Gaming PC Builds – May 2016
Jump to a specific budget build –
- Gaming PC Build of the Month ( $1500 ): May 2016
- Gaming PC Build of the Month ( $1000 ): May 2016
- Gaming PC Build of the Month ( $600 ): May 2016
- Gaming PC Build Operating System Options
Introducing the Gaming PC Builds of the Month
Here you have it – the up-to-date gaming pc builds with the May 2016 monthly gaming pc builds here are Newb Computer Build.
The usual pc builds of the month have actually been decreasing in overall cost over the past few months, which is great – since you can get the same performance for much cheaper presently. The rumour for this would be because of the speculated upcoming / newer AMD / NVIDIA graphics cards under production – so if you are the patient type, you could wait to hear about these in the coming months.
These builds each have a specific purpose that go vaguely as such – the $1500 build is for those who want to max every game out at 1440p with high fps and even for those who can see themselves even trying out 4K resolutions with scaled back settings. The $1000 build is for those who want to max every game out ay 1080p resolutions and even see themselves try some games at 1440p with scaled back settings. And finally, the $600 pc build is for those who want to play on high-max settings in most games at 1080p depending on the games played.
Do feel free to say hi, leave a comment or ask any questions about your specific builds.
Best of luck with building your gaming pc builds this 2016!
May 2016 ($1500 PC Build)
Gaming PC Build Recipe:
Game with Extreme settings and High FPS at resolutions of 1920×1080 (1080P) & 2560×1440 (2K) + playable at 4K
(See alternatives for max settings 4K solution)
| Hardware Link | Price | Image | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Estimated Price : | $1458.00 (May 2016) | ||
| Processor | Intel Boxed Core I5-6600K 3.50 GHz, 6 M Processor Cache 6 for LGA 1151 (BX80662I56600K) | $240.31 |  |
| Cooler | Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO – CPU Cooler with 120mm PWM Fan (RR-212E-20PK-R2) | $29.49 |  |
| Motherboard | ASRock ATX DDR4 Motherboards FATAL1TY Z170 GAMING K4 | $158.99 |  |
| Graphics Card | $599.99 |  |
|
| RAM | $68.93 |  |
|
| Hard Drive | *No HDD Included – Optional. See Alternatives Section if you feel you’d need more storage. | – | |
| SSD | Samsung 850 EVO 500GB 2.5-Inch SATA III Internal SSD (MZ-75E500B/AM) | $149.99 |  |
| Power Supply | EVGA SuperNOVA 750 G2 80+ GOLD, 750W ECO Mode Fully Modular NVIDIA SLI and Crossfire Ready 10 Year Warranty Power Supply 220-G2-0750-XR | $99.99 |  |
| Computer Case | NZXT H440 Mid Tower Case (White/Black /w Window) | $109.99 |  |
| Optical Drive | No optical drive included in base build cost – *This should be considered optional | – |
Overview: Gaming PC Build ( $1500 )
Here you’ll find the perfect build for being able to max out games all the way up to 2K resolutions (this include 1080p!) and you’ll even be able to play games into the 4K range with settings cranked down (if you think you’ll be 4K gaming then check out the hardware alternatives table included below). The May 2016 $1500 build has come down significantly in cost for the same performance over the last couple of months – this has now opened it up to now including a much larger amount of storage and more.
The included processor is the Intel i5 6600K cpu and it is paired with the MSI Geforce GTX 980Ti graphics card. This powerful duo will run your gaming beast to its full extent and should you be interested. The GTX 980 Ti is a very capable card for 2K gaming so a 2K capable monitor is suggested – it would be well worth the investment and worth the eye candy as a result.
The included CPU cooler is the Cooler Master Hyper 212 and the Intel 6600K Skylake processor needs the purchase of a cpu cooler, and the Hyper 212 EVO will help you overclock this cpu easily by keeping those temperatures down. For those who want to spend a little more, there is a liquid CPU (the Corsair H100i) included in the hardware alternatives section below, which will give you a much quieter, more customized cooling experience.
