Advice wanted on a second PC build. Eight years after the first.

sjones93 · Dec 8, 2016

A lot has happened over 8 years in PC Technology, and i've been keeping up-to-date with everything but have no practical experience on what's good and what's not so.

My intention is too build a gaming PC that will do at least 720p recording but no streaming is planned and considering the games i'm playing now and then are L4D2, CS GO, Empire Total War, I wont require some serious bit of kit, but may intend in the future to play some more demanding games.

I'll state the build i'm planning to do underneath and will raise my questions underneath that.

Note - Case, Monitor and CPU Cooler not required. Also only Micro-ATX.

MB - Asus B150M-PLUS D3 socket LGA1151 (Micro-ATX) -

CPU - Intel Core i5 6600 3.3GHz Socket 1151 6MB

GPU -EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 GAMING 3GB GDDR5

RAM -HyperX Fury Black 8GB (4GB x2) DDR4 2133MHz

PSU - Corsair VS Series 650 Watt Power Supply

Questions:

1) Firstly, will this build be good for gaming and recording low to mid demanding games, in at least 720p.

2) Is it worth going to the Z version of the ASUS motherboard, as obviously you can overclock and have more range of RAM (up to 3200MHZ i think) however the board seems to have some poor reviews and poor quality control issues.

3) Obviously 3GB for GPU is enough for the games i'm currently playing (stated above) but maybe for Dead By Daylight and future games what 6GB GPU would you recommend that will be less that £260

4) From question 2, if the Z-Board is recommended, is the 6600K 3.5 GHZ Skylake i5 version worth the extra money compared to the non-overclockable 3.3.

Apologies for the long winded question but wanted to get all details clear. Advice is hugely welcomed. I'm currently at work so won't be able to respond now but in a few hours i'll be checking the forum all night.

Regards

Stephen

CorsairSSC · Dec 8, 2016

This build will easily handle 1440p. 720p is already over. If you want a Z motherboard you should definitely go for a 6600K. I would also recommend the 6GB GTX 1060.

hdmark · Dec 8, 2016

1- yes, looks like a very solid build . if anything... look into 16gb of ram for a bit more future proof build
2- unless you are actually going to overlock... i probably wouldnt bother with it. i see alot of people going iwth the b150 boards
3- if you can find a 6gb version of the 1060, it will be a bit better. but realistically 6gb will be more than enough for many games.
4- i would only go to the 6600k if you plan to overclock or you see features on the z170 board that interest you

Good luck with the build!

sadams04 · Dec 8, 2016

1.) Yes. 720 is not that demanding and any modern i5 setup with a mid-sized GPU will do just fine.
2.) No need to overclock to get high performance. Overclocking brings in a more expensive components in a Z series motherboard, K series CPU, and an aftermarket CPU Cooler. While this is all good, it isn't necessary. For your second build in eight years, skip overclocking.
3.) 3GB is fine if you are at 1080 resolution or lower. Look toward a 4GB or 6GB GPU if you start gaming on multiple monitors or at 1440 or higher.
4.) Z series motherboard and K series CPU, or non-K series CPU and H110 / B150 / H170 chipsets. Mixing the non-K series CPU on the Z series MB is a mismatch and a waste of the boards potential.

CPU - The minor difference in base clock and turbo speed between the 6500 and 6600 is negligible. Save on the budget here and go with the 6500.
MEM - The H110 / B150 / H170 chipsets are limited to DDR4-2133 which is pretty basic and standard. Don't overspend here. The modules below have the same specs..
PSU - Eh.. a bit too much wattage for a non-overclocking, single-GPU setup. Look toward a 550w model from XFX, Seasonic or the EVGA G2 lineup. The Corsair VS is OK at best. Light reading on PSUs => www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor (£188.75 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: Asus B150M-A/M.2 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (£74.88 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory (£49.97 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Crucial MX300 275GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£66.52 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£42.98 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1060 3GB 3GB Windforce OC Video Card (£189.98 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: SeaSonic G 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (£78.24 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £691.32

madmatt30 · Dec 8, 2016

Go for 16gb (2x8gb ram) from the off mate honestly.
Its getting to the stage where 8gb is only just enough.

Buy a better quality PSU than the one you listed , the vs series are low end bargain basement jobs.
For the same price bracket you can get a very good quality 450w+ which is honestly all you need.

The 3gb 1060 is likely enough for you , I find the 6gb models at the minute somewhat overpriced in the uk due to pound fluctuation.

Considered the g1 480 4gb simply because it's a great price at the minute.

https://www.aria.co.uk/SuperSpecials/Other+products/Gigabyte+4GB+G1+GAMING+RX480+AMD+Graphics+Card+?productId=66945

Cx550m is £55 delivered from maplin, good price for a very good quality PSU.

http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/corsair-cx550m-550w-semi-modular-atx-80-plus-bronze-power-supply-a65uu

lunyone · Dec 8, 2016

1) Yes it probably be okay for 720p, but I would replace the GPU with the 6 gb variant, because the 3 gb variant is too gimped, IMHO.
2) Getting a Z-based Mobo is nice and all, but for the majority of people the B150/H110/H170 are all they need, especially if your not going to OC. The RAM speed potential isn't really that much difference, IMHO to warrant having to buy a Z-based Mobo for.
3) See #1 response above.
4) If you get a Z-170 board then it would make more sense to buy the 6600k. You will also need to buy a CPU HSF for it (if you don't already have one), because the "K" CPU versions (6600k/6700k/etc) DON'T come with a CPU HSF, so you have potential added cost (if you don't already have one).

