Custom Gaming PC - Need Help Critiquing my Build

[cjones795]

Hello,

INTRO
First time posting to this forum so I will be as descriptive as possible.
Currently I have been doing research over the past few weeks on what components I need in a new gaming rig. My current one is over 6 years old and can barely run Diablo 3 on minimal settings (No need to go into detail). A few friends suggested using PCPartPicker and User Benchmark to build and compare parts, so I have done just that.



PURPOSE OF THE PC
I want to get into streaming casually on Twitch as I have time on my hands to do so after work. Most of the games I play are not terribly intensive (Diablo 3, Path of Exile, Titan Quest), however with wanting to head to live streaming I want to be able to play games like (Witcher 3, Fallout 4, Doom etc), on my new pc (I cant currently do this with what I have now. Tried downloading Witcher 3, had a solid 20 fps the entire time at the lowest graphical settings).

The other thing I want to mention is that I will be streaming and playing games from the same computer on a HDD. I know some people stream on one computer, then use the other for gaming, or load applications from an SSD and save their files to an HDD. Just a personal preference for now until I, or if I, get more serious into streaming, but I will not be doing the above just yet.



BUDGET
My budget is around $3000. This is not set in stone. I do not mind going over this amount by $100 or $200, but preferably I would like to stay around that mark..

I am also not someone who likes to interchange parts for new ones very often, so I am trying to build something that will last a long time before needing any replacements, hence the budget price. I would appreciate however, if in the section below, someone could comment on the average longevity of the system I have put together.



BUILD
- https://pcpartpicker.com/user/ElegantSir/saved/

I want to start with the fact that I am very open to changing out any part in the list above. I want to make sure I get this build right with the amount I am putting into it.

Current Concerns
- Is the cooling I have right now enough for the system? I am almost positive I need more case fans to go along with it, but I am not sure which ones, or how I know how many I need.
- Considering I will be streaming, I dont want my rig to be too loud, which is why I chose some of the parts I did. This is not a huge issue of mine, but it would be nice to know approximately how loud it will be.
- The monitor I chose is 75Hz with a response time of 1ms, good specs for the price, however, the monitor I have now is a LG W2343T, 5ms response time, 60Hz display. Will the difference between these monitors be substantial enough to warrant a new purchase, or can I get away with using the monitor I have now and still stream at 60fps with little to no screen tearing?
- Is the RPM of the HDD good enough? Dont know much about these factors, but 7200 RPM from what I've read is pretty standard, not sure if it is really necessary to go any higher considering it only affects load time and not direct gameplay. Yes, load times do matter when streaming, but will the difference be significantly noticeable with a higher RPM HDD?

Please feel free to mention any and all other concerns regarding this build!



CONCLUSION
Just wanted to thank anyone reading/responding to this very long thread. I have gotten VERY rusty with tech ever since I started my full time job, and I definitely do not pretend to be an expert on any of the above, just going off of what I read online and reviews given to each of the parts.

Regardless, thank you guys very much!

 

[jimthenagual]

The two things that really stand out to me is:

- At your budget level I wouldn't build a system without an SSD. You'll thank yourself.

-You can either get a cheaper GPU or upgrade your monitor. A 1080Ti is way overkill for a 1080p 75Hz monitor.

 

[cjones795]

The two things that really stand out to me is:

- At your budget level I wouldn't build a system without an SSD. You'll thank yourself.

-You can either get a cheaper GPU or upgrade your monitor. A 1080Ti is way overkill for a 1080p 75Hz monitor.

What kind of monitor would be recommended for a 1080 ti?

 

[LordVile]

The two things that really stand out to me is:

- At your budget level I wouldn't build a system without an SSD. You'll thank yourself.

-You can either get a cheaper GPU or upgrade your monitor. A 1080Ti is way overkill for a 1080p 75Hz monitor.

What kind of monitor would be recommended for a 1080 ti?

If it's for gaming a 144hz one would be good and you're not playing twitch shooters so the resonse time isn't a massive deal. 1080Ti is about 900 so you have 500 left. Bump the ram up to 32GB, swap the PSu for this: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/dMM323/evga-supernova-g3-750w-80-gold-certified-fully-modular-atx-power-supply-220-g3-0750 be quiet units are expensive for what they are any you will not need that much wattage unless you're going SLI which would be a waste of money. Thrown in a ssd and a windows key is always an option.

Also make sure the Case has the clearance for that cooler it's really tall and they are a nightmare to mount.

 

[King Dranzer]

Here is the list:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-8700K 3.7GHz 6-Core Processor ($339.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Corsair - H115i PRO 55.4 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus - ROG MAXIMUS X HERO (WI-FI AC) ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($247.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill - Trident Z RGB 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($382.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung - 970 Evo 500GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($199.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate - Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($82.16 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB STRIX GAMING OC Video Card ($974.98 @ Newegg Business)
Case: Phanteks - Enthoo Pro TG RGB ATX Full Tower Case ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair - RMx (2018) 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($95.89 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Asus - ROG SWIFT PG248Q 24.0" 1920x1080 180Hz Monitor ($425.99 @ B&H)
Total: $3109.95
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-05-22 00:23 EDT-0400

Very high quality ASUS ROG build. This is a very strong build and by pairing GTX1080Ti with 1080p 180Hz monitor it will last you a long time without the requirement of upgrade and will give you smooth gameplay over time. Sufficient cooling.
I know very well that 850W PSU is bit excessive but it is recommended to have it as even with OC it will be sitting under 60% load which is good thing and will increase the life of it and most importantly it will be much less noisy.

