Gaming/Software Dev PC Build Help

crowseye

1. What is your budget? [€1000-€1200]

2. What will be the main purpose of the computer? Mainly Gaming and Software Development

3. Do you need a copy of Windows? Not sure if I can transfer Windows 10 from an old laptop then no, otherwise yes.

4. Can you use any parts from an old computer? No

5. Do you need a monitor? Yes

5a. If yes, what size do you need? 24 inch

5b. If no, what resolution is your current monitor and do you plan to upgrade in the near future? [1920x1080/1440x900/etc.] Not applicable.

6. Do you need any of these peripherals? [Keyboard/Mouse/Wireless Card/Card Reader/Speakers/etc.]. Yes need all of these.

7. Are you willing to try overclocking? I'd be interested trying it but not sure of the risks
8. How can you pay? [Bank Transfer/Credit Card/Laser] Anything

9. When are you purchasing? [In x days] Soon as possible

10. If you need help building it, where are you based? No

Mainly looking for a machine that will be easily upgradeable, that I'd get a few years out of and could upgrade in the future. Would be looking for a pretty good monitor aswell.

crowseye

Generated a possible build on PCPartPicker

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor $240.98 @ Newegg

CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H5 Ultimate 76.0 CFM CPU Cooler $46.88 @ OutletPC

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170-HD3 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard $100.66 @ Newegg

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory $64.99 @ NCIX US

Storage: Sandisk SSD PLUS 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive $63.84 @ Amazon
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive $45.88 @ OutletPC

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB GAMING Video Card $249.99 @ B&H

Case: Phanteks ECLIPSE P400 ATX Mid Tower Case $69.99 @ NCIX US

Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply $75.98 @ Newegg

Monitor: AOC G2460PF 24.0" 144Hz Monitor $219.88 @ Amazon

Total: $1166.07**

I modelled my picks off the END-ALL PC Build off PC Master Race Subreddit. For the monitor I'd be looking for 1440p if possible, with 144HZ and 1ms response time. I'm not sure about network and sound cards and that I suppose I need those too? Is there any other accessories I need bar the keyboard and mouse?

Xenoronin

I think something similar to the above but with an i7 6700K might be best. It will depend on your needs with this PC though, and how gaming skewed you wanna go.
The RX480 4gb is an excellent card for price/performance so I'd go with that.
A nice 1440p 60Hz monitor would be a good. 144Hz is great, but with programming you will want to prioritise screen real estate and going for a "gaming" monitor will stretch your budget too far. 27" is recommended for 1440p though. If 24" suits better, look at a nice cheap BenQ 1080p monitor.
Prioritise a 500GB SSD (Samsung, crucial, sandisk are all good brands) and then update with bulk storage in the future, such as a 1 or 2TB HDD.
Look into a nice cherry red (look at cherry blue if you like the click or have no one around to get annoyed by it) mechanical keyboard. All the other peripherals can be cheap and cheerful.

crowseye

Hi Xenorin, thanks for the help I appreciate it. For the i7 recommendation, is a stronger processor considered better for development? I won't be doing anything too intensive development wise I don't think I'd probably be leaning more towards it being gaming dedicated.
I'll check out that card you mentioned.
I don't mind pushing the budget a little to get a good monitor, so I'd pay a bit extra for the 144Hz 1ms response time monitor. 1440p is probably overkill for me though I'd say a 24 inch would suit me fine.
I think I'll go with your advice on the SSD, saw a decent priced one for 480GB and I can always add a normal HDD later on.
Keyboard sounds good I'll take a look.

Where do people generally purchase their PC Parts in Ireland, is it Amazon or are there other websites you can get stuff cheaper?

Xenoronin

For gaming, you can easily drop down to a 6600K (overclockable) or a 6500/6400 (non-overclockable).
This will also affect your motherboard choice. H170 for non-overclockable processor and Z170 for overclockable.
The RX480 is a very solid choice for 1080p so no change there.

That AOC monitor from above looks like a very solid choice. You can find it on amazon.co.uk or overclockers.co.uk.

Buy PC parts from mindfactory.de. Buy a Case from amazon.co.uk. The GPU, shop around. overclockers.co.uk are usually pretty good in terms of price.

8GB of RAM is enough for most things at the moment. 16GB won't hurt though if you wanted to futureproof a bit more. A single 8GB stick is a good way to save a bit of cash so you can just pair it up with another stick (of the same model) in the future.

crowseye

Is the current processor I have listed overclockable? Is a non-overclockable processer more powerful by default? I'll probably go for the 16GB for future-proofing, don't mind going a little bit over budget. One question do you think this build will be easy to improve and upgrade in the future? You've been a great help seriously, thanks!

