Having trouble choosing a case for my build

[fillonia]

Hi guys,

So, I am one step ahead from what i was yesterday, almost done choosing the parts for the desktop that I want to build...There's so many cases to choose from, I did have a look at a lot of the ones from the list, some had reviews, some didn't. I don't really care about budget and I will have a optical drive (DVD), I read some comments about some of the cases where people had bad things to say about having a optical drive, so I wanna make sure the case i chose can have a optical drive no problem.

Here's what I got so far :

http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/Z2yLWZ

If you wondered about the graphic card, I'm just waiting on the new generation. Also, i've heard a lot of good things about the cooler/fan, if there's any other/better option ( i know there's a lot of threads about this), i'm definitely open to hear about it since I don't really know much about any of this

Thanks in advance guys

 

[TheMailonG]

Buy a i5 6500 and save money, there are many unlocked BCLK bios that will allow you to reach 4.5Ghz easily, and it's faster than the 6600K OC, so [strike]welcome to the silicon lottery[/strike] ;
The 212X have better heatsink and HP contact for the same bucks;
[strike]G.Skill is love, G.Skill is life[/strike]. TridentZ for speed and RipjawsV for low latency ( they're 2mm lower also );
Gigabyte > ASUS *cry* :

Spoiler

Let's look at the newegg user reviews for your two named choices.... There are 37 reviews to date which is in the range where we can start to feel some confidence in the sampling size.... once ya get to say 100, confidence level is high.... below 20, it's tough to take much from it.

Asus Z170 Hero has an average rating of 3.4 eggs
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
5 eggs - 38% (14)
4 eggs - 14% (5)
3 eggs14% - (5)
2 eggs - (9)
1 egg - 11%- (4)

Gigabtyte model seems to be a bit more popular with 44 reviews and has a significantly higher % of happier owners.

Gigabyte G1 Gaming GA-Z170X-Gaming 7 has an average rating of 4.2 eggs
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
5 eggs - 64% (28)
4 eggs - 14% (6)
3 eggs - 9% (4)
2 eggs - 7% (3)
1 egg - 7% (3)

Using the compare function on newegg site.... these are the differences I observed.

- Giga supports 3867 to Asus 3733 RAM
- Giga has 3 SATA E ports to Asus 2
- Giga has 3 M.2 ports to Asus 2
- Both have high end sound solutions from different vendors, not in posaitin to judge which one excels as no data available that I have seen.
- Giga has Creative Sound Core 3D chip versus Asus ROG SupremeFX 2015
- Giga has 1 x Intel GbE LAN chip versus Asus Intel I219-V
- Giga has 2nd Qualcomm Atheros Killer E2400 LAN chip
- Both have 2 USB 3.1 ports
- Giga has 5 USB 3 ports to Asus 2
- Giga is $20 cheaper

But, if ya must buy now, with the data available to date, I gotta say go with the Gigabyte... it's got almost twice the % of 5 egg ratings, it's $20 cheaper and edges the Hero in numerous features.
Thx JackNaylorPE

Use M.2 SSD instead of common 2.5'', they're faster and smaller, and will leave a free SATA port. Also 120GB would be enough for OS ( [strike]a.k.a Windows 10[/strike] )and favorite softwares,[strike] if not go straight to 250 and 500GB[/strike];
WD Black is faster, but don't get fooled by overpriced units, if just for casual gaming, won't worth it;
GTX 960 all the way, no doubt. [strike]Or wait for net gen GPUs.[/strike]
If u really don't care about budget, GET THE NZXT SWITCH 810 or the Source 530;
You don't seem to need 850W Platinum, I guess a 600W would be enough, [strike]even for a 980 Ti[/strike] ;
Buy Pioneer dvds, they're the best by far

This is it:

Spoiler

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($264.95 @ shopRBC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212X 82.9 CFM CPU Cooler ($54.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming 3 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($159.99 @ NCIX)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($44.99 @ NCIX)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO 120GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($92.48 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($65.25 @ shopRBC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 960 2GB SuperSC ACX 2.0+ Video Card ($229.99 @ NCIX)
Case: NZXT Source 530 ATX Full Tower Case ($119.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA P2 650W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($104.99 @ NCIX)
Optical Drive: Pioneer BDR-209DBK Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($82.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Total: $1220.59
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-04-08 15:57 EDT-0400

Gd luck

 

[Bearmann]

