Building a highish-budget PC to last a while

EchoReaper

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Mar 22, 2014
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I'm building a completely new computer, and while I'm pretty sure I have a decent build down, I'm not sure if it scales well. I have a budget of $2000, so I was able to get a pretty decent build picked out (PCPartPicker link), which has an i7 8770K, GTX 1080 TI, and Asus Maximus X Hero motherboard. I'm not sure if this satisfies all my needs though.

My primary needs for this system are (in order):
- Maintains needs for hopefully ~5 years at least
- Gaming (60 FPS 1440p max graphics)
- Emulation (e.g. Dolphin, Cemu)
- VR
- Recording
- Multitasking (I have ~30 tabs open right now + a number of programs like Discord/Email)
- Compiling programs

Nice-to-haves:
- Fast loading screens for gaming
- Fast boot times for VMs
- Ability to run up to 3 VMs with games in background (low settings, ~30 FPS) while maintaining decent game experience on host @ moderate settings
- Streaming

Low priority:
- Video editing
- Rendering

As for the hardware, I've made my selection so I could scale it up in the future:
- 2x8 16GB RAM instead of 4x5 16GB so I can expand to 32GB if needed in the future
- Motherboard Wi-fi support for instances where I don't have access to Ethernet
- Motherboard supports NVMe SSDs + booting from them
- Pretty sure all hardware supports overclocking if I want to in the future (may need to upgrade PSU, but that's easy to swap out)
- Case ready for water cooling if I ever want to use it in the future
- AFAIK there should be no problem if I want to scale up to SLI (with better PSU) since not much difference between x8 and x16 for GPUs

With that out of the way, my questions are: Did I miss anything with this build? It should address my use cases for the system, right? Also, I'm willing to go over-budget if I can better satisfy my use cases. For instance, if a 7820X's extra 2 cores makes a big difference for my nice-to-haves but minimally impacts gaming, I'm okay with spending more on the CPU/motherboard.
 
Solution
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-8700K 3.7GHz 6-Core Processor ($388.89 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG - H5 Ultimate 76.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($46.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - Z370 AORUS Gaming 7 (rev. 1.0) ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($205.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Team - T-Force Delta RGB 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($196.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung - 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($89.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Seagate - Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB STRIX GAMING Video Card ($814.98 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT - S340 Elite (Black/Blue) ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Corsair - RMx 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.98 @ Newegg)
Case Fan: LEPA - LP-BOL12P-BL 81.5 CFM 120mm Fan ($8.24 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: LEPA - LP-BOL12P-BL 81.5 CFM 120mm Fan ($8.24 @ Amazon)
Total: $1980.05
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-01-08 12:58 EST-0500

U can add a wifi pcie card, enough juice to power the games for 5 years, gpu for 3 years.

Quality case and psu. Top class mobo with wifi option.

Although the ssd is sata, u can install a nvme drive later on.
 
cooler too weak for overclocking
MB has cheaper alternative
HDD -> slow game loading
3200 ram is better
psu no good
If only 1440p 60 Hz, GTX 1070 is more than enough, not to mention any < 1000 good 1080ti is sold out.
Adding ram later may not work, buy ram you want now.
In your case of extreme multi-tasking and 2000 budget, I will get this instead:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 7 1700 3.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($288.33 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock - X370 GAMING X ATX AM4 Motherboard ($132.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($399.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Samsung - 960 EVO 500GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($229.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($46.68 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Zotac - GeForce GTX 1080 8GB Mini Video Card ($549.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Phanteks - Enthoo Pro M Tempered Glass (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($109.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair - RMx 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.98 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($89.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1927.71
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-01-08 13:04 EST-0500
 
G

Guest

Guest
Hi,

I saw your list.i7 8770k is a great processor and gtx 1080ti will play every modern game at 1440p with all ultra 60fps.Your mobo is good too.
Its a bit overkill, but will last longer for 5 years.

I suggest you to add a SSD like :
1. Samsung 750 Evo 250 GB or Samsung 850 Evo 250 GB.

or

2.NVMe SSD like Samsung 960 EVO Series - 250GB PCIe NVMe - M.2 Internal SSD (MZ-V6E250BW).

Keep ssd exclusively for OS.
You didnt miss anything, except a 2K $ rig should also have a ssd.

Second thing , You can invest more and get a Corsair Graphite Series™ 780T Full-Tower PC Case. Its really future proof.And better over current option.It should cost u 185$.

You should add 2 more Corsair AF140MM Fans to the case,so its 5 fans in total and ensures good airflow.

Also think to get a 750 Watts gold+ powersupply like corsair rm750x.It will be more future proof.650Watts is however sufficient to get your pc up and running.

