Gaming pc part list - request comments

[Andy T]

I am looking to build a new pc for gaming. Here is the basic info. Input much appreciated.

1. Use - gaming - Witcher 3, BF4, new Deus Ex
2. Budget - Around 1100-1500, video card excluded
3. Country - USA
5. Prefer Intel CPU, Nvidia GPU, Asus motherboards
6. Possible overclock
7. 2560x1440 resolution
8. Start build now. Finish when GTX 1070 is available.
(I plan on using GTX 1070 when it comes out):
The list has been updated based on feedback:

https://pcpartpicker.com/user/andy_t/saved/#view=zXFBD3

 

[Ken g6]

If you'll definitely overclock, get lga2011. Also you have plenty of budget, so get a Samsung ssd.

 

[UsandThem]

Although it is debatable on how much real-world difference faster RAM provides depending on which review you read, you have 16 GB of DDR4 2400 in your parts list for $57.99.

There are several choices of DDR4 3000 for around $5.00 more, so it only makes sense to buy the faster RAM. The Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 3000 is $69.xx.

 

[DigDog]

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($338.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.88 @ OutletPC)
i'm not up to date with what's the best per-dollar cpu cooler, but it should be something like this


Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170X-UD3 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($124.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($69.88 @ OutletPC)
Corsair > every other ram manufacturer.

Storage: Sandisk SSD PLUS 480GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($93.79 @ Amazon)
480Gb for a hundred bucks. when it's full, add another.

Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ SuperBiiz)
R4 is one of the best cases ever made; the non-window version is even better. it's even better than the R5.

Power Supply: EVGA 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($69.99 @ Micro Center)
Gold efficiency, semi-modular (you don't need to remove the main power cable, do you?), great company, great PSU.

Optical Drive: LG WH14NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($45.85 @ OutletPC)
assuming you want to watch BluRay discs.

Total: $848.36

does not include the 1070, does not include any software or the OS, and does not include a monitor; if you do need a monitor, i would get something like this:
Acer K272HUL

IPS panel, 27" 2560 x 1440@$250.98

or Acer XB270HU

also IPS, but a totally different beast, with 144Hz Gsync @$689.99 also 27" 2560 x 1440

 

[UsandThem]

Storage: Sandisk SSD PLUS 480GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($93.79 @ Amazon)

Your list looks good, but I wouldn't recommend this SSD. It only has a read/write of up to 535/445 MB/s, and was released solely as a budget drive.

The Sandisk Ultra II (which isn't the fastest either) has a read/write of up to 550/500 MB/s, and is/was comparable to the performance of the 840 EVO.

I think for a new higher-end build, the extra $20-$40 (depending on catching it on sale) on a better SSD is worth it.

Here is the Anandtech review of the 850 EVO. It shows where the Sandisk Ultra II falls in line at, and the Sandisk Plus would be below that:

http://www.anandtech.com/show/8747/samsung-ssd-850-evo-review/8

EDIT:

I guess the OP might want an inexpensive drive as he has a Silicon Power SSD in his list. If that is the case, the Sandisk SSD Plus would be a better budget drive choice.

 

[DigDog]

honestly .. i do not know.

my WD hard disks had a read/write of 80Mb/s, so to me anything which goes 400+ is enough. we've had a long term discussion on whether you can feel the difference between 400Mb and 550MB in real world applications, and there hasn't been any conclusive proof yet.

 

[UsandThem]

honestly .. i do not know.

my WD hard disks had a read/write of 80Mb/s, so to me anything which goes 400+ is enough. we've had a long term discussion on whether you can feel the difference between 400Mb and 550MB in real world applications, and there hasn't been any conclusive proof yet.

The only thing I do not like about the Sandisk SSD Plus is there are zero reviews on it out there. All the major hardware sites announced that Sandisk was releasing that model as a budget drive in January 2015, but outside of that there is nothing. *Crickets*

I have a Sandisk Ultra II in my youngest son's computer, a 850 EVO in mine, and a PNY CS2211 in my oldest son's computer. They all work fine, honestly. I usually just watch for a good sale.

