Virtual Build #3: $1000 Productivity Build

$1000 Ultimate Productivity Build

Whether you are an avid blogger, Youtuber, or photographer, a computer that is powerful and speedy is a necessity. This build featuring an i5-6500 will deliver just that: speed and power. The i5-6500 is known to be the best "bang for your buck". Even though it's not exactly budget friendly, it delivers amazing performance without having to step up to the i7 series. Also in the build is a Samsung M.2 SSD. A regular SATA based SSD is fast, but an M.2 SSD will deliver blazing fast speeds and tremendously help out with productivity. It will easily load large files, videos, pictures, and very quickly transfer them to other locations. The GTX 960 will be adequate for light gaming from time to time (because we all need that), and it can support up to 4 monitors, which is extremely helpful with multitasking. For a $1000, this build is a great value and it's something that will last many years, and also has plenty of room for upgrades in the future.

Parts List

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type	Item	Price
CPU	Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor	$199.99 @ NCIX US
Motherboard	Asus Z170-A ATX LGA1151 Motherboard	$144.99 @ NCIX US
Memory	G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory	$67.99 @ Newegg
Storage	Samsung 950 PRO 256GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive	$186.99 @ SuperBiiz
Storage	Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive	$47.49 @ OutletPC
Video Card	Asus GeForce GTX 960 4GB Video Card	$194.99 @ SuperBiiz
Case	Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case	$59.99 @ NCIX US
Power Supply	EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply	$77.99 @ SuperBiiz
Optical Drive	Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer	$16.88 @ OutletPC
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total	$997.30

CPU

Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor

The i5-6500 is the ultimate productivity CPU. It can easily handle everyday tasks, and also heavier loads, like video editing. While it might not be as good as the i7-6700, it still boasts a clock speed of 3.2Ghz and sports four cores. This CPU is definitely the right choice for this build because it combines value and performance in one amazing package.

Motherboard

Asus Z170-A ATX LGA1151 Motherboard

This motherboard is know and proven to be the Best value Z170 motherboard out there. You can easily google this motherboard and find that there are millions of reviews of this motherboard, and they're mostly positive. The main reason I chose this motherboard for this build is because it has a M.2 slot for the SSD. Other than that, it's ASUS, and it has great reliability and performance. It also has amazing features like USB 3.1 type C, UEFI BIOS, RAM overclock, and more. The ASUS Z-170-A motherboard has the best and performance.

Memory

G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory

 With most RAM speeds averaging 2133Mhz, this RAM gives you the extra boost needed in video rendering and other tasks, like loading programs. G Skill is known for their reliability and is used in countless builds. The price tag is significantly lower than other brands, and 16GB is perfect for this build.

Storage

Samsung 950 PRO 256GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive

This SSD is the star of this build. Not only is it ULTRA FAST, but it's very reliable because it was manufactured by Samsung. You do pay a slight premium for that, but it's definitely worth it in the end. This M.2 SSD delivers significantly faster speeds than the traditional SSD, up to 2500MB/s read and up to 1500MB/s write. I recently reviewed a SATA based SSD, and I was pleasantly surprised by the fast speeds. ADATA 240GB SSD REVIEW This SSD, is based on a PCIe M.2 connection, so it is enormously faster than an SSD, which is crazy. Having this SSD in your build will hugely increase the speed and performance of your computer. Link to Samsung's website: Samsung 950 Pro 256GB M.2 SSD

Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive

The classic WD Caviar Blue 1TB storage for all your videos, files, programs, and etc. Although hard drives are slowly becoming obsolete, they are still valuable, mainly because of the amount of pure storage they provide, and also the low price point. This hard drive is great for storing all of the files that are not frequently used, as well as all of your multimedia files.

Video Card

Asus GeForce GTX 960 4GB Video Card

Many of you out there will argue that the GTX 1060 is the new budge graphics card king. Although that is 100% true, GTX 1060s are rarely available as of right now, and will cost over $200. This graphics card gives you the option of running 4 monitors at a budget, and also allows for light gaming. It's perfect for this productivity build.

Case

Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case

Corsair cases are cheap, look good, and has the necessary features. It features 2 USB 3.0 front headers, tool-free SSD, hard drive, optical drive installation, and more. This case is an older brother of the 100R that I reviewed here: Corsair 100R Case Review. To put it simply, it has all the necessary features and look clean. It also has lots of room for upgradability. 

Power Supply

EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply

Building a PC with a clean interior is not easy. That's where the fully modular power supply comes in handy. You can choose the cables you need, and plug those in to the power supply. Simple. This power supply is also Gold certified, which means that it will save you a lot of electricity, which is a must have in a productivity build, which draws lots of power. 650 watts of power will provide ample room for upgrades in the future.

Optical Drive

Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer

A good, reliable optical drive is simply necessary in a productivity build. This ASUS optical drive was meant to be reliable and will burn and read CDs with no problem. A no frills optical drive with a low price tag.

Conclusion

Will you buy this PC? It mainly depends on your needs. If you're an average Joe that only surfs the web and social media, this build is probably overkill. However, if you're getting into video editing and Photoshop, and other CPU intensive work, then I highly recommend this build. Also, another thing to mention is that this build is not specifically for gaming. It's mainly for productivity so it will not give you max settings and max fps in all games, even though it can easily play games at mid-high settings, depending on the requirements of the game. Let me know if you decide to build this PC and feel free to ask me any questions or leave comments below. Build On!