Advice on $1000 build

[bball1523]

Hi, I'm thinking about building a desktop soon for around $1000. I made a thread about a $1000 build back in January, but I want to start a new one for more updated parts recommendations and advice.

old thread: http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2461777&highlight=

Here's my answers to a build q/a:

1. What YOUR PC will be used for: Web surfing, office documents, some gaming, music production.

2. What YOUR budget is: Around $1000

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from: USA

4. IF you're buying parts OUTSIDE the US, please post a link to the vendor you'll be buying from: N/A

5. IF YOU have a brand preference: Intel cpu, nvidia gpu

6. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are: maybe my current videocard (740 gt 2gb) for time being, but may upgrade.

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds: prefer default speeds, with option to OC if I want to.

8. What resolution, not monitor size, will you be using? 1080p

9. WHEN do you plan to build it? Within a couple of weeks, if not later.

10. Do you need to purchase any software to go with the system, such as Windows or Blu Ray playback software? Windows 10 pro oem.

I want an i7 cpu, maybe 6700 or 6700k. Do you think that's necessary or should I go with i5 6600k?

 

[lehtv]

Windows 10 pro oem.

What specific feature of Pro do you need? If you're not sure, then you probably don't need Pro.

Also I notice you have Win 8.1 Pro in your signature. Why not reuse that and upgrade it to Windows 10 once activated in the new PC?

maybe my current videocard (740 gt 2gb) for time being, but may upgrade.

GT740 is barely faster than an integrated GPU - no need to use it unless you need some NVIDIA specific feature.

What does "some gaming" involve exactly? If you play games that demand proper graphics hardware then you will need a new graphics card.

I want an i7 cpu, maybe 6700 or 6700k. Do you think that's necessary or should I go with i5 6600k?

For web, office and some gaming, i5 is more than enough. Even i3 would be enough. For music production, I don't really know, depends on how demanding the software is and how much you tolerate pauses. But considering that a lot of pros just use a Macbook with a mobile i7 (or even i5) for music production, a desktop i5 should be roughly as good.

Either way, I don't think overclocking is needed here. Any new generation CPU will be a massively faster than your E8400.

Parts list:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($197.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI B150M MORTAR Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($52.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX200 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($138.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($83.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $658.83
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-06-27 03:50 EDT-0400

Of course, there's a lot of budget left. Some options...
- i7 instead of i5, if you must
- 250GB SSD instead of 500GB + optional 3.5" hard disk, e.g. WD Blue
- different case if you prefer - possibly microATX, like CM 352M
- graphics card for gaming, e.g. the upcoming RX 470 or RX 480
- silent CPU cooler: Arctic i32 $25 @ newegg
- reuse current Windows license
- upgrade monitor to 1440p: BenQ GW2765HT 27" IPS $350

I picked the 650W PSU because of price, not because this build needs even remotely that much juice. You'd be fine with a 400 watt unit

Also, if you're buying in 2+ weeks, the same parts may no longer be as good bang for buck.

 

[DigDog]

lehtv's build is good. i would use the cheaper A-Data 480Gb SSD, you save $30.

music production - recording and editing - is not very CPU intensive, even an i3 could do it. remember you will need other components to record, DI boxes, cables, microphones, pop filters, stands ..

 

[bball1523]

What specific feature of Pro do you need? If you're not sure, then you probably don't need Pro.

Also I notice you have Win 8.1 Pro in your signature. Why not reuse that and upgrade it to Windows 10 once activated in the new PC?

I want pro to possibly learn and mess with things for a possible computer job in the future. I could just upgrade to pro on my current old desktop and learn and mess around with it on that computer. I don't want to reuse the old win 8.1 pro on a new build because I want to keep my old desktop around.

GT740 is barely faster than an integrated GPU - no need to use it unless you need some NVIDIA specific feature.

What does "some gaming" involve exactly? If you play games that demand proper graphics hardware then you will need a new graphics card.

I play skyrim occassionally and would like to play it at the highest settings and maybe with some graphics mods or other mods. I also may play some of the newer games and want to play at least at high settings if not the highest settings. I understand a high end graphics is important for this.

Do you guys think I should get a i5 6600k and a gtx 1070 card or maybe a 6600k and 960 or 970 card? If I get i7, it will be more expensive, but for my needs I wonder if I even need it.

For web, office and some gaming, i5 is more than enough. Even i3 would be enough. For music production, I don't really know, depends on how demanding the software is and how much you tolerate pauses. But considering that a lot of pros just use a Macbook with a mobile i7 (or even i5) for music production, a desktop i5 should be roughly as good.

