Thoughts on this possible build for a new rig

[Sovek]

So hopefully in a few weeks I will have a second job on the weekends which means I can FINALLY upgrade my aging computer... its specs are not great and were lackluster even when I put it together.... 4 years ago. Ouch.

What I have now is

• Intel Socket 1155 Core i3 2100 CPU (its not very good at KSP)
• Asus P8 H61 mATX Motherboard
• 8GB DDR3 1333 RAM
• Galaxy GTX 460
• 2 Western Digital HDDs with 1TB and 500GB
• Crappy 500W PSU

Right now, even if I were to upgrade the CPU to a Sandy Bridge (and that's the furthest this MB supports) Core i7 2600K, I'd still wind up having to replace the RAM for a further upgrade, and the i5 6000's trounce the 2600's in single threaded performance, and games are very slowly or not all, allowing for multi-threaded options. Right now I'm looking at replacing everything. So it makes little sense in not going with a new i5 over a used 2600K to save about $90 on a new MB.

 

What I'm looking at getting is this

• Intel Socket 1151 Core i5 6500 3.2Ghz CPU
• Gigabyte Socket 1151 B150 mATX Motherboard (reason for this was possible expansion, offers a second full PCI-E x16 slot, so possible Cross-fire or PCI-E SSD if I so choose)
• 16GB HyperX DD4 2133 RAM
• PowerColor PCS+ R9 380 GPU
• SeaSonic S12 620w PSU
• Samsung EVO 250GB SATA 3 SSD, 1x 1TB WD HDD, 1 500GB WD HDD'

Opinions? Total cost is $800 with a new case (cause my desk doesnt like towers and a HTPC case would be a better fit.

[MalfunctionM1Ke]

If I were you, I would way a little bit more until everyone has figured out how Unity5 will affect the performance of KSP.

But I think a bigger CPU and switching to an SSD is a huge benefit

 

Edited January 10, 2016 by MalfunctionM1Ke

[Sovek]

37 minutes ago, MalfunctionM1Ke said:

If I were you, I would way a little bit more until everyone has figured out how Unity5 will affect the performance of KSP.

But I think a bigger CPU and switching to an SSD is a huge benefit

 

Its not just KSP, I can't handle most RTS games because of the CPU/GPU combo. I can barely run Bioshock Infinite at reasonable levels (though thats likely due in part to the GTX 460). Even then, this motherboard is STILL limiting in what I can ultimately do. The PCI-E slot is only 2.0, no crossfire support, no m.2 connection should I choose to go that route, and I'd be relying on a USED CPU with a 2600.

I can't see how one game would justify saving an extra $100-$200 when the very platform I'm on is clearly showing its age.

Edit: to add insult to injury, this 1155 MB only has 4 SATA ports, three are currently used. Adding in that SSD would take all 4.

Edited January 10, 2016 by Sovek

[Alshain]

620W is overkill (unless you do go with crossfire) but other than that it looks fine to me.  Except the video card, I'm not an ATI expert.

Edited January 10, 2016 by Alshain

[KatzOhki]

I think the bottom line most people would agree on is CPU upgrade would be the most benefit. Mike has a point though, might wait until Unity 5 update.

[Vanamonde]

Moved to the lounge, since this is not a discussion of the game itself. 

[Elthy]

For the power supply something like 400W-450W would be good (if its decent quality).

[Sovek]

4 hours ago, Elthy said:

4 hours ago, Elthy said:

For the power supply something like 400W-450W would be good (if its decent quality).

For the power supply something like 400W-450W would be good (if its decent quality).

That might work for an Nvdia card (which the 380 beats in just about every game, for slightly more or less, depending on if its the 950 or 960) but AMD cards tend to be a bit more power hungry. Besides, the savings would be minimal going with a smaller PSU.

But right now the debate I see is "well, the Sandy Bridge is old, but can keep up" vs "Skylake is future-proof". While the SB CPUs are still good... I can't say it justifies saving $200 on the build at most (thats with a 2500 vs 2600). I still should upgrade to an SSD, that leaves 0 SATA ports available. Upgrading to 16GBs of RAM (which is the max this board handles) requires new RAM sticks, Both cost about $80, either way. Literally the only thing I wouldnt be replacing... is the MB.

Even if Unity 5 were everything its being hyped to be (which I doubt)... I still cant see the advantage of not going with a skylake. The difference is literally a days work. I still can't see the justification for it.

[Elthy]

For a GTX 960 you would need an even smaller PSU, 400-450W is enough for an 380.

Im not sure, how much VRAM will your GPU have? I hope you take the version with 4GB, its way more futureproof.