The goal of this machine was to replace the highly unreliable kids computer (Portable Power Build). First the GPU went, then the HDD started showing errors. Finally the MB voltage started to act up. The net result was that the computer was very unreliable and would just freeze, awaiting a hard reboot.
The goal was to be “reasonable yet not extravagant”.
Some facts on the CPU: the i5-6500 is currently #261 on PassMark [7,042] cpubenchmark.net. At a price of $204, it has a “value” rating of 34.3. It is the first 4-core not 8-core machine in a long time – for a gaming machine, the 4 extra cores don’t pay off. This is the first LGA 1151 CPU build. And along with it, the first DDR4 machine as well. Also a first is the USB-C connector on the motherboard.
All product links are from the actual vendor. Not all pieces were purchased in 2016.
| Item | Product | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Boxed Core I5-6500 FC-LGA14C 3.20 Ghz 6M Processor Cache LGA 1151 BX80662I56500 | $204 |
| RAM | Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 DRAM 3000MHz (PC4-24000) C15 Memory Kit – Black | $74 |
| Motherboard | GIGABYTE GA-Z170XP-SLI LGA 1151 Z170 2-Way SLI UEFI DualBIOS ATX DDR4 ATX DDR4 | $126 |
| Power Supply | Corsair CX Series, CX500 500 Watt (500W) Power Supply, 80+ Bronze Certified | $53 |
| Video | Gigabyte GTX 750Ti GV-N75TOC2-2GI GTX 750 Ti GDDR5-2GB 2xHDMI OC Graphics Cards | $105 |
| Case | Corsair Carbide Series 200R Compact ATX Case | $58 |
| SSD Drive | Samsung 850 EVO 250GB 2.5-Inch SATA III Internal SSD (MZ-75E250B/AM) | $117 |
| HD Drive | None | – |
| DVD/CD | Samsung DVD Burner 24x SATA DVD+RW DVD-Writer Internal Optical Drive (SH-224FB/BSBE) | $17 |
| Keyboard/Mouse | – | – |
| OS | Microsoft Windows 10 Pro 64 Bit System Builder OEM | PC Disc | $125 |
| Total | – | $879 |