New Build

I

Ididar

Gawd
Joined
Aug 2, 2004
Messages
627
So my motherboard packed it in today and so I'm going to do a new build. I could probably just get a new motherboard and get it working but it is several years old and I was planning to do a total rebuild next year anyway. This just pushed up the timetable.

That said, below are the components I'm looking at right now.

It is a gaming PC pushing 1920x1080.
I live in Canada and planning to buy it all through NCIX or Newegg most likely.
I only have the 250GB Samsung because I have another 250GB Samsung and 500 GB Samsung from my previous PC I'll install.
No overclocking.

INTEL® CORE™ I7-7700 Processor 8M Cache 4 Cores 3.6GHZ Up to 4.2GHZ FC-LGA14C Retail Box Kaby Lake
ASUS Prime B250M-A LGA1151 Kaby Lake DDR4 HDMI DVI VGA M.2 USB 3.1 B250 mATX Motherboard
Corsair Vengeance Lpx 32GB 4x8GB DDR4-2666MHZ C16 1.2V Memory Kit
ASUS GeForce GTX 1080 Turbo 8GB GDDR5X HDMI SLI G-SYNC VR Ready Video Card
Corsair Carbide Series 230T Black Gaming Case ATX 3X5.25 4X3.5 Front USB3.0 Audio
Corsair CX Series CX750 750W ATX 12V 80 Plus Bronze Power Supply Active PFC Fan 120mm Fan
Microsoft Windows 10 Pro 64Bit English DVD OEM for NCIX PC
Samsung 850 EVO MZ-75E250B/AM 250GB 2.5in SATA III Internal SSD


Thoughts? Anything I could swap to save money but not sacrifice too much in performance?
 
Dumb question. Why're you going with ANOTHER SATA drive when your motherboard has not one, but TWO M.2 PCI-Express slots on it?
 
Chas said:
Dumb question. Why're you going with ANOTHER SATA drive when your motherboard has not one, but TWO M.2 PCI-Express slots on it?
Click to expand...

Valid point. Obviously didn't pay attention.

Swap that drive for ....

Intel 540S Series SSD SSDSCKKW240H6X1 240GB M.2 80mm SATA 16NM
 
Ididar said:
Valid point. Obviously didn't pay attention.

Swap that drive for ....

Intel 540S Series SSD SSDSCKKW240H6X1 240GB M.2 80mm SATA 16NM
Click to expand...

Make sure it's an nvme drive or its a waste of time. Your change there may actually be a downgrade.

And as someone who just built a new machine and used a samsung 950 pro sata, I'm not convinced the nvme is worth the extra cost. My machine boots in 3 seconds after post. I just don't think an nvme drive is gonna do much better.

On paper they kill it. In reality? Not convinced.

If they cost the same, then sure why not. But they don't by a long shot
 
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Ididar said:
Valid point. Looking into it. Anything else about the system that is suspect or should be looked at?
Click to expand...

Well, for a $50, I'd be tempted to go with the 7700K. Even if you're not overclocking.
Sure, not a LOT more speed. But max speed available. And, assuming you're going to have the system 3-5 years. What's $50 ammortized over 3-5 years?

3 years: $1.38/month
4 years: $1.04/month
5 years: $0.83/month

Granted you'll need to buy an aftermarket air cooler too...

But that's just how I look at it. If your budget's flexible enough to encompass it, it's the way I'd go.
 
TechLarry said:
Make sure it's an nvme drive or its a waste of time. Your change there may actually be a downgrade.

And as someone who just built a new machine and used a samsung 850 pro sata, I'm not convinced the nvme is worth the extra cost. My machine boots in 3 seconds after post. I just don't think an nvme drive is gonna do much better.

On paper they kill it. In reality? Not convinced.

If they cost the same, then sure why not. But they don't by a long shot
Click to expand...

