Help with gaming PC build

[nagooro]

With black friday coming up, hoping to find some deals and build a new gaming PC.

Made a quick build on PC part picker, is there anything I should change or consider? I dont know much about motherboards, so kind of just picked one based on reviews.

Any input is appreciated.

Thanks

https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/J42c2R

[Maxx Mazda]

The Strix is a great board. My only suggestion would be to consider two smaller cards in SLI as opposed to the 1080. If you do that however, upgrade the power supply.

[firebane]

The Strix is a great board. My only suggestion would be to consider two smaller cards in SLI as opposed to the 1080. If you do that however, upgrade the power supply.

Single card performance is way better than SLI performance.

[OTown]

Yeah screw SLI. If you can afford the single card then do it. I would however suggest the brand new 1070 ti thats currently available for $600 and has similar performance to the 1080 for the lower power and cheaper price. I guess it depends what resolution and frame rates you want. I just got the 1070ti and absolutely love it. Its barely a 10% difference in benchmarks and less than that in games with similar framerates to the 1080.

https://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487387&cm_re=1070ti-_-14-487-387-_-Product

Also, do you really want a Full tower case? Seems pretty huge for what you have. A mid ATX may better suit your needs, have a smaller size and be cheaper (usually)

[Maxx Mazda]

Single card performance is way better than SLI performance.

Benchmarks have proven that even two 970’s in SLi produce lower frame rates than a single 1080, with the added bonus of increased memory bandwidth on the second set of PCI-E lanes.

For gaming in 1080p one card will be fine but for 4K you’ll really start to notice the benefits of SLI.

[Boat]

Look into a nvme pci ssd. Performance is better.

[firebane]

Benchmarks have proven that even two 970’s in SLi produce lower frame rates than a single 1080, with the added bonus of increased memory bandwidth on the second set of PCI-E lanes.

For gaming in 1080p one card will be fine but for 4K you’ll really start to notice the benefits of SLI.

4k is not worth it yet. Gaming is best in a 1080 res or 1440

[Kobe]

Damn a year, when I was purchasing was told not to get the 1080 since most games wont run it for awhile and got the 1070..

Memx said the 500W power supply is not enough others told me it should be fine (It's fine btw)

This is what I got little over a year ago if you want to compare the difference in prices. - I had some things pricematched with newegg.



https://i.gyazo.com/9ca2fc8b7e00cec56ba183719cc97e89.png

[Mitsu3000gt]

I would change just a few things.

Switch case to Fractal Design R5. Cheaper, quieter, and better.

Switch PSU to EVGA SuperNOVA 650 or 750 G3. The G3 units are built on the latest Superflower Leadex II platform and are pretty well the best power supplies you can buy for hardly any more money. Objective testing has them near flawless. I'd go 750W if you are overclocking lots.

Switch the 850 EVO to a 960 EVO M2 SSD. $95 more for 5X the speed is a no-brainer IMO.

This one's up to you but I would get a quieter cooler, just because I like quiet PC's. Also if you want to do any overclocking (which everyone will be with an 8700K) you will need a better cooler anyway. Noctua NH-D15 is almost silent and cools as good or better than any 240mm AIO water cooler. $99.

https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/cfKjtJ

[nagooro]

Thanks for all the input. Is the i7 800K an overkill? Or am I better off getting an i5 (or even an amd ryzen) and putting the savings towards a 1080ti?

[schocker]

Thanks for all the input. Is the i7 800K an overkill? Or am I better off getting an i5 (or even an amd ryzen) and putting the savings towards a 1080ti?
Depends on what you are going to do with it. Sometimes it is fun to give it gobs of power. If you say stream and whatnot while gaming, would be worth it, or if you do tasks that would use all 12 threads. 8600k is already 6 core though just no hyperthreading. I like what ryzen brought but personally I still stick with intel. 1080ti is great though, so if that extra ~$150 helps with that, I would get that. I have a founders edition and it runs everything very well w/ high fps at 1440p.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Thanks for all the input. Is the i7 800K an overkill? Or am I better off getting an i5 (or even an amd ryzen) and putting the savings towards a 1080ti?