Cases are very personal. There is nothing wrong with the SPEC-03, but I upgraded you to a higher end, quiet case. Also check out the Phanteks Evolve ATX and Enthoo Pro cases. I think you could get a good overclock with the Hyper 212 EVO, but at about 3 times the cost you could get 2-3 degrees cooler at load and slightly quieter with a Phanteks or Noctua cooler. The Ripjaws 5 is the same price, but made for Z170, and slightly faster. I see that you were saving money on the video card, but I prefer a quieter card with a semi-passive fan. It only ramps up if temp is >60 degrees. (the Asus STRIX would be the same). The MSI comes with 3 DisplayPorts. 650 watts is plenty for any nVidia card with everything overclocked. Only if you are thinking SLI/Crossfire down the road would you need 850 watts.



PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($305.98 @ DirectCanada)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($37.15 @ Vuugo)
Motherboard: Asus Z170-A ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($209.55 @ Vuugo)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($79.99 @ NCIX)
Storage: *Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($109.98 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.99 @ Canada Computers)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 950 2GB Video Card ($212.15 @ Vuugo)
Case: Fractal Design Define R5 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($124.99 @ Canada Computers)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA P2 650W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($104.99 @ NCIX)
Optical Drive: *Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($25.15 @ Vuugo)
Total: $1274.92
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-04-07 18:50 EDT-0400

 

[fillonia]

Thanks so much guys for the feedback and all the time and effort it took to bring all that up. Very much appreciated honestly for a noobie like me that's just starting to learn about this stuff to make my own PC.

There is a lot of info here for me, also many things that I do not know what they mean just yet, that i'll need to re-read some of this and perhaps do some additional research and come up with a decision and perhaps more questions.

Anyhow! 2 very good builds you guys came up with, i'll have a closer look at them.

I'll post my final build... might take one of these 2.

Get back to you guys !

 

[xXCrossfireXx]

Your question wasn't really clear... So I'll give you advice on the build.

First, it looks like you wanted to know about the case. First, you have to know what motherboard types it supports. Next, how much airflow it has. After that, the size of the case (Mid tower, full tower, etc.), and decide if it'll fit your graphics card and cooler (this one specifically does). Finally, after that you decide what looks best. So just consider those three factors, then decide what case looks best.

For the GPU, honestly it's not great. the 950 can ace 720p, but can probably do 60 FPS mid settings on modern games. So if you're planning on playing modern games at 1080p, and you want above mid settings, don't buy the 950.

The power supply is WAY too much. I got 347 watts you need on eXtreme power supply calc. Trust me, if you're not going to SLI or CrossFire, you don't need 850W of power. Also, you don't need the P2's efficiency. Platinum is more efficient, but it's only for environmental freaks who want to use as little power as possible, or specifically the P2 for insane enthusiasts who could benefit off the build quality vs the G2, which is minimally better. In conclusion, the EVGA G2 550W is more than enough for you, and I suggest you get it, and save yourself 70 dollars.

The rest of the build looks great, besides the CPU. You probably don't need the 6600k, unless you want to overclock. If you don't, the i5 6500 is fine for you.

 

[fillonia]

Hi guys,

So, I looked over a few times at your suggestions guys and came up with this :

http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/x2LBQ7

All looks good ? Just want to make sure hopefully this final product will come together great. Just want to make sure that the CPU cooler will fit nicely without disturbing any other pieces like the RAM and such. Also that the GPU will fit in properly aswell. Also, for the chosen CPU cooler, does it come with the thermal paste?

Moreover, do I need to worry about searching and purchasing any additional cables or screws ?

I'm also looking at the Phanteks Enthoo case which i'm finding really attractive, might get that instead... If i did, my questions above still stands...

You guys are awesome, thanks again

 

[Mido_AR]

Did you consider the R9 380?

 

[fillonia]

Hi Mido,

GPU is not really a big deciding factor for me right now, pretty much what I put in there is temporarly until next generation comes out. So, I just want to throw something in there that's reasonably decent and not too costy.

 

[fillonia]

Seems like there's a compatibility issue with the latest components I put together...

It says: The motherboard M.2 slot #0 shares bandwidth with a SATA Express port. When the M.2 slot is populated, one SATA Express port is disabled.

Not sure what that means... Any thoughts ?

 

[Bearmann]

Seems like there's a compatibility issue with the latest components I put together...

It says: The motherboard M.2 slot #0 shares bandwidth with a SATA Express port. When the M.2 slot is populated, one SATA Express port is disabled.

