After 7 Yrs, Time To Build A New PC! (Advice Appreciated :)

[czarnybaran5150]

Finally after 7 seven years I'm back in the market to build a new PC. The advice I received from the people in this forum years was indispensable when I built my PC and it was the best computer I ever owned. Thank you guys for that. At this point the computer is showing it's age, but it's incredible how long it's lasted.

What I loved about this forum is that the people here were super cool and gave really great advice. People were very practical with their recommendations on components - the advice was a great balance between performance and value, and it had a direct impact on what I ultimately purchased.

Current budget for the tower is around $1,500. This will include the processor, graphics card, memory, motherboard, power supply, after market heatsink, fans, case, and 2 hard drives). I typically buy everything from New Egg.

I know from past experience it's really easy to lose your head wanting to buy "the best" of everything when starting a new build. That's where this forums advice was the most crucial the last time. My last PC build was based around a Intel Quad Core Extreme lab spec that I got for free from a friend of mine who worked at Intel. So naturally I wanted to buy the best components, but what I picked out initially were not the best for this particular processor. Instead people here pointed out that I was overpaying for components I really didn't need (the components I originally picked out were around $2,000). I ultimately purchased all of the components I needed for my last build around $1,000 and the computer was awesome and lasted 7 years.

Again, I'm trying to balance between performance and value. I'm not trying to be cheap by any means, I want to buy good stuff, but with technology you can get to a point where the slightest upgrade in performance from one component to another (e.g. processor) can cost an arm and a leg. It's about finding that sweet spot between performance and value in the marketplace. That's what I really need the most help with.

The main purpose for the computer will be for video and music production as well as gaming (come on, you knew that). So I definitely want to build a machine with some power with the memory maxed out.

To start out and keep things simple I would greatly appreciate some recommendations for a processor and motherboard combo. (FYI I've used Intel processors and Gigbayte boards in the past and never had any real issues with them).

Thanks!

 

[nsafreak]

I know you only asked for a motherboard and CPU recommendation but I can't help myself and I put together a full build for you. Here's what I came up with and the reasoning behind each recommendation:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor ($369.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright TRUE Spirit 140 POWER 73.6 CFM CPU Cooler ($49.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-X99-SLI ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($227.88 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($154.79 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($65.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 1070 8GB Video Card ($429.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA GS 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($82.49 @ Newegg)
Total: $1576.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-06-19 21:41 EDT-0400

CPU: I went with a Haswell-E based CPU as the main tasks you're looking at do benefit from having more cores. I know Premier and Audition for me will use every core I have to throw at them. You could go with Skylake but you wouldn't have as many actual cores. If you're willing to go even further over budget, or if you find a deal on one, I would also consider a Broadwell-E based CPU like a i7-6800K

Motherboard: Well if you're going with Broadwell-E/Haswell-E CPU you have to go with an X99 board, obviously. This is a solid board with a nice feature set that doesn't cost too terribly much.

RAM: RAM is such a commodity item it's pretty easy to pick nowadays. I went with 32GB of DDR4-2400 as that's a good middle ground speed and capacity. The board I chose btw will support up to 128GB.

CPU Cooler: A solid cooler that will cool quietly and installs pretty simply.

SSD: Having an SSD is a huge help in editing large project files and then exporting the resulting file to your mechanical HDD. It improves overall responsiveness of the system as well and I always try and get one in any build I recommend. With your budget I went with 500 GB which will give you room to grow.

HDD: Almost a commodity item but there are sometimes differences between manufacturers. Seagate has had its issures (most notably with 1.5 TB and 3TB HDDs) but I haven't heard any major issues with there 2TB drives. Feel free to go with a WD Blue instead.

GPU: It may be tough to find them in stock but I definitely recommend a GTX 1070. The cards designed by the likes of MSI, Asus and Gigabyte are starting to come out so you don't have to stick with the Founder's edition cards unless you want to. Your other option would be to forego a Broadwell-E based platform and instead switch for Skylake which will free up more budget perhaps allowing a GTX 1080.

