New system for gaming/streaming/VR as close to $2000AUD as possible.

[Majyqman]

As my laptop appears to have some issues with its GPU (spiking to >100C when playing LoL for example) in addition to a desire to play more modern games at higher quality than it could even if this weren't the case, also future VR, I've embarked to figure out what the best I can get without stretching the budget too far is.
So far my strategy for this has to be to use tom's best of guides and select something I think falls in the sweet spot of value and future proofing, use partpicker to find them in Aus (occasionally accepting $5 or $10 extra on consideration of getting them from the same supplier, as I live 600km from anywhere and individual shipping may just be a bear, and discounting PLE for the most part because of negative reviews), work out if they come close in value after exchange rate, cry a little, the same after the Australia tax, cry a little more, and so far this is what I have, with a few questions I can think of, and hoping someone can answer the ones I haven't thought of too.

CPU: Intel Core i5 6600K ($335 @ PCCG)
CPU Cooler: Deepcool Gammaxx 400 ($35 @ PCCG)
GPU: Radeon R9 390X (~$579 @ Various)

Question: Other than Newegg apparently having the Strix somewhat cheaper, what's the difference between the Sapphire Nitro, the MSI Gaming and the ASUS Strix? Which would be recommended?
Question: Why is the PowerColor so much cheaper than any of them, and should I go with it?

Motherboard: ASRock Z170-Extreme6+ Motherboard ($285 @ PCCG)

Question: is it worth the extra $14 for a K6+? i.e. is the E2400 ethernet connection going to be worth it to me, despite, or perhaps because of, the fact I live in an area where I get between 2 and 12 Mbs from my ADSL2+

Memory: G.SKILL TridentZ Series 32GB (2 x 16GB) 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM DDR4 3200 (PC4 25600) Intel Z170 Platform Desktop Memory Model F4-3200C16D-32GTZA ($278.30 @ Newegg)

Question: what's better for my system? 3200 C16 or 3000 C15? Later only costs $5 more. OR:

Alternate Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury HX421C14FBK4/64 64GB (4x16GB) DDR4 ($399 @ PCCG)

Blow the budget a bit and get the cheapest 64 I can find in Aus... 2133 though? but C14 & 64GB... help?

SSD Storage: Samsung 850 EVO M.2 500GB SSD ($215 @ PCCG)

Question: The 2.5" costs the same, the only benefit I note of the M.2 is a much higher random write speed, will this matter for gaming, VR, or especially streaming enough to worry about the 4 lanes it will be using? (as in, can I still upgrade later to crossfire another R9 390X if I go down this path)

HDD Storage: Toshiba DT01ACA300 3TB 7200RPM ($135 @ PCCG)

Question: The Seagate Barracuda is the same price, is there a recommendation for one of these over the other?

Case: CoolerMaster Storm Enforcer ($115 @ PCCG)

Question: I understand that the graphics card will require the removal of the bottom drive cage, is there any other problems I've missed?

PSU: EVGA SuperNOVA G1 Gold 650W Power Supply ($129 @ PCCG)

Statement: The tom's recommended P2 version of this can simply not be found in Aus. I can't even.
Question: I've chosen 650W because my understanding is that while all the specs list the R9 390X at 375W, all variants draw ~500W under max load. If this is wrong I have two choices, skip future proofing for crossfire here, and eat the new PSU when I can afford the new GPU, and get a cheaper PSU, or get an 850W now which should cover (375 x 2) + 91(CPU) + incidental(DD's). IF this is right, and I'd need 1100W+ to crossfire, I'll deal with that later. Which is it?

Optical Drive: LG GH24NSD1 24x SATA DVD-RW Drive OEM ($19 @ PCCG)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64bit OEM DVD ($137 @ Umart)

Display: I either have a Dell e228wfp monitor or a Toshiba Regza TV to HDMI out on to... given I have those, and knowing they'll severely limit the benefits I'll get from the graphics options, I figured I'd wait a while to budget a decent replacement... though if anyone has any value suggestions, I'm all ears.

Total: $2252.3

Not quite as close to $2K as I was hoping, but a bunch was forgetting I'd have to get a new OEM for 10 😛

Ideas? Suggestions?

