Ultimate gaming build

Aug 7, 2018
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Hello! I've finally run into some money and would like to pursue my lifelong dream of having a super high-end gaming PC. Unfortunately, I'm a N00B when it comes to custom builds, assume I know nothing at all. I've heard that $2500-$3000 is enough for whatever I need, but consider budget to be no issue. Would the community here be willing to give me a rundown of what parts they would recommend for the ultimate gaming experience? In other words, if money was no object to you, dear friends, what would your new gaming PC look like? I would like top of the line for all components.

Also, can anyone recommend which company/website I should use to build it? Should I order the parts myself and seek out someone locally to build it for me? Should I attempt it myself? Any advice would be appreciated!

Thank you so much.
 
Aug 7, 2018
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Nope, got those things covered.



 
Aug 7, 2018
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Because I also want a home-theater setup, I intend to use my 4K TV:

55" Sony XBR-55A1E



 

WildCard999

Titan
Moderator


For a home theater setup I'd go with a ITX build, this will handle 4K/60hz on higher settings.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-8700K 3.7GHz 6-Core Processor ($347.00 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! - Dark Rock 4 CPU Cooler ($67.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus - ROG Strix Z370-I Gaming Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard ($178.50 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($154.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial - MX500 1TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($189.01 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital - Gold 4TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($170.00 @ Newegg Marketplace)
Video Card: Asus - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB STRIX GAMING Video Card ($799.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Phanteks - Enthoo EVOLV ITX TG (Black) Mini ITX Desktop Case ($86.11 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA G3 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($69.89 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($94.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $2158.37
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-08-07 17:24 EDT-0400
 
https://www.ekwb.com/custom-loop-configurator/shared/oW5b6a0df261764

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-8700K 3.7GHz 6-Core Processor ($347.00 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus - ROG Strix Z370-I Gaming Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard ($178.50 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill - Trident Z RGB 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($319.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital - Blue 1TB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($173.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB SEA HAWK X Video Card ($1019.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Phanteks - ENTHOO EVOLV SHIFT X Mini ITX Tower Case ($139.99 @ Newegg Business)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - FOCUS Plus Platinum 650W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($100.54 @ Amazon)
Total: $2280.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-08-07 17:24 EDT-0400

my suggestion :) with custom loop.

 

Barty1884

Retired Moderator


^ This is a very nice build.

I will caution though, from experience, the EvolvITX can result in pretty audible fan noise from the GPU as it's pretty starved for air -- not ideal for HTPC use.

I would suggest either an SFX PSU (allowing airflow from the bottom of the case, through the shroud to the GPU), or look to an ITX case that orients the motherboard horizontally, allowing the GPU to pull air from the side..... something like a Thermaltake Core V1
 
Aug 7, 2018
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Thanks so much for your reply!

Question,

I understand the Asus - ROG Strix Z370-I Gaming Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard was chosen in part because of its compact size inside the ITX case.

However, given Barty1884's suggestion, i.e. instead of the ITX case, get an "SFX PSU (allowing airflow from the bottom of the case, through the shroud to the GPU), or look to an ITX case that orients the motherboard horizontally, allowing the GPU to pull air from the side..... something like a Thermaltake Core V1" ...

is the Asus - ROG Strix Z370-I Gaming Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard superior to, say, Gigabyte X299 Aorus Gaming 7? I'd like a larger case.






 
Answer few questions:

How big of a case are you okay with?
How will you connect your keyboard mouse and headphones? Are comfortable with them being wired or do you need wireless?
As you also need home-theater system is this your living room setup or is it a dedicated PC setup?
 
Aug 7, 2018
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I think I want a larger case to allow for maximum versatility / air flow and cooling

Wireless (which I already own)

Dedicated PC



 

Phazoner

Distinguished
You probably won't want to wait but this months next generation Nvidia GPUs are supposedly to be revealed and they will probably go beyond enough to the 1080Ti to be worth the wait.

If you don't want to wait, I'll make some suggestions:

If the the build wants to be a nowadays build, 16GB of RAM is the sweet spot, aiming to +3000Mhz memories for maximum performance. An i7 would be the most polyvalent for the CPU. Nvidia cards are just much more powerful than AMD so there's no discussion, and SLIs/crossfires are not recommended. Aim for a nice motherboard, power supply and a SAI to handle correctly power losses and any electric issues. Don't think about water cooling, they aren't mostly worth it and there's the risk of leaking, so just go for a top air cooler. There's no need to put one thousand fans in the case, a pair is more than enough, and choose a case because of its air flow and not how it looks.

The SSD space is really expensive, and I've heard about overheating problems with .M2 ones, so I just would avoid them in big sizes and to install games. A little-256GB .M2 for the SO and programs is more than enough, then go with Seagate's Firecuda hybrid drives for the best performance/price storage solution for gaming, and a standard HDD for data (movies, etc) and maybe one SSD (not .M2) for games which you are gonna play for a long time and that are well known for long loading times. I have GTA V in mind for a perfect example of long loading times game, but maybe you want a 500GB SSD or so for some sandbox or MMO games. Anyway, don't go for a SSD for competitive games like CSGO or LOL because you will anyway have to wait for the other players to load the game.

On the other hand, if you're looking for a long term - upgradeable build and the budget is not a problem, maybe you should go a little crazy with some of the components. Not being experienced in building I would just order a shop to build it and select ultimate tier components, this is 8/10 core Intel processors (i9) and 32GB of RAM. In the future you will be able to just plug a new, much more powerful graphics card than current ones and that amount of RAM and such a powerful processor will still handle it perfectly.

I don't know your country's stores for princing but I think I made a point that shows you two ways to pick a build and how to optimize the money, so I hope it helps :)
 
Here is the list:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel i9-9900K ($450.00)
CPU Cooler: Corsair - H115i PRO 55.4 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus ROG MAXIMUS X CODE ($300.00)
Memory: G.Skill - Trident Z RGB 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($349.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung - 970 Evo 500GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($179.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Seagate - Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($57.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: NVIDIA GTX1180 ($800.00)
Case: Phanteks - Enthoo Luxe Tempered Glass (Black) ATX Full Tower Case ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair - 850W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($169.89 @ Amazon)
Keyboard: Corsair - K95 RGB PLATINUM Wired Gaming Keyboard ($184.99 @ Amazon)
Keyboard: Logitech - G613 Wireless Standard Keyboard ($106.29 @ Amazon)
Mouse: Logitech - G903 Wireless Optical Mouse ($115.93 @ Amazon)
Sound Card: Asus Essence STX II 7.1 Soundkarte (inkl. 7.1 Mehrkanal-Platine, Kopfhörer-Verstärker bis zu 600-ohm, 124dB (SNR), austauschbare Op-Amps) ($300.00)
Total: $3284.95
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-08-08 10:42 EDT-0400

I recommend waiting for around 2-3months and get new hardware when launched.
CPU, Motherboard and GPU are just placeholders and actual prices may vary.(There will mostly be marginal difference)

I included best Sound card to give you best theater experience and even ultimate audio experience over headphones if ever used. It is huge improvement even for theater system.

I included One Wired Corsair keyboard(best mech keyboard), One Wireless Logitech keyboard(best wireless mech keyboard) and One Wireless Logitech mouse(best gaming mouse). I know you already have keyboard and mouse but if you wanna upgrade here you have options to choose from. You can remove them from the list.