2 builds, one user: torn

May 19, 2018
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So, after much reading of forums, articles, watching reviews and whatnot, I've detailed two possible builds that could satisfy my needs now and in years to come (hopefully!) The eternal question is: AMD or Intel? Now, I have read that Intel is ideal for gaming-only setups and Adobe programs and one single i7 core is "stronger" than one AMD core... however, AMD, though not as excellent as Intel in gaming, excels in multitasking. Here's a little info on what I intend to use the computer for:

Activities: Gaming, 3d modeling, graphic design & illustration, CAD, some video editing

Programs I use: Most of the Adobe programs (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere, After Effects...), Autocad, Revit, Sketchup, Rhinoceros (and games, obv).

So I'm torn between the multitasking power of the AMD and the gaming/Adobe capacity of the i7. Here's the two builds I have come up with.

AMD build: GTX 1080 Ti
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 7 2700X 3.7GHz 8-Core Processor (€325.90 @ Amazon Espana)
Motherboard: MSI - X470 GAMING PRO ATX AM4 Motherboard (€149.70 @ Amazon Espana)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory (€178.82 @ Alternate)
Storage: Crucial - MX500 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (€74.99 @ Amazon Espana)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (€43.25 @ Amazon Espana)
Video Card: Asus - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB STRIX GAMING OC Video Card (€885.90 @ Electronicamente)
Case: Fractal Design - Define C ATX Mid Tower Case (€75.87 @ Amazon Espana)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - FOCUS Plus Gold 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (€97.82 @ Alternate)
Wireless Network Adapter: Gigabyte - GC-WB867D-I PCI-Express x1 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Adapter (€38.41 @ Alternate)
Total: €1870.66
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-05-19 16:43 CEST+0200




INTEL build: GTX 1080
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-8700K 3.7GHz 6-Core Processor (€285.90 @ Amazon Espana)
CPU Cooler: Noctua - NH-D15S 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler (€77.32 @ Amazon Espana)
Motherboard: ASRock - Z370M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (€118.76 @ Amazon Espana)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory (€178.82 @ Alternate)
Storage: Crucial - MX500 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (€74.99 @ Amazon Espana)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (€43.25 @ Amazon Espana)
Video Card: MSI - GeForce GTX 1080 8GB GAMING X 8G Video Card (€620.15 @ PC Componentes)
Case: Fractal Design - Define Mini C MicroATX Mid Tower Case (€103.57 @ Amazon Espana)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - FOCUS Plus Gold 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (€97.82 @ Alternate)
Wireless Network Adapter: Gigabyte - GC-WB867D-I PCI-Express x1 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Adapter (€38.41 @ Alternate)
Total: €1638.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-05-19 16:41 CEST+0200

NOTE that the AMD build comes with a 1080 Ti GPU, whereas the INTEL build comes with a 1080 GPU, to keep both builds more or less around the same price.

Questions:

  • - Are there any compatibility issues I'm missing (motherboard - RAM - processor kind of stuff)? Are these builds stable? Will the motherboards chosen be good enough to let the processors work their best?
    - Which build to pick?
    - Any monitor ideas welcome. Looking for at least a 1440 144Hz but damn isn't the monitor world a controversial one... The model that works for some is hated by others, there's no middle ground, apparently. Would love to hear opinions/reviews.
Thank you so much. This will be my first pc build.
 
Solution
Ok so after tweaking the build further, I think I have decided to downgrade to a gtx 1080 so that I can add a good monitor for roughly 2000€. It's a 27" 144Hz 1440p with G-sync. Here's how it looks now. Any thoughts appreciated.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 7 2700X 3.7GHz 8-Core Processor (€325.90 @ Amazon Espana)
Motherboard: MSI - X470 GAMING PRO ATX AM4 Motherboard (€149.70 @ Amazon Espana)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory (€178.82 @ Alternate)
Storage: Crucial - MX500 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (€65.99 @ Amazon Espana)
Storage: Seagate - Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM...
Considering your workload, the Ryzen build will be much more beneficial to you. Go for the Ryzen build. Also consider getting an aftermarket cooler with the Ryzen processor, even a cheap one like the Cryorig H7 will allow for moderate overclocking which can boost your single core performance and bring it closer to the performance of the 8700k single core wise.

Your HDD Seems small, Games are getting bigger and bigger, Invest in atleast a 2TB (Seagate Barracuda is a good choice). With all those programs and games, you will run out of 1TB in no time.

