PC vs PC

soyouremark · Aug 25, 2016

So I have two custom gaming PC's that I was looking at that I was going to build myself and I was wondering which one you guys think I should purchase.

PC 1 (Parts custom picked by myself):
http://pcpartpicker.com/list/CQvKpb

PC 2 (Parts picked by @Chugalug_ and genthug):
http://pcpartpicker.com/list/WYMcbj

[Not sure if the case and fan are compatible with each other and I was wondering if I could get that answered]

Please leave improvements that are still in the $1050 (not including shipping and tax) price range if possible

genthug · Aug 25, 2016

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

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($43.42 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170-HD3 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($99.60 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($62.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($89.39 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($61.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 1060 6GB AMP! Edition Video Card ($279.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Zalman Z3 Plus White ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 450W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($60.94 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS90 DVD/CD Writer ($23.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($88.88 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1065.17
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-08-25 17:53 EDT-0400

Changed the CPU and the CPU cooler. The H7 is better than both of those coolers--and from working with both the Hyper 212 and the H7, the H7 is not just better in how it cools your PC, it's much easier to mount, much sturdier, much easier to work with previous to getting your machine up. Was not a fan of how the 212 mounts. Picked the 6600k because you put a Z170 board on both builds. If you're not going to get a "K" series CPU then there's no reason to get a Z170 board, you'd be better off with an H170/H110. So, you can either save yourself some money and get a lesser board with the lesser CPU, or get the Z170 and an overclocking CPU. If you have no plan/desire to overclock, then I would not get a Z170 and a K series. If you do, though, get the K series.

I'm a much larger fan of the 1060 choice over the 390 at this point. If you want to save more money, you could go for a lesser SSD. The 850 EVOs are some of the best out there, but for 250GB, that $90 is steep. You do get what you pay for though.

soyouremark · Aug 25, 2016

genthug :

Alright so I'm confused

1) I've been too embarrassed to ask this question, but what does overclock mean and how does it affect the PC?
2) I'm always looking to save some money while still having a beast PC, do you have any recommendations for a lesser SSD card?
3) I was just about to ask how I could upgrade the CPU to run some of the newer games, so thank you a bunch for that.
4) How do you overclock?
5) I haven't looked, but is the H7 a fan? I honestly do not want to experience a horror story with water cooling that some of my friends have gone through.
6) Are the H7 and the case compatible?

Chugalug_ · Aug 25, 2016

I was going to go for a H7 and 6600k, but he told me he had a 1k budget, so I put in a H170 board and 6500! ;.;
Here is my updated build.
I've put in a nicer motherboard and a Be Quiet! Pure Rock which performs identically to the H7 more or less.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170X-UD3 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($112.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($62.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($89.39 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($61.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 1060 6GB AMP! Edition Video Card ($279.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Zalman Z3 Plus White ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 450W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS90 DVD/CD Writer ($23.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($88.88 @ OutletPC)
Other: Be Quiet! Pure Rock CPU Cooler ($24.90)
Total: $1049.08
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-08-25 18:13 EDT-0400

Chugalug_ · Aug 25, 2016

soyouremark :

genthug :

Alright so I'm confused

1) I've been too embarrassed to ask this question, but what does overclock mean and how does it affect the PC?
2) I'm always looking to save some money while still having a beast PC, do you have any recommendations for a lesser SSD card?
3) I was just about to ask how I could upgrade the CPU to run some of the newer games, so thank you a bunch for that.
4) How do you overclock?
5) I haven't looked, but is the H7 a fan? I honestly do not want to experience a horror story with water cooling that some of my friends have gone through.
6) Are the H7 and the case compatible?

Overclocking is the process of applying additional voltage and higher clock speeds to a CPU in order to give it extra performance.
If you can get the 850 Evo, it is a huge improvement over some budget SSDs like the Adata SP550 for example.
The CPU listed should be fine for gaming for the next good while, you can upgrade to an i7 6700k by just plopping it in later down the line if you want an upgrade.
You overclock your CPU by going into the BIOS of your motherboard, and tweaking voltage and clock speed multipliers until you get the speed you want, just make sure it is stable by running benchmarks first.
The H7 is a wonderful fan, doesn't obstruct RAM slots and gives great performance for the price.
This voltage creates extra heat, hence why people buy aftermarket coolers.

