New PC build, modest budget

BTrayaL

Hi guys, I'm looking for a new build, and I've picked most parts (just on paper, I didn't bought anything yet). As you can see below, this is not really a high-end machine, I'm on a budget
Also.. NO OVERCLOCKING, and I'm not building with an upgrade in mind.

CPU	Intel Core i5 4690 Haswell Refresh	BX80646I54690SR1QH
Motherboard	Gigabyte B85M−HD3, Micro ATX LGA1150	GA-B85M-HD3
Memory	Kingston HyperX Fury Black DDR3 8GB 1600 MHz, CL10	HX316C10FB/8
Storage SSD	Kingston SSDNow 120GB V300 SATA 3 2.5'' 7mm	SV300S37A/120G
Storage HDD	Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM	WD10EZEX
Video Card	EVGA GeForce GTX 960 4GB SuperSC ACX 2.0+	04G-P4-3966-KR
Power Supply	CX600M ATX, 600W, Modular	CP-9020060
Case	Cooler Master Silencio 352, Minitower, mATX/mITX	CM-SIL-352M-KKN1

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/BTrayaL/saved/#view=4mmhP6 PC Part Picker link

Please give me your opinion, and maybe some tips.

Cleffy

Change the CPU, SSD, and PSU. Need some time to come up with a good list of different parts.

The CPU and SSD look like a prior generation. The PSU is higher power than you need on a less efficient standard. 650w should be more than enough for your build. Using too high of power lowers efficiency at lower wattage.


The Intel Core-i5 6600k will cost about the same as that Intel Core i5, but it will require a new mobo and memory. The mobo will cost about 3 times as much.
I recommend a Crucial MX200 for an SSD since its on a relatively new process node.
I recommend the Seasonic 660XP, since its just a strong PSU.

My recommendations will add about $200 on your current build, changing just the SSD and PSU will come up with a marginal difference.

Quizzical

BTrayaL said:

Hi guys, I'm looking for a new build, and I've picked most parts (just on paper, I didn't bought anything yet). As you can see below, this is not really a high-end machine, I'm on a budget

CPU	Intel Core i5 4690 Haswell Refresh	BX80646I54690SR1QH
Motherboard	Gigabyte GA-H81M-DS2 Micro ATX LGA1150	GA-H81M-DS2
Memory	Kingston HyperX Fury Black 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600	HX316C10FBK2/16
Storage SSD	Kingston HyperX 3K 120GB 2.5"	SH103S3/120G
Storage HDD	Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM	WD10EZEX
Video Card	EVGA GeForce GTX 960 4GB SuperSC ACX 2.0+	04G-P4-3966-KR
Power Supply	EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular	120-G1-0650-XR

PC Part Picker link

Most of it, I'm unsure about the motherboard, I want something with the bare minimum slots, as you usually pay more for motherboards with extra slots, be they RAM, PCI or SATA.
As slots go, I will need: 2x DDR3, 2x SATA III, 1x SATA II, so I figured an H81 will do just fine (with the BIOS update required for the CPU).

Please give me your opinion, and maybe some tips.

You post doesn't match your PC Part Picker link.  Getting an SSD is a good idea, but not that one at that price.  You're paying nearly as much for a 120 GB SSD as you could get a 240 GB SSD for:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820721108

That's also too much to pay for that video card.  Don't pay extra for a factory overclock or doubled memory; if you want a GTX 960, that's fine, but get a cheaper one:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125770
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127880

I'm not sure what price you're looking at on the EVGA SuperNOVA, but I definitely wouldn't get the Corsair CX in the link.  This one is nice:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151136

Are you looking at a K-series overclockable CPU or not?  This post contradicts your PC Part Picker link.  If you're willing to give up overclocking, save some money by getting a 4690, not a 4690K.  But even then, I'd go a few notches up on the motherboard:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128731
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130797

If you want the option to overclock, then you need a Z97 motherboard, not H81.

You don't really need 16 GB of system memory unless you have unusual needs.  Though prices are coming down enough that you could get it if you really want to.  But don't cut back elsewhere in the build to make room for it.

Hrimnir

Honestly at this point if you don't need it RIGHT NOW, i would wait a month or two for some of the cheaper skylake cpu's to come out.

booniedog96

Hrimnir said:

Honestly at this point if you don't need it RIGHT NOW, i would wait a month or two for some of the cheaper skylake cpu's to come out.

I doubt Intel will have a sale on the new Skylake parts for quite some time as there is no competition from AMD to warrant it.  Intel has this spectrum of the PC market locked down with a death grip.  They would be shooting themselves in the foot trying to have a price war within their lineup of CPUs.

Quizzical

Sky Lake CPUs may or may not be any more expensive than Haswell, but the motherboards sure will be.  Motherboards for new platforms are always expensive at first.  The main improvement that Sky Lake makes as compared to Haswell will be reduced power consumption, not increased performance, so I see no real reason to wait.

rojoArcueid

Quizzical said:

Sky Lake CPUs may or may not be any more expensive than Haswell, but the motherboards sure will be.  Motherboards for new platforms are always expensive at first.  The main improvement that Sky Lake makes as compared to Haswell will be reduced power consumption, not increased performance, so I see no real reason to wait.