 

[Rogue Leader]

Ok to answer your questions:

Sapphire is the preferred AMD brand as they have close ties to AMD and only produce AMD cards.

You aren't going to notice any difference with a fancier ethernet connection with those kinds of local speeds.

64 gb is an absolute waste, even 32 is somewhat of a waste but not too bad. The actual speed of both the CL 16 3200 and CL15 3000 is the same (CL/Mhz *1000 is the formula) so get whatever is cheaper.

Don't buy the M.2 drive unless you're getting a PCIe 950 PRO, otherwise you will get the same performance as the 2.5 inch but you will pay more. Its not worth it

I prefer seagate, but toshiba is fine quality.

Other than drive cage removal you are fine.

Do not buy the G1 PSU, can you get the EVGA 650 G2? Its far better quality

 

[Majyqman]

Ok to answer your questions:

Sapphire is the preferred AMD brand as they have close ties to AMD and only produce AMD cards.

You aren't going to notice any difference with a fancier ethernet connection with those kinds of local speeds.

64 gb is an absolute waste, even 32 is somewhat of a waste but not too bad. The actual speed of both the CL 16 3200 and CL15 3000 is the same (CL/Mhz *1000 is the formula) so get whatever is cheaper.

Don't buy the M.2 drive unless you're getting a PCIe 950 PRO, otherwise you will get the same performance as the 2.5 inch but you will pay more. Its not worth it

I prefer seagate, but toshiba is fine quality.

Other than drive cage removal you are fine.

Do not buy the G1 PSU, can you get the EVGA 650 G2? Its far better quality

Ok, if I go for the ~$570 models, I'll go Sapphire... the question remains, why is the PowerColor $80 less (another $30 for $110 total until tonight) than the rest? Will I suffer somewhere if I take that $110 saving?

Thanks for the formula, is there some advantage one way or the other between 4*8 and 2*16?

For some reason, the M.2 SSD is the same price at PCCG as the 2.5"... the Extreme6 has an M.2 ultra slot, but I'm worried the lane use will affect crossfire later, seems silly not to take the 40000 over the 10000 random write otherwise, right?

As far as the PSU, I just don't get it... I couldn't find the P2 version anyway, nor can I find the G2! Not for 650W, anyway, I'd have to move up to 750W. Is the G1 really a deal killer? And if I'm moving up anyway, what, exactly, would I need to future proof for Crossfire with the 390X?

Thank you for your help so far.

 

[Rogue Leader]

Ok, if I go for the ~$570 models, I'll go Sapphire... the question remains, why is the PowerColor $80 less (another $30 for $110 total until tonight) than the rest? Will I suffer somewhere if I take that $110 saving?

Thanks for the formula, is there some advantage one way or the other between 4*8 and 2*16?

For some reason, the M.2 SSD is the same price at PCCG as the 2.5"... the Extreme6 has an M.2 ultra slot, but I'm worried the lane use will affect crossfire later, seems silly not to take the 40000 over the 10000 random write otherwise, right?

As far as the PSU, I just don't get it... I couldn't find the P2 version anyway, nor can I find the G2! Not for 650W, anyway, I'd have to move up to 750W. Is the G1 really a deal killer? And if I'm moving up anyway, what, exactly, would I need to future proof for Crossfire with the 390X?

Thank you for your help so far.

Powercolor is a fine brand, not sure why its cheaper, It may be clocked a bit lower or something. I doubt youd suffer much.

Skylake is dual channel, preferably 2x16 would be better, less stress on the memory controller vs having to run 4 DIMMS. (4x8 is only good on like an X99 motherboard for example).

If its the same price then sure. If the drive is not PCIe (which I'm pretty sure it isn't) it won't affect your PCI lanes (its read as SATA), also Z170 has 20 lanes, so you would have 16 divided by 2 for the GPU leaving 4 for a PCIe M.2 drive if you had one.

If you want to crossfire 390X, I would overdo it a bit and get an 850 G2. The G1 and G2 have different manufacturers, and the manufacturer of the G2/P2/etc is FAR superior.

 

[intimthebrave]

Question: Other than Newegg apparently having the Strix somewhat cheaper, what's the difference between the Sapphire Nitro, the MSI Gaming and the ASUS Strix? Which would be recommended?