Ryzen really benefits from fast RAM, and the G.Skill Ripjaws V Kit is a good choice however a G.Skill Sniper X Kit can be a better choice. It is faster than Ripjaws at 3400 MHz and It is certified to work near high speed with Ryzen. Ive seen Ripjaws hit only 2933MHz with Ryzen but Sniper X can reach its full 3400MHz. G.Skill Trident Z is also a good choice, ive seen it reach its full 3200MHz with Ryzen lots of times. But if those kits are not available to you, Ripjaws is still great.

Everything else in your parts list looks good. As for the monitor, This Monitor (https://www.bestbuy.com/site/dell-27-led-qhd-gsync-monitor-black/5293502.p?ref=199&loc=kXQk6*ivFEQ&acampID=1&siteID=kXQk6.ivFEQ-B1ooaUY6ik6s_nNP.DjTDg) was only $350 3 days ago. Its still at a great price, It is 1440p 144Hz and is Gsync. Its a pretty good deal right now so you can get hold of this one. It is a TN Panel, not IPS but for the price I think its well worth it.
 


Good Balanced builds. But why is one build microatx and another atx?

Like python said, if you are doing AutoCAD etc, it would be a good idea to go for a 2 TB HDD.
 


Thanks! I was going for a m-ATX on the intel build because I'd rather have a small-sized computer (and there are no m-ATX am4 mobos, that I'm aware of). Are m-ATX mobos worse than full-sized ATX ones?


 


Thank you for your reply. I applied your changes and it looks like this now:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 7 2700X 3.7GHz 8-Core Processor (€325.90 @ Amazon Espana)
Motherboard: MSI - X470 GAMING PRO ATX AM4 Motherboard (€149.70 @ Amazon Espana)
Memory: G.Skill - Trident Z 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory (€198.99 @ Amazon Espana)
Storage: Crucial - MX500 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (€74.90 @ Amazon Espana)
Storage: Seagate - Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (€60.17 @ Amazon Espana)
Video Card: Asus - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB STRIX GAMING OC Video Card (€885.90 @ Electronicamente)
Case: Fractal Design - Define C ATX Mid Tower Case (€75.87 @ Amazon Espana)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - FOCUS Plus Gold 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (€97.82 @ Alternate)
Wireless Network Adapter: Gigabyte - GC-WB867D-I PCI-Express x1 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Adapter (€38.41 @ Alternate)
Total: €1907.66
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-05-20 07:59 CEST+0200

Looks supertempting but I'm not sure if it's within my budget... I was attempting not to go over the 2000€ (including a 1440p 144Hz monitor). I have a 1920x1080p 60Hz one I could use, but... you know. If you have any ideas on where I could cut back on price without compromising quality or performance too much, please let me know. Thank you!
 


- Cheaper 1080Ti:
PCPartPicker part list: https://es.pcpartpicker.com/list/pTtwvV
Price breakdown by merchant: https://es.pcpartpicker.com/list/pTtwvV/by_merchant/

Video Card: Zotac - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB Mini Video Card (€784.25 @ PC Componentes)
Total: €784.25
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-05-20 08:32 CEST+0200

- Cheaper RAM :
PCPartPicker part list: https://es.pcpartpicker.com/list/tcNqxY
Price breakdown by merchant: https://es.pcpartpicker.com/list/tcNqxY/by_merchant/

Memory: Patriot - Viper 4 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory (€176.82 @ Amazon Espana)
Total: €176.82
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-05-20 08:23 CEST+0200

- Cheaper SSD:
PCPartPicker part list: https://es.pcpartpicker.com/list/YDmRzM
Price breakdown by merchant: https://es.pcpartpicker.com/list/YDmRzM/by_merchant/

Storage: ADATA - Ultimate SU800 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (€69.54 @ Amazon Espana)
Total: €69.54
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-05-20 08:25 CEST+0200

- Use the 2700 instead of the 2700x. It can do a bit of OC.

- Cheaper motherboard:
PCPartPicker part list: https://es.pcpartpicker.com/list/4xW7TB
Price breakdown by merchant: https://es.pcpartpicker.com/list/4xW7TB/by_merchant/

Motherboard: MSI - X470 GAMING PLUS ATX AM4 Motherboard (€139.50 @ Amazon Espana)
Total: €139.50
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-05-20 08:33 CEST+0200

 
Again, thanks for taking the time to reply and even suggest a build. I did look into that 1080Ti gpu, but I haven't read many good reviews on it. Most say it overheats and is too noisy, and I'm pushing for as noiseless a build as I can within my budget.
 