It entirely depends what you want to do with it, and how long you plan on keeping it. If you keep your computers 5-6 years, I would over-build it now. If you are always upgrading and tinkering, it doesn't really matter. If you do any streaming or content creation, photo editing, etc. you will also benefit from more cores/threads.

[A790]

If you do any streaming or content creation, photo editing, etc. you will also benefit from more cores/threads.
Currently, have photoshop open (with 8 PSD's loaded), Ashes of Singularity Escalation, Chrome with 50 tabs... running fine.

Don't underpower yourself. This isn't a car. You can't limp along to work and tell yourself that it's okay since you go from A-B just fine.

Do you know the one thing worse than having NO computer? Having a SLOW one.

[Xtrema]

Gaming for now, clock speed is more important than cores.

Streaming/Video encoding, cores are more important than clock speed.

Go for clock speed if you don't want to spend on cores. But if I'm pairing with a 1080ti may as well go nuts and pair it with i7-8700K or higher.

No point slapping an titanium exhaust on a Civic DX.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Gaming for now, clock speed is more important than cores.

Streaming/Video encoding, cores are more important than clock speed.

Go for clock speed if you don't want to spend on cores. But if I'm pairing with a 1080ti may as well go nuts and pair it with i7-8700K or higher.

No point slapping an titanium exhaust on a Civic DX.

Depends on the game, some games can utilize more cores too. It can also help keeping minimum frame rates up, even if peak frame rates aren't the highest - this was apparent in lots of the Ryzen benchmarks when comparing to Intel's quad core gaming CPUs.

Right now, it's simply a non-issue since you can get clock speed and cores together, so it's an easy decision IMO. You can easily get 8 cores at 4.7ish GHZ on air, and I'm sure you can get an 8700K to do 4.8-4.9GHz or very close to it for 6 cores.

[nagooro]

Thanks for all the input and I do plan/hope to keep this computer for ~5 years.
I posted on a different forum/reddit as well. Below is my updated list.

https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/fsyTXH

The only things I can think of that I would now swap around are the MOBO and video card.
Mobo (Z370): not sure if I should go with one of the Asus STRIX's or the ASROCK (in current build)
GPU (GTX 1080): on the fence between the ASUS ROG STRIX or the EVGA FTW.

Otherwise I think the build seems pretty good...?

Thanks
Mitsu3000gt is the D15S just as effective as the D15? Realized the NZXT case I currently have chosen only works with the D15S, not D15.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Thanks for all the input. I posted on a different forum/reddit as well. Below is my updated list.

https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/fsyTXH

The only things I can think of that I would now swap around are the MOBO and video card.
Mobo (Z370): not sure if I should go with one of the Asus STRIX's or the ASROCK (in current build)
GPU (GTX 1080): on the fence between the ASUS ROG STRIX or the EVGA FTW.

Otherwise I think the build seems pretty good...?

Thanks

The build looks pretty good.

Get the NH-D15 though, not the "S" model. The "S" is single fan but the regular model with two fans costs only $13 more (often it's the exact same price). If there are any RAM clearance issues you can just raise the fan up a few mm's and still use both fans just fine. If you don't want to use the second fan, you get a 140mm Noctua fan for either half price or free depending on the deal you get.

For the GPU I would go with the EVGA unit, their warranty and customer service are second to none. I haven't checked benchmarks but I imagine performance difference between the two is not noticeable. If you're buying at memory express, you can safely forego IPR on anything EVGA.

For the case, I would still go with the Fractal R5. It's built better, has better cooling/airflow options, better configuration options/cable management, it's sound deadened with asphalt pads, and can be had with a window if you prefer that style. You can often find the R5 for just over $100, it goes on sale often. It's physically a bit larger though if that's an issue, but if you're putting in a NH-D15 (it's massive) and top end GPU you will probably want the extra room and air flow.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Thanks for all the input and I do plan/hope to keep this computer for ~5 years.
I posted on a different forum/reddit as well. Below is my updated list.

https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/fsyTXH

The only things I can think of that I would now swap around are the MOBO and video card.
Mobo (Z370): not sure if I should go with one of the Asus STRIX's or the ASROCK (in current build)
GPU (GTX 1080): on the fence between the ASUS ROG STRIX or the EVGA FTW.

