Help With First PC Build (for college) - Compatibility, Better Choices, etc..

[yellhunter]

I will be going to college soon and I would like to build a suitable system to run a multitude of games on the highest settings as well as other programs, such as Autodesk Inventor, Sony Vegas, etc. Using "pcpartpicker.com" I have made a list of components, but my knowledge on this subject is relatively limited and I would greatly appreciate the help from others, specifically regarding the compatibility of the chosen parts and whether or not they are a good choice, versus something similar. One area in particular I am worried about is cooling. I would also like some guidance regarding the video card, mainly "Is it overkill? Should I get a 1070 instead?" The following is a list of all the parts I have chosen or you can view them directly from the website with this link: https://pcpartpicker.com/user/yellhunter/saved/#view=cQypgs. I would like to spend as little money as possible, I'm currently 17 and $2,000 is quite a lot, but I do want a powerful computer that will last and is upgradeable. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks - Hunter

CPU:
Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor
From parametric selection (show)
$319.99

CPU COOLER:
Corsair H60 54.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler
$49.99

MOTHERBOARD:
Asus Z170-A ATX LGA1151 Motherboard
$150.88

MEMORY:
G.Skill TridentZ Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory
$89.99

STORAGE:
Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
$88.48

Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
$93.49

VIDEO CARD:
Asus GeForce GTX 1080 8GB STRIX Video Card
$629.99

CASE:
Corsair SPEC-02 ATX Mid Tower Case
$59.99

POWER SUPPLY:
Corsair CXM 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply
$69.89

OPTICAL DRIVE:
LG WH14NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer
$40.98

OS:
Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit
$88.88

MONITOR:
Acer G257HU smidpx 25.0" 60Hz Monitor
$250.98

KEYBOARD:
Razer BlackWidow Chroma Wired Gaming Keyboard
$144.99

SPEAKERS:
Logitech Z313 25W 2.1ch Speakers
$34.99


TOTAL PRICE: $2,103.51

 

[turkey3_scratch]

So where are you living? In a small dorm or a large house? I just went to college and a big loud PC like this is an absolute no-no. This PC is going to need a lot of adjustments, once you answer those first two questions of mine.

 

[yellhunter]

So where are you living? In a small dorm or a large house? I just went to college and a big loud PC like this is an absolute no-no. This PC is going to need a lot of adjustments, once you answer those first two questions of mine.

I'm actually still in the application process with almost 10 different schools, but it is likely that I will be living in the dorm rooms on campus or possibly a small apartment nearby, depending on where I end up going. I'l admit I haven't considered the noise produced. That will definitely be something to consider.

 

[turkey3_scratch]

So where are you living? In a small dorm or a large house? I just went to college and a big loud PC like this is an absolute no-no. This PC is going to need a lot of adjustments, once you answer those first two questions of mine.

I'm actually still in the application process with almost 10 different schools, but it is likely that I will be living in the dorm rooms on campus or possibly a small apartment nearby, depending on where I end up going. I'l admit I haven't considered the noise produced. That will definitely be something to consider.

Let me tell you this. Sitting here inside a dorm room as I type this, you should really look into maybe a mini ITX build instead so it can actually fit in there without being a space hog.

I also may sounds like a bit of a budget killer, too, but I think a $1250 budget could also be good. The I7 will usually be unnecessary for gaming; a modern day I5 is all you need and with how slow CPUs progress should be fine for modern day games for some years to come.

The Corsair H60 (and other Corsair water coolers) have freaking loud fans. Hard drives can also get extremely noisy. Before I went to college, I optimized my computer to be very quiet. I got rid of my HDD and only used an SSD. I also installed Noctua fans and a Noctua CPU cooler. Now it is completely inaudible when idle and not too loud under load.

I was the same way; I was saying I was going to bring my big ATX computer to college; thank goodness the other guys on this forum convinced me not to. You can still get very good hardware in a very compact case, and a quiet computer, too.

Also, you could save money on the GPU; A GTX 1070 is like the perfect card for your resolution. That power supply will also need to be changed to a higher quality one but we'll do that last.

