So after 5 very productive years the time has come to retire my exceptionally dependable and rock solid i7 3770K on Asus P8Z77-V PRO Gaming PC.
This system has been a dream to use since day 1 and has been by far the best system I've ever owned.
In fact I'd be remiss if I didn't state the excitement I feel about this new build is somewhat overshadowed by a slight feeling of loss.
I've only suffered one serious issue with boot looping and Asus Support was quick to say, "hey maybe this is a hardware thing" (although none had been reported to my knowledge) and gave me an RMA number immediately.
Even though I tripped over the answer myself Asus support was amazing and as such they will be the Motherboard vendor of choice in the new build as they were in the last 2.
Which leads me onto brand loyalty, I'm fiercely loyal to brands that perform to my expectations so much so I'll purchase even if another vendor has a superior product in a similar price bracket. In my opinion there is no value one can place on peace of mind.
Vendors that have proven their worth to me are Intel (CPU), Asus (Motherboards), EVGA (Video Cards), BenQ (Monitors), Noctua (CPU/Ram Cooling), MAX (Keyboards), Logitech (everything else).
Vendors I've experienced issues and will never deal with not just due to poor product (at the time) but poor support include AMD/Radeon (Video Cards), Seagate (Hard Drives), MSI (Video Cards), AOC (Monitors).
With that all said let's begin shall we.
...
Goal:
Build a Gaming only PC with a life span of 4 - 6 years.
Current Requirements:
Capable of playing the latest triple A titles on ULTRA 1080p @ 100 - 144 FPS.
This however may bottleneck at my 3770K so adjustments will be made to ensure smooth Streaming of 900p, 60FPS at a bitrate of approx 3500+ up on CPU priority Med - Fast.
Future Requirements:
4K Gameplay @ 60+ FPS
Monitor Setup:
Air cooled, bone stock clock speeds to start. My last 2 builds didn't require overclocking at any level until year 3.
RAM purchase to reflect anticipated future overclocking needs.
Peripherals:
Full Tower is above floor (off carpet) to the right of my feet.
Everything else is desk mounted.
3770K Mouse and Keyboard at chair level parallel with left monitor.
Components:
Now onto the meat and potatoes of this build.
Please keep in mind that components are fluid at this time.
All components are based off Sept 20, 2018 timestamp.
1. CPU: Intel
~ Subject to change, dependent on Coffee Lake refresh Oct 2018.
Intel Core i7-8700K Coffee Lake 6-Core/12-Thread Processor Socket LGA 1151, 3.7 GHz Base/ 4.7 GHz Max Turbo - $ 499.00
2. Motherboard: Asus
~ Torn between a ROG Strix and ROG Maxiumus X Hero, definitely want higher RAM frequency for future proofing.
The ROG Maximus isn't considered a good value to feature board but we'll use it as a price placeholder.
ASUS ROG Maximus X Hero (Wi-Fi AC) LGA 1151 (8th Gen CPU Only) Intel Z370 DDR4 4133+MHz (OC), PCIe 3.0, 2x M.2/NVMe, USB 3.1 - $ 329.00
3. Memory: No brand preference
When it comes to memory I have no clue what I'm doing. From what I've read and watched on YouTube, higher frequency RAM can sometimes matter in the odd Game and Applications.
For this reason I'm adding 32 GB G Skill Ripjaws @ 3000 MHz as a pricing placeholder.
G.SKILL Ripjaws 4 Series 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 3000MHz CL15 Dual Channel Memory Kit 1.35V - $ 408.00
If price prohibitive I may just start with 16 GB.
4. SSD: No brand preference except omission of Seagate
I've no idea what I'm doing here either. I was looking at regular 2.5" SSD's when @Skid_Marc_ informed me that NVMe's are the way to go.
I'm also unsure of whether or not it's wise to continue the practice of Smaller System Disk and larger Gaming Disk? My guess is it's still a good idea so pricing placeholders as follows:
Total storage between PC's = 5.3 TB
5. Video Card: EVGA
Based off feedback in this topic I'm using the EVGA GTX 180 Ti as a placeholder.
EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti SC2 GAMING 11GB (11G-P4-6593-KR) 1556MHz Base/ 1670MHz Boost, PCI-E 3.0, iCX Cooler - $ 1030.00 (non sale pricing)
6. Computer Case (Full Tower): Thermaltake if possible.
NOTE: Must have easy to clean internal dust filters.
DO NOT WANT A CHRISTMAS TREE!
