Recommend me a build ~$1000 max

[bball1523]

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

2. What YOUR budget is: Around $1000 max, but the less the better.

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: for now my current videocard. GT 740 2gb.

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds: default speeds, with the ability to overcook though I don't think I will do any OCing.

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

9. WHEN do you plan to build it? By June, but may be earlier.

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'd prefer something that will last me 3-5 years. I also prefer a core i7 4.0 ghz. And I want a quiet pc.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Did you notice the $1000 build in this thread?

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2389797

The only change is, I suppose, if you are really just doing "light" gaming, you could probably change out the 390X for a less expensive GPU and put that money into gobs of storage and RAM instead.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/HhLCGX

The 740 is a _very_ weak card, and I'd consider upgrading it even if you don't think you'll be doing a lot with it. There's always Folding@Home.

 

[bball1523]

Did you notice the $1000 build in this thread?

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2389797

The only change is, I suppose, if you are really just doing "light" gaming, you could probably change out the 390X for a less expensive GPU and put that money into gobs of storage and RAM instead.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/HhLCGX

The 740 is a _very_ weak card, and I'd consider upgrading it even if you don't think you'll be doing a lot with it. There's always Folding@Home.

I didn't know about that thread, but I also didn't look around to see that it was there.

I'd prefer a core i7. Do you have any good reason for me to go for a core i5 instead?

Also, I prob won't be doing too much gaming right now though I want to be able to play the latest games at medium high to high settings. For now, I think I'd be ok with what I got, but maybe in the future I can upgrade the videocard.

Here's a pcpartslist I've compiled recently. What do you all think?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($341.98 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97M-DS3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($86.97 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($67.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($50.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($64.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair RM 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG WH14NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($52.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro OEM (64-bit) ($125.01 @ B&H)
Monitor: Asus VX238H 23.0" Monitor ($121.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1027.87
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-01-25 18:00 EST-0500

 

[Ken g6]

I'm not entirely sure, but it looks like some audio software does need a high-end CPU like that. So:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($329.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: *ASRock Z97 PRO3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($80.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: *Mushkin ECO2 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: *Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($84.34 @ Amazon)
Storage: *Toshiba Product SeriesT01ACA 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($39.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: *Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($47.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: *EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: *LG WH14NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($46.39 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro OEM (64-bit) ($125.01 @ B&H)
Monitor: Asus VX238H 23.0" Monitor ($121.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1006.53
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-01-25 18:24 EST-0500

If you want to only buy from a few sources you should tell us, and set that in your PCPartPicker preferences. The CPU Cooler would be the thing to remove first, as the 4790K comes with a CPU cooler.

 

[Ketchup]

I wouldn't bother saving $25 on the cooler, unless you also drop to a non-k model. The cpu will throttle with the stock one. Now, going higher on the cooler may be a waste, as most of these won't go much over 4.4.

 

[bball1523]

I'm not entirely sure, but it looks like some audio software does need a high-end CPU like that. So:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($329.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: *ASRock Z97 PRO3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($80.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: *Mushkin ECO2 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: *Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($84.34 @ Amazon)
Storage: *Toshiba Product SeriesT01ACA 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($39.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: *Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($47.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: *EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: *LG WH14NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($46.39 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro OEM (64-bit) ($125.01 @ B&H)
Monitor: Asus VX238H 23.0" Monitor ($121.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1006.53
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-01-25 18:24 EST-0500

If you want to only buy from a few sources you should tell us, and set that in your PCPartPicker preferences. The CPU Cooler would be the thing to remove first, as the 4790K comes with a CPU cooler.

Thanks for the advice. The reason I chose newegg in my list was because they have a 12 month financing option. However, if I just save up money over some time I can buy from multiple places.

Is Mushkin a good reliable brand to go with for ram? Also, is 600w PSU enough for the parts listed?

 

[bball1523]

I wouldn't bother saving $25 on the cooler, unless you also drop to a non-k model. The cpu will throttle with the stock one. Now, going higher on the cooler may be a waste, as most of these won't go much over 4.4.

Are you saying the cpu will throttle with a stock cpu fan even if I don't overclock? If so, do you have a good recommendation for a cpu fan or is the one in my parts list good? I thought that cpu fan was some kind of case fan for the cpu rather than a heatsink fan.

