First time builder needs advice - CPU - Mobo and Ram - Thanks!

Danick

Hi guys I would really appreciate some advice on CPU, Motherboard and 8gb ram to buy - to complete my build.

1. What is your budget? [€300-400]

2. What will be the main purpose of the computer? HTPC - Plex Server + Netflix + Internet

3. Do you need a copy of Windows? No

4. Can you use any parts from an old computer? I have a 3TB 7200 HGST HDD, Crucial 120GB SSD, Fractal Design Define R5 Case and Corsair CX750M

5. Do you need a monitor? No

5a. If yes, what size do you need. N/A

5b. If no, what resolution is your current monitor and do you plan to upgrade in the near future? 1920x1080 - No I don't intend on upgrading my monitor

6. Do you need any of these peripherals? No

7. Are you willing to try overclocking? No

8. How can you pay? Credit Card/Paypal

9. When are you purchasing? Ready to make purchases now

10. If you need help building it, where are you based? First Build - based in Galway but I think I will be okay

I was thinking about getting an i5 processor - probably overkill but it is what I would like

CPU- i5 4460 or i5 4590 - which would you recommend?

Mobo - I want a motherboard with as many usb 3 points as possible and with a USB 3 header to accommodate 2 USB 3 ports at front of case and at least 6 SATA 6gb connectors - I have a large media library so I was thinking about these 3:

1. Asus H97M Plus
2. ASRock Mod 1150 H97M
3. MSI Z97 PC Mate Intel LGA1150 Z97
4. Open to suggestions on a motherboard I may not have researched yet

RAM - just know that 8gb (2 X 4 sticks) will suffice so I guess if you recommend a CPU and Mobo then you could suggest 2X4 gb sticks of ram that would work with your selection.

Thanks so much for taking the time to read this post and I look forward to hearing some of your suggestions.

Digital Solitude

Get any motherboard that will cover your needs.

An i3 is overkill for your needs, never mind an i5, I'd say get a Pentium G3220 or the like.

Any DDR3 DIMM RAM will cover you either, no need in specifics

Digital Solitude

Get any motherboard that will cover your needs.

An i3 is overkill for your needs, never mind an i5, I'd say get a Pentium G3220 or the like.

Any DDR3 DIMM RAM will cover you either, no need in specifics

Danick

Hi Digital Solitude - -would either of those three boards work as there is a 50 euro difference in price between them and out of interest which i3 cpu woild you recommend?

I was going with an i5 to future proof it

I really appreciate your advice

Digital Solitude

Any H81, B85 or H87 board is grand yeah, so the three you have are grand.

i3 4160 is good value for money. Not at all worth the price premium for your needs, I'd still say the Pentium

Digital Solitude

Any H81, B85 or H87 board is grand yeah, so the three you have are grand.

i3 4160 is good value for money. Not at all worth the price premium for your needs, I'd still say the Pentium

Danick

Thanks again for your help - I looked it up there - its has a great passmark for plex- just wondering if I need quadcore chip - it will act as a plex server providing films/tv shows to different rooms in the house - maximum transcoding 1080p to 2 different rooms in the house on the home network (wired) at the same time.

Danick

Okay - I've decided on the following mobo - cpu and ram - any thoughts before I pull the trigger and purchase them?

CPU - i3 4160
Mobo - Asrock H97M Pro4 - it has 6 sata 6gb, USB 3.0 header and optical out
Ram - 8GB Hyper Fury 1600 ram

Thanks

Digital Solitude

None here

Danick

Great thanks - I could buy them today or wait a while - is there any point in waiting for prices to drop?

I was going to go with amazon uk - are there any other sites you would recommend?

Thanks again for all your help - you have really steered me in the right direction and I really appreciate it.

Danick

Do you know if the 6th gen i3 6100 comes with a stock cooler?

Digital Solitude

Amazon are good for a few parts. I wouldn't wait, prices won't drop much to be worthwhile.

The boxed version will have the cooler

maximus02

Sorry to butt in here.

I'm just wondering what is the maximum amount of memory I can fit to this Asrock H97MPRO4 board?

I guess it will be DDR3. (I am not an expert).

Thanks in advance.

Digital Solitude

32gb of DDR3

Danick

Hi - thank you so much - I will go with amazon -in relation to the boxed i3 6100 - when I scroll down to contents of box on amazon - no mention of a fan - I can't post the link here as I am a new user.


In order to offer some future proof am I better off going with an i3 skylake setup? - If I buy the following then there is only 22 euro in the difference between a 4th gen and 6th gen setup.

CPU:Intel Pentium i3 Dual-Core i3-6300 3.8 GHz Processor
Mobo: MSI B150 M Mortar Socket LGA1151 Max. 64GB mATX
Ram: HyperX Fury Black Series 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) 2133 MHz DDR4 CL14 DIMM Memory Kit

So its this setup or the 4th gen setup I mentioned in an earlier post.

Sorry for being a total noob but I really want to get and make a good system.

All the Best

Digital Solitude

There isn't enough of a difference between them to make it a big deal. There should be another version on Amazon with a fan then.

Danick

Do you think intel might have stopped including a cooler with the new sky lake chip


Just thinking of sky lake so I could use ram and maybe the mono if I ever upgrade

Digital Solitude

Think it's just the K series have no cooler, which yours isn't

Hopefully someone can confirm

TerrorFirmer

It's worth going Skylake if the difference is that small, it's a newer and slightly faster processor, and the DDR4 ram is a lot faster also.