PCPartPicker
  • Log In
  • Register
Blog/

Corsair Carbide SPEC-04 Live Build

Recent Posts

October 2018

September 2018

March 2018

February 2018

December 2017

November 2017

October 2017

September 2017

August 2017

July 2017

June 2017

May 2017

April 2017

March 2017

February 2017

January 2017

December 2016

November 2016

October 2016

September 2016

August 2016

July 2016

June 2016

May 2016

April 2016

March 2016

February 2016

January 2016

November 2015

October 2015

September 2015

August 2015

July 2015

June 2015

May 2015

March 2015

February 2015

November 2014

October 2014

September 2014

August 2014

July 2014

June 2014

May 2014

April 2014

March 2014

February 2014

January 2014

December 2013

November 2013

October 2013

August 2013

July 2013

June 2013

May 2013

April 2013

March 2013

January 2013

December 2012

November 2012

October 2012

September 2012

August 2012

July 2012

April 2012

March 2012

Post

BoyScout May 8, 2017

Update: The stream is over. Thanks to everyone who joined us! If you missed the live build, you can still watch the archive on Twitch or YouTube. You can also now check out benchmarks and photos in our completed build write-up.

Join us live via Twitch.tv on Tuesday, May 9th at 2PM CDT, as we build a $650 Gaming PC in Corsair's new Carbide Series SPEC-04 Mid-Tower case. See below for the complete part list.

Corsair also sent their new Glaive RGB Gaming Mouse, so we'll be taking a look at it as well after the system is up and running.

A big thanks to Corsair for providing the case (and mouse) for this build.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type Item Price
CPU Intel - Pentium G4560 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor $59.48 @ OutletPC
CPU Cooler CRYORIG - M9i 48.4 CFM CPU Cooler $19.88 @ OutletPC
Motherboard Gigabyte - GA-B250M-Gaming 3 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard $69.98 @ Newegg
Memory Corsair - Vengeance LPX 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory $66.88 @ OutletPC
Storage Sandisk - Z400s 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive $102.85 @ OutletPC
Storage Seagate - Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive $49.99 @ Jet
Video Card MSI - Radeon RX 570 4GB GAMING X Video Card $189.99 @ SuperBiiz
Case Corsair - SPEC-04 (Black/Red) ATX Mid Tower Case $49.99 @ Corsair
Power Supply Corsair - CXM 450W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply $29.99 @ Newegg
Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
Total (before mail-in rebates) $679.03
Mail-in rebates -$40.00
Total $639.03
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-05-08 17:53 EDT-0400

Comments Sorted by:

mlggeekmaster242 1 point 18 months ago

Why not drop the SSD and upgrade the CPU?

Permalink
BoyScout staff submitter 21 Builds 3 points 18 months ago

Certainly an option, though we typically recommend an SSD for performance if it fits in your budget. It's a pretty noticeable improvement to the system in general as well as for multi-player game load times.

That said, the drive we are using here is one we selected because we already had on hand rather than optimizing for a more affordable option. You can find 240GB SSDs for a bit cheaper as we show in our Entry Level build guide.

Permalink
[comment deleted]
BoyScout staff submitter 21 Builds 2 points 18 months ago

As I mentioned above, we selected it because we had it on hand from a previous build. You can certainly tweak the part list to get a bit better $/GB and sneak another $15-25 out of the budget.

Permalink
[comment deleted]
[comment deleted]
mlggeekmaster242 1 point 18 months ago

I'm a noob so if this is dumb pls forgive.

Permalink
NotMark 1 point 18 months ago

SSDs are almost necessary for a modern day build. The G4560 isn't even that bad of a processor anyways. It will be enough to play some games.

Permalink
mlggeekmaster242 2 points 18 months ago

I'm trying to build a computer in around the same price range. Would you say to downgrade from an i5 to something lower to include an SSD?

Permalink
KingKiller1759 2 Builds 3 points 18 months ago

Ssd's only increase loading speed but won't give you any additional frames per second in your games, but a better cpu would.

Permalink
Tigered332 2 points 18 months ago

ssd's aren't necessary, if you can fit one in your build great but if not they aren't dont have to be in your build. I think a i5 is a great thing for alot of games, I am using a i5 6500 atm and it is doing fine.

