High end gaming PC - advice please

[Takezo]

Hi guys,

I used to be a pc gamer in my youth days, but for the last 9 years or so I have done mainly gaming on xbox console. I would like to return to do gaming on PC again, since I really miss it and many good games are not on consoles like strategy games, etc.

Now, since I have been waiting quite a long time to return to PC gaming, I want to buy a high end one so I do not have to change stuff on it every so often. I want to have an at least 5-7 years lifespawn on my new PC.

Please see below what I have chosen and advice if it is too overpriced for what I want, or If i have chosen the correct configuration when it comes to games. For me what it always mattered most when it came to gaming PC were the processor, ram and video card.

Also as a final advice is it really required these days to have two graphic cards? Is it beneficial? Or is best only one but a strong one.

Cheers in advance for your replies.

Case
CORSAIR GRAPHITE SERIES™ 780T FULL TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i9 18 Core Processor i9-7980XE (2.6GHz) 24.75MB Cache
Motherboard
Gigabyte X299 AORUS Gaming 3 PRO: ATX, USB 3.1, SATA 6 GB/s - RGB Ready
FREE entry to win 1 of 5 smart 4K TVs w/ select GIGABYTE Motherboards!

Memory (RAM)
64GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB DDR4 3000MHz (4 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
12GB NVIDIA TITAN Xp STAR WARS JEDI ORDER - HDMI, 3x DP GeForce - GTX VR Ready!
1st Hard Disk
500GB SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 16MB CACHE
2nd Hard Disk
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA PRO 3.5", 7200 RPM 128MB CACHE
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
16x BLU-RAY WRITER DRIVE, 16x DVD ±R/±RW & SOFTWARE
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H110i Hydro Cooler w/ PCS Liquid Series Ultra Quiet Fans
Thermal Paste
COOLER MASTER MASTERGEL MAKER THERMAL COMPOUND
LED Lighting
2x 50cm Red LED Strip
Sound Card
Creative Sound Blaster ZxR 5.1 PCI-E Soundcard
Wireless/Wired Networking
ASUS PCE-AC88 AC3100 2100Mbps/5GHz, 1000Mbps/2.4GHz
USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 6 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Supplied on USB Drive
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Google Chrome™
Monitor
Samsung LU28E590DS/EN 28" 4K FreeSync LED Monitor
Keyboard & Mouse
Razer® Black Widow Chroma V2 Gaming Keyboard
Mouse
Razer® Mamba 16000 Ambidextrous Wireless Mouse
Game Streaming
Elgato Game Capture HD60 PRO - PCIe Card
Speakers
LOGITECH Z506 5.1 SURROUND SOUND SPEAKERS - 75W RMS
Webcam
Logitech® HD Webcam C930e - 1080p recording, supports H.264
Surge Protection
6 Socket 2m Surge Protector
Cable Management
3 x PCS 1.5M Zip Cable Tidy - Professional Cable Management
Warranty
3 Year Platinum Warranty (3 Year Collect & Return, 3 Year Parts, 3 Year labour)
Delivery
TIMED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND - MON-FRI, PRE-10.30AM
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 3 to 5 working days
Quantity
1

Price £6,048.00 including VAT and delivery

 

[Takezo]

High end gaming PC

Hi guys,

A bit of advice on the below. Did I went overkill on this rig? The PC will be used mainly for gaming and some other software's like AutoCAD.

Case
CORSAIR GRAPHITE SERIES™ 780T FULL TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i9 18 Core Processor i9-7980XE (2.6GHz) 24.75MB Cache
Motherboard
Gigabyte X299 AORUS Gaming 3 PRO: ATX, USB 3.1, SATA 6 GB/s - RGB Ready