Either way, I don't think overclocking is needed here. Any new generation CPU will be a massively faster than your E8400.

I'm gonna research into the music production thing to get a better idea. I don't do a lot of music production and if I do, it'll be just for me in my bedroom.

I don't plan to overclock, but want a high end cpu for my budget. I'm thinking 6600k or 6700k.

Parts list:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($197.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI B150M MORTAR Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($52.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX200 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($138.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($83.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $658.83
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-06-27 03:50 EDT-0400

Of course, there's a lot of budget left. Some options...
- i7 instead of i5, if you must
- 250GB SSD instead of 500GB + optional 3.5" hard disk, e.g. WD Blue
- different case if you prefer - possibly microATX, like CM 352M
- graphics card for gaming, e.g. the upcoming RX 470 or RX 480
- silent CPU cooler: Arctic i32 $25 @ newegg
- reuse current Windows license
- upgrade monitor to 1440p: BenQ GW2765HT 27" IPS $350

I picked the 650W PSU because of price, not because this build needs even remotely that much juice. You'd be fine with a 400 watt unit

Also, if you're buying in 2+ weeks, the same parts may no longer be as good bang for buck.

I appreciate the parts list, but I have a parts list I made. Let me know what you guys think:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus Z170 PRO GAMING ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($147.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($52.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($92.00 @ B&H)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB SSC ACX 2.0+ Video Card ($254.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G2 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($70.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG WH14NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($46.85 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($83.89 @ OutletPC)
Wireless Network Adapter: Gigabyte GC-WB867D-I PCI-Express x1 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Adapter ($29.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Monitor: Asus VN248H-P 23.8" Monitor ($110.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1180.52
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-06-27 19:18 EDT-0400

It goes over my budget, but I might be ok with that.

I want to be able to play at 60 fps for the latest games at high to highest settings at 1080p resolution. Would a build and gpu such as this be good for that?

I'm unsure if the mobo is too much for me or not. I want at usb 3.0 and 3.1 type c and a quality and reliable motherboard.

 

[bball1523]

lehtv's build is good. i would use the cheaper A-Data 480Gb SSD, you save $30.

music production - recording and editing - is not very CPU intensive, even an i3 could do it. remember you will need other components to record, DI boxes, cables, microphones, pop filters, stands ..

I have an old external soundcard that I will use for the time being, though I may get a new external soundcard for it.

 

[lehtv]

I want pro to possibly learn and mess with things for a possible computer job in the future. I could just upgrade to pro on my current old desktop and learn and mess around with it on that computer. I don't want to reuse the old win 8.1 pro on a new build because I want to keep my old desktop around.

What specific feature though? How do you know you can't mess around with things relevant to this "computer job" in the default Windows edition?

 

[bball1523]

What specific feature though? How do you know you can't mess around with things relevant to this "computer job" in the default Windows edition?

I don't know, just throwing it out there in case I have deal with a pro specific feature. I don't know if I can mess with those things on home edition.

 

[lehtv]

Do you guys think I should get a i5 6600k and a gtx 1070 card or maybe a 6600k and 960 or 970 card? If I get i7, it will be more expensive, but for my needs I wonder if I even need it.

960 can be ruled for high settings in new games. 970 will work fine for high settings in most new games, 1070 will run everything near perfectly on 1080p.

As for the CPU, given that the price difference between i5-6500 and i5-6600K is only $20, it doesn't really matter which one you get.

I don't plan to overclock, but want a high end cpu for my budget. I'm thinking 6600k or 6700k.

The "K" doesn't make the CPU high end, it just means you can overclock it. Thus, if you don't intend to overclock, there's really no point in paying much extra for the "K" version.

I appreciate the parts list, but I have a parts list I made. Let me know what you guys think:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus Z170 PRO GAMING ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($147.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($52.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($92.00 @ B&H)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB SSC ACX 2.0+ Video Card ($254.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G2 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($70.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG WH14NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($46.85 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($83.89 @ OutletPC)
Wireless Network Adapter: Gigabyte GC-WB867D-I PCI-Express x1 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Adapter ($29.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Monitor: Asus VN248H-P 23.8" Monitor ($110.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1180.52
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-06-27 19:18 EDT-0400

It goes over my budget, but I might be ok with that.

