Been 4 years since last build. Please review replacement

[Togashii]

Last system I put together was 4 years ago, a solid i5-2500k set-up. A lot has changed since then. Here is a system I put together using PC Part Picker. Brand is actually important. EVGA video cards have been extremly good to me, starting with the GTX9600+ back in WotLK days. Though I have gotten the family some ATI cards so I am open to that option, but looking for 970 range performance/price. Mobo's - Gigabyte, ASRock, again no issues so perfered vendors. Can't post links yet - sorry. Thank you for helping.

Budget - Ideal $1000, $1200 max. Current list is $1251.

Resolution - Undefined

Games / Settings Desired - Play mostly MMO (WoW, WoT), want Max settings

Any other intensive software or special things you do (Frequent video encoding, 3D modeling, etc) - None

Country - USA

Parts that can be reused - Monitor, standard peripherals

Do you need an OS? - Win 10 64 bit

Do you need peripherals (e.g. monitor, mouse, keyboard, speakers, etc)? - Reuasable

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 Amazon)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.50 Newegg)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5g Thermal Paste ($6.58 Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z170 Extreme7+ ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($182.98 Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($104.99 Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($87.89 Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.98 OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB SSC ACX 2.0+ Video Card ($319.98 NCIX US)
Case: Zalman Z11 NEO ATX Mid Tower Case ($70.98 Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA GS 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($74.89 OutletPC)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($17.78 OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) ($87.95 OutletPC)
Case Fan: CRYORIG QF120 Silent 44.0 CFM 120mm Fan ($13.00 Newegg)
Total: $1251.49
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-01-17 11:02 EST-0500

[Artorius]

Normal no OC build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H110M-A Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($45.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($74.88 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($87.89 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 390 8GB PCS+ Video Card ($279.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 620W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($64.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) ($87.95 @ OutletPC)
Total: $941.65
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-01-17 11:30 EST-0500

Skylake OC build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($254.88 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock 3 67.8 CFM Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU Cooler ($63.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: MSI Z170A PC MATE ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($89.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($74.88 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($87.89 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 390 8GB PCS+ Video Card ($279.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 620W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($64.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) ($87.95 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1104.53
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-01-17 11:34 EST-0500

Pushing your budget more:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($254.88 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock 3 67.8 CFM Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU Cooler ($63.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: MSI Z170A PC MATE ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($89.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($74.88 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($87.89 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 390X 8GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($339.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic EVO Edition 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) ($87.95 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1179.53
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-01-17 11:38 EST-0500

[Deleted]

Here's a similar option sub 1200 after rebates:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($254.88 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock 3 67.8 CFM Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU Cooler ($63.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170XP-SLI ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($115.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($74.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($87.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 390 8GB SOC Video Card ($313.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro M ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($83.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) ($87.95 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1193.53
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-01-18 04:38 EST-0500

[Deleted]

Just a question. Is there anything wrong with your 2500k build or are you re-using it as another system?
Because the 2500k is still a good CPU, def when it is OCed. You might only have to upgrade the GPU or add an SSD.

[Lathais]

Just a question. Is there anything wrong with your 2500k build or are you re-using it as another system?
Because the 2500k is still a good CPU, def when it is OCed. You might only have to upgrade the GPU or add an SSD.

I second this. You will not see massive improvements going to Skylake over the 2500K. Only CPU-Bound games such as WoW will see the difference and then it will not be much. GPU and SSD is all you really need. You could get a better GPU and some 1440p monitors as well, and upgrade your other peripherals or something.

[Togashii]

Thank you all for the suggestions!

No issues with my system. My step-daughter is just gettig into WoW and needs a computer for her self. So rather than putting together a system for her, I am selling her my current one and getting me a new one. If she wants to put $ into upgrading it, then I planneed on reccomending the SSD and card.

[Lathais]

Thank you all for the suggestions!

No issues with my system. My step-daughter is just gettig into WoW and needs a computer for her self. So rather than putting together a system for her, I am selling her my current one and getting me a new one. If she wants to put $ into upgrading it, then I planneed on reccomending the SSD and card.