For a motherboard we have the AsRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming K4 which comes loaded with features and is fantastic board for its cost. The highlighted specifications are –
- ASRock Super Alloy
- Gaming Armor – Memory / VGA Card / Cooling / Internet / Audio
- Supports 6th Generation Intel® Core™ Processors (Socket 1151)
- Digi Power, 10 Power Phase design
- Supports DDR4 3866+(OC) memory modules
- 2 PCIe 3.0 x16, 3 PCIe 3.0 x1
- AMD Quad CrossFireX™ and CrossFireX™
- Graphics Output Options: DVI-D, HDMI
- 7.1 CH HD Audio (Realtek ALC1150 Audio Codec), Supports Purity Sound™ 3 & DTS Connect
- Killer™ E2400 Gigabit LAN
- 2 SATA Express, 6 SATA3, 1 Ultra M.2 (PCIe Gen3 x4 & SATA3)
- 8 USB 3.0 (5 Type-A + 1 Type-C, 2 Front)
- Supports Full Spike Protection, ASRock Live Update & APP Shop, F-Stream, Key Master, XSplit
For RAM, we have whopping 16GB (two 8GB sticks) with the included Crucial Ballistix Sport RAM, plenty enough memory for any gaming pc build.
There is an included solid state drive, which is the Samsung 850 EVO 500GB Solid State Drive “SSD”, which will perform much better helping with those load / boot times and reading speeds. This is a major bump in solid state storage as the builds budget now allows for this.
The power supply units used is the EVGA SuperNOVA 750W G2 Gold Certified power supply, which is a high quality & efficient PSU and I highly recommend it and it should be more then enough for the $1500 build.
*Note: Keep in mind that for those that do plan on going with SLI (two graphics cards / GTX 980Ti’s) in the future that you will want to plan for at least an 850W high quality PSU (such as the 850W EVGA SuperNOVA G2) – This may be worth it for those seriously considering maxing out games at 4K resolutions.
A newly released case for mid 2016, the Corsair SPEC-ALPHA is included in the $1500 build for May 2016. This case has a hard edge design and comes in three color combinations including Black/Silver (showcased above) or Black/Red or White/Red. This case features a tool free drive installation, three speed fan control and a big panoramic side window to showcase your high-end pc build – plus it’s actually quite an affordable case.
The case this month isn’t new like last month, but it’s the very popular and finite NZXT H440. This case is a very modernistic looking case and comes in both white or black depending on your taste. The following are the H440’s features:
- The H440 comes standard with 4 of NZXT’s newly designed FNv2 case fans: 3x 120mm in front and 1x 140mm in rear
- All-steel top and front panels, HDD drive trays, and chassis
- Motherboard support for ATX, mATX, and ITX, as well as GPUs up to 406mm
- Effortless cable management capabilities
- Integrated power supply shroud with SSD mounts
- 5mm thick closed-cell sound dampening material
- Integrated 8-port PWM fan hub
- Signature NZXT rear I/O LEDs
- Horizontally mounted 2x USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0, HD Audio
$1500 Gaming PC Build Upgrade Suggestions
The following hardware are for those who want to either add to or upgrade the included hardware in the $1500 May 2016 PC build, further adding to its maximum potential now or in the future.
You can bump the cpu up to an Intel i7 6700K cpu if you do things like video work, graphics work etc. since this isn’t really needed for pure gaming – plus this cpu is much cheaper than it used to be. This could also be a worthy upgrade for those wanting to further “future-proof” their high-end build.
The $1500 gaming pc build only includes a Samsung EVO 500GB SSD for storage, which is perfectly suited for most gamers, although included below is a larger SanDisk Extreme PRO 1TB SSD for those that may want the extra space, and a slight bump in SSD write speeds (over the Samsung EVO’s).
