New Budget Conscious PC Build : Thankyou all have now purchased (Final list updated)

G'day fellow OzBargainers :)

I'm looking putting a new budget conscious PC build together & was just hoping that the experts here might be able to let me know please if I'm on the right track regarding Price & Value, Quality & Compatibility.

Trying to get the best outcome for around the $1200 (AUS) mark that I can.

Wanting to thank everyone in advance :)

Heres my list :

MEMORY

Kingston HyperX FURY Black 16GB Kit (2x8GB) 2133MHz DDR4 Non-ECC CL14 DIMM Desktop Memory (HX421C14FBK2/16)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TY6A1LY/

$69.71 (US)

MOTHERBOARD

ASUS B150I PRO GAMING/WIFI/AURA LGA1151 Mini-ITX Motherboard

https://www.mwave.com.au/product/asus-b150i-pro-gamingwifiau…

$225 (AUS)

CPU Cooler

ARCTIC Freezer i11 CPU Cooler for Intel, 150W Cooling Capacity, 3 Direct Touch Heatpipes, Vibration-Dampened Fan, 23dBA Noise

www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HO9P05A

$22.81 (US)

CASE

BitFenix Prodigy Mini-ITX Case

https://www.mwave.com.au/product/bitfenix-prodigy-miniitx-ca…

$89.00 (AUS)

CPU

Intel Boxed Core I5-6600K 3.50 GHz, 6 M Processor Cache 6 for LGA 1151 (BX80662I56600K)

www.amazon.com/gp/product/B012M8M7TY

$229.29 (US)

Graphics Card

ASUS Graphics Cards TURBO-GTX970-OC-4GD5 by Asus

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00WJOU7DA/

$259.99 (US)

Power Supply

Thermaltake TOUGHPOWER 750W 80 PLUS GOLD Full Modular Power Supply PS-TPD-0750MPCGUS-1

www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IUQRPQS

$82.49 (US)

Subtotal : $664.29 (US) = $888.30 (AUS) + $314 (AUS)

TOTAL : $1202.30 (AUS)

(Special Thanks to Diji1, ChillBro, SkyVoltz, nocure) & anyone I've missed thanks heaps ;)

Cheers :D

Comments

  • +1

    All looks good to me apart from the Noctua and PSU:

    Are you using this CPU cooler due to noise concerns? Just asking since the CPU comes with a cooler already and it's fine for non-K CPU ie. the Noctua is overkill if your only concern is cooling, noise may be a different matter.

    And I could be mistaken but I think you can use 500W and save a bit more there, check Nvidia or card maker's site for minimum PSU watts. I know I can power a GTX 980 using 500W.

    Also as your likely aware video card prices are tumbling and will tumble more atm due to new Nvidia GPU's just being released and AMD releasing a new budget GPU July 29th which represents a considerable bang for buck proposition. If possible wait to buy video card.

    • Hi Diji1 :)

      Thanks heaps for the advice. Yep quietness would be nice but & also wanting to make sure the CPU keeps cool. Is the cooler that comes with it pretty good :) ?

      Will 500W be enough for upgrades down the track ? But great idea in terms of savings ;)

      I've waited & waited :/ lol. Just thinking the Graphics Card for this price is great value. I'm just so eager to get this together ;) lol How much better will it be in terms of price & performance in say two months are my thoughts…

      Cheers ;)

      • +2

        If your only concern is cooling then I would definitely use the stock cooler that comes with the CPU - you can always buy another cooler if noise is an issue.

        Hard to say about PSU upgrades, I think GTX 1070 can be run on 500W so there's that.

        Try and wait GPU, I know it's hard :D

        http://www.cnet.com/news/nvidia-gtx-1080-vs-1070-vs-amd-rx48…

        R9 480 has RRP of $270 AUD and will have GTX 980 like and above performance - that's what you're planning on dropping now for a GTX 970 ;) You know the real price people pay will be under RRP.

        • Thanks heaps again Diji1 ;)

          Think I'll go with your advice on the cooler ;)

          Tis very hard waiting ;) Appreciate the article…. Is there a specific ASUS card I should be waiting for the $350 (AU) budget that you might know about thats foreseeable down the track ? Would like to dream :)

          Cheers :D

          P.S. Just found this PSU which looks great & on budget & a better known brand : https://www.amazon.com/Seasonic-ATX12V-EPS12V-Supply-SSR-750… Going to update my list :)

  • I'm not good with mid-tier builds but here are some comments:
    - Don't think you need to spend so much on the CPU Cooler since your CPU can't even be overclocked.
    - A new wave of GPU has just come out so you can probably grab a second hand one on the cheap, e.g. a gtx 980 and as mentioned above, a rx 480 would be great value.
    - Not heard of that power supply brand before but note that it may get noisy.

