Advice wanted on a pre-built 4K gaming rig

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Renato

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May 7, 2018
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Hello,
I have been lurking on this site for about a month now, reading reviews, and the forums, and I am VERY impressed by the knowledge level of both the staff and the users. I am looking for advice on a pre-built gaming rig. Yes, I know that I can save money by building it myself but I don't have the time, patience, or manual dexterity (car accident) to do it.

I have decided I want the OmenX. Now here is were it gets very complicated. I called Maingear and they told me HP makes the case and they are sold out of the case. I was told they MIGHT have some at the end of the month. So, I called HP and they said they have cases in stock BUT I must buy the rig from HP. They said shipping date of May 25.
Now the Maingear rep told me that Maingear offers more options in the build choices, they use major brand name parts, and have a better warrantee. The HP rep said I could get the PC now and if I email him my build config he would get me a "deal"

So, do I wait for Maingear or do I buy from HP now. This is going to be a 100% gaming rig, my budget is $5,000 (if needed). I play a mixture of FPS, RTS, and TBS games. I will be playing at 4K. One thing I do know is that the CPUs offered by HP are not ideal for gaming, so is that a deal breaker?
Thanks for any advice!

My build config on HP
Win10 Pro
i7-7820X
16 GB RAM
512 GB SSD
GTX 1080Ti
750W PSU

Here are the links to the two versions.
Maingear version:
https://www.maingear.com/custom/desktops/omenx/index.php

HP version:
http://www8.hp.com/us/en/campaigns/...family/omen-x-desktop-slide-learn-more-button

HP configurator:
https://store.hp.com/us/en/Configur...Id=&catEntryId=3074457345618561818&quantity=1
 
US (I'm assuming) $5000 is insane for a gaming build. A better target would be $1500-2000 (plus another $200-500 for a monitor if needed). Don't try to buy/build a five+-year system. Better to get a three-year system, then upgrade if/when needed and get a better system, all for close to or even less than what one super system would cost.

Many cores don't mean much for gaming. The 8 cores (16 threads) of the i7-7820x doesn't really get you anything. An i7-8700k has two fewer cores (four fewer threads), but is a faster chip and ~$200 cheaper. If you're not planning to overlock the i7-8700 (non 'k') is just a hair slower and cheaper still. Mainboards for those (z370 vs x299) are also typically cheaper.

RAM (8x2 I assume) and SSD look fine. Maybe up the SSD to 1 TB with the money saved by going with the 8700k. SATA SSDs are fine, PCIe/NVMe buys you nothing for gaming and most all real-world desktop app usage.

GTX-1080ti and even Titans still struggle some at 4k IIRC. Maybe wait for the next-gen? Or consider a 1440p display instead?

PSU seems reasonable, though a touch more than needed (a quality 600 W unit would be fine). Gold-rated is fine, platinum/titanium-rated units aren't worth the cost premium.

No mention of CPU cooling. Unless you're looking to squeeze everything out of the CPU via overclocking, water cooling is overrated. A good 120-140mm tower air cooler is more than sufficient, and just as quiet.
 
Well I just put $5,000 to indicate that price is not an issue. I agree with your recommendations on CPU but if you read my post I am limited in the choices offered with this rig. These are the only options offered i7-7740x i7-7800x i7-7820x i9-7900x i9-7920x. I'm limited on SSD and PSU choices as well. Please look here to see what is offered.

https://store.hp.com/us/en/Configur...Id=&catEntryId=3074457345618561818&quantity=1

Both CPU and GPU are water cooled.
 
Let the system dictate the case, not vice-versa. You'd be paying a large premium for a huge, overly-ornate case with limited hardware options. What's more important, that the PC perform well or look pretty?

More to my point, take a look at the HP Omen in the standard tower form-factor. It's ore sensibly sized, and the case has pretty much all of the same features (even the external 3.5" bays). More importantly, it can be configured with better hardware for gaming (e.g., i7-8700k). I did up a config based on my prior post, and the total came to $2295. The big-box OMGHUGE Omen done up to the OP specs comes to $3260, for a system that's not quite as good for gaming. You save over $1000 after tax. Still pricy, but far better.

Even better, Dell/Alienware has like-specced systems for $2196 (w/coupon code given on the page). So there's another hundred bucks.

Also, it looks like the custom water cooling with the GPU(s) in the loop were only in the Maingear offerings. HP's offerings use basic closed-loop water cooling (like those sold by Corsair, Thermaltake, etc.) for the CPU and bog-standard air cooling for the GPU(s). At least that's what the pictures on HP's site indicate.

Have you checked if there are any reputable local shops that do builds?
 