You could also really increase your graphics power by SLI’ing the Gigabyte GTX 980 Ti by adding in a second Gigabyte GeForce GTX 980 Ti, but it will cost you another $589 (now cheaper) or so. This could also be a future upgrade idea to boost your gaming pc’s performance when you need it later on or if you plan on doing extreme gaming at 4K resolutions. *Note – if you do plan on going SLI’ing in the future or now, you should consider getting at least an 850W PSU such as the EVGA SuperNOVA 850W G2.
Also included below is the Corsair Hydro Series H100i GTX liquid cpu cooler. This cooler would be a substitute for the above included Hyper 212 EVO air cpu cooler and would provide a quieter, more efficient / more customized cooling experience. This option would be best purchased now rather then later so as to save on buying only one cooler for your PC.
 Intel Boxed Core I7-6700K 4.00 GHz 8M Processor Cache 4 LGA 1151 BX80662I76700K ($347.99) – Do more then gaming? Then perhaps an Intel i7 might be the right choice |
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 980Ti 6GB XTREME Gaming Graphic Card GV-N98TXTREME C-6GD $599.99
*Note: If you want to SLI you should consider at least an 850W psu such as the EVGA SuperNOVA 850W G2 PSU ($116.99). |
 Purchase a liquid CPU cooler (instead of the included air cooler):Corsair Hydro Series H100i v2 Extreme Performance Liquid CPU Cooler CW-9060025-WW ($104.42) |
 A very fast 1TB SSD: SanDisk Extreme PRO 960GB SATA 6.0GB/s 2.5-Inch 7mm Height Solid State Drive (SSD) With 10-Year Warranty- SDSSDXPS-960G-G25 ($349.99) |
May 2016 ($1000 PC Build)
Gaming PC Build Recipe:
Capability: Game with Extreme settings at 1920X1080 resolutions and even Higher Settings at 2560×1440
| Hardware Link | Price | Image | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Estimated Price: | $965 (May 2016) | ||
| Processor | Intel Boxed Core I5-6600K 3.50 GHz, 6 M Processor Cache 6 for LGA 1151 (BX80662I56600K) | $240.31 |  |
| Cooler | Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO – CPU Cooler with 120mm PWM Fan (RR-212E-20PK-R2) | $29.49 |  |
| Motherboard | $133.99 |  |
|
| Graphics Card
|
ZOTAC GeForce GTX 970 GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 | $299.99
|
 |
| RAM | $33.99 |  |
|
| Hard Drive | *No HDD Included – Optional. See Alternatives Section if you feel you’d need more storage. | ||
| SSD | Samsung 850 EVO 250GB 2.5-Inch SATA III Internal SSD (MZ-75E250B/AM) | $88.00 |  |
| Power Supply | EVGA SuperNOVA 650 G1 80+ GOLD, 650W Continuous Power, Fully Modular 10 Year Warranty Power Supply 120-G1-0650-XR | $78.10 |  |
| Computer Case | $69.99 |  |
|
| Optical Drive | No optical drive included in base build cost – *This should be considered optional | – |
Overview: Gaming PC Build ( $1000 )
The $1000 build is for those who want to be playing all games at 1920×1080 resolutions maxed right out, or perhaps even for those that want to play with 2560×1440 resolutions with settings held back a tad – if this sounds like you then the May 2016 $1000 gaming pc build is for you. This build uses a combination of the Skylake Intel i5 6600K cpu and a GTX 970 graphics card (alternatively you could consider a slightly more expensive R9 390 if you want to consider upping to 1440p anytime in the future (the extra memory on the R9 390 will help with the higher resolution gaming).
For the needed cpu cooler we have the Cooler Master Hyper 212, this helps when overclocking your unlocked Intel i5 6600K processor and since the Intel i5 6600K doesn’t come with a stock cooler, you need one. If you check out the hardware alternative table below, you will also see an option for a liquid cpu cooler which could be for those that want a quieter more customized cooling option should you have the extra cash for it.