    • Thanks heaps ChillBro ;)

      Am I better to go with a CPU that I can overclock ? (These Days)

      Just found this PSU which looks great & on budget & a better known brand : https://www.amazon.com/Seasonic-ATX12V-EPS12V-Supply-SSR-750… Going to update my list :)

      Is there a specific ASUS card I should be waiting for the $350 (AU) budget that you might know about thats foreseeable down the track ? Would like to dream :)

      Cheers & Thanks Again :)

      • +1

        Am I better to go with a CPU that I can overclock ? (These Days)

        IMO if you're building a system for gaming then no because you need to spend more money on cooler, motherboard chipset and K CPU which then means you have less for video card which where most games are bottlenecked.

        • No worries & thanks heaps will wait for a better GPU ;)

          Cheers

      • Yeah Seasonic is a good brand and I believe they also make PSUs for Antec.

        Based on the aus prices of the 1080, the RX480 will most likely be ~$350 AUD once it comes out in a few months time.

        Any reason why you want Asus though? I suggest EVGA for their international warranty. Also if you can't wait, you can get a second hand card. Just make sure there is still warranty.

        As for the CPU, you don't need a K version or such an extreme cooler if you don't overclock. Also the H170 motherboard you chose can't overclock.

        • Hi ChillBro :)

          One more thing with the RX480 is there a good NVIDA equivalent that you recon will drop to the $350 AUD price bracket ?

          Had a look at this ASUS STRIX-GTX1070-O8G-GAMING 8GB STRIX https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/254228

          But its price point is beyond the realms of affordability :(

          Don't mind if it's like 50 US more ;) so $400 AU or so….

          If you do remember my post please don't hesitate to link me an NVIDIA card around the $350 - $400 price range over the coming months. But no hassle at all if you don't generally keep an eye on prices etc or just forget ;)

          Cheers ;)

        • +1

          @Elite:
          Well Nvidia will be releasing the 1060 but it's not known how fast it will be. It would make sense to be on par with the RX480 though.

          Yeah the 1070 isn't cheap but I reckon it's the best bang for buck right now. Although the last gen Nvidia cards have dropped a bit in price (i.e. 980, 980ti), I don't think we'll be seeing many deals due to low stock levels and such.

          In my opinion, graphics cards should always be the most expensive part of a gaming PC. It's the one component you shouldn't be afraid to splurge a bit of coin on.

          Not sure if I'll be monitoring GPU prices anymore since I already have my 1080 with me but good luck with your build.

        • No worries :) I always keep a keen eye on Oz Bargain so somethings sure to come up if I don't go ahead right away ;) & thanks again for all your help much appreciated :)

          Cheers

  • Will check out the RX480 (& Dream) :) & wait for it ;) Had a bad run in with a EVGA but food for thought ;)

    Any compatibility issues if I did go with EVGA ?

    So appreciate the help.

    Cheers

  • You could also (carefully) consider switching to Gigabyte GA-B150M-D3H for motherboard. It's extremely popular for budget builds on whirlpool but obviously make sure you have all the ports you require!

    $129 MSY and cheaper again on Amazon.

    It's also cheaper on eBay with CLICKMORE code however I've been waiting 2 weeks with bullshit messages and no tracking number from pc.byte so I would recommend Amazon.

    Then if you wanted to spend that 20 bucks you saved you could get Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 DRAM 2133MHz (PC4-17000) C13 (~$92 last I looked)

    • Thanks mate :) will definitely make some considerations ;)

      Cheers ;)

      P.S. Thanks for the heads up on your motherboard fiasco hope it gets resolved for ye soon ;)

  • Built a computer December last year using most of the parts you've listed above so I did quite a bit of up to date research like you :)

    Although I'd like to mention that the motherboard described and the one linked are two different items. Make sure you're getting the H170 Pro Gaming (more expensive) if you want the one as described and not the standard H170 Pro version shown in the link. I have the H170 Pro Gaming but really up to you which you pick depending on your needs.

