Gaming Computer Build question

[C_Wilson009]

Hey guys,

So im about to buy an i7 6700 processor, with hopes to build my own gaming pc piece by piece. My question is, what is a good motherboard to go with that? Or is that processor not a good choice for a gaming pc?

I know most of you guys on this site a very tech savvy, so I figure this would be a good place to ask

 

thanks guys,

 

 

Caleb.,

[Metalzoic]

When I built mine I simply searched for "best gaming PC builds" and checked the ones from PC Gamer and Toms Hardware and built it from their recommendations.

No need to learn a bunch of PC stuff or do a bunch of other research on lame PC stuff I don't care at all about. They even tell you the best places to buy the stuff and I ended up ordering all the parts in one shot that same day!

Also ended up with a PC at a decently low price that has zero issues emulating anything I've tried and can play the latest PC games at max settings, 1080p at more than 60fps (usually much more).

[THK]

I have the 4770K, but my reasoning behind it is I work with PS & AI a lot and want to be capable to quickly edit videos and run CAD programs if needed. But really an i7 is mostly overkill for gaming. You're better off just going for a good i5, unless you don't mind spending more. The i7's are of course perfectly capable for gaming, but almost never outperform their non-hyperthread i5 equivalents. HyperThreading is mostly useful for non-gaming software. In general, for gaming, the money is better invested in the GPU.

 

Decide if you want to overclock (from the start or in the future) and buy either a decent silent aftermarket cooler if not, but a more expensive one or water cooling if you do.

 

16GB of ram seems to be what is going to be about what you're gonna need for the near future. Just buy a cheap set of 2x8gb from a reputable brand, there's very little to be gained with performance ram in games (or at all matter of fact). Go low profile depending on the cpu cooler you choose.

 

Don't go for the cheapest motherboard. It's the nervous system of your pc. A decent MB will make sure everything performs properly, cheap MB's can actually prevent you from optimally using the rest of your hardware. Here you'll have decisions, like:

-how many GPU slots do I need (most GPU's cover 2)

-how many SATA connections do I need. (I personally already added 2 through a PCIe slot as the 8 on my MB were all taken)

-do you want to overclock or not. This determines if you can go for cheaper chipset MB's.

-do you want on-board wifi

 

I personally always decide on a baseline of parts by going through Articles like this. Then tweak individual parts going on multiple reviews if possible and some of it's alternative brands/models.

[C_Wilson009]

wow thats alot of info to take in.. Thanks alot for the help!

 

one question tho, do i want onboard wifi? Or add it on its own?

 

If onboard means its gonna be slow, like say, onboard video card then i dont want it.

[THK]

On-Board wifi is a nice optional feature. I always use LAN if available, but if you move your pc or just bring it someplace, it's handy to have wireless. You can of course use a PCIe card or usb dongle. 

 

Onboard just means it's build on to your Mother Board, not inherently slower, though it doesn't have big antennas which can be both a pro or con. But don't base your choice on it. Might just be the feature that is the difference between two choices you pre-selected.

[THK]

Also, don't skim on your PSU. Use one of the PSU Calculators to see what you're requirements are, maybe calculate in a bit extra for whatever you might add in later on.

 

Buy a Gold or Platinum PSU. Brons & especially non graded PSU's tend to be cheaper in design & quality. My usual advice is never to buy a PC case with an included PSU.

 

I always prefer full modular systems, but a partly modular PSU 'll do just fine. Non-modular ones tend to leave a mess of your inner pc cable management.

 

 

Go for brands like Seasonic, Cooler Master, Corsair

[THK]

I personally love building my own pc, but I know a few sites here will optionally charge like 70 bucks to put it together for you. Still waaaaay cheaper than buying a pre-build pc.

[THK]

If you want to overclock the CPU a bit:

 

CPU: i5 6600K

MB: ASRock Z170 Pro4 / MSI Z170A TOMAHAWK

RAM: Crucial Ballistix Sport

CPU Cooler: Decent Water Cooling > Noctua NH-D14/NH-D15 > Scythe Mugen 4 > Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO

PSU: Cooler Master V Series / Corsair RM Series / Anything Seasonic (Seasonic is often the producer of the other high quality brand psu's)

GPU: Nvidea GeForce 970+ / AMD R9 390+

 

If you don't want to overclock, go for a H170 instead of a Z170 MB chipset and a non-K CPU and save some money. Saving on anything else is probably not worth it and spending much more neither unless you want to go to a workstation oriented pc. If anything, spend anything extra on a decent case, some quit case fans and a bigger n badder GPU.

