Final thoughts on Gaming/business Rig

[chrisj8303]

Hello all,

The time has come to order the parts for my new PC. I did get advice a little over a month ago but decided to wait because I went out of town for a few weeks on business and I wanted to see if I could benefit from the holiday sales on top of it. Thanks to anyone that takes the time to read my post even if you don't respond.


Approximate Purchase Date: today and/or tomorrow


Budget Range: Would like to stay around $1500 but don't mind spending an extra hundred or two if it makes a big difference. Also don't mind saving a few bucks if you think something is too much.


System Usage: gaming, business, video editing or any other task I may want to toss at this thing in the future.


Are you buying a monitor: No


Parts to Upgrade: MOBO, case, CPU and fan, PSU, GPU, SSD, RAM, blu ray drive


Do you need to buy OS: No, have a retail copy of Win 7


Preferred Website(s) for Parts: anything trust worthy. Note: I have Amazon Prime if that helps save any cash


Location: Augusta, GA 30907


Parts Preferences: would like Intel’s newest socket and I've have had good luck with Asus but I'm not picky


Overclocking: Maybe


SLI or Crossfire: maybe in the future


Your Monitor Resolution: using a 1080p 42in TV at moment but will be upgrading to 4k shortly


Additional Comments: I would like it on the quite side and I was trying to stick with a black and red color scheme, along with a window on the side of the case

Here is what I came up with...

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/ZHmWFT

 

[cleanshot911]

Well I have plenty of things to say about this, some good some bad. You made some good decisions, for instance that's a great SSD and I'm pretty sure that Cyber Monday deals have lowered the price significantly so you should hop on that today if you can, and the RAM is just great, as is the processor, along with the gpu. However improvements can be made. For instance the power supply is horrible quality, do not get Corsair's CX psus, they are poorly made with cheap capacitors. You should go with a more popular cpu cooler I think, nothing wrong with the one you chose, but I know of some others that have high praise for good reason. As for storage, if 500GB is enough for you that's great, but I'd suggest getting a big old hard drive to go with it. I'd also suggest a different case. If you like that one you can get it, but at that price point I'd suggest the Fractal Design Define R4. If you're willing to spend a bit more though go for the R5, it has notable improvements. As for the gpu, a gtx 980ti is a bit overkill for 1080p, but if you intend to upgrade to 4k soon, you'll need two of em. So if you want to game maxed out at 4k someday you'll need two gtx 980tis and a power supply that can power them, at least 850 watts, preferably 1000 watts. So I'd suggest the build below. It's excellent, all of the parts are high quality. The motherboard you chose is a bit overkill for what you intend to do, so I'd get a cheaper one if I were you, but this build is great price per performance, it'll do pretty much whatever you want. If you're willing to buy a second gtx 980ti this build would be unstoppable even at 4k.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/gmnwdC
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/gmnwdC/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($184.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($30.99 @ Newegg)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5g Thermal Paste ($4.63 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170MX-Gaming 5 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($129.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Hitachi Deskstar 7K2000 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($58.50 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB STRIX Video Card ($639.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 Blackout ATX Mid Tower Case ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 1050W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($52.99 @ B&H)
Total: $1482.04
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-29 16:24 EST-0500

 

[chrisj8303]

Sadly I already have the PSU which was why I went with it but if it's that bad I could return it. I got it not too long ago so I could limp an older system along for the time being. Again I don't think it's too late to return it but that does mean shipping it back to Amazon. What do you think?

I went for the higher end Mobo in hopes of getting better performance, possibly more room to upgrade down the road, and longer life, but if you think it's too much and or my views are flawed then I'll take your word on that.

As for the GPU, can I do some 4k gaming at mid range settings or would I still need 2 cards? Also I found a better price on the GTX 980 and was thinking of going with it instead to save a few bucks. It's priced at $599 after mail-in rebate.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487142

I picked the case because of the design and the whole black/red thing it had going but again if it's not quality looks don't mean a thing.

I have a 2TB HDD I plan to use in the build and Arctic Silver thermal paste so I'm covered there, thank you for point those out though and thank you for your thoughts and amazingly fast response!

