$2,500 high end gaming computer

[berko1989]

Hello Everyone,

My buddy is building a new computer and has a budget of $2,500. He wants to keep the case, keyboard, and mouse but if you can find better he is willing to change. Mid size case is the biggest case that he will go. He already has monitors but everything else can be changed but he said he would like the build to have a 1080 ti.

Thanks in advance for help with this build he really appreciates it.


PCPartPicker part list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/v9FjD8
Price breakdown by merchant: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/v9FjD8/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel - Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core OEM/Tray Processor ($314.89 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Noctua - NH-L9i 33.8 CFM CPU Cooler ($39.15 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - GA-Z170N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($254.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Asus - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB STRIX GAMING Video Card ($811.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Fractal Design - Node 202 HTPC Case ($74.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Silverstone - 700W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular SFX Power Supply ($144.99 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Corsair - Air Series SP120 High Performance Edition (2-Pack) 62.7 CFM 120mm Fans ($26.36 @ OutletPC)
Keyboard: Corsair - K95 RGB PLATINUM Wired Gaming Keyboard ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Mouse: Logitech - G900 CHAOS SPECTRUM Wireless Optical Mouse ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1937.34
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-06-20 09:02 EDT-0400

 

[Stumpy122]

Hello Everyone,

My buddy is building a new computer and has a budget of $2,500. He wants to keep the case, keyboard, and mouse but if you can find better he is willing to change. Mid size case is the biggest case that he will go. He already has monitors but everything else can be changed but he said he would like the build to have a 1080 ti.

Thanks in advance for help with this build he really appreciates it.


PCPartPicker part list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/v9FjD8
Price breakdown by merchant: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/v9FjD8/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel - Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core OEM/Tray Processor ($314.89 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Noctua - NH-L9i 33.8 CFM CPU Cooler ($39.15 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - GA-Z170N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($254.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Asus - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB STRIX GAMING Video Card ($811.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Fractal Design - Node 202 HTPC Case ($74.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Silverstone - 700W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular SFX Power Supply ($144.99 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Corsair - Air Series SP120 High Performance Edition (2-Pack) 62.7 CFM 120mm Fans ($26.36 @ OutletPC)
Keyboard: Corsair - K95 RGB PLATINUM Wired Gaming Keyboard ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Mouse: Logitech - G900 CHAOS SPECTRUM Wireless Optical Mouse ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1937.34
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-06-20 09:02 EDT-0400

Very good and solid build, even for 4K. although I do recommend getting a Z270 board and getting a I7-7700K, because the 7th gen performs a little bit better.

 

[toddybody]

Hi Friend, nice build. I would echo Stumpy's suggestion of a z270board and a 7700K. I'd also recommend the founders edition (blower) 1080ti given the form factor.

 

[berko1989]

Alright here are some changes so far. Also for storage he has an ssd and hhd from his last PC that he will be using so he only needs the m.2.

PCPartPicker part list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/hb69d6
Price breakdown by merchant: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/hb69d6/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel - Core i7-7700K 4.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($327.89 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Noctua - NH-L9i 33.8 CFM CPU Cooler ($39.15 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - GA-Z270N-Gaming 5 Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard ($168.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill - Trident Z RGB 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-4266 Memory ($251.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung - 850 EVO 250GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($107.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB STRIX GAMING Video Card ($814.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design - Node 202 HTPC Case ($74.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Silverstone - 700W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular SFX Power Supply ($144.99 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Corsair - Air Series SP120 High Performance Edition (2-Pack) 62.7 CFM 120mm Fans ($26.36 @ OutletPC)
Keyboard: Corsair - K70 LUX RGB Wired Gaming Keyboard ($159.99 @ Corsair)
Mouse: Corsair - Scimitar RGB Wired Optical Mouse ($79.09 @ OutletPC)
Total: $2196.31
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-06-20 10:55 EDT-0400

 

[J_E_D_70]

- using a 65w TDP cooler on a cpu rated for 91w that also runs hot (in some instances); I'd look for the biggest cooler that would fit the case:
http://www.frostytech.com/top5_lowprofile_heatsinks.cfm

- what is the purpose of the m.2 850 Evo? that is the same speed as a normal SATA ssd

- what is the purpose of the ridiculously overpriced RAM? I haven't seen any benchmarks showing a significant difference over a good kit of 3200 at half the price - if you have a link could you post it?

- is electricity very, very expensive where your friend lives? otherwise he'll never recover the cost of that PSU over a Bronze unit at half the price

-as stated, you need the FE version of the GPU to get the heat out of the case

 

[berko1989]

- using a 65w TDP cooler on a cpu rated for 91w that also runs hot (in some instances); I'd look for the biggest cooler that would fit the case:
http://www.frostytech.com/top5_lowprofile_heatsinks.cfm

- what is the purpose of the m.2 850 Evo? that is the same speed as a normal SATA ssd

- what is the purpose of the ridiculously overpriced RAM? I haven't seen any benchmarks showing a significant difference over a good kit of 3200 at half the price - if you have a link could you post it?

- is electricity very, very expensive where your friend lives? otherwise he'll never recover the cost of that PSU over a Bronze unit at half the price

-as stated, you need the FE version of the GPU to get the heat out of the case

Thanks for pointing out the m.2 that was the wrong one, the Samsung 960 Evo m.2 was the one he wanted. The ram is what he found just looking around. The reason he chose that expensive psu was because his last PC got fried from a bronze psu, so I do not think he wants a bronze again. As for the gpu he is looking at that right now probably will have an updated list here in a bit.

