PC Building Guide and Discussion #10

SniperHF

Rejecting Reports
Mar 9, 2007
42,631
21,042
Phoenix
Planning to build a new computer? Don't know where to start? Read Here first!

Ask questions in this thread about upgrades and new system builds. Read through the OP and compare it to your own situation.

Things to remember: These builds do not include any OS, Keyboard, Mice, Speakers or Monitors. That is up to the builder to choose.

==================================================

Desktop PC Builds
Click the wish list link at the top of the build to purchase.
Click select all then add to cart at the bottom.



Entry Level: General purpose PC, good desktop productivity. Casual gaming.
Price Range: $400 - $450 AMD processor
United%20States.gif
Click Here to add all of the items to your cart.
Canada.gif
Canadians can do the same by clicking here.

Hardware
|
Name
|
Price CA
|
Price US

Processor:| AMD Kaveri A10-7860 APU | $139 CA | $109 US

Motherboard:| Asus A88XM-A FM2+ | $139 CA | $79US

RAM:| G.Skill 8GB 2133 | $57CA | $44US

Video Card:| INTEGRATED | INTEGRATED | INTEGRATED

Power Supply:| EVGA 500W | $44 CA | $39 US

Case:| Rosewill Redbone | $49 CA | $44 US

HDD:| N/A | $N/A | N/A

SSD:| Corsair Force LE 240GB | $79 CA | $58 US

Optical Drive:| N/A | N/A | N/A

Total: |Prices as of 6-19-16|$450CA|$378 US


Entry Level: General purpose PC, good desktop productivity. Moderate gaming capability
Price Range: $500 - $600 Intel processor
United%20States.gif
Click Here to add all of the items to your cart.
Canada.gif
Canadians can do the same by clicking here.

Hardware
|
Name
|
Price CA
|
Price US

Processor:| Intel i3 - 6300 Skylake | $149 CA | $146 US

Motherboard:| MSI Z170A Pro | $159 CA | $114 US

RAM:| Kingston HyperX 8GB 2400 | $44CA | $37 US

Video Card:| Gigabyte GTX 950 | $174 CA | $134 US

Power Supply:| EVGA 500W | $54 CA | $39 US

Case:| Rosewill Challenger | 69 CA | $49 US

HDD:| N/A | $N/A | N/A

SSD:| Corsair Force LE 240GB | $79 CA | $58 US

Optical Drive:| N/A | N/A | N/A

Total: |Prices as of 6-19-16|$814 CA|$583 US


Mainstream: General purpose PC, good desktop productivity and most gaming
Price Range: $800 - $850 Intel processor
United%20States.gif
Click Here to add all of the items to your cart.
Canada.gif
Canadians can do the same by clicking here.

Hardware
|
Name
|
Price CA
|
Price US
Processor:| Intel i5 6400 | $239 CA | $189 US

Motherboard:| Asus Z170-E | $155 CA | $135 US

RAM:| Kingston HyperX 8GB 2400 | $44CA | $37 US

Video Card:| EVGA GTX 960 4GB | $259 CA | $194 US

Power Supply:| Corsair CX600 v2 | $89 CA | $64 US

Case:| Rosewill Challenger-U3 | $59 CA | $59 US

HDD:| N/A | N/A | N/A

SSD:| Crucial MX200 500GB M.2 | $189 CA | $148 US

Optical Drive:| N/A | N/A | N/A

Total: |Prices as of 6-18-16|$1,099 CA|$824 US


Mainstream: General purpose PC, good for desktop productivity, all gaming, with overclocking potential.
Price Range: $1000 - $1100 Intel processor
United%20States.gif
Click Here to add all of the items to your cart.
Canada.gif
Canadians can do the same by clicking here.

