kevineugenius
[H]ard|Gawd
- Joined
- Dec 9, 2006
- Messages
- 1,415
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/BGxggs
I've already purchased the case ($60 shipped, very pleased) and I am waiting for Pascal for the graphics card. I have a GTX 670 I'll use until then.
The goals for this build are:
1. Low heat - also read 'low power consumption'
2. Low noise
3. Longevity - finding items with long warranties has been my strategy so far
4. Durability - no overclocking, no extra features that I won't use, just things that I can set up once and hopefully run it for 3+ years
5. Favorable speed:cost ratio - the GPU might hurt me later, but I am running a 2k monitor and would like to play things like Fallout 4 and Star Citizen and be able to see all of their beauty. However, I'm not going to build a $3000 behemoth so I have to make the most of my dollars.
My thoughts on the components (please politely correct me if you disagree):
CPU: 6th gen i7 is a must for the kind of speed and lifespan I'm looking at. The 6700 has a lower TDP and price point and I won't be overclocking anyway. I do believe the k variants of CPUs perform better even at stock clocks, but the increased TDP makes this choice for me.
Core i7 6700
Cooler: My last build used a Hyper N Cooler Master and it was very nice, but a bit noisy and a bit expensive. If cost is an issue, why not just use the stock cooler? I hate the way they mount. The spring-style mounts bend the motherboard and it just makes me uneasy. I have no facts to back up that uneasiness. Anyway, I'm quite open to suggestions here as I've not really found something I'm confident in. I do like the Zalman all-copper units as well.
Tentative winner Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO
Motherboard: This is another component that I don't have strong feelings about. I've never had an ASRock board but I've heard good things. To my knowledge there aren't any motherboards with super long warranties or I would lean that route but this one comes with a 3 year and I feel like that's the best I will find. I've had (or been responsible for) so many PCs and used so many different brand of motherboard that I've seen failures in every maker (although I don't know I've ever bought an EVGA mobo), I'm really not married to any brand name. Asus is the preference when it's manageable. However, this board seems like it's a good feature set with a fair price. I do want to go DDR4 and have M.2 slots available for the future. The audio doesn't seem exciting on this board but you really can't tell until you hear it.
ASRock Z170 Pro4
Memory: I have to admit, I barely even shopped around for this... Memory to people who don't overclock is just so simple. It either plugs in and works or it doesn't. I opted for a 2x8GB set for the decent cost:benefit ratio. G.Skill has never given me even a hiccup in the past. I tried to match the speed and voltage suggested by the motherboard documentation and fell onto this memory set.
G.Skill Ripjaws 4 Series 2x8GB DDR4-2133
Storage: For the applications drive I go back and forth between Sandisk Extreme and Samsung 850 Pro. Both have very high speeds and the 10 year warranty that I'm after without actually costing as much extra as I thought it would. At the time I put this list together, the Sandisk was a better deal. For storage of lame files, I really wanted an intellipower style drive but couldn't find anything with a decent warranty or good reviews. I'm going to store things long term, I need this drive to not break. Yes, I do have space for backups but that's not the point. At any rate, I settled on a Western Digital Black for its warranty and track record.
Sandisk Extreme Pro 480GB SSD
Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB 7200RPM HD
Case: I spent quite a bit of time looking for the exact case I had envisioned and it doesn't exist under $350. So, I started looking for quality cases with zero bling and that had sound damping in them. When newegg put it on shell shocker and sent a $10 gift card to my mailbox the same day, I had to buy it. Done deal.
Fractal Design Refine R4 Blackout
Power Supply: Finally, the last component on the list! I'm pretty confident with this selection. The price is a wee bit higher than I would like but how did someone make power supplies with 10 year warranties and I didn't even know about it? Once I found that, I checked for some competition and really couldn't find anyone else matching that warranty. I calculated the wattage I would need, went overkill on the PSU as it is my understanding that having a higher-than-needed rating reduces the heat / noise output due to not having to stress the components and therefore heat them. It's 80+ gold and modular and I think it's a good pick, especially when on sale.