The difference between the different video cards, is core clock speed, memory speed, and the cooling solutions, some have a higher overclock then others. It's really just personal preference but i would compare the different core clock speeds on the different models, and pick one according to price/performance. PowerColor is probally cheaper because they are not as well known of a manufacturer as the other brands, so they lower their price to try to make more sales, they have to have lower prices to remain competitive and not go out of business. A lot of people will bypass powercolor because they trust the other brands more, but when they see the lower prices of powercolor cards, then they might consider buying powercolor instead of the other brands.


Question: is it worth the extra $14 for a K6+? i.e. is the E2400 ethernet connection going to be worth it to me, despite, or perhaps because of, the fact I live in an area where I get between 2 and 12 Mbs from my ADSL2+

I would say the extra 14$ for the K6 would definitely be worth it, just in case you might be able to utilize the faster speeds in the future. If you are on a budget and trying to save every little bit you can, and you dont think you would ever be able to utilize the speeds of the K6, then by all means, choose to save the 14$ and move on

Question: what's better for my system? 3200 C16 or 3000 C15? Later only costs $5 more. OR:

I would go with the 3200 C16 or even the 3000 C15, definitely would NOT go with the 64GB of 2133 just because 64GB of 2133 is no where near as good as 32GB of 3000/3200, i mean no where near as fast. that is definitely a no brainer, when you really would never use the whole 32GB anyways, let alone 64


Question: The 2.5" costs the same, the only benefit I note of the M.2 is a much higher random write speed, will this matter for gaming, VR, or especially streaming enough to worry about the 4 lanes it will be using? (as in, can I still upgrade later to crossfire another R9 390X if I go down this path)

I Personally would make sure the 32GB/sec is viable, and whether or not the M.2 is PCIe 3.0 x4 or PCIe 2.0 x4 and not PCIe 2.0 x2, with a single graphics card solution running at x16, that leaves the 4 lanes open for a M.2 so i would definitely use an M.2 GEN 3 slot on the ASRock Z170-Extreme6+ Motherboard, and like you said, later down the road, you can crossfire two graphics cards and still use the M.2 Gen 3 SSD, if you want to do 3 way or 4 way, then and only then would i worry about it.


Question: The Seagate Barracuda is the same price, is there a recommendation for one of these over the other?

Really no noticeable difference in the 7200 rpm hard drives. Different manufacturers and prices thats about it, not really any noticeable differences in speed, reliability, or durability. Maybe look into a Hybrid SSD/HDD with the 8GB of nand flash memory, those are pretty cool. Prices have went down tremendously on them, and although i have never personally owned one, they seem very viable, and even I plan to buy a 2TB or so SSD/HDD Hybrid drive for storage only in the future. You seem like you know what you are doing, good job mate.

Question: I understand that the graphics card will require the removal of the bottom drive cage, is there any other problems I've missed?

I really dont see any other problems you have missed, but nobody is perfect but our Lord Jesus Christ, with that said everybody makes mistakes, even me, and you seem to be doing a wonderful job, you are highly educated it seems, and keep up the good work. I would suggest an 80+ Gold or Platinum Power supply, the latter being the best choice obviously for energy efficiency, among other reasons including reliability, and with a price tag of $2252.30 for the build, im sure you have a little wiggle room, and 650 watts is fine for a single graphics card, but with the awesome motherboard you're getting, that will run 2 graphics cards and an M.2 Gen 3 SSD and not even blink, i would recommend getting a bigger wattage power supply to have enough power to run an x2 Crossfire or x2 Sli in the future. 850 Watts @ Gold or Platinum, at least Gold, should do nicely


Dell E228WFP 22-inch Widescreen LCD Monitor 22", 1680x1050 resolution, 5ms response time
I Personally would not get this monitor, due to the fact it has a 5ms response time and 2ms is better, but mainly due to the fact that its max resolution is 1680x1050 and not 1920x1080 which is ideal for 1080P HD

I Would need more information on the Toshiba Regza TV, but i am assuming is is the older LCD(Not LED) and 42", between the two the 22" 5ms monitor is the clear winner, as you wont be able to make out text and other things on the tv, as it has a very, very low response time.

Bigger is not always better.