    A bit confused on the PSU part. Is it 650W or 750W? Either way, as long as it's 650W+ for a 970 without OC, you'll definitely be safe with room to upgrade in the future. I'd go for 650W if I can to save some money but otherwise, 750W is perfectly fine if it only costs like $10 more.

    In regards to your cooler, I heavily recommend you to invest in budget cooler since you won't be Overclocking. As someone who also doesn't overclock, I was debating whether or not to get a non-stock cooler but after extensive research and reading experiences, I've decided that paying an extra $40 for a decent cooler is definitely worth it increasing the life span of my computer. So yes, get a cooler :) A nice cheap and extremely popular one would be the Hyper 212 Evo.
    https://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Hyper-212-RR-212E-20PK-…

    Everything else seems alright. Just missing a SSD in there but of course, if you already bought one then all goods :)

    • IMO buying a cooler to increase life span is just a waste, CPU with stock coolers last 10 years ;)

      • Preference really but personally, paying something small like $40 from a $1400 (+SSD) build really is worth it in the long run, especially for someone who's building the first PC, it really helps ease the mind by not having to not having to worry about their $400 CPU blowing up unlike the unlucky few I've read about. Heck was gonna buy a $70 cooler but after thinking about it, it was really overkill xD

        I perfectly understand your opinion though as I too am someone who at times, go quite a bit when saving money ;)

        However, I do emphasise, to each their own :)

  • Are you using a forwarding mail service, getting Amazon to ship to a US domestic address and a third party forwards it on to Australia? I tried adding the case, CPU and GPU (which is in backorder for another 2-4 weeks) but Amazon wouldn't let me ship those items direct to Australia.

    You should probably include Amazon shipping costs in your estimates, prices were coming up an extra 20%+ even for US domestic shipping + tax to California. The case alone is around 5.5kg. I could only get the memory and PSU delivered direct to Australia and with international shipping rates the PSU delivery rates adds another 25% to the cost.

    • Hi bengal tiger :)

      Yep shipping can be expensive might try getting some of it locally to avoid the expense ;)

      Cheers

  • There is a lot of great info in this post. I used this as a guide when building my last rig.

    Am I better to go with a CPU that I can overclock ? (These Days)

    With a bit of tinkering the non k i5-6500 can now be overclocked.

    • +1

      Hi nocure :)

      Thanks heaps for the advice :)

      Cheers

  • I would spend a little extra on either better GPU or a better CPU depending on what you are using it for. It seems like a pretty decent build. Are you planning to run games, use heavy programs or just use it as a day to day machine? If you are just using it as an everyday machine your current build looks great!

    • Hey there epicttiimm :)

      Have just updated my list after purchasing all the components & went for a Mini-ITX Motherboard. So looking forward to seeing what I can do in the likes of Star Citizen & Elite Dangerous etc…

      Cheers

  • What do you intend to use the system for? If it is a youtube/email/browsing machine then most of this stuff is overkill. Even if it is gaming, what type of games?

    Knowing exactly what you want a system for is step one.

    • -1

      Hi Juddy :)

      Going to be using it for a bit of everything. But have just updated the list after my purchase. Going to be getting into Elite Dangerous & Star Citizen as well as other like kind games. But needed to do it on somewhat of a budget.

      Cheers

  • It feels like the amount of RAM you have is way out of whack compared to your CPU and GPU. Maybe 8gb will be enough for you.

    And get a AMD R9 390 instead. I am not a fanboy by the way. It's just better for current gen gaming due to the 8gb VRAM

    • Hi zhuang281

      Have just updated the list after my purchase. The Ram looked to be pretty good value. Might need it for Star Citizen once its fully realized. Also taking a look at Space Engineers from the Steam sale as I tried to play on my 7 year old dual core rig & it just would not accept the punishment. :/

      Cheers

  • 2 cents… buy it at MSY Computers, when I bought mine they were by far the cheapest. $100 cheaper than PC Case Gear

    • +3

      PC Case Gear has a far wider range of products than MSY, but you pay perhaps 5% more, plus shipping if you don't live in Melbourne. UMart has similar prices to MSY and a wider range of products, though most of their stores are in Brisbane.

  • Use this to benchmark and search for value components (CPU / GPU, etc.) = http://cpu.userbenchmark.com/

Login or Join to leave a comment