First custom build

[The6MileMan]

This is my first time building a gaming pc and im not sure if its high quality or not can you guys give me some insight on it and tell me if its good for gaming and the parts work well together?

CPU - Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($175)
(For the cooler im just going to use the fan that it comes with)
Motherboard - MSI Z97 GAMING 5 ATX LGA1150 ($130)
RAM - Corsair Vengeance Pro 16 GB (2x8GB) DDR3 - 1600 memory ($96)
Hard Drive - Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($50)
Video Card - MSI GeForce GTX 960 4GB (i believe $200)
Case - DIYPC Skyline-07-R ATX Full Tower Case
Power Supply - EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply
Optical Drive - Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($20)

Windows 8 64Bit

My video card is the OC edition. I've already bought the case motherboard and video card.
My budget for the rest is about $400 but can go up to $500 if necessary

 

[g-unit1111]

You have all previous generation components. I'd return that motherboard and GPU if you can - a 1060 is a much better purchase than a 960, and a i5-6500 is a much better purchase than an i5-4460. What is your maximum budget?

 

[Herc08]

Well unless you are trying to overclock, you don't need that Z97 board. Also, you wouldn't be able to do it anyway consider you do not have a K CPU. I would recommend looking into a B85 or H81 motherboard, as one, it will save money, and two wouldn't be pointless. Now, you could keep the z97 for an upgrade path, but upgrading within the Haswell line isn't really beneficial, unless you plan on getting an i7 one day.

Unless you are going for a color scheme there are some cheaper 16GB RAM kits that are cheaper than $96. Your PSU is fine for now. MAny will say grab a SuperNOVA or something better, but I don't see you using a lot of power. So you should be fine there.

For GPU, you can get the RX 480 4GB or GTX 1060 3GB for around the same price. It will give you better performance. Other than that, it ain't too shabby.

 

[The6MileMan]

You have all previous generation components. I'd return that motherboard and GPU if you can - a 1060 is a much better purchase than a 960, and a i5-6500 is a much better purchase than an i5-4460. What is your maximum budget?

My maximum budget is $900 but id like to keep the motherboard and video card

 

[The6MileMan]

Well unless you are trying to overclock, you don't need that Z97 board. Also, you wouldn't be able to do it anyway consider you do not have a K CPU. I would recommend looking into a B85 or H81 motherboard, as one, it will save money, and two wouldn't be pointless. Now, you could keep the z97 for an upgrade path, but upgrading within the Haswell line isn't really beneficial, unless you plan on getting an i7 one day.

Unless you are going for a color scheme there are some cheaper 16GB RAM kits that are cheaper than $96. Your PSU is fine for now. MAny will say grab a SuperNOVA or something better, but I don't see you using a lot of power. So you should be fine there.

For GPU, you can get the RX 480 4GB or GTX 1060 3GB for around the same price. It will give you better performance. Other than that, it ain't too shabby.

Im really going for the color scheme, could you recommend me a better processor for this build? Also would this make it where i need to get a cpu cooler?

 

[Herc08]

You have all previous generation components. I'd return that motherboard and GPU if you can - a 1060 is a much better purchase than a 960, and a i5-6500 is a much better purchase than an i5-4460. What is your maximum budget?

My maximum budget is $900 but id like to keep the motherboard and video card

If that's the case, and you REALLY want to keep the board, then it should work. Again, these are just recommendations. Nothing needs to be change in order for it to work properly.

 

[g-unit1111]

Unless you are going for a color scheme there are some cheaper 16GB RAM kits that are cheaper than $96. Your PSU is fine for now. MAny will say grab a SuperNOVA or something better, but I don't see you using a lot of power. So you should be fine there.

Yeah you can definitely get much cheaper RAM, and I wouldn't pay that much for DDR3, when you can get DDR4-2133 for $80 in a 2 x 8GB configuration. And you can also get an H170 board for around the same price, and the i5-6500 is cheaper than the i5-4460.

 

[Herc08]

Well unless you are trying to overclock, you don't need that Z97 board. Also, you wouldn't be able to do it anyway consider you do not have a K CPU. I would recommend looking into a B85 or H81 motherboard, as one, it will save money, and two wouldn't be pointless. Now, you could keep the z97 for an upgrade path, but upgrading within the Haswell line isn't really beneficial, unless you plan on getting an i7 one day.

Unless you are going for a color scheme there are some cheaper 16GB RAM kits that are cheaper than $96. Your PSU is fine for now. MAny will say grab a SuperNOVA or something better, but I don't see you using a lot of power. So you should be fine there.