AFTERTHOUGHTS
Radeon R9 480/480x/490 490x
Nvidea GTX 1070/1080

These are right around the corner, the new radeon 400 series uses all new 14nm architecture, they will be out this summer, or sooner. The 390x is basically the same GPU as the older 290x, the new 490x will be a whole new ballpark, i personally would wait and get the 400 series GPU, do some research on it, and how good it is, and you will be blown away in comparison to the 390X, the 490X is insanely energy efficient, faster, uses all new architecture, Wayyyyy lower TDP 110-130 watts on the r9 490x versus 275 watts each for the r9 390x, the 490 uses insanely faster memory as well.

 

[Majyqman]

Question: Other than Newegg apparently having the Strix somewhat cheaper, what's the difference between the Sapphire Nitro, the MSI Gaming and the ASUS Strix? Which would be recommended?

The difference between the different video cards, is core clock speed, memory speed, and the cooling solutions, some have a higher overclock then others. It's really just personal preference but i would compare the different core clock speeds on the different models, and pick one according to price/performance. PowerColor is probally cheaper because they are not as well known of a manufacturer as the other brands, so they lower their price to try to make more sales, they have to have lower prices to remain competitive and not go out of business. A lot of people will bypass powercolor because they trust the other brands more, but when they see the lower prices of powercolor cards, then they might consider buying powercolor instead of the other brands.


Question: is it worth the extra $14 for a K6+? i.e. is the E2400 ethernet connection going to be worth it to me, despite, or perhaps because of, the fact I live in an area where I get between 2 and 12 Mbs from my ADSL2+

I would say the extra 14$ for the K6 would definitely be worth it, just in case you might be able to utilize the faster speeds in the future. If you are on a budget and trying to save every little bit you can, and you dont think you would ever be able to utilize the speeds of the K6, then by all means, choose to save the 14$ and move on

Question: what's better for my system? 3200 C16 or 3000 C15? Later only costs $5 more. OR:

I would go with the 3200 C16 or even the 3000 C15, definitely would NOT go with the 64GB of 2133 just because 64GB of 2133 is no where near as good as 32GB of 3000/3200, i mean no where near as fast. that is definitely a no brainer, when you really would never use the whole 32GB anyways, let alone 64


Question: The 2.5" costs the same, the only benefit I note of the M.2 is a much higher random write speed, will this matter for gaming, VR, or especially streaming enough to worry about the 4 lanes it will be using? (as in, can I still upgrade later to crossfire another R9 390X if I go down this path)

I Personally would make sure the 32GB/sec is viable, and whether or not the M.2 is PCIe 3.0 x4 or PCIe 2.0 x4 and not PCIe 2.0 x2, with a single graphics card solution running at x16, that leaves the 4 lanes open for a M.2 so i would definitely use an M.2 GEN 3 slot on the ASRock Z170-Extreme6+ Motherboard, and like you said, later down the road, you can crossfire two graphics cards and still use the M.2 Gen 3 SSD, if you want to do 3 way or 4 way, then and only then would i worry about it.


Question: The Seagate Barracuda is the same price, is there a recommendation for one of these over the other?

Really no noticeable difference in the 7200 rpm hard drives. Different manufacturers and prices thats about it, not really any noticeable differences in speed, reliability, or durability. Maybe look into a Hybrid SSD/HDD with the 8GB of nand flash memory, those are pretty cool. Prices have went down tremendously on them, and although i have never personally owned one, they seem very viable, and even I plan to buy a 2TB or so SSD/HDD Hybrid drive for storage only in the future. You seem like you know what you are doing, good job mate.

Question: I understand that the graphics card will require the removal of the bottom drive cage, is there any other problems I've missed?

I really dont see any other problems you have missed, but nobody is perfect but our Lord Jesus Christ, with that said everybody makes mistakes, even me, and you seem to be doing a wonderful job, you are highly educated it seems, and keep up the good work. I would suggest an 80+ Gold or Platinum Power supply, the latter being the best choice obviously for energy efficiency, among other reasons including reliability, and with a price tag of $2252.30 for the build, im sure you have a little wiggle room, and 650 watts is fine for a single graphics card, but with the awesome motherboard you're getting, that will run 2 graphics cards and an M.2 Gen 3 SSD and not even blink, i would recommend getting a bigger wattage power supply to have enough power to run an x2 Crossfire or x2 Sli in the future. 850 Watts @ Gold or Platinum, at least Gold, should do nicely


