Build audit

[Cracked]

Hello fellow PC enthusiasts!

I put together the following build
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/84GHwP

and I would love your feedback. Are there any obvious weaknesses of the setup? I would like to use a micro tower, and it seems that this could fit into it, but I'm not 100% sure.

My budget is around $1100, so it's quite near the upper limit. Are there any clear cut saving that could be made?
Any suggestions are appreciated.

[Artorius]

What do you do with the computer?

[Cracked]

A bit of everything. A strong GPU is important to me, as I also need to run CUDA computations (so must be nVidia as well), I do a lot of programming, so strong CPU is also important. I don't edit videos, but I don't think that's of importance. I don't store that much data, but as I'm using 250 GB SSD now and I'm starting to feel like it's too little.

Other than that, primarily gaming.

[Ssateneth]

I know some people will probably hate on the power supply rating (400 watts) but really, that's just right. The highest load you will probably ever see in an unrealistic scenario is 300 watts with that setup. But just know you won't have much room for higher powered CPU / GPU later down the road (fans and storage require a negligible amount of power).

[Artorius]

A bit of everything. A strong GPU is important to me, as I also need to run CUDA computations (so must be nVidia as well), I do a lot of programming, so strong CPU is also important. I don't edit videos, but I don't think that's of importance. I don't store that much data, but as I'm using 250 GB SSD now and I'm starting to feel like it's too little.

Other than that, primarily gaming.

Okay then. Keeping the I7 that you'll probably make some usage of. I'd only change those few details

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($329.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.50 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97M-DS3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($86.97 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($66.88 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($150.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card ($339.99 @ B&H)
Case: Zalman ZM-T4 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($43.44 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1087.75
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-01-31 22:31 EST-0500

-Better CPU cooler.
-Less expensive RAM that will give the same performance.
-Higher capacity PSU. It doesn't matter if the 400W one is theoretically enough, running it at it's maximum is not healthy nor efficient.

- - - Updated - - -

And if you do something heavy weight that supports parallelism CPU-wise at your programming:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor ($374.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H5 Universal 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($46.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock X99M Extreme4 Micro ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($168.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($150.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card ($339.99 @ B&H)
Case: Enermax OSTROG ATX Mid Tower Case ($32.50 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1214.42
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-01-31 22:37 EST-0500

If you take into consideration that you'll be getting 2 more real cores to play with, and that you go from DDR3 to DDR4 (which means that you can keep the RAM at the next system), I think the extra price pays itself.

[Novx]

I know some people will probably hate on the power supply rating (400 watts) but really, that's just right. The highest load you will probably ever see in an unrealistic scenario is 300 watts with that setup. But just know you won't have much room for higher powered CPU / GPU later down the road (fans and storage require a negligible amount of power).

Regardless of if its enough wattage that doesn't mean it is a good PSU. Also, most nVidia GPUs post-500 series (the GPU type he will likely continue to buy based off his posts) require less power than previous generations. My 590 drew a solid 30% or so more than my 780Ti. With that said - Buy a quality PSU - I don't care what anyone says, do not buy a cheap CPU. Spend the extra $20 and get a PSU that is reliable and will last. Just looking at the reviews I have seen at least 1 fry a persons MB and at least 4 that died shortly after purchasing.

[Cracked]

And if you do something heavy weight that supports parallelism CPU-wise at your programming:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor ($374.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H5 Universal 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($46.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock X99M Extreme4 Micro ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($168.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($150.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card ($339.99 @ B&H)
Case: Enermax OSTROG ATX Mid Tower Case ($32.50 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1214.42
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-01-31 22:37 EST-0500

If you take into consideration that you'll be getting 2 more real cores to play with, and that you go from DDR3 to DDR4 (which means that you can keep the RAM at the next system), I think the extra price pays itself.

Thanks for the input, is there any chance the second build would fit into a mini tower? At first glance I don't see any reason it shouldn't, just asking if you have experience / good reasons it doesn't.

[Lathais]

Thanks for the input, is there any chance the second build would fit into a mini tower? At first glance I don't see any reason it shouldn't, just asking if you have experience / good reasons it doesn't.

No reason why it wouldn't. The motherboard is a different platform, but it is still a mATX board like the one in your original post. The CPU cooler is a bit taller, so you would need to make sure there is room in the case for that though.