Building A PC Need help

[Soumya_4]

Hello,
I want to build a rig all by myself. Mostly for serious gaming, and entertainment. It's my first time building anything, it'll be a huge help if someone could tell me if I'm doing it right, at least theoretically.
Budget is approximately $2500, but I do have plans to upgrade in future. Based on my research in the past few days, this is what I came up with -
1. Processor - i7 6850k ( Since I plan to use SLI/Crossfire in the future)
2. Motherboard - Asus ROG Rampage V Extreme
3. GPU - GTX 1080
4. Memory - Corsair Dominator Platinum 3200MHz /G.Skill Trident Z 3200Mhz 16gb
5. Power Supply - EVGA 850 P2
6. Cooler - Swiftech H320 X2

I do plan to upgrade my system to a dual GTX 1080 SLI in like 6 months. Help guys !

 

[amtseung]

SLI GTX 1080 sounds like HOLY OVERKILL, but incredibly badass. However, don't try 3-way SLI for Pascal GPU's. Watch this to find out why.

An enthusiast-grade, overly expensive CPU isn't required to run SLI setups. A 6700k has enough PCIe lanes to handle 2-way SLI pretty easily, unless you plan on occupying many lanes with SSD's, RAID cards, and other expansion cards in the future. I would consider a 6800k a bit overkill, let alone the 6850k. When it comes to enthusiast grade CPU's of the current generation, I'd consider the 6800k best value. I'd still say the 6700k is plenty.

May I recommend the EK Predator AIO coolers over the Swiftech? Minutely better cooling performance and far better fans for roughly the same cost.

I see you don't have a case or drives included in the list. Do you have a case in mind? Are you going to build your own case to showcase (haha oh the puns) your badass hardware?

 

[Soumya_4]

Thanks, I indeed was at crossroads regarding the i7-6850k. Oh and fans, I just want one with the least possible noise. I genuinely don't know which case I should use, but I do know I'm getting the 960 EVO plus the 850 Pro from Samsung.
Could you suggest a case to go with? Oh and any other fans on your mind? I considered Corsair h115i as well during my research if that helps.

 

[Soumya_4]

Finally, should I wait a few months for the sales to hit or should I just go ahead? If possible suggest a few places to buy stuff as well. Thanks a lot.

 

[infamousk12]

I can personally vouch for the quality and performance of the Corsair H115i and the Corsair Dominator Plat 3200MHZ. Those are both high quality components you have selected. Also, I have the EVGA 1080 FTW. A brilliant card.

 

[amtseung]

Least possible noise for fans:
1.) For radiator application, the Gentle Typhoon. They're ungodly expensive and super hard to find, they used to be made by Nidec Servo and now they're branded by Scythe, but they're the quietest, best performing fans that you can ever put on a radiator. Otherwise, Noctua NF-F12 (120mm fan; don't remember what the 140mm fan is called), EK Vardar, or Corsair's new ML Pro fans are decent options.
2.) For the rest of the case, for unobstructed airflow, Aerocool's DS fans are pretty crazy. Other recommendations would be Corsair AF series fans, Noctua, and surprisingly, NZXT's lineup of airflow fans. As long as you plug fans into the motherboard and control their speeds, noise shouldn't be an issue with any fan.

The Corsair AIO's are pretty good, but their fans, god their radiator fans are awful. I'm sorry Corsair, but your SP fan lineup is deafeningly loud and moves no air. I used them for over a year on my old H100i and regret every day of it. I replaced them with $50 of Gentle Typhoons, and the silence was beautiful.

What kind of cases do you think look cool? Huge cubes? Wall mounts? An entire side that's nothing but glass so everyone can see what you've done? Do you want the case really big, or as small as possible?

 

[Soumya_4]

I can personally vouch for the quality and performance of the Corsair H115i and the Corsair Dominator Plat 3200MHZ. Those are both high quality components you have selected. Also, I have the EVGA 1080 FTW. A brilliant card.

Thanks a lot. Do you think that the MOBO is overkill ? Want to save wherever possible

 

[Soumya_4]

Least possible noise for fans:
1.) For radiator application, the Gentle Typhoon. They're ungodly expensive and super hard to find, they used to be made by Nidec Servo and now they're branded by Scythe, but they're the quietest, best performing fans that you can ever put on a radiator. Otherwise, Noctua NF-F12 (120mm fan; don't remember what the 140mm fan is called), or Corsair's new ML Pro fans are decent options.
2.) For the rest of the case, for unobstructed airflow, Aerocool's DS fans are pretty crazy. Other recommendations would be Corsair AF series fans, Noctua, and surprisingly, NZXT's lineup of airflow fans. As long as you plug fans into the motherboard and control their speeds, noise shouldn't be an issue with any fan.

The Corsair AIO's are pretty good, but their fans, god their radiator fans are awful. I'm sorry Corsair, but your SP fan lineup is deafeningly loud and moves no air. I used it for 22 months.

What kind of cases do you think look cool? Huge cubes? Wall mounts? An entire side that's nothing but glass so everyone can see what you've done? Do you want the case really big, or as small as possible?

Basically as small as possible. No hi-fi looks or anything, plain old simple stuff

 

[infamousk12]

I can personally vouch for the quality and performance of the Corsair H115i and the Corsair Dominator Plat 3200MHZ. Those are both high quality components you have selected. Also, I have the EVGA 1080 FTW. A brilliant card.