Dell E228WFP 22-inch Widescreen LCD Monitor 22", 1680x1050 resolution, 5ms response time
I Personally would not get this monitor, due to the fact it has a 5ms response time and 2ms is better, but mainly due to the fact that its max resolution is 1680x1050 and not 1920x1080 which is ideal for 1080P HD

I Would need more information on the Toshiba Regza TV, but i am assuming is is the older LCD(Not LED) and 42", between the two the 22" 5ms monitor is the clear winner, as you wont be able to make out text and other things on the tv, as it has a very, very low response time.

Bigger is not always better.

AFTERTHOUGHTS
Radeon R9 480/480x/490 490x
Nvidea GTX 1070/1080

These are right around the corner, the new radeon 400 series uses all new 14nm architecture, they will be out this summer, or sooner. The 390x is basically the same GPU as the older 290x, the new 490x will be a whole new ballpark, i personally would wait and get the 400 series GPU, do some research on it, and how good it is, and you will be blown away in comparison to the 390X, the 490X is insanely energy efficient, faster, uses all new architecture, Wayyyyy lower TDP 110-130 watts on the r9 490x versus 275 watts each for the r9 390x, the 490 uses insanely faster memory as well.

Just to clarify, I wouldn't be getting that Dell, it's a spare I have from an older system. I guess it would make more sense to use the Dell ST2220T that's currently being used by the system with the GTX 670 and give the older Dell to that system. Yeah, monitor upgrade is for a future budget, though current suggestions would be great.

Regarding the 490x... other than waiting meaning missing the extra $30 off the PowerColor and wanting the system sooner rather than later (upcoming birthday and wanting to mmo with gf)... what would the likely price be? I mean, near my limit as is, especially with an up on the PSU... I'd assume they'd be more than the Fury and Ti? No?

 

[Rogue Leader]

Prices on the new cards should be similar to or maybe a bit more than current cards. (so the 490x vs the 390x)

 

[Majyqman]

Prices on the new cards should be similar to or maybe a bit more than current cards. (so the 490x vs the 390x)

Well, that certainly presents a dilemma... wait a month and a half and hope the price is similar... or new system now. Are the sort of gains I'd be expecting worth that wait?

 

[Rogue Leader]

Prices on the new cards should be similar to or maybe a bit more than current cards. (so the 490x vs the 390x)

Well, that certainly presents a dilemma... wait a month and a half and hope the price is similar... or new system now. Are the sort of gains I'd be expecting worth that wait?

Speculation says maybe... truth is we do not know yet so I would be lying if I said it will be worth it.

However what is worth it is waiting it out just in case, its not that far away and if the difference is huge you'll kick yourself.

 

[intimthebrave]

Question: Other than Newegg apparently having the Strix somewhat cheaper, what's the difference between the Sapphire Nitro, the MSI Gaming and the ASUS Strix? Which would be recommended?

The difference between the different video cards, is core clock speed, memory speed, and the cooling solutions, some have a higher overclock then others. It's really just personal preference but i would compare the different core clock speeds on the different models, and pick one according to price/performance. PowerColor is probally cheaper because they are not as well known of a manufacturer as the other brands, so they lower their price to try to make more sales, they have to have lower prices to remain competitive and not go out of business. A lot of people will bypass powercolor because they trust the other brands more, but when they see the lower prices of powercolor cards, then they might consider buying powercolor instead of the other brands.


Question: is it worth the extra $14 for a K6+? i.e. is the E2400 ethernet connection going to be worth it to me, despite, or perhaps because of, the fact I live in an area where I get between 2 and 12 Mbs from my ADSL2+

I would say the extra 14$ for the K6 would definitely be worth it, just in case you might be able to utilize the faster speeds in the future. If you are on a budget and trying to save every little bit you can, and you dont think you would ever be able to utilize the speeds of the K6, then by all means, choose to save the 14$ and move on

Question: what's better for my system? 3200 C16 or 3000 C15? Later only costs $5 more. OR:

I would go with the 3200 C16 or even the 3000 C15, definitely would NOT go with the 64GB of 2133 just because 64GB of 2133 is no where near as good as 32GB of 3000/3200, i mean no where near as fast. that is definitely a no brainer, when you really would never use the whole 32GB anyways, let alone 64


