# i5-6600 (non k) or i7-6700 (non k) w/ MSI gtx 970



## Peip (Mar 22, 2016)

Hello, the purpose of this thread is for help on deciding which prebuilt pc I should buy. I plan on buying a budget prebuilt pc. I have no intention of building my own yet. So please don't tell me to make my own. Thank you.

These are the prebuilts i'm torn between: iBUYPOWER and CyberPowerPC. I'm choosing Best Buy because I will be using my Best Buy Credit Card to take advantage of the 12 month financing offer, to build more credit & to get more Best Buy reward points and hit that Elite status. :]

I'm going to be playing games like (Black Desert, World of Warcraft, Guild Wars 2, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Battlefield 4, Witcher 3 and hopefully Quantum Break on medium-high settings). And i'll be making game videos for my youtube channel. So I will be using my Bandisoft video recording app to record my gameplay while i'm playing that game & editing lightly afterwards. Also I will be creating music in FL Studio (not at the same time i'm gaming lol). So this is essentially going to be a gaming/audio workstation/video recording & very light editing rig.

I'm considering the CyerberPowerPC for it's:
-i5 6600 (non k) because of its price-performance ratio. (I'm going with a non k because overclocking just doesn't appeal to me).
-4x ram slots so I can expand my capacity up to 64gb (compared to the Ibuypower which only has 2 slots) to let me run much more vst's/vsti's in FL without freezing the program and without having to bounce tracks to wav file's.
-The gtx 970 for the best price-performance graphics card available for my budget.
-Surround sound for game immersion, and 3D capability for the occasional 3D movie. Not really big on 3D movies but it's a nice feature.

And i'm considering the iBuyPower for it's:
-i7 6700 (non k) because of the Hyperthreading which will come in handy for video recording while i'm gaming, video editing and making music in FL Studio. And will take more stress to bottleneck the gpu.
-The built-in AC wireless networking. While it's not that big of a feature for me, it's still convenient to have.
-The gtx 970 for the same reason as the CyperPowerPC.
-The USB 3.0's because I have 2 external HDD's that I will be transferring data to and from often. One is for additional storage and the other is for backup.

(A gtx 970 or higher is an absolute must have for me).

I'm leaning more towards CyberPower for it's $1000 price tag vs IBuyPower's $1200 price. If I go with CyberPower i'd be saving around $200 which I can use for other things i want like a 250GB SSD which doesnt come with either pc and a ViewSonic 21.5" LED Monitor.

$1000-$1200 may not seem like alot for a gaming/music creation/video recording pc but this will be the first one I have ever bought myself & it's a pretty big thing for me. If anyone can help me out it would be very much appreciated. And who knows, maybe this thread will help others that are in a similar situation find their answer. Thank you in advance.


Oh and I currently use a laptop that's running off an i7-4500U /w intel HD graphics 4400, 8gb of DDR3 memory and a 250GB SSD as my only drive (hence why I use 2 1TB external HDD's). And my current desktop is a relic. Can't remember the exact specs but I know it's a Celeron M processor that's about 1.5ghz, 2gb of ram, and 500GB HDD... Yea, so this is a much needed buy lol.

EDIT: I'm not worried about ram anymore (16gb for Ibuypower should be enough for my musical needs). 64gb is a bit overkill thinking about it now. So ram isn't an issue now.


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## little cat (Mar 22, 2016)

Both rigs would max out any game . i7 6700 would help a bit for SLI GTX 970 in the future . But single GPU PC is always better and it is not clear if SLI is possible . Also GTX 970 + i5 6600 will last years without upgrade .  Thus I would be happy with either of the rigs . They havent listed which mobo or PSU are used so It cant be taken into account

In the end : If $1000 is more acceptable , I would get I5 6600 + GTX 970


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## EarthDog (Mar 22, 2016)

Yikes, their pricing...

Because of what you are doing with the PC, I would go with the 6700 build hands down. You will want/need the extra threads.

I know you are stuck with a prebuilt, but none really satisfy your needs...


