Question Wondering if this build is good considering price and performance.

May 18, 2019
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I'm trying to finish putting together a decent build for gaming to play games like Insurgency Sandstorm and Squad. So I'm willing to spend some extra $ on the GPU, memory, and CPU to get good performance but trying not to spend more than I need to just to play these games. But with that said I still want good performance. My older gaming rig built over 5 years ago can barely handle these games so it's time to upgrade. So far this is what I put together for the build.
  1. NZXT Phantom 530 ATX Case - I purchased this case a few years ago but never got around to building it. At least now I don't need to buy a case :)
  2. EVGA 750 watt G3 PSU - also bought this a while back to use on my old gaming system but never used it.
  3. Samsung EVO SSD 500 Gb drive from an older system built a few years back.
Now for the parts I still need to buy:
  1. Intel Core i5 9600k CPU $260
  2. Asus Prime z370-A II Mobo $140
  3. Dark Rock 4 CPU cooler but open to getting a water cooler or even just a cheap Hyper 212 since they worked well on my other builds.
  4. Corsair Vengeance LPX 16gb 3200 (CMK16GX4M2B3200C16) $85
  5. GTX 1660 GPU $230-$300 price range
  6. Gaming monitor? Looking at a lot of options from Ben-Q and Asus.
So.... do you guys think this is a good combo for a mid range gaming build? The total cost for the 5 parts I still need is around $800 on Amazon. Plus I still need to pick a monitor. What's a good monitor for 1080p gaming that would suite this build?

~ i5 9600k https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07HHLX1R8/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1
~ Asus Prime z370-A II Mobo https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07HMGYTVW/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?smid=ARPJR2MH0C1P7&psc=1
~ Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 gb https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0143UM4TC/ref=ox_sc_act_title_5?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1
~ Asus GTX 1060 3 gb GPU https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01KMVHB6M/ref=ox_sc_act_title_4?smid=A1DGBLXYNEW9LX&psc=1
~ Dark Rock 4 CPU cooler https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BYP9S95/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1
 
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Something like this should be good...

PCPartPicker Part List

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
CPU | Intel - Core i7-8700 3.2 GHz 6-Core Processor | $299.99 @ Newegg
CPU Cooler | Cooler Master - Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler | $19.49 @ Newegg
Motherboard | ASRock - Z390 Phantom Gaming 4 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard | $99.99 @ Newegg
Memory | GeIL - EVO POTENZA 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory | $69.99 @ Newegg
Video Card | EVGA - GeForce RTX 2060 6 GB XC GAMING Video Card | $339.99 @ B&H
Monitor | Acer - ED242QR Abidpx 23.6" 1920x1080 144 Hz Monitor | $169.99 @ Amazon
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
| Total (before mail-in rebates) | $1029.44
| Mail-in rebates | -$30.00
| Total | $999.44
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-05-18 11:49 EDT-0400 |
 
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May 18, 2019
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Something like this should be good...

PCPartPicker Part List

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
CPU | Intel - Core i7-8700 3.2 GHz 6-Core Processor | $299.99 @ Newegg
CPU Cooler | Cooler Master - Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler | $19.49 @ Newegg
Motherboard | ASRock - Z390 Phantom Gaming 4 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard | $99.99 @ Newegg
Memory | GeIL - EVO POTENZA 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory | $69.99 @ Newegg
Video Card | EVGA - GeForce RTX 2060 6 GB XC GAMING Video Card | $339.99 @ B&H
Monitor | Acer - ED242QR Abidpx 23.6" 1920x1080 144 Hz Monitor | $169.99 @ Amazon
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
| Total (before mail-in rebates) | $1029.44
| Mail-in rebates | -$30.00
| Total | $999.44
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-05-18 11:49 EDT-0400 |


Thanks! That does seem like a better deal and system for the cost. I wasn't planning on over clocking the K chip very much so the i7 non K chip will most likely be a better choice. I also forgot about using PCpartpicker and will start looking at some similar options. Thanks!
 
If you went AMD route you could either make a computer equivelant for less, or more powerful for same cost.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor ($149.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock - B450 Pro4 ATX AM4 Motherboard ($69.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Team - T-Force Vulcan 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce RTX 2060 6 GB XC GAMING Video Card ($339.99 @ B&H)
Monitor: Acer - ED242QR Abidpx 23.6" 1920x1080 144 Hz Monitor ($169.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $804.75
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

A lot better...