Here’s a 16 core, 32 thread, threadripper System with a 10% overclock, 240mm water cooling, evga sc black 1080Ti with ICX cooler, 16GB 3000mhz ram, win 10pro, 250gb ssd (OS drive), 3tb 7200 rpm drive (data drive), 1000 watt gold PSU, nice RGB mouse and nice RGB mechanical keyboard. Case of your choice, etc

I configured for you as a comparison.

< $2500

http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/saved/1KJYB8

You can customize any aspect from here to your preference!

You can get a 5% off coupon code for cyberpowerpc from a web search to get price below $2500 shipped.

When I configured the Omen similarly it would easily be >= $4K. Is the Omen case cosmetic worth $1.5k?

Realize you can pick the case of your choice with the cyberpower pc.

Ive ordered four systems from them in the past year and been very pleased with their work and quality.

You can’t beat beat CyberPowerPC pricing - and being that they don’t use generic OEM products, but rather the same product you would buy at microcenter or newegg and you get to pick out each component individually —- it’s like building your own pc from reputable parts, with it being built for you, and given a collective warranty for nearly free.

No generic OEM motherboard without options, generic blower GPU, Green boring RAM etc. (that happens with OEM machines).
 
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Also with the CyberPower PC - you can get custom laser engraving on the window for $9 for text or $29 for a picture. My friend put a picture of his Army Ranger company logo his case Corsair 570x case window that he bought from CyberPowerPC and it looked great with the LED lights inside the case.

Also - if you know how to install your own operating system, or already have your own operating system you can save $91 off the above config by shipping without an O.S.

You can buy a grey market Windows 10 Pro key here for $14
https://www.scdkey.com/microsoft-windows-10-pro-oem-cd-key-global_1227-20.html

Here is a 5% off coupon for CyberPowerPC on purchase of PC $1000 or above.
SPRING0410
 
WOW, as I said in my original post I am very impressed with the knowledge level of the users here. Plus you guys did a LOT of research for me, and I really appreciate it! Now you are probably both going to give me a hard time about this but the only reason I mentioned this PC was because I wanted the case, I knew there were other PC makers out there :)
 
Renato said:
WOW, as I said in my original post I am very impressed with the knowledge level of the users here. Plus you guys did a LOT of research for me, and I really appreciate it! Now you are probably both going to give me a hard time about this but the only reason I mentioned this PC was because I wanted the case, I knew there were other PC makers out there :)
Click to expand...
can't fault a man who knows the options and knows what he wants.

If you are going with the HP Omen - Here is my recommendation based on your criteria.

Operating System - Windows 10 Pro. +$40 (

CPU - I7-7800X - 3.5Ghz Hexa Core or 7820x Octa Core. -- 6 or 8 cores is becoming mainstream. It matches what current gen consoles have - you don't want less than that on a new machine - because games are typically designed for consoles - you'll want at least that same spec of cores. (of course that 7800x or 7820x is much faster than the console gen - but the core count is what I'm referring to). Anything above the Octacore is overkill for gaming for the forseeable future - and with the decrease in Mhz speed - worse for gaming. The quad would be the absolute fastest in most benchmarks, because of its Mhz, but because it is only quad core - and DX12 can take advantage of multiple cores - it's the wrong choice for any future proofing (to whatever degree that's worth)

Memory - 16GB DDR4 is PERFECTLY fine for gaming - no advantage to more RAM.

Hard-drive - 256GB SSD + 2TB HD Storage is perfectly functional. They'll put your OS on the SSD, and you can use the 2TB for games --- I personally recommend a SSHD for a games drive - A Seagate Firecuda specifically is what I always recommend - so you might consider swapping that out, or adding one yourself. No reason to buy the offered 512GB SSD - you'll not need that much space for your OS drive and it isn't big enough to fit many games (some games these days or 70 or 80GB each?!?!). If your HP contact will allow you to build in a 2TB SSHD on top of the 256GB O.S. drive - do that - or exchange perhaps ask if he'll let you upgrade from the single 512 GB SSD to a 1TB SSD or 2TB SSD and only have a single drive in the system.

GPU: 1080TI - no question

Power Supply - 750 watt power supply is double the max draw you'll pull with this setup -- so perfectly acceptable.

-------------------------


Looks like that puts you at the $3k range with a 6 core I7-7800X and a 1080TI. Call your rep and see what kind of further discount he can offer you.


Makes me cringe a bit to say go for it when the CyberPower PC build I put together above is so much better for less money (better .... everything).

BUT you'll not get that Omen X case through normal channels - so if it's all about that Omen X Case's look --- then you have your build!!! There are many things in life that command extra value for cosmetics - so if this is one for you - have at it!


P.S. - custom watercooling isn't appreciably any more useful than all in one prebuilt water coolers - aside from cosmetics - so if that's the main thing the Maingear system is offering over the HP built one --- then you'll have to determine if the extra expense is worth the cosmetic wow factor - and based on your statement about the Omen X case - then it may very well be!
 
