I wouldn't dream of putting a 400W unit into a high-end build, especially if there's enough budget to do it right. Besides, the 600W version is only about $3 more than the 500W model, which is why I suggest going with the higher wattage.
Intel Core i3-6100 with ASUS Prime H110M-E MSI H110M PRO-D 4GB DDR4 1TB 400W Naviatec (or just whatever cheapest power supply you can find) Case A total space heater
+ macOS sold separately (depending on which version you want)
Right, if you're running a GTX 1070, you really need at least an i5 to keep up... maybe even some overclocking if you want smooth sailing...
That being said, that Pentium is such an insane value right now; an i5 isn't worth triple the price. In my opinion, this is the moment where 2 cores and 4 threads actually start making sense—even if an i5 drops down to basically being junk, having 4 cores and 8 threads for a bargain is a total win... Everything moves in cycles. Just when games started absolutely wrecking CPUs with heavy core loads, here comes this budget "i3-style" powerhouse for next to nothing...
Nothing worth it there. It’s just some basic minimum configuration for $500, and you're looking at a win of about $267 . Look, that setup is ready to go right out of the box. My only advice? If 80GB feels too tight, just grab that other build you found. Honestly, the price gap isn't even worth the headache—you can snag a 250GB hard drive for $33, maybe even less. But if you aren't interested in playing DIY scientist with your hardware, you don't really have another choice.
Nah, that's a worse deal. The machine itself is actually pricier, and it looks like you’ll still have to cough up those extra amounts listed below just to get macOS installed.
EDIT
It seems like you'd be getting Windows 7. Honestly, if I were in your shoes, I'd grab that first option and just upgrade it yourself with a 128GB SSD. Just make sure to double-check their policy on the warranty—see if they'll slap a seal on it or something. Or, you could always just bring your own drive to them.
I'm not entirely sure which retailers specialize in selling pre-owned PCs running macOS. I imagine various corporations offload their old hardware eventually, though I'm curious about the specific channels they use to liquidate them.
That CPU is an absolute steal for the price. There’s a really thorough German review over at PCMag detailing everything.
I can't help but wonder what Intel is actually playing at here—what's the point of even having the i3 series? I mean, come on, they're three times cheaper than the entry-level i5s. It makes me think Intel might be sitting on some info we don't have yet. I'm genuinely curious if we'll see pure Zen quad-cores and what the price tag will look like. Regardless, if you're looking to buy something new and aren't in a massive rush, my advice is to skip the i3s, the i5s, and those old FX-63xx or FX-83xx chips entirely (unless you're just doing a quick upgrade on your current motherboard). Either grab this Core i7 or just hold out for Zen to see how the dust settles.
Here’s the breakdown, focusing heavily on the GPU here:
futur IT 1 Shopping Cart
1 x Zalman CPU Cooler 120mm fan 1 x HDD Toshiba P300 1TB, 64MB, 7200rpm, High-Performance 1 x Intel Skylake Core i5-6400 (2.7GHz, 6MB,LGA1151) box 1 x MSI Z170A-PC Mate (S1151, 4xDDR4, DVI/HDMI/VGA, USB3.0, M.2) ATX 1 x Inno3D GeForce GTX1070 Twin X2 8GB/256Bit GDDR5 1 x Crucial DRAM 8GB DDR4 2133 MT/s (PC4-17000) CL15 SR 1 x Zalman Z3, USB3.0 black, 3x120mm 1 x Fortron Hyper 600W, 80+ - 60mj.
Total: $2654
This build is set up for non-K sky overclocking. If you decide against overclocking, you could ditch the cooler and opt for a cheaper motherboard like the Gigabyte GA-B250M-D3H. In that case, if you don't mind going over budget by $12, you could also squeeze in a 240GB SSD (SSD ADATA 240GB SP550)
You’re going to need both a solid cooler and a high-quality CPU sample to pull this off. Don't go thinking that hitting 4.5–4.6GHz is a mathematical certainty, especially when you start running heavy stress tests. It’s just not like how you could overclock a Freezeor Pro7...
I honestly doubt it was just a fluke. It’s more likely you were dealing with poor availability when you were building—like overpriced NVIDIA GTX 960 cards—or maybe you just overlooked something during the process...