PSU: If you want a solid build you have to have a solid PSU and the eVGA 650 watt PSU I recommended should last for quite a while.

Case: It's really a personal choice thing here, there are lots of cases that will fit into your budget such as the Fractal Designs Define R5, various Corsair cases and more. Feel free to select a different one but I generally recommend Fractal Designs a lot nowadays.

So as a quick summary if you want to spend more on the GPU but have a bit less in terms of cores and maximum memory (most Z170 will support is 64GB, not sure if this matters to you or not) swap out the CPU for an i7-6700K and motherboard for an equivalent Z170 and then get a GTX 1080. It does depend on what resolution you plan on gaming at as well, I'm more likely to recomend a GTX 1080 if you plan on 4K gaming in the future but a GTX1070 will be perfectly fine for 1080p gaming.

 

[lakedude]

Wait a little while until 14-16nm GPUs are more available.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Did anyone ask if the OP lives near a Microcenter? You can get some "killer" combo deals on Intel CPUs and motherboards there in-store only. (Some say that they are loss-leaders.)

Something to consider. Otherwise, the build already proposed sounds pretty decent.

 

[czarnybaran5150]

nsafreak: This is why I love this community. THANK YOU SO MUCH for taking the time to put this together. Clearly, you have a passion for this stuff I won't have a chance tonight to really dive into the options you laid out, but I will tomorrow. I'm sure I'll have questions.

lakedude: Thanks for the heads up! How long until the 14-16nm GPU's come out?

VirtualLarry: Thank you very much for the recommendation, but I'm not near a Microcenter.

 

[lakedude]

lakedude: Thanks for the heads up! How long until the 14-16nm GPU's come out?

They are just coming out now. nVidia has the 1070 and 1080 but they are still hard to find in stock. AMD should have product out by the end of this month. We have been stuck on the 28nm planar process for years and we are just now getting 14nm finFET technology for GPUs. Intel has had FinFETs since Ivy Bridge on the 22nm process. FinFETs are better/faster and worth waiting for.

 

[lakedude]

I'm pretty cool with nsafreak's build especially the gtx 1070 if you can find one. I do think 32GB of RAM is overkill as is the 5820. I'd get a i7-6700K for $314.99 or maybe even a 6600k for $219.99. I'd also buy half as much RAM but there is nothing wrong with nsafreak's build if you want to spend that much. Did you need an OS?

 

[mnewsham]

I'm pretty cool with nsafreak's build especially the gtx 1070 if you can find one. I do think 32GB of RAM is overkill as is the 5820. I'd get a i7-6700K for $314.99 or maybe even a 6600k for $219.99. I'd also buy half as much RAM but there is nothing wrong with nsafreak's build if you want to spend that much. Did you need an OS?

If he's doing video and music production those extra threads in the 5820k could be very useful. If you're willing to OC the 5820k it can hit ~4.4-4.6GHz depending on your luck, which matches and can even beat a stock 6700k single core performance, while crushing it in multithreaded performance.

So it really depends what he's doing and if he wants higher peak single core performance or higher multi-threaded performance.

For gaming, the 6700k is the clear choice, but when you include video and music production, the 5820k can look very attractive.

 

[lakedude]

If he's doing video and music production those extra threads in the 5820k could be very useful. If you're willing to OC the 5820k it can hit ~4.4-4.6GHz depending on your luck, which matches and can even beat a stock 6700k single core performance, while crushing it in multithreaded performance.

So it really depends what he's doing and if he wants higher peak single core performance or higher multi-threaded performance.

For gaming, the 6700k is the clear choice, but when you include video and music production, the 5820k can look very attractive.

Fair enough. I see the OP asked for tons of RAM as well...

