Dad trying to help his son

[ukelliot]

Hi. I'm helping my son build a gaming computer. He just turned 13 and finding this a great bonding experience. He wants it to be good enough for Oculus and Vive VR. I really don't know much about it but I've been doing my research. Here are the components I'm getting and I would appreciate your opinions please. Thank you for your time.

Intel Core i7 6700k CPU
EVGA Geforce 980 TI HYBRID (water cooled) GPU
Gigabyte LGA 1151 Intel Z170 ATX GA-Z170X Gaming 3 Motherboard
Corsair RM1000i 80 Plus Gold certified PSU
G.SKILL Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM DDR4 3200 RAM
ADATA Premier SP550 2.5" 240GB SATA III TLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
WD Blue 1TB Desktop Hard Disk Drive - 7200 RPM SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache 3.5 Inch

 

[BadActor]

If strictly for gaming and you don't intend to overclock, you could save quite a bit of money by using an i5 6500, cheaper motherboard and RAM. The i7 6700k will need an aftermarket cooler. A GTX 1070 would have about the same performance and probably cheaper than the card you show. Great power supply, but you really only need a 600 watt PSU, 550 would work with the 1070. For the SSD, you could use an OCZ Trion 150 or PNY CS 1311 which are a little faster for about the same money or cheaper.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($198.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI B150M Gaming Pro Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($73.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill NT Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($62.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: OCZ TRION 150 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.49 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1070 8GB Windforce OC Video Card ($409.99 @ B&H)
Case: Corsair SPEC-01 RED ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 620W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($62.98 @ NCIX US)
Total: $951.40
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-08-29 19:56 EDT-0400

 

[ukelliot]

Thank you for the info. My intention is to get something as future proof as possible. I know it's above and beyond but I think it's a safe bet that VR games are going to have much higher requirements in the not so distant future. Would you agree?

 

[ukelliot]

I was going to get a Kootek KC01 120mm CPU Cooler. Will that work for the I7 ?

 

[BadActor]

I agree that an i7 will remain viable longer, I was just offering a lower cost option. If budget isn't a concern, the i7 is the way to go.

 

[USAFRet]

i5 vs i7...both will be viable, for a 13-17 year old, for several years.

 

[BadActor]

I was going to get a Kootek KC01 120mm CPU Cooler. Will that work for the I7 ?

I know nothing about that cooler, but just from looking at the heatpipes and base, it doesn't look as substantial as a Coolermaster 212 EVO. I would be a little concerned about using it on an overclocked i7.

 

[USAFRet]

And what OS (and from where) and what games will he be playing?

 

[USAFRet]

I was going to get a Kootek KC01 120mm CPU Cooler. Will that work for the I7 ?

For a couple dollars difference, you can get a proven performer.
CM 212 or Cryorig H5 or H7.

 

[ukelliot]

He's mentioned games called The Gallery and Raw Data. Thanks for the cooling fan recommendation. I'll order that one.

 

[Karadjgne]

Probably overkill, but it won't get 'old' any time soon and can handle whatever you need.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($324.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X61 106.1 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($114.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170MX-Gaming 5 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($136.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Sandisk SSD PLUS 480GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($118.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.49 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1080 8GB G1 Gaming Video Card ($629.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Fractal Design Define R5 Blackout Edition w/ Window ATX Mid Tower Case ($109.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 650W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($80.71 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($88.88 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Dell S2716DG 27.0" 144Hz Monitor ($549.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $2272.88
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-08-29 20:39 EDT-0400

 

[smorizio]

if your going to build the pc yourself and it your first build go with a larger mid or full size case. the larger case are easy to work on for first build. if you do fo with a larger case you may have to pick up a 8 pin power cable extrion cable. pick up a second 1tb drive use it as back up drive. ext drives are ok as long as he does not kick or drop it them. look for a mb with digital audfio output. connect the pc to a stero or to speakers or sound bar. some people use 3 party sound cards because the sound better then onboard sound chipset. (asus or creative labs).
if he going to get into headphone gaming look at bluetooth card and head sets. it keep him from breaking usb port if he trips or rolls over long headphone cables. if the case has an open top...buy a case stand to keep cartpet out of the power supply and use longer video cables. keep the pc away from the desk. (food and soda are killers). if you can keep a nice space between him and the pc.

 

[ukelliot]

Brilliant info smorzio. Thank you so much

 

[USAFRet]

Total: $2272.88

I'm helping my son build a gaming computer. He just turned 13 and...

I'm thinking $2300 is a bit much for a 13 year old.

 

[smorizio]

also if you have local micro center or computer store. take a day trip or some time. find a good chair that fits him. nothing worse then having a body part go to sleep or hurt when playing long online games. also have him look at monitor screens. like tv screen out there there are ips/olead screens these screens can have matt or gloss finish. like tv screen on best buy back wall some are brighter then others. have him look at a few monitor panels to see what panles he likes. most tv and computer monitors now there only a few people that make the pannels. if you goodle the modle of the tc or pc monitor you can find out the pannel used. on looking at screen watch out for deaded screen bleeding issue.
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/vJhjjXM_Zfs/maxresdefault.jpg
newer monitors now use led back lights. some time you can see the led bleeding.

 

[ukelliot]

Does the motherboard I listed have digital audio? I think it does

 

[smorizio]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128837
it the port on the sound card block. it the digital audio port.

 

[ukelliot]

Yeah $2,300 is way too much but the pieces I'm getting are about half that (we don't need a monitor). Also, I am doing this with and for my son cuz he has been in and out of hospital for the past 2 years with cancer. We just found out a week ago he is in remission so this is something I want to do for him. For us. Thank you credit cards.

 

[ukelliot]

Is there a Bluetooth card you can recommend?

Also, is just LAN ok or can we use wifi. Is there such a thing as a wifi card?

 

[USAFRet]

Yeah $2,300 is way too much but the pieces I'm getting are about half that (we don't need a monitor). Also, I am doing this with and for my son cuz he has been in and out of hospital for the past 2 years with cancer. We just found out a week ago he is in remission so this is something I want to do for him. For us. Thank you credit cards.

Building a PC with your son is a rewarding experience. I did it with my grandson a while ago.
He didn't know it was "his" PC until later, when he opened the box at christmas. All he knew was that grandad wanted some assistance putting a PC together.

 

[ukelliot]

That's really nice usafret. Very rewarding.

 

[smorizio]

wifi is used when you cant get a cable from the pc to the router. if your home has Ethernet ports and it pre wired all you have to do is use a cable from the pc to the wall. if not look at the newer power line units. they use the home wirings to send ethernet data across. it faster then wifi. wifi is a radio in the 2.4/5g range and the further you go from the router the slower your speeds are.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833320166
usb one will be fine for headphones at close range.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833704133&cm_re=pci_wireless_card-_-33-704-133-_-Product
wifi card.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833122676
power line kit.
one connects to the router to the wall.
other from the wall to his pc.

 

[smorizio]

one thing also to bring up is color theam or look of the pc. if he into batman black them case. have a mod shop laser the bat logo on the side panel of the case. use white led inside the case for glow. most vendors today have led on there ram/mb/fans to color the pc.

 

[Karadjgne]

Well, I did say it was a little overkill, but it did include a $600 gpu which will be more than good for VR, and a $600 monitor that'll fit the gpu perfectly when regular gaming

 

[USAFRet]

Well, I did say it was a little overkill, but it did include a $600 gpu which will be more than good for VR, and a $600 monitor that'll fit the gpu perfectly when regular gaming

"a little" ?
The boy is 13. $1200 on GPU and monitor is 'a bit much'.

Lets try to get the dad/son team a rational PC.