Chris

 

[cleanshot911]

Your welcome. If you'd be willing to I would return the psu and buy the one I suggested. You don't have to if you don't want to, but it really is quite a low quality psu that certainly doesn't belong in such a high quality build. As for the mobo, it certainly is high quality, but having an excellent mobo like that doesn't really impact longevity or upgrade ability, it only impacts performance, usually only in reference to how well a system overclocks, so if you don't intend to overclock, you should most certainly get the one I suggested. As for the gpu I would not suggest getting a gtx 980. There's a big difference in performance between the gtx 980 and the gtx 980ti, and compared to the price the gtx 980ti is definitely worth it. With one gtx 980ti you most certainly could get away with playing games at medium settings at 4k. You wouldn't be able to with a gtx 980. As for the case you should just get whatever you case you want, cases are generally very subjective. As long as everything fits in it get whatever chassis you want (But just so you know the cpu cooler I chose is not compatible with the case you want, and I can't find a cheap one that does fit it definitely so it's up to you). With all of these things in mind this is the build I would suggest for you. I played with the budget a bit and was able to get you one of the best psus, cpu coolers, and gpus on the market. A nice motherboard with matching ram and cpu, it's all red and black themed, with a good case to go with it, everything's compatible, and it's a very nice red and black theme, it's a great build overall.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/dbhdZL
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/dbhdZL/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($192.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock 3 67.8 CFM Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU Cooler ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5g Thermal Paste ($4.63 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI Z170A GAMING M5 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Video Card ($639.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($64.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: Corsair 860W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($144.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($52.99 @ B&H)
Total: $1500.54
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-29 17:24 EST-0500

 

[chrisj8303]

Ok I'll talk to Amazon about returning the PSU. The 860 should be good if I add another GTX 980ti down the road or should I just bump up to the 1000W? Also if you saw any cases that fit the whole Red & Black theme but cost a more please let me know and I'll take a look.

I'll take your suggestion on the Mobo as I'm not as concerned with overclocking.

As for the GPU, the one I posted the link to is a gtx 980ti, I just got lazy when I typed up the response and left that part off. Sorry, my bad on that one. Here is the description from newegg.

EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 06G-P4-4995-KR 6GB SC+ GAMING w/ACX 2.0+, Whisper Silent Cooling w/ Free Installed Backplate Graphics Card

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487142

Other than that I should be ready to order. Again thank you so much for your time and assistance!! I really appreciate it!

Chris

 

[cleanshot911]

860 watts is plenty for two gtx 980tis. Your system, if you didn't overclock ti, with two gtx 980tis, would use up about 660 watts, so 860 watts is a safe wattage to get for a psu. If you'd like to save about $50-$70 you could get an EVGA G2 850w psu then that would be very high quality as well, but it's up to you they're both fine, but the Corsair AX series truly is excellent, plus it's red and black which matches your theme, and has platinum efficiency. You'd be fine with the EVGA gtx 980ti you found as well. For $600 that's a good deal, go ahead and grab it if you like it'd do just fine. Just know that if you sli two graphics cards they have to be the same model of gpu, so you'd have to get a second card of that model later on if you wanted to sli two gtx 980tis, just keep that in mind. As for a nice case that's red and black themed, I guess you could go with the Corsiar Spec-01 it's actually cheaper than the one I suggested and it's red themed, I just prefer Corsair's 300R. Here's a link: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-case-spec01redled

 

[Tyler Hammond]

860 watts is plenty for two gtx 980tis. Your system, if you didn't overclock ti, with two gtx 980tis, would use up about 660 watts, so 860 watts is a safe wattage to get for a psu. If you'd like to save about $50-$70 you could get an EVGA G2 850w psu then that would be very high quality as well, but it's up to you they're both fine, but the Corsair AX series truly is excellent, plus it's red and black which matches your theme, and has platinum efficiency. You'd be fine with the EVGA gtx 980ti you found as well. For $600 that's a good deal, go ahead and grab it if you like it'd do just fine. Just know that if you sli two graphics cards they have to be the same model of gpu, so you'd have to get a second card of that model later on if you wanted to sli two gtx 980tis, just keep that in mind. As for a nice case that's red and black themed, I guess you could go with the Corsiar Spec-01 it's actually cheaper than the one I suggested and it's red themed, I just prefer Corsair's 300R. Here's a link: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-case-spec01redled

If you plan on overclocking down the road, you will not be able to overclock that processor, but you would be able to overclock the I5-6600K processor. If you don't want to overclock then the processor you have now will do just fine.

 

[chrisj8303]

Thanks again the the help Cleanshot911.

Thank you Tyler for your input as well. I don't really plan to do any overclocking but will make sure to pick up the proper CPU in the future if I do.

Chris

 

[chrisj8303]

In case you wanted to see what I decided on, here you go... I did stick with the original CPU fan that I picked because I liked the style and it has good reviews overall. Can't thank you enough for the help.

Cheers,
Chris

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/RLM2Jx
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/RLM2Jx/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($192.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Zalman CNPS9900MAX-R CPU Cooler ($42.50 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI Z170A GAMING M5 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Superclocked+ ACX 2.0+ Video Card ($679.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair SPEC-02 ATX Mid Tower Case ($55.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair 860W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($144.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($52.99 @ B&H)
Total: $1509.42
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-29 20:50 EST-0500

 

[cleanshot911]

Looks good, I'd love to know how it runs when you get it put together.