New gaming desktop build advice

[sflower]

Hello! It's been 9+ years since I have last built a PC and am wanting an upgrade! I have put together a parts list and am looking for any recommendations on what you would do differently and why. My last build was a full ATX and while it served me very well over 9 years I never needed anything that big and love the looks and size of this desktop cube.

This will primarily be for MMO/RPG games (Currently Witcher 3 and FFXIV) and occasionally League of Legends. I do not play any FPS nor do anything competitive.

I'd like the build to stay ~$2000 and my monitor ~$800, overall ~$3000 or less

I welcome any and all suggestions and thank you for your time!

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-8086K 4 GHz 6-Core Processor ($439.99 @ B&H)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG - C7 40.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($32.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock - Fatal1ty Z370 Gaming-ITX/ac Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard ($158.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($249.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Samsung - 970 Evo 1 TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($229.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Seagate - FireCuda 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Hybrid Internal Hard Drive ($99.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce RTX 2070 8 GB Black Video Card ($499.99 @ B&H)
Case: Thermaltake - Core V1 Snow Edition Mini ITX Desktop Case ($60.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA G2 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($75.88 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: ARCTIC - Arctic F8 PWM CO 31 CFM 80mm Fan ($6.89 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: ARCTIC - Arctic F8 PWM CO 31 CFM 80mm Fan ($6.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1862.36
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-12-04 11:37 EST-0500

Also, with my years of gaming I've never had anything other than a standard 1080 27" monitor and am looking to upgrade that as well and think I have it narrowed down to 2 choices but am not sure which would be better: (or a different choice all together because I'm fairly ignorant on the subject minus my online research)

https://www.amazon.com/AOC-AG352UCG6-Curved-Monitor-3440x1440/dp/B07BMVNJZP/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1543942146&sr=8-6&keywords=35+curved+ultrawide+monitor

https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Predator-Z35P-bmiphz-3440x1440/dp/B06ZZDYVQM/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1543942146&sr=8-4&keywords=35+curved+ultrawide+monitor

 

[feelinfroggy777]

The 8086k is a anniversary CPU that is overpriced. It just has slightly higher clocks than the unlocked 8700k. If you do go with the 8086/8700k, you may want a little better cooler as those CPUs are hot. Running at stock it will be fine though as it will look good with the build.

You dont need 32gb RAM for gaming. No game uses more than 16gb. You can go with 32gb for "future proofing", but it may be awhile and any unused RAM will just sit idle. I would save a little money for now.

I would consider the 2700x over the 8086k/8700k. The 2700x is a lot cheaper, comes with a decent stock cooler, and gaming performance is just slightly behind Intel. Running a 3440x1440p monitor will mean that the bottleneck moves from the CPU to the GPU, so any of those CPUs will all peform within a couple of frames of each other. So I would save the money and go with cheaper CPU.

I also changed the case to the NZXT h200. It is not quite as cube as the Thermaltake, but I just finished white build with the H200i and it is a really nice case and looks great with all white parts and white LEDs.

PCPartPicker part list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/Bjph8Y
Price breakdown by merchant: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/Bjph8Y/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 7 2700X 3.7 GHz 8-Core Processor ($329.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - B450 I AORUS PRO WIFI Mini ITX AM4 Motherboard ($113.00 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($124.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Samsung - 970 Evo 1 TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($229.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Seagate - FireCuda 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Hybrid Internal Hard Drive ($99.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce RTX 2070 8 GB Black Video Card ($499.99 @ B&H)
Case: NZXT - H200 (White) Mini ITX Tower Case ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA G2 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($75.88 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: ARCTIC - Arctic F8 PWM CO 31 CFM 80mm Fan ($6.89 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: ARCTIC - Arctic F8 PWM CO 31 CFM 80mm Fan ($6.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1577.30
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-12-04 12:04 EST-0500

As for the monitors, I have an ultrawide and it is great. You wont go wrong with either monitor you have selected. I dont have an AOC, so I cant comment on quality, but the AOC you selected runs at 120hz whereas the Acer runs at 100hz. So it has an edge there. Other than that, the specs for the panels are the similar.