genthug · Aug 25, 2016

1) Overclocking is taking the CPU/GPU/RAM (in this case, the CPU) and increasing it's performance by increasing how much power it draws, typically. For example, on my 6700k, the stock voltage I believe is 1.2-1.25 volts? and the stock speed is 4GHz. I know that if I bump that to 1.45V, I can hit 4.6GHz stable. Gives me more power to do what I want to do. I currently don't need to as my CPU is perfectly fine sitting at stock and running my games, so I will do that when it is necessary. It affects your PSU in that you will need more power, it affects your motherboard in that overclocking needs more power phases to dissipate the voltage going to the CPU (your CPU is on a 12 volt line. You're only using 1.2-1.5 volts of that. That excess has to go somewhere--your VRMs on your motherboard take that extra voltage and essentially dissipate it as heat. The more phases you have, the better cooling you have, the better overclocking experience you have--which is essentially what the Z170 boards are good for. They have more phases typically) and if done incorrectly/unsafely, you can fry the CPU. Just remember--every computer runs on magic black smoke. If you let the magic black smoke out, your computer doesn't work anymore. There are very safe ways to do it however, if you're interested don't let that dissuade you.
2) They aren't the greatest SSDs, but if you're simply looking for a boot-and-driver SSD, I would go with a Kingston V300/UV400. That's what I've always used in my machines, and while they aren't great, 250GB runs at around $50.
3) From an i5 6500 that you were looking at, there aren't too many options. There's currently only the i5 6600k and the i7 6400/6700k for upgrades. I believe Kaby Lake (to be released later this year I think) will also be on the same socket, but I'm not 100% on that. For many, many games, though, the i5 will be just fine for a few years.
4) Overclocking is a large trial-and-error journey, where... putting it simply... you take your stock voltage and leave it, and you increase the multiplier on the CPU (So, if your FSB is 100, and your multiplier is 40, you are running 4.0GHz) so that it runs at a faster speed. You then stress test your CPU to see if it is still stable at the stock voltage. You do that until the CPU fails/you bluescreen, and then you increase the voltage, and leave the multiplier. You check if that's stable. Once it's stable, you then increase the multiplier until it bluescreens again, and then increase the voltage. Very, very small increments at a time. You also have to watch the temperatures of the CPU. I can go more in depth if you are interested, but that's the basic premise. Takes a bit to get down.
5) Yes it is still air. And as long as you do your liquid cooling properly, it shouldn't be an issue. But, there are always issues such as mechanical failures.
6) I can't tell you whether it is or not, it doesn't have any information regarding max CPU cooler height, but I can tell you that the H7 is shorter than both the Gammaxx 400 and the 212 EVO.

Chugalug_ · Aug 25, 2016

@genthug, never buy the v300 or UV400 SSDs, they use the SF-2281 controller, and are VERY poor quality.
A Sandisk SSD PLUS, OCZ Trion 150 or Adata SP550 is what you should always go for when buying a budget SSD.
Anything lower typically suffers from poor performance with a few exceptions.
The Trion is the best value, followed by the Adata, then the Sandisk.

soyouremark · Aug 25, 2016

genthug :

1) Overclocking is taking the CPU/GPU/RAM (in this case, the CPU) and increasing it's performance by increasing how much power it draws, typically. For example, on my 6700k, the stock voltage I believe is 1.2-1.25 volts? and the stock speed is 4GHz. I know that if I bump that to 1.45V, I can hit 4.6GHz stable. Gives me more power to do what I want to do. I currently don't need to as my CPU is perfectly fine sitting at stock and running my games, so I will do that when it is necessary. It affects your PSU in that you will need more power, it affects your motherboard in that overclocking needs more power phases to dissipate the voltage going to the CPU (your CPU is on a 12 volt line. You're only using 1.2-1.5 volts of that. That excess has to go somewhere--your VRMs on your motherboard take that extra voltage and essentially dissipate it as heat. The more phases you have, the better cooling you have, the better overclocking experience you have--which is essentially what the Z170 boards are good for. They have more phases typically) and if done incorrectly/unsafely, you can fry the CPU. Just remember--every computer runs on magic black smoke. If you let the magic black smoke out, your computer doesn't work anymore. There are very safe ways to do it however, if you're interested don't let that dissuade you.
2) They aren't the greatest SSDs, but if you're simply looking for a boot-and-driver SSD, I would go with a Kingston V300/UV400. That's what I've always used in my machines, and while they aren't great, 250GB runs at around $50.
3) From an i5 6500 that you were looking at, there aren't too many options. There's currently only the i5 6600k and the i7 6400/6700k for upgrades. I believe Kaby Lake (to be released later this year I think) will also be on the same socket, but I'm not 100% on that. For many, many games, though, the i5 will be just fine for a few years.
4) Overclocking is a large trial-and-error journey, where... putting it simply... you take your stock voltage and leave it, and you increase the multiplier on the CPU (So, if your FSB is 100, and your multiplier is 40, you are running 4.0GHz) so that it runs at a faster speed. You then stress test your CPU to see if it is still stable at the stock voltage. You do that until the CPU fails/you bluescreen, and then you increase the voltage, and leave the multiplier. You check if that's stable. Once it's stable, you then increase the multiplier until it bluescreens again, and then increase the voltage. Very, very small increments at a time. You also have to watch the temperatures of the CPU. I can go more in depth if you are interested, but that's the basic premise. Takes a bit to get down.
5) Yes it is still air. And as long as you do your liquid cooling properly, it shouldn't be an issue. But, there are always issues such as mechanical failures.
6) I can't tell you whether it is or not, it doesn't have any information regarding max CPU cooler height, but I can tell you that the H7 is shorter than both the Gammaxx 400 and the 212 EVO.