+1. Real-world, NVMe doesn't really provide much over SATA for SSDs. Especially when you consider the cost premium of NVMe.

http://techreport.com/review/30993/samsung-960-evo-ssd-reviewed/5


Also, this build is kind of a mess IMO:

- Am I reading this right and the plan is to have four SSDs in the system? Seems like an unnecessary pain. The two current SSDs should be fine. If you need additional storage, look to getting a HDD for media storage.
- 32 GB RAM is total overkill for a gaming system. 16 GB is more than plenty.
- The GTX 1080 is way more than what's needed for a 1080p display. A GTX 1070 would be more than enough, and the 1060 probably fine as well for at least a couple years.
- The PSU is larger than needed. A quality gold-rated unit in the 500 W range is plenty.
- B250 chipset mainboards are usually on the lower-end of the scale (relative to the H270 and Z270), but I guess it's fine if it has all the desired features. Moving up will usually get you support for faster RAM, plus better NIC(s) and audio, additional USB3, etc.
 
BlueLineSwinger said:
+1. Real-world, NVMe doesn't really provide much over SATA for SSDs. Especially when you consider the cost premium of NVMe.

http://techreport.com/review/30993/samsung-960-evo-ssd-reviewed/5


Also, this build is kind of a mess IMO:

- Am I reading this right and the plan is to have four SSDs in the system? Seems like an unnecessary pain. The two current SSDs should be fine. If you need additional storage, look to getting a HDD for media storage.
- 32 GB RAM is total overkill for a gaming system. 16 GB is more than plenty.
- The GTX 1080 is way more than what's needed for a 1080p display. A GTX 1070 would be more than enough, and the 1060 probably fine as well for at least a couple years.
- The PSU is larger than needed. A quality gold-rated unit in the 500 W range is plenty.
- B250 chipset mainboards are usually on the lower-end of the scale (relative to the H270 and Z270), but I guess it's fine if it has all the desired features. Moving up will usually get you support for faster RAM, plus better NIC(s) and audio, additional USB3, etc.
Click to expand...


- Three drives, potentially. Most likely two. The NVMe is basically the same price as the SATA drive where I'm getting it from so no big deal there. The 500 GB Samsung Pro that I have will go in as the drive to install games. The 256 NVMe will house the OS and critical software. All my data is stored on an NAS.
- The RAM I may dial back. I probably went a bit overkill on that.
- On the video card, I agree but I want to have the 1080 in case I get a 4k TV in the future. It may be overkill right now but if I upgrade the TV then I want to be prepared.
- Valid point. I've swapped it for a 550W gold rated unit. Thanks for pointing that out.
- I can swap to a Z270.

See below for a new list. Does this look more reasonable?

INTEL® CORE™ I7-7700 Processor 8M Cache 4 Cores 3.6GHZ Up to 4.2GHZ FC-LGA14C Retail Box Kaby Lake
ASUS Prime Z270-A LGA1151 Kaby Lake DDR4 DP HDMI DVI M.2 USB 3.1 Z270 Aura Sync ATX Motherboard
Corsair Vengeance Lpx 16GB 4X4GB DDR4-2666MHZ C16 XMP 2.0 1.2V Quad Channel Memory
ASUS GeForce GTX 1080 Turbo 8GB GDDR5X HDMI SLI G-SYNC VR Ready Video Card - NCIX PC
Corsair Carbide Series 230T Black Gaming Case ATX 3X5.25 4X3.5 Front USB3.0 Audio No PSU for NCIX PC
Corsair CS550M CS Modular 80 Plus Gold Certified 550WATT 12V Power Supply Unit
Microsoft Windows 10 Pro 64Bit English DVD OEM for NCIX PC
Samsung 960 EVO 250GB PCIe M.2 Internal SSD MZ-V6E250BW
 
Install the RAM as 2x8 GB instead of 4x4 GB. Kaby Lake only has a two channel memory controller, so there's no advantage to spreading out across all four slots. Plus, keeping two slots open leaves you free to easily upgrade later in case somehow 32 GB does somehow become necessary.

If you really think a 4k display is in your near future, a GTX 1080ti may be worthwhile. Check the reviews that just came out a few days ago.

Where are you finding NVMe SSDs comparably priced to like-sized SATA units?
 
Seem more reasonable now? The price was $40 difference on the two drives so close enough considering the overall system price.


