Help me choose/order a gaming PC

[JimmyMcNulty]

Greetings!
For the past 7 years or so I’ve been using a Falcon NorthWest PC with an i7-975 and two SLI 285 GTX GPUs (the whole machine is over clocked to some degree by them). I’m not really a technical expert, when it comes to any hardware knowledge or how stuff works and I’ve never built a machine from my own parts.

Since the hardware is a bit dated nowadays, and I’ve also been suffering occasional issues in the past years(black screen, no video signal then PC freezes), I’m thinking it’s time to buy a new PC anyway.
So to get down to business, I would like your expertise in the area to help me decide or sell me on a few hardware choices + preferably provide me with links to where I can actually purchase the desired parts (with the correct price tags on them) and make a properly built computer from them.
I mostly play games, no video editing or streaming, but would like to be able to run WOW(raids)/Heroes of the storm/Overwatch and similar games on the highest settings possible without trouble, while still be able to tab around the PC and have a browser open, YouTube, Twitch, maybe 2-3 games at once running as well.

Available budget: I’d like to stay around 1200-1300€ (a bit over won’t be a big issue if it’s of significant importance to the build)
Country: Slovenia (I’m not sure which online retailers enable delivery to my country or if prices differ because of it, so actually providing me a build with AVAILABLE parts and prices is what I would appreciate most)
Resolution: 1920x1080 (currently using a single screen only, no plans/needs to expand to two-or should I? Does using dual screen stress the hardware more?)
Peripherals: I already have Windows 10, mouse, keyboard, headphones and monitor, so the budget is for the machine only
Overclocking: I have no plans/needs to do it. Should I? What do I benefit from it?

Some personal preferences (correct me if I’m way off):
1. I’m leaning on buying the Nvidia 1070 GPU, so I’m wondering if it’s an okay choice, the longevity of it (is it going to be great for years to come?) and which brand should I purchase it from (AFAIK there are many and they differ a bit in price/quality/availability)
2. I would like an Intel processor, so I guess i5 or i7
3. I would like to have both HDD+SSD disks included, (do I want/need the SSD to be 250 or 500GB?).
4. Preferably 16GB RAM (does buying more make sense?)
5. A reliable power supply that I won’t have issues with, a case that won’t cause heat problems
6. I do not care for colors/looks of any part or the case, as long as it performs well

Thanks for reading through the wall of text and for any helpful input you provide me with!

[Thunderball]

Processor: Intel Core i5-6600K Tray € 245,95
CPU Cooler: be quiet! PURE ROCK € 33,32
Motherboard: ASUS Z170-A € 153,68
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 16GB DDR4 K2 € 76,79
SSD: Crucial MX200 256GB € 89,71
HDD: WD Blue Desktop WD10EZEX 1TB € 51,15
Videocard: Palit Geforce GTX 1070 DUAL 8GB € 456,12
Case: NZXT Source 340 Black Window € 74,32
PSU: XFX XTR 550W € 87,03

Total including VAT and Shipping: € 1.303,56

Answering your questions:
1. Great choice. Probably the best performance for the money until next xx70 release (or maybe AMD step up to the plate).
2. Check.
3. Check. Your budget allows only 250GB realistically.
4. 16GB, doesnt make sense for gaming.
5. Check.
6. Well it's gonna be mostly black.

[JimmyMcNulty]

Thank you for the feedback, i do however have a few more questions.
I've checked quite a few other topics on the computer forum, and mostly people recomend the samsung 850 and WD caviar black disks, did you chose different ones due to the budget or are there other differences im not aware of?
Also i'd still like an opinion from someone about the necessitiy or benefits of overclocking?

Thanks again for any input!

[Denpepe]

Crucial and Samsung are the most recommended brands on this forum, intel is also very good, but a bit more pricey.

For a 1 Tb drive there is not much difference between WD black and blue other then blacks are a tad speedier, have longer warranty and cost more. If you go higher, then bllue's are 5.400 rpm iso 7.200 and basically rebranded green drives.

[Deleted]

Actually, since Blue drives are a single disc of 1TB they are faster than black :P

[JimmyMcNulty]

I have never heard of Palit as a Graphics card manufacturer before, is it some new company? Are there lots of different ones nowadays and how do the Gigabyte, Msi, Asus (these are the few ones im familiar with) compare?

[Thunderball]

Thank you for the feedback, i do however have a few more questions.
I've checked quite a few other topics on the computer forum, and mostly people recomend the samsung 850 and WD caviar black disks, did you chose different ones due to the budget or are there other differences im not aware of?
Also i'd still like an opinion from someone about the necessitiy or benefits of overclocking?

Thanks again for any input!