Hardware
|
Name
|
Price CA
|
Price US
Processor:| Intel Core i5 6600k Skylake | $339 CA | $219 US

Motherboard:| Asus Z170-A | $204 CA | $164 US

RAM:| G.Skill Aegis 2800 16GB | $74 CA | $59 US

Video Card:| Power Color R9 380X | $299 CA | $222 US

Power Supply:| EVGA 110-B2 750W | $139 CA | $79 US

Case:| Rosewill Challenger U3 | $59 CA | $59 US

HDD:| Seagate Barracuda 1TB | $64 CA | $50 US

SSD:| Crucial MX200 500GB M.2 | $189 CA | $148 US

Optical Drive:| Samsung SATA DVD RW | $17 CA | $17 US

CPU Cooler:| CoolerMaster Hyper 212 EVO | $34 CA | $34 US

Total: |Prices as of 6-18-16|$1,373 CA|$1,043 US


Enthusiast: Specialized system, good for High Performance gaming and overclocking
Price Range: $1500 - $1600 Intel processor
United%20States.gif
Click Here to add all of the items to your cart.
Canada.gif
Canadians can do the same by clicking here.


Hardware
|
Name
|
Price CA
|
Price US
Processor:| Intel Core i5 6600k Skylake | $339 CA | $249 US

Motherboard:| Asus Z170-A | $209 CA | $154 US

RAM:| G.Skill Ripjaws V 8GB DDR4 2800 | $89 CA | $69 US

Video Card:| EVGA GTX 1070 | $? CA | $419 US

Power Supply:| EVGA 110-B2 750W | $139 CA | $79 US

Case:| Antec 1100 V2 | $124 CA | $99US

HDD:| Seagate Barracuda 1TB | $64 CA | $50 US

Optical Drive:| Samsung SATA DVD RW | $17 CA | $17 US

SSD:| Samsung 850EVO 500GB | $199CA | $159 US

CPU Cooler:| CoolerMaster Hyper 212 EVO | $34 CA | $34 US

Total: |Prices as of 6-18-16|$1,800? CA|$1,302 US



High end: Excellent all around system, near top of the line.
Price Range: $2000 - $2200 Intel processor
United%20States.gif
Click Here to add all of the items to your cart.
Canada.gif
Canadians can do the same by clicking here.

Hardware
|
Name
|
Price CA
|
Price US
Processor:| Intel Core i7 6700k Skylake | $414 CA | $324US

Motherboard:| Gigabyte GA-Z170X | $239 CA | $194US

RAM:| G.SKill Ripjaws X 16GB DDR4 3000 | $179 CA | $154 US

Video Card:| MSI GTX 1080 | $899CA | $699 US

Power Supply:| Corsair RM850X | $219 CA | $149 US

Case:| CM Storm Stryker | $199 CA | $159 US

HDD:| Seagate Barracuda 1TB | $64 CA | $50 US

Optical Drive:| Asus SATA DVD Burner | $17 CA | $17 US

SSD:| Samsung 850EVO 500GB SATA | $224 CA | $179 US

CPU Cooler:| Phanteks PH-TC14PE | $124 CA | $79 US

Total: |Prices as of 6-18-16|$2,549 CA|$1,881 US


Who needs money!:
Price Range: $4900 - $5000 Intel processor
United%20States.gif
Click Here to add all of the items to your cart.
Canada.gif
Canadians can do the same by clicking here.

Hardware
|
Name
|
Price CA
|
Price US

Processor:| Intel Core i7-5960X | $1,329 CA | $1,049 US

Motherboard:| EVGA X99 Classified LGA 2011 | $589CA | $379 US

RAM:| Corsair Dominator 4x8GB DDR4 32GB | $269 CA | $209 US

Video Card:| 2X MSI GTX 1080 | $899CA | $699 US

Power Supply:| Seasonic Platinum 1000 | $289 CA | $249 US

Case:| Cooler Master Cosmos II | $339 CA | $329 US

Blu-Ray:| LG Black 14x BD-R | $139 CA | $117 US

SSD:| 2xSamsung 850 Pro 2TB | $1099 CA | $ 919 US

CPU Cooler:| CORSAIR Hydro Series H115i | $169 CA | $109 US

Total: |Prices as of 6-18-16|$6,279 CA|$5,585 US

==================================================

Common PC questions

Processors (CPU's)