I will say that Samsung probably has the best utility program on getting the SSD properly configured on a system for a new user who might not know how to turn off hibernation, over-provisioning the drive, etc.

 

[Andy T]

Thank you all.
Does having an all in one water cooler make sense?

I ended up purchasing Samsun Evo SSD as primary and the sandisk SSD to use as an extra storage. I will also be getting regular HDD.
I will be looking into suggested CPU/Mobo/Memory.

 

[UsandThem]

Thank you all.
Does having an all in one water cooler make sense?

It depends on personal preference. Some people love them, but I was never really interested in them as my overclocking was always moderate. The Noctua cooler you have in your list is very nice, and it will keep your CPU nice and cool.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

I would also invest in an Intel SSD, scrap the samsung

 

[DigDog]

AIOs just don't perform that well, that's the sad truth. i am very unhappy with mine, a double thick rad with 2x 120mm fans. Also, the new Intel CPUs dont require such massive voltage bumps, a simple, cheaper, less cumbersome traditional cooler works just as well, and you save a good bit of money too.

mind you, i suggested the 6700K because you gave us such a high budget; the 6600K is also totally viable, you lose hyperthreading but potentially gain higher overclocks.
the 6700K does however have a higher resale value.

 

[mnewsham]

AIOs just don't perform that well, that's the sad truth

That's just not true, I had this argument just the other day with someone. You just need to buy a large AIO and aftermarket fans if you want something "good" you can get AIOs that beat the best air coolers in performance for both cooling and noise, it will cost a bit more, but it's certainly possible.

The Corsair H110i GTX with Noctua Industrial 2000/3000RPM NF-14 fans will not only out perform an NH-D15 in cooling, it will also be similar noise level, the 3000 RPM version however can be significantly louder if allowed to ramp up all the way to 3000RPM. It also provides significant performance, and since it's PWM it can easily be kept at a lower RPM for normal use.

Here is a look at the H110i GTX with the stock fans, not even better after market fans which give better performance for the same noise level. Even using the stock fans in quiet mode will be more than acceptable noise/performance, and still manages to beat the NH-D15.

 

[DigDog]

Corsair H110i GTX with Noctua Industrial 2000/3000RPM NF-14 fans

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181094
$99 (down from $139)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608048
$27 each

i mean what the fuck really. a $150 cooler performs better than a $29 212 EVO. who would have thought that.

[sarcasm]i'm sure you'll be getting phase-change temps with that $150 cooling[/sarcasm]

 

[mnewsham]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181094
$99 (down from $139)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608048
$27 each

i mean what the fuck really. a $150 cooler performs better than a $29 212 EVO. who would have thought that.

[sarcasm]i'm sure you'll be getting phase-change temps with that $150 cooling[/sarcasm]

We both know comparing the H110i GTX to a $30 212 Evo is disingenuous, the $80-90 NH-D15 is much more comparable, and like I said, you WILL be paying more for an AIO, that shouldn't surprise anyone, it's water cooling afterall.

I'm not saying everyone should go out and buy AIOs, but don't pretend they are worse than air coolers in terms of performance, because they aren't.


Also, some people are more than willing to spend an extra $50+ for aesthetics. For me personally I just really dislike a huge block of aluminum on my motherboard.

Here is one build with NH-D15, the other is mine with my H110i GTX w/ Thermaltake Riing 14 fans.

 

[DigDog]

i am extremely skeptic towards the reviews of the various AIOs. i myself have a nepton and it performs really bad. I can only manage a 4Ghz OC on my 4670k - which is delidded and with CLP.
if i try to get 4.2, any activity will ramp up **almost immediately** the fans and it becomes loud as an aircraft. this was when i bought it, the best AIO available, lowest temps.

im not sure who is in the market for AIOs; a hardcore overclocker who does not want to build a proper loop? the OP doesn't strike me as that kind of guy. In my opinion, he's more of a 212 guy.

