Greetings all! Now that my old PC is not capable of running any new games even on low settings, it came the time to treat myself to my first real gaming build. And as far as my knowledge goes, I would rather seek expert advice before I go ahead with ordering any parts to find out they are not compatible or there are better options out there Budget: 1000 but can stretch if needed Main uses of intended build: Gaming (Ultra settings desired) Parts required: All system, apart from monitor, keyboard and mouse Previous build information (list details of parts): None Monitor resolution: Will not be used for 4K, will require a better monitor later on but not included in this build, although suggestions are welcome Storage requirements: 1tb is sufficient Will you be overclocking: yes (possibly if motherboard allows easy overclock as no experience) Any motherboard requirements (no. of USB, Xfire/SLI, fan headers): M.2 will be purchased at later date or with build Extra information about desired system: CPU is something I am sure about, an i5 6600k should be enough for what I need but motherboard, is it an overkill? Motherboard is something I am very unsure and hope to seek advice on. And this is the build I came up with, please may anyone advise if its compatible and if other products might be better for gaming on high (ultra) settings? Also, M.2 will be purchased later or with build instead of the 1TB drive to have as a main system drive. 1TB Seagate ST1000DM003 Barracuda 7200.14, SATA 6Gb/s, 7200rpm, 64MB Cache, 8ms, NCQ, OEM NZXT H230 Silent Black Mid Tower Case USB 3.0 Quiet 120mm Fan, w/o PSU 250GB Samsung 850 EVO, 2.5" SSD, SATA III 6Gb/s, MGX, 3D V-NAND, 512MB Cache, Read 540MB/s, Write 520MB/s, 97k/88k IOPS Intel Core i5 6600K, S 1151, Skylake, Quad Core, 3.5GHz, 3.9GHz Turbo, 6MB Cache, 1150MHz GPU, 35x Ratio, 91W CPU Retail 550W EVGA SuperNOVA G2 PSU, Fully Modular, 80PLUS Gold ATX, SLI/Crossfire Ready Asus ROG Maximus VIII Hero, Intel Z170, S 1151, DDR4, SATAe, M.2 (PCIe/SATA), 2-Way SLi/3-Way CrossFire, USB 3.1A+C, ATX 16GB (2x8GB) Corsair DDR4 Vengeance LED, PC4-24000 (3000), Non-ECC Unbuffered, CAS 15-17-17-35, White LED, XMP2.0, 1.35V Asus GeForce GTX 1060 ROG STRIX OC GAMING 6GB GDDR5 VR Ready Graphics Card, 1280 Core, 1620 MHz GPU, 1847 MHz Boost Thank in advance! P.S - I do apologise for the blunt format as posting using the phone.
Looks pretty good to me. With Kaby Lake being out, I'd seriously consider the Z270 motherboards if they're not significantly more expensive. It might also be worth downgrading the CPU a little (especially if you decide to not overclock) in order to save more money for the graphics card - a 1070 would be a huge leap up in performance if you can get the extra money together. If you want to play at Ultra settings, it would definitely be worth the extra over the 1060. You could also get a cheaper motherboard (with the newer chipset) to save some money... Here's my suggestion: If you do decide that you definitely want to overclock, then swap out the CPU for the Intel 7600k, it's only £2 more than the 6600k. All the other parts look great to me.
Thanks for your replies guys! oasked I see you mentioned 7400 CPU, is it worth it going extra for the K series if there is a possibility to slightly overclock it? Or lets put it this way, will the "easy" overclock done with motherboard software be noticeable/useful or stock 7400 is more than necessary? The motherboard I chose on my build is pretty much twice expensive, hence I was highly doubtful of motherboards. The only reason I didn't look into the Z270 is due to lack of reviews as it's so fresh still. Having read some review though, is there that much difference between the skylake when it comes to gaming? 1070 is pricey but considering the motherboard and CPU will be less than the original build, I guess it's sensible. New monitor will be definitely required to open up the potential of such card though. Thank you for your feedback! Vault-Tec If I am not mistaken, it's due to release somewhere around March this year? And you saying wait for Ryzen because it will perform better or prices might change? Thanks in advance for knowledge!
Ryzen is the latest CPU from AMD, but we don't know when it's out. Enthusiasts are very excited by it as it seems to show AMD matching some of the higher-end Intel options in initial benchmarks. Best guess for launch is the end of February this year. rend If you want to overclock, you'll want the 'K' series processor (i.e. 7600k) as it is unlocked for overclocking. I would only go with the cheaper CPU if you're not interested in that. I doubt in most games that you would notice the difference TBH - as most games are very much graphics (GPU) dependent. That means that getting the best graphics card that you can afford is the top priority - so get the Geforce 1070 if you can afford it! If you have enough money left get the 7600k, but if that is too expensive a 7400 would be almost as good (just bear in mind it will be much more difficult to overclock). Regarding motherboards - check each motherboard for the features that you want, but I would strongly advise going with the Z270 chipset (as it is the newest). The board you posted was quite expensive, and the one I selected should do everything that you need for much less money. But, it is a personal decision, so make sure you read the specs for each one to make sure that you get a motherboard that suits you!
First, welcome to the forums! You do say that you will be using an existing monitor for now, but us that a 1080P, less, or more? Also, when you do upgrade, are you thinking of going 4K or less? I would say that this may determine your GPU decision - if you are currently on 1080P and thinking of going to 4K later, then you would need to change your GPU anyway to get a similar experience from it (at the 4K resolution, at least). If you really want to run at 4K when the time comes, then I would suggest saving a bit now on the GPU and going for a 1060 6GB or an RX480. If you would be happy reducing settings on a 4K monitor then by all means get a 1070. I think Vault-Tec would be thinking about not just the potential performance of Ryzen and the impact on pricing, but also that AMD will have all their CPU's unlocked for overclocking which could save a few pounds in many ways.
The prices Intel are charging right now are ridiculous. Wait and see what Ryzen brings. If you still want Intel I guarantee you will get the same one a chunk cheaper and it's not too long to wait. AMD are already readying a quad core with no HT.
Don't most reports suggest it's only the 8c/16t that's day 1 with the rest not before Q3. AMD themselves have said they are going high end first. Most reports are taking that to indicate a later launch for anything below the 8c range.
They are already preparing a quad core with no HT. I think I know how they are going to play it, too. They will price their quad core around the I3 price, their quad core with HT around the I5 and then there will be a hex core around the price of the Intel I7 and so on. So at every price point you will get more. Either way I would not want to be spending Intel money on a CPU now only to find in a few week's time I could have gotten more cores and threads for the same money. CPUs are not something I replace often, so I would be gutted to lose spec like that. Plus it's as blatant as morning that Intel are taking the piss with their prices for as long as they can, why would you want to buy into that?
Thanks oasked, totally makes sense and that is the path I might go ahead with! There is always that voice inside of me that will say "Get the K series, what if you want to overclock" blackerthanblack Thank you for the welcome! The monitor is highly outdated, in fact it's an ancient Samsung SyncMaster 2032BW but does the job for now. I do need a new monitor which can open up the potential of either cards but that's something I might look into after the build, or perhaps better to include it straight away? Not planning on running 4K, at least now it's something I am not hyped by (I believe 4K monitos cost a lot) but 1080p sounds better, for now. Vault-Tec Makes sense. I always preferred Intel over AMD, it's just one of them things you can't explain. Judging by everyone's opinion, I guess it would make sense waiting for AMD to launch their new CPU's and go from there.
A 1060 will do you for a bit at 1080p and it'll also handle. Some 1440p gaming also... though 1070 is definitely better at that resolution..
