New gaming PC

[polycrac]

Hi, I'm looking at upgrading to a new PC. Mostly for gaming and with a £2-2.5K budget. I want something that will last and plan on getting a new monitor soon. I'm currently using a 60Hz, 1080p monitor but will aim for getting a 144Hz, QHD 28" with Gsync. I'm not sure about the cooling or the case, would be great if people can help with those or any of the other specs. Here's my best guess for a build:

Case
CORSAIR OBSIDIAN SERIES™ 500D FULL TOWER CASE
Overclocked CPU
Overclocked Intel® Core™ i7-8700K Six Core (3.7GHz @ up to 4.8GHz)
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME Z370-P: ATX, LGA1151, USB 3.1, SATA 6GBs
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!
1st Hard Disk
3TB SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB SAMSUNG 960 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 2100MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Noctua NH-U14S Ultra Quiet Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
EK-TIM ECTOTHERM THERMAL COMPOUND
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
USB Options
2 PORT (1 x TYPE A, 1 x TYPE C) USB 3.1 PCI-E CARD + STANDARD USB PORTS
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KK3-00003]
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
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Google Chrome™
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 8 to 10 working days
Quantity
1

Price £2,208.00 including VAT and delivery

Unique URL to re-configure : https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z370-overclocked/6jtQT!Gyuq/

 

[Oussebon]

I'm currently using a 60Hz, 1080p monitor but will aim for getting a 144Hz, QHD 28" with Gsync

When will you be getting the new monitor?

USB Options
2 PORT (1 x TYPE A, 1 x TYPE C) USB 3.1 PCI-E CARD + STANDARD USB PORTS

Get the Asus TUF motherboard instead which has this built in.

I'm not sure about the cooling or the case

CPU cooler is fine for that CPU overclocked. More than fine, in fact.

The case only has 1 case fan preinstalled (which is a little cheap for such an expensive case). I'm not familiar with its performance for cooling. If you like tempered glass consider the Corsair Crystal 460X with its 3 fans, RGB lighting, and tempered glass.

If going for the 500D then I'd say at least get 2 extra fans.

1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB SAMSUNG 960 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 2100MB/W)

SSDs are very expensive right now anyway, and the Pro series are ludicrously expensive. And they won't help gaming performance at all versus an Evo model.

For £50 more you could get the 1TB PM961 which is all-but as fast for your uses and offers twice the storage. Or go for the Evo and save £50+. The Pro isn't a good buy for gaming.

 

[polycrac]

Thank you for all that advice. I could use an idiots guide to the USB ports, I mostly chose the case because it seemed to have a front sited USB3.1. I don't really understand how the motherboard USB options fit with the USB options in the configurator and the case USB options. If it is the only way to get a front 3.1 then I'll probably get the case fans too and stick with that. Otherwise the 460X does look nice (a little bit 'Christmas-tree' like, though I guess I can turn the leds off).

I'd planned on getting the monitor in the Summer, July or August, though I suspect that the urge to really see what the 1080ti can do might push me to get one sooner.

I see what you mean about the M.2 drive prices - it pains me as I wanted to get the fastest I could (I remember being blown away by my first solid state drive and want the same WOW factor from the M.2) but it does make sense. Is there a reason the 3Tb drive I picked isn't branded? I thought I'd gone for a Seagate one.

 

[Oussebon]

Ah, do go for the 500D for USB 3.1 type C at the front then. I'd suggest getting a couple of extra fans, and I'm sure it will be more than adequate for cooling.

In terms of USB options, you get whatever the motherboard has at the rear, plus whatever the case has at the front.

The Asus TUF apparently has at the rear:
1 x 5Gb/s port(s) USB Type-CTM ( support 3A power output )
2 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 (teal blue)
2 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 (blue) Type-A
2 x USB 2.0
https://www.asus.com/uk/Motherboards/TUF-Z370-PLUS-GAMING/specifications/

Apparently it doesn't support USB 3.1 Gen 2 as a front-panel connector (not surprising since hardly any cases have this).