 

[mnewsham]

i am extremely skeptic towards the reviews of the various AIOs. i myself have a nepton and it performs really bad. I can only manage a 4Ghz OC on my 4670k - which is delidded and with CLP.
if i try to get 4.2, any activity will ramp up **almost immediately** the fans and it becomes loud as an aircraft. this was when i bought it, the best AIO available, lowest temps.

im not sure who is in the market for AIOs; a hardcore overclocker who does not want to build a proper loop? the OP doesn't strike me as that kind of guy. In my opinion, he's more of a 212 guy.

I have a custom fan curve set on mine, it idles at a little above ambient temp, at full load it struggles to reach 70C. And since my current fans have a maximum RPM of 1400, they are pretty damn quiet, even at full load.

Currently at 4.4GHz @ ~1.2v


Also, I have no idea what OP wants, I never pretended to say he needed an AIO, the only thing I came in here to do is call you out when you said

AIOs just don't perform that well, that's the sad truth

Because that's just not true, at least not in the past 12-18 months.
Do some research before you buy an AIO.

 

[Andy T]

Thank you again.
I started buying parts. Here is the updated list. All parts have been purchased except for DVD writer.
I decided to stick with air cooling.

https://pcpartpicker.com/user/andy_t/saved/#view=zXFBD3

 

[Ken g6]

You bought two SSDs? Well, I suppose it's not the worst idea for getting 1TB of SSD storage. Although I'm not sure how you want to divide it up.

I've been meaning to mention the super-huge air coolers may bend LGA1151 CPUs. I'm glad to see you didn't go quite that big.

I would have gone a little faster on the RAM, but you can overclock it if you want.

 

[Andy T]

The Sandisk SSD was on sale... I plan on using Samsung as my primary drive, and sandisk as secondary with a regular HDD added later.
Thank you for the RAM heads up. How can I tell if it matters / doesn't - i.e. will I fill the impact of slower RAM in games?

 

[mnewsham]

will I feel the impact of slower RAM in games?

Depends on the game, some titles are showing some very nice performance gains in the order of 10-20fps just from switching to faster RAM. However most games will be much less and you'll only get 2-4fps gains.

There is debate if this will matter more with DX12 or Vulcan when they become more widely used, but until we have more games out to test, it's hard to say.

 

[UsandThem]

The Sandisk SSD was on sale... I plan on using Samsung as my primary drive, and sandisk as secondary with a regular HDD added later.
Thank you for the RAM heads up. How can I tell if it matters / doesn't - i.e. will I fill the impact of slower RAM in games?

I recommended you spend the extra $5-$10 in post #3 for the DDR4 3000. Why not get the faster ram if you are building from scratch? It would make sense if you already had the slower ram and wanted to use it.

The DDR4 3000 gives you a lot more bandwidth. I'd imagine at some point that will make a difference. Most DX11 games aren't impacted much by faster ram, but it does look like going forward it could be 5-15 FPS in some titles.

 

[Andy T]

I am confused. This is the exact RAM I bought:

http://amzn.com/B0134EW7G8

It is labeled as DDR4 DRAM 3000MHz (PC4-24000). Do I need to get a faster unit?

Thanks!

I recommended you spend the extra $5-$10 in post #3 for the DDR4 3000. Why not get the faster ram if you are building from scratch? It would make sense if you already had the slower ram and wanted to use it.

The DDR4 3000 gives you a lot more bandwidth. I'd imagine at some point that will make a difference. Most DX11 games aren't impacted much by faster ram, but it does look like going forward it could be 5-15 FPS in some titles.

 

[Ken g6]

Your pcpartpicker lists ddr4-2400.

 

[mnewsham]

I am confused. This is the exact RAM I bought:

http://amzn.com/B0134EW7G8

Well that RAM is not the RAM listed in your updated PC partpicker link.

http://pcpartpicker.com/list/ZwCXsJ

 

[Andy T]

Apologies. The link was bad. Here is the updated list:
https://pcpartpicker.com/user/andy_t/saved/#view=zXFBD3