CPU - See above
CPU Cooler - The Arctic i32 I recommended earlier is quieter. I know 212 EVO is very popular, but it's overrated.
Motherboard - You're not overclocking nor do you need SLI so forget about the Z170 chipset. The B150M Mortar I recommended earlier is suitable
Memory - OK
SSD - MX200 250GB is a better deal
GPU - OK, or wait for RX480
Case - OK
PSU - OK
Optical - OK
OS - OK
WLAN - Do you have an AC router or plan to get one? If not, a cheaper 802.11n adapter would work
Display - A little weak and low end, if you're going to go over budget I think it should be mostly reflected in monitor quality since that's what you'll be looking at. For gaming I would get a 144Hz monitor (which also makes a difference outside of gaming, it's much smoother to look at). BenQ XL2411Z

 

[DigDog]

I have an old external soundcard that I will use for the time being, though I may get a new external soundcard for it.

what do you mean by soundcard?
one of these?

you have a lot of overclocking hardware, the Z board, the K CPU, and the 212. yet you dont plan to overclock?

i mean, sure, good buy, but there is no harm is doing a mild overclock.

 

[bball1523]

960 can be ruled for high settings in new games. 970 will work fine for high settings in most new games, 1070 will run everything near perfectly on 1080p.

I'd like to get the 1070, but it's too expensive and may be too much for my needs at the moment. I only play skyrim right now about 1-2 times a week and I haven't even played it in over a week or maybe even 2 or more weeks. However, I want the ability to play newer games at 60 fps at high or ultra settings. Do you think a 970 or even the newer radeon rx 470 or 480 would be better for me than a 1070 to achieve what I want that I wrote above?

As for the CPU, given that the price difference between i5-6500 and i5-6600K is only $20, it doesn't really matter which one you get.


The "K" doesn't make the CPU high end, it just means you can overclock it. Thus, if you don't intend to overclock, there's really no point in paying much extra for the "K" version.

The specs are slightly different though. The 6500 has 3.2 ghz and turbos to 3.6 ghz, while the 6600k has 3.5 ghz and turbos to 3.9 ghz. I do want something futureproof for at least the next 3 years. The i7 6700k has 4.0 ghz and turbos to 4.2.

I wouldn't mind having the ability to overclock in case I ever do it. For now, I don't really plan on it.

CPU - See above
CPU Cooler - The Arctic i32 I recommended earlier is quieter. I know 212 EVO is very popular, but it's overrated.
Motherboard - You're not overclocking nor do you need SLI so forget about the Z170 chipset. The B150M Mortar I recommended earlier is suitable
Memory - OK
SSD - MX200 250GB is a better deal
GPU - OK, or wait for RX480
Case - OK
PSU - OK
Optical - OK
OS - OK
WLAN - Do you have an AC router or plan to get one? If not, a cheaper 802.11n adapter would work
Display - A little weak and low end, if you're going to go over budget I think it should be mostly reflected in monitor quality since that's what you'll be looking at. For gaming I would get a 144Hz monitor (which also makes a difference outside of gaming, it's much smoother to look at). BenQ XL2411Z

the B150M Mortar doesn't have usb type c and has only ddr4 2133. Also, I want an m.2 sata slot for sdd, but do I really need that for ssd? I do want it to be futureproof, so would m.2 make it future proof? Is the mobo just as fast and good as a z170 without the sli and overclocking features?

I don't know if the place I live at has an AC router. I have an old wifi card right now in my current old desktop that I use for wifi and it works fine, but maybe I'm not getting as fast speeds as I could with whatever router the place at live at has.

For a display, I'm not too into gaming and gaming monitors. I think I'd be ok with an IPS such as the one I listed as long as the picture quality is great. I want good viewing angles, contrast, vivid colors like samsung's superamoled displays on their high end cell phones.

Thanks for all the advice so far.

 

[bball1523]

what do you mean by soundcard?
one of these?

Yeah. I have an old one that works fine for me at the moment, though I haven't really used it for music playing/recording in quite a while.

you have a lot of overclocking hardware, the Z board, the K CPU, and the 212. yet you dont plan to overclock?

i mean, sure, good buy, but there is no harm is doing a mild overclock.

Well I guess not, but I do want some top of the line hardware and hardware that's reliable, fast, efficient, and is quality. I may do some overclocking, but right now not. Would like to get something that I don't have to overclock to get the gaming experience that I listed above.

I appreciate the advice.

