Noob looking at doing a build

[Peebles24]

Well parts are ordered all but the graphics card. Wife had a slightly different idea on what i needed to spend, but she did know i needed to replace my crapped out 8 year old hp. So i had to buy some used parts to get almost inside budget.

**CPU** | [Intel - Core i7-6700K 4 GHz Quad-Core Processor](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/tdmxFT/intel-cpu-bx80662i76700k) | Purchased For $200.00
**CPU Cooler** | [Cooler Master - MasterLiquid ML240L RGB 66.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/Rc...b-667-cfm-liquid-cpu-cooler-mlw-d24m-a20pc-r1) | Purchased For $59.99
**Motherboard** | [Gigabyte - GA-Z170X-Gaming 7 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/bzNypg/gigabyte-motherboard-gaz170xgaming7) | Purchased For $100.00
**Memory** | [G.Skill - Trident Z 32 GB (4 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/NRkwrH/gskill-memory-f43200c16q32gtzb) | Purchased For $210.00
**Storage** | [Seagate - Barracuda 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/Cb...tb-35-7200rpm-internal-hard-drive-st2000dm006) | Purchased For $60.00
**Video Card** | [MSI - GeForce RTX 2060 6 GB VENTUS OC Video Card](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/RV...gb-ventus-oc-video-card-rtx-2060-ventus-6g-oc) | $359.99 @ Newegg Business
**Case** | [Deepcool - MATREXX 55 ATX Mid Tower Case](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/2Zvbt6/deepcool-matrexx-55-atx-mid-tower-case-matrexx-55) | Purchased For $45.00
**Power Supply** | [SeaSonic - FOCUS Plus Gold 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/jW...fied-fully-modular-atx-power-supply-ssr-850fx) | Purchased For $100.00
**Operating System** | [Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/wtgPxr/microsoft-os-kw900140) | Purchased For $35.00
**Case Fan** | [Cooler Master - MasterFan Pro 120 Air Flow RGB 48.8 CFM 120mm Fan](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/8c...-11npc-r1-488-cfm-120mm-fan-mfy-f2dn-11npc-r1) | Purchased For $13.00
**Case Fan** | [Cooler Master - MasterFan Pro 120 Air Pressure RGB 3 in 1 w/RGB LED Controller 35 CFM 120mm Fans](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/RT...ntroller-350-cfm-120mm-fans-mfy-p2dc-153pc-r1) | Purchased For $34.99
| *Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts* |
| **Total** | **$1217.97**

Im hoping this will run like a champ and i can still play with overclocking, although 5ghz is out of the question. Still need to get a 250gb ssd boot drive and dont know what to order. Im kinda holding off on gpu till i see a couple reviews on the new gtx 1660.

 

[Bill_Bright]

Well, not sure the point of your thread - most people seek advice BEFORE actually making the purchase. Not a whole lot of help when we don't know the intended primary purpose of this system either. We can assume gaming but it typically is not good to assume.

But since here, I will give you my opinion anyway.

1. For the vast majority of users 16GB is actually more RAM than they will ever need. But 16GB is still typically considered the "sweet spot" for high performance PCs these days - where less than 16GB and performance may be affected and more than 16GB yields negligible, if any noticeable performance gains at all.

It is essential to remember game developers fully understand most gamers don't have deep pockets. So they code their games to provide good game play on lessor systems. So really 8GB (with a nice SSD that has plenty of free space) is typically more than enough. 16GB ensures that. With 2 x 8GB now, if really wanted, another 2 x 8GB would have made a great , guaranteed to please, birthday, Christmas or Father's Day gift suggestion! I'm just saying, planning ahead comes in many forms.

2. 850W is way way more than you need! As seen here, a quality 500W supply would meet your needs. To adjust for possible future upgrades, I would have recommended 600-650W. Note 500W value was already padded even more by bumping up CPU utilization to 100% TPD and Computer Utilization to 16 hours per day. I even added a Blu-Ray drive for good measure and included 4 x 120mm fans. I don't know where you found it for $100 (the best I see is ~$105), but the good news is, that is a very good price for that PSU. And it is a quality PSU too.

We have found that most people never "need" over 1TB of disk space and typically don't even come close to actually needing 1TB. They only think they do. The fact is, most users - if they are honest with themselves - can easily fit the OS and their security, major applications like MS Office and office documents, all their photos, emails, music, games and even many favorite videos on a 1TB drive and still have a couple 100GB free for the OS to operate in. But sadly, people tend to be data hoarders. We see something, like it, save it, then forget about it. But we don't need it.

My point? Because you have another keeping tabs on the budget, I would have trimmed the budget here and there (including waiting for the less expensive GTX 1660 Ti - expected to retail at $280 USD) and gone for a 500 to 1TB SSD instead. Hard drives are slow, noisy, big, slow, heavy, power hungry, archaic, clunky, legacy devices. Did I mention they are slow?

