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Corsair Carbide SPEC-04 Live Build

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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 2 months ago

Why not drop the SSD and upgrade the CPU?

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BoyScout staff submitter 15 Builds 4 points 2 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.

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Nicker950_HD -10 points 2 months ago

SSDs aren't that nescessary, you could get away with a 120GB partition for OS on a 1TB HD. It still makes for a nice upgrade once you get some extra money to spend, but its just not worth if storage is what you're going for.

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BoyScout staff submitter 15 Builds 2 points 2 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.

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mlggeekmaster242 1 point 2 months ago

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

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NotMark 2 points 2 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.

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mlggeekmaster242 2 points 2 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?

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KingKiller1759 1 Build 3 points 2 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.

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Tigered332 2 points 2 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.

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Sk8ratt0115 2 points 2 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.

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Nicker950_HD 1 point 2 months ago

Do you guys have a build with the 1050 Ti in mind? I feel like its a obscured card thanks to the RX 4(5)70, but that still got something for its money.

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Astrocyte 3 Builds 1 point 2 months ago

Well that's just the thing. The 1050Ti really faces stiff competition in it's price point. It's flat out beaten by the RX 570 for only $20-30 more.

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Nicker950_HD 1 point 2 months ago

Thats sad.. I mean, sure the RX 570 gives more performance, but I wanted the 1050 Ti a chance to shine.

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Sam.Troyer -5 points 2 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.

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TheOfficialCzex 3 Builds 3 points 2 months ago
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Sam.Troyer -1 points 2 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.

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Nahash -2 points 2 months ago
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Astrocyte 3 Builds 1 point 2 months ago

No? They're not.

1050Tis are around $130-160

RX570s are around $160-190

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Nahash 0 points 2 months ago

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

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Astrocyte 3 Builds 1 point 2 months ago

Yeah you can't generalize pricing if you live in a different country. Pricing is different in Canada because of the inflation of your dollar.

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Sam.Troyer -2 points 2 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.

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The_True_Inferno 1 Build 1 point 2 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.

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BoyScout staff submitter 15 Builds 1 point 2 months ago

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

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Astrocyte 3 Builds 1 point 2 months ago

YES BUDGET BUILD!

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mountaindew1 1 point 2 months ago

100 dollars over my budget and if i had 100 bucks more i'd use an i5 cause i think the pentium is waeaer that i5

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Xizt 1 Build 1 point 2 months ago

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

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Hobie12345 1 point 2 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?

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BoyScout staff submitter 15 Builds 1 point 2 months ago

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

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Hobie12345 1 point 2 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?

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BoyScout staff submitter 15 Builds 1 point 2 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. :)

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AnimeGamer 1 Build 1 point 2 months ago

Does the case come in blue ?

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BoyScout staff submitter 15 Builds 1 point 2 months ago

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

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AnimeGamer 1 Build 1 point 2 months ago

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

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mountaindew1 1 point 2 months ago

nope maybe later or you could catch the spec alpha on a flash sale the blue and white one is 80 bucks normally which is ubsurd but blue is such a favorable color they just drive the price up however when it goes on a flash sale it drops down to like 60

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Sorry-im-a-Noob 1 point 2 months ago

So why is there 2 storage pieces ?

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Sorry-im-a-Noob 1 point 2 months ago

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

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BoyScout staff submitter 15 Builds 3 points 2 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.

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Sorry-im-a-Noob 1 point 2 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!

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BoyScout staff submitter 15 Builds 1 point 2 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!

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mountaindew1 1 point 2 months ago

what is steam OS

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aprofile 3 Builds 1 point 2 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.

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mountaindew1 1 point 2 months ago

oh

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m.u2022 1 point 2 months ago

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

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aprofile 3 Builds 1 point 2 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.

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mountaindew1 1 point 2 months ago

is that cxm power supply still on flash sale?

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BoyScout staff submitter 15 Builds 1 point 2 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).

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kidrangpker 1 point 2 months ago

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

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Armyschuster13 1 point 1 month 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

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W3rner_ 1 point 5 hours ago

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

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BoyScout staff submitter 15 Builds 1 point 1 hour 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.

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