced right. Given the price of Haswell and DDR3 I think sticking with Haswell is a wiser buy. Performance is nearly identical to Skylake and will last many years without limitations.

Take me for example. If I do sell my i5-2500k and mobo I wouldn't expect much for it, but would happily take what I can get. Having used it for almost 4 years, it was well spent money. However, I'll probably keep it to make a HTPC or something else.

 

[JonnyDough]

Because on his next platform he may be able to use the RAM. If not, he can sell it and still reclaim some of it's value. Old vs new makes little difference, you end up saving on energy costs, get more features, and you just made your own point moot. He could keep his DDR4 build and use it for something else like an HTPC. Thanks for making my point.