new computer build feedback

[Bones]

so im getting ready to pull the trigger on a new computer build but i have no idea what im doing. I would love some feedback.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
CPU: Intel Core i7-6800K 3.4GHz 6-Core Processor ($439.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i v2 70.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($94.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus SABERTOOTH X99 ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($303.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Dominator Platinum 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($229.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($157.30 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 1080 8GB ROG STRIX Video Card ($714.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define XL R2 (Black Pearl) ATX Full Tower Case ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($96.82 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG WH14NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSC0B DVD/CD Writer ($19.49 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $2307.51
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-09-14 09:05 EDT-0400

 

[Bubble181]

Holy Piece of Cookie With Some Wine, do you need/want to control the Space Shuttle? 'Cause that's a PC that can do that.

Well, assuming you want a super-top-of-the-line PC good for the next few years, looks good. I'd say it's a comparatively cheap case when balanced against other parts, but I don't really see why you'd need a bigger/more expensive one; someone else might point out some more connector possibilities though I don't see anything missing from that one.

Other than that ,the only thing I can offer is penis envy.

 

[Bones]

Holy Piece of Cookie With Some Wine, do you need/want to control the Space Shuttle? 'Cause that's a PC that can do that. Other than that ,the only thing I can offer is penis envy.

haha i last built a computer when i was in my early 20's so im overdue

I'd say it's a comparatively cheap case when balanced against other parts, but I don't really see why you'd need a bigger/more expensive one;

i had a hard time finding a case that was plain design with no lights and windows.

 

[GasBandit]

Ye GODS what a beast that thing is.

 

[Bones]

made some changes, because screw it i came this far.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
CPU: Intel Core i7-6800K 3.4GHz 6-Core Processor ($439.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i v2 70.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($94.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus SABERTOOTH X99 ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($303.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Dominator Platinum 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($229.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 Pro Series 512GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($220.35 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 1080 8GB ROG STRIX Video Card ($714.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define XL R2 (Black Pearl) ATX Full Tower Case ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair 860W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($205.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG WH14NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSC0B DVD/CD Writer ($19.49 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $2479.72
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-09-14 17:33 EDT-0400
went with the most robust version of the PSU and upgraded the ssd to the pro version.

 

[strawman]

Well, I'd drop the ssd and get an M.2 ssd. This plugs into the M.2 slot on your motherboard which is a four lane pcie slot.

In other words the drive you've selected tops out at 500MB/s, but the drive I'm suggesting tops out at 2,500MB/s, a five fold increase.

Samsung 950 PRO Series - 512GB PCIe NVMe - M.2 Internal SSD (MZ-V5P512BW

This gives me 12-20 second boot times on my machine, and should give you substantially similar times on yours.

Given you're going high end on everything else, I figured you should know about the new M.2 storage slot that your motherboard probably already has.

 

[Bones]

Well, I'd drop the ssd and get an M.2 ssd. This plugs into the M.2 slot on your motherboard which is a four lane pcie slot.

In other words the drive you've selected tops out at 500MB/s, but the drive I'm suggesting tops out at 2,500MB/s, a five fold increase.

Samsung 950 PRO Series - 512GB PCIe NVMe - M.2 Internal SSD (MZ-V5P512BW

This gives me 12-20 second boot times on my machine, and should give you substantially similar times on yours.

Given you're going high end on everything else, I figured you should know about the new M.2 storage slot that your motherboard probably already has.

what if my computer never goes offline? that adds like another 120 to the build from something that started at 1500 before i started talking to people.

 

[strawman]

Well, being able to load your game content 5 times faster is somewhat of a bonus.

But yeah, there's definitely a cost increase, and while the speed difference is notable, a regular ssd will certainly do what you need it to do.

 

[Bones]

Well, being able to load your game content 5 times faster is somewhat of a bonus.

But yeah, there's definitely a cost increase, and while the speed difference is notable, a regular ssd will certainly do what you need it to do.

oh this thing isnt for gaming its for watching anime in 4k 3d :3

 

[GasBandit]

oh this thing isnt for gaming its for watching anime in 4k 3d :3

... you don't need almost ANY of what you have picked out to do that >_<

Well, 4k. I don't even know if 4k THREE D anime is a thing.