EVGA 850W 80+ Gold Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply
I'm not sure anyone will read all that but... what do you think?
I've already purchased the case ($60 shipped, very pleased) and I am waiting for Pascal for the graphics card. I have a GTX 670 I'll use until then.
The goals for this build are:
1. Low heat - also read 'low power consumption'
2. Low noise
3. Longevity - finding items with long warranties has been my strategy so far
4. Durability - no overclocking, no extra features that I won't use, just things that I can set up once and hopefully run it for 3+ years
5. Favorable speed:cost ratio - the GPU might hurt me later, but I am running a 2k monitor and would like to play things like Fallout 4 and Star Citizen and be able to see all of their beauty. However, I'm not going to build a $3000 behemoth so I have to make the most of my dollars.
My thoughts on the components (please politely correct me if you disagree):
CPU: 6th gen i7 is a must for the kind of speed and lifespan I'm looking at. The 6700 has a lower TDP and price point and I won't be overclocking anyway. I do believe the k variants of CPUs perform better even at stock clocks, but the increased TDP makes this choice for me.
Core i7 6700
Cooler: My last build used a Hyper N Cooler Master and it was very nice, but a bit noisy and a bit expensive. If cost is an issue, why not just use the stock cooler? I hate the way they mount. The spring-style mounts bend the motherboard and it just makes me uneasy. I have no facts to back up that uneasiness. Anyway, I'm quite open to suggestions here as I've not really found something I'm confident in. I do like the Zalman all-copper units as well.
Tentative winner Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO
Motherboard: This is another component that I don't have strong feelings about. I've never had an ASRock board but I've heard good things. To my knowledge there aren't any motherboards with super long warranties or I would lean that route but this one comes with a 3 year and I feel like that's the best I will find. I've had (or been responsible for) so many PCs and used so many different brand of motherboard that I've seen failures in every maker (although I don't know I've ever bought an EVGA mobo), I'm really not married to any brand name. Asus is the preference when it's manageable. However, this board seems like it's a good feature set with a fair price. I do want to go DDR4 and have M.2 slots available for the future. The audio doesn't seem exciting on this board but you really can't tell until you hear it.
ASRock Z170 Pro4
Memory: I have to admit, I barely even shopped around for this... Memory to people who don't overclock is just so simple. It either plugs in and works or it doesn't. I opted for a 2x8GB set for the decent cost:benefit ratio. G.Skill has never given me even a hiccup in the past. I tried to match the speed and voltage suggested by the motherboard documentation and fell onto this memory set.
G.Skill Ripjaws 4 Series 2x8GB DDR4-2133
Storage: For the applications drive I go back and forth between Sandisk Extreme and Samsung 850 Pro. Both have very high speeds and the 10 year warranty that I'm after without actually costing as much extra as I thought it would. At the time I put this list together, the Sandisk was a better deal. For storage of lame files, I really wanted an intellipower style drive but couldn't find anything with a decent warranty or good reviews. I'm going to store things long term, I need this drive to not break. Yes, I do have space for backups but that's not the point. At any rate, I settled on a Western Digital Black for its warranty and track record.
Sandisk Extreme Pro 480GB SSD
Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB 7200RPM HD
Case: I spent quite a bit of time looking for the exact case I had envisioned and it doesn't exist under $350. So, I started looking for quality cases with zero bling and that had sound damping in them. When newegg put it on shell shocker and sent a $10 gift card to my mailbox the same day, I had to buy it. Done deal.
Fractal Design Refine R4 Blackout
Power Supply: Finally, the last component on the list! I'm pretty confident with this selection. The price is a wee bit higher than I would like but how did someone make power supplies with 10 year warranties and I didn't even know about it? Once I found that, I checked for some competition and really couldn't find anyone else matching that warranty. I calculated the wattage I would need, went overkill on the PSU as it is my understanding that having a higher-than-needed rating reduces the heat / noise output due to not having to stress the components and therefore heat them. It's 80+ gold and modular and I think it's a good pick, especially when on sale.
EVGA 850W 80+ Gold Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply
I'm not sure anyone will read all that but... what do you think?