Help with Selecting Pre-Built or DIY Gaming PC

[Karadjgne]

Good place to start is pcpartpicker.com. Call up the cases page and up near the top right corner is a switch for List or Details. Use List, it'll show the same listing as detailed, but with thumbnails like eBay. Scroll through the pages and take notes on which cases stand out. Cases are very personal, you have to look at it, we don't, and understanding your tastes can be problematic. Get a list of the cases you like the looks of, then work backwards, eliminating cases that don't fit your needs, then do it again eliminating one's that don't fit your wants. You'll end up with 2-3 cases that fit every criteria that way.

 

[lionfamlee]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-7700K 4.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($323.53 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: NZXT - Kraken X62 Rev 2 98.2 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($147.20 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Asus - MAXIMUS IX HERO ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($206.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill - Trident Z 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($143.79 @ Newegg Marketplace)
Storage: Samsung - 960 PRO 512GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($279.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung - 850 EVO-Series 1TB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($334.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Asus - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB STRIX GAMING Video Card ($804.88 @ OutletPC)
Case: Silverstone - Primera RGB (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($169.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair - RMx 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $2521.33
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-08-03 23:07 EDT-0400

Get a decent monitor(s), and this'll be nice for years. The mobo has built in Aura led headers, they use standard 5050 led strips (can get all kinds online) upto 12v/2a, and @2meters worth, so that's plenty to light up a case internally.

Impressive. Thank you.

 

[lionfamlee]

Good place to start is pcpartpicker.com. Call up the cases page and up near the top right corner is a switch for List or Details. Use List, it'll show the same listing as detailed, but with thumbnails like eBay. Scroll through the pages and take notes on which cases stand out. Cases are very personal, you have to look at it, we don't, and understanding your tastes can be problematic. Get a list of the cases you like the looks of, then work backwards, eliminating cases that don't fit your needs, then do it again eliminating one's that don't fit your wants. You'll end up with 2-3 cases that fit every criteria that way.

Thanks, I'll give it a shot.

 

[lionfamlee]

Thanks all. There are so many choices... I keep on switching cases....

Do you like certain colors or material choice?

I like black and I want some glass or clear panels to be able to view the light show!

 

[lionfamlee]

I am bit confused now. I thought the ASUS ROG STRIX GTX 1080 TI was a tad bit faster than the Nvidia Geforce GTX 1080 TI. ring to get the best graphics card out there, excluding the Titan.

 

[okcnaline]

I like black and I want some glass or clear panels to be able to view the light show!

I would suggest these:
In-Win 805 Black
Corsair 400C
NZXT S340

Just at different price points.

I am bit confused now. I thought the ASUS ROG STRIX GTX 1080 TI was a tad bit faster than the Nvidia Geforce GTX 1080 TI. ring to get the best graphics card out there, excluding the Titan.

Strix 1080 Ti is slightly faster than NVIDIA GTX 1080 Ti FE. Clocked higher.

 

[Karadjgne]

There's like 2 different versions of the Asus strix 1080ti, one is clocked quite high, the other is not. For cards of that caliber though, most are looking for user OC ability, which the strix has in spades. Those who just want plug-n-play, out of the box speed can opt for higher factory oc'd cards like the Zotac Amp Extreme, and those who simply want a 1080ti will opt for the base models, like the Gigabyte OC or MSI Armor 2 etc. OC is most definitely a hobby, you don't get all that much better performance, it's a 1080ti after all, but some like like knowing they can push it if they choose.

 

[lionfamlee]

Thanks for all that info.

 

[lionfamlee]

I like black and I want some glass or clear panels to be able to view the light show!

I would suggest these:
In-Win 805 Black
Corsair 400C
NZXT S340

Just at different price points.

I am bit confused now. I thought the ASUS ROG STRIX GTX 1080 TI was a tad bit faster than the Nvidia Geforce GTX 1080 TI. ring to get the best graphics card out there, excluding the Titan.

Strix 1080 Ti is slightly faster than NVIDIA GTX 1080 Ti FE. Clocked higher.

Really liking that In-Win. Sweet looking cases.

 

[Karadjgne]

Inwin has really stepped up their game in cases, and many newer models look extremely tempting. But it is a matter of taste, I prefer the clean, classic look, and the Inwin's are that, plus the extra of the glass etc, while many see them as boring and boxy, preferring the wild designs like that Omen-X or some of the Apevia X-gamers etc.