Need advice for gaming PC

[Florin_p]

After 7 years (when i made my last build) i am trying to catch up with everything and build a new gaming PC.

I have searched a lot of articles and read a lot of reviews and benchmark results however some questions remain open for me.

The first would be in choosing the CPU architecture . I don't know whether i should go for skyline or haswell. I can afford up to a i5 6600k and willing to go as low as 4460. anything in between is up for grabs.

Also regarding the CPU . Should i get a K one so i can overclock it and since i want either a z97x-gaming 3 or a GA-Z170X-Gaming 3. Are there any downside on buying a K processor if you are not sure you will overclock it ? And also if i buy a box K processor kit will the cooler it comes with be enough if don't intend to OC it ?

My biggest issue however is choosing between DDR3 and DDR4 . CAS latency is much greater in DDR4 however if i go for the skyline setup i would prefer DDR4. Will the RAM for the skylake build below hold me back ?


A couple of options for the build :

Skylake architecture:

i5 6600/6600k
GA-Z170X-Gaming 3
gtx970 g1 gaming
16 gb dual kit DDR4 cl15 2400Mhz

or

i5 4590 / 4690k
Z97X-Gaming 3
gtx 970 g1 gaming
16 gb dual kit DDR3 cl9 1866Mhz

 

[bicycle_repair_man]

There's no point plumping for Haswell if your budget allows for Skylake in my opinion.

Overclocking an already powerful CPU like a 6600 won't improve your gaming experience. All it will do is make productivity tasks (photo editing, anti-virus scans, etc.) finish faster. A locked CPU and better GPU is always a preferred combination.

The stock cooler is fine if you aren't overclocking, otherwise you'll need to buy an aftermarket one. The 6600K doesn't include a stock cooler.

Besides being able to overclock, the other major benefit of a Z series motherboard is that it can support SLI/Crossfire.

I assume you're using an SSD for the OS and programs? If not, you should definitely do so.

 

[Florin_p]

" There's no point plumping for Haswell if your budget allows for Skylake in my opinion."

I understand i will do so.

" Overclocking an already powerful CPU like a 6600 won't improve your gaming experience. All it will do is make productivity tasks (photo editing, anti-virus scans, etc.) finish faster. A locked CPU and better GPU is always a preferred combination."

However from the specs i see a bit of a difference : while the 6600 runs at 3.3 Ghz the 6600k is labeled at 3.5 Ghz . Is this the difference only after the OC ?

" The 6600K doesn't include a stock cooler. "
Than what is the difference between a boxed one and a tray one ? (I honestly don't know.)

"I assume you're using an SSD for the OS and programs? If not, you should definitely do so."
Yes i will be using a 240 GB SSD Hyperx Savage.

Regarding the memory do you think the DDR4 will hold me back ?

 

[bicycle_repair_man]

3.5Ghz is the stock speed of the 6600K. Overclocking will allow you to push it further, but how much further is a complete unknown. There's no appreciable difference between 3.3Ghz and 3.5Ghz.

I believe boxed CPUs have a three year warranty and tray CPUs have a one year warranty. The boxed version also includes a box and the tray version is literally the CPU on its own.

From a gaming perspective, DDR3 and DDR4 are basically the same, but that could change in a few years. The main advantage of DDR4 is its increased speed.

 

[sadams04]

CPU + MB - You don't have to overclock to game at high settings or to expect high CPU performance. Either of the builds below would be just fine, however the hyperthreading in the Xeon build (Haswell Refresh) would be nice to have for not much more money. Getting into the Skylake i7 (6700) would push you over $800.
MEM - Z97 is fine with DDR3-1866 CL10 or lower and H97 with DDR3-1600 CL9 or lower. ...both at 1.5v. For Skylake, DDR4-2133 CL15 for H170 or what ever you would like for Z170 as long as you don't go over 1.2v.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($244.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($83.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Mushkin Essentials 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($58.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($330.79 @ Amazon)
Total: $718.76

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H170M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($89.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Aegis 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($330.79 @ Amazon)
Total: $680.66