PC Build - Looking for the best bang for my buck. ($800-$1500)

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jperry36

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I would like some potential build ideas for a new gaming PC. As someone who does not know a whole lot about PC parts (yet), I don't want to limit myself to one specific price point because my main goal is to get the most value. I'm looking to spend anywhere from $800-$1500, which I know does not narrow down the range of possibilities a whole lot, so:

-I'm leaning 1070>1080 just because I do not think I would be using the 1080 to it's full potential...thoughts?
-i7 and 16 GB ram seem to be something I would need if I plan on doing some streaming/editing, no?
-Need to buy Windows 10
-120 GB SSD + 1 or 2 TB Hard Drive
-My ideal color theme would be white, red, and/or black (original I know), with a white case.
-I'm all about that LED life :D

Thanks for any input!
 
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mcconkeymike
I've heard that the Sabertooth boards are pretty decent but I think they are too expensive. I would still either go with a Z270 mobo for your CPU or stick with the Z170 and grab a 6700k instead, because the BIOS issue I talked about can be a real pain in the ass. I went through it once and I bricked the board trying to fix it. Me personally I'm not a watercooling kind of guy, too many ways for it to fail and cause issues so I go with decent air coolers, but it's obviously your call. It would be a way to save some of the money you were wanting to.
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mcconkeymike

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Finally somebody who isn't wanting to buy just the biggest and best with a good reason (you won't use it to its full potential). I tip my cap to you. The 1070 is going to be a hell of a GPU for anything between 1080p 60hz and 1440p 60hz. If you are streaming you will definitely want an i7 so you won't bog yourself down while gaming and streaming at the same time. If you are thinking about overclocking, you'll want either a 6700k or a 7700k. With a K processor you'll need either a Z170 or Z270 motherboard. I would go with the 270, more bells and whistles, and probably LEDs also. If not overclocking, go with a 6700 or 7700 and either a B or H series motherboard. For SSD I would look at the M.2 PCIe SSDs, such as the Samsung 960 EVO and probably go with the 250gb for the OS and critical programs. For HD, either a WD or Seagate would be just fine in whatever size you prefer. For a white/red/black mobo, probably go with something from MSI. Also, half of the fun of building a new computer is going onto PCPartpicker.com and just start configuring a build. With what I've told you you'll have a good starting point.
 
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BasicallyNuclear

BasicallyNuclear

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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($234.88 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i v2 70.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($99.99 @ B&H)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z270X-Gaming 7 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($245.91 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($66.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($97.88 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.33 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 1070 8GB Video Card ($438.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: NZXT S340 Elite (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($88.58 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Corsair SP120 RGB 3-Pack w/Controller 52.0 CFM 120mm Fans ($62.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1535.42
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-01-30 20:19 EST-0500
 
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mcconkeymike

mcconkeymike

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I don't agree with BasicallyNuclear's build at all. The person said he wants to stream and game, so i7-6700k or 7700k. Watercoolers are probably not recommended for new builders, so I would go Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO. I would probably also increase the RAM to 16gb to ensure that when he is gaming/streaming/whatever elsing that he has plenty of available ram.
 
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IceMyth

IceMyth

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Dec 15, 2015
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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($329.49 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H75 54.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($74.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI Z170A GAMING M7 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($199.99 @ B&H)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LED 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($114.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Sandisk SSD PLUS 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($69.99 @ Best Buy)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 1070 8GB Video Card ($419.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair Carbide Series 300R Windowed ATX Mid Tower Case ($77.99 @ Jet)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($77.88 @ OutletPC)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($18.80 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Corsair SP120 57.2 CFM 120mm Fan ($12.69 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Corsair SP120 57.2 CFM 120mm Fan ($12.69 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Corsair SP120 57.2 CFM 120mm Fan ($12.69 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Corsair SP120 57.2 CFM 120mm Fan ($12.69 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1504.65
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-01-30 20:27 EST-0500

For better streaming I would buy a separate streaming dongle (not sure what it is called) that can help streaming if you feel there is some lag or loosing some gaming performance.

Regards,
 
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Karadjgne

Karadjgne

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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-7700 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($309.69 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI B250M GAMING PRO Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($84.99 @ B&H)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws 4 series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($94.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($97.88 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.33 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB SC GAMING ACX 3.0 Black Edition Video Card ($379.99 @ B&H)
Case: Corsair Carbide Series 88R MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1161.63
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-01-30 20:34 EST-0500

You could go with a 2Tb for the extra $20, or wait and get another hdd if the 1Tb isn't enough.
 
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mcconkeymike

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I like this build if he isn't planning on overclocking.
 
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WildCard999

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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-7700K 4.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($343.89 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z270M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($119.99 @ Jet)
Memory: G.Skill TridentZ Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($126.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX300 275GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($89.98 @ Directron)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.33 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 1070 8GB Video Card ($398.89 @ OutletPC)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo EVOLV MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($159.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 650W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($80.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($88.58 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1493.49
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-01-30 20:40 EST-0500
 
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J

jperry36

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I am not opposed to overclocking. I do not have any experience though. If I read up on it and watched some tutorial videos would I be able to do it? Or would it require some hands on training from someone who knew what they were doing?
 
