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[LegendX48]

Well, I'm fucked.

While I was trying to find why the new computer keeps shutting down when I plug in the tax for the PSU, not only did one of the sata cables broke but also the pins of the western digital blue have been bent!



My lamp fan stopped working which means I have now light. What should I do?

this reminds me of when one of the pins on my motherboard's usb 3.0 port was bent. If you have a mechanical pencil lying around you could (potentially) use that to fix it, just gotta be as gentle as possible. Just has to be a mechanical pencil that has a tip that the pin can slide into.

 

[Oare]

I won't use both, only the new one (old parts will be given to friends).

So I could uninstall my 7 key on my current PC, install 7 on the new PC and then upgrade it to 10?

Sorry in advance if I'm being thick...

In my understanding, here's how it works:

- Case A: OEM.
If you have an OEM version of windows 7/8/8.1, your license is bound to specific hardware (basically the motherboard). So if you download Windows 10 before July 29th 2016, you'll be able to re-download, downgrade, re-upgrade at anytime on that exact same hardware during its lifetime.
However, your Windows 7/8/8.1 license is OEM and therefore not transferable to begin with. So if you move to new hardware, you won't be able to use it legally at all. As a consequence, you won't of course be able to upgrade to Windows 10 with your key either, even if you attempt the upgrade before July 29th.
In order to install Windows 10 on a new build, you'll either need to purchase a new valid license for Windows 7/8/8.1 which you could then upgrade for free before July 29th, or you'll have to purchase a full Windows 10 license.

- Case B: retail.
If you have a retail version of Windows 7/8/8.1, the license is not bound to specific hardware, and therefore, transferable to a new machine. So even if you have already upgraded with a specific machine, you'll be able to transfer your Windows 7/8/8.1 license to a new build and then upgrade to 10 for free provided you do it before July 29th. After that date, you'll need to purchase an upgrade license.
(Edit: this little trick here needs clarification: even if you have performed the upgrade with a specific retail license before July 29th, the Windows 10 license that's granted to you is basically considered OEM. So if you move to a new build after the deadline, you will legally be able to use your retail 7/8/8.1 license on that computer, or even the next one, but you won't be able to upgrade to 10 for free anymore.)

It seems that you fall into case A, so basically, no luck.
(Unless some of the hardware you purchase for your new build comes with an OEM license for 7/8/8.1, and you perform the upgrade before July 29th.)

 

[wheeplash]

I don't think getting the 6600 or 6700 makes sense, you might as well get the K models. It's not a lot more but they're faster and with overclocking can really extend the longevity. imo.

Yeah .. honestly I might just end up buying a i7-6700k, leave it at stock and OC it when technology runs its course. It does give me that flexibility.

 

[opticalmace]

Yeah .. honestly I might just end up buying a i7-6700k, leave it at stock and OC it when technology runs its course. It does give me that flexibility.

I'd say go for it. I upgraded from a 2500k this year to a 6700k. The last CPU lasted me 5 years and I figured I might as well get hyperthreading, because I'll probably keep this one just as long.

 

[wheeplash]

I'd say go for it. I upgraded from a 2500k this year to a 6700k. The last CPU lasted me 5 years and I figured I might as well get hyperthreading, because I'll probably keep this one just as long.

Have you overclocked it?
According to Digital Foundry's benchmark a stock 6700k is almost on par with an OC'd 6600k at 4.5ghz on CPU intensive games, and beats it on hyper-threaded compatible releases too.

So it's a pretty fucking amazing CPU overwall.

 

[Joco]

So... new installation of Windows with new motherboard. Why is some of my SSD space in two unallocated partitions? I can't merge it with the rest of the C drive either.

http://imgur.com/ir1HajB

 

[Megabat]

Have you overclocked it?
According to Digital Foundry's benchmark a stock 6700k is almost on par with an OC'd 6600k at 4.5ghz on CPU intensive games, and beats it on hyper-threaded compatible releases too.

So it's a pretty fucking amazing CPU overwall.

When a game doesn't scale much beyond four threads, they will look pretty similar. As games/engines start to go beyond that the gap will widen. I think it's all a matter of cost. There is a hundred-dollar difference between them - from "great" to "best," to put it sort of abstractly.

Quad-core unlocked i5's are where diminishing returns start, but that line is dissolving.