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I'm still very wary of CyberPower, that's the only reason I wouldn't recommend it. They've earned their reputation for a reason.
 
Fix Me said:
I'm still very wary of CyberPower, that's the only reason I wouldn't recommend it. They've earned their reputation for a reason.
Click to expand...

vocal minority I suspect. Not discounting your experience - just lending an observation.
I know four people who have ordered from them in the last year personally.
I ordered 4 machines there in the last year - no problem
My friend Nick ordered 2 machines there in the last year - no problem
My cousin Brett ordered 5 machines there in the last year - no problem
My co-worker Michael ordered 1 machine there in the last year - his order was cancelled without telling him it was cancelled because something on his payment info was wrong. He waited two weeks or so for the ship date - when it didn't ship he called up and they told him his order was cancelled. He was mad because they didn't tell him it was cancelled and the site wasn't updated. He spoke with a manager who he re-ordered with, they expedited his order for free. He says he wouldn't order from them again because they didn't tell him his order was cancelled and there was no update on his order page - and he was mad about the two weeks he lost. But in regards to the actual machine he received - he said everything was in order, and that the machine was surprisingly nice. He, like myself, and my friend, and my cousin all wondered how they operate their business on such small margins?

Anyway that's a dozen machines ordered by people I personally know in the last year. Only one had an order issue, that ended up being resolved. Small sample size, but it's what I have. I'd order there again, personally, without reservation, and as such recommend them. I guess until I personally encounter an issue - that's all I can do.

(Personally, I've had a way worse experience ordering a half dozen things from Dell.com in the last year - one order was delayed > 5 months!!!!!!! -- another two orders were delayed over a month, a couple more orders were delayed > a week from original shipping date.).
 
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BIG NEWS!

As I did more research on the HP Omen X I found out that I can actually BUY the case! Yup, the complete empty case with a few accessories is sold separately! So I decided to build it myself! Well, actually since I live in Chicago I found a company that will build PCs from parts so I hired them to build it for me :)

Here is what I am using, all in stock with bundle discounts from a local Microcenter


Intel Core i7-8700K
ASUS ROG STRIX Z370-G GAMING 1151 mATX
Crucial Ballistix Elite 16GB 2 x 8GB DDR4-2666
Samsung 970 EVO 500GB TLC NAND M.2 2280 PCIe NVMe
EVGA SuperNOVA NEX750G G2 750 Watt 80 Plus Gold ATX
Corsair Hydro H60 Water Cooling Kit
Microsoft Windows 10 Pro 64-bit

Even more good news, I have a friend that is going out of the country for a job for nine months so he is letting me use his Titan Xp.

What do you think of this build?

Thanks
 
Renato said:
Hello,
I have been lurking on this site for about a month now, reading reviews, and the forums, and I am VERY impressed by the knowledge level of both the staff and the users. I am looking for advice on a pre-built gaming rig. Yes, I know that I can save money by building it myself but I don't have the time, patience, or manual dexterity (car accident) to do it.

I have decided I want the OmenX. Now here is were it gets very complicated. I called Maingear and they told me HP makes the case and they are sold out of the case. I was told they MIGHT have some at the end of the month. So, I called HP and they said they have cases in stock BUT I must buy the rig from HP. They said shipping date of May 25.
Now the Maingear rep told me that Maingear offers more options in the build choices, they use major brand name parts, and have a better warrantee. The HP rep said I could get the PC now and if I email him my build config he would get me a "deal"

So, do I wait for Maingear or do I buy from HP now. This is going to be a 100% gaming rig, my budget is $5,000 (if needed). I play a mixture of FPS, RTS, and TBS games. I will be playing at 4K. One thing I do know is that the CPUs offered by HP are not ideal for gaming, so is that a deal breaker?
Thanks for any advice!

My build config on HP
Win10 Pro
i7-7820X
16 GB RAM
512 GB SSD
GTX 1080Ti
750W PSU

Here are the links to the two versions.
Maingear version:
https://www.maingear.com/custom/desktops/omenx/index.php

HP version:
http://www8.hp.com/us/en/campaigns/...family/omen-x-desktop-slide-learn-more-button

HP configurator:
https://store.hp.com/us/en/Configur...Id=&catEntryId=3074457345618561818&quantity=1
Click to expand...
They are trying to bend you over! Don’t fall for it
 
Here is my final list with everything included, all in stock at my local Micro Center. Any last minute thoughts?