The included motherboard again is the Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming 3. This motherboard does support both Crossfire and SLI (great for future upgrading potential), so that you do have the option to include two of either the graphics card options as an upgrade suggestion for the future. The Gaming 3 motherboard has the following specifications (and you can learn more on the product page at gigabyte.com):
- Supports 6th Generation Intel® Core™ Processor
- Dual Channel DDR4, 4 DIMMs
- Intel® USB 3.1 with USB Type-C™ – The World’s Next Universal Connector
- 3-Way Graphics Support with Exclusive Ultra Durable Metal Shielding over the PCIe Slots
- Dual PCIe Gen3 x4 M.2 Connectors with up to 32Gb/s Data Transfer (PCIe NVMe & SATA SSD support)
- 3 SATA Express Connectors for up to 16Gb/s Data Transfer
- 115dB SNR HD Audio with Built-in Rear Audio Amplifier
- Killer™ E2200 Gaming Networks
- High Quality Audio Capacitors and Audio Noise Guard with LED Trace Path Lighting
- APP Center Including EasyTune™ and Cloud Station™ Utilities
- GIGABYTE UEFI DualBIOS™ Technology
The included graphics card is a Zotac GeForce GTX 970 a graphics card easily capable of maxing any game out at 1920×1080 resolutions with high FPS and perhaps even dabble into 2560×1440.
The RAM included is the affordable kit of Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB DDR4 RAM, which is enough memory for most standard gaming pc builds, and you always have the option to upgrade more.
The included storage is the same Samsung 850 EVO 250GB SSD as included in the $1500 build – should you require more then 250GB of storage right away you could also consider adding in a cheap 1TB HDD as a secondary drive.
For a power supply unit (PSU) used is the EVGA SuperNOVA G1 650W power supply, which is a great PSU with all modular cables and it provides the perfect amount of power for this build along with room for some upgrades. For it’s price, quality and the fact that it’s modular, you really can’t go wrong with this PSU.
Again this month I have included the very new Phanteks recently released their P400 and P400s cases and included in this build is the Phanteks P400 PC case. The Phanteks P400S though would still be up for recommendation, but only for those who are more worried about keeping their pc more silent (whereas P400S stands for the silent version of the two, which also includes a fan controller).
The Phanteks P400 case is a clean slick case with RBG lighting, which adds a unique character and a solid metal exterior – this case is for those new and old to pc building. The case comes in black, white or grey. Check out the full specifications at phanteks.com.
Learn more about the Phanteks P400 case through this video –
$1000 Gaming PC Build Upgrade Suggestions
If you want to upgrade your $1000 May 2016 pc build then here are some alternative hardware upgrades for those wanting to spend a tad more or for those that want some upgrade ideas.
If you want more graphics power in the future you could potentially SLI two GTX 970’s. If you go this route, then you will also need a stronger power supply, as much as 850w – so there is one included below (I would only consider the larger PSU if you really plan on doing this).
If you are serious about achieving maxed out settings and high FPS at 2560×1440 (144p) resolutions, then you may want to consider an R9 390X – such as the XFX R9 390X below. This card will be all you need to blast through games at the higher 2K resolutions.
Included is a 250GB version of the Samsung 850 EVO, but what if you want more storage and to also have it on a single fast SSD? Well then you could consider bumping it up to the 500GB Samsung 850 EVO.
You could also go with a liquid cpu cooler such as the Corsair Hydro Series H80i GT. This could help keep things quiet and a tad cooler when overclocking and it offers a more customize cooling experience (learn more about the Corsair h80i GT at Corsair.com).
*Note: If you plan on doing SLI (adding two GTX 970’s for example) then you will probably want at least an 850W power supply such as –EVGA SuperNOVA 850 G2 80+ GOLD, 850W ECO Mode Fully Modular NVIDIA SLI and Crossfire Ready 10 Year Warranty Power Supply 220-G2-0850-XR PSU ($123.71).
 Add a 500GB SSD: Samsung 850 EVO 500GB 2.5-Inch SATA III Internal SSD (MZ-75E500B/AM) = ($149.99) – |
 |
 (Want to max games out as 2560×1400 resolutions?)