 

[g-unit1111]

You went *WAYYYYYYYYYYYYY* overkill on the PSU there. You really only need 650W for a single 1080TI. If you were building a system with SLI in mind then you would need it but most of the time you really wouldn't. To answer your questions:

- Is the cooling I have right now enough for the system? I am almost positive I need more case fans to go along with it, but I am not sure which ones, or how I know how many I need.

Yes plenty. You don't want to overload your system with fans because too many of them would be counterproductive and actually cause air to recirculate.

- Considering I will be streaming, I dont want my rig to be too loud, which is why I chose some of the parts I did. This is not a huge issue of mine, but it would be nice to know approximately how loud it will be.

That's honestly something that can't be predicted. Too many factors at play to be able to accurately determine a noise level until you get your system built.

- Is the RPM of the HDD good enough? Dont know much about these factors, but 7200 RPM from what I've read is pretty standard, not sure if it is really necessary to go any higher considering it only affects load time and not direct gameplay. Yes, load times do matter when streaming, but will the difference be significantly noticeable with a higher RPM HDD?

You don't want that as your primary drive. You want at least an SSD in the mix, preferably a NVMe drive. This is what I would suggest for the build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-8700K 3.7GHz 6-Core Processor ($339.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: NZXT - Kraken X62 Rev 2 98.2 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($146.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - Z370 AORUS Gaming 7 (rev. 1.0) ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($229.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill - Trident Z RGB 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($217.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung - 960 EVO 250GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($114.90 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital - BLACK SERIES 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($108.00 @ Newegg Marketplace)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB SC Black Edition Video Card ($754.98 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT - H700i ATX Mid Tower Case ($163.78 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - PRIME Titanium 650W 80+ Titanium Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($149.22 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($95.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $2321.52
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-05-22 00:48 EDT-0400

Then you can add whatever monitors, keyboard and mouse you want.

 

[jimthenagual]

Re: your question about the monitor. It depends on what your priority is and how much you want to spend. Here's some things to consider.

Resolution - how many pixels do you want? 1080p has advantages in that it's not a lot of pixels so GPUs can pump out the frames faster. But with a 1080Ti you could power a 4k monitor. That's a LOT of pixels which gives you an unreal picture. Very high quality. But today's GPUs have a harder time pumping out frames for that many pixels. Some games, like competitive shooters need really high frame rates. When an enemy peaks their head around a corner you'll actually see it a tiny fraction of a second before someone with a low refresh rate.

Refresh rate - your monitor is basically giving you a very fast slide show. How many slides do you need to see per second? 60 is considered the minimum, and is more than enough for MMO games for example. But as I said above, if you want every advantage you can get in fast shooters, look to 120Hz or higher.

Panel type - IPS and TN are the big two sellers. I went with a VA panel myself. TN is the cheaper option of the three, then VA then IPS. Picture quality gets better with high end panels. Pretty straight forward, but keep an eye on the monitor's response time. 5ms or lower should be the goal.

I myself have a 1080Ti and my monitor is a 1440p, 165Hz overclocked, VA panel monitor. Absolutely amazing, and in my opinion, these specs are the sweetspot for a 1080Ti.

http://www.lg.com/us/monitors/lg-32GK850G-B-gaming-monitor

P.S. nice build above by g-unit

 

[cjones795]

So I took a note from g-units build: https://pcpartpicker.com/user/ElegantSir/saved/#view=zsyjcf

Ended up going with an Acer monitor (Acer - GN246HL 24.0" 1920x1080 144Hz Monitor)
- 144Hz seems like more than adequate considering I dont play shooters competitively
- Price range is really good for what it has

For the power supply, I switched it out for a (Corsair - RMx (2018) 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply)
- Reason for this was im not terribly comfortable with a 650W power supply running at 3/4 of its max potential
- If, and I should say when, I do need to replace parts, I would rather have some extra wattage to play around with rather than trying to use 600+ watts on a 650W supply


Let me know if the above seems reasonable. Otherwise this build should pretty much be complete!

 

[LordVile]

So I took a note from g-units build: https://pcpartpicker.com/user/ElegantSir/saved/#view=zsyjcf

Ended up going with an Acer monitor (Acer - GN246HL 24.0" 1920x1080 144Hz Monitor)
- 144Hz seems like more than adequate considering I dont play shooters competitively
- Price range is really good for what it has

For the power supply, I switched it out for a (Corsair - RMx (2018) 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply)
- Reason for this was im not terribly comfortable with a 650W power supply running at 3/4 of its max potential
- If, and I should say when, I do need to replace parts, I would rather have some extra wattage to play around with rather than trying to use 600+ watts on a 650W supply


Let me know if the above seems reasonable. Otherwise this build should pretty much be complete!

Why not an ultrawide?