Not sure what that means... Any thoughts ?

You won't be using the SATA express ports anyway. Nothing to worry about.

That is a super nice build! If it is within budget, I would move up to a 240-256GB SSD. That case will fit any heatsink or GPU that you want. You may have to raise the fan up just a bit to clear the RAM.

 

[Mido_AR]

The MSI R9 380 4GB is for $199 on Newegg, Cheaper than the Gtx 960 and even better performance..

 

[fillonia]

Thanks Bearmann

Hi Mido, i'm getting the acer XB271HU, as far as I understand it, I'll need a geforce GPU, could be wrong...I believe geforce supports g-sync and i think AMD supports the other sync.

I might be getting all this wrong....

I'll post my final build in a moment, with the monitor + case chosen.

 

[Mido_AR]

Ah, Are you going to use it for video rendering?

 

[fillonia]

I guess I really don't have any good excuses to get this monitor...

It's just that i'm thinking I should get the best monitor since I do everything from my computer, actually haven't owned a TV in 15 years...I don't play hardcore competitive games like I used to, i'm getting to old for that... But, i do still play a lot of games and who knows what I'll play in the future, so I'm thinking might as well get a kick @#$ monitor

 

[Bearmann]

If you can afford it, it's never a mistake to get a nice monitor. That one is IPS so it will be nice for everything, not just gaming.

 

[fillonia]

Yeah exactly my thought...

Gonna post my final build in a moment.. I"m itching to start ordering.. can't wait to get this going... Been researching at this last few weeks

 

[fillonia]

So here it is :

http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/WF83f7

As i mentioned the GPU is temporarly.

Quick question, do I have to get a thermal paste ? Or will it come included ?

Any last minute advice before I order all this ?

Ta !

 

[Bearmann]

Do you want the M.2 SSD or the regular 2.5" model. It makes no difference either way.

Thermal paste is included.

Double checked the heatsink and GPU. Everything should fit.

 

[fillonia]

Oh great, thanks for checking Bearmann, that's really helpful.

I was told by themailon ( first guy who replied to this thread ), that M.2 is meant to be faster ?

 

[fillonia]

Having that said though, with all my research, I haven't seen any M.2 in builds that people did... they are all standard 2.5 model ones... /shrug

 

[Bearmann]

Having that said though, with all my research, I haven't seen any M.2 in builds that people did... they are all standard 2.5 model ones... /shrug

No need for a shrug. They are equal, but the standard 2.5" ones may be a bit less expensive than the M.2 ones.

The fast M.2 drives are the NVMe ones like this:

http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-internal-hard-drive-mzv5p256bw

I don't recommend it though unless you are doing video editing.

 

[fillonia]

Oh my apologies, didn't mean to be disrespecful. Didn't realize the /shrug might come off as rude, sorry...

Anyhow! I just did a quick research on M.2 vs 2.5" and got to say I don't really understand what i'm reading.. i'm quite lost.

If I understand right of some of it, it says that the M.2 goes directly onto the motherboard without wires, which means you need to know where to actually put it... and the 2.5 actually needs the standard mounting wires ?

If i decided to go with a M.2, which sounds like I should from what I read, it says that it's quicker, so don't really see why I shouldn't go for it, money wise don't really matter to me. Is there one that you would suggest me (that's not crazy over-priced, but still better than a 2.5) to get that's quite straight up to install that would go great with the set up that I linked above ?

 

[Bearmann]

Your shrug wasn't rude. I just meant there is no need to be despondent because they are equal. Yes, the M.2 just plugs in. The 2.5 inch model requires a SATA data cable and a SATA power cable, just like a standard spinning hard drive. Both of these transmit by way of a 6 Gb/sec. SATA connection, so there is no difference in speed to my understanding. The M.2 is a connection type-it doesn't specify how the data is transmitted. So the M.2 connector is not quicker in itself, only when it is paired with a NVMe drive like the one linked above. My understanding is that both of these drives are equally fast:

http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/parts/compare/samsung-internal-hard-drive-mz75e250bam,samsung-internal-hard-drive-mzn5e250bw/

Actually the M.2 drive is less expensive.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opwON-7J_wI

Note at 2:43 (especially at 3:16) he talks about these M.2 drives which use the existing SATA bus. That is what you chose. The faster NVMe drives use the PCIe bus, but I don't recommend it for your use. The NVMe drives do really well with sequential reads and writes (like in video editing) but in actual use may be slower than typical SSD's in random reads and writes. The NVMe drives may have more compatibility issues, such as booting up, etc.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVMVjyBA7Q0

Again pay particular attention at 3:04.