And maybe put some more money into better speakers? If you want the party room that is

 

[ComputerSecurityGuy]

That's a good point. You should definitely at least consider mini-ITX. Mini-ITX doesn't require many sacrifices these days, really only the two DIMM slots are a downside. But I might take the build in a different direction. How about this?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($252.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M-ITX/AC Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($82.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($60.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: A-Data Premier SP550 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($58.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($61.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1070 8GB Mini ITX OC Video Card ($385.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Thermaltake Core V1 Mini ITX Tower Case ($42.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 620W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($62.98 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($88.88 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Acer G257HU smidpx 25.0" 60Hz Monitor ($250.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1348.77
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-08-27 19:43 EDT-0400

 

[yellhunter]

So where are you living? In a small dorm or a large house? I just went to college and a big loud PC like this is an absolute no-no. This PC is going to need a lot of adjustments, once you answer those first two questions of mine.

I'm actually still in the application process with almost 10 different schools, but it is likely that I will be living in the dorm rooms on campus or possibly a small apartment nearby, depending on where I end up going. I'l admit I haven't considered the noise produced. That will definitely be something to consider.

Let me tell you this. Sitting here inside a dorm room as I type this, you should really look into maybe a mini ITX build instead so it can actually fit in there without being a space hog.

I also may sounds like a bit of a budget killer, too, but I think a $1250 budget could also be good. The I7 will usually be unnecessary for gaming; a modern day I5 is all you need and with how slow CPUs progress should be fine for modern day games for some years to come.

The Corsair H60 (and other Corsair water coolers) have freaking loud fans. Hard drives can also get extremely noisy. Before I went to college, I optimized my computer to be very quiet. I got rid of my HDD and only used an SSD. I also installed Noctua fans and a Noctua CPU cooler. Now it is completely inaudible when idle and not too loud under load.

I was the same way; I was saying I was going to bring my big ATX computer to college; thank goodness the other guys on this forum convinced me not to. You can still get very good hardware in a very compact case, and a quiet computer, too.

Also, you could save money on the GPU; A GTX 1070 is like the perfect card for your resolution. That power supply will also need to be changed to a higher quality one but we'll do that last.

And maybe put some more money into better speakers? If you want the party room that is

Thanks for helping me out. Your comments will probably save me a lot of money, heartache, and time. If you want to help some more, I'm sure I'll have a few more questions. I'm busy right now, but I'll start putting together a parts list for a quieter, perhaps smaller build very soon. For starters, do you have any recommendations? Such as a specific motherboard, i5 model, case, etc.? I'm not too worried about taking up space, but it's something to think about. The main reason I went with such a big build is that I assumed it would be easier for upgrades later on down the road, especially after I learned more about all this. I can always just put quiet components in a larger case and swap them out later. Another question, should I get involved with overclocking? I have zero experience with this but now might be a good time to learn as any. As far as the speakers go I don't need anything special, I just picked one of the cheapest options. When it matters, I'll be wearing a headset.

 

[turkey3_scratch]

I personally don't overclock; it used to be an enthusiast thing and still should be, but some people falsely assume everybody needs to overclock when that is not even close to true. An I5-6500id a great chip to pair with an H170 motherboard.

 

[yellhunter]

That's a good point. You should definitely at least consider mini-ITX. Mini-ITX doesn't require many sacrifices these days, really only the two DIMM slots are a downside. But I might take the build in a different direction. How about this?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($252.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M-ITX/AC Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($82.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($60.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: A-Data Premier SP550 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($58.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($61.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1070 8GB Mini ITX OC Video Card ($385.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Thermaltake Core V1 Mini ITX Tower Case ($42.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 620W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($62.98 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($88.88 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Acer G257HU smidpx 25.0" 60Hz Monitor ($250.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1348.77
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-08-27 19:43 EDT-0400

Thanks for the suggestions! This build looks much more optimized than mine and at about $400 less, it's impossible to ignore. Considering you've both told me to consider a smaller case I will probably go that route. My only worry with a smaller case like you suggested is not being able to upgrade in the future, such as more storage space, more ram (though I doubt I will ever need more than 16Gb), optical drives, or other miscellaneous upgrades.

 

[yellhunter]

I personally don't overclock; it used to be an enthusiast thing and still should be, but some people falsely assume everybody needs to overclock when that is not even close to true. An I5-6500id a great chip to pair with an H170 motherboard.

Thanks for taking the time to help me out. I started combining parts for a new pc this morning and it's been a little overwhelming. I'll definitely use your suggestions.