Then get more graphics power with a single R9 390X – Gigabyte AMD R9 390X 512 Bit GDDR5 8GB 2xDVI/HDMI/3xDP G1 Gaming Graphics Card GV-R939XG1 GAMING-8GD Price: $409.99 |
 Corsair Hydro Series H80i GT Performance Liquid CPU Cooler CW-9060017-WW – Add a liquid CPU Cooler for quieter, more customized and efficient cooling ($89.99) |
May 2016 ( $600 PC Build):
Gaming PC Build Recipe:
(Game at Smoothly with High settings and FPS at 1920X1080 resolutions in most games)
| Hardware Link | Price | Image | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Estimated Price: | $587.70 (May 2016) | ||
| Processor | $118.76 |  |
|
| Motherboard | Gigabyte LGA1151 Intel H170 ATX DDR4 Motherboard GA-H170-Gaming 3 | $104.99 |  |
| Graphics Card | MSI R9 380 2GD5T OC Graphics Card | $179.99 |  |
| RAM | Kingston HyperX FURY Black 8GB Kit (2x4GB) 2133MHz DDR4 Non-ECC CL14 DIMM Desktop Memory (HX421C14FBK2/8) | $33.99 | |
| SSD | MyDigitalSSD (256GB) BP5e Slim 7 Series 7mm 2.5″ SATA III (6G) SSD Solid State Drive – MDS7-BP5e-0256G | $59.99 |  |
| Power Supply | EVGA 600 B1 80+ BRONZE, 600W Continuous Power, 3 Year Warranty Power Supply 100-B1-0600-KR | $44.99 |  |
| Computer Case | Rosewill REDBONE ATX Mid Tower Computer Case Cases REDBONE Black, red | $44.99 |  |
| Optical Drive | No optical drive included in base build cost – *This should be considered optional | – |
Overview: $600 Gaming PC Build
The $600 gaming pc build for May 2016 is probably the bread & butter build for most new builder as it is a budget build that can max out with high FPS standard high definition 1910×1080 resolutions in most pc games. This $600 budget gaming pc build is a very capable 1080p gaming machine and is the staple build for most enthusiasts either just starting out or wanting to simply get up and gaming on standard HD 1080p gaming.
The included cpu is an Intel i3 6100 – a dual core cpu clocked in at 3.7 GHz and paired with that we have a MSI R9 380 graphics card as the real driver behind this builds performance. The R9 380 fits comfortably into the budget and the performance goals of this build, and is the current best buy $200 graphics card for 1080p gaming with some room to spare in the performacne department – read more about the R9 380’s benchmarks over at the PCWorld R9 380 review.
The motherboard included is the Gigabyte H170 GA-H170-Gaming 3 motherboard which is a great pick with plenty of features for the $600 pc build – including features like DDR4 memory which is a bump up from the previous $600 builds overall features. This motherboard has the following features –
- LGA1151 for 6th-gen Intel® Core™ desktop processors
- Intel® Core™ i7/Core™ i5/Core™ i3/Pentium®/Celeron®
- intel H170
- DDR4 / 2 Channel / 4X DIMM / 64GB
- Killer™ E2200 Gaming Networks
- 2 SATA Express Connectors for up to 16Gb/s Data Transfer
- High Quality Audio Capacitors and Audio Noise Guard with Ambient LED Trace Path Lighting
- ATX Form Factor
For memory we have a kit of Kingston HyperX Fury 8Gb DDR4 memory. For storage we have a MyDigitalSSD (256GB) BP5e Slim 7 solid state drive, which is one of the best budget ssd’s available – in the recent months this has been a fantastic improvement.
The power supply unit included is the EVGA 600B 600Watt power supply, this is a great budget PSU and more then enough power for this build.
