[SOLVED] A few questions regarding a build of mine...

[Kawaii Penguin]

Howdy, Tom's Hardware folks!

I don't come around here too often, but the day has finally come. My build from back in 2014 is now becoming obsolete.

So, I've decided to go on PCPartPicker and set out a new design for my 2019 build for this year and years to come.
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/hmRpfH

System Builder

pcpartpicker.com

(modified build after user input)

Some things I want to ask are the following:

*What should I be worried about when it comes to water cooling, aside from the obvious chance of a tubule breakage? Never done water cooling before.

*For the air intake system, I'm planning to use those 2 fans listed on the website. If I used those to input air into the case, could I use the water cooling AIO fans from the corsair set to extract hot air from the case instead of just from the radiator panel? Alternatively, would it be better to simply have a dedicated fan for air intake and another fan for air removal?

*Is there anything to notate when it comes down to buying a license key for an OEM? From what I know, I need to get the software through Microsoft's official website by inserting the aforementioned license key, then proceed to convert the operating system into a bootable .ISO using Rufus or another conversion platform.

*With the three monitors, they each have a noticeable curvature that should appeal to the eye. However, in unison, all three monitors may provide a challenge when it comes to getting the proper angling and, well.. here's a bit of a diagram of what I'm worried about:
https://gyazo.com/da1b3a9ea23ad7c832ff4a8cb307a590
Where in reality, I would want it to look more like this:
https://gyazo.com/86677d8661813fe14ec23a4538912282
(pardon my shoddy paintnet skills lol)
Hopefully this makes sense.

*Is there any cheaper RGB keyboards out there? I didn't realize they were THAT expensive.

*Any other possible headphone recommendations that aren't what I have listed? Audio Technica is a great brand and really amazing, but I'm still curious. I've never really worked with headphones without microphones. Usually you'd find the more high-quality ones in this section of sound but I'm not sure what to look for. I don't want something super over the top.

*Any risks to going full SSD? As a video editor I am tempted to get a 4TB HDD in the system, but I'm not sure.

*On that note, when it comes to multiple HDDs or SSDs, how do you partition it to where the O.S. is on one completely separate drive that cannot have files placed into it other than files that it regulates? I'm not too keen on this.
Come to think of it, if I end up doing that, I'll replace one of the 1TB SSD's with a 240GB SSD, since the case I chose only has a maximum of 3x2.5" slots.
And with that, I'd probably end up placing all my games within the 2TB of SSD storage available. Any other files can go into a separate HDD.

Anyways. I'd like to hear the opinions of others on this website. I haven't built a PC in quite awhile but I've done my studies over the years.

Thank you very much!
-KP

 

[Obakasama]

The PCPartPicker list is showing up as private.

Some thoughts on points you bring up though.

If you already have a Windows 10 licence linked digitally you may not need a new licence for Windows 10.
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/20530/windows-10-reactivating-after-hardware-change
You can still download Windows 10 via Media Creator to install it (without the licence), and skip the licence key part on initial installation. You can activate the licence once everything is installed. Technically an OEM licence is connected to the motherboard, but it is often mentioned the method works.

Not entirely sure about the concern you seem to raise regarding storage. When you install new software you get the choice where to install it to; the default is in the Windows file system, but you aren't prevented from choosing another location. And certainly you can choose where to save files to. I use an SSD for Windows and installed software to use, and games onto a HDD, and then have another HDD for other files.

 

[Kawaii Penguin]

The PCPartPicker list is showing up as private.

Some thoughts on points you bring up though.

If you already have a Windows 10 licence linked digitally you may not need a new licence for Windows 10.
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/20530/windows-10-reactivating-after-hardware-change
You can still download Windows 10 via Media Creator to install it (without the licence), and skip the licence key part on initial installation. You can activate the licence once everything is installed. Technically an OEM licence is connected to the motherboard, but it is often mentioned the method works.

Not entirely sure about the concern you seem to raise regarding storage. When you install new software you get the choice where to install it to; the default is in the Windows file system, but you aren't prevented from choosing another location. And certainly you can choose where to save files to. I use an SSD for Windows and installed software to use, and games onto a HDD, and then have another HDD for other files.

(facepalm) I completely forgot that I left it private!
I've gotten that fixed now with another link that shows the build, I hope.

I appreciate your insight a lot, I didn't know about a digital windows 10 license until now. Unfortunately, my PC's up to this point have all ran Windows 7 so this is going to essentially be a new copy hahah.

In regards to the storage situation, I was hoping there would be a way to partition the entire 240GB drive to Windows (yes, overkill I know), and perhaps find a way where the system would detect it as such and (by default) not place any files in there, at best it wouldn't even show up as a drive in the explorer or as a default for any software that needs an installation directory (a key one being the google chrome download directory)

Anyways,
What do you think about the build, now that it's publicized?

 

[Obakasama]

Some think 250GB for Windows isn't sufficient and recommend 500GB minimum, but it does depend how you want to organise it. I think the further point (under the assumption that you effectively want a Windows only partition and should you need to reinstall then no other software is affected) is Windows would still need to know where the other software is. I can't think of many software, like game clients, which only require redirecting the client to find where the software is installed.

The main stand out the RAM. If you require 64GB then get a 64GB RAM kit rather than two 32GB kits; it can save you possible compatibility issues.

The GTX 1070ti is fine, but for the same price consider getting the RTX 2070 for about the same price. Especially since you have three 1080p displays and intend to game with all three.