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 7 2700X 3.7 GHz 8-Core Processor ($279.85 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock - B450 Pro4 ATX AM4 Motherboard ($69.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Team - T-Force Vulcan 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce RTX 2060 6 GB XC GAMING Video Card ($339.99 @ B&H)
Monitor: Acer - ED242QR Abidpx 23.6" 1920x1080 144 Hz Monitor ($169.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $934.71
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-05-18 18:34 EDT-0400
 
May 18, 2019
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Only concern with Z370 is that out of the box, unless equipped with a fairly recent 9th gen supporting BIOS, it might not support 9th gen 9xxx processors...

Any way to simply get a Z390 variant?

Yes I'm trying to pick a z390 now since they don't cost too much more than a z370. I'm having a hard time deciding between the The Asus Prime z390-A or the Gigabyte z390 Designare mobo. There are quite a few but these two look really good and I like how the Designare mobo has onboard Thunderbolt 3. I also wanted to start doing some music production stuff with the Reaper DAW on PC so maybe this will be the way to go for both gaming and music production. I was originally planning to just get a mac mini or Macbook Pro to do music production and use Logic Pro X but Reaper on PC is another great option. If I do build this PC to do both gaming and music production then I'll need to upgrade some of my other choices as well. This is where I'm at now:

  1. Asus Prime z390-A or Gigabyte z390 Designare
  2. i7 8700
  3. Cooler Master Hyper 212
  4. RAM: 16 Gb or 32 Gb ram - still doing research on what I'll need for music production. More RAM is usually better but I can also upgrade later if needed.
  5. Drives: SSD
  6. GPU: GTX 1660 Ti or RTX 2060

This build costs a bit more so I'll wait to get a 144hz monitor later and just use my older 1080p monitor for now. The higher refresh rates on a 1080p monitor is probably better for gaming but also want to try a 1440p monitor eventually so I'll most likely pick one up later. Especially to use for music production and setting up dual monitors. Which is why I'm currently looking into the Gigabyte Designare mobo with thunderbolt 3 and the RTX 2060 GPU. Will I need to run 2 GPU cards to run 2 monitors or can the Thunderbolt 3 display port on the Mobo do that using one GPU? Some of this stuff is complicated so I'll need to keep doing some research before I buy anything.
 
You wont need multiple GPUs to run multiple monitors. Every GPU has multiple ports containing HDMI and/or DP and/or DVI-D, usually a mix and match of these to connect to multiple monitors. Moreover you have adapters for non compatible monitors.
When you connect your monitor to the GPU, your motherboard display ports are rendered inactive. You can connect to either the board or the card at any given time. You cannot connect to both simultaneously as your board's BIOS wont let you do that.
 
Yes I'm trying to pick a z390 now since they don't cost too much more than a z370. I'm having a hard time deciding between the The Asus Prime z390-A or the Gigabyte z390 Designare mobo. There are quite a few but these two look really good and I like how the Designare mobo has onboard Thunderbolt 3. I also wanted to start doing some music production stuff with the Reaper DAW on PC so maybe this will be the way to go for both gaming and music production. I was originally planning to just get a mac mini or Macbook Pro to do music production and use Logic Pro X but Reaper on PC is another great option. If I do build this PC to do both gaming and music production then I'll need to upgrade some of my other choices as well. This is where I'm at now:

  1. Asus Prime z390-A or Gigabyte z390 Designare
  2. i7 8700
  3. Cooler Master Hyper 212
  4. RAM: 16 Gb or 32 Gb ram - still doing research on what I'll need for music production. More RAM is usually better but I can also upgrade later if needed.
  5. Drives: SSD
  6. GPU: GTX 1660 Ti or RTX 2060
This build costs a bit more so I'll wait to get a 144hz monitor later and just use my older 1080p monitor for now. The higher refresh rates on a 1080p monitor is probably better for gaming but also want to try a 1440p monitor eventually so I'll most likely pick one up later. Especially to use for music production and setting up dual monitors. Which is why I'm currently looking into the Gigabyte Designare mobo with thunderbolt 3 and the RTX 2060 GPU. Will I need to run 2 GPU cards to run 2 monitors or can the Thunderbolt 3 display port on the Mobo do that using one GPU? Some of this stuff is complicated so I'll need to keep doing some research before I buy anything.

The Gigabyte Designare is better than the Asus Prime A. 16 Gb of RAM is plenty.
 
My suggestion:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel - Core i5-9400F 2.9 GHz 6-Core Processor ($154.89 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master - Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($19.49 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock - B365 Pro4 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($94.02 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire - Radeon RX VEGA 56 8 GB PULSE Video Card ($299.99 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Dell - S2419HGF 24.0" 1920x1080 144 Hz Monitor ($149.99 @ Walmart)
Total: $858.37
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-05-19 08:16 EDT-0400
 
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The Gigabyte Designare is better than the Asus Prime A. 16 Gb of RAM is plenty.

