$1600 all in Gaming Build - quick gut check.

[Archaea]

A buddy of mine wants me to build him a complete, long lasting gaming machine that’ll play everything maxed out, with new monitor for $1600 budget. It’ll primarily be a gaming box but also a general purpose home use PC for anything and everything. He holds onto his equipment a long time. He’s rocking a hex core x58 Xeon, 12GB RAM, and a 970 right now that I built him in the past. He wants a solid upgrade from that. All in at $1600.

Here’s what I’m thinking:

Mobo $100 (MicroCenter Gigabyte 470)
https://www.microcenter.com/single_...&MccGuid=cf519e30-c48a-4608-acca-710302e71efb

16GB DDR4 3200 MHz CAS 15 RAM $120
Whatever's available on Slickdeals at the time

Ryzen 2700 CPU with SPIRE heatsink and fan - $230 (I want an 8 core CPU because the next generation Xbox and Sony consoles are using 8 Core Ryzens - this should allow for greatest gaming longevity, matching core count with the upcoming consoles. I'd choose Intel for the clock speed improvement and IPC, but buying an 8 Core/16 thread intel would swing the price up at least $300 and that isn't in this budget)
https://www.microcenter.com/single_...&MccGuid=cf519e30-c48a-4608-acca-710302e71efb

EVGA G3 GOLD 850 watt modular PSU - $85
I have an almost new spare on hand

WD Blue 500GB NVME - $63 (OS drive, he can add a spare drive if he needs more space)
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod...mc=EMC-GD012319-_-landing-_-Item-_-20-250-091

Allowance for Case - $100
Whatever's available on Slickdeals at the time and meets his subjective preference

AMD Vega 64 - $370 (nothing faster from AMD right now, and the Radeon VII will be $700 and is out of budget. The Vega 64 is basically NVidia 1080 level performance these days, and is cheaper than a 1080 - plus native freesync is ?potentially? more reliable than Nvidia's recent announcement that they will support freesync?)
https://www.ebay.com/itm/PowerColor...AAOSwHIlZ0Oi9:rk:4:pf:0&LH_ItemCondition=1000

34” MSI ultra widescreen 100hz, Freesync 3440x1440 - $380 He wants a new monitor - coming from a 24" 1080p display. He wants it to be high refresh rate, and a nice upgrade from what he has. It's either this, or a 32" 16x9 for around $300 range. A gsync monitor is probably out of the price range. I'm a little worried the Vega64 won't be able to handle the 3440x1440 resolution, so maybe the 2560x1440 resolution of a 32" 16x9 is preferable, and cheaper.
https://www.microcenter.com/product...vi-hdmi-dp-freesync-curved-gaming-led-monitor

Windows 10 - $15 alt market grey key


----------

This totals to $1462, but doesn’t include tax. Some of this will be purchased at microcenter so there will be tax. It should come out a hair under $1600ish.

Giving the requirement for it to be a long running gaming machine with the best performance for the dollar, and as much future proofing as possible for the budget, does anyone have any alternate suggestions I should consider?

 

[Archaea]

Looking at prebuilt machines to see how that compares -- here's a couple options:


$1279 (no monitor)
Ryzen 2700, RTX2060, 16GB RAM, 500GB NVME SSD, 600 watt gold PSU, a few free games, gaming keyboard and mouse
http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/saved/1L894J
5% off coupon = SPRING0410

Another option from Ibuypower

$1252 (no monitor)
9700K, RTX2060, 16GB RAM, 480GB NVME SSD, 600 watt gold PSU, a free game, keyboard and mouse
https://slickdeals.net/f/12653878-i...-2060-600w-thermaltake-psu-win10h-1252-10?v=1
5% off coupon = IBPMASTERS

 

[Archaea]

I'm also trying to figure out if I recommend he gets a Vega64 for $370 (PowerColor Reference Vega64 on ebay)
vs.
a Nvidia RTX 2060 for $350 (various models are all that price)

Looks like the Vega64 is the faster card by maybe 15-20%, but RTX2060 might have more reliable drivers on some older or lesser known indie games. The RTX2060 seems to line up closer to the Vega56 in performance.


https://www.gamersnexus.net/hwrevie...-founders-edition-review-benchmark-vs-vega-56

https://www.techspot.com/review/1781-geforce-rtx-2060-mega-benchmark/page4.html

 

[Brian_B]

You know, another option here:

Keep the existing computer. The x58 is old, but it's not bad, especially if it can handle a modest overclock.

Throw that entire budget at new monitor + video card. $500-$1000 (assuming ~$500+ for monitor) doesn't go nearly as far on GPU power as it used to, but it will still get you into an entirely new class of power than a Vega64/RTX2060. It may bottleneck on that platform some, but I think the overall experience would be better than new platform with weaker GPU, especially if the aim is to max everything at Ultrawide 2K or hit 4K resolutions.