Also consider a higher quality PSU: https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/1045610-new-psu-tier-list/
According to this tier list it's only average. For this PC build you should go for something of better quality.

Let's see if we can attract the resident builders to the thread, as I do suspect they can get a bit more out for the same budget.

 

[Kawaii Penguin]

Some think 250GB for Windows isn't sufficient and recommend 500GB minimum, but it does depend how you want to organise it. I think the further point (under the assumption that you effectively want a Windows only partition and should you need to reinstall then no other software is affected) is Windows would still need to know where the other software is. I can't think of many software, like game clients, which only require redirecting the client to find where the software is installed.

The main stand out the RAM. If you require 64GB then get a 64GB RAM kit rather than two 32GB kits; it can save you possible compatibility issues.

The GTX 1070ti is fine, but for the same price consider getting the RTX 2070 for about the same price. Especially since you have three 1080p displays and intend to game with all three.

Also consider a higher quality PSU: https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/1045610-new-psu-tier-list/
According to this tier list it's only average. For this PC build you should go for something of better quality.

Let's see if we can attract the resident builders to the thread, as I do suspect they can get a bit more out for the same budget.

Great catch! I forgot that anything over 2 sticks can cause issues. Whats it, the primary sticks and secondary sticks? Bleh, I always wondered why motherboards work like this.
I will get that replaced right away.
Ah, wait..
I've just seen some of the results for a 2x32GB kit. Literally nothing but sketchy chinese offsets. Advice? (see edit)

As for the higher quality PSU, I am going to swap it out with the Corsair RMx series, the 650W PSU, shown here:
https://www.newegg.com/corsair-rmx-...3f9KMw8XJiG2Nek5xzxoCIWoQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
(good grief, newegg, can you spot me a smaller link?)

I hadn't considered the RTX-2070 until you mentioned it, because it's such a new GPU and I'm well unfamiliar with it.
I will give it a shot though and update it onto the list, since it seems much newer.

Still need answers for that concern regarding the monitor angling and air intake concerns.

edit: I JUST now understood what you meant by compatibility issues regarding the RAM kits. Today I learned that RAM kits are tested by the manufacturer to ensure they work together effectively.
I've updated that now.


edit2: The modified list is updated in the OP.

 

[Obakasama]

URLs for searched items tend to be long. Everything from the first ? mark afterwards can usually be deleted.

Raytracing is still in its infancy for games, and this first generation of raytracing in games is yet to prove its worth as far as I'm concerned. But above the RTX 2060 the RTX cards are better performers than the current GTX 1660ti (until Nvidia decide to go further up the stack like a GTX 1680ti); so even if the raytracing doesn't get used (and honestly I can't really see too many gamers using the tech) it will give better framerates.

 

[Kawaii Penguin]

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/yhRpfH

URLs for searched items tend to be long. Everything from the first ? mark afterwards can usually be deleted.

Raytracing is still in its infancy for games, and this first generation of raytracing in games is yet to prove its worth as far as I'm concerned. But above the RTX 2060 the RTX cards are better performers than the current GTX 1660ti (until Nvidia decide to go further up the stack like a GTX 1680ti); so even if the raytracing doesn't get used (and honestly I can't really see too many gamers using the tech) it will give better framerates.

Ah yes, thank you for that! I never knew HTML could be thwarted like that so easily.. or is it Javascript? some other sort of web URL code? beats me. Now that I look at it, anything after the ? seems to be parameters to how the website is displayed. Makes sense.

Thank you for the input as well regarding raytracing. I could save a bit of money and perhaps seek out a 1080ti and ditch the new feature, unless that happens to be more expensive.


I'll lend you the answer since you've been helping me out these past few days. Thanks!

 

[King Dranzer]

Here is the list:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel - Core i9-9900K 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor ($474.99 @ Walmart)
CPU Cooler: Noctua - NH-D14 64.95 CFM CPU Cooler ($74.95 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - Z390 GAMING X ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($144.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 64 GB (4 x 16 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($265.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung - 860 QVO 1 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($97.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung - 860 QVO 1 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($97.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: ASRock - Radeon VII 16 GB Phantom Gaming X Video Card ($679.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design - Define C ATX Mid Tower Case ($91.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - FOCUS Plus Gold 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: MSI - Optix MAG241C 23.6" 1920x1080 144 Hz Monitor ($197.99 @ Walmart)
Monitor: MSI - Optix MAG241C 23.6" 1920x1080 144 Hz Monitor ($197.99 @ Walmart)
Monitor: MSI - Optix MAG241C 23.6" 1920x1080 144 Hz Monitor ($197.99 @ Walmart)
Keyboard: Logitech - G910 Orion Spark Wired Gaming Keyboard ($100.00 @ Amazon)
Mouse: Logitech - G502 Proteus Spectrum Wired Optical Mouse ($45.50 @ Walmart)
Custom: Massdrop x Sennheiser HD 6XX Headphones ($220.00)
Total: $2988.23
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-06-27 23:50 EDT-0400

This will give you huge performance increase for extremely little price bump. More suitable and all high quality components.

Huge performance gain from CPU i9-9900K vs i5-9600K.

Radeon Vega VII is a very decent improvement over RTX2070 and even better for professional workload and as good as RTX2080 in gaming. Free-Sync support is a bonus.

Very decent Keyboard and Mouse combo. Logitech G910 is top of the line keyboard. G502 mouse is definitely the best budget mice available.

Massdrop x Sennheiser HD 6XX Headphones is same as Sennheiser HD 650 which is crazy package for that price nothing can be compared to it.