My first Gaming PC, modest but future proof? thoughts, advice?

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Feb 29, 2016
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Hello,

First time poster here, and very new when it comes to building pc's. However, I have always wanted to, so here we are.

My Parts
http://pcpartpicker.com/user/CullinPM/saved/jj6G3C

My goal
My goal is to build a modest gaming pc, not including the monitor (although I did include in the parts list because I will need one) for around $700 - $800, BUT that will allow me to upgrade the CPU, GPU, cooling systems as time and budget allows without having to replace the motherboard or case.

Why these parts
When I decided on the parts, a lot boiled down to what I've researched. However, since I'm new, I know there is a lot I don't know. The following is my thought process on some of my decisions and definitely would appreciate any feedback.

The Z170 mobo I selected, from what I understand should be more than adequate to upgrade to an i5 or i7 down the line in addition to any more modern GPU's like GTX 980 or better. That being said, I really don't know much about mobo's. I chose it simply because it has good reviews and I like the price point.

I chose case because I've read and watched a few reviews on it and seems to be a great case for the money, which should be able to handle almost anything I plan on doing.

The CPU/GPU I chose as the two parts to hold back on for now, as I will certainly replace them as budget allows.

Other parts such as PSU, RAM ... I really don't know much about what is good, better, best. So I just chose something that was modest in price but had good reviews and enough wattage to handle my graphics card. Although, not sure how future proof 600W is.

I left out the SSD for now because I didn't think it was going to boost graphic performance and I can always add one down the line?

Feedback and Questions
Is there anything you would change, but remain under $800 (not including the monitor)? Do these parts mesh well together?

Also, I was wondering how games such as Black Desert, WoW, GTAV, The Witcher 3, Fallout 4 would play with this setup? Could I get good to high settings with more than 30fps?

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Sorry for the long post and if you've made it down this far, thanks a lot, any feedback is appreciated.
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Solution
DonkeyOatie
The XFX TS 550 is made by Seasonic, in case the OP does not realize this.

It is a great case, I like it a lot and recommend it. It uses 12% of your $800 budget and does little to help your gaming. Your money, your choice.

You get to make your choices, it is your money. mATX will work fine, but go with what you are comfortable with.

To reach your target ,something will have to gove.

The GPU is the part of your system that 'ages' fastest. A decent CPU may last for five years, as will motherboard and RAM, and the storage and support components will last longer. The 'half life' of a GPU is closer to two years. But the best to can at the start or something very cheap/second hand/refurbished to start with and upgrade soon.
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There is no such thing as future-proof, they are always making more future.

I would choose some different parts.

Here's a possibility

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus Z170M-PLUS Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($119.99 @ B&H)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws 4 Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 960 4GB Video Card ($189.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master N300 ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX TS 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($60.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHDS118-04 DVD/CD Drive ($12.89 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) ($87.95 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: AOC I2757FH 60Hz 27.0" Monitor ($179.99 @ Best Buy)
Total: $991.55
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-01 14:54 EST-0500
 
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With these parts, no (could I even I wanted to?). With future upgrades, that is definitely a possibility.
 
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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($204.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC12DX_BK 68.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: MSI Z170-A PRO ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($111.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws 4 series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($37.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 950 2GB Video Card ($153.98 @ Newegg)
Case: BitFenix Neos Black ATX Mid Tower Case ($47.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 620W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($64.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($21.55 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series White 2 pack 52.2 CFM 120mm Fan ($16.78 @ Amazon)
Total: $750.14
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-01 15:14 EST-0500

-i5 will be very useful in the future
- great cpu cooler
- very good psu
- ask questions for more:)
 
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Thanks a lot, I see you went with a MicroATX mobo that is a little more pricy than what I selected, is that better? Or is it just to fit better in the mid tower (which I assume you selected to offset the cost of upgraded pc parts)?


Thanks a lot. Yeah, I'm trying to do as much research as possible (watching tutorial videos, reading reviews, etc) as I know one little mistake could mean a lot of frustration.
 