 

[Bearmann]

The Samsung 2280 M.2 drive that you picked out will fit the Asus Z-170A. Specifications state:

1 x M.2 x4 Socket 3, *2, with M Key, type 2242/2260/2280/22110 storage devices support (both SATA & PCIE mode)*3

*2: Supports PCIE RAID configurations via onboard M.2 and PCIex16_3.
*3: M.2 shares SATA mode with SATA Express. Change this item before installing M.2 SATA devices.


So before you install the M.2 SSD, you will need to go into the UEFI and choose M.2 rather than the SATA EXpress setting. This determines which port will contain SATA and which port will contain PCI EXpress. By choosing SATA for the M.2, this will shift PCIe to the SATA EXpress port. If in the future you decide to remove the SATA SSD and put a NVMe (PCIe) SSD in the M.2 port, you will need to switch the M.2 back to PCIe in the UEFI.

See page 2-42 of the manual here: http://www.asus.com/us/Motherboards/Z170-A/HelpDesk_Manual/

After you set up the UEFI as described above, it will be time to install the Samsung M.2 SSD as shown here at time marker 43:15:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAVTdwFwYPA

 

[TheMailonG]

I´m back. So it seems u did some nice progress...
HOPE SO MUCH U HADN'T BOUGHT IT YET.

Spoiler

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($263.15 @ Vuugo)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212X 82.9 CFM CPU Cooler ($54.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming 5 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($189.99 @ NCIX)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($79.99 @ NCIX)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO 250GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($109.66 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.15 @ Vuugo)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 960 2GB SuperSC ACX 2.0+ Video Card ($239.99 @ NCIX)
Case: NZXT Switch 810 (White) ATX Full Tower Case ($234.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA P2 650W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($104.99 @ NCIX)
Optical Drive: Pioneer BDR-209DBK Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($82.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Monitor: Asus ROG SWIFT PG278Q 144Hz 27.0" Monitor ($859.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Total: $2284.86
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-04-11 16:25 EDT-0400

Again: "Buy a i5 6500 and save money, there are many unlocked BCLK bios that will allow you to reach 4.5Ghz easily, and it's faster than the 6600K OC, so [strike]welcome to the silicon lottery[/strike];"
Again: "Gigabyte > ASUS *cry* :

Spoiler

Let's look at the newegg user reviews for your two named choices.... There are 37 reviews to date which is in the range where we can start to feel some confidence in the sampling size.... once ya get to say 100, confidence level is high.... below 20, it's tough to take much from it.

Asus Z170 Hero has an average rating of 3.4 eggs
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
5 eggs - 38% (14)
4 eggs - 14% (5)
3 eggs14% - (5)
2 eggs - (9)
1 egg - 11%- (4)

Gigabtyte model seems to be a bit more popular with 44 reviews and has a significantly higher % of happier owners.

Gigabyte G1 Gaming GA-Z170X-Gaming 7 has an average rating of 4.2 eggs
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
5 eggs - 64% (28)
4 eggs - 14% (6)
3 eggs - 9% (4)
2 eggs - 7% (3)
1 egg - 7% (3)

Using the compare function on newegg site.... these are the differences I observed.

- Giga supports 3867 to Asus 3733 RAM
- Giga has 3 SATA E ports to Asus 2
- Giga has 3 M.2 ports to Asus 2
- Both have high end sound solutions from different vendors, not in posaitin to judge which one excels as no data available that I have seen.
- Giga has Creative Sound Core 3D chip versus Asus ROG SupremeFX 2015
- Giga has 1 x Intel GbE LAN chip versus Asus Intel I219-V
- Giga has 2nd Qualcomm Atheros Killer E2400 LAN chip
- Both have 2 USB 3.1 ports
- Giga has 5 USB 3 ports to Asus 2
- Giga is $20 cheaper

But, if ya must buy now, with the data available to date, I gotta say go with the Gigabyte... it's got almost twice the % of 5 egg ratings, it's $20 cheaper and edges the Hero in numerous features.
Thx JackNaylorPE

If u gonna spend that much in a case I recommend u to buy the NZXT Switch 810

Again: Pioneer DVDs are the BEST.

THIS IS YOUR MONITOR:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236405
JUST $670 IN USA