Different types of Sockets

Installing your Heatsink?: Use a proper thermal compound application


Video Cards:
Can't decide which video card to buy?:
Compare them by year
2014 - 2013 - 2012 - 2011 - 2010 - 2009

Performance Per Dollar by Techpowerup


Want to upgrade your video card? Check here first

TechPowerup's VGA BIOS collection (for advanced tweaking)

Crossfire Compatibility chart (7xxx/6xxx)
Crossfire Compatibility chart (R9/R7 Series)

SLI / Crossfire Q&A video.

Memory:
Ensure your Dual channel memory is appropriately configured. (Dated but relevant)

What are Memory Timings?


Software

Backup, copy, and restore your computer:
Seagate Drives
Western Digital Drives

Put your new system to the test:
Benchmark it with Unigine - 3dmark11 - 3dmark13 - Lost Planet 2 - Final Fantasy XIV - AVP Bench - Resident Evil 6


Differences Between Windows 7 Versions

Never Installed Windows before?: Watch this video

Hard Drives

New SSD? Check out this introductory guide.

Tom's "Best SSD for the money 2013"

Motherboards
Newegg's Motherborad Buying Guide
Guide to Motherboard Selection (dated but good concepts)

Power Supplies (Or PSU's):

2013 PSU break-down

PSU reviews: Anandtech - Jonnyguru

Think your PSU is bad?: test it here. (post in the thread if you need assistance)

Want to save money?: Don't cut corners on the PSU.
How much power does a generic unit truly provide?

Power supply Efficiency levels


Reference: OEM's of Popular PSU brands

How much power do I need?
Power requirement estimator #1(uses data from trusted review sources)
Power requirement estimator #2 (less accurate but more part options)

Power Requirements for video cards from MSI


Video Tutorials on PC Building
I disagree with the host in some areas but overall it's a well done series. Long Winded however. For an absolute beginner it's a good resource. If you just need help with assembly, watch the second video.

Pt.1 Basic PC introduction and Component selection.
Pt.2 Assembling your system
Pt.3 Installing your OS, other odds and ends.


Thread Updated as Hardware is Released


I use NewEgg as a reference for PC components. Please shop around and find the best prices if they can be found elsewhere. In my experience NewEgg has fair prices though.

*Prices might not be 100% accurate. Check them carefully. Some items include additional mail in rebates as well. Those savings are not reflected in my prices so your build may actually be cheaper in the end.

**When choosing your parts remember you are the boss. do no hesitate to tailor one of these blueprints to your specific needs. Want a great multimedia PC but don't really need high end gaming? Spend less on the GPU and add a Blu-Ray player and Tuner Card. Need additional Storage? Go for the 2TB drive.


Planning to build a new computer #9 (Haswell / Skylake)

Planning to build a new computer #8 (Haswell v2 / AMD who?)
Planning to build a new computer #7 (Haswell v2 / Kabini gen)
Planning to build a new computer #6 (Haswell v1 / Piledriver gen)
Planning to build a new computer #5 (Ivy Bridge / Haswell / Piledriver gen)
Planning to build a new computer #4 (Ivy Bridge / Bulldozer gen)
Planning to build a new computer #3 (Sandy Bridge / Phenom II gen)
Planning to build a new computer #2
Planning to build a new computer #1 by Sined
 
Last edited by a moderator:

SniperHF

Rejecting Reports
Mar 9, 2007
42,631
21,042
Phoenix
New thread, all new builds!

Random notes:
Most of the build prices went down in USD by $100 or so. RAM and SSD price drops along with most CPU prices going down. Except the 6700k which went up a tad.

Even with the founders edition nonsense things are pretty good though. I'm not sure you ever could have gotten more computer than you can in that $1500 build for the money. Price cuts to SSDs and RAM made it not a $1500 build but a $1300 one.

