Budget Custom Build!

AddRAM said:

I would not get a board with an 1151 socket that still uses DDR3.

Ditto

As ignatzatsonic has pointed out several times, you eill not overclock a K CPU without a Z170 board, unless you consider 200MHz overclocking. If you are going to overclock, make sure you get quality components. Overclocking puts extra strain on all components. If they are not quality built, you stand a much better chance of having damage from the extra stress. Never skimp on a PSU, it's the heart of your system. If you are considering a high end GPU and overclock too, I would recommend a decent size PSU. Both overclocking and high end CPUs pull a lot of extra power. You do not want to lock yourself into not being able to buy the GPU and other upgrades because of your PSU, or bring forced to buy another one. Plus, a PSU runs more efficiently at 60-70% of it's capacity. A larger one will run cooler, have less strain on it and produce less heat if you don't continually stress it out, meaning it will probably last longer as well.

Dimerz said:

Whats the difference between the two i5 6600k cpus from scan:
1
2

Looks like one of them is 3XS approved I suppose some sort of certification for 10euros more :/

Steve he now has a MSI Z170A listed
Budget Custom Build!

Dimerz said:

Whats the difference between the two i5 6600k cpus from scan:
1
2

The cheaper one is an OEM product, the other is the retail package.

You'd have to contact Scan for the details, but I'd guess the difference in price relates to warranty terms and return privileges. How long after purchase you can return if dissatisfied, whether you'd deal with Scan or Intel if dissatisfied, that type of thing.

The processors themselves should be identical. One may overclock better than the other. That's normal and to be expected. It's called "the silicon lottery". Maybe you get lucky. Maybe you don't. But there's no way to know which will overclock better without actually testing them.

On certain earlier processor generations, OEM processors did not ship with a cooler and the retail versions did have a cooler---but in the case of the 6600K, NEITHER of those will have a cooler.

Dimerz said:

So your saying its dangerous and you can easily damage the cpu? Ive read alot of sites and they say theres a very low chance of damaging your cpu.. Thats only when you go into extreme overclocking.

I'm saying that with overclocking, there is always a chance of getting too aggressive for your given CPU (because they are all different), or putting too much strain on your system and causing a catastrophic failure resulting in damage.

You're on a budget that is pretty slim. Can you really afford to replace a $350 to $400 processor if you blow it up? Overclocking can be fun and interesting, and a challenge, but it can be hazardous to hardware if you don't know what you are doing.

It's up to you. You're the one with the limited budget. Today's processors are fast enough that no one really needs to OC anymore. The performance gain is imperceptible by normal humans. The only real reason to do it is for bragging rights, or as a personal challenge. I wouldn't waste my money on a K series processor. I would sink the extra money that you pay for it into a good graphics card. If you want great gaming performance, that is the most crucial part of the equation.

Just my $0.02

Im having a bad feeling that buying the i5 6600k will be hard to maintain it and after reading that you have to have a higher psu to keep stuff running well it all seems a little too complicated for a starting build. Right? I think 'ill have to change my motherboard and cpu to not overclock and maybe, just maybe fit the gpu in.

GPU will be left out and this case has been chosen.

The biggest point I was trying to make is quality is more important than size. Unless you go in for some beast of a graphics card or try some extreme overclocking, what you chose should be just fine, as long as it is a very good quality PSU.

Dimerz said:

Im having a bad feeling that buying the i5 6600k will be hard to maintain it and after reading that you have to have a higher psu to keep stuff running well it all seems a little too complicated for a starting build. Right? I think 'ill have to change my motherboard and cpu to not overclock and maybe, just maybe fit the gpu in.

I think that's a pretty good analysis.

You need a quality power supply regardless of K or non-K. Don't go cheap on this piece.

There's no reason you can't and shouldn't get a K if you can afford it and want to overclock. The point is there are things you will have to deal with: budget, learning how to overclock, dealing with the extra heat generated, risk of damaging or shortening the life of a components----all complications.

I normally wouldn't tell a first time builder to jump into overclocking, but it can be done--subject to the complications in the previous paragraph.


Try this:

CPU: Intel i5-6400; this is the least expensive current generation i5 desktop quad-core; not overclockable, but strong.

Motherboard: mid-level ATX or micro ATX socket 1151 motherboard with H170 chipset from Gigabyte, Asus, or Asrock; not an overclocking board, but still good quality.

Cooler: Use the stock cooler included with the CPU. You won't be overclocking, so it's OK for now and can be upgraded if necessary.

RAM: 8 GB (2 sticks of 4) DDR4, 2133 speed, 1.2 volt; Crucial, Hyper X, G Skill, Corsair, or Kingston; RAM is pretty much a commodity at any given speed, so just get a basic set, without heat spreaders.

PSU: 500 to 550 watt high quality unit; semi modular or modular; brands such as Seasonic, XFX, EVGA, or certain units from Corsair or Super Flower.

Case: your choice, make sure all fans are at least 120 mm.

That's a good basic machine that is pretty strong and won't break the bank. And can be upgraded as necessary over years.

You'd still need operating system, hard drive, and video card.

You need to decide if you can omit the video card temporarily till you get more cash.

If you are willing to do that, maybe you can fit in both a standard HD and an SSD right away. In the US, you could do that for $150 or less--say a 1 TB hard drive and a 120 GB or 240 GB SSD. Something like that.

If you are not willing to do that, then go with just a standard hard drive. A good 1 TB unit is maybe 50 to 60 dollars in the US. Blow the remainder of the budget on the strongest possible video card--particularly if this is mostly a gaming setup.

Fiddle with that at PC Part Picker and see where you get.

You probably ought to buy some thermal compound. Arctic Silver is a common decent choice.

No water cooling; no overclocking; no high speed RAM, no Z170 motherboard.

Build it and evaluate it---both for performance and temperatures when gaming. If you don't like the temperatures, re-consider another cooler.

Dimerz in my opinion over clocking is done because we want to.
It's not necessary with todays hardware to get great performance.
Those of us that do over clock on the most part it's a hobby and some what a challenge.

Over clocking and budgets don't work well together. If one is careful it can be done but their is always a risk.
Even if one buys the best hardware their is still a risk and their will always be.

The Golden Rule in over clocking is; never over clock anything if you can't afford to buy the damaged hardware again.

Over clocking is a strange thing that really can't be put into one size fits all bag. It's trial and error method. If you can't afford the errors I recommend not over clocking.

Many of us answering your thread do over clock and do understand the risk.
Some members have had things go bad and it did cost them. It happens.
Sometimes it's just a BSOD and sometimes it's BSOD and dollars.

Look at other members System Specs that are posting in your thread they are all different. We can only give guide lines and the choices are up to you.

The system in my specs does not need to be over clocked to work great. I over clocked it anyway.
It's a hobby of mine. Like all hobbies they cost extra money.