 

[Oscar]

Bit on that Asus R9 390X 8GB from Frys for $239.

I'm not interested in VR at all so I think this card will serve me well for 1080p gaming

 

[wheeplash]

When a game doesn't scale much beyond four threads, they will look pretty similar. As games/engines start to go beyond that the gap will widen. I think it's all a matter of cost. There is a hundred-dollar difference between them - from "great" to "best," to put it sort of abstractly.

Quad-core unlocked i5's are where diminishing returns start, but that line is dissolving.

I guess in the long run, those $100 will save me money on a future upgrade. I'll probably be able to just swap between graphics card and OC the already powerful stock CPU to keep up with technology.

 

[BaronLundi]

In my understanding, here's how it works:

- Case A: OEM.
If you have an OEM version of windows 7/8/8.1, your license is bound to specific hardware (basically the motherboard). So if you download Windows 10 before July 29th 2016, you'll be able to re-download, downgrade, re-upgrade at anytime on that exact same hardware during its lifetime.
However, your Windows 7/8/8.1 license is OEM and therefore not transferable to begin with. So if you move to new hardware, you won't be able to use it legally at all. As a consequence, you won't of course be able to upgrade to Windows 10 with your key either, even if you attempt the upgrade before July 29th.
In order to install Windows 10 on a new build, you'll either need to purchase a new valid license for Windows 7/8/8.1 which you could then upgrade for free before July 29th, or you'll have to purchase a full Windows 10 license.

- Case B: retail.
If you have a retail version of Windows 7/8/8.1, the license is not bound to specific hardware, and therefore, transferable to a new machine. So even if you have already upgraded with a specific machine, you'll be able to transfer your Windows 7/8/8.1 license to a new build and then upgrade to 10 for free provided you do it before July 29th. After that date, you'll need to purchase an upgrade license.
(Edit: this little trick here needs clarification: even if you have performed the upgrade with a specific retail license before July 29th, the Windows 10 license that's granted to you is basically considered OEM. So if you move to a new build after the deadline, you will legally be able to use your retail 7/8/8.1 license on that computer, or even the next one, but you won't be able to upgrade to 10 for free anymore.)

It seems that you fall into case A, so basically, no luck.
(Unless some of the hardware you purchase for your new build comes with an OEM license for 7/8/8.1, and you perform the upgrade before July 29th.)

Thanks a lot ! I assumed that was the case as well but then some of the articles I found online threw me off.

 

[Megabat]

Bit on that Asus R9 390X 8GB from Frys for $239.

I'm not interested in VR at all so I think this card will serve me well for 1080p gaming

Well, it does exceed most recommended VR specs, and would be great at 1440p. 8GB is far more than you'll ever use at 1080p. It kind of sucks that people are excited at the prospect of an 8GB RX 480 for fifty more dollars.

Plus, it looks like the difference between RX 480 and 390(X) will be negligible.

The only major downside is power and heat... that sure is a monster truck of a video card.

 

[JMTHEFOX]

this reminds me of when one of the pins on my motherboard's usb 3.0 port was bent. If you have a mechanical pencil lying around you could (potentially) use that to fix it, just gotta be as gentle as possible. Just has to be a mechanical pencil that has a tip that the pin can slide into.

What an interesting solution to my problem. I think I had a mechanical pencil but I lost it when I moved to a new apartment.

Also, some other problems I have been facing currently:

- I have the ATX 24 pin plugged in to the Gigabyte GA-H81N motherboard. The CPU fan spins a bit along with the Windforce logo on the Gigabyte R9 380 4GB GPU lights on and off. Then, they both stopped. I tried pulling the wire of the ATX plug and they both did it until I let go of the wire.

- Not sure if the Gigabyte GA-H81N motherboard has a socket for the USB3 cable.

 

[datsunzep]

Upgraded to a i7 6700K, DDR4, and ASRock Z170 Pro4S today. Everything went smoothly except the XMP. Can only get 3000MHz out of a Corsair Vengeance 3200MHz kit. default XMP profile does not boot.

My physics score went from 5660 to 13262 (955BE -> 6700k) on stock i7 clocks.This 6950 reaaallly needs to go.They need to release these new cards ASAP.

 

[LordAlu]

What an interesting solution to my problem. I think I had a mechanical pencil but I lost it when I moved to a new apartment.