Otherwise I think the build seems pretty good...?

Thanks
Mitsu3000gt is the D15S just as effective as the D15? Realized the NZXT case I currently have chosen only works with the D15S, not D15.
The NH-D15S is literally a NH-D15 with one less fan in the box. The "S" stands for single fan. The reason the "S" Exists is it guarantees ram compatibility with everything, but what you can do is just buy the NH-D15 (non-S) and raise the outer fan by a few mm's to clear your ram. That RAM isn't very tall anyway so you will hardly have to do anything. The fans just clip onto the cooling fins so there is flexibility to where you mount them. I have trident Z RAM which is quite tall, and I just raised the outside fan on the NH-D15 by a tiny bit and it works perfectly. The regular 2-fan NH-D15 cools better than the NH-D15S because of the second fan, but they are literally the same unit, just one extra fan and fan clip in the box on the NH-D15. The D15S still cools really well. These coolers are massive - that is one reason why I suggested going with a Fractal R5 for a case. You also want to be able to work in the case if you need to in the future without having to un-mount your CPU cooler which is a pain in the ass.

Also this is better ram for less money than what you have chosen. The price difference can pay for the better case :)

https://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231914&nm_mc=AFC-C8JunctionCA&cm_mmc=AFC-C8JunctionCA-_-na-_-na-_-na&AID=10592396&PID=3938566&utm_medium=affiliates&utm_source=afc-%zn

[Crazyjoker77]

I'll throw my 2c in fwiw.

-Definatly go for the 8700k especially if you want to keep it that long. Games are getting better at multithread performance and I see my cpu peg 100% during loading screens even on games that arent very well optimized. So even if its not upping your FPS playing games it lowers the time your staring at loading screens. I would also consider a ryzen 1700 if you wanted to save a few bucks.

-if your spending 100$ on a air cooler may as well just go with a water AIO. May not cool any better but looks much better and eliminates any clearance issues and makes working in the case a lot easier.

-While I've always heard EVGA has amazing customer support I've had the opposite experience. I had to send them 8 emails just to get them to respond about getting their thermal kit for the earlier FTW cards where they didn't install thermal pads for the VRMs. In their response they simply emailed me a new Firmware which was nothing more than a super aggressive and loud fan curve that was already available on their website and didn't even respond to my request for thermal pad kit. To this day I still haven't gotten them to send me the kit which should of never been needed in the first place.... Also a bit sour because I placed a Pre-order directly with them as soon as they were accepting pre-orders and the card was delayed over 6weeks from pascal launch and ended up buying one off the shelf from Mem-Ex before my preorder was filled....

-I was getting sick of waiting for the FTW card to actually be in stock so I was about to get the strix cards that were everywhere but just before placing the order realized the the strix cards have 2dp and 2hdmi instead of the usual 3dp that every other card uses... DP is far superior and was a deal breaker for me.

-If all your doing is gaming a NVME isn't really needed. Its actually slower as a boot drive and is negligible faster in games. Its a good place to save a few bucks. Also I really like the crucial MX300 ssds. They perform the same as the 850s and are cheaper the only real difference is you only get a 3yr warranty as opposed to samsungs 5yr. You will get more benefit out of a larger capacity sata SSD over a faster nvme IMO.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdF_aerWcW8

[nagooro]

Thanks for the input guys, took a few recommendations from above.

- changed the cooler to the Noctua D15 - opted out for an AIO, not too concerned with physical looks and should have no clearance issues
- changed case to Fractal R5
- changed storage from m2 back to SSD, don't think ill gain any significant gaming performance so figured I would save the $100. My last crucial SSD failed on me so sticking to samsung for now.
- GPU from ASUS to EVGA 1080 FTW

Might do a bit more research on the MOBO, but otherwise I think I am pretty settled on the build below.

https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/VG9d3F

On a side note, whats the difficulty in putting this together myself? I put one together ~5 years ago with some help, I am sure I could do this one fine with some googling/youtube?

[msommers]

If you put one together already, the hardest part is over man! I forget what M/E charges to put it together but next time I build one I'll just get them to do it. My time is worth something and I don't have to stress about anything but know how to troubleshoot some things.

