$1500 or Less Gaming Desktop?

Hello, everyone! I've been researching my best options for a gaming desktop without breaking the bank or overdoing it before Pascal comes out. I really just want to put together a gaming desktop that can support an i7 quad core CPU and possibly water cooling, but what other parts do you all suggest? Which GPU should I go with until the release of Pascal later in the year? It would be great to get a card that can handle demanding 3D games on high and MMOs on ultra, barely to no extra effects sacrificed. And any suggestions on awesome G-Sync monitors would be phenomenal! Thanks again!

 

What is your intended resolution? What your asking is pretty easy at 1080p, but would be harder if you mean 1440p 144hz.

 

I don't think I've ever used any type of monitor or screen in 1440p. How is that resolution? I wouldn't mind getting a monitor with that resolution, granted it's cost effective.

 

Just more pixels to push.

 

OK. I plan to use 2~3 monitors on my set up, so while starting with one, I'll stick to 60hz 1440p. Can a 970 drive multiple 1440p gsync monitors?

 

Not for gaming, no. I have a 980 Ti and a 3560x1440 21:9 LCD and newer games play fine on it maxed out at 50-80FPS. I wouldn't think of playing at any higher resolution with a 980 Ti let alone a 970.

 

Got it! So then, what would you suggest for a good gaming build then? And if I wanted to use multiple screens, what would work? Maybe I'll skip on the multiple screens and hold until I can grab a curved G sync panel in the future! Should I just forget about Pascal and just build a great system?

 

Instead of multiple screens I would highly recommend a widescreen 3640x1440 21:9 G-sync LCD instead. you can easily manage dual windows side by side with plenty of width, and don't have the worry of multiple displays or bezels to contend with.

 

Excellent!! Thanks Mr. HTWingNut! I'll be investing in the best model I can't afford for that kind of monitor then. Are curved screens worth it? And what graphics card would you suggest for this gaming pc and to drive that kind of monitor? Is water cooling worth it?

 

I don't know that a curved display is worth it, and 3440x1440 G-sync has really only Acer Preadator X34 at the moment with Asus coming with their version soon. I would get a 980 Ti if you can swing it. Best bang for the buck. An all-in-one liquid cooler is easy to install and does a fantastic job cooling. I got the Corsair H110i, but you case has to be able to accommodate dual 140mm fans.

 

Thank you! Here's what I've come up with, but it's still too much... I also wanted to spring for the 4K 1440p monitor, but it was curved and over $1000! Unless I do a build for about $750, I wouldn't be able to afford it... Although, what can I do to make this build more reasonable?

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/XfkPMp
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/XfkPMp/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($254.88 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X61 106.1 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($129.99 @ B&H)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5g Thermal Paste ($6.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus Z170-DELUXE ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($299.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($72.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($148.88 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card ($481.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 780T ATX Full Tower Case ($172.71 @ Mac Mall)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: LG WH16NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($49.99 @ Micro Center)
Sound Card: Creative Labs Sound Blaster Z 30SB150200000 OEM 24-bit 192 KHz Sound Card ($72.04 @ Mac Mall)
Monitor: Dell S2716DG 144Hz 27.0" Monitor ($599.00 @ Adorama)
Total: $2419.22
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-02-17 15:10 EST-0500

 

To make it more reasonable, as in less expensive but yet still a good system?

1) Switch to air cooling. $130 is insane for cooling imo, especially given the marginal difference in temperatures between the two technologies.
2) Could look into less expensive motherboards which still allow you to OC that -K CPU.
3) Unless you have a specific need for it, you could drop from 16GB RAM to 8GB.
4) Could go from a 980 to a 970 or AMD equivalent. GPUs give smaller and smaller deltas in performance the higher up you go (ie: performance increases are logarithmic while price increases are linear or even exponential).
5) Could save money on the case by going for a less expensive one.
6) Could consider dropping Blu-Ray if not needed.
7) Why do you need a sound card? The motherboard has sound output built into it...
8) Considering that you really want the 4K 144Hz curved monitor, it doesn't make sense to spend $600 on a monitor you plan on replacing. Save the money for the curved monitor by going for a more affordable monitor.

All that could save you nearly $1000.

 

Have a look at MaximumPC's magazine. the last couple pages of each isssue has their recommendations for budget, midrange, and expensive builds.