Also, some other problems I have been facing currently:

- I have the ATX 24 pin plugged in to the Gigabyte GA-H81N motherboard. The CPU fan spins a bit along with the Windforce logo on the Gigabyte R9 380 4GB GPU lights on and off. Then, they both stopped. I tried pulling the wire of the ATX plug and they both did it until I let go of the wire.

Do you have the 4-pin 12V ATX plugged in to the motherboard as well? It doesn't look like it but the picture is blurry.

- Not sure if the Gigabyte GA-H81N motherboard has a socket for the USB3 cable.

That board doesn't have a socket for it, no. If you only have USB3 ports on your case, you can get an adapter like this.

 

[opticalmace]

Have you overclocked it?
According to Digital Foundry's benchmark a stock 6700k is almost on par with an OC'd 6600k at 4.5ghz on CPU intensive games, and beats it on hyper-threaded compatible releases too.

So it's a pretty fucking amazing CPU overwall.

Yeah mine is currently at 4.5ghz.

Upgraded to a i7 6700K, DDR4, and ASRock Z170 Pro4S today. Everything went smoothly except the XMP. Can only get 3000MHz out of a Corsair Vengeance 3200MHz kit. default XMP profile does not boot.

My physics score went from 5660 to 13262 (955BE -> 6700k) on stock i7 clocks.This 6950 reaaallly needs to go.They need to release these new cards ASAP.

It's common for XMP to not work. Try setting the ram settings manually.

 

[JMTHEFOX]

Do you have the 4-pin 12V ATX plugged in to the motherboard as well? It doesn't look like it but the picture is blurry.

That board doesn't have a socket for it, no. If you only have USB3 ports on your case, you can get an adapter like this.

1) I'm pretty sure that its in, but I could be wrong. Here is a much better picture I took.

2) My Elite 130 has a front USB 2.0 port, afaik.

EDIT: Got the ATX pin to work by myself.

 

[Grief.exe]

Have you overclocked it?
According to Digital Foundry's benchmark a stock 6700k is almost on par with an OC'd 6600k at 4.5ghz on CPU intensive games, and beats it on hyper-threaded compatible releases too.

So it's a pretty fucking amazing CPU overwall.

My guess is you are cherry picking titles that aren't properly parallelized to take advantage of the hyper threading.

There still aren't that many games that are perfectly parallelized. The GPU will be the bottleneck the majority of the time.

 

[Josh5890]

Well I just received my big shipment of components and Amazon sent me the EVGA Bronze 850 B2 instead of the EVGA Gold 750 GQ. So much for building it this weekend

 

[DBT85]

Well I just received my big shipment of components and Amazon sent me the EVGA Bronze 850 B2 instead of the EVGA Gold 750 GQ. So much for building it this weekend

I imagine they'll just ship the replacement and then ask you to send that one back within 30 days.

Should be easy enough to swap the PSU out. So built it all anyway and then swap it out when they sort the replacement.

 

[Josh5890]

I imagine they'll just ship the replacement and then ask you to send that one back within 30 days.

Should be easy enough to swap the PSU out. So built it all anyway and then swap it out when they sort the replacement.

Yea. I just did a customer service chat and a replacement is on the way.

Edit: I just found out that it is coming Sunday so it certainly isn't the end of the world. I'll just have to wait two more days.

 

[luoapp]

Yea. I just did a customer service chat and a replacement is on the way.

Edit: I just found out that it is coming Sunday so it certainly isn't the end of the world. I'll just have to wait two more days.

I bet you can't wait, at least I know I can't.

 

[Vuze]

The CableMod cables that I ordered the other day with the Nvidia 20% off coupon came in today and they look really good! Perfect shrinkless sleeved, no impurities or whatever on the sleeving. Quick and dirty comparison shots

Ordered on the 5th at 10pm, finished processing on the 8th at 11am and finally received them today afternoon so pretty quick. Just a tiny review for those contemplating to order there at some point, I haven't found any feedback on the ModMesh cables from them which are pretty new.

 

[LordAlu]

1) I'm pretty sure that its in, but I could be wrong. Here is a much better picture I took.


2) My Elite 130 has a front USB 2.0 port, afaik.

EDIT: Got the ATX pin to work by myself.

Sorry, I meant the four pin in the corner, not the 24-pin, but if it's working that's fine.

With your USB3 cable, you can't do anything - your board only has one USB2 header which you'll be using for your USB2 port.

