Upgrading My System

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GoWalrus

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Dec 28, 2016
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I've never built a pc and I decided to start now. My budget is around 400-500$ and I already have some things. I currently have the i5-6400, Crucial Ballistix Sport LT 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory, and gtx 750ti 2gb oc edition. Although I am most likely going to sell my gtx 750ti for around 50$ and pick up a gtx 970 4gb for around 150$ off eBay.

This is my build ---> https://pcpartpicker.com/list/DryqNN <---
According to pc part picker every part is compatible. I was just wondering if you guys would switch anything or if anything isn't compatible/Missing anything.

Thanks in advance

Please respond ASAP
 
Solution
Barty1884
Everything is compatible, yes. On anything other than a Z170 board (which would be a waste on a locked CPU), any RAM >2133MHz is a waste if you're paying more for it. Higher speeds will work, but only at 2133MHz, so they better be cheap to begin with :lol:

I'd suggest looking to a B150 or H110 board for a locked CPU - usually you can find them cheaper than the H170's, without really sacrificing much in the way of features etc.

I wouldn't invest in a 970 unless you can get it really cheap, when you consider a 3GB 1060 is ~$200:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1060 3GB 3GB Windforce OC Video Card ($198.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $198.99
Prices...
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zesun

zesun

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I wont speak on recommendations etc. as that can be as personal preferences as anything. But i did notice that your mobo selection supports memory up to DDR4-2133, and not 2400 as you have selected. It is not a problem mind you, but i just wanted to point that out, so you know why it wont run at 2400 when you assemble it, if you didn't already knew this.

I would however recommend (even though i said i wouldn't :p ) you get an SSD for your OS. And G.Skill memory (that personal preference thing).

As far as compatibility goes, it is fine.
 
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Barty1884

Barty1884

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Everything is compatible, yes. On anything other than a Z170 board (which would be a waste on a locked CPU), any RAM >2133MHz is a waste if you're paying more for it. Higher speeds will work, but only at 2133MHz, so they better be cheap to begin with :lol:

I'd suggest looking to a B150 or H110 board for a locked CPU - usually you can find them cheaper than the H170's, without really sacrificing much in the way of features etc.

I wouldn't invest in a 970 unless you can get it really cheap, when you consider a 3GB 1060 is ~$200:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1060 3GB 3GB Windforce OC Video Card ($198.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $198.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-12-28 17:48 EST-0500

And a 4GB RX 480 is ~$190

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Video Card: PowerColor Radeon RX 480 4GB Red Dragon Video Card ($191.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $191.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-12-28 17:49 EST-0500

The S12II is getting a little old now. For $60 you can have a G550W (also SeaSonic). Great Quality too, Gold rated etc.
Nothing wrong with the S12II, it was a great option at the price for a long time.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Power Supply: SeaSonic G 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $59.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-12-28 17:50 EST-0500

Honestly though, the build is mostly fine. It would really benefit from an SSD though. I'd say ~240GB minimum.
 
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Solution
Barty1884

Barty1884

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From A PM:

Do I need to buy an internal drive and SSD? Or should I just buy an SSD?
Click to expand...

You don't *need* to buy an SSD at all, but it would complement the setup nicely.
You could run on only an SSD, but those tend to be smaller in capacity (at a reasonable pricepoint).
The benefit of a traditional HDD is the low cost per GB compared to an SSD.

A common setup would be a bit of a hybrid:
SSD (~240GB) for your OS and commonly used programs
HDD (1TB+GB) for bulk storage of games/media.

I like the ADATA SP550's from a 'budget' SSD standpoint:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Storage: ADATA Premier SP550 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($68.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $68.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-12-28 18:53 EST-0500

There are other 'budget' options for cheaper though:
240GB AMD Radeon R3 for $60
http://pcpartpicker.com/product/3qmxFT/amd-internal-hard-drive-r3240gb

240GB PNY CS1311 for $65
http://pcpartpicker.com/product/7v38TW/pny-internal-hard-drive-ssd7cs1311240rb

240GB PNY CS1111 for $66
http://pcpartpicker.com/product/vwPzK8/pny-internal-hard-drive-ssd7cs1111240rb

All have reasonable performance for the price, and much faster than a traditional HDD.
The Samsung 850EVO is still 'king' though

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($93.88 @ OutletPC)
Total: $93.88
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-12-28 18:56 EST-0500

 
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G

GoWalrus

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Dec 28, 2016
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New to building pc's so i'm very confused sorry D:

So should I only buy an SSD because I would be perfectly fine with only 240GB on my computer. Or do I lose on something else if I don't buy an internal drive?