This HDD is the most recommended HDD ever. It's simply stupidly cheap. Crucial is a little bit slower than EVO 850 but it's still fast and reliable SSD from a known brand, chosen due to budget constraints. Overclocking benefits are really simple - for most games the most important thing is single core performance because most games dont utilize more than 2 cores ever, and overclocking achieves exactly that - higher single core performance. Because of that some overclocked cheap processors (like Pentium G3258) can be considerably faster than more expensive options with more cores. Also, for that reason lesser i5s are actually worse for gaming than i3s (only i5-6600 and 6600K reach the frequences of the lesser i3-6100).

Palit is in no way a new company, you probably never heard of them because they focus on cheaper cards.

[Deleted]

pallit produce one of the best gtx 1070s

http://www.palit.com/palit/vgapro.php?id=2629&lang=en

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/palit...gx-03f-pl.html

[JimmyMcNulty]

Ok so I’m pretty much sold on these items (thank you for the input so far guys!):
Processor: Intel core i5-6600K (250€ish)
Motherboard: Asus Z170 (150€ish)
Case: NZXT Source 340 Black widow (75€ish)
GPU: Palit Geforce GTX 1070 (480€ish) –> was Dual recommended here because of the budget or anything else? Would JetStream/Gamerock not be better options for a minimal budget increase? Assuming all 3 cost the same, which one do I choose?
This leaves me with around 350€ for the other things….BUT!
If I have all the above parts decided, what would be possible/better upgrades of the other parts Thunderball suggested above, if I increase my budget (adding 200-300€) to achieve better gaming performance or make the rig stay capable of running new games for a longer time?
So, let’s say I have an extra 550-650€ to spend on the rest of the hardware, does it make sense to go for better disks or RAM or some other thing? Should I instead completely change one of the chosen parts above with the extra budget?
Also assuming the best next step to increase performance would be overclocking, and I might have a friend who can help me with that (I’m afraid I’ll mess up doing anything myself), are all the parts suitable for it?

And again,
Thank you for all the help guys!

[Thunderball]

Ok so I’m pretty much sold on these items (thank you for the input so far guys!):
Processor: Intel core i5-6600K (250€ish)
Motherboard: Asus Z170 (150€ish)
Case: NZXT Source 340 Black widow (75€ish)
GPU: Palit Geforce GTX 1070 (480€ish) –> was Dual recommended here because of the budget or anything else? Would JetStream/Gamerock not be better options for a minimal budget increase? Assuming all 3 cost the same, which one do I choose?
This leaves me with around 350€ for the other things….BUT!
If I have all the above parts decided, what would be possible/better upgrades of the other parts Thunderball suggested above, if I increase my budget (adding 200-300€) to achieve better gaming performance or make the rig stay capable of running new games for a longer time?
So, let’s say I have an extra 550-650€ to spend on the rest of the hardware, does it make sense to go for better disks or RAM or some other thing? Should I instead completely change one of the chosen parts above with the extra budget?
Also assuming the best next step to increase performance would be overclocking, and I might have a friend who can help me with that (I’m afraid I’ll mess up doing anything myself), are all the parts suitable for it?

And again,
Thank you for all the help guys!

Dual was recommended because of the budget. You can choose any dual fan non-reference setup from a trusted partner, you will do fine. There is no point of paying more, you wont notice any difference. The build I linked is pretty much packed. The only thing I would suggest if you had more budget is getting Phanteks Enthoo Pro M case (which is only slightly more expensive but is pretty hard to find), swapping MX200 SSD for Samsung EVO 850 and maybe getting a better CPU cooler for better overclocking potential (but considering your experience the current option is completely fine for you). You can also consider MSI Z170A Gaming M5 mobo.

[JimmyMcNulty]

I will probably go for a 1TB HDD (still WD blue?) and a 500GB SSD instead of a 250 one, is samsung 850 EVO still the best choice?

Phanteks Enthoo Pro M looks pretty sweet, I'm liking it more than the NZXT one, but it does look kinda small? Will it be able to fit a big Video card + HDD + SSD + and optical drive and still have good airflow?
I have no idea about the MSI motherboard you suggested tho, what's different from the Asus Z170?

[Thunderball]

I will probably go for a 1TB HDD (still WD blue?) and a 500GB SSD instead of a 250 one, is samsung 850 EVO still the best choice?

Phanteks Enthoo Pro M looks pretty sweet, I'm liking it more than the NZXT one, but it does look kinda small? Will it be able to fit a big Video card + HDD + SSD + and optical drive and still have good airflow?
I have no idea about the MSI motherboard you suggested tho, what's different from the Asus Z170?