 

[DigDog]

dont worry about replacing your "soundcard", actually called a i/o card. (or, we just call it M-Box) the old ones are just as good as the modern ones.

overclocking is really easy. these days, you push a button (kinda) and it's done. it will no longer explode your computer, as it used to.

but, even a 6500 is a VERY good cpu. i run a 4650k and i can assure you, i don't need to upgrade. a 6500 is even better.

the market understands the value of overclocking; you pay more, you get exactly as much more as you paid for, or less. overclocking is for people who need more than what's available.
(once upon a time, overcloking used to be free power, just higher clockspeeds for no extra money, but no longer)

so choosing between overclocking or no overclocking is really just a matter of taste, you can save money with a non-OC build and not feel like you have lost money.
also if you do go with OC, you won't have to overspend.

TLDR: if you don't need it, dont buy it. stash the money for your next upgrade.

 

[bball1523]

I feel like I'd be getting something less if I don't get a 6600k or 6700k.

The 6500 has a lower clock speed than the 6600k. I'm wanting to know if anyone can confirm whether the 6600k or 6500 of these processors will play newer games at 1080p 60 fps at high or even ultra settings?

 

[DigDog]

lol.. yes, they will.

ok, couple things. first of all, the framerate will depend more on the graphics card than the CPU. during gaming, the CPU does not do a lot of work, and frankly a i3, two core CPU running at just over 2Ghz could probably run most games at 60/1080 if you have a decent graphics card.

*SOME* badly coded games and very, very few actually CPU-intensive games might need more, but even a midrange CPU will play them without problems. an overclocked Core i7 @ 4.5 Ghz, 4 cores and 8 threads will run ANYTHING.

 

[lehtv]

I feel like I'd be getting something less if I don't get a 6600k or 6700k.

The 6500 has a lower clock speed than the 6600k. I'm wanting to know if anyone can confirm whether the 6600k or 6500 of these processors will play newer games at 1080p 60 fps at high or even ultra settings?

3.6GHz/3.3GHz = 1.09. 6600K without overclocking is 9% faster than i5-6500 so yes you would lose out on that. But gaming doesn't utilize your CPU fully, so the 9% difference in speed will probably translate to something like 0-2% difference in average framerate.

Given the $220 vs $200 price difference, I would also rather get the 6600K to be honest, $20 here or there doesn't matter and the 6600K will have better resale value.

Comparing i7-6700 to i5-6600K, you get another 100MHz of clock speed which doesn't matter. What does matter is the extra number of threads provided by HyperThreading. An increasing number of games make use of these extra CPU threads and you can see up to ~20% benefit from HT in CPU intensive scenarios. But is that worth another $100? Probably not. The impact on average framerate is, again, minimal.

 

[bball1523]

Thanks for the info guys.

There's an i7 6700k on ebay for $299.99 brand new! You think I should bite? lol

I'm having a hard time deciding between 6600k and 6700k. I've heard of frame stutters on the i5 6600k while gaming, but don't know much about that.

Btw, regarding other parts, I want a quiet PC, are the parts I selected or recommended by any of you good for that?

 

[lehtv]

There's an i7 6700k on ebay for $299.99 brand new! You think I should bite? lol

If the seller has good ratings, why not. Save $50+

I've heard of frame stutters on the i5 6600k while gaming, but don't know much about that.

Really? I would like to see these claims myself What games, what graphics, what resolution etc.

Btw, regarding other parts, I want a quiet PC, are the parts I selected or recommended by any of you good for that?

Yes.
- Arctic i32 is silent in idle and very quiet at load
- EVGA G2 is silent in idle and silent or very quiet at load
- EVGA 970 SSC is pretty good, it's not the quietest card but it's not bad, see Hexus.net
- Corsair 200R shouldn't be noisy as long as you quiet down the case fans with motherboard UEFI fan control

If you want a noise insulated case, buy a Fractal Design Define S/R5 or a Corsair 400Q.

 

[bball1523]

If the seller has good ratings, why not. Save $50+



Really? I would like to see these claims myself What games, what graphics, what resolution etc.


Yes.
- Arctic i32 is silent in idle and very quiet at load
- EVGA G2 is silent in idle and silent or very quiet at load
- EVGA 970 SSC is pretty good, it's not the quietest card but it's not bad, see Hexus.net
- Corsair 200R shouldn't be noisy as long as you quiet down the case fans with motherboard UEFI fan control

If you want a noise insulated case, buy a Fractal Design Define S/R5 or a Corsair 400Q.

Actually it may be closer to $326 after tax, so perhaps 70-80 more expensive tham the 6600k.

This YouTube video claims the i7 gives smoother gameplay or something. https://youtu.be/EhaB1dqYv_I

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll give it some more thought.