 

[sflower]

The 8086k is a anniversary CPU that is overpriced. It just has slightly higher clocks than the unlocked 8700k. If you do go with the 8086/8700k, you may want a little better cooler as those CPUs are hot. Running at stock it will be fine though as it will look good with the build.

You dont need 32gb RAM for gaming. No game uses more than 16gb. You can go with 32gb for "future proofing", but it may be awhile and any unused RAM will just sit idle. I would save a little money for now.

I would consider the 2700x over the 8086k/8700k. The 2700x is a lot cheaper, comes with a decent stock cooler, and gaming performance is just slightly behind Intel. Running a 3440x1440p monitor will mean that the bottleneck moves from the CPU to the GPU, so any of those CPUs will all peform within a couple of frames of each other. So I would save the money and go with cheaper CPU.

I also changed the case to the NZXT h200. It is not quite as cube as the Thermaltake, but I just finished white build with the H200i and it is a really nice case and looks great with all white parts and white LEDs.

PCPartPicker part list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/Bjph8Y
Price breakdown by merchant: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/Bjph8Y/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 7 2700X 3.7 GHz 8-Core Processor ($329.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - B450 I AORUS PRO WIFI Mini ITX AM4 Motherboard ($113.00 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($124.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Samsung - 970 Evo 1 TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($229.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Seagate - FireCuda 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Hybrid Internal Hard Drive ($99.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce RTX 2070 8 GB Black Video Card ($499.99 @ B&H)
Case: NZXT - H200 (White) Mini ITX Tower Case ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA G2 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($75.88 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: ARCTIC - Arctic F8 PWM CO 31 CFM 80mm Fan ($6.89 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: ARCTIC - Arctic F8 PWM CO 31 CFM 80mm Fan ($6.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1577.30
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-12-04 12:04 EST-0500

As for the monitors, I have an ultrawide and it is great. You wont go wrong with either monitor you have selected. I dont have an AOC, so I cant comment on quality, but the AOC you selected runs at 120hz whereas the Acer runs at 100hz. So it has an edge there. Other than that, the specs for the panels are the similar.

Thank you for the insight! I should of pointed out that I have no interest in overclocking. I have already made some adjustments based on your recommendations. Thanks again for taking the time to answer

 

[coozie7]

Just a few points to add:

At that sort of resolution you'll need to drop the game settings significantly to stay at, or above 60FPS or significantly increase the GPU power.

If at all possible try to see some 36" displays in operation-even if they're TVs-and position yourself in front of them at your normal viewing distance, you may find such a large display is too big.

It's nice to have all that ultra fast storage but do you need it? While you do have a really good budget I can't see any need to spend <>$100 on a HDD you won't use, or don't really need.

And swap the 80mm fans for a pair of 140s. 😉


Which leads me to...

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 7 2700X 3.7 GHz 8-Core Processor ($329.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - B450 I AORUS PRO WIFI Mini ITX AM4 Motherboard ($113.00 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($124.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Samsung - 970 Evo 1 TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($229.99 @ B&H)
Video Card: Zotac - GeForce RTX 2080 8 GB GAMING AMP Video Card ($699.99 @ B&H)
Case: NZXT - H200 (White) Mini ITX Tower Case ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA G2 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($75.88 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Gelid Solutions - Silent 14 PWM 74.5 CFM 140mm Fan ($14.89 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Gelid Solutions - Silent 14 PWM 74.5 CFM 140mm Fan ($14.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1693.41
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-12-04 14:05 EST-0500

 

[sflower]

Just a few points to add:

At that sort of resolution you'll need to drop the game settings significantly to stay at, or above 60FPS or significantly increase the GPU power.

