[Lokhe]

Hey everyone!

 

I was talking to my friend recently who was lamenting the state of his PC and saying he wanted an upgrade (for gaming). I told him he should build his own then and he said he has no experience with it so I offered to help out. He gave me a budget of roughly $900-1100 (but you have to keep in mind that hardware is a bit more expensive here).

 

I started out with a base of the following:

 

CPU: Intel Core i5 7600K (it's actually about a dollar cheaper than the i5 6600K that I have for some reason?)

RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX (2x8GB)

GPU: GeForce GTX 1060 (6GB)

SSD: Samsung EVO 850 (250GB)

 

Parts he's already got:

 

Chassi (Cooler Master Elite -though which specific model it is I don't know), HDD, DVD-drive and OS.

 

The part I've been having trouble with is mainly the MOBO. They've all got huge amounts of specs to consider and I find it hard to understand what a reasonable level would be. There's no sense in throwing money at an expensive MOBO when you don't utilize all of its potential anyway right? I initially looked to what I myself have (Asus Z170 Pro Gaming) or the cheaper option of Asus Z170 P but both of those seem to not be fully compatible with the CPU, at least not without a BIOS update and I'm not sure I wanna go down that rabbit hole. He's aiming for 1080p@60fps so DisplayPort isn't necessarily a big deal.

 

Finally, there's the PSU. I reckon 650W should be enough for this build? I've also thrown in a be quiet! Pure Rock for CPU cooling. It's cheap, it's amazingly quiet and the one I have is doing great.

 

All told this takes us a bit over his budget but he said it's fine so long as it works great. I feel like I should throw the idea around a bit first though since it's not my own money this time, I wouldn't wanna push something on him that is unnecessary and more expensive than it needs to be.

 

As I was typing this post though, it hit me that you could probably do a cheaper AMD version of the build? I have no experience with AMD whatsoever though so I'd have to start from scratch on that one. As always, your insight and friendliness is greatly appreciated

 

Cheers!

Lokhe

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Gday Lokhe.

An AMD build could work out cheaper.

 

 

 

He gave me a budget of roughly $900-1100 (but you have to keep in mind that hardware is a bit more expensive here).

Where is here, please.?

[iammykyl]

Gday Lokhe.

An AMD build could work out cheaper.

 

 

 

He gave me a budget of roughly $900-1100 (but you have to keep in mind that hardware is a bit more expensive here).

Where is here, please.?

[Lokhe]

Where is here, please.?

 

Sorry, Sweden.

 

Don't think you have to put too much consideration into that statement but it will turn out a bit more expensive than if you just look for parts online in USD.

Edited by Lokhe, 15 June 2017 - 04:35 AM.

[iammykyl]

We will need the model of the case to determine both the MB size and GPU length.

 

The part I've been having trouble with is mainly the MOBO. They've all got huge amounts of specs to consider and I find it hard to understand what a reasonable level would be. There's no sense in throwing money at an expensive MOBO when you don't utilize all of its potential anyway right?

Agreed.

 

I initially looked to what I myself have (Asus Z170 Pro Gaming) or the cheaper option of Asus Z170 P but both of those seem to not be fully compatible with the CPU, at least not without a BIOS update and I'm not sure I wanna go down that rabbit hole. He's aiming for 1080p@60fps so DisplayPort isn't necessarily a big deal.

Your MB is  Z170,  you need a  Z270/H270  MB for full compatability, without a BIOS update, for the i5 7600K (Kaby Lake).

> https://www.pcgamesn...ke-release-date

 

Parts he's already got:

 

Chassi (Cooler Master Elite -though which specific model it is I don't know), HDD, DVD-drive and OS.

Possible OS issue.   If the OS is OEM, (not Retail) and already used, it is not transferable to a new MB: you will need a new one.

 

Finally, there's the PSU. I reckon 650W should be enough for this build?

see this example of what would be your full system build, note the total system power draw is under 330W     A 500/550 watt PSU would be more than enough, providing it has ample watts on the +12V rail. 

> https://pcpartpicker.com/list/XRGtFd

 

You can edit the parts list, remove the items you already have, at the top right you can change the country, UK or Germany will give you more relevant prices. 

[Lokhe]

The OS is new so that's not an issue.

 

I'm not worried about the chassi, it's an ATX mid-tower. I've seen pictures of the insides and I'm confident the GPU will fit.

 

Under 330W eh? Then there's certainly room for some savings there!

 

I'll look into the Z270/H270 boards and maybe take a dive down the AMD rabbit hole then.

 

Cheers!

Lokhe

[iammykyl]

Best Answer

It is a harder decision today, but I still think the Intel platform (MBs) is better, and the i5, for gaming, is slightly better.

just one review. > http://www.anandtech...eads-vs-four/17

 

PSU.   I would not go lower than 500/550W, For longevty/efficiency, usage should be aprox 60/80%. you also need some wiggle room for additional future hardware, fans/HDDs/PCI cards, and any upgrade to a more power hungry GPU.

 

Please keep in touch with your choices or any questions.