The included pc case is the Rosewill REDBONE ATX pc case. The included descriptive features are –
- Superior cooling – 1x 120mm front red LED fan, 1x 120mm rear fan plus front and side air vents ensure efficient ventilation. The fan LED reveals red light through front vents creating sinister, more immersive atmosphere.
- bottom placed PSU – The bottom placed PSU enables better case stability and independent cooling. PSU shock-proof pad reduces the noise and vibration creating comfortable environments. Dust filter for PSU keeps the dust and dirt out for clean inner system and better ventilation.
Upgrade Suggestions for the $600 Gaming PC Build:
Here you will find hardware suggestions for upgrade suggestions for this $600 gaming pc build so that you can get the most out of your build & budget – now or in the future.
Should you want to upgrade the stock cooler already included with the i3 6100 Corsair then the Hydro Series H55 liquid cpu cooler could be your answer.
The second choice here is a better graphics card, such as the XFX R9 380X (check out the R9 380x benchmarks over at Anandtech.com). This may be worth while if you have a little more to spend now and is a newer graphics card release.
You can sincrease your storage space by going with an affordable 480GB ADATA SSD as seen below.
There is also a better motherboard suggestion for those that may have a tad more to spend on one – the included motherboard is the Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD5 R5, which supports better overclocking and Crossfire + SLI Support (so you can add in two R9 380’s in the future should you want to).
 Better CPU Cooler (liquid cooler): Corsair Hydro Series H55 Quiet Edition Liquid CPU Cooler (CW-9060010-WW) ($59.86) |
 Better Graphics Card (Radeon R9 380X –ASUS STRIX-R9380X-OC4G-GAMING Graphic Card ($249.99) |
 Better Processor- Intel Core i5-6500 3.20Ghz Processor (Price: $199.99) |
 ADATA SP550 480GB SSD ($108.99) |
Peripheral Considerations
Please check out the gaming pc peripherals section should you need to purchase a monitor, mouse or keyboard for your new gaming pc build. There are many suggestions generally split into three categories of higher-end, mid-range and basic suggestions.
Operating System Options
If you don’t already have an operating system for your new gaming pc build, then you’re going to have to either invest in purchasing a standard OS such as Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Windows 10. Otherwise, there are some free alternatives that you could consider below as well. Keep in mind that you will need an optical drive should you decide to purchase the install discs, however you can also purchase Windows online or as a USB stick and install it that way – this would be the process for installing your OS without an optical drive (which isn’t included in each of the base builds above).
The following are some operating systems you can consider installing upon putting your Gaming PC build together. The first three will cost you and are either Windows 7 or 8.1, or 10 – I have no opinions here so I’ll leave the purchase of these up to the discretion of yourself, but do keep in mind that either way you do have the option of upgrading to Windows 10 for now. I have also included two other operating systems that are both currently free. Ubuntu is a Linux based operating system. The last OS is SteamOS, which is also a Linux OS being developed by Valve Corporation and is being made to be used for a Steam Machine game console.
| OS Link | Price | Image | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windows 8.1 | Windows 8.1 System Builder OEM DVD 64-Bit | $99.99 |  |
| Windows 7 | Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64bit, System Builder OEM DVD 1 Pack (New Packaging) | $89.00 |  |
| Windows 10 Upgrade | Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64 Bit System Builder OEM | PC Disc | $85.99 |  |
| Ubuntu | Ubuntu – Desktop | Free |  |
| SteamOS | SteamOS Beta “Build your own Steam Machine” | Free |  |
Comments 14
Hi I am most likely going to go with your 600$ build with the i5-6500 upgrade. I am a super noob to all of this and this is going to be my first build and am super nervous lol. I feel confident I can put all the parts together in the tower and figure out the wiring but when I turn on the computer do I need a disc drive to install Windows or can that be done with a flash drive? And are there anything else I need to install other that Windows?
Author
Hi Nik,
Awesome to hear, I bet you’ll do great. As for the OS, there are various options to install. yes you can get a cheap optical drive and install using an install DVD, or you can purchase windows installed on a USB stick (ex: http://amzn.to/29TPBUf) or create the usb install disc or hard drive yourself using another pc (tutorial: http://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/2376-usb-flash-drive-create-install-windows-10-a.html)
Hope this helps!