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## overclocking101 (Mar 22, 2016)

its to bad the first thing you said was 





> So please don't tell me to make my own. Thank you


because that would have been my suggestion. 
get the i5 rig because the 6700 isnt worth an extra 200 bucks imo. maybe an extra hundred but not 200. also the second pc states it has usb 3.0 the first one should as well most 1151 boards come with the option and if it doesnt have external ports you can always get a pci bracket usb 3.0 port real cheap. either way both pc's are way over priced your spending probably $300 more then you need to but hey probably would cost your more though if you attempt it and get something wrong. but on the same hand I'll say actually building a pc isnt hard most parts only fit one way. either way to each their own.


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## GreiverBlade (Mar 22, 2016)

Peip said:


> (A gtx 970 or higher is an absolute must have for me).


then go  for a 6600 and a 980 ... that's what i have (except that i have a K CPU) and i am totally satisfied with it ... and last but not least you will avoid that shame of a card (imho, i know ...) that the 970 is...
oh wait no self build ... then 6600 one.

tho i would never go prebuilt ... they charge premium for nothing of any worth over a self assembled PC



little cat said:


> Both rigs would max out any game . i7 6700 would help a bit for SLI GTX 970 in the future


i doubt even in SLI more than 4 thread would help (luckily you mentioned single GPU is better  )



EarthDog said:


> Because of what you are doing with the PC, I would go with the 6700 build hands down. You will want/need the extra threads.


indeed for video editing and such task more thread might be handy, altho i saw some charts placing the 6600 close to a 6700 about image processing and other of the kind


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## Peip (Mar 22, 2016)

Thank you for all the replies so far. Wasn't expecting this many this soon.

After checking pcpartpicker.com the pricing is a bit much, but i'm prepared to pay the extra $ for the "labor" of buying a prebuilt. I intend on getting a case in time though (after doing more research about them). So I'll end up essentially pseudo-building my own so to speak.
What do you guys think about this case: http://www.fractal-design.com/home/product/cases/define-series/define-r5-black? I'm really liking all the dust filters, the ability to add more fans and the nice internal customization. Of course I have to make sure this case's dimensions will go well with whichever pc I decide to get.

After checking youtube for different 15 6600 and i7 6700 benchmarks i've noticed that the i5 actually isn't that far behind the i7 in terms of fps in modern games. And also checked cpu boss along with other comparison sites for both processors and as I expected the i5 is on average slightly under the i7.

I should note that i'm not worried about the speed that my videos & audio files will be rendered. I just want the cpu to do an efficient job at it.

I'm leaning more towards the i5 but what i'm really worried about is how an i5 6600 will do with both Bandisoft video capture recording at 30 fps (maybe 60) & lets say Witcher 3 running on high-ultra settings  at the same time. I don't want the cpu to bottleneck the gpu and causing stuttering.


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## rtwjunkie (Mar 22, 2016)

Peip said:


> What do you guys think about this case: http://www.fractal-design.com/home/product/cases/define-series/define-r5-black? I'm really liking all the dust filters, the ability to add more fans and the nice internal customization. Of course I have to make sure this case's dimensions will go well with whichever pc I decide to get.



That's a truly excellent choice!  There is more than enough room inside for near anything.  Very high quality case, that is wide as well, giving you plenty of room behind the tray to route cables.


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## FreedomEclipse (Mar 22, 2016)

_'A few years...' _is all relative these days, especially when it comes to technology. What with 8k displays starting to slowly make an appearance and what not.

You might be able to _'scrape by' _a few years so long as youre realistic when it comes to visual settings when youre gaming.


One does not simply predict the future. Get the highest tier of bang for buck hardware you can afford and just ride it out and see how far it takes you.


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## EarthDog (Mar 22, 2016)

Peip said:


> I'm leaning more towards the i5 but what i'm really worried about is how an i5 6600 will do with both Bandisoft video capture recording at 30 fps (maybe 60) & lets say Witcher 3 running on high-ultra settings at the same time. I don't want the cpu to bottleneck the gpu and causing stuttering.


Which is why I suggested the 6700. 



little cat said:


> Fractal Design Define R4/5 are one of the best cases
> 
> PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
> 
> ...