 

[Sheep221]

Investing in LGA 2011 V3 system wouldn't be so bad idea in case the OP wants to work on 4k post production and since he had last rig 7 years I assume he will keep this one also around 7-10 years or so. So I think it is important to invest in 4k capability because the upcoming years will be all about 4k.

 

[lakedude]

Re: CPU

I suppose it really depends on the exact software to be run and the degree that the software can utilize moar coars, and strictness of the budget as well.

Remember going with a 1151 socket CPU will save not only on the cost of the CPU but would also save money on the motherboard resulting in saving a couple hundred dollars and getting better single threaded performance.

I'm cool with either way, just want to toss the option out there.

 

[DigDog]

you gotta understand that here on AT as soon as someone types "video editing" everyone will start recommending at least a xeon with 12 cores and 256Gb of ram, even if that video editing is gaming videos for youtube.

 

[czarnybaran5150]

I know you only asked for a motherboard and CPU recommendation but I can't help myself and I put together a full build for you. Here's what I came up with and the reasoning behind each recommendation:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor ($369.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright TRUE Spirit 140 POWER 73.6 CFM CPU Cooler ($49.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-X99-SLI ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($227.88 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($154.79 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($65.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 1070 8GB Video Card ($429.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA GS 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($82.49 @ Newegg)
Total: $1576.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-06-19 21:41 EDT-0400

CPU: I went with a Haswell-E based CPU as the main tasks you're looking at do benefit from having more cores. I know Premier and Audition for me will use every core I have to throw at them. You could go with Skylake but you wouldn't have as many actual cores. If you're willing to go even further over budget, or if you find a deal on one, I would also consider a Broadwell-E based CPU like a i7-6800K

Motherboard: Well if you're going with Broadwell-E/Haswell-E CPU you have to go with an X99 board, obviously. This is a solid board with a nice feature set that doesn't cost too terribly much.

RAM: RAM is such a commodity item it's pretty easy to pick nowadays. I went with 32GB of DDR4-2400 as that's a good middle ground speed and capacity. The board I chose btw will support up to 128GB.

CPU Cooler: A solid cooler that will cool quietly and installs pretty simply.

SSD: Having an SSD is a huge help in editing large project files and then exporting the resulting file to your mechanical HDD. It improves overall responsiveness of the system as well and I always try and get one in any build I recommend. With your budget I went with 500 GB which will give you room to grow.

HDD: Almost a commodity item but there are sometimes differences between manufacturers. Seagate has had its issures (most notably with 1.5 TB and 3TB HDDs) but I haven't heard any major issues with there 2TB drives. Feel free to go with a WD Blue instead.

GPU: It may be tough to find them in stock but I definitely recommend a GTX 1070. The cards designed by the likes of MSI, Asus and Gigabyte are starting to come out so you don't have to stick with the Founder's edition cards unless you want to. Your other option would be to forego a Broadwell-E based platform and instead switch for Skylake which will free up more budget perhaps allowing a GTX 1080.

PSU: If you want a solid build you have to have a solid PSU and the eVGA 650 watt PSU I recommended should last for quite a while.

Case: It's really a personal choice thing here, there are lots of cases that will fit into your budget such as the Fractal Designs Define R5, various Corsair cases and more. Feel free to select a different one but I generally recommend Fractal Designs a lot nowadays.

So as a quick summary if you want to spend more on the GPU but have a bit less in terms of cores and maximum memory (most Z170 will support is 64GB, not sure if this matters to you or not) swap out the CPU for an i7-6700K and motherboard for an equivalent Z170 and then get a GTX 1080. It does depend on what resolution you plan on gaming at as well, I'm more likely to recomend a GTX 1080 if you plan on 4K gaming in the future but a GTX1070 will be perfectly fine for 1080p gaming.

Thank you once again for putting this together. I appreciate the time and effort.