FREE entry to win 1 of 5 smart 4K TVs w/ select GIGABYTE Motherboards!
Memory (RAM)
64GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB DDR4 3000MHz (4 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
12GB NVIDIA TITAN Xp STAR WARS JEDI ORDER - HDMI, 3x DP GeForce - GTX VR Ready!
1st Hard Disk
500GB SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 16MB CACHE
2nd Hard Disk
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA PRO 3.5", 7200 RPM 128MB CACHE
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
16x BLU-RAY WRITER DRIVE, 16x DVD ±R/±RW & SOFTWARE
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H110i Hydro Cooler w/ PCS Liquid Series Ultra Quiet Fans
Thermal Paste
COOLER MASTER MASTERGEL MAKER THERMAL COMPOUND
LED Lighting
2x 50cm Red LED Strip
Sound Card
Creative Sound Blaster ZxR 5.1 PCI-E Soundcard
Wireless/Wired Networking
ASUS PCE-AC88 AC3100 2100Mbps/5GHz, 1000Mbps/2.4GHz
USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 6 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Supplied on USB Drive
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Google Chrome™
Monitor
Samsung LU28E590DS/EN 28" 4K FreeSync LED Monitor
Keyboard & Mouse
Razer® Black Widow Chroma V2 Gaming Keyboard
Mouse
Razer® Mamba 16000 Ambidextrous Wireless Mouse
Game Streaming
Elgato Game Capture HD60 PRO - PCIe Card
Speakers
LOGITECH Z506 5.1 SURROUND SOUND SPEAKERS - 75W RMS
Webcam
Logitech® HD Webcam C930e - 1080p recording, supports H.264
Surge Protection
6 Socket 2m Surge Protector
Cable Management
3 x PCS 1.5M Zip Cable Tidy - Professional Cable Management
Warranty
3 Year Platinum Warranty (3 Year Collect & Return, 3 Year Parts, 3 Year labour)
Delivery
TIMED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND - MON-FRI, PRE-10.30AM
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 3 to 5 working days
Quantity
1

Price £6,048.00 including VAT and delivery

 

[Oussebon]

I've released your topics from the moderation queue. Please be patient while the volunteer mods get around to this

Also I've merged your threads as it's best to stick to 1 topic for advice on a system, or else you end up with 2 different conversations with nobody seeing what the others are saying.

I've kept both of your posts as they contain slightly different information (i.e. you only tell us about CAD in one of them)

Am sure people will offer comments soon!

 

[Takezo]

First of all I want to apologise for the mess created early. I thought the post initially crashed on me as i was having bad network at the time of typing.

Also the Cad thing is more like a hobby rather than a proper job. So i would like advices to prioritise the gaming point of view. I am a bit outdated on some of the tech bits
Also my budget sits between 3000 and 5000, since i want to have the dream PC i never had, but always dreamt about it.

Thanks again!

 

[Takezo]

OK, since no one replied at all (though having 94 views), I presume the above build was way too extreme (after I have read a few previous posts on other builds). So I have came up with this build which make more sense to the budget I have stated previously. I would like and advice if these choices make sense and if you recommend a different monitor, from the one I have selected. Also the tower case will be quiet enough?

I plan to make a purchase in the coming 2 weeks max so any advice posted in the coming week or so will be highly appreciated.
Case
CORSAIR GRAPHITE SERIES™ 780T FULL TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Eight Core Processor i7-7820X (3.6GHz) 11MB Cache
Motherboard
Gigabyte X299 AORUS Gaming 3 PRO: ATX, USB 3.1, SATA 6 GB/s - RGB Ready