Thermaltake Core V71 Tempered Glass Black E-ATX Full Tower Tt LCS Certified Gaming Computer Case - $ 220.00 (non sale pricing)
7. CPU Cooling: Noctua (definitely overkill)
~ Air cooled to start. Going big on this one to give me some pricing wiggle room.
Noctua CPU Cooler NH-D15 Intel Socket 2011-0//2011-3/1156/1155/1150/1151 AMD AM2/2+/3/3+/FM1/2/2+ 140mm 12V - $ 142.00
NOTE: Noctua's are perhaps the ugliest Coolers on the market but wow is it ever quiet and dependable.
8. Tower Cooling:
Nothing fancy here, approx. 6 x 120 mm Tower Fans for pricing purposes: $20 ea. (max) x 6 = $ 120.00
9. Microphone: Audio Technica (heard good things)
Audio-Technica AT2020USB+ - Cardioid Condenser USB Microphone 16-Bit Audio at 44.1/48kHz Sample Rate - $ 300.00 (non sale pricing)
10. Capture Card: Elgato most likely
Knowledge is pretty weak on this front too. I'm leaning internal PCIE as I think (perhaps wrongfully) this should provide the best balance of low latency and lowest system overhead to Stream to my 3770K.
Elgato Game Capture 4K60 Pro - $ 500.00
So there you have it, the new build comes in a little over budget at $4117.00 CDN before taxes.
Given I'm in no rush and don't necessarily need it built prior to mid-November 2018 I'm sure I can stay under $4000.00 CDN taxes in.
I've also picked worst case scenario pricing so my guess is I can save at least another $ 200 - $ 500 CDN if I make a few sacrifices to start such as less RAM, cheaper CPU Cooling, Cheaper Motherboard, etc.
Any and all feedback very welcome.
Thank you for reading!
Ken
This system has been a dream to use since day 1 and has been by far the best system I've ever owned.
In fact I'd be remiss if I didn't state the excitement I feel about this new build is somewhat overshadowed by a slight feeling of loss.
I've only suffered one serious issue with boot looping and Asus Support was quick to say, "hey maybe this is a hardware thing" (although none had been reported to my knowledge) and gave me an RMA number immediately.
Even though I tripped over the answer myself Asus support was amazing and as such they will be the Motherboard vendor of choice in the new build as they were in the last 2.
Which leads me onto brand loyalty, I'm fiercely loyal to brands that perform to my expectations so much so I'll purchase even if another vendor has a superior product in a similar price bracket. In my opinion there is no value one can place on peace of mind.
Vendors that have proven their worth to me are Intel (CPU), Asus (Motherboards), EVGA (Video Cards), BenQ (Monitors), Noctua (CPU/Ram Cooling), MAX (Keyboards), Logitech (everything else).
Vendors I've experienced issues and will never deal with not just due to poor product (at the time) but poor support include AMD/Radeon (Video Cards), Seagate (Hard Drives), MSI (Video Cards), AOC (Monitors).
With that all said let's begin shall we.
...
Goal:
Build a Gaming only PC with a life span of 4 - 6 years.
Current Requirements:
Capable of playing the latest triple A titles on ULTRA 1080p @ 100 - 144 FPS.
This however may bottleneck at my 3770K so adjustments will be made to ensure smooth Streaming of 900p, 60FPS at a bitrate of approx 3500+ up on CPU priority Med - Fast.
Future Requirements:
4K Gameplay @ 60+ FPS
Monitor Setup:
- 2 [Game + spare (new PC)] - Main monitor 144Hz Gaming Monitor + Side Monitor (Right)
- 2 [Stream/Record + XSplit, Bots, Overlay controllers, chat (3770K)] - Left and TOP Monitor (angled downward above Main monitor).
- Starting (barebones): $3000.00 - $4000.00 CDN. No Monitor, PSU, Keyboard, Mouse, or Speakers required at this time. Lesser PSU will be purchased for 3770K and swapped out with existing 1100 Watt Fully Modular Power Supply.
- Future proofing: $1000 max in the first year, $1000.00 - $2000.00 CDN annually thereafter (max).
Air cooled, bone stock clock speeds to start. My last 2 builds didn't require overclocking at any level until year 3.
RAM purchase to reflect anticipated future overclocking needs.
Peripherals:
- USB Cardioid Condenser Microphone (for Streaming) - hopefully there's enough money in the budget to get this sooner than later.
- Capture Card.
Full Tower is above floor (off carpet) to the right of my feet.
Everything else is desk mounted.
3770K Mouse and Keyboard at chair level parallel with left monitor.
