$1500 gaming build help

[Elementroar]

All the prices are from TradePac price list + my guess if they don't put down one; mostly for convenience and hope the discount from the boss for full system is worth it (typically how much? $10 or worse lol?).

[MOBO + CPU combo]
CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($285.00)
Motherboard: ASRock Z170 Pro4 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($222.00)

[GPU + PSU combo]
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card ($580.00)
Power Supply: Cooler Master 650W ($98.00)

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO ($13.00) [the model on the price list just says CM Hyper 212, dunno if it's this model really]
Memory: Kingston FURY 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($94.00)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($66.00)
Case: Fractal Design Arc Midi R2 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($110.00)

Total: $1468.00

Really wanna try to shave more $$ off, cos I still need to budget for a 21.5" 1080p monitor and a mechanical keyboard (need at least $300 for them if I'm lucky). My desk is 40cm deep and I'm stuck at 2 feet away from it so I'm not aiming at gaming any higher than that resolution right now.

Thinking about going with Palit GTX 970 and a cheaper PSU al carte, might get me at least $100 more for the budget

(I have a spare HDTV I can maybe use as a monitor, but I read that it's not recommended cos the resolution kinda sucks, and input lag.)

Also I'm willing to order some parts online if significantly cheaper, but so far all of the combined shipping costs seem to cancel out any benefit.

 

[manisherx]

Not getting any SSD?
ZOTAC GTX 970 4GB ($479) - You have 100

 

[Elementroar]

Thought about SSD, it's something I can live without for now.

If I get the Zotac, still need to pick a PSU and TradePac purposely doesn't list their PSU prices so I'm guessing them zzz

Edit: Also Zotac GTX 970 or Palit GTX 970 Jetstream? Both same price. The Zotac isn't the AMP version from what I'm seeing.

 

[manisherx]

Thought about SSD, it's something I can live without for now.

If I get the Zotac, still need to pick a PSU and TradePac purposely doesn't list their PSU prices so I'm guessing them zzz

Edit: Also Zotac GTX 970 or Palit GTX 970 Jetstream? Both same price. The Zotac isn't the AMP version from what I'm seeing.

I think I saw this on previous tread its quite a good buy for ssd

http://list.qoo10.sg/item/SAMSUNG-S...MZ-75E120B/423108931?selectedOptions=10492326

 

[herman1314]

All the prices are from TradePac price list + my guess if they don't put down one; mostly for convenience and hope the discount from the boss for full system is worth it (typically how much? $10 or worse lol?).

[MOBO + CPU combo]
CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($285.00)
Motherboard: ASRock Z170 Pro4 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($222.00)

[GPU + PSU combo]
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card ($580.00)
Power Supply: Cooler Master 650W ($98.00)

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO ($13.00) [the model on the price list just says CM Hyper 212, dunno if it's this model really]
Memory: Kingston FURY 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($94.00)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($66.00)
Case: Fractal Design Arc Midi R2 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($110.00)

Total: $1468.00

Really wanna try to shave more $$ off, cos I still need to budget for a 21.5" 1080p monitor and a mechanical keyboard (need at least $300 for them if I'm lucky). My desk is 40cm deep and I'm stuck at 2 feet away from it so I'm not aiming at gaming any higher than that resolution right now.

Thinking about going with Palit GTX 970 and a cheaper PSU al carte, might get me at least $100 more for the budget

(I have a spare HDTV I can maybe use as a monitor, but I read that it's not recommended cos the resolution kinda sucks, and input lag.)

Also I'm willing to order some parts online if significantly cheaper, but so far all of the combined shipping costs seem to cancel out any benefit.

for the cpu and mobo, since you're getting a non-k cpu, don't get a z170 motherboard. the z170 chipset is made to allow for overclocking on K series cpus only, and getting a z170 motherboard for a non-k cpu is really a waste as it costs alot more than a just getting a b150/h170 mobo, and you won't be able to overclock.
for the cooler, even in the USA it still dosen't cost $13, i think you mistook a case fan as the heatsink
for the gpu and psu combo, entry-level coolermaster psus are not very good(higher end ones are fine). if you don't care much about the aesthetics, you can go for a palit/zotac gtx 970 for $470-480 or go amd with a powercolor/sapphire r9 390 for $519/540.
for the memory, unless you want it for aesthetics, just get the cheapest stick of 8gb ddr4 as it dosen't affect the performance much.
for storage, seagate has high failure rates compared to western digital, dont get them.