 

[Ketchup]

CPU cooler is fine. It's the one I have. You get a good a higher base speed, turbo, and integrated video with the k, so I wasn't trying to tell you to not get it, just making sure you didn't change your mind and go with the stock cooler. Because if you are going to save 30 dollars on the cooler, might as well save another 30 on the non-k 4790.

 

[fourdegrees11]

You can OC non K skylake cpu's with the right mobo. You say you're not sure if you want to, so this sounds like a good bet

You also said you want a quite PC, so a case with sound dampening along with a nice cpu cooler will go a long way. You also dont want to skimp out on the PSU. A full size SSD should work for a while, you can always add a cheap bulk storage drive in the future. An IPS monitor would also be a better choice if you arent looking for the ultimate gaming response (which you arent)

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($329.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.50 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z170A-X1/3.1 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($102.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill NT Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Mushkin ECO2 512GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Case: DIYPC Silence-BK ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G2 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($95.98 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro OEM (64-bit) ($125.01 @ B&H)
Monitor: Acer KN242HYL 60Hz 23.8" Monitor ($110.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1049.41
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-01-26 09:45 EST-0500

 

[bball1523]

CPU cooler is fine. It's the one I have. You get a good a higher base speed, turbo, and integrated video with the k, so I wasn't trying to tell you to not get it, just making sure you didn't change your mind and go with the stock cooler. Because if you are going to save 30 dollars on the cooler, might as well save another 30 on the non-k 4790.

So if I get the k version and go with the stock cooler, the cpu will throttle?

 

[bball1523]

You can OC non K skylake cpu's with the right mobo. You say you're not sure if you want to, so this sounds like a good bet

You also said you want a quite PC, so a case with sound dampening along with a nice cpu cooler will go a long way. You also dont want to skimp out on the PSU. A full size SSD should work for a while, you can always add a cheap bulk storage drive in the future. An IPS monitor would also be a better choice if you arent looking for the ultimate gaming response (which you arent)

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($329.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.50 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z170A-X1/3.1 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($102.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill NT Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Mushkin ECO2 512GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Case: DIYPC Silence-BK ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G2 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($95.98 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro OEM (64-bit) ($125.01 @ B&H)
Monitor: Acer KN242HYL 60Hz 23.8" Monitor ($110.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1049.41
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-01-26 09:45 EST-0500

I'd prefer the core i7 4.0 ghz, do you think that's ok or is it no necessary?

For the case, how do I put a regular hard drive in it? It looks like it doesn't have a hdd bay and a holder for bluray drive which I do want.

 

[lehtv]

I7 6700 runs at 4ghz max turbo and consumes much less power (which means it requires much less cooling) than i7 4790K

 

[fourdegrees11]

The 6700 should be fine, it still turbo's to 4ghz. It's also around 10% faster per clock then the 4790k. You also can OC the 6700 if you want more speed.

As for the case it has a door, there's 2x bays for optical drives. The case also has internal mounting for 2x regular HDDs and 3x SSDs

Edit: Just noticed parts list I posted isnt showing the actual PSU price, it's $80 + a $20 MIR = $60

I'd prefer the core i7 4.0 ghz, do you think that's ok or is it no necessary?

For the case, how do I put a regular hard drive in it? It looks like it doesn't have a hdd bay and a holder for bluray drive which I do want.

 

[bball1523]

The 6700 should be fine, it still turbo's to 4ghz. It's also around 10% faster per clock then the 4790k. You also can OC the 6700 if you want more speed.

As for the case it has a door, there's 2x bays for optical drives. The case also has internal mounting for 2x regular HDDs and 3x SSDs

Edit: Just noticed parts list I posted isnt showing the actual PSU price, it's $80 + a $20 MIR = $60

Would you say the 6700 is future proof for a few years compared to 4790k?

Also, do you think 6700 or 4790k is better and why?

 

[lehtv]

The 6700 should be fine, it still turbo's to 4ghz. It's also around 10% faster per clock then the 4790k.

That's a bit of an exaggeration - SPCR found only a 4.1% increase over i7-4770K, even though i7-6700 has 100MHz or 2.5% higher turbo.

10% may be possible in the absolute best case scenario, but <5% is more realistic.