 

[wheeplash]

My guess is you are cherry picking titles that aren't properly parallelized to take advantage of the hyper threading.

There still aren't that many games that are perfectly parallelized. The GPU will be the bottleneck the majority of the time.

I wasn't really paying attention to the GPU since I'm aiming for a GTX1070/Polaris-counterpart on this particular build, to play on a 1080p 144hz monitor.

 

[OneUh8]

The CableMod cables that I ordered the other day with the Nvidia 20% off coupon came in today and they look really good! Perfect shrinkless sleeved, no impurities or whatever on the sleeving. Quick and dirty comparison shots


Ordered on the 5th at 10pm, finished processing on the 8th at 11am and finally received them today afternoon so pretty quick. Just a tiny review for those contemplating to order there at some point, I haven't found any feedback on the ModMesh cables from them which are pretty new.

Those look great.

 

[Pendas]

So I'm looking for a good CPU Fan for a rig I'm building. I'm not much of an overclocker. I'm looking for something reliable, but not too expensive.

Intel Core i5-6600K
ASUS Z170 - A

Any suggestions?

 

[Jack Videogames]

If you don't want to exchange your mobo the 3770/3770k (buy the k only if you want to OC) is the only option you have left. If you want to get something better/newer you'll need to get at least a new mobo (i5/7 4xxxx) or a new mobo and new ram (i5/7 6xxx).

Thanks man. Would you recommend going from i5 3570 to, say, i5 6600K? Or should I wait for a future gen?

 

[Megabat]

So I'm looking for a good CPU Fan for a rig I'm building. I'm not much of an overclocker. I'm looking for something reliable, but not too expensive.

Intel Core i5-6600K
ASUS Z170 - A

Any suggestions?

Are you going to move it a lot?

A reliable low profile cooler could be good. I have a Noctua L9i on mine. It is pretty quiet and has a six-year warranty. If you don't need to move your PC around, just get a Cooler Master 212 EVO.

 

[Megabat]

Thanks man. Would you recommend going from i5 3570 to, say, i5 6600K? Or should I wait for a future gen?

It would be worth it, assuming you plan on overclocking. And getting a fast (2666MHz minimum) >=16GB DDR4 kit.

 

[Jijidasu]

Quick question -

I ordered all my parts and monitor last night and they should arrive Sunday.

I'll be installing Win10 on a new SSD via the MediaCreationSuite maker off Microsoft's site and with a registration code a friend gave me that he had spare. Assuming this goes smoothly, I was intending to plug in my old SSD which currently runs the free-upgrade Win10 just to get some files/wipe it and then give it to a friend.

Will anything clash? Is there a better way to do this? Copy/pasting sounds a bit tedious at this point.

 

[SCB3]

I gotta say Amazon and ASUS's return warranty is pretty awesome,

My Asus m975a motherboard's PCI slots for some reason wouldn't recognize any GPU after 18 months, Asus offer 3 year warranties via amazon and exactly 1 hour after noting for a return I have a brand new one coming on prime delivery tomorrow!

cant wait to get back to Phantom Pain on max

 

[Megabat]

Quick question -

I ordered all my parts and monitor last night and they should arrive Sunday.

I'll be installing Win10 on a new SSD via the MediaCreationSuite maker off Microsoft's site and with a registration code a friend gave me that he had spare. Assuming this goes smoothly, I was intending to plug in my old SSD which currently runs the free-upgrade Win10 just to get some files/wipe it and then give it to a friend.

Will anything clash? Is there a better way to do this? Copy/pasting sounds a bit tedious at this point.

If you boot to the new drive, there shouldn't be a problem.

 

[Vuze]

Quick question -

I ordered all my parts and monitor last night and they should arrive Sunday.

I'll be installing Win10 on a new SSD via the MediaCreationSuite maker off Microsoft's site and with a registration code a friend gave me that he had spare. Assuming this goes smoothly, I was intending to plug in my old SSD which currently runs the free-upgrade Win10 just to get some files/wipe it and then give it to a friend.

Will anything clash? Is there a better way to do this? Copy/pasting sounds a bit tedious at this point.

Just make sure to set the new drive as boot drive. I'm basically doing the same (fresh Windows 10 install on a new SSD + keeping my old Win7 install on the old one due to files on there I still need to access) without any hiccups whatsoever.