PC Hound Part List

CPU: Intel Intel Core i7-8700K ($299.99)
Motherboard: ASUS ROG STRIX Z370-G Gaming (WI-FI AC) ($144.99)
Memory: G.Skill Trident Z RGB 16GB 2 x 8GB DDR4-3200 (209.99)
Video Card: Nvidia Titan XP (Free)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 650W FOCUS Plus 650 Gold SSR-650FX ($59.99)
Storage: SAMSUNG 500GB 970 EVO MZ-V7E500BW ($199.99)
Case: HP Omen X ($262.65)
CPU Cooler: CORSAIR Hydro Series H60 (CW-9060007-WW/RF) ($79.99)
Mouse: Corsair Dark Core RGB SE ($89.99)
Keyboard: Corsair K95 RGB PLATINUM ($179.99)
Mouse Pad: Corsair MM1000 Qi Wireless Charging Gaming Mouse Pad ($79.99)
Total: $1,607.56
 
You know what would make that perfect? A Ryzen R7 2700X and Crosshair VII mainboard... You wouldn't even need to overclock it, it'd take care of itself :)
 
Thanks guys! I'll tell you how it goes! I will also take another look at the Ryzen :)
 
If you plan on overclocking your i7-8700K, swap out the Corsair H60 for the H100i (or one of the 280mm AIO coolers).
 
Fix Me said:
I'm still very wary of CyberPower, that's the only reason I wouldn't recommend it. They've earned their reputation for a reason.
Click to expand...


NEED TO KNOW B4 Purchasing: CyberPower is set up for selling a great product … NOT REPAIRING IT!


HORRIBLE HORRIBLE HORRIBLE SHIPPING TIMES!!! In case you feel like this doesn’t matter because you got 3 day shipping included - look at next paragraph “REPAIRS...”



REPAIRS TAKE UP TO 6 WEEKS! Can you be without your pc for up to 6 weeks because you WILL be if your purchase from CP and need repair. If you happen to need PC repair months after buying your computer, like me, ... I already need a new mother board and it has been less than 6 months since I purchased. (I had to RETURN my pc TWICE because they damaged my case during repair. Thank God I took photos of my entire pc and sent them to myself via email before sending them the pc and so they were dated because THEY ASKED FOR THEM! They agreed to repair it AFTER getting the dated photos, but that was another SIX weeks shipping. I talked to supervisors but hey wouldn’t upgrade ANY of my shipping even though it was their fault!!! Yes it took me A TOTAL OF 12 WEEKS)



FULL RETURN SHIPPING $120.00 from where I live! That is UPS Ground for nearly 50lbs box included!!! Dimensions: 27”x25”x13.” (You will pay it all, as they pay nothing toward a returned product.)


NO EXTENDED WARRANTIES!!! (So basically, they don't believe in their product or stand by it for very long.) Yeah, that 1 year limited warranty isn’t an extended warranty and CP told me they don’t even offer extended warranties.


BUY THE PREMIUM 1 YR WARRANTY WITH 1 YR SHIPPING OPTION. Make sure it has the 1 yr shipping choice for $10 more well worth it if you have to return like me. Be aware, however, that this shipping takes up to 6 weeks.


KEEP YOUR ORIGINAL SHIPPING BOX at least until your 1 yr warranty is up. Otherwise you are going to need to purchase the box with padding $$$ if you need to return the pc to CP plus $120 if you have to pay shipping. Gets frustrating, doesn’t it?


CP TECH SUPPORT IS A NIGHTMARE. In all fairness they are actually very nice while trying to fix problems with the pc. Well … until you challenge them, like about the six-week shipping time. Then they become extremely unkind. They won’t let you talk to previous reps that promised you things. I was told that rep would call me back in an hour, I waited over 2.5 and had to call back. Every time I called; I was told the rep was on another call. Then I was told he emailed me – which is the only way he seemed to want to communicate from that point on. I asked to talk to him again and they told me that he would get back to me in 48 hours. (you can’t make this stuff up!!!) They do everything to try to get you off the phone as quickly as possible, try to transfer the problem to a different department - another way to schluff you off, and eventually they transferred me back to the main phone menu after telling me the rep that I requested was finally available and they were transferring me to him. I am currently still on hold waiting listening to the beginning phone menu



I have loved my CyberPower pc up till now. The Motherboard IS defective – won’t connect to the internet, after not even 6 months and that doesn’t even bother me – I get it that stuff happens. . It is the total disregard for the customer after you need repair. They seriously lack basic customer service skills at this point. I realize from the reviews that I am in the minority having a defective product. Most people don’t have problems with their pc’s but if you do have a defective something, it really sucks. This company is set up for selling a great product … not repairing it. That part about them sucks. They told me to ship it to them but it was going to take up to 6 weeks, BOTH TIMES, without batting an eye, like I should be ok with this. I was very much NOT but what could I do, I complained and THEY DIDN’T CARE … IT IS THEIR POLICY … and going up the ranks wont’ help.
 
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