Choosing Enthoo Pro M here because it has better cooling options and can support higher coolers (should you want to change in the future). Also has a 5.25 inch option. There is also Phanteks P400 which is the same price as S340 and is very similar in features, you can check that out too. S340 wont fit an optical drive (same with P400) so if that's important for you should reconsider.

On the mobo: better onboard audio, better onboard LAN, one more M.2 slot. The difference between $150 and $200 mobos is usually really minimal and you should only go for the features you know will definetely be useful for you.

Can I say why would you need a 500GB SSD? Are there any specific needs?

[JimmyMcNulty]

Ah well i like the better onboard sound an LAN, at least from my experience before, i had tons of issues with a dedicated lan card and its drivers + the difference seems like 20-30€ so i think its worth it for me.
Yes, i would prefer to still have an optical drive in the PC if in case i need it for some stuff, so should keep that in mind with the case... so i guess Phanteks Enthoo Pro (M?) is the right choice then.
I want a 500gb ssd to have ALLLLL the games i want on it

[JimmyMcNulty]

Ok so i've kinda narrowed it down to this particular setup. I plan on ordering from www.mindfactory.de in the next week or so.
Just want some of you guys to double check if everything is in order or did I choose any bad or not-so-good parts with better alternatives or by any chance manage to messup the power usage or sizes that wont fit or anything similar.
If I'm not mistaken, I can also overclock the procesor with the current setup quite easily and without worries, right?

Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro M 90€
PSU: 550 Watt XFX XTR Series Modular 80+ Gold - 78€ (should i maybe pay 10eur more and buy the 650W one?)
Motherboard: MSI Z170A Gaming M5 Intel Z170 So.1151 Dual Channel DDR4 ATX Retail - 170€
Processor: Intel Core i5 6600K 4x 3.50GHz So.1151 WOF - 240€
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U14S Tower Cooler - 66€ (is there any cooler in the prince range that is obviously better?)
Memory: 16GB G.Skill RipJaws V schwarz DDR4-3200 DIMM CL16 Dual Kit - 85€ - (any better RAM i can chose under 100€?)
SSD: 500GB Samsung 850 Evo 2.5" (6.4cm) SATA 6Gb/s TLC Toggle (MZ-75E500B/EU) - 138€
HDD: 1000GB WD Black WD1003FZEX 64MB 3.5" (8.9cm) SATA 6Gb/s - 75€
Videocard: Palit Geforce GTX 1070 Gamerock active/Super JetStream - 460€ (i really dont see the difference between them, help?)

Optical drive: some 20€ samsung drive that ill randomly throw in, suggestions welcome

I love you people and this forum. <3

[Thunderball]

On memory. DDR4-3000 CL15 > DDR4-3200 CL16 for gaming, also is cheaper. Rule of thumb regarding memory for this generation gaming PC - get 2400/2666/3000 memory CL15 which is of a decent series (G.Skill Ripjaws V, Corsair Vengeance LPX, Crucial Ballistix Sport LT, Kingston HyperX FURY) and is cheaper.

On cooler - there are be quiet! Dark Rock 3 and Thermalright Archon IB-E X2. Other than that looks good.

[JimmyMcNulty]

Roger that, DDR4 CL15 it is, is the brand completely pointless to chose from or there any that are better at specific games and such?

wow those 2 coolers look huge! are they gonna fit with everything else in that case? i read that hte palit gtx 1070 gamerock is quite big, that wont be an issue if i buy that one? basically i chose the one out of the 2 that i looks nicer to me?

one other thing, any thermal paste in particular i should order with the parts, or is that really irrelevant?

[Thunderball]

Roger that, DDR4 CL15 it is, is the brand completely pointless to chose from or there any that are better at specific games and such?

wow those 2 coolers look huge! are they gonna fit with everything else in that case? i read that hte palit gtx 1070 gamerock is quite big, that wont be an issue if i buy that one? basically i chose the one out of the 2 that i looks nicer to me?

one other thing, any thermal paste in particular i should order with the parts, or is that really irrelevant?

Just stick with the series are listed, they are universally good. Ripjaws V would not be your top option due to tall radiators (depending on which cooler you choose), other 3 dont have that problem.

This case will fit almost everything, including two section towers. Dont worry about that. I'll round up your choice. Dark Rock is the shortest, provides less performance out of the three (still really good though) and is the quietest. Archon is the highest, best performance and is the loudest. U14S is kind of the middle ground, a very good cooler but kinda overpriced imo.

On thermal paste I know that both Thermalright and Noctua has their own decent paste shipped with coolers, you can try that first as see if it's enough. For the aftermarket solutions I'd advice on Prolimatech PK-03 (or PK-3) - this one can be hard to get in Europe, Gelid GC-Extreme and Arctic Cooling MX-4 (cant go wrong with this one).

[JimmyMcNulty]

thanks for all the help!