Any improvements I can make to this build or am I all set?

[deadsa13er]

Hey all,

I asked a similar question the other day and I was suggested a build very similar to this one. I done some tweaks and it seems fine for me.

Intended Uses: Gaming, browsing. Won't be used for rendering.
Performance: My current monitor is 1920x1080 however I am looking at at 1440p monitor in future if my build can run it. Ideally max at 1080p or high/med at 1440p.
Budget: £1600 - £1700



PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-8700K 3.7GHz 6-Core Processor (£297.54 @ Aria PC)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! - Dark Rock 3 67.8 CFM Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU Cooler (£55.99 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: MSI - Z370 SLI PLUS ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (£127.95 @ Box Limited)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory (£188.01 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Crucial - MX300 525GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive (£121.19 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£35.99 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: Gigabyte - GeForce GTX 1080 8GB WINDFORCE OC 8G Video Card (£578.64 @ Aria PC)
Case: Fractal Design - Focus G (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case (£43.48 @ Ebuyer)
Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA G3 (EU) 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£84.99 @ Amazon UK)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit (£82.80 @ Aria PC)
Total: £1616.58
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-03-19 13:40 GMT+0000

Any and all feedback would be appreciated,

Many thanks!

 

[tubagznyven]

nice setup dude,nothing to tweak your specs

 

[deadsa13er]

nice setup dude,nothing to tweak your specs

The Amazon reviews for the RAM seem to think it doesn't pair well with an intel CPU. Is this not the case?

 

[geofelt]

You need change nothing.
But, you asked for improvements...

1. I7-8700K can run hot, particularly when overclocked.
For that, I would spend a bit more for a better cooler.
The noctua NH-D15s is as good as it gets.

2. Why not buy a pcie m.2 ssd with some 5x faster sequential capability. Samsung 960 evo is my choice.
It should not cost much more.

3. I think your ram choice is good.
But to check compatibility and support, go to the g.skil web site and access their ram selection app.
Enter your motherboard and you will get a list of supported ram kits.
Just verify that your selection is on the list.

 

[deadsa13er]

You need change nothing.
But, you asked for improvements...

1. I7-8700K can run hot, particularly when overclocked.
For that, I would spend a bit more for a better cooler.
The noctua NH-D15s is as good as it gets.

2. Why not buy a pcie m.2 ssd with some 5x faster sequential capability. Samsung 960 evo is my choice.
It should not cost much more.

3. I think your ram choice is good.
But to check compatibility and support, go to the g.skil web site and access their ram selection app.
Enter your motherboard and you will get a list of supported ram kits.
Just verify that your selection is on the list.

Thanks for the feedback. I also posted the question on Reddit, and someone replied with this.

"That's because Ryzen in particular can make good use of high frequency RAM. It's not that intel is a bad match for that RAM, it's just ryzen cpus are a *better* match for that RAM. That said, intel outperforms ryzen as far as games are concerned, and you actually have to enable xmp for those frequencies to be reached in the first place, so keep that in mind.

I suggest switching to 2400/2666/3000 RAM, and going with an 8700 without that extra cooler. You're performance will not really be affected, and you will save easily over $100-$200."

Only reason I mention that is because they suggest dropping a cooler whereas you recommend changing it up completely. I'm semi confused now so I'd be interested to hear your opinion.

 

[geofelt]

8600K does not come with a stock cooler.
The one you picked is OK.
The NH-D15s will cool better and be quieter.
Your case supports a 165mm cooler.
A noctua NH-U14s at 165mm will fit; it is a better cooler at a similar price:
https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/DMjG3C/noctua-cpu-cooler-nhu14s
The NH-D15s is a bit shorter and will cool even better, but it is some £17 more expensive
https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/xCL7YJ/noctua-cpu-cooler-nhd15s

Intel has a very good ram controller.
It is good at predicting what ram contents will be needed so it can be loaded in advanced.
As a result, ram speed is not all that important.
Ryzen is more tightly tied to ram operation.
Ram compatibility for ryzen seems to be a big issue, not so for Intel.
DDR4 ram stock speeds is 2133 with a 1.2v requirement.
Most ddr4 ram will operate at 2400, possibly a notch higher at 1.2v.
All faster speeds are considered as overclocked and will need a higher voltage to sustain that speed.
Better binned ram chips are used in higher speed ram.
XMP is a ram settings profile imbedded in the ram. It contains voltage and cas settings to run at the xmp speed. The voltage needed will be 1.35v or possibly higher for top speed ram.
If a motherboard supports xmp, that is how to run at higher speeds.
Without the capability of using xmp settings in your motherboard, you are on your own to find appropriate overclock settings to run at advertised speeds,

 

[Zerk2012]

You need change nothing.
But, you asked for improvements...

1. I7-8700K can run hot, particularly when overclocked.
For that, I would spend a bit more for a better cooler.
The noctua NH-D15s is as good as it gets.

2. Why not buy a pcie m.2 ssd with some 5x faster sequential capability. Samsung 960 evo is my choice.
It should not cost much more.

3. I think your ram choice is good.
But to check compatibility and support, go to the g.skil web site and access their ram selection app.
Enter your motherboard and you will get a list of supported ram kits.
Just verify that your selection is on the list.

Thanks for the feedback. I also posted the question on Reddit, and someone replied with this.

"That's because Ryzen in particular can make good use of high frequency RAM. It's not that intel is a bad match for that RAM, it's just ryzen cpus are a *better* match for that RAM. That said, intel outperforms ryzen as far as games are concerned, and you actually have to enable xmp for those frequencies to be reached in the first place, so keep that in mind.

I suggest switching to 2400/2666/3000 RAM, and going with an 8700 without that extra cooler. You're performance will not really be affected, and you will save easily over $100-$200."

Only reason I mention that is because they suggest dropping a cooler whereas you recommend changing it up completely. I'm semi confused now so I'd be interested to hear your opinion.

Your build works as is their no reason to change the memory or cooler both will work just fine.