Later down the line I might overclock it, but I'm gonna switch out the case to something that will 100% be compaitable, but thanks for all the help man

soyouremark · Aug 25, 2016

Chugalug_ :

I was going to go for a H7 and 6600k, but he told me he had a 1k budget, so I put in a H170 board and 6500! ;.;
Here is my updated build.
I've put in a nicer motherboard and a Be Quiet! Pure Rock which performs identically to the H7 more or less.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170X-UD3 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($112.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($62.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($89.39 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($61.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 1060 6GB AMP! Edition Video Card ($279.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Zalman Z3 Plus White ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 450W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS90 DVD/CD Writer ($23.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($88.88 @ OutletPC)
Other: Be Quiet! Pure Rock CPU Cooler ($24.90)
Total: $1049.08
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-08-25 18:13 EDT-0400

Sorry about the budget thing, while I've been on here it's been changing like every day lol

soyouremark · Aug 25, 2016

Chugalug_ :

I was going to get this SSD card because I saw that it had a pretty good price, and I wanted your opinion on it

SSD: http://pcpartpicker.com/product/BNGj4D/sandisk-internal-hard-drive-sdssda240gg25

Chugalug_ · Aug 25, 2016

As I mentioned, it is pretty good, but both the Adata and Trion 150 outperform it and actually cost less.

Get this if you want to cut down on cost, but I highly recommend the 850 Evo i've listed in my build if you can spend $20 more: http://pcpartpicker.com/product/rwcMnQ/ocz-internal-hard-drive-trn15025sat3240g

soyouremark · Aug 25, 2016

Chugalug_ :

Alright man I think I'll go with the Trion you linked

Does the PC look beast now (by beast i don't mean a $4000 pc that can run 12 games at ultra high settings at once)
http://pcpartpicker.com/list/WYMcbj

soyouremark · Aug 25, 2016

genthug :

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

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($43.42 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170-HD3 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($99.60 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($62.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($89.39 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($61.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 1060 6GB AMP! Edition Video Card ($279.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Zalman Z3 Plus White ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 450W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($60.94 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS90 DVD/CD Writer ($23.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($88.88 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1065.17
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-08-25 17:53 EDT-0400

Changed the CPU and the CPU cooler. The H7 is better than both of those coolers--and from working with both the Hyper 212 and the H7, the H7 is not just better in how it cools your PC, it's much easier to mount, much sturdier, much easier to work with previous to getting your machine up. Was not a fan of how the 212 mounts. Picked the 6600k because you put a Z170 board on both builds. If you're not going to get a "K" series CPU then there's no reason to get a Z170 board, you'd be better off with an H170/H110. So, you can either save yourself some money and get a lesser board with the lesser CPU, or get the Z170 and an overclocking CPU. If you have no plan/desire to overclock, then I would not get a Z170 and a K series. If you do, though, get the K series.

I'm a much larger fan of the 1060 choice over the 390 at this point. If you want to save more money, you could go for a lesser SSD. The 850 EVOs are some of the best out there, but for 250GB, that $90 is steep. You do get what you pay for though.

