I have around 2500 for a gaming/home entertainment build. I have chosen to go with intel I7 cpu and am looking to future proof

[lastgnslingr]

As the title states I am looking to do a gaming/home entertainment build. I have 2500 dollars to spend and this will be THE computer for many years to come. I am not too sure about overclocking or sli but i definitely want the option for later as i learn more. I have picked the I7 6850k cpu, but there are too many conflicting views on motherboards for me to pick a reliable, user friendly, future proof (haha) one. I have a samsung 850 evo 1tb ssd , corsair graphite case, evga Geforce gtx 1080 gddr5x gaming gpu, master air maker 8 cpu fan all mostly picked out unless there is significant reason to go with something else. I have/ will have WIN 10 pro as well. But i need help with picking a mobo, RAM, and sound card. I was kinda wanting to do red internals with white case but i really dont care enough to pick a sub par product for it. The 2500 is negotiable if a few extra bucks would cross a line worth crossing. Also, i mod my games and own a samsung 55" 4k curved tv that i use as a monitor, if it matters. Many opinions would be appreciated.

 

[n0ns3ns3]

you don't really need X99 platform for gaming purposes.
i7-6700K + Z170 MB will do the job. You can expect that any (overclockable) i7 platform will serve you for 3-5 years.
The GTX 1080 is OK for 4K gaming, but expect to upgrade it within a year or two at most to have good 4K performance.
you don't need a sound card as well.
IMHO - you can have what you want for much less. 1500-2000$ without compromises on quality.
I recommend to avoid multi gpu solutions as they have to many flaws.
If you agree to stick with single GPU, you can have all the power you ever going to need with mini ITX form factor - small but powerful.

Which of the graphite cases you have chosen (though cant get why - they are old with those 5.25 bays - fractal design, be quite, nzxt have way more interesting things)

 

[lastgnslingr]

i picke the corsair Graphite series 780t full tower white. I mostly liked the look and size isnt an issue. Plus, like i said, this will be what im working with for quite a while. Big doesnt mean better but i want whatever i upgrade to fit later and since im doing the build i want room to work and cable management. i did really like the nzxt s340 in white but im not sure. so lets just say itll be ten years before i spend any major money on this thing, and im not too worried about money. what should i get? I know true enthusiasts will scoff at the notion of ten years but im being honest, i know i cant stay truely competitive that long but im ok with having to go with lower settings as games progress. i would like to utilize my full 4k potential with movies and at least 1080 on games. im interested to know what your thinking on parts.

 

[lastgnslingr]

you don't really need X99 platform for gaming purposes.
i7-6700K + Z170 MB will do the job. You can expect that any (overclockable) i7 platform will serve you for 3-5 years.
The GTX 1080 is OK for 4K gaming, but expect to upgrade it within a year or two at most to have good 4K performance.
you don't need a sound card as well.
IMHO - you can have what you want for much less. 1500-2000$ without compromises on quality.
I recommend to avoid multi gpu solutions as they have to many flaws.
If you agree to stick with single GPU, you can have all the power you ever going to need with mini ITX form factor - small but powerful.

Which of the graphite cases you have chosen (though cant get why - they are old with those 5.25 bays - fractal design, be quite, nzxt have way more interesting things)

i picke the corsair Graphite series 780t full tower white. I mostly liked the look and size isnt an issue. Plus, like i said, this will be what im working with for quite a while. Big doesnt mean better but i want whatever i upgrade to fit later and since im doing the build i want room to work and cable management. i did really like the nzxt s340 in white but im not sure. so lets just say itll be ten years before i spend any major money on this thing, and im not too worried about money. what should i get? I know true enthusiasts will scoff at the notion of ten years but im being honest, i know i cant stay truely competitive that long but im ok with having to go with lower settings as games progress. i would like to utilize my full 4k potential with movies and at least 1080 on games. im interested to know what your thinking on parts.

