New Gaming System

[irishblue]

Hey Guys

I am looking to put together a build for a friend. While I’m quite experienced at putting together PC’s, it’s been a while and this will be the first one where it’s primary function will be high end gaming.

As such I would really appreciate any advice/input from you guys on the picked components.
The games he currently plays are: GTA5, Far Cry5, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Wins, Overwatch, Battelfield1, Fortnite, Playerunknown's Battlegrounds and Euro Truck Simulator 2.

Obviously it would be nice if a component upgrade isn’t required in the near future as new more demanding games are released.

Many Thanks 🙂


Additional info according to „How to ask for New Build" sticky post

Approximate Purchase Date: As soon as possible
Budget Range: Flexible (within Reason :-D)
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, Photo Editing
Are you buying a monitor: Yes 2 x Acer Predator XB321HK
Parts to Upgrade: Complete System
Do you need to buy OS: Yes
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: www.digitec.ch
Location: Zürich, Switzerland but feel free to link parts in the US. The Swiss currency is almost one to one with the US dollar and parts are similarly priced/available
Overclocking: No
Your Monitor Resolution: 3840 x 2160
Additional Comments: See above
Why Are You Upgrading: Switching from a Laptop to a Workstation for Gaming

The Build:

Case
Fractal Define XL R2 - USB 3.0 (Big Tower)

Motherboard
MSI Z370 GAMING PRO CARBON AC (LGA 1151, Intel Z370, ATX)

CPU
Intel Core i7-8700K (LGA 1151, 3.70GHz, Unlocked)

CPU Cooler
Noctua NH-D14

RAM
G.Skill Ripjaws V (2x, 16GB, DDR4-3200, DIMM 288)

Graphics Card
MSI GeForce GTX 1080 Ti GAMING X 11G (11GB, High End)

SSD
Samsung 860 Pro (2000GB, 2.5")

HD
WD Blue (3TB, 3.5", Desktop)

Power Supply Unit
Corsair HX1000i (1000W)

 

[FD2Raptor]

Uh...
1> I don't think two 4K monitors are not going to be happy with just a single 1080Ti.
2> Unless you are aiming for SLI two 1080Ti 1KW PSU is way overkill for a non-OC system.
3> For non-OC purpose, I'd recommend the Scythe Mugen 5 over the Noctua D14. As it is cheaper, and will not block any RAM slot.
4> Unless your friend has extreme storage need, he's not going to need a 2TB SSD and a 3TB HDD.
5> In such a large case, make sure to have enough fans or there won't be enough airflow for the setup.

 

[irishblue]

Uh...
1> I don't think two 4K monitors are not going to be happy with just a single 1080Ti.
2> Unless you are aiming for SLI two 1080Ti 1KW PSU is way overkill for a non-OC system.
3> For non-OC purpose, I'd recommend the Scythe Mugen 5 over the Noctua D14. As it is cheaper, and will not block any RAM slot.
4> Unless your friend has extreme storage need, he's not going to need a 2TB SSD and a 3TB HDD.
5> In such a large case, make sure to have enough fans or there won't be enough airflow for the setup.

Hi FD2Raptor,

Thank you kindly for your swift response.

1> Interesting. He had thought to run just the one initially and add another if needed (hence the overpowered PSU). So if he want’s to go 4k across 2 screens he will require two high end GPU’s?
2> See point 1 :-D
3> I have always used Noctua and been very happy with the, The selected RAM Modules “should” fit. Unfortunately, I am not familiar with the Scythe Mugen 5. Are the similar to Noctua in terms of quality?
4> He does have a somewhat large Storage need.
5> I was hoping the fans that come with the Case as well as a Noctua D14 would create enough airflow. Am I mistaken?

 

[FD2Raptor]

In demanding titles, the only GPU that can comfortably handle single 4K screen gaming is the Titan V (Ultra settings). A single 1080Ti will need to give all it has to offer in order to run 4K, 60fps avg, Ultra settings; i.e. fps could still dip below 60 in certain scenes.

If you want to game on two 4K screens, then SLI is no longer optional.

And with a 8700k + SLI 1080Ti, the whole system would produce ~650-700W of heat, which mean three fans in a non-airflow-focused case is not going to be enough.

When cooling a 140W TDP i7 5930k, the Mugen 5 is only about 5 degrees warmer than the D14's big brother, the D15. Extrapolate from that to the cooling of a stock ~80-90W i7 8700k, would mean the temperature differences would be minimal.