Xenoronin

GPU: https://www.overclockers.co.uk/sapphire-radeon-rx-480-nitro-4096mb-gddr5-pci-express-rgb-graphics-card-gx-37d-sp.html
CPU: http://www.mindfactory.de/product_info.php/Intel-Core-i5-6600K-4x-3-50GHz-So-1151-TRAY_1010020.html
Cooler: http://www.mindfactory.de/product_info.php/Arctic-Freezer-7-Pro-Rev--2-Tower-Kuehler_624936.html
Mobo: http://www.mindfactory.de/product_info.php/MSI-Z170-A-PRO-Intel-Z170-So-1151-Dual-Channel-DDR4-ATX-Retail_1015491.html
RAM: http://www.mindfactory.de/product_info.php/16GB-G-Skill-RipJaws-4-blau-DDR4-3000-DIMM-CL15-Dual-Kit_1010080.html
PSU: http://www.mindfactory.de/product_info.php/500-Watt-be-quiet--Pure-Power-L8-Non-Modular-80--Bronze_857817.html
Case: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Integrated-Sound-Proofing-Ventilation-Variable-Charcoal/dp/B00A9WHE44/ref=sr_1_3?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1473079842&sr=1-3&keywords=nanoxia+deep+silence
SSD: http://www.mindfactory.de/product_info.php/480GB-Crucial-BX200-2-5Zoll--6-4cm--SATA-6Gb-s-TLC--CT480BX200SSD1-_1018892.html
Monitor: https://www.overclockers.co.uk/aoc-g2460pf-24-1920x1080-tn-freesync-144hz-1ms-gaming-widescreen-led-monitor-black-red-mo-030-ao.html

Can stretch for the 8GB version of the 480 if you want. SSD isn't the best on the market, but it's so damn cheap. The Samsung 850 500GB is a good alternative but at almost double the cost.

crowseye

Hi thanks for getting the prices and stuff up for me its definitely a help! What's the difference between the GPU you have listed and the one that I listed originally? Does the 6gb v 4gb ram on the GPUs make much difference? Also the cooler there seems to be a big price difference between the one you listed and the original one? If you think that cooler is fine I'm happy with it but I'd like to make sure the cooler is as good as possible to ensure there's no overheating or anything, happy to pay more for that to reduce any possible risk. Finally whats the difference between the PSU you listed and the one in the original listing considering they're around the same price?

Hopefully will be able to order today now thanks to your help!

Xenoronin

Based on my meager knowledge of how GPUs work, the VRAM has basically a bunch of textures buffered for games and other stuff. The bigger the textures, the more VRAM required. The flip side is, the bigger the textures, the more grunt you need to drive them. So it's a balance between how powerful your GPU is and how much VRAM it can actually use effectively. 4GB on a 480 is enough unless you are doing very specific things. 8GB is a little more futureproof, but not a massive gap.

The cooler has been mentioned a few times around here so I thought i'd throw it in as it is cheap, but quiet and effective. Have a quick google of each part specifically. Anything I have listed is fairly decent in terms of manufacturer, but don't be afraid to search around and see if anything strikes you as a good replacement.

The power supply is mostly just a brand I trust. A quick note here that buying a PSU from the continent means it will be supplied with an EU cord. You may want to look at buying the PSU from amazon or something. PSU are also categorised into bronze, silver, gold, platinum, titanium. This is just how efficient these supplies are under load. Bronze is generally grand if it is from a good manufactuer, but never skimp here. A bad PSU can take a whole computer with it should it go wrong.

In terms of upgrades, this will probably last long enough that it won't need one, but a GPU upgrade in a few years time will probably be nice. The 1060 you listed is slightly better than the 480, but it's close, and the 1060 is pretty bad over here in terms of price. Don't even look at the 3GB version.

crowseye

For the PSU would I be better getting the silver version then? Or is there any other PSU you would recommend thats a bit more expensive? I found a Sandisk 480GB SSD on offer so ordered that. I'm happy to spend more on the PSU and not skimp on it I'd rather be safe then sorry.

Xenoronin

If you want to be really safe, i'll recommend this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/EVGA-GOLD-Modular-Power-Supply/dp/B0100QRVP0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473089413&sr=8-1&keywords=evga+g2

Have a read through this for why: http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=429

Xenoronin

CPU Cooler: http://www.mindfactory.de/product_info.php/Arctic-Freezer-i30-Tower-Kuehler_785288.html

I got the cooler wrong. Sorry!

Edit: If you want something a little pricier but better: http://www.mindfactory.de/product_info.php/Noctua-NH-U12S-Tower-Kuehler_845165.html
The RAM clearance is better so it doesn't block a RAM slot. Trusted brand. Great reviews. Has secufirm2 mounting so it supports the 1151 socket.
You will want to be overclocking at some point to put this to work.

crowseye

Thanks for all the help so far Xenoronin almost there! The EVGA gold says it wont be delivered for 3 - 4 months, is there any equivalent alternative you can recommend?

Xenoronin

Non-Modular: https://www.overclockers.co.uk/super-flower-golden-green-hx-550w-80-plus-gold-power-supply-black-ca-003-sf.html
Modular: https://www.overclockers.co.uk/evga-supernova-gs-550w-80-plus-gold-modular-power-supply-ca-023-ea.html

Modular refers to whether the cables are all removable or not. There is also semi-modular which has the main cables non-detachable but the rest are.

Another option is to just get the PSU on mindfactory and source a 3pin kettle lead from somewhere. Any electrical supply store will have them.

crowseye

Hi Xenorin, thanks so much for your help all ordered Just one more thing I need to pick is a keyboard, needs to be from Amazon UK but cant decide what one to get that would suit both development and gaming, is there any you would recommend?