 

[n0ns3ns3]

10 years is unrealistic by any measures.
1. something may die like with all electronics - moving parts like fans (including the one in PSU) are first candidates.
2. from my (couple of decades) experience with DIY computers 5-6 years is about the top to stay somewhat relevant. especially for GPU. in 7 years top, you computer (CPU, RAM and GPU) is not going to meet minimum requirement for games. after that, it's just a browsing/typing machine at most. even for movies, with newer codecs, you HW might not be able to process them.
On the bright side, things like PSU and Case, cooling may serve you that long.
The best practice is to get whatever you can comfortably afford now and upgrade every few years some major part.
I tend to keep my components until they can not do the job. top for GPU - 6 years, top for CPU/MB - 5 years. Have 1 perfectly running PSU that is about 9 years old. My liquid cooling loop is about 10 years old as well (except tubing and fittings as I WANTED to change)

 

[lastgnslingr]

i picke the corsair Graphite series 780t full tower white. I mostly liked the look and size isnt an issue. Plus, like i said, this will be what im working with for quite a while. Big doesnt mean better but i want whatever i upgrade to fit later and since im doing the build i want room to work and cable management. i did really like the nzxt s340 in white but im not sure. so lets just say itll be ten years before i spend any major money on this thing, and im not too worried about money. what should i get? I know true enthusiasts will scoff at the notion of ten years but im being honest, i know i cant stay truely competitive that long but im ok with having to go with lower settings as games progress. i would like to utilize my full 4k potential with movies and at least 1080 on games. im interested to know what your thinking on parts.

10 years is unrealistic by any measures.
1. something may die like with all electronics - moving parts like fans (including the one in PSU) are first candidates.
2. from my (couple of decades) experience with DIY computers 5-6 years is about the top to stay somewhat relevant. especially for GPU. in 7 years top, you computer (CPU, RAM and GPU) is not going to meet minimum requirement for games. after that, it's just a browsing/typing machine at most. even for movies, with newer codecs, you HW might not be able to process them.
On the bright side, things like PSU and Case, cooling may serve you that long.
The best practice is to get whatever you can comfortably afford now and upgrade every few years some major part.
I tend to keep my components until they can not do the job. top for GPU - 6 years, top for CPU/MB - 5 years. Have 1 perfectly running PSU that is about 9 years old. My liquid cooling loop is about 10 years old as well (except tubing and fittings as I WANTED to change)

ok, duly noted. Soooo, whats the best i can get for my purposes at 2000+ minus the case which is still undecided, with an intel possessor?

 

[n0ns3ns3]

Here is what i'd recommend.
The PSU is capable of going multi GPU.

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($328.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus Z170 PRO GAMING ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($142.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 8GB Superclocked Gaming ACX 3.0 Video Card ($649.00 @ B&H)
Power Supply: Corsair RMx 1000W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1330.95

Case and storage up to you.
For storage, have a look at Samsung's newest SM 960 Pro.

For CPU cooling:
https://www.ekwb.com/shop/ek-xlc-predator-240

 

[lastgnslingr]

Here is what i'd recommend.
The PSU is capable of going multi GPU.

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($328.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus Z170 PRO GAMING ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($142.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 8GB Superclocked Gaming ACX 3.0 Video Card ($649.00 @ B&H)
Power Supply: Corsair RMx 1000W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1330.95

Case and storage up to you.
For storage, have a look at Samsung's newest SM 960 Pro.

For CPU cooling:
https://www.ekwb.com/shop/ek-xlc-predator-240

sounds good...but i have seen in my research that some games are starting to utilize 6 cores. is that relevant? and since im saving elsewhere is there a better gpu for these components?

 

[n0ns3ns3]

and than those 6 cores run at lower clocks.
the 6700K have faster clocks. much faster. with overclock you are getting close to 5GHz. It is 8 thread GPU and there is no game outthere yet to require more.
Nor in the near feature.
What do you mean by better GPU ?
this is GTX 1080 -> right now only pascal Titan X is better at 1200$. If you are talking abut the model, it's one of the highest clocked cards out of the box with excelent cooling and best support/warranty. There are more expensive models with 0 performance benefit.