 

[irishblue]

In demanding titles, the only GPU that can comfortably handle single 4K screen gaming is the Titan V (Ultra settings). A single 1080Ti will need to give all it has to offer in order to run 4K, 60fps avg, Ultra settings; i.e. fps could still dip below 60 in certain scenes.

If you want to game on two 4K screens, then SLI is no longer optional.

And with a 8700k + SLI 1080Ti, the whole system would produce ~650-700W of heat, which mean three fans in a non-airflow-focused case is not going to be enough.

When cooling a 140W TDP i7 5930k, the Mugen 5 is only about 5 degrees warmer than the D14's big brother, the D15. Extrapolate from that to the cooling of a stock ~80-90W i7 8700k, would mean the temperature differences would be minimal.

Once again thank you FD2Raptor for your swift and infomative reply. If you don't mind I'll trouble you for your know how again.

How would you solve the heat problem? By adding additional fans or going with a different case?

 

[FD2Raptor]

If you're going with the 8700k + SLI 1080Ti then I'd change the case to one that offer better airflow.

Some options are Phanteks Pro M TG, Corsair 540 Air, Lian-li O11DX Dynamic, etc

- The Phanteks is the cheaper case at stock, but it only comes with two 140mm fans and only support 1xSSD & 2xHDD out of the box (i.e. there'll be extra cost for fans + extra brackets for HDD/SSD as needed).

- The Lian-li offers the best airflow, but will require at least the purchase of three fans to be mount on the side since the case came with none. And it only support CPU cooler 155mm tall, which would exclude the D14/15, but the Mugen 5 should still fit. It's also the most expensive of the bunch.

- The Corsair is the most balanced in what it offers - come with 3x 140mm fans, support 2xHDD, 4xSSD, and CPU cooler 170mm tall - but its three fans are fairly loud which means you may still want to replace them anyway.

 

[vMax]

I woudn't rule out the Cooler Master H500p Mesh or the new H500M. I have the H500P Mesh and can say the the cooling is very good not withstanding the Gamers Nexus calamity on the origonal H500. I also owned a Corsair 540 and again, this was a very good case with 2 seperate compartments splitting the PSU, Drives away from the CPU and GPU, though it is quiet old now...I have to agree on the Lian-Li as it looks great and has been reviewed very well....Never had a Phanteks but only hear good things about them.

What a nice problem to have..oodles of money for highe end gear...Your friend must be very happy!

 

[irishblue]

If you're going with the 8700k + SLI 1080Ti then I'd change the case to one that offer better airflow.

Some options are Phanteks Pro M TG, Corsair 540 Air, Lian-li O11DX Dynamic, etc

- The Phanteks is the cheaper case at stock, but it only comes with two 140mm fans and only support 1xSSD & 2xHDD out of the box (i.e. there'll be extra cost for fans + extra brackets for HDD/SSD as needed).

- The Lian-li offers the best airflow, but will require at least the purchase of three fans to be mount on the side since the case came with none. And it only support CPU cooler 155mm tall, which would exclude the D14/15, but the Mugen 5 should still fit. It's also the most expensive of the bunch.

- The Corsair is the most balanced in what it offers - come with 3x 140mm fans, support 2xHDD, 4xSSD, and CPU cooler 170mm tall - but its three fans are fairly loud which means you may still want to replace them anyway.

Thank You FD2Raptor,

I will look at those. However I suspect that when I present the guy the system is for with the additional costs of 4K gaming he “may” change his mind, downgrade the screens, go with just the one GPU and save himself a fair bit of money.

I will post here again tomorrow once I have heard back from him.

Once again many thanks for the time you have taken to help me out on this. Your replies struck me as very informative yet easy to understand by a layman like myself and have been really helpful ;-D

 

[irishblue]

I woudn't rule out the Cooler Master H500p Mesh or the new H500M. I have the H500P Mesh and can say the the cooling is very good not withstanding the Gamers Nexus calamity on the origonal H500. I also owned a Corsair 540 and again, this was a very good case with 2 seperate compartments splitting the PSU, Drives away from the CPU and GPU, though it is quiet old now...I have to agree on the Lian-Li as it looks great and has been reviewed very well....Never had a Phanteks but only hear good things about them.

What a nice problem to have..oodles of money for highe end gear...Your friend must be very happy!

Thank you vMax for taking the time to read and respond to my post. I will of course look into those cases as well.

Yeah I wouldn't mind having oodles of money for such high end gear myself :-D That said as mentioned in response to FD2Raptors post, the guy may change his mind once he sees how much extra cost is incured by being able to game in 4k accross 2 screens.

Not being a gamer I myself can't really judge whether those extra costs are actually worth it. Either way I'm sure he will end up with a versy nice build.