Build #8 [Let's do this]

[hyt3k9]

Well, this will be build #8.
As always, I like to crowd share my new builds, reasons:

Best deals
Latest parts that we all agree on that synergize well together
Possible build combos I'm unaware of [Like MicroCenter CPU/Motherboard sales]
General overall fun to see the comments roll in, and debates that sometimes spark over recommendations
So here goes:

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc

This will be my main tower for at least 3-4 years.
I will use it for all the above, and expect it to be very capable.
Main Goals--
I EXPECT at least a minimum of 60FPS without fluctuation with everything Ultra on Elder Scrolls Online.
I plan to water cool just CPU


2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?

$2000 but obviously, less money spent will make me a happy camper
*See below, I am re-using "some" hardware

3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.

Ohio, Bloomingburg. Located approximately halfway between Columbus and Cincinnati

I have access to two MicroCenter's (Both are about 45 min drive each, but visit them regularly)

MicroCenter #1
747 Bethel Road
Columbus, OH 43214

MicroCenter #2
11755 Mosteller Road
Sharonville, OH 45241

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer.
Please list out all the parts you'll need.

+Case [I know this is largely a preference of aesthetics by the builder]
I've chosen Corsair's Crystal Series, 570 variant [Looks like the largest tower they offer in this series]
Let's use this as a template, and build inside of that.
[it allows for maximum graphics card length of 300mm]
--I won't need an optical drive, nor any other 5.25 drive bay toys since this case lacks that
--I won't need a storage 3.5", since I have a separate Server in-house for that and use Emby to stream

+CPU & This CPU Cooler - Question, is Arctic Silver still best thermal paste?
+RAM - I want DDR4, but best recommendation for motherboard to synergize speed gains
+Motherboard - I like Asus, but they're slow to release drivers and have built with Gigabyte in past as well. NO ASROCK
+Graphics Card - 1080GTX Goddamnit. No other recommendations. Let's just decide on brand & model together.
+Power Supply - I like PC Power & Cooling, Corsair & Seasonic, let's keep reccos to these only, please.
+SSD (OS) - I'm a superfan of Samsung EVO Pro SSDs, the only question here is M.2 or SSD? [128GB capacity]
+HDD (Games) - Seagate Firecuda looks interesting, let's shoot for 2TB 3.5" here, or another recco for hybrid gaming drive, I don't store a lot of games at a time on a drive, only what I am currently playing and will uninstall unused games
+PCI-e AC Wireless WLAN card with 1200MBps to use with my Netgear Nighthawk X6 Tri-Band Router

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.

My Monitor
My Keyboard
My Mouse

6) Will you be overclocking?

Possibly tops 500Hz-1GHz on CPU down the road. Not initially, and not a major thing with me unless I need to in order to get it to last longer, future proofing
Would prefer the 1080GTX be factory overclocked, actively cooled by air

7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?

3440x1440
34"
Exact model here

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?

Between now, and finishing by next couple weeks

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video (as a backup or main GPU)? UEFI? etc.

WLAN PCI-e (in addition to Gig-E Ethernet on motherboard) - I just like having flexibility of both
SATA 6Gb/s for both my SSD & HDD (Have server that does RAID 1, not needed in this build)
Of course SLI down the road, when the cost of these 1080's drop to future-proof the machine
UEFI is something I don't completely understand TBH, and usually turn that shit off and use Legacy. If someone is willing to take time to explain benefits of it, I would use it if better than legacy BIOS

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?

Yes, I own a retail license of Windows 10 Pro x64

 

[hyt3k9]

6 Hours and no one's chimed in yet? C'mon [H]'ers!

 

[rhansen5_99]

Were you planning on the 7700k and z270 board or the x99 and like a 6800k?

I have personally moved away from as5, because it's conductive and requires setup time. I use arctic mx4 seams pretty good. Also maybe consider de lidding your cpu at some point.

As far as gpus the strix asus cards now have fan controllers on the wich is pretty cool.

 

[jkw]

You'll need to raise your budget a bit. The case, gpu, cpu cooler, and HDD will total $1000+, and that leaves less than $500 total for the cpu, mobo, ram, psu, ssd, and wifi card. $2,000 is a more realistic budget if you insist on the 570X case and a GTX 1080.

 

[pendragon1]

6 Hours and no one's chimed in yet? C'mon [H]'ers!

time zones dude, time zones... and a bigger budget.
ps: I ignored it cause I thought it was a build log(I like pictures), not a wish list.

 

[hyt3k9]

Were you planning on the 7700k and z270 board or the x99 and like a 6800k?

I have personally moved away from as5, because it's conductive and requires setup time. I use arctic mx4 seams pretty good. Also maybe consider de lidding your cpu at some point.