 

[PatrThom]

Yeesh, if you're going to go 6800k, why not go 6850k or E5-1650 v4? Either one is only +$200, but you get 12 more PCIe lanes (6800 only gets 28, 6850 gets 40) and slightly faster clocks. I'm pretty sure the 6850k is just a detuned Xeon E5-1650 v4 anyway, especially once you compare the two.
No time to research everything right now, but if you go the M.2 route like @stienman suggests (and I will second, if only to keep your other slots free), keep in mind those things can get plenty hot during use, so you're going to want to plan on some extra cooling for that area unless you find a cooler brand (newer ones are available but I don't know how they perform) or you're going to want to mount it in an M.2 PCIe carrier card to allow better air OR just bite the bullet and get a pure PCIe drive. Right know the fastest M.2 is the Samsung SM951 NVMe (NOT the AHCI one!), and the fastest PCIe card is the Intel 750. The Samsung is cheaper, but it only goes up to 512GB ($300, about the same price as the Intel 750 400GB) while the Intel can get you up to 1.2TB (though for $800). FYI these are both x4 drives. x8 drives are becoming available, but you probably don't want one since the cheapest ones are > $3000.

--Patrick

 

[Bones]

Yeesh, if you're going to go 6800k, why not go 6850k or E5-1650 v4? Either one is only +$200, but you get 12 more PCIe lanes (6800 only gets 28, 6850 gets 40) and slightly faster clocks. I'm pretty sure the 6850k is just a detuned Xeon E5-1650 v4 anyway, especially once you compare the two.
No time to research everything right now, but if you go the M.2 route like @stienman suggests (and I will second, if only to keep your other slots free), keep in mind those things can get plenty hot during use, so you're going to want to plan on some extra cooling for that area unless you find a cooler brand (newer ones are available but I don't know how they perform) or you're going to want to mount it in an M.2 PCIe carrier card to allow better air OR just bite the bullet and get a pure PCIe drive. Right know the fastest M.2 is the Samsung SM951 NVMe (NOT the AHCI one!), and the fastest PCIe card is the Intel 750. The Samsung is cheaper, but it only goes up to 512GB ($300, about the same price as the Intel 750 400GB) while the Intel can get you up to 1.2TB (though for $800). FYI these are both x4 drives. x8 drives are becoming available, but you probably don't want one since the cheapest ones are > $3000.

--Patrick

i only went to the 6800 because it was only a few hundred more board and processor than a 6700, but going up the 6850 now puts my build at almost 3k from a starting point of 1500 off the initial build i thought was great. I literally have no idea what pats even talking about, and im trying to understand but it seems to almost going beyond what i need. I am not a hardcore gamer, im hardly a gamer at all, i was just trying to build a solid high-end computer for when i do feel like playing the next big game here and there. what really confuses me is everyone has different advice. my build has been growing in scale because it has been a little "well you have this one why not spend x more and go up to y?" after a dozen times im now at a computer im not sure i really want anymore.

 

[Denbrought]

i only went to the 6800 because it was only a few hundred more board and processor than a 6700, but going up the 6850 now puts my build at almost 3k from a starting point of 1500 off the initial build i thought was great. I literally have no idea what pats even talking about, and im trying to understand but it seems to almost going beyond what i need. I am not a hardcore gamer, im hardly a gamer at all, i was just trying to build a solid high-end computer for when i do feel like playing the next big game here and there. what really confuses me is everyone has different advice. my build has been growing in scale because it has been a little "well you have this one why not spend x more and go up to y?" after a dozen times im now at a computer im not sure i really want anymore.

You should scrap the build, write down a list of goals (which should look roughly like the one below) and ask for advice that expressly sticks to said goals.

1. Price target of $X,XXX, hard limit at $Y,YYY.
2. Watch 4k 3d weaboo trash with no stutter :3
3. Occasional gaming, would like to be able to run new games at [low/mid/high/ultra] settings for Z years.
4. Misc: BluRay capabilities, storage size/speed, OS, screen number/sizes, expandability, ...

 

[Bones]

Ive done that twice already -_-. Thats how i got to the current 2k build thats turning into 3k because i dont know what im dont know shit and people give me advice and like i stated and it grows. I think ok cool i should be good and then someone says well you came this far spend the extra and do this lol

 

[Bubble181]

I sometimes feel like I'm just a shill for the place, but still: try looking at http://www.logicalincrements.com/ . The PC as posted above is already about 90% of the "extremist" build - the very highest tier before "monstrous, unlimited".