Not sure what else you'd want to do instead of copy pasting?

 

[Jijidasu]

Just make sure to set the new drive as boot drive. I'm basically doing the same (fresh Windows 10 install on a new SSD + keeping my old Win7 install on the old one due to files on there I still need to access) without any hiccups whatsoever.

Not sure what else you'd want to do instead of copy pasting?

Thanks for the answers guys.

I basically just want to wipe the drive after taking the data I need off it (mostly pictures and stuff) - I have them backed up on my 1TB HDD but I just want to make sure its there before wiping, wife'll murder me if the wedding photos get lost.

I'm not super tech-savvy but I imagine it's not hard to boot to a said drive. Thanks.

 

[drotahorror]

So I'm using an nvidia card for the first time basically ever.

One thing I noticed and maybe this is only exclusive to certain games but say Doom, on my AMD card...felt stuttery with unlocked framerate, lots of games did. Like if a game wasn't locked to 60 it wasn't smooth at all (and I'm talking higher framerate than 60 games here, of course lower than 60 is gonna feel worse no matter what card).

But DooM on nvidia, above 60fps feels like 60hz to me. Amd the game felt sub 60 even when it was 80fps. Like there was shitty framepacing on the AMD card and not on the nvidia one.

I should try Battlefield 4 out. On my AMD card even when I was always 70+ fps it felt bad.

Overwatch is a recent game that did feel like 60hz on my AMD card though. Sometimes certain games do get it right on AMD when the framerate is not locked to 60. In fact blizzard games have felt like 60hz if the framerate was above 60.

I dunno I'm just rambling about my experience and how it's been pretty pleasant and surprising using an Nvidia card.

 

[LostMyNarbles]

So I'm looking for a good CPU Fan for a rig I'm building. I'm not much of an overclocker. I'm looking for something reliable, but not too expensive.

Intel Core i5-6600K
ASUS Z170 - A

Any suggestions?

If you want something basic and easy to install that will still be an improvement over the stock cooler I'd get a Cryorig C7 for $30. If you want something that cools really well, but (Personal opinion and all) is a pain in the butt to install then you could get the Evo 212 for $30 instead.

 

[Pendas]

Are you going to move it a lot?

A reliable low profile cooler could be good. I have a Noctua L9i on mine. It is pretty quiet and has a six-year warranty. If you don't need to move your PC around, just get a Cooler Master 212 EVO.

I really hate those big cooler master ones, I tried installing one on my old rig and the cheap plastic clips broke because it was so big / pain in the ass to install. The Noctua looks like a nice alternative, and it's quiet which I like (hate noise, love quiet fans) I think I'll give that one a try.

 

[El_Chino]

Hey guys!

My best friend wants a gaming pc for no more than $550, any input would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Hazardous Metal]

First post, thought I'd christen my freshly activated account in a ComputerGAF thread.

I just built my first rig two weeks ago (after reading a lot of this thread and r/buildapc):


Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor

Phanteks PH-TC12DX_BK 68.5 CFM CPU Cooler

MSI Z170A GAMING M5 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard

Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory

Samsung 850 EVO-Series 1TB 2.5" Solid State Drive

MSI GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Video Card

Fractal Design Define R5 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case

EVGA SuperNOVA GS 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply


Coming from a laptop with a 740m, this level of power is truly mind blowing haha. I had a friend help me build it and everything went smoothly but I have one minor issue.

The Windows Explorer consistently refuses to open after having my computer on for an arbitrary amount of hours and the only way to make it work again is by restarting my computer. The weird thing is that restarting my computer can sometimes take up to ten minutes where as shutting it down and turning it back on again can be done in less than a minute. I'm really hoping there isn't any major issue causing this but if anyone has an idea as to what might be happening I'm all ears!

 

[Wowfunhappy]

For whatever it's worth, I just put my Zotac GTX 970 up for sale in B/S/T. Asking for $210 with shipping included to anywhere in the US.

 

[Megabat]

I really hate those big cooler master ones, I tried installing one on my old rig and the cheap plastic clips broke because it was so big / pain in the ass to install. The Noctua looks like a nice alternative, and it's quiet which I like (hate noise, love quiet fans) I think I'll give that one a try.

I'm not into those parts either. Just to be clear, that cooler is not silent under load - the 6600K is a 95W CPU. But you probably won't hear it at 50-65% in games. And it definitely won't be audible over you GPU fan.

