So, if it was MY money, and I was looking to run the CPU you are looking to run, this is what I'd probably do.
Regarding the motherboard, the 9900k is going to be an extremely HIGH TDP component, especially when under boosted conditions at full loads. Lesser boards, while they might support it
technically, are likely to have issues. And they do. We've seen it in many threads already. So my first thought was "best of the lower-high end boards", which is probably the Phantom gaming 9 by ASRock, however, that board has issues with overclocking. It's not a good overclocking board, even with a lower core count processor than the 9900k, based on TH and other reviews.
And if it doesn't have good overclocking on other CPUs, it's not the right board for the 9900k. And sorry Karadjgne, but the Pro carbon is even worse. Since you don't know for sure if or when you MIGHT decide to try your hand at overclocking, I can't really justify one of the very high end boards like the ASUS Code, Formula and Extreme, some of which are primarily intended for extreme overclocking or those planning to run custom loops anyhow. That pretty much leaves the XI Hero in my book. Since we know the Hero models have ALWAYS been outstanding boards, it's not surprising that this board has good features AND good overclocking, with any compatible CPU, and that makes it a great choice ESPECIALLY if you don't plan to overclock but even if you do because it's highly unlikely to have thermal issues with the VRM configuration that it has. CPU cooling is rarely the biggest problem with very high TDP processors on lesser boards, although without the right cooling it certainly can be.
Of greater concern is getting a board where the power phase and VRMs are going to easily handle whatever it is you want it to, rather than find out later there's a weakness there. Aside from basic systems or budget builds I think that going slightly overkill on board selection where VRMs are concerned is or at least should be a given. Again, especially with these high core high boost systems. So, I think the Hero is the right board and it has a lot of other features that I'm not going to get into that make it a good choice as well.
Obviously, if you don't mind paying more there are better choices out there like I mentioned, but if you don't plan to do some serious full time overclocking OR run a custom loop, these higher end boards really have nothing much to offer in terms of features that less expensive boards don't also have. What they offer, that these lesser boards don't, are primarily all overclocking and loop centric features. That includes boards like the Godlike (Which doesn't have the best reputation anyhow after showing signs of throttling in some testing, on both Z370 and Z390 reviews) and the higher end ASUS and Gigabyte boards. ASRock really doesn't even have an offering that's comparable to those, as the Taichi Ultimate seems to be the top offering on this chipset for them, at least as far as what's available at this time.
If you want to spend an extra hundred bucks, put it into a larger fast M.2 storage device or lower latency memory. Those will at least offer some sort of appreciable benefit for the money. Certainly there are other areas such as peripherals, monitors or case accessories where that money might make you happier as well. Maybe go with 32GB of memory instead of 16GB, if you think your usage for this machine might benefit from it. If this is a gaming only system that doesn't ever run professional applications, do a LOT of HEAVY multitasking or run VMs, then 16GB is likely more than enough. But it's an option.
These 3200mhz CL14 (CAS 14) modules using Samsung B-die ICs (Memory chips) are the cream of the crop and it's hard to imagine, aside from RGB aesthetics) that there are a better choice out there. Maybe some CL14 Corsair Dominator Platinum sticks, but honestly, I'd rather have the CL14 Trident Z's.
Fans are easy. Go with the Noctua Chromax.black.swap or Noctua iPPC industrial 2000 rpm fans in any location where you desire to put a fan, with model based on what size you prefer to put there and how critical noise is to you versus performance. If you want good performance with what I believe to be the highest quality, lowest noise per CFM fans on the market, then go with the Chromax.black.swap (Because, black, rather than baby poop brown like the standard Noctua fans). If you want really good noise levels, although not AS good as the standard Noctua fans, but still superb for the amount of air they move, which by the way is comparatively probably more and with a higher static pressure than just about any other fan on the market, then the Noctua Industrial 2000rpm fans are a no brainer.
You might even want to, if you go this route, replace the fans on the Eisbar cooler with three of those same fans. Again, it's an option. The industrial fans have massive static pressure and will do a great job. You could even do a push pull configuration and eliminate any dead spots or reversion leaks.
I've used, and USE, both, and I've used a hell of a lot of different fans over the years, but nothing compares to these fans hands down. Either one of them. Doesn't really matter whether it's the 140mm or 120mm models, they are all outstanding. I would however recommend putting the 140mm models wherever they will fit including the rear exhaust location. The fans that come in pretty much ALL cases, suck. Some of them are "ok". The ones that come in the FD Define R6 for example are really good, compared to your mainstream fans, but compared to these they are simply not comparable.
For a build using these caliber of parts, my first recommendation would easily be the Seasonic Prime Ultra platinum 750w, but it's easy for me to spend somebody else's money so while that is certainly my first choice, I've included a different but still very good unit. You can make up your own mind, obviously.
Not sure why ANYBODY wants a 240hz monitor, because both scientifically and IN REALITY, anything over 100hz is pretty questionable and anything over 144hz is literally impossible for you to discern any difference visually. I agree that plenty of people can (I am one) tell the difference between a 60 or 75hz display visually when compared to a 144hz unit, but beyond that, anybody that says they can is flat out lying. There is only ONE reason AFAIK for wanting one of these and that's eSports type games where you are likely to be hitting 200+fps. So if that's you, then maybe in some way it makes sense. If not, ¯\
(ツ)/¯ . But it's your money, and if that's what you know you want then the only other questions are how much are you willing to spend on the display and what size of panel are you interested in. You realize this won't be available in anything higher than a 1080p resolution due to limitations, so that could be a factor when determining size but for myself I prefer a 27" panel at 1080p.
PCPartPicker part list /
Price breakdown by merchant
CPU Cooler: Alphacool - Eisbaer 420 62.31 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($175.25 @ ModMyMods)
Motherboard: Asus - ROG MAXIMUS XI HERO (WI-FI) ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($285.37 @ Newegg Business)
Memory: G.Skill - Trident Z 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($160.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial - MX500 1 TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial - MX500 2 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($249.89 @ OutletPC)
Case: Fractal Design - Design Define R6 USB-C - TG ATX Mid Tower Case ($149.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - FOCUS Plus Gold 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Noctua - NF-A14 PWM chromax.black.swap 82.52 CFM 140mm Fan ($24.90 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Noctua - NF-A14 PWM chromax.black.swap 82.52 CFM 140mm Fan ($24.90 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Noctua - NF-A14 PWM chromax.black.swap 82.52 CFM 140mm Fan ($24.90 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Noctua - NF-A14 PWM chromax.black.swap 82.52 CFM 140mm Fan ($24.90 @ Amazon)
Total: $1361.06
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-04-26 00:40 EDT-0400
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