 

[lehtv]

Would you say the 6700 is future proof for a few years compared to 4790k?

Do you mean "a few years more"? No. Both will last the same time, because they perform about the same.

Also, do you think 6700 or 4790k is better and why?

i7-6700 is definitely better, even though 4790K is marginally faster at stock. Much better performance per watt, support for DDR4 (which will stay relevant for many many years, as opposed to DDR3 which is near end of life), LGA1151 motherboard will keep its value for longer. Always buy the newest gen unless last gen is all you can afford.

 

[Ketchup]

I7 6700 runs at 4ghz max turbo and consumes much less power (which means it requires much less cooling) than i7 4790K

Barely (and in some cases more):

https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/Haswell-vs-Skylake-S-i7-4790K-vs-i7-6700K-6

And in turn, the temps are pretty close:

 

[Ketchup]

So if I get the k version and go with the stock cooler, the cpu will throttle?

At full load, probably. But getting all four codes (plus HT cores) at full load? Probably not going to happen all the time.

Eh, get a $30 cooler either way, and it's a moot point.

 

[lehtv]

Barely (and in some cases more):

Why are you posting i7-6700K when we're talking about i7-6700?

http://ark.intel.com/products/88195/Intel-Core-i7-6700K-Processor-8M-Cache-up-to-4_20-GHz TDP 91 W
http://ark.intel.com/products/88196/Intel-Core-i7-6700-Processor-8M-Cache-up-to-4_00-GHz TDP 65 W

edit: also, those graphs don't agree with SilentPCReview's findings at all, where i7-6700K is much less power hungry than i7-4770K which consumes less power than i7-4790K (and has 4W lower official TDP).

 

[Ketchup]

k to k seems more of a fair comparison (Because of course a CPU with a lower clock speed is going to use less power). As to why the graphs are so different, I have no idea.

 

[lehtv]

k to k seems more of a fair comparison (Because of course a CPU with a lower clock speed is going to use less power).

Irrelevant. The OP asked specifically "do you think 6700 or 4790k is better and why?", so it's fair to answer that question directly rather than compare i7-4790K to the i7-6700K which is more expensive.

 

[bball1523]

So for my needs a I7 6700 would be sufficient for 3-5 years compared to the 4790k? I'm mostly going to be doing web surfing, word processing, music production and some gaming. I don't plan on overclocking, though having the option would be nice in case I decide to experiment someday or have an interest in it.

 

[lehtv]

So for my needs a I7 6700 would be sufficient for 3-5 years compared to the 4790k?

What do you mean "compared to"? That sentence just makes no sense.

Yes, i7-6700 is sufficient for your needs for 3-5 years. Regardless of whether you compare it to i7-4790K.

I don't plan on overclocking, though having the option would be nice in case I decide to experiment someday or have an interest in it.

There's little overclocking headroom with the i7-4790K given its high stock turbo clock, so that's another reason to get Skylake. To be exact, i7-6700K is the Skylake equivalent to i7-4790K, but with Skylake you don't necessarily need a K (as in, multiplier unlocked) model in order to overclock. i7-6700 can be overclocked with the base clock on a Z170 motherboard.

 

[Ketchup]

It's honestly a tough decision, as I personally don't think either is a bad choice. You wouldn't be in danger of either one keeping you happy for 5+ years.

 

[lehtv]

Here's the full build I'd recommend:

i7-6700 + MSI Z170A Gaming M5 $455 after rebate @ newegg
Thermaltake Frio Silent 14 $35 @ amazon
G.Skill Ripjaws V 2x8GB DDR4-3000 $88 @ newegg or the G.Skill kit for $70 suggested earlier
Mushkin Eco2 512GB $120 @ newegg
EVGA 550 G2 $60 after rebate @ newegg (enough for pretty much any single GPU, even for heavy high res gaming)
Fractal Design Core 3300 $50 @ newegg or the DIYPC case for $60 suggested earlier
Windows 10 Home $94 @ amazon (just wondering why you would need Pro?)
Dell U2414H $240 @ newegg or if you want an el cheapo monitor, Asus VN248H-P $110 after rebate is probably fine
= $1142 after rebate

Or if you pick the cheaper RAM and monitor: $994 after rebate