Advice on PC Build

R

RVQ

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Hi Guys,

I'm looking at building a new Micro-ATX PC for about R15K, any recommendations regarding the below build?

Corsair CMK16GX4M2A2133C13 Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 2133MHz C13 Black Desktop Memory
Galax 96NPH8DVD9XX GeForce GTX 960 EXOC 2048MB GDDR5 128-bit PCI-Express 3.0 Desktop Graphics Card

Windows 8.1 is cheaper, will the Windows 10 free upgrade apply?
Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64bit Operating System - DSP Pack

Need recommendations on a decent cooler
Intel i5-6600K 3.5 GHz Quad Core Unlocked 14nm Skylake Socket LGA1151 Desktop CPU - Cooler Not Included

Want a Micro-ATX case that can hold at least 2x3.5" drives and 2x2.5" drives, no DVD drive required
Fractal Design FD-CA-ARC-MINI-R2-BL ARC Mini R2 M-ATX Desktop Chassis

I have a choice of the below two boards which appear to be around the same price
Gigabyte GA-Z170M-D3H Intel Z170 Chipset LGA1151 Skylake Micro-ATX Desktop Motherboard
Asus Z170M Plus Intel Z170 Chipset LGA1151 Skylake Micro-ATX Desktop Motherboard

Not sure if I can get away with a smaller PSU or if I require a bigger one
Super Flower SF-500P14XE(HX) Golden Green HX 500W 80 Plus Gold Certified Desktop Power Supply

Regards
 
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Not sure why you going for a 32 bit OS when you'll be running 16GB ram
 
As said already 64 bit windows is a big must have.
Then an SSD is the best noticeably performance boost you can get. Even a 256gb one just for OS and some key applications or games.
16GB of ram is not that important unless you doing huge graphics design or engineering work. 2x4GB chips will lose less than 1 percent performance against 2x8GB chips. Also look for ram that has a speed of 1600 MHz and with a low clock latency (7 to 9), this normally performs better, G-skill make some good sets for cheap.
 
Vaughan said:
As said already 64 bit windows is a big must have.
Then an SSD is the best noticeably performance boost you can get. Even a 256gb one just for OS and some key applications or games.
16GB of ram is not that important unless you doing huge graphics design or engineering work. 2x4GB chips will lose less than 1 percent performance against 2x8GB chips. Also look for ram that has a speed of 1600 MHz and with a low clock latency (7 to 9), this normally performs better, G-skill make some good sets for cheap.
Click to expand...

DDR4 seems to start with CL13 and go up to CL16
 
ponder said:
I would stick with Haswell for now, Skylake is pricey for not much more benefit. I would also prefer an i7 over an i5 if I was gonna be running lots of VMs.

R2750 - Intel Core i7-4790 - http://carbonite.co.za/f39/intel-core-i7-4790-processors-108335/

With the haswell savings you could probably work in a ssd & gtx970/r9 390.
Click to expand...

R9 380 is way more affordable for someone on a budget, especially since he won't be gaming.

Actually if he won't be gaming he should rather get:
http://www.wootware.co.za/powercolo...it-pci-express-3-0-desktop-graphics-card.html
 
The R9 380 is basically a 4Gig upgrade/re-brand of the R9 285
Would of liked to see the price lower at around R3200, but the rand/dollar so messed up atm can't do anything about it.

Everything increased by about 10% in price.
 
HideInLight said:
The R9 380 is basically a 4Gig upgrade/re-brand of the R9 285
Would of liked to see the price lower at around R3200, but the rand/dollar so messed up atm can't do anything about it.
Click to expand...

Which means it's GCN1.2 which means it supports DX12 better than any nVidia card out now.

Hence the recommendation.
 
R2750 - Intel Core i7-4790
R1799 - Asus H97M-Plus Intel H97 LGA1150 Micro-ATX Motherboard
R1565 - Corsair CMX16GX3M2A1600C11 XMS 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3-1600MHz 1.5V CL11
R5499 - PowerColor PCS+ AXR9 390 8GBD5-PPDHE Radeon R9 390 8GB 512-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 GPU (Or Galax GTX 970 EXOC Black Edition 4096MB)
R1599 - Super Flower SF-750F14MG Leadex 750W 80 Plus Gold Certified Fully Modular PSU (Semi modular is cheaper but out of stock)
R1899 - Samsung MZ-75E250B/AM 850 EVO 250GB 2.5-Inch SATA III SSD
R1299 - Microsoft Windows 8.1 64bit Single Language Operating System - DSP Pack
R13660 TOTAL

Pick whatever chassis you fancy with what's left over. This is a much more powerfull build than what you initially listed.

Edit: I forgot the CPU cooler, any cheapy will do, might even get a stock free one from someone here on the forum if you ask. If you shop around you might even find some of those parts cheaper elsewhere but I just took everything from a single source for simplicity sake.
 
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