 

 

Though buying a new pc at this point, I'd personally wait for the new GPU series to be released and maybe even drop in price a bit. I'd buy a 2nd hand 290(x) or 970 or something and sell it upon buying a new GPU. I already have 2 R9 290's and'll wait it all out. It really depends on your budget and what games you want to play ASAP at what specific quality level. The rest of the pc will hang in there for quite a few more years if not a GPU upgrade or two.

[C_Wilson009]

well I dunno about waiting for a new gpu.. haha im not very good at waiting.

 

are all those parts compatible with an i7?

 

I dont plan on overclocking, I wouldn't know where to begin.

[Metalzoic]

Here's the link to the latest Toms builder marathon with Budget and higher end gaming PC builds.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/q1-2016-system-builder-marathon-662-dollar-budget-pc,4523.html

[C_Wilson009]

thanks for the link. There is just so many different options. I dont know what to do!

 

the 'k' in the name of the core. does that only mean it can be overclocked? or is it still better stock?

[Oldgamer51]

Did you check out Mr. SimplyAustun's youtube video about buying and building a emu/gaming capable pc on a budget?  Not trying to steal your thunder Mr. THK.  I did alot of research since that video since i plan on getting the nerve to temp at bulding my own pc and i fell in love with the Asus processor products.  Some come with a feature that allows you to toggle overclocking with a "switch" or "paddle" if i remember what i was.  Mr. THK i see you mentioned PSU in a response to Mr. C_Wilsom009 post, what is that?  School me bro.

[Metalzoic]

PSU = power supply unit I believe.

[shitoken]

I have builded my PC for my machine as follow

Asus Z170 Deluxe motherboard

I7 -6700K

Asus 980TI OC

Corsair Liquid Cooler T60

Samsung 850PRO SSD

G.skills 3200MHZ - 32G

WD 6TB

Corsair PSU GOLD 850W

WIN 7

Hope it helps

Tapatalk を使用して私の A0001 から送信

[THK]

I fell in love with the Asus processor products.

 

Do you mean AMD? or do you mean Asus motherboards or something? Asus doesn't make any processors.

[THK]

PCPARTPICKER

 

What is your budget?

 

I've put together what I would get without a GPU as I don't know your budget or what you want and no pc case as I don't know if you want small/large/outrageous design/discrete design.

 

850W is just about enough for overclocking and adding a few more hdd's and a 2nd GPU. I personally went on the save side with my rig and added a 1000W PSU, but I have to hungry AMD cards and 8 hdd drives

(overclocking is why you have a K CPU and this motherboard has easy mode for overclocking, a do most nowadays, so you don't have to fiddle with settings)

 

For gaming 16GB ram is plenty for now and you have the option to add another 2x8gb sticks. 32GB & higher frequency RAM only really benefits non-gaming programs, you could even save a bit and go totally budget on this. (but low profile to not interfere with the CPU cooler)

CPU Cooler is 1 of 3 top choices. One (Deepcool Gamer Storm Assassin II with red fans) was more expensive and the other (awesome Noctua NH-D15) has brown fans (so best pick if you care not for the pc internal aesthetics) Other than this you'd have to go for H2O cooling and skip the cheaper sets.

500gb is currently what I'd get for my OS SSD and 4tb HDD drives are about the sweet spot atm.

No optical drive included, because why?

Motherboard is about the best mid-range in value. Good for overclocking and dependable. No need to get anything more expensive than this. 

 

If you want a small case, you might want a smaller format MB, smaller low-profile CPU cooler and you'll have to take into account GPU size.

[Oldgamer51]

Sorry Mr. THK i meant the motherborards for Asus

[THK]

Yeah, ASUS motherboards are pretty good, though a bit expensive. I have the Maximus VI Hero myself.

[shitoken]

I have been using only ASUS motherboards for all my build computers , they never disappoint the owner although is expensive compare to gigabyte boards.
What you pay for what you get.

 

Maximus VI Hero good board too.
 

[C_Wilson009]

PCPARTPICKER

 

What is your budget?

 

I've put together what I would get without a GPU as I don't know your budget or what you want and no pc case as I don't know if you want small/large/outrageous design/discrete design.