With reduced power consumption in mind, would it be a good idea to get a Sky lake instead of a Haswell CPU, and a Fury GPU while using a 650W PSU? Im afraid that if i get a Fury video card ill have to get a bigger PSU too.

Quizzical

It's quite a jump to go from a GTX 960 to an R9 Fury.  If you're working on a different build for yourself, start your own thread.

BTrayaL

Skylake is a no-no. While the CPU is basically the same price as Haswell, the motherboards are expensive. I am on a budget, as I've said.

booniedog96

BTrayaL said:

Skylake is a no-no. While the CPU is basically the same price as Haswell, the motherboards are expensive. I am on a budget, as I've said.

What are your parameters?

What is your budget?  What resolution will you be playing at?  If you are playing at 1080p/1200p now, do you plan on going QHD (1440p) or higher?  Will you be using 60Hz monitors or 120Hz/144Hz?  Is G-Sync or FreeSync as an option important to you?

Monitors are easily overlooked these days, but knowing this will guide you to a balanced build.  I once built a PC for a friend which included a R9 290x per his request.  Come to find out when I helped him set it up at his place he had a 1600x900 60Hz display as his main with no intention of upgrading.  He is still using that monitor up to now.  Overkill?  Absolutely. 

BTrayaL

booniedog96 said:

What are your parameters?

What is your budget?  What resolution will you be playing at?  If you are playing at 1080p/1200p now, do you plan on going QHD (1440p) or higher?  Will you be using 60Hz monitors or 120Hz/144Hz?  Is G-Sync or FreeSync as an option important to you?

Monitors are easily overlooked these days, but knowing this will guide you to a balanced build.  I once built a PC for a friend which included a R9 290x per his request.  Come to find out when I helped him set it up at his place he had a 1600x900 60Hz display as his main with no intention of upgrading.  He is still using that monitor up to now.  Overkill?  Absolutely. 

I already have my 24" display and I am quite happy with it. 60 Hz will have to do for me. G-sync not important for me. I have not included a display in the build for this very reason, I already have the one I'll be using.

Regarding the opening post, can you guys tell me if that motherboard will do? I have always build my PCs with the intention of upgrades, and I never followed through, so.. not this time. I will NOT upgrade this one.
If the mobo has the slots I need, is there a serious reason to get a different, more advanced chipset?

petedo

BTrayaL said:

I already have my 24" display and I am quite happy with it. 60 Hz will have to do for me. G-sync not important for me. I have not included a display in the build for this very reason, I already have the one I'll be using.

Regarding the opening post, can you guys tell me if that motherboard will do? I have always build my PCs with the intention of upgrades, and I never followed through, so.. not this time. I will NOT upgrade this one.
If the mobo has the slots I need, is there a serious reason to get a different, more advanced chipset?

There is essentially nothing wrong with H81 chipset, however your pick isn't a lucky one. Either get something cheaper or go with B85.
Apart from lack of DIMM slots, there are 2 "major" disadvantages - H81 supports PCIe 2.0 only(not that of a big deal) and without additional controller, only 2x USB 3.0 so no USB 3.0 on front panel(case of your mb), which is imo quite handy.

In general, B85 comes at the price of H81 of you want front USB 3.0 so unless you need to save all you can or have very tight budget, B85 is better choice. H81 makes sense for sub $50 board.


I wouldn't be spending $30 extra on i5-4690 and would go with just i5-4460 but no big deal there,  just get S variant, it is the same price.

8GB RAM is plentiful, more than you need, and RAM is easy to add any time later on if desired.

GTX 960 with 4GB is just marketing gimmick. The card isn't fast enough to make use of that much memory so get a 2GB version.

128GB SSD is for office machines. You need more space so you can put your games on there to make SSD purchase actually meaningful.

PSU - needlessly expensive.

Here you go:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/cKdYGX

booniedog96

BTrayaL said:

Regarding the opening post, can you guys tell me if that motherboard will do? I have always build my PCs with the intention of upgrades, and I never followed through, so.. not this time. I will NOT upgrade this one.
If the mobo has the slots I need, is there a serious reason to get a different, more advanced chipset?

I changed out the Mobo for one that supports PCIe 3.0, I know 2.0 is more than enough for a GTX 960 but it's a more updated mobo for the build.  I also switched out the PSU for a semi modular PSU, you save a little more money for a new game and the cables that are hardwired to the PSU are only the essentials so it could help to keep wire clutter down.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/6JGR3C

Gdemami

I would consider dropping SSD and getting GTX 970 instead. You can add SSD any time later but replacing GPU isn't as easy.

booniedog96

petedo said:

GTX 960 with 4GB is just marketing gimmick. The card isn't fast enough to make use of that much memory so get a 2GB version.