 

[Peebles24]

Thank you sir. I had changed several things on my build with the first system i posted. Yes i will be doing some gaming, mainly final fantasy and some first person shooter. One change i made was the psu to a seasonic and after looking at reviews the 850 scored really well, yes it is overkill but adds for sure future proofing. The 32gb ram will see a improvement but yes it is more than i need i wont try to disagree. There shouldnt be a 2nd hdd on my list, there should be a 250gb ssd but i dont have a clue which one, i need help there.
I want to play with over clocking and 5.0ghz plus was the goal but from what im reading the 6700 is only good for a stable reliable 4.6 if i did well on the lottery. I havent yet ordered my gpu, im waiting to see the 1660 in a comparison, i dont need ray tracing but the 2060 bang for the buck is fast.

Sorry to seem pointless, but i did learn stuff from when i first posted this and yes i didnt totally listen but the changes i did make do to comments i believe will be very beneficial for my systems long term life span.

Thank you
Chad

 

[Bill_Bright]

There shouldnt be a 2nd hdd on my list, there should be a 250gb ssd but i dont have a clue which one, i need help there.

I didn't mention anything about a 2nd hard drive.

If you are intent on going with a SSD boot drive and a hard drive as a secondary drive, I still recommend a 500GB SSD or larger for the boot. This will ensure plenty of room for the OS, security, drivers, major applications like Office and give Windows and all its temp files, including the page file too. It will also give Windows plenty of wiggle room for updates AND maintain the ability to roll back. You can still use the HD for your games etc.

It should be noted even the slowest SSD can easily run circles around the fastest hard drives. But if you want maximum performance and your motherboard supports M.2, I would go that way. If not SATA III will still amaze.

 

[EarthDog]

This will ensure plenty of room for the OS, security, drivers, major applications like Office and give Windows and all its temp files, including the page file too. It will also give Windows plenty of wiggle room for updates AND maintain the ability to roll back.

256GB can do that twice over and then some. The extra space can be used for the most used game(s), etc. I agree with going bigger, but not because of those reasons when, really, a 128GB could easily capture windows and updates and restore points/roll backs (does one really need to keep several copies?)... but little room for any games and apps.

But if you want maximum performance and your motherboard supports M.2, I would go that way. If not SATA III will still amaze.

Indeed. To add to this, M.2 is the form factor. Users are able to get these modules in SATA3 form (just as fast as any SATA3 based SSD) or a PCIe NVMe based M.2 drive which many are multiple times faster than SSD (be it M.2 or 2.5").

 

[Bill_Bright]

256GB can do that twice over and then some.

Twice? Ummm no. Not when you include major application suites like MS Office, and all your security apps.

There is plenty of room in a 256GB for one copy of each with an ample amount to spare. But not "twice over and then some". I have W10 Pro, MS Office 2016, my drivers, and other installed apps on this 256GB HD. I have 146GB free. That is still plenty of room to play around in - for now.

 

[Peebles24]

Sorry i obviously cant read lol. I swear i saw something about 2 hdd. Anyhow what is the best bang for the buck in ssd including m2 cause the z170 is supposedly capable. Or would a optane module be just as good, i think this board is optane ready.

 

[trents]

We need to keep in mind that OP has already ordered all but the video card. Debating the wisdom of those already made choices is futile unless he wants to do returns and incur restocking fees.

 

[Peebles24]

I did lots of research on parts i ordered and listened to what was told to me in this post (mostly). I am pretty set on a msi 2060 probably the gaming z model but as i said still not ordered and up for debate once the 1660 is actually out and tested. I have at least 2 weeks before parts come in and i get it mostly built. Before i intall the OS though i need to decide on a boot drive if it is even really needed. I want my entire cd collection on my hdd in full quality for itunes which is why i knew i wanted a hdd. And may later add another hdd to put my 600+ dvd and blu ray on as a home movie server. But other than faster boot do i need a ssd or see any huge improvement from one not like in the scheme of things 50 bucks is a problem.

 

[Peebles24]

Never mind optane cause z170 chip does not support it. But it does do m2 ssd.

 

[trents]

I did lots of research on parts i ordered and listened to what was told to me in this post (mostly). I am pretty set on a msi 2060 probably the gaming z model but as i said still not ordered and up for debate once the 1660 is actually out and tested. I have at least 2 weeks before parts come in and i get it mostly built. Before i intall the OS though i need to decide on a boot drive if it is even really needed. I want my entire cd collection on my hdd in full quality for itunes which is why i knew i wanted a hdd. And may later add another hdd to put my 600+ dvd and blu ray on as a home movie server. But other than faster boot do i need a ssd or see any huge improvement from one not like in the scheme of things 50 bucks is a problem.