 

[jedi5diah]

http://ssd.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Samsung-850-Pro-256GB-vs-Samsung-850-Evo-250GB/2385vs2977

evo might not be value for money

 

[Elementroar]

I think I saw this on previous tread its quite a good buy for ssd

That does look good, tho was thinking I'd spring for a 240GB one if I'm getting an SSD. The normal retail and Qoo price a bit over what it costs in USD tho (Sandisk 120GB SSD is retail about USD$55 w/o discount)

But I'll check it out, thanks!

 

[Elementroar]

for the cpu and mobo, since you're getting a non-k cpu, don't get a z170 motherboard. the z170 chipset is made to allow for overclocking on K series cpus only, and getting a z170 motherboard for a non-k cpu is really a waste as it costs alot more than a just getting a b150/h170 mobo, and you won't be able to overclock.
for the cooler, even in the USA it still dosen't cost $13, i think you mistook a case fan as the heatsink
for the gpu and psu combo, entry-level coolermaster psus are not very good(higher end ones are fine). if you don't care much about the aesthetics, you can go for a palit/zotac gtx 970 for $470-480 or go amd with a powercolor/sapphire r9 390 for $519/540.
for the memory, unless you want it for aesthetics, just get the cheapest stick of 8gb ddr4 as it dosen't affect the performance much.
for storage, seagate has high failure rates compared to western digital, dont get them.

Lol yeah I suspected about the HSF/Cooler fan! Have to doublecheck what I'm looking at at that column (not clear really, prolly have to go to the store to clarify)

And thanks for heads-up on the MOBO. If the only difference is whether I OC or not (prolly not going to) then I can cut down that part a bit (more scared I have to top-up the difference to upgrade to the Skylake CPUs because the H170 MOBOs don't bundle with them by default ugh)

I'm totally fine with Palit or Zotac, but I don't know how to pick a good PSU to go with them. Any good budget to mid-range suggestions to pair with the Palit/Zotac GPU?

Also I'll switch over to W.Digital in the list, thanks!

 

[th3pr0]

you can get a i5-6600k from this guy
http://forums.vr-zone.com/motherboards-cpus-rams/3311398-bnib-intel-i7-6700k-i5-6600k-cpu-only.html

 

[herman1314]

this would be a better fit for you...
cpu and mobo:i5 6400 and b150m-d3h $427
graphics card(amd)owercolor r9 390 pcs+(videopro)$519
graphics card(nvidia):zotac gtx 970 twin fan $479
ram:kingston ddr4 2133 8gb valueram(lazada)$52.90+5*
ssd:zotac premium 240gb(lazada)$99+3**
hdd:WD 1tb blue $77
psu:seasonic s12ii 620w(lazada)$90+3***
case:fractal design arc midi r2(lazada)$109.65+7.50****
monitor:benq gl2460(lazada)$157.50+5*****
keyboard:tesoro excalibur blue led(lazada)$89+3
total(amd):$1647.55, total(nvidia):$1607.55
*after lazada app AAPROMO $15 off
**after lazada app MCDLAZ $20 off
***after lazada app WOWAPP $15 off
****after lazada app SINGLAZ15 15% off($20 max)
*****after lazada app mastercard monday 10% off($25 max)
all prices not bracketed are from pcthemes. do ask around for price quotes and discount before buying.

 

[Elementroar]

@herman: Quick question, I'm reading that h170 is made to work better with the Skylake CPUs, or there's no difference at all with it and b150?

Edit: Currently on sale is the Transcend SATA III 6Gb/s SSD370S Premium 256GB SSD for $95 with coupon applied. Seems like the best possible deal for a 256GB SSD I can get right?

Edit2: Decided to buy the SSD, looks like can't possibly get a better deal on a 256GB SSD.

 

[herman1314]

@herman: Quick question, I'm reading that h170 is made to work better with the Skylake CPUs, or there's no difference at all with it and b150?

Edit: Currently on sale is the Transcend SATA III 6Gb/s SSD370S Premium 256GB SSD for $95 with coupon applied. Seems like the best possible deal for a 256GB SSD I can get right?

Edit2: Decided to buy the SSD, looks like can't possibly get a better deal on a 256GB SSD.

Yup, that ssd is a good choice for $95. It does have a warranty, right? The h170 has some extra features compared to the b150, but i dont think you'll be using it anyways. Go and google it online, and see if you'll need the extra features before you decide on it.

 

[kandinsky]

@herman: Quick question, I'm reading that h170 is made to work better with the Skylake CPUs, or there's no difference at all with it and b150?

Edit: Currently on sale is the Transcend SATA III 6Gb/s SSD370S Premium 256GB SSD for $95 with coupon applied. Seems like the best possible deal for a 256GB SSD I can get right?

Edit2: Decided to buy the SSD, looks like can't possibly get a better deal on a 256GB SSD.