Question: The 2.5" costs the same, the only benefit I note of the M.2 is a much higher random write speed, will this matter for gaming, VR, or especially streaming enough to worry about the 4 lanes it will be using? (as in, can I still upgrade later to crossfire another R9 390X if I go down this path)

I Personally would make sure the 32GB/sec is viable, and whether or not the M.2 is PCIe 3.0 x4 or PCIe 2.0 x4 and not PCIe 2.0 x2, with a single graphics card solution running at x16, that leaves the 4 lanes open for a M.2 so i would definitely use an M.2 GEN 3 slot on the ASRock Z170-Extreme6+ Motherboard, and like you said, later down the road, you can crossfire two graphics cards and still use the M.2 Gen 3 SSD, if you want to do 3 way or 4 way, then and only then would i worry about it.


Question: The Seagate Barracuda is the same price, is there a recommendation for one of these over the other?

Really no noticeable difference in the 7200 rpm hard drives. Different manufacturers and prices thats about it, not really any noticeable differences in speed, reliability, or durability. Maybe look into a Hybrid SSD/HDD with the 8GB of nand flash memory, those are pretty cool. Prices have went down tremendously on them, and although i have never personally owned one, they seem very viable, and even I plan to buy a 2TB or so SSD/HDD Hybrid drive for storage only in the future. You seem like you know what you are doing, good job mate.

Question: I understand that the graphics card will require the removal of the bottom drive cage, is there any other problems I've missed?

I really dont see any other problems you have missed, but nobody is perfect but our Lord Jesus Christ, with that said everybody makes mistakes, even me, and you seem to be doing a wonderful job, you are highly educated it seems, and keep up the good work. I would suggest an 80+ Gold or Platinum Power supply, the latter being the best choice obviously for energy efficiency, among other reasons including reliability, and with a price tag of $2252.30 for the build, im sure you have a little wiggle room, and 650 watts is fine for a single graphics card, but with the awesome motherboard you're getting, that will run 2 graphics cards and an M.2 Gen 3 SSD and not even blink, i would recommend getting a bigger wattage power supply to have enough power to run an x2 Crossfire or x2 Sli in the future. 850 Watts @ Gold or Platinum, at least Gold, should do nicely


Dell E228WFP 22-inch Widescreen LCD Monitor 22", 1680x1050 resolution, 5ms response time
I Personally would not get this monitor, due to the fact it has a 5ms response time and 2ms is better, but mainly due to the fact that its max resolution is 1680x1050 and not 1920x1080 which is ideal for 1080P HD

I Would need more information on the Toshiba Regza TV, but i am assuming is is the older LCD(Not LED) and 42", between the two the 22" 5ms monitor is the clear winner, as you wont be able to make out text and other things on the tv, as it has a very, very low response time.

Bigger is not always better.

AFTERTHOUGHTS
Radeon R9 480/480x/490 490x
Nvidea GTX 1070/1080

These are right around the corner, the new radeon 400 series uses all new 14nm architecture, they will be out this summer, or sooner. The 390x is basically the same GPU as the older 290x, the new 490x will be a whole new ballpark, i personally would wait and get the 400 series GPU, do some research on it, and how good it is, and you will be blown away in comparison to the 390X, the 490X is insanely energy efficient, faster, uses all new architecture, Wayyyyy lower TDP 110-130 watts on the r9 490x versus 275 watts each for the r9 390x, the 490 uses insanely faster memory as well.

Just to clarify, I wouldn't be getting that Dell, it's a spare I have from an older system. I guess it would make more sense to use the Dell ST2220T that's currently being used by the system with the GTX 670 and give the older Dell to that system. Yeah, monitor upgrade is for a future budget, though current suggestions would be great.

