$2,000 PC Build - Any good?

Z

Zer0Cool

Limp Gawd
Joined
Apr 4, 2008
Messages
375
***UPDATE

Please see post #12 for updated parts/questions

Hello Everyone!

Its been some time since I have posted here, but glad to see the forum live and strong.

Putting together my 1st water cooling build and need your advice/opinion/critic. I already have a GTX 1060 and will be reusing my current HDD's as back up drives. This will be a gaming/work PC that I plan to put on my table. Here is my Amazon List:

ASUS ROG Maximus X Hero LGA1151 - Amazon $347
Intel Core i7-8700K - Amazon $359
Corsair Vengeance RGB 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 3000MHz C15 - Amazon $164
Samsung 970 EVO 1TB - Amazon $337
Thermaltake Toughpower Grand RGB 850W - Amazon $114
Thermaltake Core P3 ATX Tempered Glass - Amazon $119
Thermaltake Floe Triple Riing RGB 360 TT Premium Edition - Amazon $185

Total - $1,700 + Tax

The final build will look something like this (I hope) - Final PC Build

I also will order a cable extension kit to make the wires look pretty. I will be overclocking this PC obviously. Is the Thermaltake 360 TT a good cooling system? What else? What am i missing? Will this PC be more or less silent? How loud do these radiator fans get? I also want to install an LCD display to show the temps...etc any suggestions?

All your input will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.
 
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Maybe I'm cheap but that board seems pricey for a mainstream socket Mobo. I feel like you could easily knock off $100 there. Unless your not worried about money or this board has something you need.

Also Intel I believe is about to announce new chips soon. Might want to hold off for that?
 
lightsout said:
Maybe I'm cheap but that board seems pricey for a mainstream socket Mobo. I feel like you could easily knock off $100 there. Unless your not worried about money or this board has something you need.

Also Intel I believe is about to announce new chips soon. Might want to hold off for that?
Click to expand...

Thanks for the input lightsout. I want to have the best/high performing parts, the mobo has a built in wifi/bluetooth that will drive the price up. I think Intel will make the announcement on October 1st, any idea if they are worth the wait...?
 
Zer0Cool said:
Thanks for the input lightsout. I want to have the best/high performing parts, the mobo has a built in wifi/bluetooth that will drive the price up. I think Intel will make the announcement on October 1st, any idea if they are worth the wait...?
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I see.

They are upping the core count, I don't think a model like the 8700 will be available (6 core with hyperthreading). They will supposedly have a 6 and 8 core without HT and an 8 with HT.

The performance gain won't be huge, but they are going back to a soldered IHS. So if you plan on pushing clocks that will help.

Also know you are buying a dead end socket if you get the current chipset. The will be no more CPUs made for them.

Downside is from the leaks it seems like the prices are jumping up from what we're used to. I'd personally wait it out this close. I've kicked myself in the past for being anxious.

But you'll still have a great system with the 8700k.
 
lightsout said:
Maybe I'm cheap but that board seems pricey for a mainstream socket Mobo. I feel like you could easily knock off $100 there. Unless your not worried about money or this board has something you need.

Also Intel I believe is about to announce new chips soon. Might want to hold off for that?
Click to expand...

That motherboard is $260 at newegg, which is a much more reasonable price for a high end board. However, the Asus Strix Z370-E would save you a little more money. The Maximus X Hero is better but unless you are going to really push the OC to the limits you won't see the difference. It does have a few more LEDs but with the vertical GPU mount they won't be seen.

AlphaAtlas said:
You could shave off $70 with an SX8200:

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/Ms...b-m2-2280-solid-state-drive-asx8200np-960gt-c

It's a fine drive with a 5 year warranty. The ADATA nvme drives are all part of some kind of firesale now.

As for everything else, it's all down to taste and what kind of aesthetics you're willing to pay for.
Click to expand...

I agree the SX8200 is a great alternative that will save you some money. Rakuten seems to be the best place to get it, you are actually buying it from Adata. They offer 15% off coupons every few weeks which has dropped the price as low as $205.

Corsair Vengeance RGB 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 3000MHz C15 - Amazon $164
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I would get at least 3200mhz, maybe higher depending on price difference. Also since this is an RGB build I prefer the look of G.Skill TridentZ RGB or Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro, but that is personal preference.
Newegg has TridentZ RGB 3600 for $180

Thermaltake Toughpower Grand RGB 850W - Amazon $114
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The RGB in this isn't even visible in your case so I would go with a better PSU that doesn't have RGB. Also 850w is overkill. I like the Seasonic Focus Plus line, Newegg has the 650w Platinum for $75 or if you really want 850w $115.

With the money saved you could sell your 1060 and get a 1070ti or 1080. Or wait and see what Nvidias new cards are like.
 