Permalink
Sk8ratt0115 1 point 18 months ago

No, SSD's are not necessary for modern rigs. They help speed things up so I would definitely recommend picking one up for your OS but later. Get the best CPU and GPU combo that you can afford now, make sure that your PSU is of a good brand ( I recommend EVGA) and last of all, try to fit 16gbs of RAM into your build. Once you have done these things, if you have budget left over I would recommend getting a $50-$60 120gb SSD for your OS.

I just recently picked up an SSD for my OS and Fallout 4 after 2 years of just using a 1tb WD Blue drive and I don't regret a thing. Sure things load faster and boot up times are decreased tremendously but in game there are no differences apart from load times on Fallout 4 being cut nearly in half but then again they were only a minute or less on my WD HDD.

Permalink
Xizt 1 Build 1 point 18 months ago

That case is really nice, huge front panel upgrade from the older spec models imo

Permalink
Hobie12345 1 point 18 months ago

I won't be able to watch live but I'm looking forward to catching it after work.

Not sure where to ask but will we ever see the rest of the tv to pc conversion?

Permalink
BoyScout staff submitter 21 Builds 1 point 18 months ago

Definitely -- we'll be back with more on that build in the coming weeks.

Permalink
Hobie12345 1 point 18 months ago

Sweet! Thank you. I am thoroughly intrigued to see the progress and end result.

How come Ryan and Barry never let you in front of the camera?

Permalink
BoyScout staff submitter 21 Builds 1 point 18 months ago

Yeah, we're excited to see it come together!

And I'm pretty happy behind the camera.. but maybe one of these days. :)

Permalink
AnimeGamer 1 Build 1 point 18 months ago

Does the case come in blue ?

Permalink
BoyScout staff submitter 21 Builds 1 point 18 months ago

No blue on this one. They have 3 variants for the front: Red, Yellow and Gray.

Permalink
AnimeGamer 1 Build 1 point 18 months ago

awww man thats too bad , thanks for the feedback. :)

Permalink
[comment deleted by staff]
Sorry-im-a-Noob 1 point 18 months ago

So why is there 2 storage pieces ?

Permalink
Sorry-im-a-Noob 1 point 18 months ago

And why no disc drive or windows 10 pro are they not nesasarie ?

Permalink
BoyScout staff submitter 21 Builds 3 points 18 months ago

Unless you have a specific need for an optical drive, they aren't considered a necessity as they once were. Most games (and software in general) are distributed digitally now. There are two 5.25" bays, so you could certainly add one to this case though if you have older software you would need to install from a disc (or if you like to watch DVDs/BluRays on your PC).

A Windows 10 license would be needed unless you plan to run Linux (or SteamOS, etc), and it can be purchased on a USB thumb drive or as a digital download (to use a 4GB or larger USB thumb drive you already have).

We don't typically include accessories (mouse/keyboard/monitor) or operating systems in the part lists for our guides. There's a lot of personal preference to those aspects of a complete setup, so we stick to demonstrating the core components of the PC itself.

Permalink
Sorry-im-a-Noob 1 point 18 months ago

Thank you I've just got in to the hole PC stuff so you've been very helpful and I hope there are more helpful people like you for a noob like me!

Permalink
BoyScout staff submitter 21 Builds 1 point 18 months ago

No problem and welcome to the site! As someone just getting started, be sure to poke around in our forums as well. Lots of friendly people around who are happy to help if you have questions!

Permalink
[comment deleted by staff]
aprofile 3 Builds 1 point 18 months ago

Steam's operating system based on Linux. It's free but game support isn't as good as windows. Looks a lot like a console OS. No word editor etc.

Permalink
[comment deleted by staff]
m.u2022 1 point 18 months ago

why didn't you choose a ryzen cpu see my build for you https://pcpartpicker.com/list/hGhcr7

Permalink
aprofile 3 Builds 1 point 18 months ago

No SSD or aftermarket CPU cooler and cheaper Case and PSU. Also, you didn't go ryzen (you got a 6600k) and some people just want intel. Plus the g4560, at £50/$50 only has competition from the 860k, which is worse.

Permalink
kidrangpker 1 point 18 months ago

why not pick a Rx 580 for only 10-15$ more?

Permalink
Armyschuster13 1 point 18 months ago

Really new to building computers and I am really thinking about doing this build. If I wanted to rent two monitors would I be able to?

Thanks

Permalink
W3rner_ 1 point 16 months ago

i watched the video and got me wondering can this live stream and how good can it Stream?