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jperry36

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[PCPartPicker part list](https://pcpartpicker.com/list/7t3qWX) / [Price breakdown by merchant](https://pcpartpicker.com/list/7t3qWX/by_merchant/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
CPU | [Intel Core i7-7700K 4.2GHz Quad-Core Processor] | $343.89 @ OutletPC
CPU Cooler | [Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler] | $27.88 @ OutletPC
Motherboard | [MSI Z270 KRAIT GAMING ATX LGA1151 Motherboard | $159.99 @ B&H
Memory | [Corsair Vengeance LED 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory] | $109.99 @ Jet
Storage | [Samsung 960 Evo 250GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive]) | $129.99 @ B&H
Storage | [Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive] | $69.89 @ OutletPC
Video Card | [Asus GeForce GTX 1070 8GB Dual Series Video Card] | $399.99 @ B&H
Case | [NZXT S340 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case] | $66.99 @ B&H
Power Supply | [EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply] | $77.88 @ OutletPC
| Total (before mail-in rebates) | $1411.49
| Mail-in rebates | -$25.00
| **Total** | **$1386.49**

^^^That's a rough draft

Places I should edit? I have no idea what to look for when it comes to cases (the NZXT S340 was the most popular white case, but I'm not dead set on that one). I looked at a few LED fans, but I'm not really sure exactly what to look for when it comes to fans. I feel like I could cut the cost down a little bit if I chose less flashy parts haha. Also saw this GPU http://
 
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Karadjgne

Karadjgne

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Blah. Software OC isn't always good. Sure it raises your clock speeds, but often at the expense of bclk (buss clock) which is the frequency at which everything communicates. Best left at 100.00 on Intel cpu's unless you really know what you are doing. Also, software could care less about stress test temps, it'll happily push your system passed @70°C because that's within Intel operating temps, not necessarily within user wanted temps. Those temps are a main byproduct of vcore voltage which software will limit upto the cpus limit. Not user wanted limits.
An honest hardware OC will have higher than stock speeds, lower than software temps and quite often lower than stock vcore voltage. Example: software OC on my rig at 4.6GHz was a 105.32 bclk, 1.42v and 93°C. Stable. Dedicated hardware OC puts my system at 4.9GHz, 100.00 bclk, 1.32v and 76°C under Prime95 26.6 small fft. Stable. Currently sitting at 4.6GHz, 100.00 bclk, 1.216v and 67°C.

Software is a learning tool, see what is changed and why, but is in no way a substitute for doing it the right way.
 
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The Paladin

The Paladin

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I know this is over budget, but your white and red choice of colour inspired me in my choices...
I imagined a frost white box, cpu cooler, motherboard, ram, all frozen white... cool as ice.
the driven power of the top fans releasing the heated air in red led, and rear fan swapped out of case for a single red led fan, drawing air in a large 140mm fan pushing air into the case front the front filtered quiet case , unseen
The PSU wires RED power Leads connecting it all....

over budget yep.... but it was deliciously fun to build it anyways. here is it, if you can envision it.

I give you Bleeding Frost:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
CPU: Intel Core i7-6700 3.4GHz Quad-Core OEM/Tray Processor ($289.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Enermax ETS-T50 AXE (White) 62.3 CFM CPU Cooler ($51.99 @ Directron)
Motherboard: Asus SABERTOOTH Z170 S ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($178.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO 250GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($94.79 @ Jet)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.80 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 1070 8GB Dual Series Video Card ($399.99 @ B&H)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G2 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($92.99 @ B&H)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF140 Quiet Edition 67.8 CFM 140mm Fan ($17.88 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Corsair SP120 57.2 CFM 120mm Fans ($22.72 @ Newegg)
Case Fan: Corsair SP120 57.2 CFM 120mm Fan ($12.69 @ OutletPC)
Other: ZALMAN Z9 Neo White ATX Mid Tower @newegg ($79.99)
Other: White Ballistix Sport LT 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4 2400 @newegg ($114.99)
Other: G2 Red Power Supply Cable Set ($89.99)
Total: $1596.29
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-01-30 22:47 EST-0500
 
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mcconkeymike

mcconkeymike

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I didn't mean software OC, I meant in the BIOS using the auto overclocking feature that many, if not all boards now have. I used the easy overclock option and left everything else on auto and was able to get up to 4.8ghz and the only reason I haven't been able to go higher is that my 212 EVO is about maxed out on what it can comfortably do. My voltage is stable, the bus speed is still right at 100mhz and she runs like a champ. I agree that software overclocking is BAD and not stable.
 
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jperry36

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I've used this as the base of my ideas for the past few days and this is what I came up with...