Your build overall isn't too bad, but I'd get the GTX 1060 6 gb version over the 3 gb version for longevity sakes.

Here is something like I would build with your parts that used above:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor (£188.75 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: MSI B150M MORTAR Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (£75.98 @ YoYoTech)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-3000 Memory (£49.47 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB Mini Video Card (£229.99 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA GS UK 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£73.48 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £617.67
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-12-08 13:40 GMT+0000

* CPU is 100 Mhz less, but is about £20 less.
* Mobo should have everything you need and is of decent quality too.
* RAM speed is overkill, but if you end up using it later in a Z-based Mobo, you could OC it to those speeds under the right conditions. The set is also not too expensive either.
* GPU is small and compact, but has plenty of GPU power for 720p/1080p gaming!
* PSU is fully modular, so you can limit the amount of cables in the system and allow for better airflow overall in the case (whichever one you use).

sjones93 · Dec 8, 2016

Managed to sneak a quick comment in during work, the advice from everybody has been awesome so thanks for that.

I'll have a good overview of the comments and builds and probably ask a few more questions after work but for now i know i'll definitely stick to the B150 chipset.

In the meantime thanks again.

Jeff Kaos · Dec 8, 2016

I just built an i5 6600K system and for me the difference in price between it and the non-K i5 6600 was only about $30 American. Even though I'm not overclocking right now I figured the extra $30 was worth it just to have it as an option for the future.

sadams04 · Dec 8, 2016

Jeff Kaos :

The price difference looks to be about £70 when changing to the Z170 chipset, 6600k and aftermarket CPU cooler (all other components stay the same).

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor (£215.99 @ Aria PC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 LED 66.3 CFM Rifle Bearing CPU Cooler (£24.99 @ Eclipse Computers)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (£104.99 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory (£49.98 @ Aria PC)
Storage: Crucial MX300 275GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£66.52 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£42.98 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1060 3GB 3GB Windforce OC Video Card (£189.98 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: SeaSonic G 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (£78.24 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £773.67

lunyone · Dec 8, 2016

Jeff Kaos :

To me OC'ing is over-rated, IMHO. Yes it could be nice, but most people don't use it (most enthusiasts do). The added costs associated (add CPU HSF, bigger PSU needed for OC'ing, Heat dissipation concerns, etc.) aren't worth it most of the time. This is why I recommend non-OC'ing CPU's, since you save upfront costs (don't need to buy CPU HSF, they come with stock one which is okay) and overall just a more efficient option, IMHO.

sjones93 · Dec 9, 2016

madmatt30 :

Definitely considering it, that price is superb, although my only worry is that the core clock speed is a few hundred MHZ below of my proposed 3GB GPU. Just wanna ask if this makes a notable difference and whether the GPU has any specific advantages over others?

sjones93 · Dec 9, 2016

lunyone :

Love that PSU, considering it's only 70 odd pound, gold certified and fully modular that seems like a steal. The other PSU's that the gents/ladies stated in this thread were pretty good too but don't know whether they stack up as well against this one.

In your honest opinion lunyone, if you looked at the other PSU's people have stated in this thread would you agree?

sjones93 · Dec 9, 2016

sadams04 :

This would be basically the Z-setup i would choose, but again to ask Sadams and others, is say the £70 difference worth it in the long run? I only ask because now i'm only play games that are not very demanding but there maybe a new game i may try that is quite demanding. If its still a b150 with a 3.2 - 3.3 i5 but maybe with a upgraded gpu and also while recording in lets say 1080p, will it still handle it?

sjones93 · Dec 9, 2016

lunyone :

Any particular reason for this motherboard other than the proposed ASUS. It's a interesting motherboard for sure.

sjones93 · Dec 9, 2016

Just wanted to also say apologies for not getting in touch last night, our new internet didn't activate when it should of - i'm sure everybody can relate to that.

On a desperate note, can anybody advise on some good recording software? I hear nvidia have there own which consumes little frames and is ridiculously easy to use.

And with that in mind, considering i'll be recording and then editing after, will my build but with an additional 8gb of ram (now 16GB) and say at least a 4gb gpu, handle that, as well as maybe a little cad software. Maybe both being used at the same time.

All replies have been brilliant, i've replied to a few and in which the others have confirmed my thoughts. I wish i knew how to use the multi reply function so i wouldn't have to reply to each person individually XD Please also i ask to comment on any other posts if you have an idea within it. In a respectful manner of course.

Cheers

lunyone · Dec 9, 2016

sjones93 :

The PSU's mentioned are good, generally, but I would prefer a fully modular PSU that is 80 PLUS Gold certified. Having at least 80 PLUS Bronze rated PSU is the minimum that I would get otherwise.

lunyone · Dec 9, 2016

sjones93 :

It was just the price difference, but other than that the ASUS looks like a good option too.

madmatt30 · Dec 9, 2016

Boththe RX 480 & the gtx 1060 have built in recorfing features mate , pretty much minimal performance hit on either so you really don't need any other 'recording' software at all.

Personally I think the GS 550 is a little overpriced at £73 , its a good PSU but not a great one , the g2 is better.

Advice wanted on a second PC build. Eight years after the first.

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