So my last build was in 2008 and is now finally giving up the ghost. It was a mid-range build that has worked very well up until a couple months ago.

I've been torn between just keeping Chromebooks, but my son really wants to continue using Steam, learn to code and create animation. So I figure its worth it for him (and likely his younger siblings) to go ahead and build a new PC.

So, I'm not aiming for high-end, but I want it to suit his needs as well as live another long life as my last two builds (8yrs and 7yrs).

Please tell me if this looks good for the $$ or if I could switch out and save/get better hardware, etc.

Case: Rosewill - $60 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147060

MOBO: Gigabyte GA-Z79MX - $110 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128716

GPU: Gigabyte GeForce 970 - $330 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125685

PSU: Corsair CX750M - $80 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139051

CPU: Intel i5-4690 - $225 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116989

RAM: Corsair Vengence Pro 16GB - $100 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233536

HDD: WD Blue 1TB - $53 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822236339

BRD: LG Bluray Burner - $59 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136269

Total Cost $1017 (rounding may have this slightly from raw totals above)

It's always good to have a Windows PC for work that can't be done on ChromeOS. I have a chromebox that I use regularly for browsing, but I fire up my PC for all other stuff.

Anyway, as for your build, everything looks fine but I'd add an ssd for OS boot. Something cheap such as 120gb would be sufficient, and nowadays you can find those cheap. You can also ditch the bluray drive unless you'll really need it. Lastly, consider that you may be fine with 8GB ram instead of 16GB.

- You can save big money on the mainboard. There should be something for half the price that fits your demands.
- 500W is more than enough for the PSU.
- definitely invest in an SSD. even a small 128GB one will make a major difference. Bigger is even better because you can store your games on it.
- where's your cooler? While the boxed one should be enough, you decide if you want your CPu maybe a little quieter and cooler.

Like others have mentioned, you certainly would want to have an SSD, AT LEAST for the OS and programs. Otherwise the hard drive will no doubt be your bottleneck.

Only reason I didn't pick an SSD is that I've yet to have an issue with an HDD all these years and my son will be needing to store many video files and games. So storage seemed more important that i/o speed.

Bluray seemed important as I would like to backup personal video files and bluray seemed like the best choice.

Any recommendations on a mobo that is less expensive but good quality?

GPU stated it required min of 550w. Based on costs and needed wattage, I figured this was best option. But if anyone sees a better option for less, please share. :)

The GPU psu requirements are always way over estimated. It's what it sucks out of the wall that matters, put it this way, my last rig was a 4670k @ 4.8GHz with a 770 on a 450W PSU. The build was certified by Nvidia and sold by many AAA system builders. You should ideally consult a PSU calculator.

Well that's why were saying you should have an SSD for the OS and other commonly used programs.  Then put all those video files and games on the HDD and you have both the storage and speed you need.

I've been seeing recommendations to wait until August if you want an Intel processor. They're launching their next architecture line and it might push down prices for existing products. That's the hope, anyway.

As I won't need mine until Fallout 4, I'm waiting just in case.

i would buy something to hold the stuff cold, the stock intel fans are fuckn terrible.

we fried 2 pc at work last week(okay the university was stupid to not give us funds to get moar power, and i5s are a bit weak for the things we do with them, but i dont think gaming is so much less demanding), if its more than 30°C outside the fans struggle realy hard, and they are allways loud as shit.

i have a i5 at home, and im glad that i have a better cooler/fan.

-4690K?

-R9 390 has way more Vram and is like 10% stronger than the 970 for less money.