Canadian prices went up across the board despite getting those same price cuts to RAM/SSDs. You guys pay like 70% more for the same motherboards in some cases :laugh: I guessed on the GPU prices since they aren't even listed yet. Probably guessed low even :laugh:
 

Kestrel

Registered User
Jan 30, 2005
5,814
129
New thread, all new builds!

Random notes:
Most of the build prices went down in USD by $100 or so. RAM and SSD price drops along with most CPU prices going down. Except the 6700k which went up a tad.

Even with the founders edition nonsense things are pretty good though. I'm not sure you ever could have gotten more computer than you can in that $1500 build for the money. Price cuts to SSDs and RAM made it not a $1500 build but a $1300 one.

Canadian prices went up across the board despite getting those same price cuts to RAM/SSDs. You guys pay like 70% more for the same motherboards in some cases :laugh: I guessed on the GPU prices since they aren't even listed yet. Probably guessed low even :laugh:

Yeah, we get shafted up here! Thanks for getting the new builds listed!
 

guinness

Not Ingrid for now
Mar 11, 2002
14,521
301
Missoula, Montana
www.missoulian.com
Canadians get so hosed.

And while I get including AMD for completeness, the Skylake i3's are so much better on the lower end than whatever AMD has out currently.

The worst thing, is that Intel has no real competition, so much like Nvidia, they can set their prices and charge whatever. Also, IMO/experience, for those people with Intel Core CPUs from the last couple generations, I wouldn't even bother with looking at Skylake, the increments with the newer CPUs just aren't like they used to be in the early 2000's year to year.

Also, while I have a BR burner/drive, can't remember the last time I used it - if I didn't have some legacy components, I probably would just go all out with mATX and ditch the 5" bay, and double down on SSD and M2 drives.
 

Commander Clueless

Hiya, hiya. Pleased to meetcha.
Sep 10, 2008
15,237
2,922
New thread, all new builds!

Random notes:
Most of the build prices went down in USD by $100 or so. RAM and SSD price drops along with most CPU prices going down. Except the 6700k which went up a tad.

Even with the founders edition nonsense things are pretty good though. I'm not sure you ever could have gotten more computer than you can in that $1500 build for the money. Price cuts to SSDs and RAM made it not a $1500 build but a $1300 one.

Canadian prices went up across the board despite getting those same price cuts to RAM/SSDs. You guys pay like 70% more for the same motherboards in some cases :laugh: I guessed on the GPU prices since they aren't even listed yet. Probably guessed low even :laugh:

Great job on the builds Sniper.

Yeah Canadian prices are still garbage overall.

According to pre-order prices we're paying $620 for the 1070.
 

XX

Waiting for Ishbia
Dec 10, 2002
54,886
14,502
PHX
Can't wait for AMD to drive down some of that Nvidia pricing ****ery. $379 should be 379.
 

Dave

Registered User
Oct 27, 2009
4,508
3
Off topic but I recently bought a new laptop, and though it's nice to have everything modern spec-wise, have no performance issues, etc it's kind of surprising to see how much better my 7 year old macbook pro's track pad is compared to a brand new PC one.

I'm sure the tech is much the same but the gestures/functionality/customization is much better on mac. In fact it was one of the reasons I bought a mac so long ago, it's hard to believe PC (or dell, maybe some PC's are) isn't on par with it yet.
 

Belamorte

Feed Your Head
Nov 14, 2003
2,942
7
North American Scum
Oh shoot, this thread reminds me I need to find that card to send to XX. I had a busy weekend and forgot (fathers day and all), need to dig around in my 'computer closet' for it. Will send soon XX.
 

Kestrel

Registered User
Jan 30, 2005
5,814
129
Oh shoot, this thread reminds me I need to find that card to send to XX. I had a busy weekend and forgot (fathers day and all), need to dig around in my 'computer closet' for it. Will send soon XX.