Thanks a lot. Do you think that the MOBO is overkill ? Want to save wherever possible

Everyone has their own interpretation of what "overkill" is. It really depends. In my case, I built a PC with the high end side of components because I want it to last a long time and not have to upgrade. When it comes time for a new computer, I'd rather just build a whole new system, as by that time many things will probably have changed in the PC world. If you just want a PC that can play games and do other generic things, it might be "more than you need" but honestly, I hate when people say that. If you have the budget, and you have your heart set on it, then go for it. Definitely search around for alternatives, but don't let anyone else dictate what you should and shouldn't have.

That being said, it's also important to not be careless with a build. Diminishing returns is a very real thing, and there definitely is a point of "unnecessary."

If you want to save, you could probably dial back your MoBo, CPU, and even the Ram. But again, it's all relative.

 

[amtseung]

With a full size motherboard, two graphics cards, and a large AIO cooler, you can't get away with a very small case. Most smaller cases can't even fit a smaller AIO, let alone two graphics cards.

My case recommendations:
NZXT S340
NZXT H440
Phanteks Eclipse Series (P400 and P400s)
Corsair 600C
Fractal Design Define series

That motherboard is complete and utter overkill, but so is running two GTX1080's in SLI, so it almost makes sense. Just make sure that whatever motherboard you get has the right socket to receive whichever CPU you're buying, e.g. the 6850k is a LGA 2011 v3 socket, whereas the 6700k is a LGA 1151 socket, and the 4790k is a LGA 1150 socket.

 

[Soumya_4]

I can personally vouch for the quality and performance of the Corsair H115i and the Corsair Dominator Plat 3200MHZ. Those are both high quality components you have selected. Also, I have the EVGA 1080 FTW. A brilliant card.

Thanks a lot. Do you think that the MOBO is overkill ? Want to save wherever possible

Everyone has their own interpretation of what "overkill" is. It really depends. In my case, I built a PC with the high end side of components because I want it to last a long time and not have to upgrade. When it comes time for a new computer, I'd rather just build a whole new system, as by that time many things will probably have changed in the PC world. If you just want a PC that can play games and do other generic things, it might be "more than you need" but honestly, I hate when people say that. If you have the budget, and you have your heart set on it, then go for it. Definitely search around for alternatives, but don't let anyone else dictate what you should and shouldn't have.

That being said, it's also important to not be careless with a build. Diminishing returns is a very real thing, and there definitely is a point of "unnecessary."

If you want to save, you could probably dial back your MoBo, CPU, and even the Ram. But again, it's all relative.

Agreed. All fair points. However if I do decide to downgrade the MoBo, do you have any suggestions ?

 

[Soumya_4]

With a full size motherboard, two graphics cards, and a large AIO cooler, you can't get away with a very small case. Most smaller cases can't even fit a smaller AIO, let alone two graphics cards.

My case recommendations:
NZXT S340
Phanteks Eclipse Series (P400 and P400s)
Corsair 600C
Fractal Design Define series

That motherboard is complete and utter overkill, but so is running two GTX1080's in SLI, so it almost makes sense. Just make sure that whatever motherboard you get has the right socket to receive whichever CPU you're buying, e.g. the 6850k is a LGA 2011 v3 socket, whereas the 6700k is a LGA 1151 socket, and the 4790k is a LGA 1150 socket.

Thanks, that's something I overlooked. Appreciate the help.

 

[infamousk12]

I can personally vouch for the quality and performance of the Corsair H115i and the Corsair Dominator Plat 3200MHZ. Those are both high quality components you have selected. Also, I have the EVGA 1080 FTW. A brilliant card.

Thanks a lot. Do you think that the MOBO is overkill ? Want to save wherever possible

Everyone has their own interpretation of what "overkill" is. It really depends. In my case, I built a PC with the high end side of components because I want it to last a long time and not have to upgrade. When it comes time for a new computer, I'd rather just build a whole new system, as by that time many things will probably have changed in the PC world. If you just want a PC that can play games and do other generic things, it might be "more than you need" but honestly, I hate when people say that. If you have the budget, and you have your heart set on it, then go for it. Definitely search around for alternatives, but don't let anyone else dictate what you should and shouldn't have.

That being said, it's also important to not be careless with a build. Diminishing returns is a very real thing, and there definitely is a point of "unnecessary."

If you want to save, you could probably dial back your MoBo, CPU, and even the Ram. But again, it's all relative.

Agreed. All fair points. However if I do decide to downgrade the MoBo, do you have any suggestions ?

I built off the Z170 platform, so I have not fully researched the X99 boards, but I'm a loyal Asus fanboy because I have always had amazing experiences. Perhaps you could check out the STRIX X99.

 

[dbratton54]

I agree on the Z170 chipset if you decide to use an i7 6700k or some other Skylake LGA 1151 CPU. I went with a Gigabyte Gaming G1 mobo, but Asus and MSI also have good reputations.

In picking a motherboard you really should give some thought to what features you want/need. As an example -- the comment above about SLI and PCIe lanes applies to motherboards also. Then there are things like SATA controllers and eSATA. This is even before you consider onboard audio, video, LAN, wifi, and other options.

There are lots of real experts here that can give you some great advice, but it is unquestionably good experience to dig a little on your own. It's also part of the fun (at least for me) to learn the details about the components I am considering when I am speccing out a new build.