Permalink
BoyScout staff submitter 21 Builds 1 point 16 months ago

We didn't attempt to stream from it, but it will probably come down to what you plan to play (and on what settings). Given the CPU usage is already pretty high (or maxed out in some cases) across most of the games we benched, my expectation wouldn't be high for it to game+stream very well unless the game you were playing simply wasn't particularly taxing.

Permalink
W3rner_ 1 point 16 months ago

I'm gonna do what everybody would do if they want to stream Upgrade to and i7-7700k But i wanna know can this Videocard fit or is it to big/long MSI - GeForce GTX 1080 8GB GAMING Z Video Card

Permalink
BoyScout staff submitter 21 Builds 1 point 15 months ago

It looks like the MSI 1080 Gaming Z is 279mm long. The case can handle GPUs up to 370mm, so you would be okay there. (FYI, if you create your part list using our system builder, it will warn you on GPU length compatibility issues.)

Permalink
[comment deleted]
[comment deleted]
[comment deleted by staff]
[comment deleted by staff]
[comment deleted]
BoyScout staff submitter 21 Builds 1 point 18 months ago

Sorry, we don't have a 1050 Ti build in the works at this point.

Permalink
[comment deleted by staff]
Nahash 1 Build -1 points 18 months ago
Permalink
[comment deleted by staff]
Nahash 1 Build 2 points 18 months ago

links? Also I live in Canada I guess it's a different situation in the states

Permalink
[comment deleted by staff]
Sam.Troyer -1 points 18 months ago

GTX 1050 Ti US Pricing: Starting at $134.99 but the better version starts at $139.99.

RX 570 US Pricing: Starting at $184.99 but the better version starts at $199.99

So, starting price is $50 less and the better version price is $60 less. Yes, this is on Newegg, but I assume if you are creating a budget PC you don't want to buy off of eBay.

(Also, eBay isn't a reliable source because someone could be selling a card that isn't in great condition for way below what it actually goes for. Compare commercial prices, more reliable and also better quality. Also comes directly from the manufacturer)

In terms of price / performance, the GTX 1050 Ti destroys the RX 570. For the 1050 Ti, the average G3D mark is 5804 and the G3DMark/$Price is 44.65, with the price given by Videocardbenchmark being $129.99. For the 570, the average G3D mark is 6687 and the G3dMark/$Price is 37.15, with the price given by Videocardbenchmark being $179.99.

Yes, the 570 has a much lower sample size but I can't imagine that the price/performance will go up more than 2 points, let alone 7.5 to even compete.

In conclusion, buy a GTX 1050 Ti. Much better price/performance for a budget build.

Or, if you want to spend the money of an RX 570, then just get GTX 1060 3GB. Starts at $184.00 but the better version starts at $199.99.

Plus, the 1060 3GB absolutely destroys the RX 570, with an average G3D mark of 8569 with a G3DMark/$Price of 47.61. Videocardbenchmark also says that their average price for the testing was $179.99.

Permalink
The_True_Inferno 1 Build 1 point 18 months ago

While I do like using passmark for comparing video cards, its currently quite biased to Nvidia video cards. When two cards of similar performance are compared, such as the gtx 970 and r9 390, the Nvidia card will win, even though the AMD, in this instance, generally performs better. AMD cards are about 10-20% less than what they should really be.

Don't just use one benchmark as the be all end all for which card is better, you need a range of different benchmarks because different cards excel in different areas and games.

Also, 1060 3g is currently a card with extremely obvious planned obsolescence, just get a used gtx 970/r9 290/r9 390 instead for cheap.

Permalink
Continue this thread
[comment deleted]
[comment hidden]
Sam.Troyer -4 points 18 months ago

The 1050 Ti is still the superior choice. Look up benchmarks for the i5 6400 or the G4560 and the 1050 Ti and be amazed.

Permalink
[comment deleted by staff]
Sam.Troyer 0 points 18 months ago

My argument was never that the 1050 Ti is superior performance wise. However, it is much better price/performance, and still packs a punch when it comes to 1080p gaming, at medium-high settings.

Check the post I made on Astrocyte's comment about the price comparison right below this one to understand my argument.

Permalink
Continue this thread
[comment deleted by staff]
[comment deleted by staff]
[comment deleted by staff]
BoyScout staff submitter 21 Builds 1 point 18 months ago

Yes, it's still an available rebate via Corsair for purchased made at Newegg (at least at the time of this posting) -- but it ends today (May 11).

Permalink
[comment deleted by staff]
[comment deleted by staff]