Do you think the Gigabyte Designare board is the best option? I was also looking at the ASUS WS z390 which is a little better than the ASUS Prime z390-A. Both the Designare and WS boards seem to be good choices for a music production PC that can also do gaming. The Asus WS is a lot more expensive and I will have to buy a Thunderbolt 3 card. I know going with an AMD build will be cheaper but there's no TB3 on AMD and I definitely will need that feature. Maybe AMD will catch on later but as of now it's a no go. And yeah I think I'll be good with 16gb RAM for now. I'm not going to be using a bunch of VST's and mainly just recording guitar stuff and using Superior Drummer.

This is a good video on the differences between the Asus WS z390 and the Prime z390-A
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoMCXhCIy08
 
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Karadjgne

Titan
Ambassador
I've been a fan of asus longer than many ppl buying/building pc's here now, Asus mobo, Asus gpu, didn't matter if performance was a hair less than others, it was Asus, good enough.

That said, there's been a rash of posts here, Reddit, Linus, overclockers, you name it, all with a similar complaint. Asus Prime Z390-A no display - cpu light bright. And no real answers or fixes other than RMA, some of which had the issue again. So safe to say, the Prime-A isn't high on my recommended list, Asus or not. Msi, ASRock no worries, but never been a huge fan of Gigabyte, I guess they are decent but not my first choice.
 

rigg42

Respectable
Oct 17, 2018
639
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Yes I'm trying to pick a z390 now since they don't cost too much more than a z370. I'm having a hard time deciding between the The Asus Prime z390-A or the Gigabyte z390 Designare mobo. There are quite a few but these two look really good and I like how the Designare mobo has onboard Thunderbolt 3. I also wanted to start doing some music production stuff with the Reaper DAW on PC so maybe this will be the way to go for both gaming and music production. I was originally planning to just get a mac mini or Macbook Pro to do music production and use Logic Pro X but Reaper on PC is another great option. If I do build this PC to do both gaming and music production then I'll need to upgrade some of my other choices as well. This is where I'm at now:

  1. Asus Prime z390-A or Gigabyte z390 Designare
  2. i7 8700
  3. Cooler Master Hyper 212
  4. RAM: 16 Gb or 32 Gb ram - still doing research on what I'll need for music production. More RAM is usually better but I can also upgrade later if needed.
  5. Drives: SSD
  6. GPU: GTX 1660 Ti or RTX 2060
This build costs a bit more so I'll wait to get a 144hz monitor later and just use my older 1080p monitor for now. The higher refresh rates on a 1080p monitor is probably better for gaming but also want to try a 1440p monitor eventually so I'll most likely pick one up later. Especially to use for music production and setting up dual monitors. Which is why I'm currently looking into the Gigabyte Designare mobo with thunderbolt 3 and the RTX 2060 GPU. Will I need to run 2 GPU cards to run 2 monitors or can the Thunderbolt 3 display port on the Mobo do that using one GPU? Some of this stuff is complicated so I'll need to keep doing some research before I buy anything.
Finding an audio interface that has working thunderbolt drivers for windows might be a challenge. I'm not super familiar with Reaper but Pro Tools has a disk cache option that loads the session audio right into the RAM. If using a lot sample based VI's you can eat up a lot of memory as well. I'd probably go for 32 gb for DAW use in 2019. Gaming GPU drivers can cause issues with DAW software in some cases. Reaper is pretty lean and mean though. It might not have any issues. I keep a 2010 mac pro around just for pro tools. I never liked running it in windows.
 
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Yeah I'm still debating about using PC for music and still considering buying a macbook pro or mac mini just for that purpose. I might be better off that way and only using the PC build for gaming and everything else. Even then I'll most likely try Reaper out on PC since the DAW itself is pretty inexpensive and Reaper also offers a free trial period. So it might work out just fine but if it doesn't then I won't be too disappointed. Especially if I can eventually pick up a mac mini or something to run Logic Pro X since I'm more familiar with that DAW and will most likely be a lot more compatible with gear for recording. Either way I'm still trying to piece this gaming build together and doing research on these components. Also looking into the pros and cons of the 8th gen vs 9th gen without hyperthreading. I usually go for an i5 cpu to save money but starting to get curious about the i7 performance for gaming. The 8th gen i7 chips are still pretty expensive though.