INTEL® CORE™ I7-7700 Processor 8M Cache 4 Cores 3.6GHZ Up to 4.2GHZ FC-LGA14C Retail Box Kaby Lake
ASUS Prime Z270-A LGA1151 Kaby Lake DDR4 DP HDMI DVI M.2 USB 3.1 Z270 Aura Sync ATX Motherboard
Corsair Dominator Platinum 16GB 2X8GB DDR4-2666MHZ C15-17-17-35 1.2V Memory Kit
ASUS GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB GDDR5X Founders Edition VR Ready 5K HD Gaming HDMI DP Video Card
Corsair Carbide Series 230T Black Gaming Case ATX 3X5.25 4X3.5 Front USB3.0 Audio No PSU for NCIX PC
Corsair CS550M CS Modular 80 Plus Gold Certified 550WATT 12V Power Supply Unit
Samsung 960 EVO 250GB PCIe M.2 Internal SSD MZ-V6E250BW
 
When are you planning on buying the 4K monitor? If it's not within the next six months, then you're better off with the GTX 1070 instead of the GTX 1080 Ti.

You also don't need to spend the money for Corsair Dominator Platinum RAM. Buy the non-Platinum Dominators or look for a cheaper competitor (like Crucial Ballistix or G.SKILL Ripjaws) with similar speeds.

You can also save some money by going with an H270 motherboard instead of a Z270 board. The only significant difference between the two chipsets is that the Z270 supports overclocking.
 
tiraides said:
When are you planning on buying the 4K monitor? If it's not within the next six months, then you're better off with the GTX 1070 instead of the GTX 1080 Ti.

You also don't need to spend the money for Corsair Dominator Platinum RAM. Buy the non-Platinum Dominators or look for a cheaper competitor (like Crucial Ballistix or G.SKILL Ripjaws) with similar speeds.

You can also save some money by going with an H270 motherboard instead of a Z270 board. The only significant difference between the two chipsets is that the Z270 supports overclocking.
Click to expand...

I agree with the above points.

I use Crucial Ballistix and have been nothing but happy with it.

Also, if you're not overclocking, there is zero reason to pick-up a Z270 board. Grab a H270 equivalent.

If you can swing it, I'd seriously consider getting a 500GB 960/850 EVO. (my 256GB 840 Pro is BARELY enough these days what with the huge game installs as of late)

Honestly, I'd go with 500GB 850 EVO. Sure, NWMe is swell and all but it's not the game changer like going from a spinner to an SSD. (and I'm stuck on SATA2, still well worth it)

Lastly, I'd consider an EVGA PSU like the 650W G3/G2 or something similar. Corsair PSU's aren't half what they used to be. I love my 650W G2 cuz it's made by Superflower so there is zero coil-whine etc.
 
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So why the 6 month limit on the 4k TV? If I get a video card now I fully intend to leave it there for a couple years. I won't want to be replacing a 1070 for something new in a year's time if I get a new TV.

Basically, my situation is that I cycle my TV's. If one packs it in I buy a new one to replace the one in the main room hooked up to the computer and then swap that one into another spot. If the one in the bedroom packs it in for some reason then a 4k TV is getting purchased for the main room with the computer and the 1080 TV in the living room is moving to the bedroom. The bedroom TV is getting on in years so may die, or may last another year or two. Who knows. But, as I said, I don't want to have to end up purchasing a new video card along with a new TV.

On the other issues, noted and I'm looking at various options.
 
I'm on-board with horrorshow on the EVGA/Superflower 650w suggestion (and on the SSD).

I would only consider a 500w PSU for a low end machine. A quality 600w-750w is a good idea.
The PSU is a part that you do want some overkill on.

(Suggestion on the PSU from a guy in the electronics/IT biz for 30 years.)

.
 
So I swapped the CS550 for the CS650 power supply and actually saved myself $20 because it was on sale. So, bonus there.
 
Hey guys, I'm looking for a different case. Same components (or similar enough) to what I posted above. I'm just not sold on that case. I'd love something that I could lay on its side in my entertainment center if possible. I can manage a size about 17" x 7" x 14". Front USB ports is a plus.
 
tiraides said:
When are you planning on buying the 4K monitor? If it's not within the next six months, then you're better off with the GTX 1070 instead of the GTX 1080 Ti.
Click to expand...
Ididar said:
So why the 6 month limit on the 4k TV? If I get a video card now I fully intend to leave it there for a couple years. I won't want to be replacing a 1070 for something new in a year's time if I get a new TV.