My computer I built like..fuck I dunno 6 or 7 years ago is still kicking ass. Just added more RAM and updated the GPU, otherwise everything else is still the same.

You're going to have a badass computer man. What games are you playing now?

[schocker]

On a side note, whats the difficulty in putting this together myself? I put one together ~5 years ago with some help, I am sure I could do this one fine with some googling/youtube?
Like doing lego. Should be EZPZ. No worry with pins on the CPU getting bent, just match the corners. Make sure you are grounding yourself by touching stuff etc. Only issue I have had in the past is making sure that the CPU cooler is making full contact. Make it snug but not tight. Don't have to apply thermal paste as it should come applied to the cooler already. Everything else is just screwing or plugging in. Only tip I have is find a computer with a CD drive and transfer the files from the mobo driver disc. Will need to install your drivers and from my experience you won't have a network adapter driver initially so no internet.

Man ram is pricey again though, April 2016 I bought 16gb Ripjaws V 3200 for $95. Looks like a good build overall. I have had zero issues with my samsung SSD (Also one crucial), and the only one I had fail was a samsung 960 evo m2. Was replaced very fast though from memx w/o IPR as samsung ok'd it. Have had a 960 pro since with no issues.

[Mitsu3000gt]

If you put one together already, the hardest part is over man! I forget what M/E charges to put it together but next time I build one I'll just get them to do it. My time is worth something and I don't have to stress about anything but know how to troubleshoot some things.


MemEx charges $100 now for "high end" systems or systems with water cooling to build it and load the OS. They charged me $100 for my system just because it was expensive, not because it was hard to build. They used to only charge $40 for the build and $70 for build + load OS. Not horrible I guess, I still get them to do it because it's fast & easy, and if they break they buy, but the price is creeping up.

OP: Your build will be awesome. You've got some really nice quality parts picked out and the EVGA stuff has huge warranty. If you keep your computer for a long time though I would go with the PCI-E SSD still - totally up to you though, the SATA SSD is going to be plenty fast for most things still. At this point you're going to be just fine with whatever you choose.

[OTown]

Looks good OP! I still think you should opt for the EVGA 1070ti instead. Saves you another 150$ for barely any noticeable gains in most games. Check out the comparisons.

[nagooro]

If you put one together already, the hardest part is over man! I forget what M/E charges to put it together but next time I build one I'll just get them to do it. My time is worth something and I don't have to stress about anything but know how to troubleshoot some things.

My computer I built like..fuck I dunno 6 or 7 years ago is still kicking ass. Just added more RAM and updated the GPU, otherwise everything else is still the same.

You're going to have a badass computer man. What games are you playing now?

Right now mainly CS GO and Overwatch, but will likely get into PUBG and Destiny 2. Newegg and amazon have a deal right now, buy a GTX 1080 and get Destiny 2 for free, so a plus.


Like doing lego. Should be EZPZ. No worry with pins on the CPU getting bent, just match the corners. Make sure you are grounding yourself by touching stuff etc. Only issue I have had in the past is making sure that the CPU cooler is making full contact. Make it snug but not tight. Don't have to apply thermal paste as it should come applied to the cooler already. Everything else is just screwing or plugging in. Only tip I have is find a computer with a CD drive and transfer the files from the mobo driver disc. Will need to install your drivers and from my experience you won't have a network adapter driver initially so no internet.

Man ram is pricey again though, April 2016 I bought 16gb Ripjaws V 3200 for $95. Looks like a good build overall. I have had zero issues with my samsung SSD (Also one crucial), and the only one I had fail was a samsung 960 evo m2. Was replaced very fast though from memx w/o IPR as samsung ok'd it. Have had a 960 pro since with no issues.

Yeah, I was looking at the price history of RAM on camelcamelcamel, its insane how much its gone up. Amazon had a good deal a week ago, Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB DDR4 DRAM 3200MHz for $200, up to $270 now. Wish I grabbed it when I saw it.


Looks good OP! I still think you should opt for the EVGA 1070ti instead. Saves you another 150$ for barely any noticeable gains in most games. Check out the comparisons.