CPU | [Intel Core i7-7700K 4.2GHz Quad-Core Processor] | $343.89 @ OutletPC
CPU Cooler | [NZXT Kraken X62 Liquid CPU Cooler] | $154.75 @ OutletPC
Motherboard | [Asus SABERTOOTH Z170 S ATX LGA1151 Motherboard] | $178.99 @ SuperBiiz
Memory | [Corsair Vengeance LED 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory] | $117.88 @ OutletPC
Storage | [Samsung 850 EVO 250GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive] | $94.93 @ B&H
Storage | [Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive] | $69.89 @ OutletPC
Video Card | [Asus GeForce GTX 1070 8GB Dual Series Video Card] | $399.99 @ B&H
Case | [NZXT S340 Elite (White) ATX Mid Tower Case] | $89.99 @ SuperBiiz
Power Supply | [EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply] $77.88 @ OutletPC
Operating System | [Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit] $88.58 @ OutletPC
Wireless Network Adapter | [Gigabyte GC-WB867D-I PCI-Express x1 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Adapter] $29.99 @ SuperBiiz
Case Fan | [NZXT Aer RGB120 61.4 CFM 120mm Fan] $26.99 @ SuperBiiz
Case Fan | [NZXT Aer RGB140 71.6 CFM 140mm Fan] $29.99 @ SuperBiiz
Other | [BitFenix ALCHEMY 2.0 PSU CABLE KIT, CSR-SERIES - RED] $86.99 @ Newegg

Total = $1790.73


I would love to cut down the price by about $100-$150, without sacrificing any of the obvious look I want to achieve. Could I cut costs on my storage (I already have an unused 3 TB WD MyCloud that I could use), PSU or OS (can I find it cheaper elsewhere?)?

Also, is there any indication of when this motherboard will be released? Would it be worth waiting for?https://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&sku=1306945&gclid=CjwKEAiAq8bEBRDuuOuyspf5oyMSJAAcsEyWrG5hUsPrcnQy-0WG-rgvABxQB7U20CkteMR6vMvRhxoCjzzw_wcB&is=REG&ap=y&m=Y&c3api=1876%2C92051678042%2C&Q=&A=details

 
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mcconkeymike

mcconkeymike

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If you are wanting to go with a 7700k or any Kabylake CPU, you should make your life a little easier and go with a Z270 mobo so that you don't have any BIOS issues when trying to use Kabylake on a Z170 board. While the Z170 boards are probably compatible, they will likely need a BIOS update to be able to function with a CPU that wasn't released when the board was produced. If you stick with that build, but change out to a Z270 board, you should be in good shape. Though personally I would not go with water cooling unless you are going to try to overclock your CPU to 5+ghz.
 
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jperry36

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What do you think about the motherboard that I linked?

I think if I go with the water cooling then I would 100% be overclocking, if I opt not to try it then I will probably go with the Enermax cooler previously mentioned.
 
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mcconkeymike

mcconkeymike

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I've heard that the Sabertooth boards are pretty decent but I think they are too expensive. I would still either go with a Z270 mobo for your CPU or stick with the Z170 and grab a 6700k instead, because the BIOS issue I talked about can be a real pain in the ass. I went through it once and I bricked the board trying to fix it. Me personally I'm not a watercooling kind of guy, too many ways for it to fail and cause issues so I go with decent air coolers, but it's obviously your call. It would be a way to save some of the money you were wanting to.
 
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jperry36

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I was actually referencing this motherboard from MSI https://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&sku...

It's a z270, but it's not released yet. It's also cheaper than the sabertooth.
 
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jperry36

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I think I've decided on this as my final version.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($329.49 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X62 Liquid CPU Cooler ($154.75 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus SABERTOOTH Z170 S ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($178.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LED 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($119.88 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO 250GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($94.93 @ B&H)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 1070 8GB Dual Series Video Card ($399.99 @ B&H)
Case: NZXT S340 Elite (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($77.88 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($88.58 @ OutletPC)
Wireless Network Adapter: Gigabyte GC-WB867D-I PCI-Express x1 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Adapter ($29.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case Fan: NZXT Aer RGB120 61.4 CFM 120mm Fan ($26.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case Fan: NZXT Aer RGB140 71.6 CFM 140mm Fan ($29.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Other: NZXT Hue+ RGB Colour Changing Internal LED Controller ($51.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1743.33
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-02-01 14:01 EST-0500



Opted to go with the 6700k instead, and also got rid of the red cables. Thanks for all of the help!
 
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Karadjgne

Karadjgne

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Most definitely stay away from NEX psus. Very lackluster that only sell because of the SuperNova moniker. Stick with GS/G2/G3.

Other than that, I almost feel bad for ya. All those nice parts and the rush you'll be in to just get it done so you can play, and what those nice parts really demand is a butt load of time and patience making that build look like the quality it represents. Gonna be a minute before you get to play. :)

Do us a favor, there's a separate post for user gallery, post us some pics when you finally get it finished

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/310222-31-hardware-member-system-gallery
 
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jperry36

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Will do for sure :) As soon as my tax return comes in I'm ordering everything! I'm pretty OCD so I won't be in too much of a rush. Not too worried about being able to make the look come together, a little anxious about overclocking though, but I suppose I have some time to study up!
 
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