Basically, my situation is that I cycle my TV's. If one packs it in I buy a new one to replace the one in the main room hooked up to the computer and then swap that one into another spot. If the one in the bedroom packs it in for some reason then a 4k TV is getting purchased for the main room with the computer and the 1080 TV in the living room is moving to the bedroom. The bedroom TV is getting on in years so may die, or may last another year or two. Who knows. But, as I said, I don't want to have to end up purchasing a new video card along with a new TV.
Click to expand...
Newer, better video cards tend to arrive around every six to eight months. (However, there was a ten-month gap between the GTX 1080 and the GTX 1080 Ti.) If you weren't buying your TV right away, IMO it would make more sense to time your video card purchase around the same time as your TV purchase. That way, you'd get the latest-and-greatest card available at that time. But again, it's just my opinion.

tiraides said:
You also don't need to spend the money for Corsair Dominator Platinum RAM. Buy the non-Platinum Dominators or look for a cheaper competitor (like Crucial Ballistix or G.SKILL Ripjaws) with similar speeds.
Click to expand...
I misspoke earlier; you should be looking at Corsair Vengeance RAM, not Dominator.

Ididar said:
Hey guys, I'm looking for a different case. Same components (or similar enough) to what I posted above. I'm just not sold on that case. I'd love something that I could lay on its side in my entertainment center if possible. I can manage a size about 17" x 7" x 14". Front USB ports is a plus.
Click to expand...
You should consider an HTPC or media center case like the Silverstone Grandia Series (GD09B or GD10B) or the Fractal Design Node 605.

tiraides said:
You can also save some money by going with an H270 motherboard instead of a Z270 board. The only significant difference between the two chipsets is that the Z270 supports overclocking.
Click to expand...
Here are a few good-yet-inexpensive H270 boards. I'm using NewEgg links as NewEgg offers more information about each item than other online retailers.

$100 - ASRock H270 Pro4
$110 - MSI H270 PC MATE
$115 - Gigabyte GA-H270-Gaming 3 (rev. 1.0)
$120 - Asus Prime H270-PRO
 
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The GD09B is what I was using on my previous PC. It doesn't handle taller cards at all. I had to cut a slot in the case where the current video card sits to be able to install the top cover. Nice looking cases, but they don't handle full height video cards. The other problem with the GD-09 is that if you have a CD drive installed you have to remove it to get at the RAM and the bracket for the CD drive makes it difficult to get the video card in and out. Nice looking case but it is a pain to work on. The Fractal Design case has the same height problem from looking at the dimensions. I suspect 7 inches would probably have to be a minimum height on such a case. The only one I've seen that would probably do the job is the Lian Li PC-C60B but that runs about twice the cost of the GD09B.

I may have to just get a regular case and stand it up on the floor next to the entertainment centre to make it accessible and not a pain to work on in the future.
 
I've used both cases and currently using the Fractal Design Node 605 with a full sized EVGA 980 Ti Hybrid card without any issue what so ever.

The Fractal case is built much better than the Silverstone by far. They're not even in the same ballpark when it comes to build quality. I don't even use the Silverstone case anymore as it's just sitting empty in a room upstairs.
 
tiraides said:
When are you planning on buying the 4K monitor? If it's not within the next six months, then you're better off with the GTX 1070 instead of the GTX 1080 Ti.
Click to expand...

I agree with the six-month limit:

By the time the OP really needs a 4K monitor, that "overkill" GPU will most likely be obsolesced by something newer and better.

And there is a problem with choosing an m.2 SATA SSD over either a 2.5" SATA SSD or an m.2 PCIe NVMe SSD:

Due to the limitation of even Intel's 200-series chipsets, if one uses an m.2 SATA SSD on a motherboard that has two m.2 slots, the second m.2 slot will be disabled and thus cannot be used at all. That second slot supports only PCIe signaling and has no SATA support. This will force the owner to use 2.5" or 3.5" devices for additional internal storage. And that's not to mention that the few m.2 SATA SSDs on the market still cost more than 2.5" SATA SSDs of the same size (capacity).
 
So I decided to forego the video card for now. I'll use the card from the old computer until I get a new TV.

I'm also using my current Samsung 850 Pro 256 GB drive from my now busted computer as the operating system and my 500 GB Samsung 850 Pro for game installs. Should be speedy enough.

Thanks all for the advice. It had been a while since I did any research and I was obviously terribly out of touch.
 
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