Wanted to build something for $900 that has upgrade capability
Really wanted to do a 980 and a 6600 but Im tired of waiting to get a new PC and will just upgrade parts later on.. going to be ordering this week.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/xKQfJx

You dont need thermal compound since it already comes with most coolers. Also as you should not use conductive thermal compound unless you are really sure what your doing.
besides that it is a solid build.

This post was edited by maulepan on Feb 29 2016 02:37pm

oh.. and i forgot. You also need a Y-Splitter for your system fan header as these h110 main board usually only have one, and your case has 2 fans.
http://www.amazon.com/SilverStone-Technology-Sleeved-Splitter-CPF01/dp/B00B46XKKQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1456778417&sr=1-1&keywords=4+pin+fan+splitter

Funny story. A few years ago I used the whole tube because I thought they were like a single use deal where you just cover the bottom. I learned real quick how thermal compound is supposed to be applied lmfao.

Thanks for the advice on the splitter, you probably just saved me a big headache.

This post was edited by Eternal_Amaranth on Feb 29 2016 02:42pm

forget it. Just read the specs of the case... the case has an integrated fan controller for up to 3 fans xD
thats kinda unusual in this price class but good for you^^

This post was edited by maulepan on Feb 29 2016 02:47pm

Define R4 used to be in the $110-140 price range has dropped because the Define R5 was released.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/ZgyHkL
Total: $1021.22

If you are going to get the R4 might as well spent an extra $30 and get a R5, so much nicer.
If you want to stay in the same price range then go for the NZXT S340 or the Fractal Define S instead.
Also, why go for the i6500, for $40 more you can get the 6600K which you will be able to overclock to 4.0GHz no problem and will last you a lot longer then the 6500.
As for the video card I would go with the R9 390 instead of the GTX 970, it slightly outperform the 970 by about 5% overall and it is cheaper.
For the PSU, spend an extra $10 and get a better one as well as 750W instead of 600W if you want to make future upgrades.
Don't get a network card, it is totally unnecessary, and you don't need an optical drive as no one these days uses one at all. I have a Blue Ray Drive/Burner and the last time I used it was probably 3-4yrs ago.

The limiting factor is that you are using a micro ATX board, if you can I would go with a regular ATX board like a MSI M3 board but will cost you $65 more. You can also go with a cheap ATX board for $15-20 more.

Now i am curious... how exactly is the formfactor of the main board "limiting" someones build?

It has only 1 PCI-E slots, 2 x DIMM slots. It's made more for a smaller form factor. Granted it will not limit the build but eventual upgrades could be limited.

Only problem I see is I don't recommend the CX 500 as a reliable PSU. They're hit or miss as far as reliability goes.

This, it doesn't give much option to upgrade in the future or add any PCI-E cards at all.
The Z170 board i chose has 2x PCI-Ex16(3.0) slots and 4x DIMM slots and it's a micro ATX.
His board is more for someone that will build this and keep it until it dies.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/xgxVsY
Total: $1085.11

This is a perfect build and what I would go with on a ~$1000 budget.
Motherboard has USB 3.1, and also has a much better onboard audio, and m.2 slot option in the future when they become cheaper.
I put in 16GB of ram as well, which should be good for you for a long time.
With a 6600K on that board, you can match the 6700K easily by OCing and this system will last you for a very long time crushing pretty much everything and gives you room to upgrade as well.
If you had some extra money to spend, I would get a nicer case like the Red/Black H440 which will color match your system very well as well as a better PSU. (but those are not system critical and won't make your PC perform any better)