Are you sure? My son has the Acer monitor I listed and a 1080 and gets around 70 FPS on max graphics for FFXIV. The 2070 performs a little better than the 1080 but less so than the 1080 ti. Maybe I'm missing something so was just curious

 

[logainofhades]

Games don't really take advantage of Nvme drive speeds. A SATA specced drive is good enough.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 7 2700X 3.7 GHz 8-Core Processor ($329.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus - ROG Strix B450-I Gaming Mini ITX AM4 Motherboard ($149.23 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill - Trident Z RGB 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($159.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Samsung - 860 Evo 1 TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($147.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate - Barracuda 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($58.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce RTX 2080 8 GB Black Video Card ($724.98 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT - H200 (White) Mini ITX Tower Case ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA G3 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ Monoprice)
Total: $1740.85
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-12-04 16:10 EST-0500

 

[SgtScream]

You don't have to overclock, but you'll have the option should you decide to. Make sure you get a splitter for the dual 80mm fans. There aren't many fan headers on ITX motherboards.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
CPU: Intel - Core i7-8700K 3.7 GHz 6-Core Processor ($369.89 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG - C7 Cu 40.5 CFM CPU Cooler
Motherboard: Gigabyte - Z370N WIFI Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard ($162.48 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($127.97 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung - 970 Evo 1 TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($229.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Samsung - 860 Evo 2 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($297.99 @ B&H)
Video Card: Asus - GeForce RTX 2080 8 GB Dual Video Card ($824.99 @ B&H)
Case: Thermaltake - Core V1 Snow Edition Mini ITX Desktop Case ($60.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - PRIME SNOWSILENT 650 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Case Fan: ARCTIC - Arctic F8 PWM CO 31 CFM 80mm Fan ($6.89 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: ARCTIC - Arctic F8 PWM CO 31 CFM 80mm Fan ($6.89 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Acer - Predator Z35P 35.0" 3440x1440 100 Hz Monitor ($747.98 @ Amazon)
Total: $2986.04
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-12-04 17:35 EST-0500

 

[feelinfroggy777]

Just a few points to add:

At that sort of resolution you'll need to drop the game settings significantly to stay at, or above 60FPS or significantly increase the GPU power.

Are you sure? My son has the Acer monitor I listed and a 1080 and gets around 70 FPS on max graphics for FFXIV. The 2070 performs a little better than the 1080 but less so than the 1080 ti. Maybe I'm missing something so was just curious

I ran a 1080 on my x34 before the 1080ti was released and I stayed over 60fps. In some optimized games I would have to drop the settings back to high instead of ultra, but for the most part, the 2070 will run it find.

I agree with logainofhades, you really dont need an NVMe drive as a SATA drive will do very well. The way SSD pricing has gone down, I dont think I would spend $100 on a hybrid HDD drive either. I think I would just throw that money at another or larger SSD.

 

[SgtScream]

Mount the two RGB fans in the front and the AIO on the top. This way both the graphics card and the AIO can get hit with positive air pressure from the dual intake fans. To save money, you can deduct the AIO, reduce the SSD capacity a 1tb 980 evo and stick with the 2700x's wraith cooler, freeing up the option to add two additional 120mm Corsair RGB fans as desired.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
CPU: AMD - Ryzen 7 2700X 3.7 GHz 8-Core Processor ($329.89 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Corsair - H100i RGB PLATINUM 75 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($159.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI - B450M MORTAR TITANIUM Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($97.97 @ B&H)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance RGB Pro 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($159.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung - 860 Evo 2 TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($347.54 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte - GeForce RTX 2080 8 GB GAMING OC WHITE Video Card ($789.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair - Crystal 280X RGB MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - PRIME SNOWSILENT 650 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Acer - Predator Z35P 35.0" 3440x1440 100 Hz Monitor ($747.98 @ Amazon)
Total: $2913.33
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-12-04 17:46 EST-0500

Damn, i'm going to have to save this build in PC Part Picker!

 

[SgtScream]

Hey man, the Asus dual graphics slot width is 2.7. I'm sorry but I don't think it will fit in the Thermaltake Core v1. Did you see the Corsair build above?