As far as gpus the strix asus cards now have fan controllers on the wich is pretty cool.

Not sure, that's why I left it here to discuss, is there that much more performance in the 6800k to justify the price increase over 6700k?

 

[hyt3k9]

You'll need to raise your budget a bit. The case, gpu, cpu cooler, and HDD will total $1000+, and that leaves less than $500 total for the cpu, mobo, ram, psu, ssd, and wifi card. $2,000 is a more realistic budget if you insist on the 570X case and a GTX 1080.

That's fair. Budget raised. Let's do $2k.

 

[hyt3k9]

time zones dude, time zones... and a bigger budget.
ps: I ignored it cause I thought it was a build log(I like pictures), not a wish list.

I completely understand, I'm just really excited to get some discussion on this thread. Really need some direction in the processor, motherboard, ram department. I guess I will entertain different ideas on the 1080GTX as well, if there's a better option out there. Keep mind mind, Im gaming at 3440x1440 on 34" display. Not sure how powerful these new GTX cards are, but I hope it can push the pixels....

 

[jkw]

That's fair. Budget raised. Let's do $2k.

Cool! For starts, I think the 570X and GTX 1080 are both great choices. I'd go MSI on the gpu ... one of their Gaming series gpus. Big fan of their ZeroFrozr technology.

32 GB of Corsair DDR4-3200. Whatever you can afford. If you're an LED fan, splurge for the new LED DDR4 they recently came out with, or wait for their newly announced RGB LED.

There are lots of good Asus, Gigabyte, and MSI mobos with Z270 chipset. Maybe consider something with onboard wifi so you don't have to buy a separate card. Will probably be cheaper to get onboard wifi, and it'll save a PCIE slot and provide cooler running system with better airflow.

For the PSU, if you insist on those 3 brands, I'd pick Corsair. I'd also recommend checking out EVGA though ... highly rated, and very reliable. Get as much PSU as you can afford. Since you're going with the 570 case, you'll need a fully modular PSU so you're not stuck with a bunch of visible unused cables.

For the SSD, I'd go with a Samsung 960 Evo. Can't beat the performance.

I'd ditch the cpu cooler and go for a closed loop Corsair water cooling kit with the 240 or 280mm radiator. Especially need this if you plan to OC.

 

[jkw]

Also, don't put those Noctua fans in the case. That's alot of money for (great performing but ugly) fans. Besides, the Corsair 570X case comes with 3 great RGB fans installed. Just add an exhaust fan, and mount the 240mm radiator and fans up top.

 

[rastaban]

Question, is Arctic Silver still best thermal paste?

Noctua's NT-H1 that comes with the cooler will outperform AS5. There are reports of Gelid GC Xtreme being the best but the difference is negligible from my experience.

 

[hyt3k9]

Also, don't put those Noctua fans in the case. That's alot of money for (great performing but ugly) fans. Besides, the Corsair 570X case comes with 3 great RGB fans installed. Just add an exhaust fan, and mount the 240mm radiator and fans up top.

Okay, wasn't aware the fans that came with it we're good. Will do

 

[hyt3k9]

Noctua's NT-H1 that comes with the cooler will outperform AS5. There are reports of Gelid GC Xtreme being the best but the difference is negligible from my experience.

Ok, I will use the paste that comes with the Noctua cooler

 

[hyt3k9]

I'd go MSI on the gpu ... one of their Gaming series gpus. Big fan of their ZeroFrozr technology

Noted.

32 GB of Corsair DDR4-3200

Which model of Corsair? They have several lines. Might start with 16GB and up it to 32GB down the road for cost reduction

There are lots of good motherboards = Asus, Gigabyte, and MSI mobos with Z270 chipset

Is this what I want to shoot for? The Z207 for gaming?
As mentioned above, looks like [2] choices here: "7700k and z270 board or the x99 and like a 6800k"
This discussion on Tom's Hardware says the Z207 & 7700k are "better for gaming?" -This might be subjective since I didn't see any performance numbers to back the claim

Maybe consider something with onboard wifi so you don't have to buy a separate card

Noted. Although the dedicated board seem more attractive to me honestly, since the software that usually accompanies the hardware is top notch and you get to pick your wireless chipset, besides they're not expensive

For the PSU, if you insist on those 3 brands,
I'd pick Corsair. I'd also recommend checking out EVGA though ... highly rated, and very reliable.
Get as much PSU as you can afford. Since you're going with the 570 case, you'll need a fully modular PSU so you're not stuck with a bunch of visible unused cables

I agree with you on getting modular, especially in a case where everything is on display.
I will get at least 800+ Watts for future proofing (Adding additional HDDs, second GTX, etc)
I trust the three brands I listed with my life, I can't bring myself to consider an EVGA power supply. I think they make excellent graphics boards, with warranties that allow modding and removing the cooler, and even motherboards for the most part. I just don't see them as a major player in the PSU arena. Maybe I'm just getting old. Maybe I will check out what Johnny Guru has to say about them.

