Gaming PC config help..$ 2,500 budget

Originally posted by G-Man One thing I'm wondering is should I go with Skylake motherboard and i7 6700K processor instead of the config below ?

Yes, that would be my recommendation. Some Z170 boards have USB Type-C ports on them, which a lot of upcoming devices will be using. They also have higher single threaded performance and have an integrated GPU to support explicit multi-adapter in DirectX 12.

Configuration URL:     https://www.digitalstorm.com/configurator.asp?id=1322101
Specifications:
Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Digital Storm Coridium
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i7 6700K 4.0GHz (Codename Skylake) (Unlocked CPU) (Quad Core)
Motherboard: ASUS Z170 PRO GAMING (Intel Z170 Chipset) (Up to 5x PCI-E Devices)
System Memory: 16GB DDR4 2666MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series
Power Supply: 850W EVGA SuperNOVA
Expansion Bay: - No Thanks
Optical Drive: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 24x / CD-Writer 48x)
Storage Set 1: 1x SSD (500GB Samsung 850 EVO)
Storage Set 2: - No Thanks
Storage Set 3: - No Thanks
RAID Config: - No Thanks
RAID Card: - No Thanks
Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Graphics Card(s): 1x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB (ASUS Strix Edition)
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
HPC Processor: - No Thanks
Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 2: Corsair H110i GT - 280mm Radiator Liquid CPU Cooler (Extreme Performance)
H20 Tube Color:- Not Applicable, I do not have a custom HydroLux liquid cooling system selected
Chassis Fans: Standard Factory Chassis Fans
Internal Lighting: - No Thanks
Airflow Control: - No Thanks
Chassis Mods: - No Thanks
Noise Reduction: - No Thanks
LaserMark: - No Thanks
Boost Processor: Stage 2: Overclock CPU - Up to 4.8GHz (Depends on Cooling and Motherboard)
Boost Graphics Card(s): Yes, Overclock the video card(s) as much as possible with complete stability
Boost Memory: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my memory
Boost OS: Yes, Disable and tweak all of the non-crucial services on the operating system
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 10 Home (64-Bit Edition)
Recovery Tools: Windows Recovery Toolkit (Bundled with Windows CD)
Virus Protection: FREE: McAfee AntiVirus Plus (1 Year Service Activation Card) (Not Pre-installed) ($35 Value)
Office: - No Thanks
Game: - No Thanks
Display: - No Thanks
Surge Shield: - No Thanks
Speakers: - No Thanks
Keyboard: - No Thanks
Mouse: - No Thanks
Portable Gaming: - No Thanks
Branded Gear: - No Thanks
Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 10-15 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed
Warranty: Life-time Expert Care with 3 Year Limited Warranty (3 Year Labor & 1 Year Part Replacement)

I upgraded the PSU to a slightly more powerful and higher quality unit. If you decide to go with a dual GPU set-up in the future, this should be able to handle it. Also, for acoustic reasons, I dropped the HDD and put in a larger SSD. SSD's have been dropping in price considerably lately and if you need more space in the future, just go out and purchase another SSD; they'll inevitably be cheaper in the future.

For the GPU, the reference cooler one you had selected can get pretty noisy, especially when overclocked. You want a Strix card, which I put in the configuration above. The Strix card has an open cooler which will exhaust inside of the case, so you need a case with decent airflow. For the case, I went with the Corsair 450D, which has a similar aesthetic to the 550D you had selected, but has better airflow to support the GPU. (A Velox is a unique Digital Storm offering that has even better airflow, but it is up to you whether a chassis like that is worth the cost) For the CPU, I put in a 280mm AIO radiator. This large radiator, along with the Strix card, the semi-fanless PSU, and the fan control in the Asus UEFI BIOS, will let you turn the fan speed down or off at lower loads, and keep the fan speed down when you're gaming with higher loads. I'd recommend plugging all of the fans, including those on the radiator, into the motherboard...you may need one fan splitter to do this.

Edited by  - 23 Nov 2015 at 12:40pm

Hello all and Happy Friday !

I'm ready to order my gaming computer with the specs recommended above, any last minute changes you might recommend.

Thanks

Thank you, pulling the trigger now.

cool, thanks

.. and there it is...

Welcome to the DS Family.. it's gonna be great!