 

[J_E_D_70]

Cool. I'd still recommend a good $130 3200mhz ram kit - otherwise it's throwing money away for an imperceptible framerate change.

FWIW, bronze vs platinum is a question of efficiency not quality. A well designed bronze will last as long as a well designed platinum.

 

[berko1989]

This is the updated build, for some reason the PSU he wants its not on the list so the last one is still listed.




PCPartPicker part list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/Mzgkr7
Price breakdown by merchant: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/Mzgkr7/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel - Core i7-7700K 4.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($327.89 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Corsair - H100i v2 70.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($103.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus - MAXIMUS IX HERO ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($219.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung - 960 EVO 250GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($127.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB STRIX GAMING Video Card ($768.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Thermaltake - Core G3 ATX Mid Tower Case ($62.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Silverstone - SFX 800W 80+ Titanium Certified Fully-Modular SFX Power Supply ($179.99 @ Newegg Marketplace)
Case Fan: Corsair - SP120 RGB 3-Pack w/Controller 52.0 CFM 120mm Fans ($62.88 @ OutletPC)
Keyboard: Corsair - K70 LUX RGB Wired Gaming Keyboard ($159.99 @ Corsair)
Mouse: Corsair - Scimitar RGB Wired Optical Mouse ($79.09 @ OutletPC)
Total: $2233.28
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-06-21 12:29 EDT-0400

 

[ayushde]

Hello Everyone,

My buddy is building a new computer and has a budget of $2,500. He wants to keep the case, keyboard, and mouse but if you can find better he is willing to change. Mid size case is the biggest case that he will go. He already has monitors but everything else can be changed but he said he would like the build to have a 1080 ti.

Thanks in advance for help with this build he really appreciates it.


PCPartPicker part list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/v9FjD8
Price breakdown by merchant: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/v9FjD8/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel - Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core OEM/Tray Processor ($314.89 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Noctua - NH-L9i 33.8 CFM CPU Cooler ($39.15 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - GA-Z170N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($254.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Asus - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB STRIX GAMING Video Card ($811.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Fractal Design - Node 202 HTPC Case ($74.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Silverstone - 700W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular SFX Power Supply ($144.99 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Corsair - Air Series SP120 High Performance Edition (2-Pack) 62.7 CFM 120mm Fans ($26.36 @ OutletPC)
Keyboard: Corsair - K95 RGB PLATINUM Wired Gaming Keyboard ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Mouse: Logitech - G900 CHAOS SPECTRUM Wireless Optical Mouse ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1937.34
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-06-20 09:02 EDT-0400

Is he willing to take the AMD route, the ryzen 7 CPUs are a solid option and better for almost everything other than gaming. Even while gaming, he won't notice a difference unless he has a 120/144Hz monitor (Even then, the difference is very minor for most games).

 

[J_E_D_70]

Still concerned about a AIO cooler and STRIX gpu dumping hot air into the case without a lot of ways for it to get out. Higher temps on gpu, ram, chipset, and ssd. Smaller the case, the bigger deal that is.

 

[berko1989]

Hello Everyone,

My buddy is building a new computer and has a budget of $2,500. He wants to keep the case, keyboard, and mouse but if you can find better he is willing to change. Mid size case is the biggest case that he will go. He already has monitors but everything else can be changed but he said he would like the build to have a 1080 ti.

Thanks in advance for help with this build he really appreciates it.


PCPartPicker part list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/v9FjD8
Price breakdown by merchant: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/v9FjD8/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel - Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core OEM/Tray Processor ($314.89 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Noctua - NH-L9i 33.8 CFM CPU Cooler ($39.15 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - GA-Z170N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($254.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Asus - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB STRIX GAMING Video Card ($811.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Fractal Design - Node 202 HTPC Case ($74.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Silverstone - 700W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular SFX Power Supply ($144.99 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Corsair - Air Series SP120 High Performance Edition (2-Pack) 62.7 CFM 120mm Fans ($26.36 @ OutletPC)
Keyboard: Corsair - K95 RGB PLATINUM Wired Gaming Keyboard ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Mouse: Logitech - G900 CHAOS SPECTRUM Wireless Optical Mouse ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1937.34
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-06-20 09:02 EDT-0400

Is he willing to take the AMD route, the ryzen 7 CPUs are a solid option and better for almost everything other than gaming. Even while gaming, he won't notice a difference unless he has a 120/144Hz monitor (Even then, the difference is very minor for most games).

The main focus of this build is gaming, the monitors he has is 1 4k monitor and 2 1080p. The 4k is 60Hz, unsure of the other 2. He doesn't want to OC if that changes anything as well.

 

[berko1989]

Still concerned about a AIO cooler and STRIX gpu dumping hot air into the case without a lot of ways for it to get out. Higher temps on gpu, ram, chipset, and ssd. Smaller the case, the bigger deal that is.

He changed his mind on the case and switched to a Mid sized case. Yeah the heat may still be an issue that is why we are posting on here to hopefully fix any issues like this . What would you suggest for a better cooler?

 

[toddybody]

Still concerned about a AIO cooler and STRIX gpu dumping hot air into the case without a lot of ways for it to get out. Higher temps on gpu, ram, chipset, and ssd. Smaller the case, the bigger deal that is.

He changed his mind on the case and switched to a Mid sized case. Yeah the heat may still be an issue that is why we are posting on here to hopefully fix any issues like this . What would you suggest for a better cooler?

Glad to see he's opened up to other cases. Assuming that he's considering mATX and ATX form factors, I'd 100% recommend an AIO cooler (preferably a dual 120/140mm design). They keep CPU temps nice and cool, but most importantly can dump the heat outside the case...keeping other components cooler in the process.