Regarding the 490x... other than waiting meaning missing the extra $30 off the PowerColor and wanting the system sooner rather than later (upcoming birthday and wanting to mmo with gf)... what would the likely price be? I mean, near my limit as is, especially with an up on the PSU... I'd assume they'd be more than the Fury and Ti? No?

http://www.game-debate.com/news/20039/polaris-gpus-to-be-cheaper-than-pascal-to-grow-pc-gaming-market-says-amd-vp-roy-taylor




(such as the R9 490 & 490X) are going to hit that $300-400 sweet spot

 

[intimthebrave]

The difference is going to be more then huge in both performance and efficiency, like i stated before 130 watts vs 275 watts TDP, faster shaders, faster core, newer 14nm architecture, and did i mention the HBM(High Bandwith Memory) which is one of the main reasons the TDP is going to be much, much lower, while still being just as powerful/more powerful, difference of 512-bit and 4,096-bit

 

[intimthebrave]

Ok to answer your questions:

Sapphire is the preferred AMD brand as they have close ties to AMD and only produce AMD cards.

You aren't going to notice any difference with a fancier ethernet connection with those kinds of local speeds.

64 gb is an absolute waste, even 32 is somewhat of a waste but not too bad. The actual speed of both the CL 16 3200 and CL15 3000 is the same (CL/Mhz *1000 is the formula) so get whatever is cheaper.

Don't buy the M.2 drive unless you're getting a PCIe 950 PRO, otherwise you will get the same performance as the 2.5 inch but you will pay more. Its not worth it

I prefer seagate, but toshiba is fine quality.

Other than drive cage removal you are fine.

Do not buy the G1 PSU, can you get the EVGA 650 G2? Its far better quality

Ok, if I go for the ~$570 models, I'll go Sapphire... the question remains, why is the PowerColor $80 less (another $30 for $110 total until tonight) than the rest? Will I suffer somewhere if I take that $110 saving?

Thanks for the formula, is there some advantage one way or the other between 4*8 and 2*16?

For some reason, the M.2 SSD is the same price at PCCG as the 2.5"... the Extreme6 has an M.2 ultra slot, but I'm worried the lane use will affect crossfire later, seems silly not to take the 40000 over the 10000 random write otherwise, right?

As far as the PSU, I just don't get it... I couldn't find the P2 version anyway, nor can I find the G2! Not for 650W, anyway, I'd have to move up to 750W. Is the G1 really a deal killer? And if I'm moving up anyway, what, exactly, would I need to future proof for Crossfire with the 390X?

Thank you for your help so far.

570$ ish or 389.99 for the new r9 490x and 1- 1/2 month wait........i would just buy a 50-75$ Radeon 7850 to hold you over until the 490x comes out, which will suffice for the meantime(will get great FPS for the price point, i have one myself, paid 51$ for it used on ebay, and i get 60fps (45-60) on World of Warcraft on ULTRA everything, and it will play modern games at medium settings at 60fps with ease, i am also waiting for the 490x

 

[Majyqman]

Ok, I waited, and all I got was this lousy T-Shirt. Or dilemma between RX 480 and GTX 1060. Where's my R9 490X?

A recap, with some choice changes based on sales or lack of stock.

CPU: Intel Core i5 6600K ($339 @ PCCG)
CPU Cooler: Deepcool Gammaxx 400 ($35)
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty Z170-Gaming K6+ Motherboard ($299 @ PCCG)
Memory: G.SKILL TridentZ Series 32GB (2 x 16GB) 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM DDR4 3200 (PC4 25600) Desktop Memory Model F4-3200C14D-32GTZ ($238 @ Newegg)

On sale, so hoping right call here compared to the C16 originally discussed.

HDD Storage: Toshiba DT01ACA300 3TB 7200RPM ($139 @ PCCG)
Case: CoolerMaster Storm Enforcer ($119 @ PCCG)
PSU: EVGA SuperNOVA 220-P2-0650-X1 650W 80 PLUS PLATINUM ($132 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSD1 24x SATA DVD-RW Drive OEM ($19 @ PCCG)

Subtotal: $1320

Now for the dilemmas.

Firstly, is the faster (PCIe > SATA) read and write speeds of:
SSD Storage: Samsung 950 Pro 256GB M.2 SSD ($229 @ PCCG)
worth missing out on the 244GB of storage of:
SSD Storage: Samsung 850 EVO M.2 500GB SSD ($219 @ PCCG)
?

Secondly, is the AMD:
GPU: XFX Radeon RX 480 Core 8GB ($379 @ PCCG)
actually outclassed by the NVIDIA:
GPU: EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 SC GAMING 06G-P4-6163-KR ($409 @ CPL)
so much that it's worth the extra $40 ($60 after separate postage) for the later?

