Build advice $1.5k-$2k

[MjH]

Heya forum,

Just looking for some direction on a build. I currently game on a ASUS ROG 750JH I'm starting to feel the time has come to upgrade and go back to a desktop as I have no more need for portability. I'm looking for something that I can keep up upgrading as the time comes but never be behind. I know just enough to get me in trouble so looking for help.

Ideally I would like to stay somewhere between $1500-1700. $2k would be the absolute max and would prefer not to hit that if possible. I don't have any set game in mind since I'm playing a mixture of stuff on PC. I mainly wanna be able to upgrade and able to run whatever now. I don't want to be replacing stuff say in a month or two.

Thanks a bunch!

[Pterodactylus]

Here is the top of your budget.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($239.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X61 106.1 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($114.99 @ B&H)
Motherboard: Asus Z170 PRO GAMING ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($162.99 @ Directron)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($114.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($89.75 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.98 @ Best Buy)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB STRIX Video Card ($739.00 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT H440 (Black/Red) ATX Mid Tower Case ($99.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ NCIX US)
Monitor: BenQ GW2765HT 60Hz 27.0" Monitor ($351.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $2061.66
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-08-29 00:31 EDT-0400

Lots of places to save money in this build (e.g. air cooler instead of AIO water cooling, 1080 monitor, etc), as is though, you'd not have to replace anything anytime soon and can add future upgrades easily.

[Kretan]

I just put this computer together today. It cost me $1700 after taxes with windows 10 pro (no monitor). It plays WoW at 300 fps with stereoscopic 3D enabled (all ultra but view distance). If I turn off 3d I can get 200 fps on full ultra.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/6tqYGX

[Deleted]

I would go with something similar to Pterodactylus except save in places without as he mentioned (see below). Instead, from the money saved, you can even fit an i7 and still be sub 2k. If you need o/s then you can just drop the i7 go with i5 to fit inside the budget:

This is for 1440p gaming.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($359.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Shadow Rock 2 51.4 CFM Rifle Bearing CPU Cooler ($39.00 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170XP-SLI ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($139.99 @ Directron)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($89.75 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.98 @ Best Buy)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Video Card ($659.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($68.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA GS 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ NCIX US)
Monitor: Dell U2515H 60Hz 25.0" Monitor ($354.22 @ Amazon)
Total: $1949.89
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-08-29 08:34 EDT-0400


Little lower setup for 1080p consider it as a cheaper option (you can still get the i7 in it if you want):

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($239.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Shadow Rock 2 51.4 CFM Rifle Bearing CPU Cooler ($39.00 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170XP-SLI ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($139.99 @ Directron)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($89.75 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.98 @ Best Buy)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card ($318.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($68.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA GS 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.98 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Dell U2414H 60Hz 23.8" Monitor ($239.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1374.65
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-08-29 08:36 EDT-0400

[Deleted]

As an alternative, I'll provide an adaptive V-sync monitor and a 1440p build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($359.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Shadow Rock 2 51.4 CFM Rifle Bearing CPU Cooler ($39.00 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170XP-SLI ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($139.99 @ Directron)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($89.75 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.98 @ Best Buy)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 Fury 4GB Tri-X Video Card ($554.98 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($68.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA GS 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.98 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Acer XG270HU 144Hz 27.0" Monitor ($449.99 @ B&H)
Total: $1945.64
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-08-30 06:15 EDT-0400

Comparable NVidia Adaptive build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($359.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Shadow Rock 2 51.4 CFM Rifle Bearing CPU Cooler ($39.00 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170XP-SLI ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($139.99 @ Directron)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($89.75 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.98 @ Best Buy)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 980 4GB Twin Frozr Video Card ($499.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($68.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA GS 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.98 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Acer XB270H Abprz 144Hz 27.0" Monitor ($497.61 @ Amazon)
Total: $1938.27
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-08-30 06:17 EDT-0400

[MjH]

Thank you very much folks. I still see a ton of debate about i-5 or i-7. I'm used to the i-7 in my laptop or I think I am at least? I tend to keep tons of stuff running such as maybe WoW, school work, youtube, spotify, multiple chrome windows. Will I actually notice any difference without the i-7?

[Mercay]

Thank you very much folks. I still see a ton of debate about i-5 or i-7. I'm used to the i-7 in my laptop or I think I am at least? I tend to keep tons of stuff running such as maybe WoW, school work, youtube, spotify, multiple chrome windows. Will I actually notice any difference without the i-7?

Small difference at best, but I'd go for it if you have the funds