Help on system build i5 6600k and GTX 970

Lraneer on 14/10/2015 - 19:06

Hi All

I'm new to the forum.

I am looking to build a quiet (as a priority) mid tier gaming PC, and have chosen the following parts:

GTX 970 Asus Strix OC
i5 6600k
Noctua NH-D15
Corsair RM 550
Asus Z170 Pro Gaming
8G Kit (4Gx2) 2666 Kingston HyperX FURY
Fractal Design Define r5
Samsung 850 EVO 250gb
Seagate Barracuda 2TB

So the questions I have are:

1) Is the power supply enough?

2) Should I go with the 2TB Seagate Barracuda or 1TB Western Digital Caviar Blue?
(Have seen some poor reviews on the Seagate).

3) Any recommendations/suggestions on this build?

Thanks

Computing

Comments

  • Axelstrife on 14/10/2015 - 19:28
    +1

    Looks good but id suggest go 16gb ram as games are starting to require it for recommended specs such as Battlefront.

    • c0balt on 14/10/2015 - 21:58
      +2

      No one had any issues running it on max with only 8gb, but regardless - O.P. would be much better off dollar wise to buy 8gb now and another 8gb later as DRAM prices continue to fall.

      • raneer on 15/10/2015 - 21:05

        Thx for the tip!

  • ItsMeAgro on 14/10/2015 - 21:57

    Always best to run it by reddit.com/r/buildapc, they give excellent advice on PC builds all day every day.

    (Personally I don't buy the mechanical HDD when doing the initial build; I put the money into something else, since I don't fill up the SSD for months. But if you can afford it, why not).

    • raneer on 15/10/2015 - 21:06

      Thanks for this, noted.

  • KaTst3R on 14/10/2015 - 23:02
    +1

    550 watt is sufficient for the system but you cannot SLI for future use. A GTX 970 system peak power draw under load I believe is 400-ish watt, so you should be fine.

    I personally dont trust Seagate hard disk. According to Backblaze, the Seagates have an extremely high failure rate just after a couple of years. I would take WD & Hitachi over Seagate anyday…

    https://www.backblaze.com/blog/best-hard-drive/

    • raneer on 15/10/2015 - 21:06

      I've read some poor reviews on the seagate hard disk too, still deciding if I should go with the WD.

  • TheMoDz on 15/10/2015 - 00:56

    dont forget
    Wireless Adapter
    Disc drive
    7200 RPM HDD

    • ProjectZero on 15/10/2015 - 10:40

      Wireless Adapter

      Not really necessary unless you do not have access to the router via cable, cable will always be better if you can use it.

      Disc drive

      Not really necessary as well… you can get all installations directly from the company's websites, all you really need is the cd key given to you with the purchase of the disc. You will only need a disc dirve if you plan on watching movies off Blu-rays/DVDs.

      • KaTst3R on 15/10/2015 - 11:47
        +1

        OP may need a disc drive if he intends to install Windows 7 (usb boot) on a Z170 mobo as the keyboard and mouse will not work during the installation. So he has to load the Asus bios driver cd and win 7 usb boot drive, select F5 during boot to go into the hidden menu. Select load USB driver option and let the win 7 boot drive run. He cannot use a win 7 disc as he has to somehow load the drivers first then go into win 7 installation and this is the only way. I went through the same process to get it to work.

        If it is Windows 8 or 10, he can just install as usual.

        • ProjectZero on 15/10/2015 - 12:19

          OP may need a disc drive if he intends to install Windows 7 (usb boot) on a Z170 mobo as the keyboard and mouse will not work during the installation.

          That I did not know, interesting =)

        • raneer on 15/10/2015 - 21:03

          Thank you for the great and useful information, will note this.

  • spellegrino on 15/10/2015 - 02:13

    I built a very similar system a few months back same GFX card same ssd same power supply even the same case( or very very similar)! different cpu went for i7 and 16GB DDR4 ram allot came from newegg got an Msi board that was of the new chipset and had 8 ram slots … all of this was for my boss .. the only game it every has to run is flight simulator X …. such a waste

    but yes power supply will do fine agree with other poster dont bother with the HDD until you need it ours sits there as a 1GB of empty space drive. spend it on ram instead for future proofing ;)

  • Bacons on 15/10/2015 - 08:33

    The power supply is good enough if you do not plan to upgrade your pc. However if you do not plan to upgrade then switch the power supply to a Seasonic S12 II 520w bronze power supply. Even if it is 80+ bronze it is way better quality. It's 99 at umart so go save yourself 50 bucks. It is a tier 2 psu.