Can he get that from BestBuy? iBuyPower? CyberPC? He has mentioned twice he will not build himself . That said, its an'ok' example of what he can have (many thigns I would change on there for this user).


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## rtwjunkie (Mar 22, 2016)

little cat said:


> "So I'll end up essentially pseudo-building my own so to speak." ???



He's getting one prebuilt to his specifications. I gather on the Fractal question, it's either one of the case choices available to him, or he plans eventually to migrate into that case.

Migration is a great idea for those that have no experience building.  It gives confidence and first-hand knowledge where everything goes and how it hooks up.


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## Peip (Mar 22, 2016)

little cat said:


> "So I'll end up essentially pseudo-building my own so to speak." ???


What I meant was i'll be taking the parts from the pc I buy & transferring them into the new case. So I guess i'd be getting that "build it yourself" feeling. Wrong use of words lol...


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## Peip (Mar 22, 2016)

rtwjunkie said:


> it's either one of the case choices available to him, or he plans eventually to migrate into that case.



Yes I plan on migrating to that case once I buy the other parts I want (SSD, more ram and maybe a custom internal lighting fixture).


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## Peip (Mar 22, 2016)

little cat said:


> Isnt that like pure building ?



I think there's some misunderstanding. I am buying this pc pre built from Best Buy. I will be transferring all the parts from whichever prebuilt pc I buy into a new case eventually. My definition of build it yourself is buying individual parts and building them together. Which I will not be doing.


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## EarthDog (Mar 22, 2016)

Ignore the little cat. He means well, but is incredibly overzealous at times.

And... annoyingly, deletes his posts when he is wrong and called out on something... 

Stop deleting your posts kitty cat.... slow down and pay attention. This isn't a post whoring contest to see who can help (a moderator also told you the same thing).


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## rtwjunkie (Mar 22, 2016)

little cat said:


> Its his business in the end . But not willing to spend extra $150 for i7 , i cant see the point taking another case for $100 and perhaps risking the warranty .



Well, like I said earlier, it's learning.  My first build many, many years ago was a migration.   It gave me the confidence to do the next one from scratch.


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## Toothless (Mar 22, 2016)

First off, stop double/triple posting. There are edit buttons and you can quote multiple people in a single post. Rules are rules.

Secondly, you stated you're not building however do you know a friend that could build for you while payment is maybe a few bucks or a beer?


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## GreiverBlade (Mar 22, 2016)

FreedomEclipse said:


> What with 8k displays starting to slowly make an appearance and what not.


4k is hardly a standard even by now, and 1080p still has not been an issue on my 27" (or even on my 32" TV that i use as a screen on my Alpha ) 8k soon? meh ... not likely... 4k maybe... tho i still fail to see the usefulness of resolution above 1600p for now ...

dunno if that count but i used DSR to 4k on 27" and it's absolutely ... (words fail me ) oh well considering the price of 4k capable monitor ... i loose nothing 



Toothless said:


> Secondly, you stated you're not building however do you know a friend that could build for you while payment is maybe a few bucks or a beer?


i totally agree to that ... that's what i do for friends ... and recently i get more and more of them coming to me and saying "XXXXX told me you assembled a PC for him, could you do the same for me" i usually end up doing configuration way lower than the usual price due to my habit to seek the best price around (including 2nd hand, with leftover warranty, parts. ).




rtwjunkie said:


> Well, like I said earlier, it's learning.  My first build many, many years ago was a migration.   It gave me the confidence to do the next one from scratch.


almost same for me but that was the 2012 build when i started to post on TPU ... 12-14 years before i was building my own (1st a K6-2 then a Duron following by Athlon XP)



Peip said:


> I don't want the cpu to bottleneck the gpu and causing stuttering.


except for hyperthreading the 2 CPU are exactly the same i do sometime record gameplay for fun but i use either Shadowplay or OBS and i never encountered stuttering (except in Star Citizen with OBS ) my 6600K is hardly a bottleneck for my 980 so even non K it would fare just fine with a 970


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## EarthDog (Mar 22, 2016)

little cat said:


> No one is to blame . He was not double posting . I deleted mine , finding them not needed . As i am gonna do with that post


Please, stop deleting your damn posts... see what it does?????????????????