I still remember you sending me a couple of cards... I never used either personally, but it made my dad's and sister's computers quite usable - 2 people who don't really get to spend much on their computer systems, but both enjoy using them. I still appreciate that!
 

Lame Lambert

Fire Lou
Mar 5, 2015
21,216
15,631
I've been wanting to play Bioshock Infinite, but I wanted to play 1 and 2 first. Am I crazy for thinking 2 is better? I know 1 is considered to be a masterpiece, but I wasn't a fan when it came out and I'm not a fan 8 years later. I just finished 2 for the first time and I enjoyed it much more.
 

SniperHF

Rejecting Reports
Mar 9, 2007
42,631
21,042
Phoenix
I've been wanting to play Bioshock Infinite, but I wanted to play 1 and 2 first. Am I crazy for thinking 2 is better? I know 1 is considered to be a masterpiece, but I wasn't a fan when it came out and I'm not a fan 8 years later. I just finished 2 for the first time and I enjoyed it much more.

I've always maintained that 2 is a superior game mechanically. So if the story/atmosphere of 1 didn't really work for you then I could see liking 2 more.

But if you also like the softer traits of 2 more than 1 I'd just flat out disagree.

I'm also not one of those who consider any of them a masterpiece. People who do probably think you are nuts :P
 

Lame Lambert

Fire Lou
Mar 5, 2015
21,216
15,631
I've always maintained that 2 is a superior game mechanically. So if the story/atmosphere of 1 didn't really work for you then I could see liking 2 more.

But if you also like the softer traits of 2 more than 1 I'd just flat out disagree.

I'm also not one of those who consider any of them a masterpiece. People who do probably think you are nuts :P

I think the mechanics had something to do with it; one was so clunky and I found myself getting frustrated with it at points. The story in one was a bit better but the ending just ruined it for me. The ending of 2 was a lot better and the final battle was much more satisfying than that stupid boss fight in the first one.
 

sobrien

RAFFLCOPTER
Jul 19, 2009
8,948
127
South Jersey
Hey guys,

thanks for builds and all the info in here! Very useful.

I'm considering a couple of the builds in the OP, as my current rig may have just kicked the bucket. What constitutes casual vs. moderate gaming in your opinions? I don't play PC games nearly as much as I used to, although my setup may have scared me off some of the titles (I really really stuggled to play the ESO beta when I was interested in doing so, and playing Skyrim was an adventure at times).

I'm interested in games like Total War, Civ, the annual return to WoW for a couple weeks, some of my older titles like C&C and LOTR:ME and some other Steam titles here and there. Nothing extravagent as far as I can tell.

I also just bought my first car! So anywhere I can save a few bucks here or there, it'd be appreciated.
 

SniperHF

Rejecting Reports
Mar 9, 2007
42,631
21,042
Phoenix
I'm interested in games like Total War, Civ, the annual return to WoW for a couple weeks, some of my older titles like C&C and LOTR:ME and some other Steam titles here and there. Nothing extravagent as far as I can tell.

Civ and Total war are actually pretty intensive. The second build would be the minimum (i3, GTX 950), and more would be better in the case of Total War. Though you can always turn down settings if you aren't demanding the highest end graphic options.

Though it would probably be prudent to wait and see what AMD brings with the R9 480 and 470. If the price is right it might be outright worth it to spend the extra $75 on it regardless of your needs since by most indications it will obliterate every other budget card. Supposed to be available starting June 29th.

The first build would do for someone playing League of Legends, Rocket League, lower end indie type games, and older games. I'd call that "casual".
 

Belamorte

Feed Your Head
Nov 14, 2003
2,942
7
North American Scum
Ok XX, sorry it is taking so long (as i forgot), I just dug through my 'computer closet' and found it. I will try to get to the post office in the next day or 2. When I send it will be in a 970 box probably (and do you need the cables/hookups that go with it - I do not need them)?




I also came across a GTX 260 if anyone is interested while I was digging.
 
