What build do I choose?

[D3monw3st]

Hello!

I'm currently looking to make a PC that I can take to college and back home. So it'd have to be small enough to fit inside of a big suitcase in which i'll be checking in. The computer itself will be used for small renders and quite a bit of gaming. Below are a couple of builds that I've made and been suggested. Feedback would be very much appreciated and if you have a build of your own, please let me know. Before any of you comment telling me to get a Laptop, I've just purchased the 15 inch MBP. As for my budget it'll be 2k, the cheaper the better  . Thank you guys so much for doing this, it really helps out.


Build 1: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/QVxXRJ
Build 2: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/7XQC8Y
Build 3: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/NkFWcY
Build 4: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/f4gTMZ (This build has some sort of compatibility issue, it has something to do with the CPU and BIOS mode. Is this concerning? https://gyazo.com/f410a49f7311fd34c0fc4dd78e94ef0d )

Thanks again. 

[Crunchy Dragon]

-Moved to New Builds and Planning-

[D3monw3st]

2 minutes ago, Crunchy Dragon said:

-Moved to New Builds and Planning-

Ah apologies for putting it in the wrong category.

[Taf the Ghost]

16 minutes ago, D3monw3st said:

Hello!

I'm currently looking to make a PC that I can take to college and back home. So it'd have to be small enough to fit inside of a big suitcase in which i'll be checking in. The computer itself will be used for small renders and quite a bit of gaming. Below are a couple of builds that I've made and been suggested. Feedback would be very much appreciated and if you have a build of your own, please let me know. Before any of you comment telling me to get a Laptop, I've just purchased the 15 inch MBP. As for my budget it'll be 2k, the cheaper the better  . Thank you guys so much for doing this, it really helps out.


Build 1: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/QVxXRJ
Build 2: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/7XQC8Y
Build 3: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/NkFWcY
Build 4: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/f4gTMZ (This build has some sort of compatibility issue, it has something to do with the CPU and BIOS mode. Is this concerning? https://gyazo.com/f410a49f7311fd34c0fc4dd78e94ef0d )

Thanks again. 

First note, from personal experience, always remove the cooler and pack it separately. (Along with some spare thermal paste.) Had a shipping company use a case as a pinata one time. That was an expensive problem for me.

 

Given you have an important requirement, some shipment, I'd recommend figuring out the case first. Then the builds aren't too hard to work back into that. And what type of render work are you talking about?

[D3monw3st]

2 minutes ago, Taf the Ghost said:

First note, from personal experience, always remove the cooler and pack it separately. (Along with some spare thermal paste.) Had a shipping company use a case as a pinata one time. That was an expensive problem for me.

 

Given you have an important requirement, some shipment, I'd recommend figuring out the case first. Then the builds aren't too hard to work back into that. And what type of render work are you talking about?

Just some small adobe premiere stuff. I use my old 2015 iMac 5k to do renders, and while it takes a while a small improvement would be nice. Also, when checking it in I was thinking of telling the person that it's a fragile case and to handle it with care. Additionally, thanks for the comment. I'll definitely remove the cooler

[AskTJ]

I would go for build for if it is premiere processing.

[D3monw3st]

1 minute ago, AskTJ said:

I would go for build for if it is premiere processing.

Which build?

[Taf the Ghost]

1 minute ago, D3monw3st said:

Just some small adobe premiere stuff. I use my old 2015 iMac 5k to do renders, and while it takes a while a small improvement would be nice. Also, when checking it in I was thinking of telling the person that it's a fragile case and to handle it with care. Additionally, thanks for the comment. I'll definitely remove the cooler

Telling staff to "handle with care" is asking for it to get used in an impromptu game of shot-put. If you're flying, you could put it in a packed box, that's light and well packaged. With a ITX or Micro-ATX case, you could reasonably get away with that. It also means you want to keep the build fairly light.

 

I'd recommend probably a 8700 non-k and some 512 Gb SSD as the only main storage.