For the SSD, I'd go with a Samsung 960 Evo. Can't beat the performance

Aren't those just in M.2 form factor at the moment? PC World just did a write up stating that the Samsung Evo Pro 950 SSD 2.5" is still king of the hill
Source

I'd ditch the cpu cooler and go for a closed loop Corsair water cooling kit with the 240 or 280mm radiator. Especially need this if you plan to OC.

Noted.

 

[jkw]

Noted.

Which model of Corsair? They have several lines. Might start with 16GB and up it to 32GB down the road for cost reduction

Since you've got a budget, and don't plan to OC at first, or even much down the road, I'df just get a couple of 8GB sticks of DDR4-3200 Corsair Vengeance LPX. If you like the LEDs, spend $5 more and get the Vengeance LED models. I personally like the LED version.

Is this what I want to shoot for? The Z207 for gaming?
As mentioned above, looks like [2] choices here: "7700k and z270 board or the x99 and like a 6800k"
This discussion on Tom's Hardware says the Z207 & 7700k are "better for gaming?" -This might be subjective since I didn't see any performance numbers to back the claim

Z270 is the latest and greatest 1151 chipset. You'll get higher clock speeds with the 7700K (but fewer cores than a high end X99 cpu). You won't see any benefit for gaming with the X99 unless you add $1,000+ to your budget so you can get a mid to high end X99 cpu ($600-1600) with 40 pcie lanes, AND higher end X99 mobo ($300-600), AND a second GTX 1080 (or a Titan X video card). Note that Nvidia is moving away from SLI and towards single card. If you do any VR, you'll find that SLI is of no benefit whatsoever.

I agree with you on getting modular, especially in a case where everything is on display.
I will get at least 800+ Watts for future proofing (Adding additional HDDs, second GTX, etc)
I trust the three brands I listed with my life, I can't bring myself to consider an EVGA power supply. I think they make excellent graphics boards, with warranties that allow modding and removing the cooler, and even motherboards for the most part. I just don't see them as a major player in the PSU arena. Maybe I'm just getting old. Maybe I will check out what Johnny Guru has to say about them.

PC Power & Cooling isn't the same company it used to be. It was acquired by OCZ in 2007, and then by FirePower Tech in 2014. I used PCP&C exclusively until they were acquired by OCZ, and then switched to Corsair. EVGA has been cranking out top notch power supplies for a few years now. Google for "best power supplies" and you'll find EVGA and Corsair at the top of lists on most/all of the respected hardware review sites.

Aren't those just in M.2 form factor at the moment? PC World just did a write up stating that the Samsung Evo Pro 950 SSD 2.5" is still king of the hill
Source

The 950 series is their last gen. The 960 series is their latest and is about 40% faster with R and W than the 950 series. The 960 Evo is the best bang for the buck these days.

 

[hyt3k9]

Since you've got a budget, and don't plan to OC at first, or even much down the road, I'df just get a couple of 8GB sticks of DDR4-3200 Corsair Vengeance LPX. If you like the LEDs, spend $5 more and get the Vengeance LED models. I personally like the LED version.



Z270 is the latest and greatest 1151 chipset. You'll get higher clock speeds with the 7700K (but fewer cores than a high end X99 cpu). You won't see any benefit for gaming with the X99 unless you double your budget so you can get a mid to high end X99 cpu ($600-1600) with 40 pcie lanes, higher end X99 mobo ($300-600), and a second GTX 1080 or a Titan X video card.



PC Power & Cooling isn't the same company it used to be. It was acquired by OCZ in 2007, and then by FirePower Tech in 2014. I used PCP&C exclusively until they were acquired by OCZ, and then switched to Corsair. EVGA has been cranking out top notch power supplies for a few years now. Google for "best power supplies" and you'll find EVGA and Corsair at the top of lists on most/all of the respected hardware review sites.



The 950 series is their last gen. The 960 series is their latest and is about 40% faster with R and W than the 950 series. The 960 Evo is the best bang for the buck these days.