Thank you all in advance for your time again, though, that 490X red herring 😛 Apparently Q4 now? Or? Not waiting that long anyway.

 

[Rogue Leader]

490X? Who knows....

The 950 pro is WAY faster, like unbelievably fast. its worth it.

I have an RX 480. Its not outclassed at all, in fact there are many games the RX 480 beats the GTX 1060. They are very similar in performance each with its own advantages and disadvantages. THe RX you could also always crossfire a second. The 1060 SLI is removed. The GTX is not worth the extra cash.

 

[Majyqman]

490X? Who knows....

The 950 pro is WAY faster, like unbelievably fast. its worth it.

I have an RX 480. Its not outclassed at all, in fact there are many games the RX 480 beats the GTX 1060. They are very similar in performance each with its own advantages and disadvantages. THe RX you could also always crossfire a second. The 1060 SLI is removed. The GTX is not worth the extra cash.

Ok, will go with the 950 pro, hoping I don't fill it too fast, will have to be careful about install paths for things that don't need the speed 😛

Now, video cards, FML, the XFX sold out at PCCG since the last post, before I could sort the money into the right account. Next cheapest there is MSI for $440. OR Mwave has Sapphire for $420. A bit annoying. However, Mwave ALSO has Sapphire Radeon R9 Fury X 4GB HBM Video Card for $600 ($300 off)... now, I know this precludes ever crossfiring with the PSU (not to mention MB PCIe lanes) I have... but should I blow the budget by $180 and go for this over the RX480? Offer is only until Friday or stocks last.

 

[Rogue Leader]

Fury X is still REALLY REALLY powerful. That said In like January its replacement will be out. However that doesn't mean it won't still be fast as heck. Based on the prices you pay there thats absolutely cheap.

 

[Majyqman]

Fury X is still REALLY REALLY powerful. That said In like January its replacement will be out. However that doesn't mean it won't still be fast as heck. Based on the prices you pay there thats absolutely cheap.

So, went with the pro and the fury X... got everything assembled... realised the monitor I was going to use as a stopgap I can't even (the dvi cable doesn't connect?) so... looking for a monitor now, and hope this is an ok place, especially with having picked your solution already, to ask... I figure it gives people the ability to see the components in combination.

SAMSUNG U28E590D Black 28" 4K UHD Widescreen LCD/LED Monitor, AMD FreeSync 1ms, 370 cd/m2 DCR Mega Infinity (1000:1), VESA Mountable, HDMI DisplayPort ($482 @ newegg, down from $911, plus $100 shipping)

LG 29UM67P Black 29" Adaptive-Sync (Free-Sync) 21:9 UltraWide, 60 Hz 5ms (GTG) IPS, 5,000,000:1 LED Backlight Gaming Monitor with Built-in Speaker, exclusive game mode ($300 @ newegg, down from $781, plus $120 shipping)


AOC G2770PF 27" Full HD FreeSync 144Hz Gaming Monitor ($500 @ mwave, down from $575, plus $30 shipping)

So, $420 for the 60hz 5ms 2K, $582 for the 60hz 1ms 4K, or $530 for the 144hz 1ms FHD.

How good is the smoothness of 144hz vs the richness of the 4K?

 

[Rogue Leader]

It comes down to personal preference. IMO 60fps is enough so 4k is good, but if you're competitive or nuts about FPS then the 144hz is better

 

[Majyqman]

It comes down to personal preference. IMO 60fps is enough so 4k is good, but if you're competitive or nuts about FPS then the 144hz is better

Thank you for your help once again, so tempted by the 4K, but don't know if the 144 will matter for me in games like LoL and Smite. Bit distraught right now though, mightn't be any need to get it for a while, have discovered that if windows hibernates everything freezes with 03 on dr debug, if i put it into sleep it shows 03 but does work, and when I shut down it will either show 04 and shut down after ~15 seconds, or never shut down at all. I've tried clearing cmos, but not removing the ram and trying a stick at a time yet (gods I hope it's that at worst... if it's the CPU or GPU... well, the ran will be fun enough to get back out, the Fury X is huge, and gammaxx 400 pretty chunky too. little room for my fat fingers)