FREE entry to win 1 of 5 smart 4K TVs w/ select GIGABYTE Motherboards!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB DDR4 3000MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
11GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1080 Ti - HDMI, 3x DP GeForce - GTX VR Ready!
1st Hard Disk
500GB SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 16MB CACHE
2nd Hard Disk
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA PRO 3.5", 7200 RPM 128MB CACHE
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
16x BLU-RAY WRITER DRIVE, 16x DVD ±R/±RW & SOFTWARE
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H110i Hydro Cooler w/ PCS Liquid Series Ultra Quiet Fans
Thermal Paste
COOLER MASTER MASTERGEL MAKER THERMAL COMPOUND
LED Lighting
2x 50cm Red LED Strip
Sound Card
Creative Sound Blaster Zx 5.1 PCI-E Soundcard
Wireless/Wired Networking
ASUS PCE-AC88 AC3100 2100Mbps/5GHz, 1000Mbps/2.4GHz
USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 6 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Monitor
ASUS PG248Q 24" G-Sync ROG Swift
Monitor Cables
1 x 2m DisplayPort Adapter Cable - Mini DP (m) to DP (m)
Keyboard & Mouse
Razer® Ornata Chroma Gaming Keyboard
Mouse
Razer® Mamba Tournament Edition Ambidextrous Gaming Mouse
Gaming Mouse Pad
Razer Goliathus Gravity Control Small Mouse Mat
Speakers
LOGITECH Z506 5.1 SURROUND SOUND SPEAKERS - 75W RMS
Surge Protection
6 Socket 2m Surge Protector
Cable Management
3 x PCS 1.5M Zip Cable Tidy - Professional Cable Management
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
TIMED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND - MON-FRI, PRE-NOON
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 3 to 5 working days
Quantity
1

Price £3,703.00 including VAT and delivery

 

[polycrac]

I would go for a single, large HDD, a 7200rpm one and supplement this with a decent NVMe M.2 SSD, Something like the Samsung evo (or even the pro, given the size of your budget).

I'd pick 16Gb of 3200 MHz Ram over 32Gb of 3000MHz (or even 3600, if you go for the liquid cooled option below). Maybe worth staying with 32Gb if you stream or work with intensive video editing

I've heard that the I7 8700K is better value than the CPU you picked.

Whichever CPU you go for, try getting an overclocked one, available from this configurator:https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/computers/intel-x299-overclocked/ or https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/computers/intel-z370-overclocked/ depending on which you want to go for.

If you have money left over, burning a hole in your pocket, I'd start by adding an extra graphics card or looking at a liquid cooled build from here: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/liquid-series/#configure-systems. The extra graphics card will be a big boost, but might be poorly timed as newer cards are expected to be released in the next few months. The liquid build will let you pick some higher spec components (see the RAM choice above) but that sort of liquid cooled rig needs maintenance in terms of regular (if infrequent) draining and refilling.

*to clarify, I'm NOT a mod, just a gobby member, I only posted my opinion as you are lacking other opinions - if a mod answers, disregard my advice for theirs!

 

[ubuysa]

*to clarify, I'm NOT a mod, just a gobby member, I only posted my opinion as you are lacking other opinions - if a mod answers, disregard my advice for theirs!

This made me smile. The mods are just volunteers who give up some of their time to help these fora run better, mods are not necessarily experts (though one or two most certainly are). The reputation of a poster (seen in the Rep: under their avatar) is a better indication of which users you can have confidence in and which you can't.

Regarding the 94 views and no comments, one of the best things IMO about these fora is that people only respond if they have something useful to contribute, so you tend not to get people posting just for the sake of it.

32GB of RAM is vast, though I note that you're a CAD user so it's possible you might need more than 16GB - which is way more than you'll need just for gaming. Only you can decide whether you really need that much RAM for CAD. If it's there for 'futureproofing' it's a waste because by the time you need that much RAM everything else in your PC will be out of date...

I'd certainly agree with polycrac that an SSD would make your build run slicker and boot faster and an NVMe M.2 is the ideal. A fast SSD for Windows and programs and a large 7200rpm HDD for data is the most cost effective storage solution at the moment.

The 802.11AC wireless card you've selected will only achieve the advertised speeds if paired with an 802.11AC router. If your router uses the more common 802.11n protocols then a cheaper 802.11n wireless card will be just as good.

I'm not a gamer so I'll leave it to others more experienced than I to comment on your case, motherboard, and CPU selection. I do wonder whether you need liquid cooling?

 

[Oussebon]

OK, since no one replied at all (though having 94 views),

Regarding the 94 views and no comments, one of the best things IMO about these fora is that people only respond if they have something useful to contribute, so you tend not to get people posting just for the sake of it.

I've been meaning to contribute, but have been busy and ill, and this needed more depth than I had the scope to go into this week. So do bear things like this in mind

@Takezo I think you're 100% right. The initial build you posted was both overkill and not very good value.

