January 2017 Build Guides

$500 - https://pcpartpicker.com/list/Pk2Zqk

Plenty of bang for your buck in the CPU and GPU category here.  Ultra settings at 1080p for 500 bucks seems pretty damn nice.

CPU: AMD Athlon X4 860K 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor
MOBO: ASRock FM2A88M PRO3+ Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard
RAM: Klevv Neo 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
GFX: XFX Radeon RX 480 4GB RS Video Card
CASE: Zalman T2 Plus MicroATX Mini Tower Case
PSU: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply


$800 - https://pcpartpicker.com/list/j4rP7h

Ditching all of the AMD stuff as we move away from the cheapest build.  No need to move on from Skylake, especially when you're on a budget.  Still using that low profile cooler.

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor
COOL: Cooler Master Vortex Plus 54.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler
MOBO: ASRock Z170 Pro4S ATX LGA1151 Motherboard
RAM: Team Dark 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
GFX: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB WINDFORCE OC 6G Video Card
CASE: BitFenix Comrade ATX Mid Tower Case
PSU: EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply


$1200 - https://pcpartpicker.com/list/TBwHnn

Stepping up to an i7, but still no reason to move from Skylake.  Going with liquid cooling and tossing in an SSD.

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor
COOL:  Antec KUHLER H2O 650 Liquid CPU Cooler
MOBO: ASRock Z170 Pro4S ATX LGA1151 Motherboard
RAM: Team Dark 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory
SSD: PNY CS1311 480GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
GFX: EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB SC GAMING ACX 3.0 Black Edition Video Card
CASE: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case
PSU: EVGA 700W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply


$2000 ($1725) - https://pcpartpicker.com/list/9HwHnn

Not enough extra cash for another video card (not that I care for SLI anyway) and not a lot of performance to gain anywhere else.  If I had 2 grand, this is how I'd spend it.  Well, I might double the RAM...

CPU: Intel Core i7-7700K 4.2GHz Quad-Core Processor
COOL: Silverstone TD02-LITE 92.5 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler
MOBO: MSI Z270 TOMAHAWK ATX LGA1151 Motherboard
RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory
SSD: Crucial MX300 1.1TB 2.5" Solid State Drive
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
GFX: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1080 8GB G1 Gaming Video Card
CASE: Phanteks Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case
PSU: SeaSonic G-750 750W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply