Current Build: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/xc7p9W

• CPU - i7-6700K
• CPU Cooler - Corsair H100i 77
• Motherboard - Asus Maximus VIII Hero
• RAM - Ripjaws V Series 32 GB
• SSD - Samsung 950 Pro 512 GB
• HDD - WD Black 4 TB
• GPU - Asus Strix GeForce 1080
• Tower - Cooler Master HAF 932
• Power Supply - EVGA 850W 80+ Gold
• OS - Windows 10
• Monitor - Acer xG27OHU 144 Hz 37"
• Keyboard/Mouse - Cooler Master Devastator II

I'm looking for help/ideas/advice on my new build (first one I'll be putting together myself). The things that are bold are pretty much the things that I want/need where everything else is up for debate.

The CPU I really have no idea how to approach, in my research it seems like the 6700K is the best for a high end gaming PC that isn't going to break the bank, but I honestly don't know for sure. And would be worth it to wait a month or two and see want new processors Intel releases? Cooler seems to be a good one but again, I couldn't really find info on what would be best and so forth.

The Motherboard was only selected because it seemed to fit everything else I had in place (with the m.2 SSD and GDDR4 RAM compatibility). But I have no idea of the quality or if its worth it.

Tower, again, selected as it seems to be what I want. I want a full tower that is sturdy and strong, I have two kids and don't want something that they could damage or knockover easily. I think its expensive but a case is strongly built and looks cool to some degree, I'm fine paying a little premium for it.

Power supply, went for 850 W but may only need 750 once the GPU stats come out.

Monitor is just a holding place, when I added it last week it was 100 dollars cheaper. Honestly I just want a 24-27" monitor that is 1440p and has a good response time and Hz and preferrably built in speakers so I wouldn't have to spend more on a separate set (if possible). It would be my main monitor where my current one would be designated the secondary one so I want it to be really nice but I would feel weird spending more than $350 for it.

Keyboard and mice seemed like a good product for $30 bucks, but no idea if there are better options out there that are sturdier design.

I'm at the point where I'm ready to start buying the pieces to put the thing together, just looking for guidance from people that have a better idea of what they are doing and understand more than I do.

Also, any help with additional parts/cables/tools I should purchase before hand would be fantastic. I know to get thermal paste for the CPU but after that I don't know anything else I should get. I want to have the set up through the Display port so will I need to get those cables before hand? How does the display port compare to hdmi or dvi? Anything necessary to set up the PC correctly (i.e. tools)? My current/old PC was put together with a friend, more my friend put it together and I sat there, so no idea what type of tools are required to put it together.

Just a word about the CM HAF 932. I still own one of those, and it is an absolute monster, but I wouldn't go so far as to call it the most stable thing. It's quite tall and easily pushed over even though it's heavy, especially if you use the included wheels which will raise it's center of gravity another 2". I had one of my cats push my 932 over one time even though it weighed something like 40 pounds. I have since switched from the HAF 932 to the Corsair Carbide Air 540 which has a partitioned cube layout. Doesn't get more stable than that. The good news is that I have this spare HAF 932 now, so I'm considering converting it into a makeshift bomb shelter.

@mike: Yeah a 40 pound PC could crush my 1 year old so I'll probably look at getting something else instead. Is your current case roomy and have good air flow? Worried about temperature and if I want to go crazy with more cards and stuff in the future that I won't have to buy another case.

It's fine, the case has a lot of fans. I'm running two 980s in there right now and temperatures are about the same as with the 932.

Every single of the ten or so choices is difficult, from the importance of bandwidth and latency of RAM to harddrive access times and RPMs. Motherboards offer the hardest choice ... and I made a lot of bad choices, before I started to read up on that stuff.

Under no circumstance get a 7200 RPM drive, the speed of the drive is completely meaningless (and has been for quite some time) since you get an SSD anyway, but it will be incredibly loud and you need a lot of padding and cushioning just to get a grip on vibration. When idle the HDD is the loudest thing in your PC. Get an WD Green/Hitachi 5400 RPM, it will/should be spun down most of the time anyway. In fact I keep my large 3.5" drives unplugged, and only use an old 2.5" notebook HDD since it's barely audible and is quicker to spin up.

Get an understated case that you put on the floor, and that won't embarrass you, even in 10 years time. Also if possible avoid gaming brands (like ROG, Maximus ridiculous) mostly it's just a ploy to overcharge fools. The 1080 is an overpriced mid-ish-range card (180 W TDP) that doesn't need a giant monstrosity of a case in the first place.

All-in-One water coolers are a complete rip-off, you should maybe consider one after you collected some experience with CPU overclocking. Air coolers are better in most regards, except they perform slightly worse in at very high overclocks, but they are quicker to adjust RPM to temperatures for instance, consume less energy in idle and don't have a loud water-pump that is prone to breaking.

With the monopolies reigning supreme prices are climbing for upper range CPUs and Graphics so there really are no good choices. Everyone waiting for AMD to reveal their new Polaris graphics and Zen CPU but both is likely destined to be a disappointment and an also-ran "value" solution. It's bad out there. The market has matured to the point that there are few easy / clever choices. Meanwhile there is basically no/"0"/zilch serious tech-journalism left out there, that isn't basically advertisement and fluff. While forum advice is generally massively biased towards the stupid choices people made and try to justify...

@eurobum: So you are saying since I'm getting an SSD, there is no need to pay more for a 7200 RPM when it is overly loud and not much faster than the 5400 RPM ones? The only reason for the HDD is for my media and games that don't require fast loads times.

@nightriff said:

Yes if I had one advice to give. Paying more for a HDD overall is not a bad idea, if you get better Brand/reliability (or better $/GB value), but you should aim for 5400 RPM if possible. Even the various silicon grommets and soft drive suspensions that modern cases provide are hardly enough to dampen vibration, 7200 RPM is basically the speed at which angle grinders operate and that is exactly how those drives feel to the touch. HDDs will go away, the market is already declining, for now they will gradually migrate into external backup cases or better yet into a remote box (NAS) in the boiler room or a closet.

My other advice is to establish a hand down chain for the PCs you build, and build computers with the idea in mind that in a few years they go to a relative, perhaps without the Geforce card and with a smaller 400W PSU, in turn their old PC goes to to an elderly relative. Everyone benefits from your growing experience, and you have ulterior even noble reasons to keep your PC up to date, than playing game X at resolution Y.

@nightriff:

CPU: the K versions are unlocked for overclocking. If you don't plan to overclock there's no reason to get a K version unless the price difference is negligible.

Motherboard: a lot of the fancy features are more useful for overclockers, and again, if you don't plan to overclock there's no reason to pay for them. However, they may also come with higher-quality components and materials which could make a difference in stability and longevity.

Tower: the best case I've ever used is the Corsair Obsidian 550D. I plan to use and reuse it as long as I can. The proliferation of USB type-C might be the one thing that will get me to retire this case eventually, but not today.

Monitor: get a G-sync monitor. G-sync is one of those technologies that disappears when it's working (and is often out of sight out of mind), but its absence is immediately noticeable. It's definitely worth having, or looking into at the very least.

Sound: you're going to spend hundreds on a new PC, hundreds on a graphics card, and then use monitor speakers? No, my son. No! Get a nice set of stereo speakers or headphones at least. I've got a full 5.1 system and would never part with it. Sound is important too!

Keyboard and mouse: I prefer mechanical keyboards for all aspects of PC use, gaming included. The feel of the keys and the longevity of the product is much better than some rubber dome switch POS. I prefer Cherry MX Black switches, but there are several other types as well. It's down to personal preference. A mouse with adjustable DPI is nice to have since it allows you to really dial in your prefered movement speed both in games and on the desktop.

Tools and etc.: the stock CPU cooler comes with thermal paste already applied, but having extra on hand is a good idea just in case you have to reseat the cooler for some reason. The only tool you should need is a screwdriver.