Need to build a new gaming pc

[PCPartPicker part list](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/nFdb99) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/nFdb99/by_merchant/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80662i56600k) | $239.99 @ Amazon
**CPU Cooler** | [NZXT Kraken X31 69.5 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/nzxt-cpu-cooler-rlkrx3101) | $73.89 @ OutletPC
**Motherboard** | [Asus Z170-A ATX LGA1151 Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-z170a) | $159.99 @ SuperBiiz
**Memory** | [G.Skill Ripjaws 4 Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-3000 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f43000c15d8grk) | $74.99 @ Newegg
**Storage** | [Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-internal-hard-drive-mz75e500bam) | $159.99 @ Amazon
**Storage** | [Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/western-digital-internal-hard-drive-wd10ezex) | $47.98 @ Best Buy
**Video Card** | [EVGA GeForce GTX 980 4GB FTW ACX 2.0 Video Card](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-video-card-04gp42986kr) | $447.00 @ Newegg
**Case** | [NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/nzxt-case-cas340wb1) | $68.99 @ SuperBiiz
**Power Supply** | [EVGA SuperNOVA GS 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-power-supply-220gs0550v1) | $69.99 @ NCIX US
**Operating System** | [Microsoft Windows 8.1 OEM (64-bit)](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/microsoft-os-wn700615) | $86.98 @ OutletPC
**Monitor** | [Dell U2414H 60Hz 23.8" Monitor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/dell-monitor-u2414h) | $239.99 @ Newegg
**Keyboard** | [Cooler Master CM Storm Quick Fire TK Wired Gaming Keyboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-keyboard-sgk4020gkcr1us) | $83.99 @ Amazon
**Mouse** | [Logitech G402 Wired Optical Mouse](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/logitech-mouse-910004069) | $44.99 @ Micro Center
| *Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts* |
| Total (before mail-in rebates) | $1858.76
| Mail-in rebates | -$60.00
| **Total** | **$1798.76**
| Generated by [PCPartPicker](http://pcpartpicker.com) 2015-08-28 07:36 EDT-0400 |

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($317.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H5 Universal 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($46.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-Gaming 5 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($129.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($70.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 4GB FTW ACX 2.0 Video Card ($447.00 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define S w/Window ATX Mid Tower Case ($84.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($128.26 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Asus ROG SWIFT PG278Q 144Hz 27.0" Monitor ($669.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $2066.08
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-08-28 07:59 EDT-0400

The reason for this being so expensive is the R.O.G monitor (basically a monster)

Check this if you want something within $1800

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($317.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H5 Universal 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($46.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-Gaming 5 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($129.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($70.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 4GB FTW ACX 2.0 Video Card ($447.00 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define S w/Window ATX Mid Tower Case ($84.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($128.26 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Asus PB278Q 60Hz 27.0" Monitor ($402.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1799.08
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-08-28 08:00 EDT-0400

One of the best gaming monitors is the Asus ROG SWIFT PG278Q. Beautiful resolution which the GTX 980 can handle pretty well, especially when overclocked. Colors that are vivid and accurate and a very nice design togehther with G-sync which is supported by your GPU and will make gameplay sooo much smother. For the cooler, I would not take the Swiftech as I find it not necessary. I rock the Func KB-460 gaming keyboard and I love it. The value and performance is just outstanding and it comes in different models with different Cherry MX switches. For the mouse, I have the Asus Gladius and I find it very good with FPS games. Actually, I have an upcoming video review on it and I will give you the lyrics so you can have my opinions on it. If you want to spend a little less then the Steel Series Sensei would be great.

An alternative to the GTX 980 would be the R9 390 which has slight better performance but it compromises with higher TDP (power draw) which will add more heat and fans that spin faster and make more noise so personally I would stick with Nvidia and their very efficient GPU:s.
I usually go with MSI for the motherboards and I have had no problem at all. They are dead reliable if you ask me and I would not change MSI for ASRock or Asus. I use the MSI z97-s02 currently and recommend it but since you have a newer processor than me, something like the MSI Z170 Krait edition would do the work or the one I listed in PCpartpicker.

