After 10 years. Time for a new Bang for buck system

[DREDIOCK]

Some 10 years ago. Give or take a couple months the fine folks here provided input and thoughts that helped me build a damn fine bang for buck system. It still runs and I am still using to this day I am literally using it at this moment. The only changes made was to replace a bad video card. In fact here is my post build report dated "November 29, 2008"
https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,253159.msg3120878.html#msg3120878
I have had no complaints about this build. None. It has been by far dollar for dollar year to year the best and longest lasting machine I have ever had.
But. just like an old dog or a good car..its getting on that time that it needs to be replaced. Particularly since HTC upgraded the game beyond my current capabilities. Its ok. The machine like I said is starting to show its age anyway.
So here we are
Back then the best bang for buck CPU was the Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz. etc etc and that was what the system was based upon.
 Looking to go the same type route. Price point is right around the $1,000.00 -$1,200.00 mark. With the preference being to keep it under $1,200.00.
While Im not a huge gamer. AH is really the only real game I spend any time on. I want to be able to adequately run anything I decide to with the highest possible settings.
Oh and for a case. I just want something simple and functional. Meaning I don't want all kinds of lights spinning,glowing and flashing that make it look like a mini carnival is going on under my desk.

So there we have it. I see someone else is looking to build a system too didnt want to double post but I figured Id put up more specific parameters.
Your mission. should you choose to accept it is to come up with a general consensus
Best bang for buck built around the best bang for buck CPU with a best bang for buck supporting cast and a target price for the completed build to be between $1,000.00 -$1,200.00.

[Bizman]

Wow! How similar that is compared to my system! E8500, Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3... Beefed up with another 4 GB to 8 GB, replaced the PSU a couple of times just in case and at least the third video card is running AH right now. And yes, the age is slowly showing. Not badly, a higher end video card (GTX970) helps a lot playing AH...

That said, with the budget you have a long living system should not be an issue.

This is just a sketch. You can save $124 by reusing your Windows license if you're going to abandon the current system. Add a $100 for a GTX 1070:

PCPartPicker part list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/LMqDXP
Price breakdown by merchant: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/LMqDXP/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel - Core i5-8600K 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor  ($254.89 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: ARCTIC - Freezer 13 36.4 CFM CPU Cooler  ($28.95 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - Z370P D3 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($99.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  ($125.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate - Constellation ES.3 1 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($47.30 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte - GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6 GB WINDFORCE OC 6G Video Card  ($239.99 @ Newegg Business)
Case: Corsair - SPEC-03 Red ATX Mid Tower Case  ($33.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - FOCUS Plus Platinum 650 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus - DRW-24D5MT DVD/CD Writer  ($21.57 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Pro OEM 64-bit  ($124.79 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1067.44
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-12-01 14:19 EST-0500

[Max]

What monitor would you suggest for that system? Would that 1060 handle a 1440 144hz 32"?

[TequilaChaser]

Dred, I'm assuming that your plans are to leave the old computer you built back in 2008 fully intact, and not use any of the components from it, such as the LG DVD-R +/- Rewriter w/ Litescribe,  etc....?

If so, what extra components might you be wanting to include in your new PC build?

Which OS version are you going/want to go with?  Windows 10 Pro, Windows 8.1 Pro, Windows 7 Pro
Intel or AMD CPU? or are you open to both

DVD-R Rewriter / BluRay DL Rewriter?

Multi-type Card Reader?

Using Onboard integrated Sound of Dedicated Sound Card (or USB Dedicated Sound Card via USB 3.0/3.1 port)?

AMD/ATI  or  Nvidia GPU? Are you specific towards any type?

Are you specific towards certain Manufacturers? ie: ASUS, Gigabyte, EVGA, MSI, AsRock, XFX, Sapphire, Thermaltake,  Antec, Fractual, Cooler Master,  etc...

Just some thoughts and ideas for what you might be interested in and what direction you want to go with your new PC build

TC

[Shuffler]

If he has any version windows pro he can get win 10 pro free.

I just upgraded a machine yesterday.

[Bizman]

What monitor would you suggest for that system? Would that 1060 handle a 1440 144hz 32"?

The inches don't matter in this case. The answer is no, I don't believe it would. The 1060 is excellent for 1920 x 1080 @ 60 Hz but not much higher. 1440p @ 144Hz is three times the load. 1070 should do.

Shuffler, if he has any version of Windows starting from 7 he can get the equivalent of 10 free if he has the code. Windows 8/8.1 systems with the digital license can be upgraded but only with most of the original parts present.

[SNO]

I run a Benq 32” monitor 1920 x 1080 @ 144hz with a 1060 6 gigs. With envio mapping at 0, slider for trees at 75, and the others at max detail I get 141-144 FPS consistently.

[Meatwad]

I am running this

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz
Gigabyte G41MT-S2PT
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 (Driver 314.22)
4gb ram

I am getting a FR of in the 50's using this setup. I have all the video settings in AH turned all the way down though, but it is smooth

NOTE - I was getting a lot of lag and poor frame rates originally, but went online and did some searching around about this video card. I found a post somewhere that said to specifically use this version of driver to fix those issues. I loaded it and everything as been smooth since

[Bizman]

I run a Benq 32” monitor 1920 x 1080 @ 144hz with a 1060 6 gigs. With envio mapping at 0, slider for trees at 75, and the others at max detail I get 141-144 FPS consistently.

Thanks for the information. 

So for correcting my previous answer, it works well at 1920 x 1080 up to 144Hz. Adding to either of the variables may cause performance issues.

