Thoughts on Build?budget skylake

dantheman0809 · Apr 13, 2016

I'm building a micro atx pc for my friend.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/DYjTvK
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/DYjTvK/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($194.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H110M-A Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($53.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($35.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card ($324.99 @ B&H)
Case: DIYPC Cuboid-R MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($59.89 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($55.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) ($85.49 @ OutletPC)
Total: $811.33
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-04-13 20:23 EDT-0400

Any suggestions?
PS: I already own the gtx 970, so don't recommend replacing that.

DarkVirgo · Apr 13, 2016

Honestly that's a really well rounded machine, not bad work. Should perform really well. It obviously won't break any records, but good job.

Chugalug_ · Apr 13, 2016

dantheman0809 :

The only thing I would suggest is getting 16gb of ram, as 8gb is pushing it nowadays.
I believe Corsair is currently selling 2x8gb 2667MHz for $60.
Another thing is not getting the OEM windows key, for a few dollars more typically you can get multiple installs off the same copy.

dantheman0809 · Apr 13, 2016

Chugalug_ :

dantheman0809 :

The only thing I would suggest is getting 16gb of ram, as 8gb is pushing it nowadays.
I believe Corsair is currently selling 2x8gb 2667MHz for $60.
Another thing is not getting the OEM windows key, for a few dollars more typically you can get multiple installs off the same copy.

Can you run 2667 mhz ram on this board without making any adjustments? It says the mobo supports 2133 mhz ddr4 ram. I don't really understand ram clock speed lol

bitwright · Apr 13, 2016

Not a bad build for the price. Check if your friend has a valid Windows 7 or 8 key. I believe MS is still offering free upgrades to Windows 10 to 7/8 owners. That should save you some cash.

As others recommended, 16GB or RAM might be a worthwhile update. It's not entirely necessary right now, but will give this rig an added bit of "futureproofing."

I would also recommend a better cooler if you are planning to overclock. Skylake chips overclock well, so investing in a better cooler will pay off if you do overclock. If you're planning to stick to stock speeds though, the bundled cooler is fine.

Chugalug_ · Apr 13, 2016

dantheman0809 :

Chugalug_ :

Can you run 2667 mhz ram on this board without making any adjustments? It says the mobo supports 2133 mhz ddr4 ram. I don't really understand ram clock speed lol

Skylake natively supports 2133Mhz RAM, and the H110 chipset only supports up to 2133, however to my knowledge this deal only applies to 2667Mhz ram at the moment, and it ends up being cheaper anyway.
The ram needs to be set to run at 2667MHz in bios anyway, so just not touching that will leave it at 2133 and you should be good to go. Just because it CAN run at 2667 doesn't mean it has to

azaran · Apr 13, 2016

dantheman0809 :

You can install the faster RAM but the system will downspeed it. That board only supports DDR4-2133, but if the faster stuff is cheaper, it should work out.

Aside from bumping up the RAM like Chugalug mentioned, the one thing I would suggest would be to get a modular PSU. The one you picked out is solid, however that case is pretty small and dealing with the huge bundle of cables coming out of the PSU may take up more room than you have available. If you havent, read up on reviews of the case and see if anyone mentions any issues with space limitations for the PSU.

dantheman0809 · Apr 13, 2016

azaran :

dantheman0809 :

You can install the faster RAM but the system will downspeed it. That board only supports DDR4-2133, but if the faster stuff is cheaper, it should work out.

Aside from bumping up the RAM like Chugalug mentioned, the one thing I would suggest would be to get a modular PSU. The one you picked out is solid, however that case is pretty small and dealing with the huge bundle of cables coming out of the PSU may take up more room than you have available. If you havent, read up on reviews of the case and see if anyone mentions any issues with space limitations for the PSU.

A modular or semi modular psu would be great, but I don't know if there exist any that are good enough quality for the same price range. Do you happen to know of tier 1-2 psu's that are modular or semi modular? For a similar price

Chugalug_ · Apr 13, 2016

azaran :

dantheman0809 :

You can install the faster RAM but the system will downspeed it. That board only supports DDR4-2133, but if the faster stuff is cheaper, it should work out.

Aside from bumping up the RAM like Chugalug mentioned, the one thing I would suggest would be to get a modular PSU. The one you picked out is solid, however that case is pretty small and dealing with the huge bundle of cables coming out of the PSU may take up more room than you have available. If you havent, read up on reviews of the case and see if anyone mentions any issues with space limitations for the PSU.