It is a smaller 1080Ti, So yes it will be louder and hotter. If you are going for a silent build, your best bet would be the triple fan variants like the Gigabyte and the ASUS Strix versions but those are more expensive than the dual fan ones because of marketing :/ "Oh! This has 3 fans so it must be better!"

As for the m-ATX Motherboard, yes there can be a problem. Your RAM can interfere with the CPU Cooler. For the Intel build you can go for Low Profile RAMS like the Corsair Vengeance LPX. Intel doesn't benefit alot from RAM Speed like Ryzen, you it wont hurt to go for a slower RAM Kit.

You can go for the 2700 and overclock it to match the performance of the 2700X as the person above said, you can also go for the ADATA SSD. Ive never tried ADATA SSDs, only use Samsung, Crucial, Kingston, Corsair etc etc so be sure to look up reviews about it, if it fails or not.

I disagree with the cheaper RAM though as it can have compatibility issues with Ryzen and we know the faster the RAM can run the more performance you get out of Ryzen so i would just go for a RAM Kit that is known to be compatible with Ryzen and it will work at its max speed or near that max speed.

Maybe you can for for a GTX 1070Ti and go for a 1080p 144Hz monitor. the 1070Ti can be overclocked to exceed the performance of the GTX 1080 (not 1080Ti) and it can run all games at 1080p 144Hz pretty nicely. on 1440p 144Hz however you will have to lower the settings on AAA games just a bit to get 144fps otherwise you will be sitting around 100-120fps. If thats a decision you are ready to make to save some money, its a viable choice.
 


When I said cheaper RAM, it has the same speed. See the kit, it is 3200 Mhz.

I have used the kit before with a 2600x, so I am pretty sure it is compatible.
 


Just to be sure when picking parts: I have to check RAM compatibility with the motherboard and that's it, right? I'm very noob so everything sounds new to me and I'm scared I will shortcircuit the system or make it explode, if you couldn't tell already.
 


Yes. AMD tends to be picky with their RAM but Ryzen has greatly improved this. I took a risk by picking a RAM kit not on the list and it worked, but if this is scary for you then you can go for the kits in the supported list.
 

It wont short circuit, It will just tend to not work or maybe not run at its maximum speed. By the way, if you are new to this stuff, be sure that when you set up your pc, you go into the UEFI and use the XMP profile to run your RAM at the rated speed. DDR4 when plugged in runs at 2133MHz regardless of what speed the kit is. you have to manually go into the UEFI and choose the speed.
 
Ok so after tweaking the build further, I think I have decided to downgrade to a gtx 1080 so that I can add a good monitor for roughly 2000€. It's a 27" 144Hz 1440p with G-sync. Here's how it looks now. Any thoughts appreciated.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 7 2700X 3.7GHz 8-Core Processor (€325.90 @ Amazon Espana)
Motherboard: MSI - X470 GAMING PRO ATX AM4 Motherboard (€149.70 @ Amazon Espana)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory (€178.82 @ Alternate)
Storage: Crucial - MX500 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (€65.99 @ Amazon Espana)
Storage: Seagate - Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (€60.17 @ Amazon Espana)
Video Card: MSI - GeForce GTX 1080 8GB GAMING X 8G Video Card (€620.15 @ PC Componentes)
Case: Fractal Design - Define C ATX Mid Tower Case (€75.88 @ Amazon Espana)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - FOCUS Plus Gold 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (€97.82 @ Alternate)
Wireless Network Adapter: Gigabyte - GC-WB867D-I PCI-Express x1 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Adapter (€38.41 @ Alternate)
Monitor: HP - Omen 27 27.0" 2560x1440 165Hz Monitor (€505.00)
Keyboard: Genius - KB-110X Wired Standard Keyboard (€6.15 @ Amazon Espana)
Total: €2123.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-05-21 13:07 CEST+0200
 
Solution



Looks good if you take this.
 


If thats the case you can overclock the 2700 to match the performance of the 2700x. Overclocking everything will not always solve the difference. The 1080 is better than the 1070Ti at stock, and an Overclocked 1070Ti matches the performance of the 1080, not beats it, according to that video.

If he has the 1080 in his budget, his best bet is to stick with it, not go down to a 1070Ti and overclock it. He may not want to overclock if he is a beginner.

As you move up the resolutions, the stress shifts to the GPU, not the CPU. At 1440p, that 2700x will be more than enough to handle the 1080.