Components:
Now onto the meat and potatoes of this build.
Please keep in mind that components are fluid at this time.
All components are based off Sept 20, 2018 timestamp.
1. CPU: Intel
~ Subject to change, dependent on Coffee Lake refresh Oct 2018.
Intel Core i7-8700K Coffee Lake 6-Core/12-Thread Processor Socket LGA 1151, 3.7 GHz Base/ 4.7 GHz Max Turbo - $ 499.00
2. Motherboard: Asus
~ Torn between a ROG Strix and ROG Maxiumus X Hero, definitely want higher RAM frequency for future proofing.
The ROG Maximus isn't considered a good value to feature board but we'll use it as a price placeholder.
ASUS ROG Maximus X Hero (Wi-Fi AC) LGA 1151 (8th Gen CPU Only) Intel Z370 DDR4 4133+MHz (OC), PCIe 3.0, 2x M.2/NVMe, USB 3.1 - $ 329.00
3. Memory: No brand preference
When it comes to memory I have no clue what I'm doing. From what I've read and watched on YouTube, higher frequency RAM can sometimes matter in the odd Game and Applications.
For this reason I'm adding 32 GB G Skill Ripjaws @ 3000 MHz as a pricing placeholder.
G.SKILL Ripjaws 4 Series 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 3000MHz CL15 Dual Channel Memory Kit 1.35V - $ 408.00
If price prohibitive I may just start with 16 GB.
4. SSD: No brand preference except omission of Seagate
I've no idea what I'm doing here either. I was looking at regular 2.5" SSD's when @Skid_Marc_ informed me that NVMe's are the way to go.
I'm also unsure of whether or not it's wise to continue the practice of Smaller System Disk and larger Gaming Disk? My guess is it's still a good idea so pricing placeholders as follows:
- Operating System: Samsung 970 EVO M.2 NVMe PCI-E 250GB Solid State Drive, Read:3,400 MB/s, Write:1,500 MB/s - $ 130.00 (non sale pricing)
- Gaming Storage: Samsung 970 EVO M.2 NVMe PCI-E 1TB Solid State Drive, Read:3,500 MB/s, Write:2,500 MB/s - $ 439.00 (non sale pricing)
Total storage between PC's = 5.3 TB
5. Video Card: EVGA
Based off feedback in this topic I'm using the EVGA GTX 180 Ti as a placeholder.
EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti SC2 GAMING 11GB (11G-P4-6593-KR) 1556MHz Base/ 1670MHz Boost, PCI-E 3.0, iCX Cooler - $ 1030.00 (non sale pricing)
6. Computer Case (Full Tower): Thermaltake if possible.
NOTE: Must have easy to clean internal dust filters.
DO NOT WANT A CHRISTMAS TREE!
Thermaltake Core V71 Tempered Glass Black E-ATX Full Tower Tt LCS Certified Gaming Computer Case - $ 220.00 (non sale pricing)
7. CPU Cooling: Noctua (definitely overkill)
~ Air cooled to start. Going big on this one to give me some pricing wiggle room.
Noctua CPU Cooler NH-D15 Intel Socket 2011-0//2011-3/1156/1155/1150/1151 AMD AM2/2+/3/3+/FM1/2/2+ 140mm 12V - $ 142.00
NOTE: Noctua's are perhaps the ugliest Coolers on the market but wow is it ever quiet and dependable.
8. Tower Cooling:
Nothing fancy here, approx. 6 x 120 mm Tower Fans for pricing purposes: $20 ea. (max) x 6 = $ 120.00
9. Microphone: Audio Technica (heard good things)
Audio-Technica AT2020USB+ - Cardioid Condenser USB Microphone 16-Bit Audio at 44.1/48kHz Sample Rate - $ 300.00 (non sale pricing)
10. Capture Card: Elgato most likely
Knowledge is pretty weak on this front too. I'm leaning internal PCIE as I think (perhaps wrongfully) this should provide the best balance of low latency and lowest system overhead to Stream to my 3770K.
Elgato Game Capture 4K60 Pro - $ 500.00
So there you have it, the new build comes in a little over budget at $4117.00 CDN before taxes.
Given I'm in no rush and don't necessarily need it built prior to mid-November 2018 I'm sure I can stay under $4000.00 CDN taxes in.
I've also picked worst case scenario pricing so my guess is I can save at least another $ 200 - $ 500 CDN if I make a few sacrifices to start such as less RAM, cheaper CPU Cooling, Cheaper Motherboard, etc.
Any and all feedback very welcome.
Thank you for reading!
Ken
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