Here is the lyrics for my video review of the Asus Gladius gaming mouse which is not published yet:

Hi guys and welcome! Asus has since the introduction of the ROG lineup been a serious competitor in the gaming industry. But last year, they decided to ramp it up even more with the release of the ROG GLADIUS gaming mouse. It directly competes with Razers offerings such as the deathadder but they needed to do something extra to appeal to the gamers. Let's start off with the design and build.



Asus has chosen this matte grey finish which i find being very nice and the sides have this mayan structure on the rubber which is makes the whole thing grippy. There are also two macro buttons that are raised and positioned on the perfect location for my big hands and that makes them very accessible. On the other side is nothing except more of that texturized rubber and the front has the port for the removable cable. Speaking of cables, you actually get two. One that is long and braded and one that's short, and both have gold plated ends for some reason which i guess is good. Must also give credit to the locking mechanism on the port which will prevent accidental removal of the cable. Moving to the top, you obviously get your left and right clicks but also a DPI switch which can be handy in FPS games and such. The scroll wheel is illuminated and has very distinct steps which is good in some cases but scrolling through long webpages will be a pain and I would like to see step free mode which Logitech includes in their MX line-up. More that’s illuminated is the ROG logo and the DPI switch when its enabled so those are some nice touches. Me personally like the build but the quality could be better IMO regarding the left and right clicks. They are separated from the rest of the body so that’s good but they feel a bit plasticy and unstable which could be remedied by having a more rigid mount and a stiffer material. That would be fair for the very good Japanese OMRON switches that Asus used in this mouse and this is actually one of the biggest selling point for the Gladius. The interchangeable, Omron switches. They have very good quality and have been tested to be working for up to 20 million clicks but what’s more is the fact that they can be interchanged with the extra pair of switches that Asus provides for a different resistance if you don’t like the default one. That’s never been seen before and I think that’s a pretty good idea. To access the switches you just need to peel the feet off and unscrew the screws that are below those, you can then lift up the body. The downside of changing the switches is that the feet become useless after peeling those so Asus could definitely make a better disassembly process by simply not putting the screws under the feet. You do get an extra pair of feet but those would be better in the future than using them right now.

Anyways, now to the laser sensor that can reach up to 6400 dpi. I have discovered that it works best on a plastic mousepad and it has always been very accurate but that’s what to expect from a high end gaming mouse. It has a very high USB polling rate of 2000hz which is a world's first, an ips of 200 and 50g acceleration. Those are some very good specs and specially optimal for FPS titles and other precision required games and tasks.

With the interchangeable Omron switches, good looks and great sensor, I find the Asus Gladius mouse being a very strong competitor in the gaming mice category and I definitely can recommend it. It has some minor faults but being Asus first serious mouse, I'm pretty impressed.

Im Adrian and subscribe if you enjoyed. Check out my other videos and see you later. Peace.

Thank you very much! I appreciate the effort you've put in to this to help me out, will consider these options as well. I have three questions though:
1. Would you recommend a Swiftech Cooling solution as an alternative? If yes then which model?
2. Which AMD card would you recommend over the GTX series mentioned?
3. I've had bad experience with Gigabyte motherboards and am unsure regarding MSI's motherboard quality, what would you suggest from ASUS, ASRock and MSI as better than Gigabyte?
Lastly, what about keyboard, mouse and speaker system recommendations? [/quotemsg]


1) No, there's no need for liquid cooling. The H5 should be fine.
2) No the GTX 980 is fine, if you wanted to go AMD you could run the Fury (AC) and a grab a freesync monitor
3) Gigbyte and ASUS are the highest quality mobo manufactures IMO with ASRock and MSi at a lower tier.

Mouse/keyboard? I personally have the Corsair K70 and the logitech G502 and I wont sway from them.

Also I'd buy a cherry mx sample kit if you haven't gone with a mech keyboard before, just so you know what switches are you like best!