 

[D3monw3st]

1 minute ago, Taf the Ghost said:

Telling staff to "handle with care" is asking for it to get used in an impromptu game of shot-put. If you're flying, you could put it in a packed box, that's light and well packaged. With a ITX or Micro-ATX case, you could reasonably get away with that. It also means you want to keep the build fairly light.

 

I'd recommend probably a 8700 non-k and some 512 Gb SSD as the only main storage.

 

Okay, I've already confined by search to ITX or MATX. I also use external hard drives, so a small inner storage will be okay for me. 

[Taf the Ghost]

4 minutes ago, D3monw3st said:

Which build?

I'd lean towards Build #2. But, as I said, I'd figure out which case you want to use first. I'd also keep an Air cooler at the destination you're headed to when you're home for the summer. (Or just buy one when you head home.)

 

Also, I'd just get an external USB 3.0 storage for 2+ TB storage. Internal 512 Gb will be more than enough.

[D3monw3st]

3 minutes ago, Taf the Ghost said:

I'd lean towards Build #2. But, as I said, I'd figure out which case you want to use first. I'd also keep an Air cooler at the destination you're headed to when you're home for the summer. (Or just buy one when you head home.)

 

Also, I'd just get an external USB 3.0 storage for 2+ TB storage. Internal 512 Gb will be more than enough.

Okay, I'm looking at switching up the motherboard as it's ITX in a MATX case. Also, do you think the case selected is a bit too much for flying? 

[Taf the Ghost]

19 minutes ago, D3monw3st said:

Okay, I'm looking at switching up the motherboard as it's ITX in a MATX case. Also, do you think the case selected is a bit too much for flying? 

You'll just have to pay attention to the size of it. And, no tempered glass, either. Hopefully you'll get a good enough packaged box that you could use it with a full build in there as well.

 

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=9SIA6504U71067

 

I'd personally favor something like that, since you can put a lot of stuff external. (Obviously, I'd go a very different direction if this was a fully stationary build.) Limits the type of CPU cooling a bit, but it's a light case with room to work with. Maybe something a little bigger, but that's pretty small. I'd also look into some Closed-Cell Foam packing material for the box, if it doesn't come with it. You have to assume they're going to treat your equipment roughly.

[D3monw3st]

20 minutes ago, Taf the Ghost said:

You'll just have to pay attention to the size of it. And, no tempered glass, either. Hopefully you'll get a good enough packaged box that you could use it with a full build in there as well.

 

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=9SIA6504U71067

 

I'd personally favor something like that, since you can put a lot of stuff external. (Obviously, I'd go a very different direction if this was a fully stationary build.) Limits the type of CPU cooling a bit, but it's a light case with room to work with. Maybe something a little bigger, but that's pretty small. I'd also look into some Closed-Cell Foam packing material for the box, if it doesn't come with it. You have to assume they're going to treat your equipment roughly.

Hm, any case that you'd suggest to work with this build? I really like the components: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/bvkckd

[sillypenguin213]

Try this one:https://pcpartpicker.com/list/ytfrGG

Consider buying used GPU, motherboard, and RAM. 

[Taf the Ghost]

27 minutes ago, D3monw3st said:

Hm, any case that you'd suggest to work with this build? I really like the components: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/bvkckd

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16811139127

 

Is a pretty fun one, but you'd probably want to leave the tempered glass over the break.

 

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133274

 

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352064

 

 

I think all of those will take a 240.

[AskTJ]

1 hour ago, D3monw3st said:

Which build?

Build 4. Sorry, I was at school and teachers damn patrolling.