Agreed, the problem is that modular PSUs are more expensive from what I remember, and in an $800 build it might not be ideal

Oh, just remembered, in terms of case go for the Define Nano S or Lian Li have some nice ITX cases as well!
Also a note to the OP, getting a gold rated PSU might be worth it, as it saves you the difference in electricity annually anyway!

dantheman0809 · Apr 13, 2016

Happen to know of any good value gold rated semi modular psus? The electricity thing is a good point

zeke15 · Apr 13, 2016

Chugalug_ :

azaran :

Agreed, the problem is that modular PSUs are more expensive from what I remember, and in an $800 build it might not be ideal

Oh, just remembered, in terms of case go for the Define Nano S or Lian Li have some nice ITX cases as well!
Also a note to the OP, getting a gold rated PSU might be worth it, as it saves you the difference in electricity annually anyway!

If you keep your eyes peeled, the EVGA SuperNOVA GS and G2 PSUs will go on sale at Newegg, or get like $20 rebates that brings final price down to about that point. I just finished cable management in my mid tower case, and I can say that I am soooo glad I went with semi-modular. Keep in mind there usually isn't any benefit from semi-modular to modular (except buying all new cables) because the non modular cables are the ones you are guaranteed to use.

azaran · Apr 13, 2016

dantheman0809 :

azaran :

A modular or semi modular psu would be great, but I don't know if there exist any that are good enough quality for the same price range. Do you happen to know of tier 1-2 psu's that are modular or semi modular? For a similar price

Take a look at the EVGA GQ $60 (after rebate)
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-power-supply-210gq0650
or
EVGA GS $66 (after rebate)
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-power-supply-220gs0550v1

Again, I'd look in to the case itself and see if anyone mentions a lack of space issues. If they can fit a non modular PSU in it, then fantastic, otherwise it'll be worth the extra money to have the space and airflow in the case.

Chugalug_ · Apr 13, 2016

zeke15 :

Chugalug_ :

azaran :

Agreed, the problem is that modular PSUs are more expensive from what I remember, and in an $800 build it might not be ideal

Oh, just remembered, in terms of case go for the Define Nano S or Lian Li have some nice ITX cases as well!
Also a note to the OP, getting a gold rated PSU might be worth it, as it saves you the difference in electricity annually anyway!

If you keep your eyes peeled, the EVGA SuperNOVA GS and G2 PSUs will go on sale at Newegg, or get like $20 rebates that brings final price down to about that point. I just finished cable management in my mid tower case, and I can say that I am soooo glad I went with semi-modular. Keep in mind there usually isn't any benefit from semi-modular to modular (except buying all new cables) because the non modular cables are the ones you are guaranteed to use.

Yep, G2 line or Corsair RM series are the way to go.
Whatever you do, don't get the G2 nex PSUs, they're not very good.

dantheman0809 · Apr 13, 2016

Something like this?
https://pcpartpicker.com/part/thermaltake-power-supply-pstpd0750mpcgus1
I can't really tell but it seems like the 850w version was included in tier 2. This specific 750 watt version wasn't included but this one has a $20 rebate right now

dantheman0809 · Apr 13, 2016

Oh nevermind you found a GS for under $60.

azaran · Apr 13, 2016

dantheman0809 :

Yeah the GS is a good gold PSU. The GQ is a newer addition to the lineup from EVGA and it's gotten good reviews, but the GS is a bit better. Keep in mind its the price with rebate, so it'll cost more upfront and rebates tend to take about a month or two to get back to you.

TJ Hooker · Apr 13, 2016

Chugalug_ :

Err, the electricity savings are unlikely to be meaningful unless you live somewhere where rates are very high. Otherwise you're probably saving like a few bucks a year. There are a handful of reasons to look for a PSU with gold efficiency (or higher), but electricity bill savings is pretty low on that list.

Chugalug_ · Apr 13, 2016

TJ Hooker :

20 bucks a year pretty much, i'm saying the extra investment pays itself off in the long run

TJ Hooker · Apr 13, 2016

Chugalug_ :

How much do you pay for electricity? Where I live, peak rates are $0.175/kWh. If I'm running a fairly high end rig at full load (let's say 500 W), 5 hours a day, 5 days a week, every week of the year, I'm saving a whopping $2.84 using an 80+ Gold vs 80+ bronze PSU. And that's assuming that my usage is all during peak hours.

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