Ok, regarding my budget, I'm okay with going a little over if its necessary. So questions and thoughts on your build:

CPU: I have no problem spending good money on the CPU. I admit that the Broadwell-E based i7-6800K is likely at the very top end on my budget for a CPU, but I'll do it if it's good.

Motherboard: My last 2 builds used Gigabyte boards and they were pretty good and lasted the life of the computer. The only reservation I have with this Gigabyte board is it doesn't have USB 3.1. I want the option because some of the audio recording gear I'll be using will eventually be USB 3.1. There are a number of X99 boards out there, but the New Egg reviews make it seem like they all suck. What about this from ASUS?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132516&ignorebbr=1

Now is the X99 the only board I can use if I go with the Broadwell i7? Or are there other options?

RAM: I love the GSkill pick. I used GSkill in my last build and the memory was cheap and it's still kicking 7 years later.

CPU Cooler: On my first build I went stock and my computer overheated all the time. I did not skimp on this on my second build and used a Prolimatech Megahalems with 2 fans attached and my CPU never overheated. Is there a cooler you would recommend for the i7-6800k?

HDD: I've used WD pretty much exclusively and never had issues.

GPU: The other area I will pay top dollar. And yes, the 1070's and 1080's are tough to find right now. What are your thoughts on waiting for AMD's FinFETs based GPU's?

PSU: I probably sound like an idiot but do you think 650 watt is enough? My last build had an 850 watt PSU because I wanted to be sure all of the shit I had connected to my computer would be powered. Overkill? Maybe, but I sure never had power issues. I've always liked Antec's power supply's.

Case: Why do you like Fractal so much? Just curious. My last case was an Antec and I loved it because it had plenty of ventilation and never once shutdown from overheating.

Regarding this Advice: "So as a quick summary if you want to spend more on the GPU but have a bit less in terms of cores and maximum memory (most Z170 will support is 64GB, not sure if this matters to you or not) swap out the CPU for an i7-6700K and motherboard for an equivalent Z170 and then get a GTX 1080. It does depend on what resolution you plan on gaming at as well, I'm more likely to recomend a GTX 1080 if you plan on 4K gaming in the future but a GTX1070 will be perfectly fine for 1080p gaming."

The GTX 1080 is over my budget for a GPU. The 1070 is pushing my ceiling but I would do it. If I go with the 1070, would you still recommend the i7-6800k, or would you do something else?

 

[lakedude]

2 cents, I also generally try to buy WD drives but their cheaper drives are junk, the ones with a short warranty.

Before you decide on a CPU you need to examine the software you will be running. Specifically, how many threads the software can effectively utilize. The more expensive processors you are looking at are only faster on software that can utilize most all of the 12 available threads. The cheaper socket 1151 processors are faster for lightly threaded work. Most games for example do not scale out to 6 cores/12 threads so for most gaming a 6700k is going to be faster than the 5820 or the 6800 even if cost is not an issue.

 

[lakedude]

re: power supply, 650 (or even 550) should be plenty.

The CPU you are looking at has a tdp of 140 watts and the GPU runs 150 watts. I would expect the total power draw to be under 300 watts unless you are running furmark or some similar stress test. Seasonic is the preferred brand around here.

Here is something you might like:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371073

Antec TruePower Classic series TP-750C 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Power Supply $59.99 ar

or maybe

http://pcpartpicker.com/product/gYMFf7/seasonic-power-supply-s12g550

SeaSonic S12G S12G-550 550W ATX12V / EPS12V 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Active PFC Power Supply $79.99

nsafreak's EVGA is gold rated and modular. Modular can be nice because you only plug in the wires you need which cleans up the case and makes for better airflow. Personally I'm not a huge fan because extra connection points are a possible source of failure and they also generally cost more.

 

[Azuma Hazuki]

I would very strongly suggest waiting for AMD's Vega GPUs to come out (and for their prices to stabilize). This will probably be around late Q3/early Q4...so it's a bit of a wait, but if it turns out Vega is a flop you can get a Pascal card after the prices cool down. And if it turns out Vega is really good, you'll be glad you waited Also I'm told much content production software works well on AMD hardware.