The new zotac premium (240gb) is also an option, similar price, decent reviews.

http://www.lazada.sg/zotac-240gb-25-premium-ssd-2420853.html

The Zotac Premium SSD is one of the few drives that can compete with the 850 EVO. Not so much from the standpoint of all-around performance, but definitely from a pricing perspective. As of late we've seen a lot of drives that are vastly inferior to the 850 EVO priced the same or even higher than the EVO. This is not the case with Zotac's Premium SSD. Zotac's drive is priced lower than the 850 EVO and at the same time, isn't too far behind in overall performance.


In our opinion, this makes the Zotac Premium SSD an excellent choice, preferable to both the HyperX Savage and the Corsair Neutron XT. The Zotac Premium SSD outperforms both the Neutron XT and the HyperX Savage and does so with far better pricing.

We feel that the Zotac Premium SSD is an ideal low-cost, high-performance drive for gamers where sequential performance is king. Zotac is a big name in video cards, and now making a splash with their new lineup of SSDs. What better than a Zotac SSD to compliment your Zotac video card?

Zotac's Premium SSD delivers an excellent SSD experience, end to end data path protection, 4K QD1 read performance of 10K IOPS, and second to none sequential performance. Zotac's first SSD is TweakTown recommended.

Pros:

Best Performing S10 Powered SSD to Date
10K IOPS 4K Read
Excellent Price Point
Quality MLC Flash

Cons:

No accessories
Low Moderate Workload Performance

http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/7418/zotac-premium-edition-240gb-sata-iii-ssd-review/index11.html

Zotac Premium Edition SSD Review – Conclusion

Starting with the build quality of the SSD Zotac get the basics right. Quality branded NAND from Toshiba mixed with tried and trusted cache and controller from Nanya and Phison. They also go above and beyond some of the competition by using a metal casing, rather than plastic.

Where we don’t get quite the same experience is on the software side. Most of the competition have invested resource in creating software which helps us manage and maintain the SSD. That can mean things like data migration, managing over-provisioning, secure erase or updating firmware. Zotac don’t provide any software. We assume they will have the option of distributing new firmware and a flasher in the future but a fully featured tool would be appreciated too.

On the performance front, everything shapes up nicely. Good peak speed, impressive random performance and quick load/boot times. Copy operations were also very competitive which was great to see. That combined with the aggressive pricing earns the Zotac Premium SSD our Recommended Award.

http://www.hardwareheaven.com/2015/12/zotac-premium-edition-ssd-review/

 

[herman1314]

The new zotac premium (240gb) is also an option, similar price, decent reviews.

http://www.lazada.sg/zotac-240gb-25-premium-ssd-2420853.html

too late, he already bought it

 

[Elementroar]

too late, he already bought it

Lol I saw that as well, before checking out today's daily deals on Lazada. Specs are comparable, same with reviews. Transcend is about $6 less. Every bit counts!

 

[Elementroar]

Small bump, is buying 2nd PC monitor a good idea? Thinking about saving some cash and get a monitor off Carousell or something.

Ditto for keyboards.

Or is there any store that specialize in 2nd refurbished monitors, keyboards etc.

 

[shadow84]

Small bump, is buying 2nd PC monitor a good idea? Thinking about saving some cash and get a monitor off Carousell or something.

Ditto for keyboards.

Or is there any store that specialize in 2nd refurbished monitors, keyboards etc.

whats ur budget for monitor?

Xtreme solutions at SLS, lvl 2 selling brand new ducky mech kb at $99. Reasonably priced, IMO.

 

[Elementroar]

whats ur budget for monitor?

Xtreme solutions at SLS, lvl 2 selling ducky mech kb at $99. Reasonably priced, IMO.

I was hoping to get an IPS monitor (because I do color-sensitive editing work sometimes), that'll set me back at least $160 if I'm lucky for a 21". Might compromise, but if I can get below $200 for 21", that's my main aim right now. I have a small desk so 24" is wasted right now.

Yeah when I'm at SLS to buy some parts, I'm heading there to test the keys on-site. A decent mechanical keyboard below $100 is my aim, could go for Tenkeyless too.

PS: Meant 2nd-hand monitor.

 

[Crexzz]

TS should check out qoo10 thread regarding this cny coupon of $100discount off $500 total purchase regardless of number of items.

U can try getting some of your items thru qoo10. Monitor,psu n graphics card

 

[Crexzz]

a sudden thought came to mind.

If TS is able to find all the items he need on qoo10 and total cost come to $1.5k

Then perhaps can set up 3 different account and "split purchase" with the 3 accounts hecan get a total of $300 off his $1.5k purchase