[Ordinarily_Greater]

3 hours ago, D3monw3st said:

Hm, any case that you'd suggest to work with this build? I really like the components: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/bvkckd

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-8700K 3.7GHz 6-Core Processor  ($339.99 @ Best Buy) 
CPU Cooler: Noctua - NH-L9i 33.8 CFM CPU Cooler  ($38.79 @ SuperBiiz) 
Motherboard: Asus - ROG Strix Z370-I Gaming Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($177.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Memory: G.Skill - Trident Z 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory  ($164.99 @ Newegg Business) 
Storage: Crucial - MX500 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($109.85 @ OutletPC) 
Storage: Crucial - MX500 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($109.85 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: Zotac - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB Mini Video Card  ($749.99 @ Amazon) 
Case: Fractal Design - Node 202 HTPC Case  ($76.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Power Supply: FSP Group - Dagger 600W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular SFX Power Supply  ($104.99 @ Amazon) 
Total: $1873.43
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-06-18 05:12 EDT-0400

[sillypenguin213]

1 hour ago, Ordinarily_Greater said:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-8700K 3.7GHz 6-Core Processor  ($339.99 @ Best Buy) 
CPU Cooler: Noctua - NH-L9i 33.8 CFM CPU Cooler  ($38.79 @ SuperBiiz) 
Motherboard: Asus - ROG Strix Z370-I Gaming Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($177.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Memory: G.Skill - Trident Z 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory  ($164.99 @ Newegg Business) 
Storage: Crucial - MX500 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($109.85 @ OutletPC) 
Storage: Crucial - MX500 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($109.85 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: Zotac - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB Mini Video Card  ($749.99 @ Amazon) 
Case: Fractal Design - Node 202 HTPC Case  ($76.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Power Supply: FSP Group - Dagger 600W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular SFX Power Supply  ($104.99 @ Amazon) 
Total: $1873.43
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-06-18 05:12 EDT-0400

 

Damn dude, the L9i could not handle the 8700k this burning core. At least Cryorig C7

[AskTJ]

2 hours ago, Ordinarily_Greater said:

CPU: Intel - Core i7-8700K 3.7GHz 6-Core Processor  ($339.99 @ Best Buy) 
CPU Cooler: Noctua - NH-L9i 33.8 CFM CPU Cooler  ($38.79 @ SuperBiiz) 

Yeah, your not cooling the 8700K with that. No way in hell. You want something like a 240mm AIO to get steady temps. Well pointed out @sillypenguin213.

[Ordinarily_Greater]

52 minutes ago, sillypenguin213 said:

Damn dude, the L9i could not handle the 8700k this burning core. At least Cryorig C7

 

3 minutes ago, AskTJ said:

Yeah, your not cooling the 8700K with that. No way in hell. You want something like a 240mm AIO to get steady temps. Well pointed out @sillypenguin213.

new list bruh, but still portable

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-8700K 3.7GHz 6-Core Processor  ($339.99 @ Best Buy) 
CPU Cooler: Noctua - NH-U12S 55.0 CFM CPU Cooler  ($57.99 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: Asus - ROG Strix Z370-I Gaming Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($177.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Memory: G.Skill - Trident Z 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory  ($164.99 @ Newegg Business) 
Storage: Crucial - MX500 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($109.85 @ OutletPC) 
Storage: Crucial - MX500 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($109.85 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: Zotac - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB Mini Video Card  ($749.99 @ Amazon) 
Case: Fractal Design - Node 804 MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($99.99 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: SeaSonic - FOCUS Plus Gold 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($69.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Total: $1880.63
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-06-18 07:33 EDT-0400

[sillypenguin213]

PCPartPicker part list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/ytfrGG
Price breakdown by merchant: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/ytfrGG/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel - Core i7-8700K 3.7GHz 6-Core Processor  ($339.99 @ Best Buy) 
CPU Cooler: Corsair - H100i v2 70.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($107.99 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: Asus - ROG Strix Z370-I Gaming Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($177.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Memory: G.Skill - Trident Z 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory  ($169.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Samsung - 970 Evo 250GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  ($107.99 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: Gigabyte - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB Turbo Video Card  ($719.99 @ Amazon) 
Case: Lian-Li - PC-05SX HTPC Case  ($302.92 @ B&H) 
Power Supply: Corsair - SF 600W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular SFX Power Supply  ($114.89 @ OutletPC) 
Total: $2041.75

No compromising

[D3monw3st]

How does this build do? 
 

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/bvkckd

Also, which graphics card is better then? Gigabyte 1080 TI, ASUS 1080 TI, or EVGA 1080 TI?