For the processor...well, people have already said that the Skylake (6700K) is the single-thread performance king, whereas Haswell-E/Broadwell-E will win for multithread. It would help to know how intense both your gaming and your content production are; unlike some other posters, I discourage overclocking for production machines. You may want to wait (the W word again, I know...) for Zen and Skylake-E and see how that pans out; LGA 2011-v3 is a dead end.

 

[mnewsham]

Skylake-E

He's already waited 7 years, I doubt he wants to wait another 12 months + for another platform.

 

[DigDog]

6700k build is the one that makes the most sense right now for anyone except real professionals.

 

[nsafreak]

Thank you once again for putting this together. I appreciate the time and effort.

Ok, regarding my budget, I'm okay with going a little over if its necessary. So questions and thoughts on your build:

CPU: I have no problem spending good money on the CPU. I admit that the Broadwell-E based i7-6800K is likely at the very top end on my budget for a CPU, but I'll do it if it's good.

Motherboard: My last 2 builds used Gigabyte boards and they were pretty good and lasted the life of the computer. The only reservation I have with this Gigabyte board is it doesn't have USB 3.1. I want the option because some of the audio recording gear I'll be using will eventually be USB 3.1. There are a number of X99 boards out there, but the New Egg reviews make it seem like they all suck. What about this from ASUS?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132516&ignorebbr=1

Now is the X99 the only board I can use if I go with the Broadwell i7? Or are there other options?

RAM: I love the GSkill pick. I used GSkill in my last build and the memory was cheap and it's still kicking 7 years later.

CPU Cooler: On my first build I went stock and my computer overheated all the time. I did not skimp on this on my second build and used a Prolimatech Megahalems with 2 fans attached and my CPU never overheated. Is there a cooler you would recommend for the i7-6800k?

HDD: I've used WD pretty much exclusively and never had issues.

GPU: The other area I will pay top dollar. And yes, the 1070's and 1080's are tough to find right now. What are your thoughts on waiting for AMD's FinFETs based GPU's?

PSU: I probably sound like an idiot but do you think 650 watt is enough? My last build had an 850 watt PSU because I wanted to be sure all of the shit I had connected to my computer would be powered. Overkill? Maybe, but I sure never had power issues. I've always liked Antec's power supply's.

Case: Why do you like Fractal so much? Just curious. My last case was an Antec and I loved it because it had plenty of ventilation and never once shutdown from overheating.

Regarding this Advice: "So as a quick summary if you want to spend more on the GPU but have a bit less in terms of cores and maximum memory (most Z170 will support is 64GB, not sure if this matters to you or not) swap out the CPU for an i7-6700K and motherboard for an equivalent Z170 and then get a GTX 1080. It does depend on what resolution you plan on gaming at as well, I'm more likely to recomend a GTX 1080 if you plan on 4K gaming in the future but a GTX1070 will be perfectly fine for 1080p gaming."

The GTX 1080 is over my budget for a GPU. The 1070 is pushing my ceiling but I would do it. If I go with the 1070, would you still recommend the i7-6800k, or would you do something else?

So I'm going to reply to you on a point by point basis as well to keep everything organized.

CPU: The Broadwell-E has some optimizations that you may or may not make use of at all. If you want to stay closer to your budget I would go with the Haswell-E (the 5820K) or possibly Skylake instead. I should state that a good part of the reason that I'm recommending the Enthusiast platform (that's what the E stands for in case you didn't know) is because you stated you're looking to do audio and video editing and it almost sounded like you intended to do it professionally. If you intend to do it more as a hobby I would recommend the i7-6700K instead as time may not be quite as important.

