New build and Motherboard help!

[Methyl]

Hey guys,

http://au.pcpartpicker.com/p/dvVdyc

I've been putting together this list for the last few days and i'm just about happy with it. Only thing i'm really unsure of at this point is the motherboard and whether it's good enough. I'm already over my intended budget as is, and considering Australian prices i'd prefer not to throw another $100+ at it if I don't need to.

I'm not particularly good with this stuff, so i'd be happy to listen to any advice or critiques on the build.

Thanks so much!

[Artorius]

If you're buying a 6600K I suppose you also want a Z170 board. This RAM is also quite expensive, you can buy a 390 and also change the PSU for something a little better

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($355.00 @ Centre Com)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper TX3 Evo 43.1 CFM CPU Cooler
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170-HD3 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($184.00 @ CPL Online)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($137.00 @ IJK)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($129.00 @ Centre Com)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($99.00 @ Centre Com)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 390 8GB Video Card ($519.00 @ CPL Online)
Case: NZXT Source 210 Window ATX Mid Tower Case
Power Supply: SeaSonic 650W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($119.00 @ Umart)
Total: $1542.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-12-23 01:33 AEDT+1100

Note that I would also try to fit a CRYORIG H7/H5 or a be quiet! Pure Rock/Dark Rock 3. But you said you're over budget so I'll leave this TX3.

[Methyl]

Thanks that's really helpful.

I've updated the list with the new motherboard but have two questions.

1) How important is the difference in power supply? it's an extra 50 dollars and i'm just curious how much it will affect performance as a whole

2) Is the new MSI Radeon R9 390 Gaming 8GB GDDR5 really better than the MSI GeForce GTX970 Gaming 4GB PEAK GDDR5?

I did a bit of research on the cards and i thought the Geforce was the better card by a substantial amount looking at benchmark websites, but obviously lacks the extra 4GB. Obviously i'm wrong because everyone on these forums recommends the R9 390 over the GTX970, i'm just curious as to why? And how much better/what advantages the R9 390 has over the GTX970?

[Artorius]

Thanks that's really helpful.

I've updated the list with the new motherboard but have two questions.

1) How important is the difference in power supply? it's an extra 50 dollars and i'm just curious how much it will affect performance as a whole

Honestly, I just trust Seasonic more. There isn't a performance difference but it's less likely to give you problems down the road or damage your components.

2) Is the new MSI Radeon R9 390 Gaming 8GB GDDR5 really better than the MSI GeForce GTX970 Gaming 4GB PEAK GDDR5?

I did a bit of research on the cards and i thought the Geforce was the better card by a substantial amount looking at benchmark websites, but obviously lacks the extra 4GB. Obviously i'm wrong because everyone on these forums recommends the R9 390 over the GTX970, i'm just curious as to why? And how much better/what advantages the R9 390 has over the GTX970?

It's almost tied at 1080p but the 390 has the edge after recent drivers. At higher resolutions the 970 can't keep up, the difference only gets bigger.

And the 390 has DX12 support, which will only make this difference even bigger in the future.

Edit: You can look at those charts and put the 390 slightly better than the 290, which is almost basically the same card.

[Lathais]

Thanks that's really helpful.

I've updated the list with the new motherboard but have two questions.

1) How important is the difference in power supply? it's an extra 50 dollars and i'm just curious how much it will affect performance as a whole

2) Is the new MSI Radeon R9 390 Gaming 8GB GDDR5 really better than the MSI GeForce GTX970 Gaming 4GB PEAK GDDR5?

I did a bit of research on the cards and i thought the Geforce was the better card by a substantial amount looking at benchmark websites, but obviously lacks the extra 4GB. Obviously i'm wrong because everyone on these forums recommends the R9 390 over the GTX970, i'm just curious as to why? And how much better/what advantages the R9 390 has over the GTX970?

The difference in PSU is something that you will likely never notice, but if you do notice it, it is potentially devastating. Basically, the PSU you chose is a CWT OEM. Now CWT does make some good stuff, and they have supposedly fixed some of their previous problems, but they are still the people that made an entire line of Corsair PSUs that were notorious for failing, sometimes in a spectacular manner. Personally, I would not trust them. Myself, and many others around here, always recommend Seasonic OEM because they have some of the best quality control and use the highest quality capacitors.

You were likely looking at older benchmarks. The 390 is the superior card. It used to lag behind a bit at 1080p, but pulled ahead at higher resolutions. With the latest drivers, they are performing better across the board. Also, the 970, and the entire current nVidia line, does not and can not support ASync Compute at the hardware level due to architecture. nVidia will still fully support ASync Compute, but they will be doing it with software emulation. This kinda defeats the purpose of DX12 as the point is to let the software have more direct access to the metal. With the adoption rate of DX12 seeming to be faster than previous versions and the fact that it is supposed to be a much larger leap in performance, I'd either go with AMD now or wait for Pascal.

[Methyl]

Thanks so much for your help and for clarifying my questions Artorius and Lathais.

You convinced me to go with the other card and with the better power supply. Edited my final list for anyone curious with what I ended up going with, total ended up being around $1850 (aud) for the lot which was a bit over budget, but i'm happy with the build and long term I think it's worth the little bit extra.