For rear USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type C you would need the Gigabyte Ultra Gaming (or Asus Z370E).

For front panel USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type C you would need the Asus Z370E.

I'm not even sure if the 500D's front USB Type C is Gen 2 or not. Techspot say it is, but everyone else just says USB 3.1 which is ambiguous.

This stuff really couldn't be any less clear if the industry tried, and I'm pretty sure I've got it wrong in other topics about what the Asus TUF does/doesn't have in terms of Gen 2...

If upping from a Z370-P to a Z370-E (+£100) seems a bit much just to have USB 3.1 Gen 2 at the front, stick to the Asus TUF or Gigabyte Ultra gaming.

I'd planned on getting the monitor in the Summer, July or August, though I suspect that the urge to really see what the 1080ti can do might push me to get one sooner.

Buying a 1080 ti now for a monitor you're not going to buy until June-August isn't worth it at all. It's been rumoured a new gen of GPUs might be getting announced in late March. You might well find yourself with something obsolete by the time you actually get around to using it.

it pains me as I wanted to get the fastest I could

The Pro drives are always pretty expensive. Think of it this way, the 1TB PM961 will be nearly as fast as the 500gb Pro for the first 500gb (such that you'd be unlikely to notice a difference)... and a lot faster than the Pro for the next 500gb

Is there a reason the 3Tb drive I picked isn't branded? I thought I'd gone for a Seagate one.

Only some of the ones PCS sell are sold as Seagates. The others could be other brands like Toshiba or Hitachi.

To be honest, one 7200rpm HDD is as good as the next. I'd stick with the 3TB HDD (which could be Seagate, or Toshiba, or Hitachi) with full confidence in it being fine.

 

[polycrac]

Thank you, that's a lot clearer. Given a new range of cards is due, maybe I could skip the card for now.

My current build (also from pcs, two years ago) has a gtx 970 and an I5 4590. Would I be able to move the graphics card into the new build for now?

And if I did, would the old processor have enough graphics grunt with no dedicated card for me to pass the old pc onto a friend (not a gamer, would use it for browsing the web & playing music videos)?

 

[Oussebon]

Would I be able to move the graphics card into the new build for now?

Yes

And if I did, would the old processor have enough graphics grunt with no dedicated card for me to pass the old pc onto a friend (not a gamer, would use it for browsing the web & playing music videos)?

Also yes The integrated graphics are fine for browsing, consuming media, that sort of thing.

It's worth bearing in mind that you'll see very little improvement in most titles from the new system. New CPUs and motherboards are expected out soon too. It could arguably be worth holding off until you're in a position to buy the whole lot in one go.

 

[polycrac]

Ha ha, Oussebon, I hate you - but my wife loves you! Seriously, though, I think you are right. Some leaks came out today from the 9th gen Intel cpus, now probably just isn't the best time for this upgrade. I'll look again when the new ranges are out.

 

[Oussebon]

I hadn't heard about the Intel 9th Gen stuff, will go have a look later. But even if that's not out by summer, AMD's Ryzen Refresh and the new Intel motherboard lineups could always shake up the market a bit even for 8th Gen Intel stuff, plus 8th Gen CPUs that aren't vulnerable to Meltdown etc are apparently coming out later in the year too.

Keep us posted when you start looking at systems again anyway

 

[SpyderTracks]

I hadn't heard about the Intel 9th Gen stuff, will go have a look later. But even if that's not out by summer, AMD's Ryzen Refresh and the new Intel motherboard lineups could always shake up the market a bit even for 8th Gen Intel stuff, plus 8th Gen CPUs that aren't vulnerable to Meltdown etc are apparently coming out later in the year too.

Keep us posted when you start looking at systems again anyway

According to speculation, Nvidia will be releasing a separate range of graphics cards just for miners to keep the prices stable on the gaming cards too so hopefully we won’t see this madness that’s been going on for the last 6 months with stocks and prices.