[Denniss]

PCPartPicker part list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/LMqDXP
Price breakdown by merchant: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/LMqDXP/by_merchant/

Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  ($125.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate - Constellation ES.3 1 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($47.30 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - FOCUS Plus Platinum 650 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($89.99 @ Newegg)

memory too slow, CPU supports 2666. Gskill Aegis 3000 is actally cheaper than the 2400 RAM
SSD as system drive is missing, 250GB MX500/860 EVO
HDD smells a bit too smal - 1TB is easily filled
PSU is very good but a bit overdosed (more in the high-end category), even 550W wold be overdosed but one could save soe bucks by downgrading, there's also the Focus+ Gold which may save some more bucks

[Bizman]

Denniss, it may be false information, but for what I've learned the speed of RAM doesn't play a significant role if the speeds are roughly in the same ballpark. Another thing to take into consideration is CAS latency which for the Corsair is 14 and for the Gskill 16. If I calculated right, the Gskill is a little faster and if it's cheaper, even better. The reason I'm not too fancy about Gskill is that at least some models don't automatically get the "right" values, by default they'll be underclocked. Not a big deal for someone familiar with overclocking, but very distracting to one who doesn't feel comfortable with it. That's why I chose the more traditional Corsair into my sketch.

There's also a reason for me not putting a DDR into the system. It doesn't speed AH in any way and as the OP said,

AH is really the only real game I spend any time on. I want to be able to adequately run anything I decide to with the highest possible settings.

. I'd rather spend that $100 to a better video card.

1 TB is small? Tell that to the laptop manufacturers who put a 32 GB SSD as the only storage! But yes, it depends. The OP didn't tell much of his storage needs. Windows takes about 30 GB, AH takes 6-7 GB. According to the link the OP posted he has a 750 GB HDD in his current rig so maybe he needs more space. The price difference is not too big to a 2 TB HDD so that's a sane option. 

The choice for PSU was that it was the cheapest fully modular Platinum and only $15 more than the cheapest 550W Gold. If semi modular is good enough, and if the GTX 1060 is good enough for PSU, the SeaSonic SSR-550FM is a very good budget choice. For a GTX 1070 I'd choose the 650 for some headroom. Although Nvidia says 500 W would suffice, they're talking about true power. Since the OP seems to be planning to keep the rig for the next decade, I calculated some power loss for aging.

[Denniss]

Indeed many gskill RAM default to 2133 MHz and you have to enable XMP to get advertized speeds. They may have a value series where this isn't the case but don't know about that.
There's no reason to not use the maximum certified memory speed of a CPU unless it's heavily overprized. On Intel CPUs the gains may not be as noticable as on AMD Ryzen CPUs but it's still there. It may not help that much in maximum FPS but in minimum FPS, just like a faster CPU usually helps more for minimum than maximum fps.

1TB HDD is small for Desktop systems unless it's just something for Office or all your data is stored on a NAS or other network/online storage.

Even for a 1070 you won't need 650W, that's the dimension you need for Vega64 to be on the safe side due to extreme short-duration spikes a Vega64 may produce. Seasonic even admitted that these spikes caused early series 550W Focus+ to trigger over-current protection.
Most PSU requirements as stated by manufacturers have a lot of headroom to take cheap China "Boom-Bang" PSUs into account, something like LC-Power 600W for 30 bucks which is more an outdated/overlabelled 400W design.

[Skuzzy]

I think 1TB is a bit small, especially for Windows 10.

For a couple of dollars more you can get a 2TB Seagate Constellation.

[Spikes]

Indeed many gskill RAM default to 2133 MHz and you have to enable XMP to get advertized speeds. They may have a value series where this isn't the case but don't know about that.
There's no reason to not use the maximum certified memory speed of a CPU unless it's heavily overprized. On Intel CPUs the gains may not be as noticable as on AMD Ryzen CPUs but it's still there. It may not help that much in maximum FPS but in minimum FPS, just like a faster CPU usually helps more for minimum than maximum fps.

1TB HDD is small for Desktop systems unless it's just something for Office or all your data is stored on a NAS or other network/online storage.

Even for a 1070 you won't need 650W, that's the dimension you need for Vega64 to be on the safe side due to extreme short-duration spikes a Vega64 may produce. Seasonic even admitted that these spikes caused early series 550W Focus+ to trigger over-current protection.
Most PSU requirements as stated by manufacturers have a lot of headroom to take cheap China "Boom-Bang" PSUs into account, something like LC-Power 600W for 30 bucks which is more an outdated/overlabelled 400W design.

I think that making sure the RAM speed being maxed is the least of someone's worries. If you are trying to do some min/max stuff with a desktop, sure, but anything will work for what Drediock is trying to do.

I am currently running a 500GB SSD+1TB Storage in my desktop on W10 and I have no storage issues, both drives aren't even half full, and this includes the big space games like GTAV, World Of, Battlefield, etc. With that said, with a price ceiling of $1K+ there is really no reason to forgo an SSD boot drive, a ~256GB one would suffice, and also allow the 1TB to be for games/movies/music only. Platter drives are so cheap these days anyway, I think I picked up a 4TB one a couple years ago for ~$80 or so.

[Bizman]

I think 1TB is a bit small, especially for Windows 10.

For a couple of dollars more you can get a 2TB Seagate Constellation.

Agreed that there's no big difference in hard disk prices between 1 and 2 TB. But small? I have a 500 GB disk on my system and it's only half full, including photos, movies, music etc. Then again, I don't do any video or RAW photo editing or multi track music which all can be quite disk space intensive. Neither have I installed any of those massive games that require 20 GB for installing and double that for patches.