Didn't think about this option, will check out benchmark comparisons.



Once I get the parts I will likely just pay memory express to build it. Do all parts have to be bought from them to build it? Or will they build from a mismatch of retailers?

[Mitsu3000gt]

Once I get the parts I will likely just pay memory express to build it. Do all parts have to be bought from them to build it? Or will they build from a mismatch of retailers?

No, they will put parts from other sources in, but they put a note on the build and you waive liability if they screw anything up or lose anything. It will probably be fine though, and you'd hope they would step up if they wrecked any of your parts by mistake.

I let them install my Titan X, because I had it before I bought my new PC. No issues, but a GPU is probably the easiest thing to install haha.

The only reason I like to pay for builds is cable management, and mounting the CPU and hooking up the mobo. Those are the risky or annoying parts of the build, and I am usually happy to pay them to do that so if they bend a CPU pin or wreck $1300 processor/mobo combo they replace it haha. Everything else is super easy and takes hardly any time at all.

[Gman.45]

Should be a great build.

I just upgraded my Broadwell E 6800k (I have 2 other 6850 I'm leaving for now both with Titan XPs in them) to an 8700k w/1080ti SLI, (don't really need the SLI but I have the extra card so why not, and run a lot of VR that doesn't use it, but also a lot of 34" ROG 100hz stuff). I'm very impressed with the new CPU. Great at everything IMO, good value for the $ too.

I enjoy building my own, but also don't mind paying the $100 bux to have MemEx do a great job at cable management, and as was already said, remove any risk of CPU/cooler mounting. Also, any DOA stuff is replaced immediately, which is nice. They did a great job on the last ones I had them do, top work IMO.

I've also run the Noctua DH coolers on my older x79 and on my x99 stuff. Running NZXT's newest AIO on my 8700k, pretty impressed for the $.

[Zorac]

I enjoy building my own, but also don't mind paying the $100 bux to have MemEx do a great job at cable management, and as was already said, remove any risk of CPU/cooler mounting. Also, any DOA stuff is replaced immediately, which is nice. They did a great job on the last ones I had them do, top work IMO.

I've also run the Noctua DH coolers on my older x79 and on my x99 stuff. Running NZXT's newest AIO on my 8700k, pretty impressed for the $.

last computer i built did, i was using case i already had, as such no option for assembly. they did mount the cpu and ram on the mb for no cost. not sure if they still do no cost mounting though.

i have a nh-d15s and its great, lots of cooling and quiet, but huge. i have a corsair c70 case which has a slight bulge on the sides, and if it didn't bulge im not sure the cooler would fit.

[Gman.45]

Heh, I have 2 Corsiar C70 cases still, that I bought during the Black Friday sale of 2012, when I built two x79 3930k systems. The C70 is still one of my favorite cases, I've never found better handles than the spring loaded rubber coated metal dual handles on that case. Love them, makes moving PCs around so much easier. I still favor the full size cases, and have a couple different Corsair variants in that size, but I sure wish they would build a C70 version in a larger size, as IMO it's nearly perfect. I paid $100 each back in 2012, a great deal then, and still a great deal now for them. I had a DH14 in one of the C70s back in 2012/13, and it fit ok, but just barely, and just barely cleared the ram on that build. Noctua build great air coolers.

I've not had a custom h2o loop in a while, next build, probably another 8700k I'm going to use custom water blocks for whatever new Volta GPU nVidia comes out with in 2018 and that CPU. And no, not the Titan V, probably be the first new GPU I don't buy right away, $4000k CDN, I'll pass and wait for the more sanely priced commercial cards, although it does impress with the stats I've seen so far. Just not a full build's cost impress. Although, if the new Asus 27" 4k 144hz monitor came out, I may be tempted depending on how my Titan XPs or 1080tis in SLI drive that. Luckily that monitor probably won't be out before the new gamer grade Volta stuff is.

[colsankey]

Mem Ex will happily mount the CPU on your board for you at no cost in front of you. You also have the added benefit of seeing it yourself as they install it to ensure no pins are bent, etc.