Here is their online version, but its several months old:
http://www.maximumpc.com/the-fall-2015-midrange-rig/

 

I'm really thankful for the help I've received in this thread. Thank you for your detailed revisions, Jarhead! I did take a look at the monitor choice and thought I was doing too much... Yeah I'll choose something reasonably priced and save for that 4k 1440p beauty. Should also just go with the fan cooling for now until I can expand on my budget. I will do a revision of the part picking list and update you guys! By the way, are there cheaper water cooling solutions? As a first time pc builder, would that make sense?

 

Marginal? I can run i7-5820k hexacore (six cores, twelve threads) at 45C with my Corsair H110i. Air cooling would be more like 65C.

 

1. I would recommend switching the TIM to Shin-etsu x23 7783D. It gives better results that AC5, although it requires more finesse imho. The testing I've done sees an improvement of about 3 degrees celsius. The biggest difference was on a hexas core intel with a 5 degree difference (celsius). It's been fairly consistent in the testing I've done.
It also spreads very thin but remains viscous. It seems to be more consistent despite the large temperature spreads.

2. I agree with Jarhead you should go with Air cooling unless you plan on doing major overclocking. Difference between 45c and 65c is marginal because there is 0 benefit to keeping the processor cooler between that temperature range. If it was something like 90c vs 70c, then yes I'd say water cooling for sure.

3. Lastly pick a different case unless you are going for a particular aesthetic. You can find alternatives for nearly $80 cheaper that provide similar or better cooling.

4. Motherboard swap, can you find something more economical. Or do you have access to Microcenter for a processor/mobo combo?

Going air cooling and switching the case would easily save you $150. Swapping motherboards could easily save you another $100.

 

1. Gelid GC Extreme, IC DIamond are much better IMO...

 

Get a combo board/CPU that will give you more a discount should you want something better.

Don't get unless your going crazy OC, I got older system Z97 with CoolerMaster 212 and it runs fine.

I use the Grey compound and have no problems with OC or Thermal overload.

Same as above board/CPU combo will save some money here.

Get 16gig that will become the best uses.

Get smaller Main C: drive like 250-256

Get a 3tb WD Green for storage that will do more for you.

Determine what games you plan to play will determine what GPU you really need. I got a MSI GTX970OC 4G-I Recommend getting MSI GTX had better luck with them.

Unless your doing a NAS/Server that is a over kill go smaller.

This is sufficient.

If you plan to burn DVD-ROM movies this drive will not do. Experience here.

Get it sounds make or break a Game. Experience here as well. I got this in my system and the sounds is like night and day when push comes to shove.

I was going to say BenQ monitor but forgot which one - I don't think it was 144 but was 27" and far less of 599.00.

 

Running mine around 35-45C under load in Battlefront @ 4.2 1.18v on my H55 with twin Noctua fans. I love this CPU, she's ready for summer temps. I can't see myself needing anything more for years.

 

I haven't tried Gelid.
I've tried IC Diamond found too little difference between the two pastes to warrant the price difference. Once again X23 is very tricky to apply, it can spread the thinnest from what I have seen but man is it a PITA.
Did extensive testing about 3-4~ years back on X23 7783D, AS5, IC Diamond, and Sony's sheet TIM (expensive and hard to acquire), a few other film TIM's and a few others traditional TIM's.

Sony sheet ran expensive but was the best TIM I've tested bar none. Easiest application. Acquired through some contacts with Sony/Unisys. It cannot be bought, I acquired a small film sheet at nearly $90. Sheet was good for 4 applications. It's much cheaper than this but Sony does not retail it, sell it, or loan the technology to anyone, it's strictly for use in Sony electronics. From my understanding it's used in their higher end applications (high end TV's, laptops, and electronics. I think the high end phones use it too, I dont recall.

 

What is this Sony sheet etc? Do you have some link or info about it?

 

It's a thermal "pad" they developed few years back, they don't manufacture it themselves from my understanding but they are the only ones that have access to it (patented?).
It's from the series of EX2000 pads they announced some years back, that's where I started asking around. I just got very thin sheets, it works just as good as thermal grease the real benefit however is in the ease of a perfect application and thinness. The less TIM that fills in the gaps for the surfaces the better the results.

I don't have information on the ones I tried, their thermal sheets are for in-house use only they don't even have documentation.

 

This is my recommendation, it is a bit over 1500 but it packs quite a punch (I7 6700K and 980Ti):

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($374.95 @ B&H)
CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC12DX_BK 68.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Asus Z170-A ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($153.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($64.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($86.75 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($65.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB WINDFORCE 3X Video Card ($629.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1566.63
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-09 14:33 EST-0500