Typically, there's always a way to improve your PC by "just a little more". If you're not really a power gamer and just want to be able to play games at good quality for the next 2 or 3 years, you'll frankly be well served by the "Exceptional" tier; possible with one or two little extras depending on personal preference.
Death by committee ;-)

 

[PatrThom]

If you were aiming for AWESOME COSMIC POWER then you should seriously consider the CPU (and SSD) change(s).
If this is merely going to be A Solid Performer For Many Years To Come, then you should (mostly) follow @Denbrought's advice and scrap the build in favor of reevaluating your component choices based on your criteria.
The LGA2011-v3 socket is by definition in the "Enthusiast/Workstation" category. Choosing a board based on that socket for your build automatically means you're going to be spending noticeably more in order to take advantage of what it offers over and above the usual LGA1151 socket, otherwise you would've gone with the (cheaper and smaller) other one to begin with.

--Patrick

 

[Denbrought]

Ive done that twice already -_-. Thats how i got to the current 2k build thats turning into 3k because i dont know what im dont know shit and people give me advice and like i stated and it grows. I think ok cool i should be good and then someone says well you came this far spend the extra and do this lol

Price goals hard limits are key. If someone wants to add $150 in, say, the GPU, then you need to find $150 in savings from other components. This keeps the price bloat at bay.

 

[PatrThom]

To further clarify my last post, if you're not going to take advantage of all the extras you get with an LGA2011-v3 socket, then you probably shouldn't build around one.

--Patrick

 

[Bones]

I dont have an issue with the build i just want you to explain to me like the idiot i am why i need to make these upgrades to the parts. When you say tech specs it means nothing to me lol.

 

[Bubble181]

I dont have an issue with the build i just want you to explain to me like the idiot i am why i need to make these upgrades to the parts. When you say tech specs it means nothing to me lol.

Well, most of them come down to "it'll be slightly faster". But that might be too dumbed down ;-)

As for his processor suggestion - it's more or less "if you're buying a Ferrari anyway, might as well get the one with the extra horsepower - that last couple of dollars extra won't make the difference and why settle for "almost the very best"".
As for stienman's suggestion as to SSD - an SSD that goes directly on your motherboard will always be faster than one where everything still has to pass through mundane things like cables. The connector type it uses is waaay faster than anything you can do through cables. The difference is....well, not as big as between a "regular" HDD and an SSD, but still quite noticeable. His 12-20 seconds is, frankly, slow - I manage that with a regular old SSD as a boot drive. With a "clean" install, your PC will probably boot faster than your monitor can power on.

 

[Bones]

I understand all that, but what pat was talking about is where i am confused really. I might later add another 1080 depending on how nvdias sli shakes out so i understand needing more "channels". Im sorry im an idiot, i really appreciate the help.

 

[PatrThom]

Im sorry im an idiot, i really appreciate the help.

If you are building your own PC, then you are NOT an idiot.
I'll try to sit down tonight and ELI5 my way through your build, assuming our kid stays in bed this time.

--Patrick

 

[strawman]

If you are buying a computer that you simply want to last for a decade and don't really need all that horsepower, in other words if you aren't playing latest and greatest games at 4K and want to do so for the next few years, then you're really going overboard. It'd be far better to set your limit at $1,000 then save the other $1,000 to buy a new computer in five years. That $1,000 five years from now will buy you a much better computer ham you can buy today for $2,000 or even $3,000.

It's fun to buy and have the latest and greatest, but on the price to performance curve you're already spending a great deal of money for 5-10% performance improvements. That's why people are suggesting high end upgrades, your current build is a lot of money for very small improvements.

So if you really are just looking for a media machine that can play today's and tomorrow's games well enough that will last five years, you should be budgeting closer to $1,000.

 

[PatrThom]

if you really are just looking for a media machine that can play today's and tomorrow's games well enough that will last five years, you should be budgeting closer to $1,000.

I'd say closer to $1500, but that's only because NVIDIA pretty much gets to dictate top-end GPU prices right now.

--Patrick

 

[strawman]

I'd say closer to $1500, but that's only because NVIDIA pretty much gets to dictate top-end GPU prices right now.

--Patrick

Yeah, but honestly unless you're a rabid gamer looking for 60+ fps from 1080p then you don't need to spend even $300 on a vidja card. A $150 card will run a 4k display just fine for all media needs, and will give you 1080p at 30fps for the casual gamer.

But I still don't have a good handle on the requirements he's trying to fulfill, so all I can do is guess.