Then, when you get another chunk of money later on, the rest of the computer comes up around that GPU/monitor.

 

[Archaea]

I offered that as a viable option. Buy a 1080TI for ~ $500 used and a nice monitor and it should breath new life into his existing. He replied that he preferred just getting something all new. He'll keep his old PC to give to his kids and do some family LAN gaming.

He has the Xeon x5660 hex core CPU which is still pretty darn decent all these years later. He can't overclock his chip though because his motherboard doesn't allow for overclocking - so it's just at 2.8Ghz hex core, and by the time you buy a more capable x58 motherboard the gig is up on saving money. Enthusiast X58 motherboards command a rather outrageous premium now.

Tech City Yes compared the x5660 it to the 9900K here: Still holds it's own!

 

[SixFootDuo]

Stay away from the Western Digital Blue. Use Slickdeals.net to find better SSD prices. I think I saw a NVMe 512gb SSD for around $65 on there today.

Ok, found it.

Here is something much better an additional $12 dollars. Crucial NVMe 500GB for $75

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...8bc29ee15ae9a4c50INT&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

The drive you actually have linked is not NVMe ... it's sata3. WD "blue" anything is their lowest performance tier.

The CPU looks good.

Motherboard looks fine.

PSU Looks fine.

However, protip about Microcenter and their house brand Powerspec, EVGA and Powerspec PSU's are the same PSU's ( ask for the most knowledgeable BYOC guy there and he will confirm this ) ... I think you can get a 850watt gold Powerspec for around $69 or $79. So that's another $10 to $20 savings. Maybe. Depends if the other PSU you listed was tax free. The only difference is that Powerspec PSU uses slightly less pretty cabling, I think.

Great deal performance wise on the Vega .. def get that if you can for the amount of money you have it budgeted for. That GPU is kinda close but behind the 1080 so that's a great deal IMHO.

As far as the case goes I very VERY higly recommend the NZXT 500 for $69 ... it's easily a steal. It's an amazing case for cheap. It's powder coated steal with tempered glass. Bad ass case for super cheap.

https://www.amazon.com/NZXT-H500-Co...UTF8&qid=1548364134&sr=1-1&keywords=NZXT+H500

That gives you $30 to put toward something else.

Consider the NVMe drive I linked and case I also linked and I think you have a banging system.

Build looks good overall. I see where you can cut some additional fat but it would probably not be worth the hassles that I go thru.

I also strongly disagree with saving your old system. Dude, that shit is old as fck. Money is easy come easy go. In the grand scheme of things, $1600 is not a lot of money unless you have a life style that is full of waste and bad money decisions. I don't like to hear people speak from a broke or frugal point of view when it concerns a passion and love in any given hobby. Also, you don't want to prop up a condemned foundation when you know it's going to collapse eventually. I love building new systems for myself and do so at least twice a year.

 

[Archaea]

Bought a new EVGA 1080 FTW from TahoeDust in the FSFT forums for $350. That'll do real nicely for the videocard.

Current status:

 

[AP514]

try this case..that NZXT has bad front airflow...https://www.amazon.com/Phanteks-PH-...-Tempered/dp/B07D5T4SC1?tag=hardwar0d-20&th=1

Only problem I ran into was the MOBO might come out from case making an install of a RAD at top not do-able. But I installed a EVGA CLC 280mm up front.( a bit tight but very do-able)

 

[Archaea]

The drive you actually have linked is not NVMe ... it's sata3.

I actually thought I was buying NVME with that Crucial drive I bought. Derp.

But I looked at some benchmarks with trepidation (because Newegg shipped fast and I already have the Crucial m.2 drive in hand), and fortunately it really just doesn't matter.

That Crucial MX500 is right up there at the top of the pack anyway.
https://www.tweaktown.com/articles/8661/best-ssd-gaming-over-120-ssds-tested/index2.html

"In each chart, we further divide products by color. The dark blue bars show NVMe SSDs while the light blue bar shows SATA SSDs. The orange bars show hard disk drives."


Here's the drive I bought highlighed:
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod...x-_-InternalSSDs-_-20156177-S1A1D&ignorebbr=1

and compared to a Western Digital Black NVME:

14.75 seconds loading time on the Crucial m.2 vs. 14.46 seconds with the WDBlack NVME on the same test. (The WD Black NVME cost's over twice as much!)

That amount of time is immaterial to me. I'd rather have saved the $20 as compared to the $75 500GB NVME at least for gaming purposes.

whew - disaster averted.

Reading up a bit it appears that NVME is really most useful for database operations - something this particular friend will never be doing.


Thanks though for the feedback!

 

[Archaea]

Build is now all picked. Here's the final list. I've now ordered everything.