Motherboard: I really hesitate on recommending Asus boards because of some issues that I had with their RMA process with a video card from them and some folks have had with their RMA process for motherboards. Now that's not to say Gigabyte is a complete angel when it comes to this kind of issue but they seem to be less prevalent. Gigabyte does make a board however that supports USB 3.1 and is X99 here it's $25 more than the Asus you listed but it wouldn't surprise me if you could find a deal to bring it to close to the same price. When it comes to the Z170 platform (if you choose to go that route instead) there are numerous boards from Gigabyte that have USB 3.1

CPU Cooler: I could have sworn that I linked a Thermalright TrueSpirit must have gotten removed somehow. Prolimatech does make a compatible Megahelm as well if you want to continue to use that unit, it would work just fine. If anything more modern Intel CPUs have gotten a lot cooler over time.

GPU: If you're willing to wait a couple of months for the RX480 & RX470 to come down the pipe so we can see some firm numbers I don't blame you. From what's been shown so far they look like they may well be outstanding deals for their price and heck they may even cause nVidia to drop the price a bit on the 1070 if the performance is close enough. I believe your previous GPU is PCIe so you could always do the main portion of the build for now using your current GPU and then when the AMD offerings become available see how they compare in the real world to what nVidia has available and make your decision then.

PSU: For a single GPU setup with either of your potential CPUs yes as other folks have cited a 650 watt PSU should be plenty. Heck you could possibly do a dual GPU setup and still be fine although I could understand bumping it up a bit in that case to have some more overhead. Antec makes some quality PSUs but I, along with others, tend to recommend PSUs made by Seasonic. This includes their self branded ones, ones sold under the eVGA G2 & P1 model line, some Fractal Designs, a few XFX heck I think some of the better Antec ones are actually made by Seasonic. They have a very good reputation and long warranties on their units.

Case: The reason I prefer Fractal Designs cases is because I find them to be very well engineered inside in terms of airflow, drive bays and cable routing. I also like the very minimalistic look that they have in terms of the exterior which typically suits my tastes these days (yes I know my case in my rig sig doesn't match that, my microcenter didn't have the Fractal Designs case I wanted and I was impatient so sue me )

In regards to my summary: Either the i7-6800K or the i7-6700K will work perfectly fine with a 1070 or an RX400 series if you choose to go with one of those instead. The decision to make between the two platforms has to do with what you plan to do the majority of the time with this unit. Do you intend to spend a lot of time with audio and video editing with some gaming on the side or a bit more gaming than editing? If it's more on the editing side then I would go with the i7-6800K. If you plan on doing more gaming than editing or the editing is more of a hobby then i would go with the i7-6700K.

 

[DigDog]

FYI i do video editing with PowerDirector and my cpu is a 4-core, 4-thread 4650k.

 

[nsafreak]

FYI i do video editing with PowerDirector and my cpu is a 4-core, 4-thread 4650k.

Oh you can do it, I edit in Premier on a regular basis typically a few hour long videos at 1080p on my 4670k. I just also know that my render times would be a fair bit shorter if I had more cores to work with. As I stated in my above post I'd recommend the 6700K for hobbyist use, the 6800K if it's for professional use.

 

[lakedude]

I'm seeing a lot of good and polite advice here. Can't really find anything to argue with, which is a blessing. So often these things get out of hand. Nice job!

 

[lakedude]

I most often use single threaded video software because it is free and fast but video is just a hobby for me.

 

[DigDog]

go with the skylake build. it's cheaper, functional, and easy to resell later on.

also, save some $ and buy powerdirector; i paid $50 for it and it's excellent. (lifetime license)

 

[mnewsham]

go with the skylake build. it's cheaper, functional, and easy to resell later on.

also, save some $ and buy powerdirector; i paid $50 for it and it's excellent. (lifetime license)

Actually if past trends are anything to go by, socket 2011-3 motherboards aftermarket prices will be pretty good. Just look at what decent X58/X79 boards go for used, the OEM ones can be pretty cheap, but any decent ones cost a decent bit used.