First time building a gaming PC, advice pls!

Badman Champion

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Jul 25, 2015
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Ok so before you all laugh at what my current specs are for the gaming pc I have and I know they are ancient but this PC that I've had for close to a decade has been good to me for quite a long time and did what I needed it to do. It still runs great but it's due for a drastic upgrade since it's not as fast and smooth as it used to and with current games needing optimal specs to run games it's time I try and build my own. I spent a lot of money when I first got it from Alienware I think it was around $1700 and really had no clue that with that amount of money I could've built a better PC but I was young and clueless. I still am a little new to this but I am here asking for your help. What I would like is a PC that has a lot of Memory. I am not an extreme gamer but I do game mostly mobas and fps. The reason for memory is I am also a DJ and have quite a bit of music and will be using this PC to load my music. I need this new PC to be fast as well and can run games at optimal settings if I chose to. Any recommendations would be appreciated. Budget is between $1000-$1500. I want a PC that will keep on running smoothly for a while. Also would I require a new case because the one I have is huge.

Without further a do my specs currently lol:

Area-51® 7500

Processor: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E8400 3.00GHz 6MB Cache 1333MHz FSB

Alienware P2 Chassis: Alienware® P2 Chassis with AlienIce™ 3.0 Video Cooling - Space Black

System Lighting: Alienware® Standard System Lighting - Terra Green

Power Supply: Alienware® 750 Watt Multi-GPU Approved Power Supply

Graphics Processor: NVIDIA GeForce 650ti

Memory: 2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 800MHz - 2 x 1024MB

Motherboard: Alienware® Approved NVIDIA® nForce 680i SLI Motherboard

System Drive: Single Drive Configuration - 250GB SATA 3Gb/s 7,200RPM 16MB Cache

Sound Card: High-Definition 7.1 Performance Audio

Additional Monitors: 19" Samsung 953BW – 1440 x 900 (2ms) Widescreen Flat Panel



And this what I am thinking of getting:

Processor: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core

CPU Cooler: CRYORIG M9i 48.4 CFM

Power Supply: XFX PRO Black Edition 850W 80+

Graphics Processor: currently going to stick with my GeForce 650ti until the 1070 comes out.

Memory: Crucial 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170X-UD3 ATX LGA1151

SSD:
Crucial BX100 250GB 2.5"

Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5"

I need your thoughts on the mobo,cpu, ssd, and the hard drive. Are there better options? Also the case i currently have (Alienware7500) is huge but i am not sure if all of these new parts would fit or if i should buy a new case. I also chose the i5-6600k 3.5GHz to have the option of overclocking in the future but i am still relatively new at it so not sure if i should go with a different CPU. Thanks in advance for the help.
 
Solution
The build looks fine, except for a few things. If you're not 100% on overclocking, I wouldn't buy a crazy beefy CPU cooler. I put the Cryorig C7, which both looks and performs great. The power supply can be toned down a bit. According to Nvidia the 1070 is very power efficient. I changed the motherboard to MSI, just because it's cheap and reliable. The SSD could be better. That's why i changed it to a Samsung 850-EVO. It has faster read and write speeds than the crucial model. Changed the hard drive to a WD Blue. It's more reliable, but ultimately your choice, they will perform roughly the same.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($233.99 @...

StormBrew

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The build looks fine, except for a few things. If you're not 100% on overclocking, I wouldn't buy a crazy beefy CPU cooler. I put the Cryorig C7, which both looks and performs great. The power supply can be toned down a bit. According to Nvidia the 1070 is very power efficient. I changed the motherboard to MSI, just because it's cheap and reliable. The SSD could be better. That's why i changed it to a Samsung 850-EVO. It has faster read and write speeds than the crucial model. Changed the hard drive to a WD Blue. It's more reliable, but ultimately your choice, they will perform roughly the same.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($233.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG C7 40.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($37.49 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI Z170-A PRO ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($82.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($32.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($85.79 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($46.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 650 Ti 2GB Video Card (Purchased For $0.00)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black/Red) ATX Mid Tower Case ($45.49 @ NZXT)
Power Supply: XFX TS 650W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $620.69
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-05-19 23:56 EDT-0400
 
Solution

Badman Champion

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Jul 25, 2015
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Thanks for the reply. I think I will change the SSD to the Samsung 850 EVO. I also thought the power supply might be a bit too much. I forgot to mention my budget for this is between $1000-$1500. So I don't mind paying extra where needed but also don't mind saving a few bucks :)
 

StormBrew

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I would honestly take the rest of your budget and put it towards that 1070. I love the NZXT S340 to death, and think it really looks great. If you have the extra budget, I would invest in the EVGA GS power supply. Rated tier 1 by the PSU tier list, and is of the same model that I have. It's quiet, efficient, and gives the option to add or remove cables whenever necessary. Truly a great power supply.

Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA GS 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ Amazon)


EDIT:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($233.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG C7 40.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($37.49 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI Z170-A PRO ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($82.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($32.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($85.79 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($46.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 650 Ti 2GB Video Card (Purchased For $0.00)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black/Red) ATX Mid Tower Case ($45.49 @ NZXT)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA GS 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $645.69
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-05-20 00:48 EDT-0400

Also, do you need a monitor, OS, keyboard/mouse, ect. ?
 

Badman Champion

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Jul 25, 2015
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Yea I did some research on the PSU you suggested and so far I've read nothing but great reviews so I will definitely go with that PSU. As for the monitor I was looking at some AOC/ASUS 1080p. As for the OS I am set pretty much for anything I desire I am CS Major so we get to download almost anything for free from the microsoft store :D I'll probably be using Windows 10. I was given a Razer Black Widow as a b-day gift which I have yet to open just gonna wait till the 1070 to come out and will use it then and as for the mouse I am picky in that area as i don't like big bulky mice since i have a smaller hand it can sometimes feel a bit too uncofortable for me, I have a logitech gaming mouse that's just perfect for my needs.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Monitor: AOC i2267Fw 60Hz 22.0" Monitor ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $99.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-05-20 02:03 EDT-0400

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Monitor: Asus VN248H-P 23.8" Monitor ($142.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $142.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-05-20 02:03 EDT-0400
 

VR PC-BUILD

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May 14, 2016
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Here is the build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($339.99 @ B&H)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus Z170-E ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($119.88 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($44.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Corsair RMx 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Asus VX24AH 60Hz 24.0" Monitor ($277.96 @ B&H)
Other: GTX1080 ($600.00)
Total: $1547.69
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-05-20 02:20 EDT-0400

I left out the SSD because of GTX1080 and monitor. When ever you have $50-100 in your hand you can throw in a SSD as per the requirement but you cannot replace GPU as it is very costly.

About the monitor. The one you have is old and low resolution one so I included a monitor with 2560 x 1440p resolution.

I left out the case as you have one.

First I went with non SLI motherboard but as you were ready to throw in some extra bucks if needed I went with SLI board as you can add up another card if needed in future.

All the best for your build.