We broke budget very slightly but on the willing request of my buddy to pick up a 1TB SSD as a gaming drive so he didn't have to re-use his 2TB platter drive on this new machine, and to pick up some RGB fans that were on a newegg flash sale to make it sooo purdy. Had we not added the fans and the extra gaming hard-drive we would have came in well under budget!

It'll be a nice looking and performing machine!

Part Item Price URL
Motherboard Gigabyte X470 AORUS ULTRA GAMING x https://www.microcenter.com/product/600975/x470-aorus-ultra-gaming-am4-atx-amd-motherboard
RAM Team T-Force Vulcan 16GB (2 x 8GB) 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM DDR4 3000 (PC4 24000) Desktop Memory Model TLGD416G3000HC16CDC01 $89.99 https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820313777&Description=Team group 16GB RAM&cm_re=Team_group_16GB_RAM-_-20-313-777-_-Product
Processor Ryzen 2700 x https://www.microcenter.com/product...-am4-boxed-processor-with-wraith-spire-cooler
Video Card EVGA FTW 1080 $350.00 https://hardforum.com/threads/fs-bnib-evga-1080-ftw-gaming-rma-replacement.1976025/#post-1044052076
Power Supply EVGA G3 850 Watt Gold or ThermalTake 850 Watt $85.00 https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA6ZP56T4030&Description=EVGA G3 850 watt PSU&cm_re=EVGA_G3_850_watt_PSU-_-17-438-092-_-Product
SSD OS drive Crucial MX500 m.2 2280 - 500GB $55.09 https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820156177&Description=crucial mx500&cm_re=crucial_mx500-_-20-156-177-_-Product
Gaming drive Intel 660p Series m.2 2280 - 1TB $124.99 https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820167462&Description=intel 660p&cm_re=intel_660p-_-20-167-462-_-Product
Operating System Windows 10 Pro $15.00 https://hardforum.com/threads/windo...archy-x-3200mhz-trade-emg-81-60-pups.1935737/
Case Cougar Panzer-S $97.23 https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811553026&Description=Cougar panzer&cm_re=Cougar_panzer-_-11-553-026-_-Product
Monitor MSI Optix MAG341CQ 34" UW-QHD 100Hz FreeSync Curved Gaming LED Monitor x https://www.microcenter.com/product...vi-hdmi-dp-freesync-curved-gaming-led-monitor
Fans darkFlash Aurora DR12 3IN1 PRO 120mm Addressable RGB LED Case Fans (6 fans) $45.98 https://flash.newegg.com/Product/9SIAE867ES4838?SID=37e376b421a311e9b2a32ecf0bfff0bf0INT&AID=10446076&PID=1225267&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-Slickdeals LLC-_-na-_-na-_-na&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-Slickdeals+LLC-_-na-_-na-_-na&AID=12087162&PID=4485850&SID=37e376b421a311e9b2a32ecf0bfff0bf0INT&utm_medium=affiliates&utm_source=afc-Slickdeals+LLC&cjevent=382c67c021a311e9800702630a24060f
MISC x All things purchased from MicroCenter with tax $781.68
TOTAL $1,644.96

 

[SixFootDuo]

Let's get some pictures of the build

 

[Stryke1983]

How is that monitor working out?

 

[Archaea]

How is that monitor working out?

It’s actually well worth the cost. Not all the components are here yet, but I pulled that out of the box and used it for a couple gaming sessions on my PC. I have the alienware aw3418dw, and it’s a nicer display overall, (mostly because for the alienware’s adjustable stand) but it’s 2xs the cost of the MSI 34” and it’s not 2xs as nice for sure.

 

[Archaea]

Let's get some pictures of the build

Building it tonight and tomorrow. My buddy asked that I supervise him building it.

That Cougar case looks really nice. That’s the first Cougar case I’ve seen in person and it’s got it made cosmetically.

 

[Archaea]

Assembled with solid blue lighting

 

[Dermen]

The Intel 660P is NVME and faster than the Sata MX500, I would put the OS on the Intel drive.

 

[Archaea]

It was happenstance that everything we purchased turned out to have brushed aluminum, because I was looking for deals, but you note the motherboard has it, the RAM has it, and the EVGA 1080 FTW (not pictured) has it. It’s one of the better looking PCs I’ve ever made. I really like the cosmetics of this setup! The cougar case was a pleasure to work with and seemed well made. The RGB fans are really nice. All six (and more) can be controlled by one controller or all synced to the motherboards control via a three pin connection. It also includes a remote that isn’t line of sight. You can control fan noise and there is no whining at slow speeds. They are very quiet on low speed. I’d definately buy more of this fans if they were still on sale. I regret not buying a set for myself and more for future builds.

All in all a great setup and my friend was very pleased when he picked it up today after he test drove it. That monitor is nice in user mode and even without Gsync exhibits no noticable/observable tearing in gaming in a range of 60FPS to 100FPS with the single game he tried, PubG.

The EVGA card looked like this