 

[turkey3_scratch]

Two drives should be plenty, which that case can hold. Only thing I'd change with that build above is change the power supply to one with a more shallow depth and with modular cables. It's too bad the Cooler Master V550 costs $100 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA1N84DK2551&nm_mc=KNC-GoogleMKP-PC&cm_mmc=KNC-GoogleMKP-PC-_-pla-_-Power+Supplies-_-9SIA1N84DK2551&gclid=Cj0KEQjw9IS-BRC4qZXagbLs6uMBEiQAYHBh--AXyCClmqpFUIix8axv5GGNtDHaqIu6DtJlz665TPQaAoT08P8HAQ&gclsrc=aw.ds because that's perfect.

But the new CX550M is a very good unit, too. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139147&cm_re=corsair_cx550m-_-17-139-147-_-Product Or the CX450M would also work fine.

I'll post back when I find the perfect one.

 

[ComputerSecurityGuy]

Two drives should be plenty, which that case can hold. Only thing I'd change with that build above is change the power supply to one with a more shallow depth and with modular cables. It's too bad the Cooler Master V550 costs $100 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA1N84DK2551&nm_mc=KNC-GoogleMKP-PC&cm_mmc=KNC-GoogleMKP-PC-_-pla-_-Power+Supplies-_-9SIA1N84DK2551&gclid=Cj0KEQjw9IS-BRC4qZXagbLs6uMBEiQAYHBh--AXyCClmqpFUIix8axv5GGNtDHaqIu6DtJlz665TPQaAoT08P8HAQ&gclsrc=aw.ds because that's perfect.

But the new CX550M is a very good unit, too. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139147&cm_re=corsair_cx550m-_-17-139-147-_-Product Or the CX450M would also work fine.

I'll post back when I find the perfect one.

You have a good point on the modular PSU. I usually forget how irritating extra cables get, and it would be worse in a smaller case.

 

[FD2Raptor]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Deepcool GAMMAXX 400 74.3 CFM CPU Cooler ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z170M Extreme4 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($101.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Aegis 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($66.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Plextor M7V 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Red 2TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.38 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1070 8GB G1 Gaming Video Card ($428.89 @ OutletPC)
Case: Thermaltake Core V21 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($56.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: FSP Group Hydro G 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($90.98 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($88.88 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Acer G257HU smidpx 25.0" 60Hz Monitor ($250.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1477.04
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-08-28 00:24 EDT-0400

Autodesk Inventor appears to be a single threaded application so higher clock i5+OC can give better performance.
The Deepcool Gammax 400 is available at combo price with the i5k and can handle its OC operations.
Packing the Aegis low profile RAM allow changes to the cooler/its fans without worrying about the RAM height.
Being the bigger size, it also allows further upgrades to RAM, HDD/SSD, as well as the option to SLI 2 GTX1070 if needed or wanted.
And, the Hydro G fully modular PSU at 750W should be able to handle the i5OC+SLI1070.

Just to give a microATX option.

 

[yellhunter]

Pretty much every suggestion I have received (from this post, friends, and even a guy I know who teaches a computer repair class) has suggested a few changes, mainly to downsize my case. They have also said to stay away from overclocking and water cooling since it's my first build and unnecessary at this point. So I did some more research and made a new list implementing the suggestions I have received. Though, it is probably far from perfect and I, once again, call upon those with more experience to give me their opinion if they can. Any suggestions you have, however minor or major, would be greatly appreciated since there is a small margin for error regarding wasting extra money. Side note, I realize looks aren't the most important aspect in these decisions, but I don't really like the looks of the small itx cases so I have decided against them, unless a point is made that I can't ignore. Build located below, and once again, thank you:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($324.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170MX-Gaming 5 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($136.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Corsair Force LE 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($59.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($90.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB FTW Gaming ACX 3.0 Video Card ($439.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair 350D Window MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($94.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG WH14NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($40.98 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Asus VN248H-P 23.8" Monitor ($110.98 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Razer DeathStalker Chroma Wired Gaming Keyboard ($86.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1576.65
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-08-29 19:49 EDT-0400

EDIT: I also plan to overclock and add another GTX 1070 sometime in the future (Probably a few years, and I will also add water cooling and more fans. This case comes with 2). I believe 750W is plenty, but I would appreciate someone else's opinion.