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Belamorte

Feed Your Head
Nov 14, 2003
2,942
7
North American Scum
I still remember you sending me a couple of cards... I never used either personally, but it made my dad's and sister's computers quite usable - 2 people who don't really get to spend much on their computer systems, but both enjoy using them. I still appreciate that!


Great, I am glad someone got use of them rather than just sending them to the dump/recycler.
 

XX

Waiting for Ishbia
Dec 10, 2002
54,886
14,502
PHX
Ok XX, sorry it is taking so long (as i forgot), I just dug through my 'computer closet' and found it. I will try to get to the post office in the next day or 2. When I send it will be in a 970 box probably (and do you need the cables/hookups that go with it - I do not need them)?

No cables needed. Appreciate it.
 

sobrien

RAFFLCOPTER
Jul 19, 2009
8,948
127
South Jersey
Civ and Total war are actually pretty intensive. The second build would be the minimum (i3, GTX 950), and more would be better in the case of Total War. Though you can always turn down settings if you aren't demanding the highest end graphic options.

Though it would probably be prudent to wait and see what AMD brings with the R9 480 and 470. If the price is right it might be outright worth it to spend the extra $75 on it regardless of your needs since by most indications it will obliterate every other budget card. Supposed to be available starting June 29th.

The first build would do for someone playing League of Legends, Rocket League, lower end indie type games, and older games. I'd call that "casual".

Thanks for the help and the heads up!
 

SeidoN

#OGOC #2018 HFW Predictions Champ
Aug 8, 2012
30,796
6,445
AEF
someone has offered me a good deal on a Lunar White Wireless xbox one controller. does anyone know if I can just buy a bog standard micro-usb cable to use it on pc? I dont fancy shelling out £20 for a wireless dongle tbh
 

Lame Lambert

Fire Lou
Mar 5, 2015
21,216
15,631
someone has offered me a good deal on a Lunar White Wireless xbox one controller. does anyone know if I can just buy a bog standard micro-usb cable to use it on pc? I dont fancy shelling out £20 for a wireless dongle tbh

Yes you can
 

Belamorte

Feed Your Head
Nov 14, 2003
2,942
7
North American Scum
No cables needed. Appreciate it.


Once again, I am sorry it is taking so long, but everyone in my house has been sick for the past week and I just have not gotten a chance to get to the Post Office. Though it is sitting beside me, I just need to wrap it, take to Post Office and apply postage. Believe me, it is coming.
 

Kestrel

Registered User
Jan 30, 2005
5,814
129
Once again, I am sorry it is taking so long, but everyone in my house has been sick for the past week and I just have not gotten a chance to get to the Post Office. Though it is sitting beside me, I just need to wrap it, take to Post Office and apply postage. Believe me, it is coming.

Belamorte is good for it :nod:
 

kr580

Who knows.
Aug 9, 2009
1,386
18
California
So here's my current setup. I think that's all the relevant stuff in it.

Edit: PCPartPicker list if that helps you look at specs.

CPU: Intel Core i3 550
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus
Motherboard: BIOSTAR Group T5XE CFX-SLI
Memory: Crucial 4GB CT2KIT25664BA1339
Storage: Western Digital Blue 500GB WD5000AAKS
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD5770 1GB DDR5 PCIE
Case: Antec Three Hundred
Power Supply: CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX
Optical Drive: ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS
Operating System: Windows 7

I bought it 5.5 years ago so obviously stuff is out of date. If I were to upgrade my rig with modern stuff to get better processing and more RAM that can handle running more CPU-intensive stuff (games, Adobe stuff, video editing stuff, etc), what could I keep from my current rig to save money? I've been out of the game too long to know what all the current standards are. Any start in the right direction would be cool. I'm in no hurry, just researching at the moment.

I'm guessing I'll need to upgrade the CPU, Mobo, Ram, CPU Fan and get an SSD to be in good shape. Does that sound right?

Thanks.
 
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