For GPU, you can get the RX 480 4GB or GTX 1060 3GB for around the same price. It will give you better performance. Other than that, it ain't too shabby.

Im really going for the color scheme, could you recommend me a better processor for this build? Also would this make it where i need to get a cpu cooler?

If you are keeping the board, not much can be change. Being that it is an i5, it should be fine. You do not need a cooler as the cooler is perfect.

 

[g-unit1111]

Im really going for the color scheme, could you recommend me a better processor for this build? Also would this make it where i need to get a cpu cooler?

I just sold my 4670K, otherwise I would definitely offer it here. The 4460 isn't bad but it is last generation. If you can get a 4690K that would be the best CPU you could buy for that board short of an i7. I have that same motherboard and it still works great. I really like MSI's BIOS, very easy to overclock and work basic functions on. I do think I would return the case though - those cases are generally not known for quality.

 

[The6MileMan]

Im really going for the color scheme, could you recommend me a better processor for this build? Also would this make it where i need to get a cpu cooler?

I just sold my 4670K, otherwise I would definitely offer it here. The 4460 isn't bad but it is last generation. If you can get a 4690K that would be the best CPU you could buy for that board short of an i7. I have that same motherboard and it still works great. I really like MSI's BIOS, very easy to overclock and work basic functions on. I do think I would return the case though - those cases are generally not known for quality.

I can get the 4690k but is the $20 increase from the 4670k worth it?
Also my CS professor told me that i7s aren't as good for gaming as i5s?

 

[Herc08]

Im really going for the color scheme, could you recommend me a better processor for this build? Also would this make it where i need to get a cpu cooler?

I just sold my 4670K, otherwise I would definitely offer it here. The 4460 isn't bad but it is last generation. If you can get a 4690K that would be the best CPU you could buy for that board short of an i7. I have that same motherboard and it still works great. I really like MSI's BIOS, very easy to overclock and work basic functions on. I do think I would return the case though - those cases are generally not known for quality.

I can get the 4690k but is the $20 increase from the 4670k worth it?
Also my CS professor told me that i7s aren't as good for gaming as i5s?

Your professor is a funny person. The i7 is not REQUIRED for gaming. But you will see a great benefit since you have more cores. Then if you get into streaming, that will help as well. Also, if you are going to spend $20 more, then go for it. You have the Z97 which allows for overclocking, for even MORE performance.

 

[The6MileMan]

Im really going for the color scheme, could you recommend me a better processor for this build? Also would this make it where i need to get a cpu cooler?

I just sold my 4670K, otherwise I would definitely offer it here. The 4460 isn't bad but it is last generation. If you can get a 4690K that would be the best CPU you could buy for that board short of an i7. I have that same motherboard and it still works great. I really like MSI's BIOS, very easy to overclock and work basic functions on. I do think I would return the case though - those cases are generally not known for quality.

I can get the 4690k but is the $20 increase from the 4670k worth it?
Also my CS professor told me that i7s aren't as good for gaming as i5s?

Your professor is a funny person. The i7 is not REQUIRED for gaming. But you will see a great benefit since you have more cores. Then if you get into streaming, that will help as well. Also, if you are going to spend $20 more, then go for it. You have the Z97 which allows for overclocking, for even MORE performance.

He also told me that if im looking to overclock my pc that I should get a better cpu cooler than the one that the cpu comes with, are you sure that a fan is enough?

 

[Herc08]

Im really going for the color scheme, could you recommend me a better processor for this build? Also would this make it where i need to get a cpu cooler?

I just sold my 4670K, otherwise I would definitely offer it here. The 4460 isn't bad but it is last generation. If you can get a 4690K that would be the best CPU you could buy for that board short of an i7. I have that same motherboard and it still works great. I really like MSI's BIOS, very easy to overclock and work basic functions on. I do think I would return the case though - those cases are generally not known for quality.

I can get the 4690k but is the $20 increase from the 4670k worth it?
Also my CS professor told me that i7s aren't as good for gaming as i5s?

Your professor is a funny person. The i7 is not REQUIRED for gaming. But you will see a great benefit since you have more cores. Then if you get into streaming, that will help as well. Also, if you are going to spend $20 more, then go for it. You have the Z97 which allows for overclocking, for even MORE performance.

He also told me that if im looking to overclock my pc that I should get a better cpu cooler than the one that the cpu comes with, are you sure that a fan is enough?