[rx7boi]

MemEx charges $100 now for "high end" systems or systems with water cooling to build it and load the OS. They charged me $100 for my system just because it was expensive, not because it was hard to build. They used to only charge $40 for the build and $70 for build + load OS. Not horrible I guess, I still get them to do it because it's fast & easy, and if they break they buy, but the price is creeping up.

OP: Your build will be awesome. You've got some really nice quality parts picked out and the EVGA stuff has huge warranty. If you keep your computer for a long time though I would go with the PCI-E SSD still - totally up to you though, the SATA SSD is going to be plenty fast for most things still. At this point you're going to be just fine with whatever you choose.

They charged me $100 when I had them put together my i7-970 build 5-6 years ago. IIRC they also made me sign a waiver that they're off the hook if they fucked up the install because I was bringing in my own CPU.

[Mitsu3000gt]

They charged me $100 when I had them put together my i7-970 build 5-6 years ago. IIRC they also made me sign a waiver that they're off the hook if they fucked up the install because I was bringing in my own CPU.

Interesting - I've never brought them my own CPU, but I didn't know they made you sign a waiver for that!

[Gman.45]

Me neither, but I can understand the waiver, if it isn't there stock and an accident happens, and statistically with all the builds they do they probably occur more than you think, factoring the cost variables of replacing something they don't own or maybe even have in stock - I can understand how that could be problematic.

MemEx has treated me well since I started buying from them back in my 286 and 386 days. I have no complaints, no business is perfect, but they've always treated me perfectly. Even members here that work there as I've said have reached out to ME, seeing questions/issues I've had since leaving Calgary in 2010. I still buy all my stuff there, and they've put together double digits worth of systems for me since 2010, as when out of town with no shop in my town, it's a better option to have them build in many cases as then I don't have to play mail tag if there are DOA or other problems. I still upgrade the GPUs more frequently than the MB/CPU, and that's a snap obviously, but I don't mind having them do the work, as they always do it as well as I'd do it for myself. Builders have always impressed me, not sure how they find good help consistently over the years in that department, but they've never once let me down in that respect.

Looking forward to moving home to Calgary just for the ability to walk into the MemEx shops, my exile is over now as of Jan1 2018.

[rx7boi]

Interesting - I've never brought them my own CPU, but I didn't know they made you sign a waiver for that!

I think it's similar to what you said earlier about them putting a note on the build and customer waiving liability.

I saw your comment after I posted haha.

All I remember was waiving liability but to be completely honest I may or may not have signed an actual waiver :rofl:

I am in the market for selling my i7-970 build (or parts of it) and getting a new machine in the next little while. Was hoping to go with an i5-8600k processor this time around. They sure have come a far ways in the last several years!

[nagooro]

Am I better off buying at the very least the MOBO and CPU from memory express then? That way they would be liable for those parts during the install?

If so, I was going to get the ASRock K6 Z370 mobo, which memory express doesn't carry. What would be another good option? Asus strix-E? Gigabyte Aurora?

[Mitsu3000gt]

Am I better off buying at the very least the MOBO and CPU from memory express then? That way they would be liable for those parts during the install?

If so, I was going to get the ASRock K6 Z370 mobo, which memory express doesn't carry. What would be another good option? Asus strix-E? Gigabyte Aurora?

Up to you. I highly doubt they will wreck it but I suppose there's a chance.

I always stick with Asus mobo's. They seem to be built the best, never had an issue in my life with an Asus product over ~15 years of continuous use, and their employees are super active and helpful on forums. They also seem to be more proactive with BIOS updates than other brands. For everything else I buy EVGA because their warranties are huge and their support is better than Memory Express IPR. #2 choices for mobos would be Gigabyte Aorus or AS Rock, but I'm sure everyone has their favorites. It's unlikely you would have an issue with any of them.

Most mobos are fine if they have the features you want, enough SATA connectors, good layout, etc. The bigger issues I find are with the VRMs and their associated cooling if you want to do overclocking. MSI, for example, is notorious for using sub-par VRMs even on their highest end boards. Other boards like the Aorus 9's and Asus TUF usually have backplates on the mobo's to help dissipate heat away from the VRMs. Heat is an issue on the Skylake-X platform, I am not sure about Coffee Lake.