Having a 4GB GPU is nice if you are into moding games and it's only about $20 more than a 2GB base 960 MSRP.  If the 4GB card had a $60 - $100 difference then it could be an issue but it's only an additional $10 per GDDR5 memory, that's a really good deal and it has a back plate to boot and a free copy of MGS5. 

syntax42

Gdemami said:

I would consider dropping SSD and getting GTX 970 instead. You can add SSD any time later but replacing GPU isn't as easy.

That seems completely backwards.  Replacing a GPU only requires reinstalling drivers.  Migrating your OS to a new SSD can take 30 minutes or more, and is further complicated if your migration tool doesn't support changing partition sizes.  

If you're only adding a SSD for additional storage, yes that is faster and easier than installing a new GPU.  If you're not using a SSD for your OS drive and games, that is a waste of the performance they offer.

Malabooga

Save yourself some money and get same performance:

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/krCVzy

Or if you want to spend 100-150$ more (and spend as much as in your OP) get better graphic card like R9 390 for better performance than in your OP.

Gdemami

syntax42 said:

That seems completely backwards.  Replacing a GPU only requires reinstalling drivers.  Migrating your OS to a new SSD can take 30 minutes or more, and is further complicated if your migration tool doesn't support changing partition sizes.  

If you're only adding a SSD for additional storage, yes that is faster and easier than installing a new GPU.  If you're not using a SSD for your OS drive and games, that is a waste of the performance they offer.

If your perception is limited to sole act of replacing said part, then sure...

booniedog96

Malabooga said:

Save yourself some money and get same performance:

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/krCVzy

Or if you want to spend 100-150$ more (and spend as much as in your OP) get better graphic card for much better performance.

I'm an AMD fan myself, but the OP opened up with Intel within his budget so I'm thinking OP knows what he wants for his money.  I'm not trying to diss, I just want to prevent this thread from becoming a flame war.

Gdemami

Malabooga said:

Save yourself some money and get same performance:

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/krCVzy

Or if you want to spend 100-150$ more (and spend as much as in your OP) get better graphic card like R9 390 for better performance than in your OP.

FX 6300/8300 is weak and dead platform today, no point getting one as it has no lasting power.

Malabooga

booniedog96 said:

Malabooga said:

Save yourself some money and get same performance:

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/krCVzy

Or if you want to spend 100-150$ more (and spend as much as in your OP) get better graphic card for much better performance.

I'm an AMD fan myself, but the OP opened up with Intel within his budget so I'm thinking OP knows what he wants for his money.  I'm not trying to diss, I just want to prevent this thread from becoming a flame war.

Getting much better performace for same money is worthy alternative.

But in the end its his money, if he wants to throw it away.

booniedog96

Gdemami said:

FX 6300/8300 is weak and dead platform today, no point getting one as it has no lasting power.

Maybe when playing at 1080p where the CPU is the bottleneck, but after QHD (1440p) and higher, the GPU becomes the bottleneck.  The CPU is less of a factor after 1440p.

Gdemami

booniedog96 said:

Maybe when playing at 1080p where the CPU is the bottleneck, but after QHD (1440p) and higher, the GPU becomes the bottleneck.  The CPU is less of a factor after 1440p.

CPU is no bottleneck at 1080p either. FX is sufficient today, no doubt about it, but it is a bottom borderline of gaming CPU and dead platform, no point saving on that one. i3 could be an option since you can still replace it with some faster CPU, replacing FX means replacing entire platfrom.

As I said above, he can save on SSD which he can buy later, that way he gets best performance for the money while not suffering financial loss due shorter life span of weaker components.

Malabooga

booniedog96 said:

Gdemami said:

FX 6300/8300 is weak and dead platform today, no point getting one as it has no lasting power.

Maybe when playing at 1080p where the CPU is the bottleneck, but after QHD (1440p) and higher, the GPU becomes the bottleneck.  The CPU is less of a factor after 1440p.

960/380 is bottleneck on 1080. and 720.

And with upcoming DX they will be even more.

Buying slow i5 and slower graphic card is pretty much worst thing you can do. The only value in i5 is k+OC with highest end graphic card.

booniedog96

Malabooga said:

960/380 is bottleneck on 1080. and 720.

And with upcoming DX they will be even more.

960 and 380 is enough to keep respectable frame rates with high fidelity on a 1080p 60Hz monitor for the OP.  A 970 or 390x is great but you'll be wasting frame rate since the OPs monitor is locked at 60Hz.  It's overkill and wasteful to have your GPU pump out 100 FPS but your display can only spit out 60.  It's like saying, "I'm gonna buy this $400 GPU and only play with V-Sync on".

Gdemami

Malabooga said:

960/380 is bottleneck on 1080. and 720.

And with upcoming DX they will be even more.

Buying slow i5 and slower graphic card is pretty much worst thing you can do. The only value in i5 is k+OC with highest end graphic card.

You gotta make up your mind there.

Either CPU is a bottleneck and then OC is worthy or CPU is not a bottleneck and then you are wasting money on it. It does not swing both ways...

Hint: Watch some benchamarks before you start posting.