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Hey thanks a lot for the feedback, just out of curiosity, is the CPU cool absolutely necessary at this time? I only ask because I didn't think the 6500 could be overclocked and heard stock fans are sufficient. But not really sure.

 
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stock coolers are suffienct enough for now yes
 
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Yes. The motherboard is good and you get the money 'back' from the case. If you could do without a window, the Cooler Master N200 would do.

The case you originally selected is very good, but 10% of your budget on a case is too much at this level.
 
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The price looks good but you need an OS and a good monitor to compare with the OP's build and mine.
 
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No i don't, its just a humble suggestion, you can get windows oem from legal i.t websites way cheaper and the monitor is up to him.

Don't tell me what to do
 
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Solid unit. But I'd get at least a GTX 960 if you want it to be a future proof gaming rig. Plus, Witcher 3 will eat up your GPU, so I would suggest spending the extra $$

EDIT: Your power supply is decent, JohnnyGuru says the efficiency is bad, and your voltage regulation is decent. It's a cheap unit, so you may want to reconsider, especially if you want to use this in the future
 
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The OP isn't smart then, you should never buy by brand like that unless your games / editing programs better support a NVIDIA GPU or AMD GPU. Plus, CrossFire requires only 4 PCIe lanes, SLI requires 8, so if the OP is considering dual GPU AMD would actually be the BETTER way to go
 
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Not entirely correct there.
While Xfire can be enabled on x4 lanes (where SLI requires at least x8 to be enabled), they will be bottlenecked. You still want x8 or higher if you plan to run a card in the lane.

As for the topic at hand. I second Oatie's build, solid all around and meets all the requirements set forth in the OP. If you can stretch for a few more dollars I recommend an R9 380 it would give you ~10% more performance over the 960.
 
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Well yes, but according to Linus only a little bit. Having the option of running on 4 PCIe lanes is great though, because you can run it on 8 PCIe lanes too.
 
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Linus is more a business man than a source of information in my honest opinion, but thats not why im here.
It depends on the card, but an x4 lane can range from a minimal bottleneck to a substantial loss in performance. Most cards worth running in Xfire will fall under the substantial level.
 
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Me too, but I was already a little over the $800 less monitor limit as it was.

Crossfire or SLI is a solution to a problem that this OP has yet to encounter.
 
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Hey guys, thanks a lot for all feedback, I really appreciate it.

Just to address something. I think Crossfire got thrown into the conversation out of context. I actually never had plans for Crossfire or SLI. One of the members that posted was named xXCrossfireXx. super ninja12 responded to him by saying "cross fire" and then people just ran with it as if we were referring to the pc components.


Okay, so just an explanation on the case and mobo selection. I probably should have mentioned this in my first post, but I wanted a full tower and ATX size mobo simply to make my life easier. Since this is my first build, I just wanted everything bigger. In my mind, I equate bigger with easier to see and easier to use. LOL, I know, just how my brain works.

So with the case I really didn't mind the expense since it got a lot of good reviews citing excellent cable management and plenty of room to maneuver (along with a lot of other good features). Also, I'm a visual guy, I looked at a lot of cases and this one fits the aesthetic I like, without being too over the top.


Okay, so out of the PSU's suggested above, which is better? They both seem to fall around the same price, one offering more wattage.

----

Again, thanks all for the feedback.
 
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The XFX TS 550 is made by Seasonic, in case the OP does not realize this.

It is a great case, I like it a lot and recommend it. It uses 12% of your $800 budget and does little to help your gaming. Your money, your choice.

You get to make your choices, it is your money. mATX will work fine, but go with what you are comfortable with.

To reach your target ,something will have to gove.

The GPU is the part of your system that 'ages' fastest. A decent CPU may last for five years, as will motherboard and RAM, and the storage and support components will last longer. The 'half life' of a GPU is closer to two years. But the best to can at the start or something very cheap/second hand/refurbished to start with and upgrade soon.
 
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Solution


I will take it from you since I'm no expert on crossfire, even though it's my username :3 but what I'm trying to say is x4 is better than nothing
 
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