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## GhostRyder (Mar 22, 2016)

Peip said:


> Hello, the purpose of this thread is for help on deciding which prebuilt pc I should buy. I plan on buying a budget prebuilt pc. I have no intention of building my own yet. So please don't tell me to make my own. Thank you.
> 
> These are the prebuilts i'm torn between: iBUYPOWER and CyberPowerPC. I'm choosing Best Buy because I will be using my Best Buy Credit Card to take advantage of the 12 month financing offer, to build more credit & to get more Best Buy reward points and hit that Elite status. :]
> 
> ...


When gaming, an i5 is more than plenty as the extra threads do not benefit in games enough to really make a difference.  But seeing as your recording and encoding the i7 will probably be the better choice for you as those threads will be put to use.


Peip said:


> What I meant was i'll be taking the parts from the pc I buy & transferring them into the new case. So I guess i'd be getting that "build it yourself" feeling. Wrong use of words lol...


Well, if your going to do that you might as well start from scratch in my opinion.  I know you want to learn and try it yourself but your spending the extra for a warranty your going to void.  If you want to build one yourself, you can probably do it for cheaper as well and its quite easy as long as you stick to a simplistic setup.  Ordering from BestBuy to get that no interest for 12 months deal, why not try ordering the parts instead and doing the price match system to get a good deal on similar parts.

However, if you want to stick with the plan and start out with a prebuilt.  I would go with the iBuyPower one, seems like a decent deal overall to me for your needs.


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## Peip (Mar 22, 2016)

Toothless said:


> First off, stop double/triple posting. There are edit buttons and you can quote multiple people in a single post. Rules are rules.
> 
> Secondly, you stated you're not building however do you know a friend that could build for you while payment is maybe a few bucks or a beer?



Woa woa, It was an honest mistake. After I replied to one I seen another post and just replied to that one. And
I have no desire to pay someone to put together my pc when I can learn off the Best Buy pc. So I will put a computer together myself IN TIME. Why is me building a pc even a subject of conversation right now?

... this is going nowhere.


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## GreiverBlade (Mar 22, 2016)

Peip said:


> Why is me building a pc even a subject of conversation right now?


because going prebuilt is not a solution unless you want to shell out cash for something that even you or a friend of you can do, specially if you are counting on buying a prebuilt and then transfer...  (semi joke)



Peip said:


> I have no desire to pay someone to put together my pc .


well i rather give cash to a friend (or pay a beer and maybe a meal) for that than give it to a company that would make me pay more, also ... it's basically what you do ... you will pay for someone else assembling your PC,... ironic? 



Peip said:


> when I can learn off the Best Buy pc.


hold on a second? learning what? 



Peip said:


> ... this is going nowhere.


it does go somewhere... 

will i agree that buying a prebuilt is a starting base for going further ... that does not mean that going further directly after buying it is a better idea than assembling your own by selecting parts and seeking better price around the other sites available to you, trust me ... i was like you before  not anymore


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## Peip (Mar 22, 2016)

GhostRyder said:


> When gaming, an i5 is more than plenty as the extra threads do not benefit in games enough to really make a difference.  But seeing as your recording and encoding the i6 will probably be the better choice for you as those threads will be put to use.


Do you think an i5 6600 could handle Bandisoft background video recording @30fps 
while playing let's say Rise of the Tomb Raider on high settings?


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## GhostRyder (Mar 22, 2016)

Peip said:


> Do you think an i5 6600 could handle Bandisoft background video recording @30fps
> while playing let's say Rise of the Tomb Raider on high settings?


 Yea, I would not see a problem with that on an i5 6600.  However, Bandicam supports Cuda acceleration, AMD acceleration, and Intel acceleration which uses the GPU power to record instead which will be the better option anyway which is going to come down more to your GPU performance (Which should still be enough).