The ASUS ROG motherboard is slightly better for overclocking than the DS3P due to the stronger voltage regulation, though it does come with a higher price tag.
That said, GIGABYTE has some newer boards available too (they're a bit pricier than the ASUS ROG), click. In terms of overclocking, they aren't anything groundbreaking since they just use a duplicated 4-phase design, but they might interest you if you need specific features or connectivity options...
Honestly, I wouldn't even bother messing around with a motherboard upgrade unless you have a really compelling reason to do so; just push your current setup as far as it will go. That CPU is more than enough to handle an NVIDIA GTX 960, so instead of stressing over overclocking, I'd suggest just undervolting what you already have...
Pre-built configurations rarely pay off, so you definitely could have scored a better deal elsewhere. Since people bring this up all the time, I went ahead and saved this link for you: click
Regarding motherboards, if we're talking about a true best-buy, the Gigabyte DS3P used to be the go-to, usually sitting around $183 ($23 +/- depending on market fluctuations and the strength of the dollar). You can find various new boards today for about $100, but your current setup—with its solid VRM and digital 7+1 phase regulation—is easily the highest quality option for overclocking in that price bracket.
1 x futur IT 1 x Asrock LGA1151 H110M-DGS 1 x Crucial DRAM 8GB DDR4 2133 MT/s (PC4-17000) CL15 SR 1 x HDD Toshiba P300 1TB, 64MB, 7200rpm, High-Performance 1 x GIGABYTE Midi ATX GZ-IF238R, ABS+Steel, USB 3.0, Black, 2x120mm 1 x Fortron Hyper 500W, 80+ - 60mj. 1 x Intel CPU desktop Core i3-6100 (3.7GHz, 3MB,LGA1151) box
Total: $954
Once you've saved up enough cash, go ahead and pick up a dedicated GPU and eventually an SSD.
It really depends on how you look at it. For instance, when the GTX 1080 first hit the shelves, you were looking at a minimum of $630-$$2167, but nowadays you can pick one up for just a few hundred bucks over $1667... I remember the RX 470 Strix used to go for over $140, though it usually sat around the $190-$$667 mark. Even the RX 460 2GB launched at over $120, yet today you can occasionally snag one for under $300 and stuff like that.
Just a heads-up: inventory and pricing fluctuate daily, so things might be out of stock or priced differently by the time you look. Mbo is a solid alternative. The monitor is decent enough, though IMO, it feels a bit pricey for a TN panel—but hey, at least it features FreeSync and a 24" screen, which helps justify the cost somewhat. I’m hoping this build is intended for gaming 😁 (since I didn't see a specific use case mentioned anywhere), because it's put together like a balanced gaming rig, given the subject matter here.
With that second option, you’ve got a clear path for CPU upgrades, whereas both setups allow for general component swaps down the road.
Basically, the A8 gives you four decent cores paired with a stronger integrated GPU, while the Pentium offers two solid cores but a much weaker onboard graphics chip. If you want to jump straight into gaming right away, the A8 is the better play. However, once you eventually drop in a dedicated GPU—something in the ballpark of an rx 480 or a gtx 1050—you'll be able to handle "mid-tier" games much more smoothly. Beyond that, though, you'll hit a wall; you can't really upgrade the CPU much further since the quad-cores on that socket are all pretty much identical, and anything beefier than those mentioned GPUs would just be bottlenecked by the A8.
On the other hand, with the Celeron or Pentium builds, you have the same ability to upgrade the GPU (though being dual-core might sting in certain titles, they aren't exactly common these days). The real advantage is that you could swing about $200 later to drop an i5 in there, which then lets you pair it with a high-end GPU. So, the 1151 platform offers much better longevity, even if those major upgrades might end up costing as much as the entire initial build. With that extra $167 in your pocket, you won't see massive gains, but you could potentially swap out the Pentium for the cheapest i3 6 xxx or grab a 128GB SSD, depending on what matters most to you.
If you're just looking for a quick start, going with the A8 is probably the better move right now. However, if you're thinking about future-proofing and upgrading your CPU down the road, you definitely want to go with the 1151 socket instead. Sure, you can still beef up the first option by adding an SSD or tossing in a new GPU, but you'll hit a dead end when it comes to swapping out the processor.