Thank you very much for clarification on the motherboard, chipset. As well as the Corsair RAM recco. I like LED's too (Or I wouldn't be building in the 570) lol!
I checked into the 960's earlier and only saw M.2 form factor, do motherboards these days allow you to plug this type of SSD in, like RAM? Or how is it done?
Very enlightening info on the PCP&C history, I remember when BFG was a big graphics card maker, started making psu's and were also bought up by OCZ. I didn't realize OCZ was purchased by Corsair though. Good info.
I will look more into the EVGA offerings (PSU's) - I just liked the idea of a Corsair-themed box, since they make REALLY good stuff.
Thank you very much for all the info, feel free to chime in again, if additional info is required or you directly disagree or want to provide further details on something someone recommends.
I still need to pin down the motherboard maker, I'm about ready to pull the trigger on ASUS - But so many to choose from. I have also had great success with Gigabyte & MSI with speedier driver updates. Hmm.

 

[jkw]

I re-read my last comment and saw that my comment about PCPC and OCZ and Corsair was ambiguous. What I was trying to say was that *I* switched from PCPC to Corsair when PCPC was acquired by OCZ. Corsair never acquired OCZ or PCPC.

 

[hyt3k9]

What's the word on this motherboard? As I usually have a thing against on-board being better than any single plug-in card, this does fit the name brand I'm looking for - WiFi (AC, too) - and adds to overall RGB theme of the case. Also, has M.2 ports, so I guess I answered my own question earlier how the M.2 works on a desktop build. Look like a decent buy for all you get?

P.S - I'm Amazon Prime too. Forgot to mention that at the top

Asus ROG Maximus Code IX

 

[hyt3k9]

How about this for the power plant? It's extreme overkill, but I watched a Linus TechTips YouTube video and actually got a chance to see it installed in this very case. Tons of power, modular and great warranty.

Corsair HX1200i 80+ Platinum

 

[jkw]

What's the word on this motherboard? As I usually have a thing against on-board being better than any single plug-in card, this does fit the name brand I'm looking for - WiFi (AC, too) - and adds to overall RGB theme of the case. Also, has M.2 ports, so I guess I answered my own question earlier how the M.2 works on a desktop build. Look like a decent buy for all you get?

P.S - I'm Amazon Prime too. Forgot to mention that at the top

Asus ROG Maximus Code IX

Looks like a solid mobo. The Z270 chipset is new, and all of the Z270 boards are too, so there's no data on long term reliability of mobos based on the chipset, and there are limited # of reviews on the Z270 boards. Stick with the top brands these days, and you should be ok. Asus, MSI, and Gigabyte are all cranking out good mobos now. Gigabyte had a bad run a couple years ago, but they seem to have gotten their shit together. Check the [H] reviews of Gigabyte mobos to get great insight. One bit of guidance for your mobo shopping is to avoid anything with Killer LAN or wifi chips. Stick with Intel for onboard LAN and wifi. Killer software sucks, and reliability doesn't compare to Intel.

How about this for the power plant? It's extreme overkill, but I watched a Linus TechTips YouTube video and actually got a chance to see it installed in this very case. Tons of power, modular and great warranty.

Corsair HX1200i 80+ Platinum

Good power supply. You really can't go wrong with Corsair or EVGA for PSU these days.

 

[jkw]

btw, the 570X is sold out at all Microcenters I think, and is relatively hard to find these days. Been sold out at Amazon for a while. Newegg just got some in, but I'd jump on it asap and order that now.

 

[rastaban]

If you're going into $200 territory on PSU you can do better. 750W-800W is already more than enough for your future SLI needs so step down the wattage and upgrade to a better series. Corsair's best is the AX (Seasonic OEM) and AXi (Flextronics) line so check the 760 and 860W versions of those. Or you can find the Seasonic 80PLUS platinum equivalent since it's the gold standard OEM. Most of the highly reviewed EVGA units are Seasonics as well.

If you're looking for a tempered glass case alternative, check out the Phanteks Evolv ATX TG (great review on the HardwareCanucks YT channel) and the newer Lian Li PC-O10WX.

side note: OCZ cooked the books and went bankrupt in 2013 before Toshiba bought the brand for their consumer SSD line.

 

[horrorshow]

I would go with an EVGA P2 for your PSU.

My G2 is far superior to my previous Corsair TX.

 

[hyt3k9]

Bought parts tonight. Micro Center had as good or better prices in-store than online.
*Final build specs* - Building tomorrow--
4.2 GHz Kaby Lake i7 i7700k
ASUS ROG Maximus HERO IX
NZXT X62 280mm AIO Liquid CPU cooler
16GB EVGA SuperSC [Re-branded G-Skill] DDR4-3200 PC4-25600
ASUS Strix ROG RGB Nvidia 1080GTX 8GB GDDR5X
512GB Samsung EVO Pro 960 M.2 NVMe SSD
Seasonic Prime 750w 80+ Titanium PSU
Dark Base Pro 900 ATX Full-Tower

Thanks to everyone for recommendations. I love you all #nohomo
*Mods can lock this thread*