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## Peip (Mar 22, 2016)

GreiverBlade said:


> well i rather give cash to a friend (or pay a beer and maybe a meal) for that than give it to a company that would make me pay more, also ... it's basically what you do ... you will pay for someone else assembling your PC,... ironic?


So would I. But this isn't about my ethical choices. It's about buying a pc that will run the way I would like it to until or beyond the point where a transfer/upgrade is needed. At that time I will be ready to build my own. Maybe i'll have a friend help me with the interior customization when I transfer.


GreiverBlade said:


> hold on a second? learning what?


Learning about the inside of computers. Especially since both the iBuyPower & CyperPowerPC computers have a see through window on the side so I can get familiar with the inside before even opening it.


GreiverBlade said:


> it does go somewhere...
> 
> will i agree that buying a prebuilt is a starting base for going further ... that does not mean that going further directly after buying it is a better idea than assembling your own by selecting parts and seeking better price around the other sites available to you, trust me ... i was like you before  not anymore


I'm not going further right after buying it. I'm going to let the warranty run it's course and then transfer and maybe upgrade. Maybe by that time the Titan X would have dropped in price... alot. And perhaps the i7 6700 as well.


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## EarthDog (Mar 22, 2016)

Get the 6700 PC... enjoy.


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## GreiverBlade (Mar 22, 2016)

I get your point 

The 6600 will be enough, even on the long run  that CPU is still a beast K or not. 

With the money sparred get some games or accessories (keyboard mouse mousemat etc)

The 6700 will make no huge difference in the end.


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## Peip (Mar 23, 2016)

Well, after finishing up my research with the help of Youtube, cpu sites, other tech sites and this forum i've decided to go with CyperPowerPC. It's got the 15 6600 that is only slightly lower than the i7 6700 in terms of frame rate & has a fractionally lower clock speed and is ultimately the better option for my budget. While the i7 does have hyper threading, the only time it will really shine is when i'm editing which is rarely and cyperpowerpc's 4x ram slots opposed to ibuypower's 2x which will come in very handy with my music making in FL studio. Thanks for the help with deciding. :]


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## rtwjunkie (Mar 23, 2016)

Please let us know how it turns out once it has arrived and you've been able to use it a bit.


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## Peip (Mar 23, 2016)

I will. I'll be uploading a review video on youtube about the pc once i'm ready to do so. I'll link the video into my initial post. Thanks to everyone again. :]


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## Peip (Apr 30, 2016)

Hey everyone, I finally got my pc. I was originally going to get the Cyberpowerpc but I actually went with the Ibuypower one. I've had it for about 2 weeks now and it's wonderful. It runs FL studio 12 fantastically. Loaded up my most demanding project (7 different vsti's, a total of 18 mixer plugins & 6:49 long) in 6 separate FL Studio instances of the same project to test out the i7's usage and it ended up using only about 60-70%. The gtx 970 can run games like Black Desert, WoW, Guild Wars 2, Warframe, EVE online on high-max settings across all of them. When it came to really stressing the 970 (stock clock) I went with the gpu melter, Crysis 3 (in heavy combat it runs at 40's-60 fps on HIGH whereas on ULTRA it dips down to high 20's in heavy combat). The case runs quite cool too even with it having just stock fans. Haven't had any hardware issue either. Overall, i'm very satisfied with it. I'm still planning on making a video "review" about it, don't know when I'll have the video done but it will be done sometime, but I just wanted to pop by and let everyone know that I haven't forgotten about this thread and i'm happy with the pc. :]


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## puma99dk| (Apr 30, 2016)

little cat said:


> Both rigs would max out any game . i7 6700 would help a bit for SLI GTX 970 in the future . But single GPU PC is always better and it is not clear if SLI is possible . Also GTX 970 + i5 6600 will last years without upgrade .  Thus I would be happy with either of the rigs . They havent listed which mobo or PSU are used so It cant be taken into account
> 
> In the end : If $1000 is more acceptable , I would get I5 6600 + GTX 970



honestly not a card i would SLI with a lot of games having slow down issues using more than 3,5GB of vram...

and congratz @Peip with ur i7-6700 hope it will last u a long time, and now use that HT  (Saying the one with a 6700k)


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