Yes,All hardware supports overclocking.This rig should satisfy all your needs and should handle everything well for next 5 years.

Thank you,
Ishaan

 

EchoReaper

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Mar 22, 2014
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@ishaan Yeah, I plan on getting SSDs eventually, but I'll probably add them on later just so I don't have to pay as much up front. Regarding the case though, I'm not that big a fan of the Graphite's appearance. Is there anything wrong with the Storm Trooper case? I made my pick mostly on appearance, but if there's something wrong with it functionality-wise I might have to give up a little on aesthetics. Thanks for the reply!

@Zerk I wanted one from EVGA since their customer support is amazing.

@Lucky Can you elaborate on why you suggested those components?

@vapour Thanks for the info. Definitely plan on getting an SSD, but maybe not right off the bat.

Max speed RAM the 8700K supports is 2666 MHz, so no difference between any speed above that since they'll only run at 2666 max. I chose the 3000 MHz instead of 2666 though just because they've been used more so I have a better idea of how reliable they are.

Can you elaborate on why the PSU is no good? The system only has a power draw of 459W, which is well under the PSU's 650W.

What do you mean when you say adding RAM won't work? So long as I buy the same model, it should be fine, right?

Also, gaming is more important to me than multitasking, so I'd have to go with one of Intel's chips rather than a Ryzen since they're more optimized for multicore use.



 


 
Solution
You have a sizeable budget, that is good.
My thoughts:

1. I7-8700K is as good as it gets for gaming and your needs.
2. Any X370 motherboard will do your job.
If you can find a cheaper one, which is likely, you can use the budget saved elsewhere.
Likely you do not need integrated wifi, led lighting, and high end sound.
3. I7-8700K will run quite hot at stock, more so with overclocking.
The cm hyper212 iso ok, but you can do better.
For example, the similarly priced scythe kotetsu is easier to install, quieter and outperforms the 212 and even the noctua NH-U12s.
Here is a review:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article1391-page1.html
4. On ram, you have a dilemma. Running multiple vm's and many tasks open, you need sufficient ram to hold it all in without incurring page faults.
You might do ok for a while. But when it comes time to add ram, you will not be able to do so with 100% certainty of working.
Ram is sold in kits for a reason.
A motherboard must manage all the ram using the same specs of voltage, cas and speed.
Ram from the same vendor and part number can be made up of differing manufacturing components over time.
Some motherboardscan be very sensitive to this.
This is more difficult when more sticks are involved.
That is why ram vendors will NOT support ram that is not bought in one kit.
It is safer to get what you need in one kit.
I suggest you bite the bullet and pay for a 2 x 16gb kit up front.
You can trade off 3000 speed to get the cost down a bit.
5. see if you can't find a way to include a ssd in your initial build. Preferably a m.2 pcie device of at least 240gb.
Reinstalling your apps and windows later can be a pain.
6. Graphics card technology keeps changing. 1440P @60fps can be done with a lesser graphics card. Perhaps a GTX1070 or GTX1070ti.
3-4 years down the line, and you want to do 4k gaming, a stronger/cheaper card than a GTX1080ti will be available.
7. Cases are a personal thing. I see the case you selected as barely adequate. It has two 120mm front intake fans. I really like a case with two 140mm intakes that are filtered.
You need good intake airflow to cool a hot cpu and graphics card.
But, looks count. buy what you love.

8. 650w is fine, but, I think evga supernova NEX is a tier 3 unit on this list:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html
You can do better.
Seasonic is always good.
Not on the list, but highly rated by jonnyguru is the Seasonic focus series.
Here is a review of the 550w unit:
http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story6&reid=529
 

EchoReaper

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Mar 22, 2014
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@geofelt Thanks for the in-depth explanation. The link to the PSU tier thread was especially helpful. I've updated my PSU and CPU cooler. Added an SSD as well, because you're right -- it'd be a pain to reinstall Windows.

As for the motherboard, I specifically chose that one because it was the only one I could find that 1) didn't have a PS/2 port (I know some people like them because less input latency, but I really hate them because they're old technology) and 2) didn't have any protruding monitor ports (like DVI or VGA). Wifi is also useful because right now I'm tethered to my phone for internet because I don't have Ethernet available.

Regarding the GPU, I'll be buying this in a few months, so maybe consumer Volta cards will be released by then and I might have more options. I might have to consider a lower-end card than the 1080 TI if Volta isn't out by then and the TI is still ridiculously expensive for whatever reason (miners I guess).

As per your advice I've gone with 32 GB to start with. Thanks again for the help.