Does the computer look good from here: http://pcpartpicker.com/list/WYMcbj

soyouremark · Aug 25, 2016

Chugalug_ :

Also, do you have any recommendations on a surge protector? I want a really good one that can hold up to 425 watts

genthug · Aug 25, 2016

Not a huge fan of the PSU, but where you're not looking to overclock right now yeah that's good

soyouremark · Aug 25, 2016

genthug :

Thanks for all the help man, I'll let you know how it runs when I get it

Also, do you have any recommendations for a Surge Protector that can hold up to 450 watts?

Chugalug_ · Aug 25, 2016

The Pure rock performs the same as the H7 for less, just is chunkier.
Any surge protector (Belkin is good) from your local best buy will do.
Final build.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170X-UD3 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($112.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($62.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: OCZ TRION 150 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($61.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 1060 6GB AMP! Edition Video Card ($279.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Zalman Z3 Plus White ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 450W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS90 DVD/CD Writer ($23.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($88.88 @ OutletPC)
Other: Be Quiet! Pure Rock CPU Cooler ($24.90)
Total: $1019.68
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-08-25 21:53 EDT-0400

soyouremark · Aug 25, 2016

Chugalug_ :

The Pure rock performs the same as the H7 for less, just is chunkier.
Any surge protector (Belkin is good) from your local best buy will do.
Final build.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170X-UD3 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($112.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($62.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: OCZ TRION 150 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($61.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 1060 6GB AMP! Edition Video Card ($279.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Zalman Z3 Plus White ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 450W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS90 DVD/CD Writer ($23.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($88.88 @ OutletPC)
Other: Be Quiet! Pure Rock CPU Cooler ($24.90)
Total: $1019.68
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-08-25 21:53 EDT-0400

Eh I think I'll still go with the H7 because I asked some of my close friends that have the fan about their experience and they said it was excellent

Chugalug_ · Aug 25, 2016

Ah, okay. Take the build I just posted and sub in the H7, should be a good choice.
You're paying $15 more, but it's a personal decision.

Enjoy!

genthug · Aug 25, 2016

Go with the H7 if you can find one comparable in price. If you can't, I might go with the Be Quiet! one, their stuff has always been of good quality, and where you're not going to overclock, your thermals aren't particularly of consequence at the moment. So even if it underperforms the H7 by a bit, it wouldn't matter. I would definitely (personally) not recommended the 212 evo because of how much of a pain in the ass it is to mount and how much it wobbles on the CPU when you have it "mounted". Maybe I was doing something wrong though. I'm just really peeved by the cooler, I know it doesn't really have a place in the discussion -_-

soyouremark · Aug 27, 2016

Chugalug_ :

So I was looking at Surge Protectors at my local Best Buy today, and I was wondering about the joule and the watt levels. Does it matter how many watts the Surge Protector has or is that just your electricity level?

Also, it says that the case I wanted to buy (http://www.mydiypcusa.com/products/cases/atx-midtower/j180-w.html) says it comes with 2 x 120mm fans and a fan controller, I was a bit confused by this, since it comes with the fans, should I not get the H7 or what? Also, the case says it supports Micro ATX / ATX motherboards, so will the motherboard you picked out for me work with it (Motherboard: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/xdmxFT/gigabyte-motherboard-gaz170xud3)

genthug · Aug 27, 2016

Those are case fans, not a CPU heatsink. Definitely keep that.
A watt is simply a joule-per-second, which is why SURGE protectors measure in joules--it measures how large a surge it can take and still be alright for the rest of the appliances attached to it.

soyouremark · Aug 27, 2016

genthug :

So the Surge Protector should be able to hold the computer wattage (332 watts) and do you have an answer for the Motherboard being Micro ATX / ATX so it will be compatible with the case, and is the graphics card 380mm. It also says that the CPU Cooler can be a maximum of 161mm, what does this mean?

genthug · Aug 27, 2016

It is ATX. And yes, it will be able to hold the power consumption of your machine.

genthug · Aug 27, 2016

The cpu cooler height means how tall the heatsink can be before it hits the side panel of the case. The h7 is under 150, so you'll be fine there. I'd have to check the case for GPU clearance, but I'm currently on my phone, so it will take a minute or two.

PC vs PC

Commendable

Honorable

Commendable

Titan

Titan

Honorable

Titan

Commendable

Commendable

Commendable

Titan

Commendable

Commendable

Commendable

Honorable

Commendable

Titan

Commendable

Titan

Honorable

Commendable

Honorable

Commendable

Honorable

Honorable

Share this page