 

[wheeplash]

Can anyone recommend me a sub $200 Motherboard for LGA1151 OC chips like 6600k and 6700k? There are so many iterations by so many manufacturers it's a real headache.

 

[Oscar]

Looking for some help fellas.

My monitor wont detect my GPU that I just bought today (R9 390X).

If I unplug the power to the GPU and switch the DVI cable to the mobo, the monitor does detect the mobo graphics.

If I plug the power back on to the GPU and leave the DVI cable on the mobo, I get nothing. If I plug the DVI to the GPU, still get nothing.

I've installed the latest drivers, not sure what to do here.

 

[Celcius]

Can anyone recommend me a sub $200 Motherboard for LGA1151 OC chips like 6600k and 6700k? There are so many iterations by so many manufacturers it's a real headache.

From the OP:

$180 ASUS Z170-PRO
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...40&cm_re=asus_z170_pro-_-13-132-640-_-Product

I always use Asus boards in my personal rigs and if I was building a socket 1151 system I would use this board.

 

[kuYuri]

Hey guys!

My best friend wants a gaming pc for no more than $550, any input would be greatly appreciated!

Consider getting a cheap Windows key from Reddit.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor ($110.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H110M-A Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($49.99 @ B&H)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($34.49 @ Newegg)
Storage: A-Data Premier SP550 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($57.70 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.49 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 950 2GB Video Card ($130.03 @ Micro Center)
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($45.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $516.67
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-06-10 21:16 EDT-0400

 

[appaws]

Looking for some help picking out a mother board, there is three I'm current'y looking at.

Gigabyte G1

ASUS Z170-A

MSI Z170A Gaming M5

Personally I'm leaning towards the Gigabyte board.

Here is the rest of the build.



For the GPU I'm gonna use my 970 for a while and then pick up an 1070 down the line.

I think those are all good boards. I would pick the Asus one if I had to choose...but that Gigabyte board is fine.

Sorry if I post again, but looks like none seen the prevoius I did another config using your advices, hope to have some help again:

I'm not sure about some things:
- Is the CPU Cooler good enough? I choosed the most rated, but I'm not expert
- Same question about Ram and the Seagate HDD, if they are not good, pls can you tell me what to choose instead?

Thanks!

I would get a different video card, with an aftermarket cooler...

EVGA, Asus, etc. have good looking ones that are better than the founders edition.

Also, I agree with the poster above on the case. Don't go with that 100R...look at something from Fractal, Phanteks, or one of the better models from Corsair

Can anyone recommend me a sub $200 Motherboard for LGA1151 OC chips like 6600k and 6700k? There are so many iterations by so many manufacturers it's a real headache.

I have a Z170-A from Asus. It is excellent for the price. Techreport recently reviewed this one from Gigabyte that is $120: http://techreport.com/review/30195/gigabyte-z170x-ud3-motherboard-reviewed

These are entry to mid-level products, of course, not as feature rich as the more expensive ones.

 

[appaws]

Consider getting a cheap Windows key from Reddit.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor ($110.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H110M-A Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($49.99 @ B&H)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($34.49 @ Newegg)
Storage: A-Data Premier SP550 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($57.70 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.49 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 950 2GB Video Card ($130.03 @ Micro Center)
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($45.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $516.67
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-06-10 21:16 EDT-0400

I would tell your friend to skip meals for a while and hang on for the RX 480.

 

[kennah]

My 780s arrived today! Every excited to install. Not so excited to completely drain, partially retube, and leak test my loop.

 

[wheeplash]

Damn, guess I'm stuck with those gigantic CPU coolers if I ever plan on doing some kind of OC. The Hyper 212 EVO looks particularly HORRIBLE and it seems to be quite heavy.

Are there any low profile coolers that can handle Skylake OC on the market?
I could spend a little more on something much, much more comfortable and better looking.

 

[opticalmace]

Damn, guess I'm stuck with those gigantic CPU coolers if I ever plan on doing some kind of OC. The Hyper 212 EVO looks particularly HORRIBLE and it seems to be quite heavy.

Are there any low profile coolers that can handle Skylake OC on the market?
I could spend a little more on something much, much more comfortable and better looking.

Look into the Noctua line. How much of an overclock are you aiming for and what's your budget?