 
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Barty1884

Barty1884

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The 2400MHz is pointless on anything but a Z170 board, as the chipset will limit your speeds to 2133MHz. You're overpaying for 2400MHz that you'll never use. You'd save $5/10% with something like this: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/6NcMnQ/gskill-memory-f42133c15d8gis

Can save a little extra, but you have to put up with the ugly green PCB, like these from Mushkin:
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/y9Gj4D/mushkin-memory-997182

The Avexir Core 2x8GB 2400MHz actually works out well, although you'd only be at 2133MHz.
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/878H99/avexir-memory-avd4uz124001604g2cog

Your budget is somewhere around $650? I'd suggest you look at finding the budget for a GTX 1060 or RX 480 though, the performance of a 970 isn't worth $150 when you can have a 1060 or 480 for under $200 !! I'd drop your case to a more 'budget' option to accommodate a better card:

I'd drop the CPU cooler and use the stock cooler to offset the cost

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6400 2.7GHz Quad-Core Processor ($182.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock H110M-HDS Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($46.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Avexir Core Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($48.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: PNY CS1311 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($64.99 @ Best Buy)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon RX 480 4GB Red Dragon Video Card ($191.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: BitFenix Nova ATX Mid Tower Case ($25.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: SeaSonic G 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $621.92
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-12-28 20:02 EST-0500

Then, when you have the money, add the cooler. I'd opt for the Cryorig H7 over the 212 EVO though:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6400 2.7GHz Quad-Core Processor ($182.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock H110M-HDS Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($46.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Avexir Core Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($48.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: PNY CS1311 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($64.99 @ Best Buy)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon RX 480 4GB Red Dragon Video Card ($191.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: BitFenix Nova ATX Mid Tower Case ($25.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: SeaSonic G 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $656.80
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-12-28 20:02 EST-0500
 
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G

GoWalrus

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What's the difference between the two cases? I opted for the Cooler Master MasterBox 5 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case because it was recommended for a 500$ build. Also my budget is around $450 just I already have the cpu and the ram, that's why I don't really want to return the ram for an extra 5-10$ as it might even cost me more for returning. Last question is why did you change the power supply?
 
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Barty1884

Barty1884

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Between the cases? Price, essentially. BitFenix make decent cases and, while it's not going to be the best case in the world, $25 or so for a case is about right in a ~$500ish build (around 5% of the total cost). Spending $70 (15%) is a waste, with that money being better spent elsewhere for performance gains.

You're probably right on the RAM. While I wouldn't recommend it if you hadn;t bought it, shipping &/or restocking fees will eat up anything you could save.

As for the PSU, it's another quality PSU, Gold efficiency, and was a little cheaper. Nothing wrong with the S12II, but trying to show you where you can shave off some cost, without forgoing quality - and get a setup that'll actually perform noticeably better.
 
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Barty1884

Barty1884

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No problem.

3GB 1060s are in the $200 range:
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/7bL7YJ/gigabyte-geforce-gtx-1060-3gb-windforce-oc-video-card-gv-n1060wf2oc-3gd
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/HWtWGX/evga-geforce-gtx-1060-3gb-gaming-video-card-03g-p4-6160
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/YW98TW/msi-geforce-gtx-1060-3gb-3gb-ocv1-video-card-geforce-gtx-1060-3g-ocv1
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/4Np323/msi-geforce-gtx-1060-3gb-3gb-oc-video-card-geforce-gtx-1060-3gt-oc

The 4GB RX 480's are worth considering too:
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/84M323/msi-radeon-rx-480-4gb-gaming-x-video-card-radeon-rx-480-gaming-x-4g
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/nxVBD3/powercolor-radeon-rx-480-4gb-red-dragon-video-card-axrx-480-4gbd5-3dhdv2
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/sx98TW/xfx-radeon-rx-480-4gb-rs-video-card-rx-480p4lfb6
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/f9cMnQ/sapphire-radeon-rx-480-4gb-nitro-4g-video-card-11260-02

The 1060s and 480's trade blows back and forth. Can't go wrong with either.
 
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G

GoWalrus

Commendable
Dec 28, 2016
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I decided to go with the 1060 since I'm more of a Nvidia Fan boy :)

Also forgot about the operating system, I heard if you had windows 10 on your old computer then you can call microsoft and they can transfer it to your new computer. Is this true or do I have to buy another operating system?
 
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