Advice on multi purpose build

[jcdenton]

Hi all,

I have waited many years to replaced my aging PC (Core2 Duo) and have done a huge amount of research but found a lot of conflicting opinions i.e. X99 vs Z170, i7 vs i5 etc.

My main usages of the PC are for gaming, but rarely the latest titles (at 1200p for the time being), photo editing using Lightroom 4, infrequent use of virtual machines for software development and occasional video encoding i.e. DVD backups.

I am looking for a good value for money system (I appreciate some of the parts may be overpriced as are quite new) but would like it to last a while and be I would like the main components to be in place for a while as I am not a regular upgrader.

I am planning to reuse some existing components, namely SSD, sound blaster Z and 7850 graphics card. I plan to buy a new graphics card this year in the £150 - £250 range, and an m.2 PCI-E hard drive when the prices come down.

The build I have customised as follows:

Intel Core i5 6600K CPU (Overclocked)
2 x Corsair 4GB Module DDR4 3000Mhz C15 Veng LPX Black
RM750W RMi Modular Gold Silent PSU
Asus ROG Maximus VIII Ranger, Intel Z170, S 1151, DDR4, SATAe, M.2 (PCIe/SATA), 2-Way SLi/3-Way CrossFire,USB3.1A+C, ATX
Fractal Design Define R5 Blackout Edition Mid Tower ATX Computer Chassis, USB 3.0, 7x Expansion Slots, 9x Fan Bays
Noctua NH-U14S Ultra-Quiet Slim CPU Cooler with 140mm NF-A15 fan for All Intel & AMD CPU's
LN64750 Samsung SH-224FB/BEBE 24x Internal DVD Writer with MDISC Support, CD/DVD Read/Write, 5.25", SATA, Black, OEM


Would appreciate any feedback, particularly on the motherboard (I am thinking some of the features i.e. sound quality, networking optimizations are probably overkill) / CPU. I was previously keen on a Corsair water cooler but the Noctua seems as though it would be sufficient if I do not overclock any further?

[wazzickle]

ROG mobo looks like overkill - would have thought the z170 suits your needs better and is half the price. Should find OCing easy on it, got M.2 (and U.2) and USB 3.1 and plenty of space so decently futureproofed.

All else looks good but you might consider going for 16GB if you have excess £ to spend.

[TechZilla]

You could get a gtx 970 for around the £250 mark or you can wait on the rx480