 

[turkey3_scratch]

So if he advised you against overclocking why are you buying overclocking stuff? Z170 motherboard, a "K" CPU - all of those are for overclocking. The 350D is still not a small case. My current case is a Cooler Master Elite 110 that I have in my dorm room and it's a perfect size. Also, there is absolutely no reason for a 750W power supply with that system; a 450W PSU will suffice, 550W would be good. The 212 EVO is a bulky, big, hard-to-install cooler with a mediocre quality fan.

Also, if you plan to watch Blu-rays, it's very hard to do that on a PC due to a bunch of laws and in the end you'll just want a normal cheap Bluray player for that.

Edit: saw your edit, well if you plan to OC in the future then ok but for gaming I'd get the I5-6600K instead.

 

[yellhunter]

I'm still wanting equipment that can handle overclocking because I plan on doing it in the future. I will be taking computer science as a minor and learning how to overclock and everything that comes along with it shouldn't be too much of a reach. I've just decided to hold off for now.

As for the case, it's about as small as I want to get and I also don't really like the looks of the smaller, more "squished" cases (just personal preference). I would also like to have a built in optical drive, extra slots for more storage drives when the time comes, and ample room for water cooling in the distant future. I didn't really find too many other cases that fit the bill for all this. Plus I really liked the looks of it. This case will hopefully last me all the way through to a Master's degree and further.

I didn't know what kind of optical drive I would need, I just selected a blu-ray one to be safe. I can definitely change this to a cheaper one. And for the power supply, I wanted it to be high Watt for the same reason I got the other items. Future proof. I will eventually (hopefully) have dual-1070s and an overclocked processor. I figured 750W would cover that. Putting cost aside, wouldn't having this compared to a PSU with, say 500W, produce less heat? And I'm very open to any PSU suggestions. I don't know much about the brands and people's experience with them, I just wanted a high watt PSU that was of high quality and this is one of the highest rated in it's range with great reviews.

EDIT: Just refreshed and saw your edit (sorry). But hopefully this will still help. I also forgot to address the Hyper 212. I read good reviews for it and it doesn't block any ram slots (Although blocking any that I wouldn't need for now is ok, because I am only wanting to use 2 sticks and I'll upgrade to water cooled before I add more memory anyways) and decided to pick it because of these reasons. I would be happy to choose another, even water cooled, if you have any suggestions, preferably under around $80.

 

[yellhunter]

Also, going with the i5 and getting the extra $100 off would be nice, but will I notice the reduced stock speed before I overclock, because it could be a while? Also, disregarding price, is the i5 any better than the i7 at overclocking (such as ease, heat, average speed people overclock to, etc.)?

 

[turkey3_scratch]

Since PSUs operate most efficiently at 50℅ load a 450W PSU will produce less heat under the same load as the 750W PSU in the case of your machine.

The I5 power consumption is lower than the I7 some. And computer science is all about programming, I never heard od them talking about overclock and and stuff. CS is almost strictly software to my knowledge.

 

[yellhunter]

I have already taken 2 Physics C courses, a robotics class, and a digital electronics class so handling the different voltages and things relating to overclocking wouldn't be too hard to understand, plus CS classes should, at least a little, discuss CPUs, though whether or not overclocking would ever come up is a stretch. I will also have the CS teachers, other students, and the internet to guide me. I would hope that I could figure it out with all this. But that's the future and I'm more worried about getting the correct hardware now and dealing with that later.

One question I have, what CPU cooler would you recommend? You have stated before no water cooled due to noise and I agree, but I'm not sure what to get and what will or won't block MB components.

 

[turkey3_scratch]

Cryorg H7. Should fit, but you can check the specs to make sure.

 

[yellhunter]

Yep. It'll fit, thanks. And it doesn't block the memory slots. I think that's what I will go with. Little pricey, but should last a long time. Probably even with overclocking.

I think my build is basically complete. Unless you or someone else has any other suggested changes. 1 more quick question if you feel like answering, should I add more fans? The case comes with a 140mm, 1000rpm front fan and a 120mm, ?rpm rear fan.

 

[turkey3_scratch]

If you can add another intake it might not be a bad idea; I personally like to keep my PC as dust free as possible. But it won't really help temps.