First *ever* Build! Any Suggestions or Improvements?

[smashbrethren]

Hey everyone! I'm putting together my first build. I was looking for a smaller tower, so went with a Micro-ATX. Have had minimal input from friends and lots of search engine mining to get this kit sorted out. I game fairly often (Steam, LoL, Fallout, etc) and like to work with digital media. My budget was around $1250 for everything!

DIYPC Cuboid-G Black USB 3.0 Gaming Micro-ATX Mid Tower Computer Case w/ 1 x 200mm LED Green Fan x Front, 1 x 120mm LED Green Fan x Rear ($55) **** Will be ditching the optical drive bay in favor of more space for my gpu as recommended by others who have bought this case. ****

EVGA SuperNOVA 650 G1 120-G1-0650-XR 80+ GOLD 650W Fully Modular Includes FREE Power On Self Tester Power Supply ($80)

ASRock H170M Pro4S LGA 1151 Intel H170 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard ($90)

Intel Core i7-6700 8M Skylake Quad-Core 3.4 GHz LGA 1151 65W BX80662I76700 Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 530 ($305)

SAPPHIRE NITRO+ Radeon RX 480 100406NT+8GOCL 8GB 256-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card ($280)

G.SKILL Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM DDR4 3200 (PC4 25600) Intel Z170 Platform Desktop Memory Model F4-3200C16D-16GVRB ($85)

SAMSUNG 850 EVO M.2 250GB SATA III 3-D Vertical Internal SSD Single Unit Version MZ-N5E250BW ($95)

Seagate Constellation ES ST1000NM0011 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Enterprise Hard Drive Bare Drive ($58)

TP-LINK TL-WDN4800 Dual Band Wireless N900 PCI Express Adapter, 2.4 GHz 450 Mbps / 5 GHz 450 Mbps, IEEE 802.1a/b/g/n, WEP / WPA / WPA2 ($40)

And that all puts me around $1100. Am I making any pc faux pas, or does anyone have any ideas of how to improve the build without impacting cost too much?

Thank you all, in advance! ^-^;;

 

[dragonoar]

IMO the i7-6700 is overkill with an RX 480.
You can replace the CPU with an i3/i5 to minimize the cost, or you can get a 1070/1080 so your CPU won't be wasted.

 

[King Dranzer]

Here is the list:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($227.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus Z170-A ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($150.88 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2800 Memory ($78.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($88.48 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.49 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 1070 8GB Video Card ($424.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair RMx 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Wireless Network Adapter: Asus PCE-N15 PCI-Express x1 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi Adapter ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1215.78
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-09-04 01:34 EDT-0400

 

[Chugalug_]

Will you be overclocking OP?
Also @Dranzer, 2800MHz RAM for gaming is pointless, save some cash.
The case is also overpriced, get an S340 instead OP.

 

[Chugalug_]

Here you go.
Includes a better value PSU, a nicer case, one more TB of storage and the same performance as Dranzer's build for $100 less.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($227.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170-HD3 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($100.66 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($63.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($88.48 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB SC GAMING Video Card ($409.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black/Red) ATX Mid Tower Case ($64.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($53.99 @ Amazon)
Wireless Network Adapter: Asus PCE-N15 PCI-Express x1 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi Adapter ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1122.06
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-09-04 02:49 EDT-0400

 

[King Dranzer]

Here you go.
Includes a better value PSU, a nicer case, one more TB of storage and the same performance as Dranzer's build for $100 less.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($227.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170-HD3 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($100.66 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($63.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($88.48 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB SC GAMING Video Card ($409.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black/Red) ATX Mid Tower Case ($64.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($53.99 @ Amazon)
Wireless Network Adapter: Asus PCE-N15 PCI-Express x1 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi Adapter ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1122.06
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-09-04 02:49 EDT-0400

There is practically no reason to go for cheap PSU like that for $1200 budget. Going for that PSU at low end builds like $750 or $800 is completely meaningful but at $1200 I wouldn't go with even EVGA NEX G series.

