Building a PC for the first time - some help needed

[Vazza]

Hey all.

Buying a custom PC for the first time, so I'm naturally dubious, compounded by the fact I'm more of a layman than savvy about hardware stuff. Here it goes:

Budget - from 1000 € up to 1250 € more or less (depending on the GPU)
Resolution - playing in 1080p
Games / Settings Desired - 8-10 in WoW, at least (other games are tempting with a good machine, though)
Any other intensive software or special things you do (Frequent video encoding, 3D modeling, etc) - no
Country - Portugal (GPUs seem pricier in euros)
Parts that can be reused - just reusing my 1TB hard drive I have now, for storage purposes
Do you need an OS? - yes, Windows 10
Do you need peripherals (e.g. monitor, mouse, keyboard, speakers, etc)? - not at the moment, but the chance of buying a stronger monitor in a not so distant future is big

- I've only really decided on the CPU, this one:

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor

Seen it recommended in several WoW gaming builds already and the pricing seems fair.

- Honest when saying I don't know how to pick motherboards, apart from RAM Mhz support. I'm guessing I should pick a Z170 chipset these days for gaming, but which one, and which brand? The RAM would be hinging on this choice, but definitely getting 16g, the more Mhz the better, since I heard WoW scales well with it (?).

- What I'm really torn about is the GPU, a 1060 vs. a 1070. On one hand, I'm guessing a 1060 is more than enough for WoW, but within those, I get a whole spectrum of cards with varying prices (by a breadth of 50-60 euros). What am I looking for in terms of specs within the same model?
On the other hand, would a 1060 establish a good synergy with a stronger monitor and resolution, one I'd buy after? The 1070 comes with a steep price, so which one would provide the best value for money? Will nvidia churn out new models of this series at gentler prices in the future?

- Getting a SSD for OS and games. I suppose the PSU, cooling options and the case are easier to find when the main pieces get out of the way.

Appreciate any help in clearing these doubts. Kind regards, and thanks in advance!

[Mythbredor]

Being that you picked a "K" processor you'll need a motherboard that supports overclocking for example the Z170-A. And you'll need to overclock your CPU for the best results in WoW (you'll have to lookup some guides on how to do so). You'll probably end up going for a 1060 being that things will cost alot more in europe. A 1060 is more than enough for WoW and you'll easily be able to run other games at 1080 60fps just fine. For higher resolutions a 1060 would be fine for WoW, you'd have to start trimming your settings in more modern and graphically intensive games. Here's what I threw together (Keep in mind this will be more expensive for you).

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus Z170-A ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($150.88 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($89.39 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.49 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1060 6GB WINDFORCE OC 6G Video Card ($268.50 @ B&H)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black/Red) ATX Mid Tower Case ($64.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G2 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($88.88 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1099.48
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-08-26 07:42 EDT-0400

[Vazza]

Thanks for the reply, Mythbredor.

Got it about the K processor and overclocking. Would need a bit more help in deciding which pieces to buy, regarding my spectrum of choices.

1) I assume the CPU cooler you linked is sufficient when and if overclocking this CPU, right?

2) About the Motherboard I found these 3 options at my local store (one with the fairest prices in our market):

-ASUS Z170-PRO (179,55€) (http://www.alientech.pt/product_info...ducts_id=29610)

-MSI Z170A Gaming Pro (161,2€) (http://www.alientech.pt/product_info...ducts_id=27637)

-ASUS Z170 PRO GAMING (158,90€) (http://www.alientech.pt/product_info...ducts_id=27621)

I believe they would all work similarly for the envisioned build, no?

3) Ok, I've leaned toward the 1060, since the price jump is *at least* 100 euros to buy a 1070. This store has 6 versions of the 1060, all with 6GB, but with varied prices. If it's not pushing too much, which one would you choose? They all look very equal to my ignorant self, apart from the price: http://www.alientech.pt/advanced_sea...page=1&sort=3a

4) How does one tell good RAM from bad RAM? I liked the ones you linked, just a bit more expensive here.

Thanks again!

[Mythbredor]

Yes that CPU cooler is perfectly fine for overclocking.

All 3 of those are fine I believe. I can't say for sure but I believe the "pro" lines support overclocking aswell, but I know the MSI Z170-a supports it.

I would go with the MSI or the Gigabyte slightly more money for quality and factory overclocking. Worth it IMO but alot of people will have different opions on GPUs.

Uh ram speed and manufacturer really. I would shoot for atleast 2400MHz. There's a whole other ballfield called ram timings that would take awhile to explain. I'd suggest doing some googling.

[Vazza]

Cool, everything seems to come into place now.

Still have two final quandaries:

SSD - what's the difference between a Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive and the 750 EVO counterpart? Is it worth to shell out a bit more for the 850? Further, is Samsung the go-to brand in SSD reliability? Some other brands seem to have cheaper options.

PSU - Can only find stronger wattage EVGA SuperNova options at my local store. Would you recommend any other brand in the same category and price range? Thinking along the lines of a XFX TS Series 550W 80PLUS BRONZE valued at 71,85€ and a Corsair CX600W 600W 80PLUS BRONZE priced at 76,40€.

Many thanks for the information and tips!

[Mythbredor]

Samsung, Crucial, Kingston are your SSD brands. The difference is this "The 750 Evo is a lower cost version of the 850 Evo. The performance is close but it is a cost down version. It has a lower MTBF and the warranty is 3 years vs 5 years for the 850 Evo." copy pasted that out of a tomshardware post lol. You'll just have to look up some reviews on whatever you decide to go with.

Don't go with the CX series of corsair powersupplys I have one but I was uneducated when I bought it. What I understand is they used cheap components in the CX line specificly and "some" people have gotten bad PSUs. If you want reviews for power supplies just look up jonnyguru.

[Thunderball]

Samsung, Crucial, Kingston are your SSD brands. The difference is this "The 750 Evo is a lower cost version of the 850 Evo. The performance is close but it is a cost down version. It has a lower MTBF and the warranty is 3 years vs 5 years for the 850 Evo." copy pasted that out of a tomshardware post lol. You'll just have to look up some reviews on whatever you decide to go with.

Don't go with the CX series of corsair powersupplys I have one but I was uneducated when I bought it. What I understand is they used cheap components in the CX line specificly and "some" people have gotten bad PSUs. If you want reviews for power supplies just look up jonnyguru.

Kingston doesnt have good budget or midrange SSD. Their only good SSD series right now is SAVAGE which is very expensive.