New PC build (gaming oriented)

mihailt

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Dec 7, 2017
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Hi fellas,

This is a WIP project, and it's also my first build, so I'd really like to hear your thoughts on it before I actually buy any of my planned hardware.

So, currently I've purchased an i5-8400, as it was a killer price at a local vendor, and if I've understood correctly it should be quite adequate for gaming for a few years. Please note that we're talking about 1080p resolution max.

The motherboard is to be an ATX form, once Intel release their H370s, H310s and whatever else on the budget side for their Coffee Lake CPUs. Would you recommend any specific manufacturers, or others to avoid in general?

The PC case of my choice is currently the Fractal Design Define C, as I don't really have much room at my disposal and it should be good for a single GPU and maximum 2 storage drives. I'm a little split here, as I also consider the Meshify C as an option and both are currently in stock in local stores. Is the Define C bad as far as air intake is concerned in your experience? Should I pull the trigger while these models are in stock, or should I wait for a few months and see if another manufacturer comes up with something special?

With these cases I'm planning on either 2 x 140mm or 3 x 120mm fans for front intake (which is better for cooling and airflow in your experience?) as well as a 1 x 140mm for rear exhaust. Top vents would be closed off in this scenario, do you think it's ok? Also, I'm currently keen on the Arctic Bionix series, are these fans okay in both the 120 and 140 versions? What are the technical parameters to consider when selecting a specific fan? RPM, cfm and decibels?

This brings us to the CPU cooler, I'm currently split between the FSP Windale 6 and the BeQuiet Pure Rock. The Windale 6 looks noticeably larger and I'm wondering if I'll run into RAM clearing issues on an ATX motherboard. Not that the Pure Rock looks bad or anything, but the all-black finish of the body is badass! I have also considered the DeepCool Gammax GT, but in the end I'd rather have performance and acoustics over shiny lights inside. Let me know which one is the best in your opinions, they're all the same price in my country, even though there is some difference on Amazon.

The GPU would be either the XX60 or the XX70, of the Volta generation from NVidia, once they come out and depending on my available funds.

The RAM is something I have not looked into much detail yet, but I'll be looking at DDR4 at least 16 GB, with 32 preferable for future-proofing, but that depends on momentary prices. Ultimately, I'll have to do a bit more reading and research before making any decisions in this department.

For storage, I own a 1-TB WD Black HDD, which I'll transfer to the new build, but will also complement it with something like 120 or 240 GB of SSD. My knowledge on the subject is limited, so same as RAM - more research needed before picking specific models, but if there's a brand or model that you would highly recommend - please do share.

Obviously, power requirements are still subject to variance, so I have not looked at specific PSUs, but once the moment comes, I'll be looking at top tier ones.

Currently, that's pretty much it, I hope I didn't ram too many questions into a single thread. Please let me know what you think in general of this future setup, will the components I consider play with each other nicely, do you see any compatibility issues and so on. Also, if you have first-hand experience with the specific models I've listed above, please do share you opinions.

Cheers!
 

lmnvum

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Dec 25, 2017
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Seems like you got a decent grasp of what you are after, do you have a budget in mind?

Also as for the cooler id recommend the CoolerMaster Hyper 212 Turbo Led.
Works very well on my i5-8600k, it is a bit on the larger side however, best check what clearance your preferred case has before making any decision :)

Which country are you from, if you don't mind me asking?

Cheers and good luck,



lmnvum
 

mihailt

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Dec 7, 2017
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Hi lmnvum,

Thank you for your suggestion on the CPU cooler. Looking at its specs leads me to believe it will do slightly better cooling job for slightly worse acoustics compared to the Be Quiet Pure Rock, am I correct? Also, with a height of 160mm, it should just fit inside a Fractal Define C (which has a limit of 170mm I believe) and would almost touch the window, which is super. I will definitely be looking at this option when buying, it is in fact cheaper than the coolers I've listed in my original post. Also, since the heat pipes' caps on the Pure Rock look insanely good to me, is it possible to put something on top of CM's heat pipes to mask them without affecting performance?

I am from Bulgaria, prices here are sometimes a bit illogical, I've seen stuff that is somewhat expensive on Amazon sold for peanuts, and vice versa (the latter situation is far more common, btw, but I suppose that's normal with all VATs and import tariffs considered).

Regarding budget - I have not set myself on a specific price, but I do like to research and check whether my money would be well spent. For example, first I thought to use the stock CPU cooler from Intel, then I thought to spend no more than the equivalent of $20 in home currency and now I'm looking at $40-$50 for this particular part. Fittingly, initially I thought of spending no more than the equivalent of $60 on the PC case, but then saw that the good ones are sold for $100 here, so I increased my budget. I suppose that since I'm not in a rush, time will be playing on my side, so I would be able to hunt down some good deals and discounts over the next 6 months, for example (if Nvidia have released their mid-tier Voltas by then).
 

lmnvum

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Dec 25, 2017
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Yes it is definitely not the most quiet cooler :D
I know how you feel my friend, I am too from the Balkans :lol:
Good plan dude, if you need any help feel free to PM me :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR! :D :D :D
Cheers,


lmnvum