And where in the world did you get a EVGA GTX1070 for $409. How could I have missed it I think I should get some sleep or I will go crazy.

RAM and case good choice.

 

[Chugalug_]

Dranzer, it is NOT a cheap PSU, it is a very high quality unit that has a muti-rail setup, japanese capacitors and a 5 year warranty.
Please do your research before bashing on it. :/
Just because budget is there to be spent, it doesn't mean it is the best choice TO actually spend it.
Sure, you could go for the RMx 750w for $30 more, but it is unnecessary in a single card setup, and there is not much point SLIing 1070s, because you might as well go single 1080 and get the same performance at that point.

The 1070 is the EVGA 1070 SC black edition selling on Newegg.
If you have any other better value options i'm all ears!

 

[dragonoar]

^If you ask people around here, they'll avoid the CX series and recommend something else.
True story I had a CX600 which broke months ago (I was using ONLY GTX 950)

 

[Chugalug_]

dragoar, it is not the CX series, nor the old CXM series.
It is an updated CXM model which released this year with high quality components, and it is a great value option.
The CX series isn't very good.

 

[smashbrethren]

Here you go.
Includes a better value PSU, a nicer case, one more TB of storage and the same performance as Dranzer's build for $100 less.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($227.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170-HD3 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($100.66 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($63.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($88.48 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB SC GAMING Video Card ($409.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black/Red) ATX Mid Tower Case ($64.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($53.99 @ Amazon)
Wireless Network Adapter: Asus PCE-N15 PCI-Express x1 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi Adapter ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1122.06
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-09-04 02:49 EDT-0400

No plans to overclock. I am also fairly sold on the case that I've chosen. I don't want a huge footprint for this PC, hence the micro-ATX build and the case is just plain adorable. Though if I could find one with onboard LED controls, that'd be pretty nifty, and could sway my girly need for some kind of cuteness!

I will likely be swapping the M.2 SSD for the Samsung Evo, and I like the lower latency and timings of the memory you both recommended, so that's swapped too! Now down to $1077!

As for the GPU/CPU thing, I understand that my graphics card for the time being will bottle neck my CPU, but the plan is to save up for a better GPU, hopefully more towards the holidays. I just need something to fill the gap in between!

 

[majdkhou]

No plans to overclock. I am also fairly sold on the case that I've chosen. I don't want a huge footprint for this PC, hence the micro-ATX build and the case is just plain adorable. Though if I could find one with onboard LED controls, that'd be pretty nifty, and could sway my girly need for some kind of cuteness!

I will likely be swapping the M.2 SSD for the Samsung Evo, and I like the lower latency and timings of the memory you both recommended, so that's swapped too! Now down to $1077!

As for the GPU/CPU thing, I understand that my graphics card for the time being will bottle neck my CPU, but the plan is to save up for a better GPU, hopefully more towards the holidays. I just need something to fill the gap in between!

Bruh, trust me I've built this PC 2 weeks ago and bought it and I have some regrets : http://pcpartpicker.com/list/MCjJf8
If you truly want the best and cheapest here's what I would suggest for you : http://pcpartpicker.com/list/RbHC6X (My advice just lend 200$-300$ extra over your budget from your parents or something and get it ready and save some money and don't trouble your self getting another GPU later and getting a bad one now)
If you're into heavy stuff : http://pcpartpicker.com/list/CfZNcc
And if you wanted micro stuff:
http://pcpartpicker.com/list/CZmwcc (CPU Fan)
http://pcpartpicker.com/list/7yNd9W (Liquid Cooling)

 

[Chugalug_]

Agreed, that case is terrible, get the Corsair N200 instead. :/
I've so included a basic air cooler to make sure temps don't get toasty after long periods of use, as can happen with the stock fan.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($198.88 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: ARCTIC Alpine 11 GT Rev. 2 28.6 CFM CPU Cooler ($9.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H170M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($79.62 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($63.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($88.48 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($67.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB SC GAMING Video Card ($409.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($42.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($53.99 @ Amazon)
Wireless Network Adapter: Asus PCE-N15 PCI-Express x1 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi Adapter ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1032.80
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-09-04 17:43 EDT-0400