Will all these parts fit in the NZXT H440 case? also do these products come with the needed cables and other things needed to put this pc together($1500 version) Im planning on building this and I dont know what i will need to buy besides these products. If it does fit in the H440 case how will I connect a headset and the monitors etc.? (sorry im a noob with PCs)
Author
Hi – Yeah all of the hardware does fit in the H440 in the $1500 build. All of the hardware does come with the proper cords / connections, however you may need an HDMI or DVI cord for connecting to your monitor. In terms of connecting your headset, it depends on the connection but if its a regular headphone jack, and theres a spot for that and there are usb 3.0 and 2.0 ports both on the motherboard and case itself.
Just wanted to say a big thank you I built your $1000 PC from MAY 2014, and it’s still kicking ass today it’s been 2 years and your builds are great man i’ll be building my second pc in MARCH 2017 so I hope you keep on putting out builds man they’re awesome
Author
Tim this is so awesome to hear – I do plan on keeping it up so I will very much welcome you back in May 2017! I appreciate you stopping by two years after successfully building and saying hi, always great to hear back from those who’ve built off of the site and even more so from the past!
hey, What I want to do is build a cheap build now with parts laying around and fill in the spots with $600 build and upgrade to $1500+ build later this year after the new Nvidia/AMD release. What Parts of the build can I buy now to not have to buy twice? Go all in on Case and Power Supply? thanks!
Author
Hi Carson,
You can get the hardware from the $600 minus the graphics card and still have a functioning pc using the cpus integrated graphics (not good for gaming but is usable enough for other tasks). I would suggest also bumping up the cpu if possible to the suggested Intel core i5 6500 so that you have a more capable cpu to match with something like the new GTX 1080 coming out. Likewise, you could also waiting to purchase everything up until the new cards officially are purchasable as well, which you can see what Matt (commented below) is doing.
Hi Corey,
About the ram. Should I take Corsair Vengeance LPX (Dual) 2x8gb 2400MHz or the G.Skill Ripjaws V 2x8gb 3200MHz (price is nearly the same in the store)
Thanks!
Author
Hi Joey,
In the end it probably won’t matter too too much, but for the same cost might as well get the G.Skill Ripjaws V 2x8gb 3200MHz. Best of luck building!
Hi Corey,
Awesome site – I have been following for months, eyeing parts for my first solo build (I built with a techy friend last time.) My current rig is 4+ years old, the fans are going, and it’s due for a replacement.
Anywho, I was all set to buy this month, following mostly your specs with a few upgrades here and there. I had the order all set up… and then NVidia announced the 1080 on the day I was going to pull the trigger, for apparently the same price as the 980. What are you thoughts on this, will the 1080 be in your June build? Thanks man, you rock!
Author
Hi Matt,
Thanks for the awesome comments.
And you are correct, the NVIDIA announcements are pretty phenomenal. I would love to include the GTX 1080 the in the next months build assuming it is widely available or at least obtainable, as it pretty much performs twice as fast as theTitan X graphics cards, which is a tad more powerful then the current 980 ti.
The GTX 1080 is set to be officially released May 27th at around $599 (same as the above 980Ti), so in all honestly I would wait to see if you could get your hands on one in the next couple of months (at least for the graphics cards :P). My only worry would be supply and price inflation, which does happen sometimes upon big card releases.
I look forward to hearing how your new build goes!
Thanks! I would think I’d be better off waiting on buying all of my parts, as I would assume prices generally trend downward and there might be new hardware on the market by then? Perhaps with these new cards, we would see a generally glut in new hardware purchases though. I’d rather not buy parts and have them sitting around for months, I guess, and then find one is defective 3 months from now.
Author
Good thinking and my thoughts as well. So if you can survive until then it should be worth it 🙂