    • KaTst3R on 15/10/2015 - 12:05

      But the S12 II is not modular, which the RM 550 is. Call me vain but non modular psu are somehow "clunky". Besides the RM 550 is 80+ Gold which will reduce electricity cost over the long run if the machine is turned on for many hours a day. OP has to also give that some consideration.

      • Bacons on 15/10/2015 - 17:18

        http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.h…

        Ultimate list of good PSUs. The s12 II will have better reliability with less ripple. The efficiency is a curve which means depending on what kind of load raneer's computer under the most, the s12 could have a better efficiency. Because say when the system is idling on whatever 80+ you are using to power the system with, it will not be running at 80 percent efficiency. Gotta check the efficiency graph and stuff. But yea ultimately it is totally your choice. The RM series is not bad at all but don't get any worse quality ones. Some are even known to kill entire PCs so in the long run just worry about system stability and reliability.

        • raneer on 15/10/2015 - 21:08

          Thx for this.

        • Bacons on 15/10/2015 - 21:09

          @raneer: You're very welcome ;)

  • l005e on 15/10/2015 - 08:35

    I'm looking at a similar build with R9 390
    Any comments on R9 390 vs GTX970?

    • KaTst3R on 15/10/2015 - 12:08
      -1

      Running 4K = 390
      Running 1080/1440 = 970

      If you dont have the resolution, you don't need an extra heater at home.

    • inbra911 on 23/10/2015 - 20:59
      +2

      The R9 390 is the superior card. This is a proven fact. Reviews and benchmarks from all over the internet show this.

      At 1080p, the difference is negligible, but when you start to go above that, 1440p and 4k, the 8GB of VRAM (vs 3.5GB on the 970) will make a massive difference. However, with new triple AAA titles on the horizon, more VRAM will be required, so there is no sense in getting a 970.

      The "heater" jokes that have tainted the AMD series of GPUs have largely been overblown statements based on the performance of the stock "blower-style" 200 series cards. The MSI and Sapphire versions of the 390 are cooler than the 970 at load. The Sapphire 390 @ load = 72C. EVGA 970 SSC @ load = 77C. Hot AMD cards are a bogus statement. The 970 however is a more efficient card. While it can run off a 550W PSU, a minimum 650W is usually recommended for a 390.

      Here JayzTwoCents, a reputable figure in the PC gaming world, did a direct comparison between the 970 and the 390.
      TLDW: He summarizes: "At this point, where we are today, I cannot offer or recommend a 970 of any variant over the 390 at the same price point."

      The people recommending 970s are either unaware of the 390s statistical advantage, or are simply too caught up with team green to ever consider team red. And at the end of the day, that's pretty sad. Competition no matter which brand you favour is good for the consumer.

  • oscargamer on 15/10/2015 - 09:54
    +1

    it is so much better to run a 1000w supply at 50% than a 550w supply at 90%.

    when i built my last system, i spent WAY too long trying to save a few dollars on the power supply. eventually bought the larger one and have upgraded components since then with no issues whatsoever.

    my 2c

    • c0balt on 15/10/2015 - 17:27
      +2

      The thing is, a build like this wouldn't even draw 350w at full load. So a 550w power supply would be fine even if OP wanted to add another 970 later.

      I've got a similar build to the OP but more 3x more mechanical HDDs, AIO watercooling loop, and a lot of powered USB devices and I idle/youtube at 75w and I draw less than 350w from the wall socket at full load.

      Even when I OC my 4670k I don't pull more than 380w.

      Buying a 1000w power supply would be a waste of money for the OP when he could put that cash towards more powerful components and still be well within the PSU limits.

      • oscargamer on 15/10/2015 - 19:24

        ok, you know more than me - i have no idea what the above system would draw, but i guess my comment still stands ?

        • Crownie on 15/10/2015 - 19:33

          Overkill on 100w PSU but the intention is still valid.
          I've got a similar system but older 1150 4690K CPU.
          Went with an 850w PSU so it never gets close to full load and extends the life and power quality.

      • raneer on 15/10/2015 - 21:04

        Thanks for the info c0balt, appreciated.

  • Reuben Brown on 15/10/2015 - 10:39

    If your not going for an optical drive get a define S over the R5
    I hate the look of the front

    I just built essentially the same setup, noctua cooler is fine with that board, such a beast PC
    I went for the same PSU, the pc will only draw >450 so its really fine

    • raneer on 15/10/2015 - 21:05

      Thank you for the heads up!

  • raneer on 15/10/2015 - 21:17

    Thx everyone for the great info, I'm new to the forum and am not sure how to (or if it's needed) to close the thread. Appreciate all the responses!

  • Karlos101 on 23/10/2015 - 09:21

    go look on PC parts picker or whirlpool forums for good hardware advice.

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