 

[PatrThom]

Right, a good portion of the price is going to come down to whether or not he can get by without a GTX 1080 ($650) or GTX 1070 ($410) based on requirements.

--Patrick

 

[GasBandit]

Yeah, but honestly unless you're a rabid gamer looking for 60+ fps from 1080p then you don't need to spend even $300 on a vidja card. A $150 card will run a 4k display just fine for all media needs, and will give you 1080p at 30fps for the casual gamer.

But I still don't have a good handle on the requirements he's trying to fulfill, so all I can do is guess.

I'm getting 1080p at 60fps from a card that was $210 3 years ago - the AMD Radeon R9 270x. I really don't hear the siren's call of 4k, TBH. Right now is a great time to be a gamer with cheap 1080p performance - the savings of which can be put toward a 27" monitor, imo.

Right now, the only reason to spend more than $200 on a new GPU is 4k gaming, or 1080p VR (because it needs at least 120fps, 60 for each eye).

The entire cost of the whole machine I am using right now was $900 (reusing monitor, kb/mouse).

 

[Bones]

I just want to be able to watch 4k shit when its around and play games on looks good settings. As i stated i have no idea what im doing and everytime i show a revised build it seems to go up another couple notches. First build was 1500 and i thought it great lol.

 

[PatrThom]

The horsepower required to decode 4k video is less than that required to keep 3D graphics going 60fps on a 1920x1080 display. A whole LOT less, especially since many chips now have specialized hardware to do just that.

--Patrick

 

[Bubble181]

I just want to be able to watch 4k shit when its around and play games on looks good settings. As i stated i have no idea what im doing and everytime i show a revised build it seems to go up another couple notches. First build was 1500 and i thought it great lol.

Like I said....Go look at logicalincrements and start there; it's a far cry from perfect, but all their build suggestions "make sense" - in the sense that they won't suggest a vastly underpowered GPU with a powerful CPU, or a system that doesn't have enough power to properly use the graphics card, or whatever. Pick and match a bit between the Outstanding and Exceptional levels and you'll end up with a very performant PC, for half the money you were going to spend, and still better than what most of us are gaming with.

Feel free to donate half the saved money to Belgian Owl Rescue, account number available upon request :-P

 

[Bones]

Im just buying the rig, i already have the monitors and other accessories. I just wanted a nice computer that can do newer games on decent settings and eventually 4k when its not 800-1500 for a 32" monitor lol

 

[PatrThom]

I understand all that, but what pat was talking about is where i am confused really.

Many of the specs you quote up top are kind of like going into an auto dealership:
You: "And I want it to have a 3-ton hitch."
AD: "Are you going to be hooking up a 3-ton trailer?"
You: "Nah, not really."
AD: "Then why do you want a 3-ton hitch?"
You: "I want it to be really strong!"
AD: "But you're never going to use it to its full potential. Wouldn't a 1-1/2 ton hitch be cheaper and easier to manage?"
You: "Yes, but then it wouldn't be a 3-ton!"

I mean, this is grossly oversimplified, but hopefully this gets the idea across.
I promise I'll put at least an hour into trying to make this easier to understand when I'm not being forced to deal with the public.

--Patrick

 

[Bones]

Like i said i have been building off of others advice, my build is a reflection of your answers of what i should buy.

 

[GasBandit]

You could easily build a 4k video watching station for under $1000. You definitely don't need a GTX1080 to do that. 4k GAMING is what that is for.

 

[Ravenpoe]

I'm getting 1080p at 60fps from a card that was $210 3 years ago - the AMD Radeon R9 270x. I really don't hear the siren's call of 4k, TBH. Right now is a great time to be a gamer with cheap 1080p performance - the savings of which can be put toward a 27" monitor, imo.

Right now, the only reason to spend more than $200 on a new GPU is 4k gaming, or 1080p VR (because it needs at least 120fps, 60 for each eye).

The entire cost of the whole machine I am using right now was $900 (reusing monitor, kb/mouse).

I feel like the best bang for buck right now, if you're looking to upgrade to a newer monitor for gaming purposes, is 2K. You can push 2K resolution at 60+ fps with all of the current gen cards (gtx 1070+ and whatever the AMD equivalent is) while moving up to 4K means that even with the ultra high end (gtx 1080, possibly 2) you're still going to have trouble with high framerates.


But this is purely from a gaming perspective.