Need Help With Part Choosing and Upgradability

alannm37

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Mar 7, 2013
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Thanks for coming to help.

It's been a long time since I've built my own computer.
I sold it on because of money issues, had to get all the money we could to get by, and I've been buying second hand PC's every since.
I've had a few close calls with going to buy new parts but it never happened. I've always had a passion for computers and can't wait to build another new PC.

Luckily the time has come!

I started researching and planning my build a few weeks back and planned a really nice mid-range build, but the price is the only drawback of course. Was working out about €800/900 when you convert pounds to euros and include shipping (I am located in Ireland but I usually buy from Amazon UK). But when I stumbled across the Pentium G4560, I thought that I could used that as a starting point and upgrade as time goes by rather than buying it all at the one go, that way I have my own new computer and will have the sense/feeling of knowing that I can still make it better and better, which I like.

Below you will find the builds, one being the expensive build (END_POINT) and the other being the budget build (START_POINT). I will talk through each part and my intentions. Please don't hesitate to suggest other start points, for example, getting a better CPU and cheaper graphics card. Side note: I have a sufficient SSD already. So here we go:

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Expensive Build (END_POINT)

- Better to see the end point first to help with what I will talk about in the budget build choices! All suggestions on the future build are completely welcome.

PCPartPicker part list: https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/VscTNN

CPU: Intel Core i5-7600K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor (£228.00 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H60 54.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler (£75.46 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: ASRock Z170 Pro4 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (£91.31 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Kingston FURY 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory (£59.99 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Kingston FURY 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory (£59.99 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB SC GAMING Video Card (£259.98 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Cooler Master MasterBox 5 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case (£57.99 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 620W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£69.95 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £902.67

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Budget Build (START_POINT)

PCPartPicker part list: https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/LyDxtJ

CPU: Intel Pentium G4560 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor (£64.95 @ Amazon UK)
- Like mentioned above the G4560 Dual-Core with hyper-threading I can't see why this is not a good start point.

Motherboard: ASRock Z170 Pro4 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (£91.31 @ Amazon UK)
- The motherboard is a tough decision, I am not entirely sure what the "best choice" is when it comes to motherboards, usually go by reviews (Would love an MSI board). But the way I looked at this was the motherboard is probably the last thing I want to be swapping around in a computer, so I may as well go for the Z170 Board right off so that the i5-6600K will overclock with that chipset.

Memory: Kingston FURY 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory (£59.99 @ Amazon UK)
- Kingston, reviews are extremely good, was considering the Corsair LPX also, suggestions welcome here. Wasn't sure whether to go 1x8GB and just add another 1x8GB later on.

Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB Mini Video Card (£139.98 @ Amazon UK)
- Another great budget card, completely outperforms the RX 460 in terms of price for performance. Good starting point I think.

Case: Cooler Master MasterBox 5 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case (£57.99 @ Amazon UK)
- Case is always another difficult one for me, because of course people don't want a case that looks awesome but feels very cheap. I just know I definitely want a Window and support for 3.0 (Which is surely standard these days). Would definitely love some suggestions on this but this is the start point, so it needs to be well within budget and I thought that this was really nice for a start point.

Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 620W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£69.95 @ Amazon UK)
- Seasonic seem to be the superior PSU brand. Would love a modular PSU and I'm hoping that this 620W with Bronze efficiency will be okay for overclocking the i5-7600K down the line....
Total: £484.17

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Computer Uses: Important I Guess!

- Dual Booting Windows and Linux
- Gaming, mostly light but don't want to be restricted later on down the line with the end build.
- A lot of development, Android Studio... Virtual Devices galore, Visual Studio, Java GUI work....
- Like the occasional streaming session on twitch and recording of course. Like keeping them funny moments for myself to watch later.
- Working with Sony Vegas and the Adobe Suite.
- General stuff too of course!

So that's all folks. I'm confident I mentioned as much as possible to help ye out with what I'm looking for. If there is anything else please comment and I will comment back! Thanks a million for your time.
 
Solution
i would wait until ryzen comes out.

change the ram to a dual channel kit, as using 4 sticks will only gain if ur running a x79/x99 platform.


for the psu, i prefer something a little better.

psu's are the most important part, as nothing works without it, and lots of stuff can get damaged from low quality ones.
names dont mean much, since most brands are not making the units themself.

platinum rated ones are normally good (no matter what brand), i prefer seasonic/corsair (ax, non i series).
even that the corsair Ax series is made by seasonic, all test show the corsairs are on the "newer" platform and are a bit better performing (vs the SS one).
check with a microcenter around you, lots will carry a refurb one for cheap.

depending on...

fry178

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i would wait until ryzen comes out.

change the ram to a dual channel kit, as using 4 sticks will only gain if ur running a x79/x99 platform.


for the psu, i prefer something a little better.

psu's are the most important part, as nothing works without it, and lots of stuff can get damaged from low quality ones.
names dont mean much, since most brands are not making the units themself.

platinum rated ones are normally good (no matter what brand), i prefer seasonic/corsair (ax, non i series).
even that the corsair Ax series is made by seasonic, all test show the corsairs are on the "newer" platform and are a bit better performing (vs the SS one).
check with a microcenter around you, lots will carry a refurb one for cheap.

depending on resolution the 1050ti wont do much beyond 1080p with low settings.
the 1060 (6gb) will be a better choice and also speed up de/encoding a lot. running it addition to my 3770k i could cut video encoding time in half (FHD vids).

always by ram in kits, so to get matched sticks, 16gb is ok, but for your use i recommend 32 (2x16gb), as it will be harder to find the exact stick again if only getting one 16gb (or 2x 8gb) stick.


corsair is ok, but last 2-3y, kingston has the lowest failure rate on the market.

the corsair Hydro is (like almost all AIO) based on Asetek design and prone to pump failure.
i prefer the arctic cooling one or if you spend some more, go with EK predator, as they are designed by them, not asetek.
 
Solution

alannm37

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Thanks for your comment! I'll go for the dual channel kit so for sure, Platinum are the most expensive but I will have a look. I will only be gaming at 1080p for the next few months. I was thinking of going for an RX 480 straight off in the budget build but what would your opinion be on that? Thanks for the tip on water cooling, don't know much about it! Also would you recommend going straight for a Z170 motherboard? Would I be right in thinking it would just be annoying to sway out later on?
 

fry178

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unless you plan to sell the (new) gpu after a few month, get a 1060/6 (not 3gb) and you will have enough for 1080p/1440p for a few years.
the 480 is around 10 cheaper, not worth it, since the 1060 runs cooler/silent/using less energy.
if not, then a 4gb 1050ti, as shadowplay/twitch is supported by a dedicated chip.

the ryzen is a few bucks more, but way faster than i5 for content stuff.

32gb will add another 100-120E (vs 120E for 16gb), which i recommend if possible.
make sure its 2x8 or 2x16 in a matched kit, not single sticks.
make sure any you buy, are single RANK sticks (amazon lists it)
i chose by price, but go with kingston if possible.

a gold psu will be enough for this, maybe even a 1070 or similar later.

the rig is over budget, but i included a LC AIO which will keep it cool and should get you around 4ghz with a little more voltage, but i would run stock for now.
the board is a good one for everything and will allow for good oc as well. asrock has best vrms/power design and hardware right now.

i recommend dropping the LC for now (if needed), and get 32gb ram...

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/BQPkPs