By using this site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use. Close

Forums - PC Discussion - Help with a gaming PC build (Skylake)

Locknuts on 16 August 2015
mtu9356 said:
Locknuts said:

Great build mate. It's probably what I would use if I were to build a PC today. Well done.

Also, Windows 10 seems pretty great so far but if you can get 7 or 8 cheaper and then use the free upgrade it might be the way to go.

Oh and I like the closed loop water coolers for the CPU (Antec or Corsair). They're very quiet if you couple them with Noctua fans (Noctua are the best IMO) and they allow for some beastly overclocking, and they put less strain on your mobo than a traditional CPU cooler.


I would like to make this a quiet machine but I'm not interested in water cooling.  The Noctua fans look great.  The NH-14 would work well for my cpu if I OC'd it right?  Am I gonna have to worry about compatibility between the fans, tower, and cpu?

Good idea about the free upgrade.

Yeah the NH-D14 should be perfect to OC your CPU. I've never used a Fractal case but I've heard good things. Just check youtube vids for people fitting that cooler with that case. Can't imagine there would be a space issue though.



Around the Network
Bofferbrauer on 16 August 2015
mtu9356 said:
Scoobes said:
For a first time build you seem to have done a decent amount of research, so well done on that front. What I will say though is that DDR4 RAM is about to hit mainstream, so you may want to have a second look at your motherboard, RAM and CPU combo.

An i5 6600K with the relevant motherboard and DDR4 RAM would make it more future proof.

Is DDR4 really going to make that big of an impact on performance in the relative future, say next few years?

Unless you want to use the integrated graphics core on the CPU, probably not at all

If you want your PC to be upgradable, you will have to take DDR4 nontheless, as all future Intel CPUs will use DDR4; AMD will make the transition to DDR4 with Zen (Q4 2016-Q1 2017), and starting then no more CPUs will be produced for PC for DDR3



Eddie_Raja on 17 August 2015

The 390X has double the VRAM and is cheaper. I would go for that - or heck the 390 is only like 10% weaker and is $340.



Prediction for console Lifetime sales:

Wii:100-120 million, PS3:80-110 million, 360:70-100 million

[Prediction Made 11/5/2009]

3DS: 65m, PSV: 22m, Wii U: 18-22m, PS4: 80-120m, X1: 35-55m

I gauruntee the PS5 comes out after only 5-6 years after the launch of the PS4.

[Prediction Made 6/18/2014]

mtu9356 on 17 August 2015

@Bofferbrauer
I'm thinking I may future proof the cpu/mobo/ram. I can always upgrade the gpu in a few years.



Scoobes on 17 August 2015
Bofferbrauer said:
mtu9356 said:

Is DDR4 really going to make that big of an impact on performance in the relative future, say next few years?

Unless you want to use the integrated graphics core on the CPU, probably not at all

If you want your PC to be upgradable, you will have to take DDR4 nontheless, as all future Intel CPUs will use DDR4; AMD will make the transition to DDR4 with Zen (Q4 2016-Q1 2017), and starting then no more CPUs will be produced for PC for DDR3


Exactly this. You don't want to be stuck with DDR3 if 2-3 years down the line you decide want to upgrade. You'll end up paying a premium for inferior RAM modules because they don't manufacture them anymore.




Get your Portable ID!

Around the Network
mtu9356 on 17 August 2015
BlueFalcon 

Skylake build,

i5-6600K ($250) or i7-6700k ($370)

Corsair Vengeance DDR4 16GB ($135-145)

Either 4x4 or 2x8, How much better is the 4x4?  Its only like $10 more.

Not sure which Z170 since there arn't may reviewed units yet.



Bofferbrauer on 17 August 2015
mtu9356 said:
BlueFalcon 

Skylake build,

i5-6600K ($250) or i7-6700k ($370)

Corsair Vengeance DDR4 16GB ($135-145)

Either 4x4 or 2x8, How much better is the 4x4?  Its only like $10 more.

Not sure which Z170 since there arn't may reviewed units yet.

The i7 is too expensive for a rather meagre increase of power outside of some specialized applications (non-gaming), I'd take the i5 therefore.

As for the RAM, no difference at all. The 4x4 could even run you into problem with your CPU cooler as many block the 4th slot due to their sheer size.



JEMC on 18 August 2015
mtu9356 said:
BlueFalcon 

Skylake build,

i5-6600K ($250) or i7-6700k ($370)

Corsair Vengeance DDR4 16GB ($135-145)

Either 4x4 or 2x8, How much better is the 4x4?  Its only like $10 more.

Not sure which Z170 since there arn't may reviewed units yet.

As Bofferbrauer has said, the i7 is not worth the extra cost if your primary use of the PC is gaming, and with 2 sticks of RAM you tend to have less problems.

Also, take a look at this set of RAM: CORSAIR Vengeance LPX http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233833 It's low profile, so you won't have problems with you CPU cooler, at 2,400MHz is faster than the standard frequencu for Skylake (2,133MHz) while being 1.2V and with a CAS latency of 14 is faster than the average. Plus, it's on the "cheap" side.

As for motherboards, any mid range mobo from Asus, Gigabyte or MSI will be good choices. Just make sure that it has USB 3.1 Type C (most will only have 1).



Please excuse my bad English.

Currently gaming on a PC with an i5-4670k@stock (for now), 16Gb RAM 1600 MHz and a GTX 1070

Steam / Live / NNID : jonxiquet    Add me if you want, but I'm a single player gamer.

mtu9356 on 20 August 2015

Thoughts on this build?
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/8CzQbv



m0ney on 21 August 2015
mtu9356 said:
Thoughts on this build?
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/8CzQbv

Looks good, but I'm not sure about that Samsung SSD, they had some kinds problems in past and this is the older model (840 vs 850). I would recommend choosing the newest model or Crucial MX100 or MX200.



My Etsy store

My Ebay store

Deus Ex (2000) - a game that pushes the boundaries of what the video game medium is capable of to a degree unmatched to this very day.