You will need a boot drive. It would be very difficult to start the computer without one unless you use Linux Live or something that will boot from a flash drive or an optical disk.

 

[Peebles24]

I have been reading about installing OS from a 4gb thumb drive, but i plan to get a external dvd/cdrom drive to add my cds ect. I have never done a OS install on a fresh build so this is all new territory for me.

 

[trents]

Trust me. You don't want to be booting from a flash drive or an optical disk. It would be slower then the seven year itch. You would be much better off from a performance perspective to go with a conventional platter hard disk than to do that. But if performance is important to you at all, get an SSD. It is the number one bang for buck performance upgrade. You will cut your boot times in half or better and your programs will load faster as well. Prices on SSDs are currently the lowest I have ever seen them.

If you want to save some money on the OS then check this out: https://www.urcdkey.com/microsoft-windows-10-pro-oem-cd-key-global_1966-20.html It's legit. A lot of us here on OC forums have used it. All you get is a product key. You can create an installer here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

It's very easy to install the OS. Pretty much takes care of itself. You start it by selecting the drive containing the install media, i.e., the flash drive or DVD, to boot from initially. Use the boot drive select hot key to do this. You will have a choice when installing to install "offline" (not through a Microsoft account) or with a Microsoft account which requires you to give Microsoft an email address and a password. I generally use the first method.

 

[Peebles24]

Oh no, i didnt mean use a thumb drive as a boot drive.

So is a crucial mx500 good as a sata ssd they are much cheaper than a samsung i hear so many talk about.

 

[trents]

Yes, Crucial is a good brand. Just find a good sale on any major brand: Crucial, Adata, Kingston, Patriot, Western Digital, HP, Mushkin. They will all be very fast and reliability is pretty much the same. Samsung gives a 5 yr. warranty on their SSDs and most of the others give 3 yr.

- - - Auto-Merged Double Post - - -

Oh no, i didnt mean use a thumb drive as a boot drive.

So is a crucial mx500 good as a sata ssd they are much cheaper than a samsung i hear so many talk about.

Sorry, I didn't read very carefully. I would use at least an 8gb thumb drive to build an Windows 10 installer. I think that is the minimum as the OS files and folders take up more than 4gb.

 

[Peebles24]

So 7 bucks for extra warranty and a slight speed bump

 

[trents]

So 7 bucks for extra warranty and a slight speed bump

You mean for the Samsung SSD?

 

[Bill_Bright]

Trust me. You don't want to be booting from a flash drive or an optical disk.

I agree - except to install the OS. And for that, I prefer an optical drive - and an internal SATA optical drive at that. I do not, and never have liked USB connected drives. IMO, USB just is not as "universal" (or reliable) as the USB consortium have continually promised it would be. However, I have successfully installed OSs from a thumb drive too. I just prefer optical disks - if a drive is available. And since you have said you wanted to transfer your music from CDs, you will need an optical drive anyway. But I would consider an internal drive.

FWIW, I have over 600 music CDs in my collection. I transferred almost 4,000 of my favorite tunes (in lossless format) from more than 440 CDs to my HD. Not once did I lose connection - as happens frequently with external USB drives for many people. And FYI, those nearly 4,000 tunes take up 55.7GB of disk space. Movies take up much much more.

 

[EarthDog]

These days, I strongly prefer USB/flash installs over optical. The only reason I would use optical is if i had no choice.

USB installs, especially USB 3.0+ installs are WAY faster than optical media. Windows installs from optical versus a 3.0 drive (even 2.0 is faster) is no contest. Many don't even have an optical drive as well.

With most modern mobo's USB3.0 is native anyway so there is little trouble installing an OS from one. I haven't had issues for multiple generations over dozens and dozens of boards.

 

[Bill_Bright]

Many don't even have an optical drive as well.

I understand that and that is why I have used thumb drives. But again, the OP has already expressed a desire to transfer his music from CDs to local disk. That means he will already need an optical drive.

FRT, I am not saying I have encountered OS installation problems installing from flash drives. What I am saying I have encountered many MANY times, USB port problems - even on new boards - where connected devices are not recognized or detected, and that's my complaint - not the flash drive, but USB in general. Ff the installation flash drive is properly recognized, it works great.

As far as install speeds, yeah, installing from DVD is almost always the slowest. But for me, that really does not matter. I am always doing something else during Windows installs anyway. That is, I click on "Next" then wonder off and work on something else. Then I come back and click "Next" again and wonder off again. I don't normally sit in front of the monitor waiting for the next user input prompt.

Another reason I like installing the OS from an optical disk is because I prefer the DVD installation media to flash drives. But that's me. Yeah, optical disks can break or get scratched, but generally they are easy to care for, thus are not subject to data corruption or unreadable disks like flash drives are.