If it's just for WoW and no other games, you could put her together a little Pentium G3258 with a H97 MoBo and a GTX 950 for stupid cheap and have her playing at near max. Would be far cheaper.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor ($66.98 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.50 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H87M-HD3 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($66.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 950 2GB Dual WindForce Video Card ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($55.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $494.41
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-01-19 11:49 EST-0500

[Deleted]

Lathais i thin op was looking to buy/upgrade cause its been a long time and his step-daughter getting into wow is a good excuse/justification for him and the rest to go for it

[Lathais]

Lathais i thin op was looking to buy/upgrade cause its been a long time and his step-daughter getting into wow is a good excuse/justification for him and the rest to go for it

Yeahh, just another option.

[Togashii]

Lathais i thin op was looking to buy/upgrade cause its been a long time and his step-daughter getting into wow is a good excuse/justification for him and the rest to go for it

Bingo! I would be looking to piece this together come end of Feb, early March. Is there new gen items I should be looking out for? I know when I put together my current system, I could have waited 2 months for Ivy Bridge and the 600 series nVidia cards but didn't want to wait then. I can wait a few months now if needed.

[Artorius]

You can also do something like this thinking about the future:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor ($374.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock 3 67.8 CFM Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU Cooler ($74.90 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock X99M Extreme4 Micro ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($168.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($87.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 390 8GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($274.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) ($87.95 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1299.65
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-01-20 14:04 EST-0500

It's not that much more expensive, and you get 2 more real cores to play with.

Which are almost useless at games now, but maybe might become relevant in the future.

[Deleted]

You're selling your stepdaughter your old pc?

Wow..

[Tomservo]

You're selling your stepdaughter your old pc?

Wow..

What's wrong with that? This guy isn't Bernie Sanders.

[Deleted]

Bingo! I would be looking to piece this together come end of Feb, early March. Is there new gen items I should be looking out for? I know when I put together my current system, I could have waited 2 months for Ivy Bridge and the 600 series nVidia cards but didn't want to wait then. I can wait a few months now if needed.

Nothing on the cpu side but Pascal, new nvidia gpu's come out in the summer. I am not sure how that will go, if they will start from the bottom up or top gpu's first. If i had to guess it would be end of summer to find something on the selves tho. Its a big wait, 6months or so, from feb-march.

[Togashii]

You're selling your stepdaughter your old pc?

Wow..

She only has an old laptop to currently play on and was thinking of dropping $700 on a new system. SHE offered to buy it off me, was originally offered $300 as she wanted to help with the cost of my new system. So, I am giving into her wish of helping, and not robbing her for a 4yr old system. So now she gets a decent, but older system, and I get some $ to help boost my budget.

Question - I am seeing the AMD R0 390/X reccomended almost exclusivly. What is the rationale?

[Artorius]

Question - I am seeing the AMD R0 390/X reccomended almost exclusivly. What is the rationale?

390 has a great performance/price, and DX12 support which will boost it's performance in the future.

It's already performing better or tying with the 970 at 1080p, and at higher resolutions AMD cards tend to scale better in comparison.

And AMD cards have proven to age better with new drivers as well, a HD7970 from almost 4 years ago is still competitive because it's been getting better and better through the years. And they still sold the same thing calling it R9 280X.

[Kagthul]

Nvidia cards from 4 years ago are just as competitive. And the last bit wouldn't give me any confidence in buying an AMD product, how do I know it's not just renamed?

It is renamed. The entire 300 series is just renamed, slightly overclocked 200 series parts

[Lathais]

It is renamed. The entire 300 series is just renamed, slightly overclocked 200 series parts

and aren't the 2xx just rebranded 7000 series as well?

[Remilia]

The new ones in the 2xx was 290(x) and in 3xx the 380x. Other than that there were some minor tweaks in clock or memory timer if I remember correctly. Of course there's the Fury/Fiji.

Of course you can wait for either Polaris / Pascal, which should be a bigger improvement than any 28nm process atm.

[Evildeffy]

and aren't the 2xx just rebranded 7000 series as well?

No, the 290 and 290X and the 285 are actually different architectures from the 7000 series.
And no the cards from nVidia 4 years ago do not compete with the AMD cards.

The gains on AMD cards is actually high and almost non-existant on nVidia.
AMD cards age better .. that is a simple fact and it doesn't mean the nVidia cards are bad .. far from it.

But they simply do not age nearly as well as AMD cards do.

Going from 290/290X they did give it a miniature update in the architecture.
Nothing 100% noteworthy other than the 1Gbps memory speed increase and doubling of the RAM amount.