Well here's the thing. The CPU you picked comes with a stock cooler because it is a non-K variant. If you decide to go with a K, like the 4690K, then it DOES NOT come with a cooler. So in that case, I would recommend either the Hyper 212 EVO or Cryorig H7, both are under $35. A cooler is NEEDED when getting a K variant. It is NOT needed for a non-K variant. I hope that makes sense.

 

[g-unit1111]

I can get the 4690k but is the $20 increase from the 4670k worth it?
Also my CS professor told me that i7s aren't as good for gaming as i5s?

I'd say yes. That used to be true about i7s but is no longer the case. Multi-threaded games are becoming more and more of a thing, and what was once true about the i5 vs i7 is no longer the case. Especially 4K monitors and high end VR equipment like the HTC Vive are taking more advantage of higher end CPUs.

He also told me that if im looking to overclock my pc that I should get a better cpu cooler than the one that the cpu comes with, are you sure that a fan is enough?

Does he know an i5-4460 can't be overclocked? :lol:

 

[The6MileMan]

Im really going for the color scheme, could you recommend me a better processor for this build? Also would this make it where i need to get a cpu cooler?

I just sold my 4670K, otherwise I would definitely offer it here. The 4460 isn't bad but it is last generation. If you can get a 4690K that would be the best CPU you could buy for that board short of an i7. I have that same motherboard and it still works great. I really like MSI's BIOS, very easy to overclock and work basic functions on. I do think I would return the case though - those cases are generally not known for quality.

I can get the 4690k but is the $20 increase from the 4670k worth it?
Also my CS professor told me that i7s aren't as good for gaming as i5s?

Your professor is a funny person. The i7 is not REQUIRED for gaming. But you will see a great benefit since you have more cores. Then if you get into streaming, that will help as well. Also, if you are going to spend $20 more, then go for it. You have the Z97 which allows for overclocking, for even MORE performance.

He also told me that if im looking to overclock my pc that I should get a better cpu cooler than the one that the cpu comes with, are you sure that a fan is enough?

Well here's the thing. The CPU you picked comes with a stock cooler because it is a non-K variant. If you decide to go with a K, like the 4690K, then it DOES NOT come with a cooler. So in that case, I would recommend either the Hyper 212 EVO or Cryorig H7, both are under $35. A cooler is NEEDED when getting a K variant. It is NOT needed for a non-K variant. I hope that makes sense.

I'll get the Cryorig H7. Thanks that makes alot of sense

 

[The6MileMan]

I can get the 4690k but is the $20 increase from the 4670k worth it?
Also my CS professor told me that i7s aren't as good for gaming as i5s?

I'd say yes. That used to be true about i7s but is no longer the case. Multi-threaded games are becoming more and more of a thing, and what was once true about the i5 vs i7 is no longer the case. Especially 4K monitors and high end VR equipment like the HTC Vive are taking more advantage of higher end CPUs.

He also told me that if im looking to overclock my pc that I should get a better cpu cooler than the one that the cpu comes with, are you sure that a fan is enough?

Does he know an i5-4460 can't be overclocked? :lol:

Don't think he did. The reason he said that the i5 was better is because Windows doesn't use most of the i7s cores rendering them basically useless so you waste more money.

 

[g-unit1111]

Don't think he did. The reason he said that the i5 was better is because Windows doesn't use most of the i7s cores rendering them basically useless so you waste more money.

Something tells me he doesn't know what he is talking about. :lol:

The i5-6600K and i7-6700K are literally almost the exact same CPU, with the only differences being the threads.

 

[The6MileMan]

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

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($235.99 @ B&H)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI Z97-GAMING 5 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance Pro 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($95.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.78 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 960 4GB Video Card
Case: DIYPC Skyline-07-R ATX Full Tower Case ($98.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($48.89 @ OutletPC)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($18.88 @ OutletPC)
Total: $713.28
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-12-22 15:16 EST-0500

Updated build, should I look into getting another case or is this one DOABLE.

 

[g-unit1111]

Updated build, should I look into getting another case or is this one DOABLE.

It's doable, but you can get a Phanteks P400S or NZXT S340 for about $30 less and those are way better cases. In the same price range the Enthoo Pro is one of the best you can buy.

 

[Herc08]

It's doable. I prefer NZXT cases, but that's just me. It's all subjective really. Since $900 is your budget, I would invest in a 250GB or 500GB SSD for speed