For gaming, the single best CPU at the moment is the i7 8700k on the Z370 chipset:


The 7820x is a bit pointless. For multithreaded performance it's beaten on value by the AMD Ryzen R7 2700x, while for gaming the i7 8700k wins easily. It's an expensive CPU with an expensive motherboard series, that delivers less gaming performance and, to the honest, not enough extra multithreaded performance for things like rendering to really make it worthwhile. Especially with AMD Ryzen Pinnacle Ridge for people wanting multithreaded performance.

As above, there's no point to 32gb RAM for gaming at all. There's very little performance difference between 8gb and 16gb - and by the time games benefit from more than 16gb, the rest of the system will be obsolete anyway. If you need 32gb for CAD uses, fine, but if you don't and you intend the RAM for gaming then stick to 16gb.

1st Hard Disk
500GB SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 16MB CACHE
2nd Hard Disk
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA PRO 3.5", 7200 RPM 128MB CACHE

As polycrac says, this is not a good setup. The Pro HDDs are very expensive and not at all worth it for gaming uses. There is no framerate advantage there. If you want a faster/more responsive system and faster game loading then get a fast SSD like a PM961/ 960 Evo.

Sound Card
Creative Sound Blaster Zx 5.1 PCI-E Soundcard

The motherboard already has 7.1 sound that is fairly decent. Drop the soundcard and try out the motherboard's audio. Strong odds are you will find it very good.

Monitor
ASUS PG248Q 24" G-Sync ROG Swift

This monitor has a high refresh rate, but is still only 1080p. One of the perks of PC gaming (and having a lot of money) is to game at high resolutions and refresh rates.

I'd suggest you consider a 1440p 144hz gsync monitor. PCS's range of these is limited, but you don't have to buy a monitor from PCS

Monitor Cables
1 x 2m DisplayPort Adapter Cable - Mini DP (m) to DP (m)

This would be the wrong cable since both the monitor and GPU have full sized DP. Unless you need it for something else.

Case
CORSAIR GRAPHITE SERIES™ 780T FULL TOWER CASE

This case is very large:
637mm x 288mm x 602mm (Approx H x W x D)
It's a decent case but be sure you want it.


Case
CORSAIR GRAPHITE SERIES™ 780T FULL TOWER CASE
Overclocked CPU
Overclocked Intel® Core™ i7-8700K Six Core (3.7GHz @ up to 4.8GHz)

FREE Warhammer: Vermintide 2 & XMorph Defense w/ select Intel CPUs!
Motherboard
Gigabyte Z370 AORUS Ultra Gaming: ATX, LG1151, USB 3.1, SATA 6GBs - RGB Ready

FREE entry to win 1 of 5 smart 4K TVs w/ select GIGABYTE Motherboards!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
11GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1080 Ti - HDMI, 3x DP GeForce - GTX VR Ready!
1[SUP]st[/SUP] Hard Disk
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
1[SUP]st[/SUP] M.2 SSD Drive
256GB SAMSUNG PM961 M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 2800MB/R, 1100MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
16x BLU-RAY WRITER DRIVE, 16x DVD ±R/±RW & SOFTWARE
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W CS SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H100i V2 Hydro Cooler w/ PCS Liquid Series Ultra Quiet Fans
Thermal Paste
COOLER MASTER MASTERGEL MAKER THERMAL COMPOUND
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
ASUS PCE-AC88 AC3100 2100Mbps/5GHz, 1000Mbps/2.4GHz
USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365 (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Monitor
ASUS 27" ROG Swift PG278QR GAMING MONITOR
Keyboard & Mouse
Razer® Ornata Chroma Gaming Keyboard
Mouse
Razer® Mamba Tournament Edition Ambidextrous Gaming Mouse
Gaming Mouse Pad
Razer Goliathus Gravity Control Small Mouse Mat
Speakers
LOGITECH Z506 5.1 SURROUND SOUND SPEAKERS - 75W RMS
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 3 to 5 working days
Quantity
1

Price £3,197.00 including VAT and delivery

Unique URL to re-configure : https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z370-overclocked/ad!jt7p4Fd/