Thanks a lot for all the feedback guys! I will consider the SX8200 as well as different mobo and PSU.

Right now I think I will wait until the Intel's new announcement to see if the new CPU's will be worth it. Will keep u posted.

Cheers!
 
Here are some options with a few tweaks without compromising quality. FYI, the 970 m.2 SSD is so fast it is pretty much a waste for normal humans. Anything with over 500 read/write and over 85000 IOPS r/w is going to feel instant, especially if this is mainly a gaming rig.

$1320 - 8700K build - https://pcpartpicker.com/list/4yvWKB
$1940 - Threadripper monster build - https://pcpartpicker.com/list/7wTCMZ (Threadripper retail units come with an asetek compatible waterblock adapter which is compatible with the thermaltake floe riing series)
 
Do you have a MICROCENTER close by ? It will save you a lot of money if so.......
 
Seeing the 970 Evo For $297.

Also, if you're worried about fan noise from the rad, maybe look and see if your case will allow you to "sidegrade" to a 280mm.
Slightly less surface area (but a 280mm should already be overkill). But larger, slower, quieter fans.
 
Thank you everyone for the help, still need your feedback.

So I just pre-ordered the i9-9900k and ASUS ROG Maximus XI Hero. Still waiting to pull the trigger on everything else.

I am also considering getting the EVGA Supernova 850 T2 PSU, instead of my original selection of Thermaltake Toughpower Grand RGB 850W. The EVGA PSU is a $100 more, but I think it will be worth it in a long run.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B018JYHGOQ/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_4?smid=A1XBPHGHAXLHDG&psc=1

Im still debating between getting the:

Samsung 970 EVO 2TB - $577
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07C8Y31G1/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

or

XPG SX8200 3D NAND NVMe 960GB - $209
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BLJF819/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A2UXO5LPTDY3LN&psc=1

I can always get two SX8200 and put them in a raid (is it even worth doing raids with NVme Drives???) I am worried that 960GB will not be enough for all my games. And leaning towards the Samsung because if its also faster write speeds, but obviously its more money.

Also trying to decide between:

G.SKILL TridentZ RGB Series 32GB - $359
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MSBS0UT/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_1?smid=A2Y8CGQ5110ZKT&psc=1

or

Corsair Vengeance RGB 32GB - $339
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071YZVXW5/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_5?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

Both of them are 3200Mhz, will that be enough for a 5+ Ghz overclock? Should I get higher speeds?


Thanks guys.
 
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Seems like there's a lot of overkill in this build.

You could have saved $100-150 getting the i7-9700k instead, with no appreciable loss of performance.

NVMe SSDs have no real-life advantage for typical desktop/gaming systems. Get a SATA-based unit instead and cut the cost almost in half. If you really must have a NVMe SSD, consider a small (e.g., 250GB) unit for the OS and a second larger SATA unit for game storage. There's rarely any legitimate need to RAID SSDs in a desktop unless maybe your workflow calls for a huge, fast, scratch disk, and that should be separate from the OS/apps drive.
Samsung 860 Evo 2TB - $377
Samsung 860 Evo 1TB - $167

32GB of RAM is massive overkill for a gaming box. 16GB (8x2) is fine.

850W is a lot of PSU for a Coffee Lake system with a GTX-1060. A 400-500W unit would be more than plenty, maybe something like a ~700W unit if you're looking to upgrade the GPU into GTX-2080/2080ti territory. Full modular is rarely worth it, as the built-in cables of a semi-modular are all the ones you can't do without anyways.
Seasonic Focus 550 Gold - $64
Seasonic Focus+ 550 Gold - $80
 
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Bit of an unbalanced build currently. Your Mid-range GPU with a pretty expensive 9900k.

32gb of RAM? Go for 16 IMO as recommended above.

Unless you plan to SLI down the track, grab a quality 650W PSU (seasonic or something) and call it a day. Technically 500w is plenty but often for the price 550-650 is usually a good middle ground.

If it makes a difference, my next planned build will use a 250GB NVME fast drive (likely 970 evo), and a slower 500-1tb NVME drive (SX6000 from Adata, basically similar in price to normal sata with better read/writes overall).
 
BlueLineSwinger said:
Seems like there's a lot of overkill in this build.

You could have saved $100-150 getting the i7-9700k instead, with no appreciable loss of performance.

NVMe SSDs have no real-life advantage for typical desktop/gaming systems. Get a SATA-based unit instead and cut the cost almost in half. If you really must have a NVMe SSD, consider a small (e.g., 250GB) unit for the OS and a second larger SATA unit for game storage. There's rarely any legitimate need to RAID SSDs in a desktop unless maybe your workflow calls for a huge, fast, scratch disk, and that should be separate from the OS/apps drive.
Samsung 860 Evo 2TB - $377
Samsung 860 Evo 1TB - $167

32GB of RAM is massive overkill for a gaming box. 16GB (8x2) is fine.