 

850W is just about enough for overclocking and adding a few more hdd's and a 2nd GPU. I personally went on the save side with my rig and added a 1000W PSU, but I have to hungry AMD cards and 8 hdd drives

(overclocking is why you have a K CPU and this motherboard has easy mode for overclocking, a do most nowadays, so you don't have to fiddle with settings)

 

For gaming 16GB ram is plenty for now and you have the option to add another 2x8gb sticks. 32GB & higher frequency RAM only really benefits non-gaming programs, you could even save a bit and go totally budget on this. (but low profile to not interfere with the CPU cooler)

CPU Cooler is 1 of 3 top choices. One (Deepcool Gamer Storm Assassin II with red fans) was more expensive and the other (awesome Noctua NH-D15) has brown fans (so best pick if you care not for the pc internal aesthetics) Other than this you'd have to go for H2O cooling and skip the cheaper sets.

500gb is currently what I'd get for my OS SSD and 4tb HDD drives are about the sweet spot atm.

No optical drive included, because why?

Motherboard is about the best mid-range in value. Good for overclocking and dependable. No need to get anything more expensive than this. 

 

If you want a small case, you might want a smaller format MB, smaller low-profile CPU cooler and you'll have to take into account GPU size.

That looks about right to me! Id say I plan on spending about 2000 total for my computer. I want to be able to run every game in great quality. I would like to overclock if it is simple, and I would like to avoid water cooling if thats possible.

 

I really don't care what it looks like, I just want it to be powerful and easy. (like my ex)

[Spawk]

Watercooling and over clocking go hand in hand. I wouldn't over clock without at least an AIO cpu cooler.

Sent from my SGH-I337M using Tapatalk

[THK]

Hence the inclusion of a CPU cooler that is on par with starter water cooling. Like my Noctua ND-H14, I'm overclocked 1Ghz 3.5>4.5

 

If you really want the proper water cooling you need to invest and build it yourself most of the time. The budget water cooling don't outperform high end air.

[C_Wilson009]

PCPARTPICKER

 

What is your budget?

 

I've put together what I would get without a GPU as I don't know your budget or what you want and no pc case as I don't know if you want small/large/outrageous design/discrete design.

 

850W is just about enough for overclocking and adding a few more hdd's and a 2nd GPU. I personally went on the save side with my rig and added a 1000W PSU, but I have to hungry AMD cards and 8 hdd drives

(overclocking is why you have a K CPU and this motherboard has easy mode for overclocking, a do most nowadays, so you don't have to fiddle with settings)

 

For gaming 16GB ram is plenty for now and you have the option to add another 2x8gb sticks. 32GB & higher frequency RAM only really benefits non-gaming programs, you could even save a bit and go totally budget on this. (but low profile to not interfere with the CPU cooler)

CPU Cooler is 1 of 3 top choices. One (Deepcool Gamer Storm Assassin II with red fans) was more expensive and the other (awesome Noctua NH-D15) has brown fans (so best pick if you care not for the pc internal aesthetics) Other than this you'd have to go for H2O cooling and skip the cheaper sets.

500gb is currently what I'd get for my OS SSD and 4tb HDD drives are about the sweet spot atm.

No optical drive included, because why?

Motherboard is about the best mid-range in value. Good for overclocking and dependable. No need to get anything more expensive than this. 

 

If you want a small case, you might want a smaller format MB, smaller low-profile CPU cooler and you'll have to take into account GPU size.

Hey THK,

 

Just thought I would update you on my progress.

 

So far I have purchased these parts towards my computer build:

 

Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor

Noctua NH-D15 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler

Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming 5 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard

Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory

 

Getting closer! Just need more money!

 

hehe, any suggestions you may have towards the rest, I would love to hear it!

 

I was thinking of waiting for the new geforce 1070 cards as well.

[JayC]

The 900 gtx series price will probably drop once the 1000 series start rolling out and there will be a lot of second hand gtx 970 or 980 around that you can get even cheaper.

[Styphelus]

Maybe it's just me, but you seem to be going a bit overboard with this build. You don't need nearly as much power as you think you do. The most demanding game I have is GTA 5 and I can run it with everything maxed out on a GForce GTX960, i5 2500k (overclocked to 4.5GHz) and 8GB or ram. I don't even have liquid cooling. I'm using a Hyper 212 EvO cpu cooler. The computer is 5 years old. Only the video card is more recent.