 

[majdkhou]

Agreed, that case is terrible, get the Corsair N200 instead. :/
I've so included a basic air cooler to make sure temps don't get toasty after long periods of use, as can happen with the stock fan.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($198.88 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: ARCTIC Alpine 11 GT Rev. 2 28.6 CFM CPU Cooler ($9.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H170M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($79.62 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($63.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($88.48 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($67.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB SC GAMING Video Card ($409.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($42.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($53.99 @ Amazon)
Wireless Network Adapter: Asus PCE-N15 PCI-Express x1 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi Adapter ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1032.80
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-09-04 17:43 EDT-0400

@smashbrethren
This seems perfect, I would advise getting that PSU but 600watts incase you wanted to drop in a future SSD or something like that and that's all, you're ready!

 

[Chugalug_]

SSDs and HDDs only take up a few watts, and this system will draw about 450-500 most of the time anyway.

 

[g-unit1111]

DIYPC Cuboid-G Black USB 3.0 Gaming Micro-ATX Mid Tower Computer Case w/ 1 x 200mm LED Green Fan x Front, 1 x 120mm LED Green Fan x Rear ($55) **** Will be ditching the optical drive bay in favor of more space for my gpu as recommended by others who have bought this case. ****

I'm not a big fan of that brand, and I think whoever told you that doesn't know what they are talking about. I had a Define R4 and took out the 3.5" drive bays and I didn't see any difference between having them in, vs. not having them in.

Oh and do not, repeat - do not buy Arctic CPU coolers, they are about the absolute worst you can get, and definitely no better than the stock cooler. A $10 cooler? You are better off going with stock cooling.

 

[USAFRet]

Agreed, that case is terrible, get the Corsair N200 instead. :/
I've so included a basic air cooler to make sure temps don't get toasty after long periods of use, as can happen with the stock fan.

Why would you specify that crap cooler fan? That is $10 wasted, on a part that is worse than stock.

 

[smashbrethren]

Thank you, everyone, for your help!! I am very happy with the suggestions and improvements you all have given me!

Lots to consider!

 

[logainofhades]

Have you considered a mini-itx, for a smaller footprint?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($198.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG M9i 48.4 CFM CPU Cooler ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI H110I PRO AC Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard ($88.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($63.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX300 275GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($73.98 @ Directron)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($67.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1070 8GB Mini ITX OC Video Card ($384.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Thermaltake Core V1 Mini ITX Tower Case ($42.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($65.13 @ Amazon)
Total: $1007.03
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-09-06 06:44 EDT-0400

 

[Chugalug_]

Agreed, that case is terrible, get the Corsair N200 instead. :/
I've so included a basic air cooler to make sure temps don't get toasty after long periods of use, as can happen with the stock fan.

Why would you specify that crap cooler fan? That is $10 wasted, on a part that is worse than stock.

Well really, it's a little better than the stock cooler and helps to keep temps a little lower than the stock cooler over long periods of time.
It is not meant to have insane cooling performance, it is a more silence oriented cooler, and even though it's temps are pretty meh compared to stuff you can get for another 10, I still think it's a better choice over the stock cooler for the temperature improvements and acoustics.
Edit: I put the wrong cooler in!
Meant to put this in as it is on sale atm and was a good deal.
Entirely my bad, the arctic GT 11 rev 2 is terrible.
http://pcpartpicker.com/product/6yMFf7/zalman-cpu-cooler-cnps5xperforma

 

[Chugalug_]

Edited build due to my extreme incompetence in pressing the right button.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($198.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Zalman CNPS5X Performa CPU Cooler ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B150M-DS3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($63.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($63.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: A-Data Premier SP550 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($58.98 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($67.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB SC GAMING Video Card ($429.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Zalman Z3 Plus ATX Mid Tower Case ($35.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($53.99 @ Amazon)
Wireless Network Adapter: Asus PCE-N15 PCI-Express x1 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi Adapter ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1005.87
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-09-06 07:32 EDT-0400