850W is a lot of PSU for a Coffee Lake system with a GTX-1060. A 400-500W unit would be more than plenty, maybe something like a ~700W unit if you're looking to upgrade the GPU into GTX-2080/2080ti territory. Full modular is rarely worth it, as the built-in cables of a semi-modular are all the ones you can't do without anyways.
Seasonic Focus 550 Gold - $64
Seasonic Focus+ 550 Gold - $80
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Thank you for your feedback Blue Line Swinger & ReaperX22

I went with the i9-9900k because I wanted to have the latest tech inside my brand new PC, and having the extra cores will make me sleep better at night :)

Regarding the NVMe, thank you for the link, this did put a few things in perspective for me. Something I will have to think about.

I want the 32GB for two reasons, right now I have 16Gb of DDR3 with 20 tabs open in my chrome, im using about 7.5GB of RAM. If I also open PUBG, im now using almost 10Gb of RAM. What if I want to stream/video editing? not a lot of room left. And the 2nd reason, the 4 sticks of RAM will look much more prettier in my open case build.

Im currently using the 850W PSU (been using it for over 8 years) and it never let me down. Plus if I ever decide to go SLI I will need the extra power. I seen some good reviews about the Seasonic brand, but I hear EVGA T2 is also a very good choice.
 
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Zer0Cool said:
Thank you for your feedback Blue Line Swinger & ReaperX22

I went with the i9-9900k because I wanted to have the latest tech inside my brand new PC, and having the extra cores will make me sleep better at night :)

Regarding the NVMe, thank you for the link, this did put a few things in perspective for me. Something I will have to think about.

I want the 32GB for two reasons, right now I have 16Gb of DDR3 with 20 tabs open in my chrome, im using about 7.5GB of RAM. If I also open PUBG, im now using almost 10Gb of RAM. What if I want to stream/video editing? not a lot of room left. And the 2nd reason, the 4 sticks of RAM will look much more prettier in my open case build.

Im currently using the 850W PSU (been using it for over 8 years) and it never let me down. Plus if I ever decide to go SLI I will need the extra power. I seen some good reviews about the Seasonic brand, but I hear EVGA T2 is also a very good choice.
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If you're buying 'just because' don't let us stop you lol. But consider balancing the system too.

Are you going to be streaming with 20 tabs open in Chrome? (if so, why? don't just leave things open because you can?) I have 32GB of RAM at work, I hit like 13GB max with multiple remote desktops running, 4 different browsers each with several tabs+ open, several side programs, office suite etc. I still maintain 16GB is enough, but go for the 32 if it makes to feel better! :p. At home I almost never pass 10gb on a 16GB machine. I've used 6gb-8gb machines before for rendering purposes, (not masssiveeee files but still was for projects) and they were fine.

PS, I don't think you can SLI with the 1060.. So I suspect your next upgrade will be an RTX series card, in which case go high, go single card, and call it a day. It'll be a MASSIVE jump over what you have now regardless.

I will always maintain go with the single best card you can afford, and stick with it. Not a dual-card guy (clearly, I build ITX!). And for everyone I've seen say 'oh I might SLI later...' I've yet to see this actually occur.
 
Zer0Cool said:
I went with the i9-9900k because I wanted to have the latest tech inside my brand new PC, and having the extra cores will make me sleep better at night :)
Click to expand...


The i7-9700k and i9-9900k have the same number of real cores (8). All that the i9 really gets you for the extra $100+ is 100 MHz, hyperthreading, and a bit more L3 cache. Nothing that will do anything for gaming.


Zer0Cool said:
I want the 32GB for two reasons, right now I have 16Gb of DDR3 with 20 tabs open in my chrome, im using about 7.5GB of RAM. If I also open PUBG, im now using almost 10Gb of RAM. What if I want to stream/video editing? not a lot of room left. And the 2nd reason, the 4 sticks of RAM will look much more prettier in my open case build.
Click to expand...


The Great Suspender


Zer0Cool said:
Im currently using the 850W PSU (been using it for over 8 years) and it never let me down.
Click to expand...


If the PSU is that old it may be time to consider replacing it anyways. Capacitors and such inside the unit will age. At the very least, it probably doesn't properly support the very-low-power sleep states introduced in the last few years (with Haswell, IIRC)


Zer0Cool said:
Plus if I ever decide to go SLI I will need the extra power.
Click to expand...


SLI has always been a (at times necessary) kludge. Better option is and has always been a single card powerful enough to push the resolution you're gaming at. Nvidia and AMD both appear to be moving towards phasing it out. As mentioned, the GTX-1060 does not officially support SLI (though apparently some games can still utilize two such cards).
 
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