Switch from Mac to gaming PC

[JeanRob]

Hello everybody.

 

I have been watching LTT for a couple of years now and am turning to you all for advice with my next machine.

 

Before delving too deep in the technical aspect, let's start with the "build plan thread recommendations".

 

1. Why are you upgrading?

I built a few PCs and was on Windows until 2006, when I switched to Mac. Now it's time to switch again as the machines Apple sells do not match my needs anymore in terms of performance, price etc.

2. Aim

Mostly gaming (silently) at home, a bit of office work, a bit of photo editing for my wife who does freelance photography.

Nothing fancy but I want a machine that will be running smoothly for the next 36 months and be able to run games at a decent framerate on max settings now and medium by then.

Types of games would be a mix of racing simulations, space operas, FPS, RTS.

I do not intend to stream nor game competitively so I am not chasing the absolute best performances.

Additional aim would be to maybe be able to dual boot to Linux.

3. Budget & Location

Budget is USD 2,500 max, including shipping.

Location is Japan.

I would prefer buying online from the US etc as long as the parts will be compatible with the japanese electrical network. Most of it should be OK; I am mostly concerned about the PSU & screen.

The problem is that the retailers in Japan are charging stupid margins and the machine would end up costing nearly twice or thrice as much as in the US.

3. Monitors

Just 1. Still unsure if 1080 or 1440 is the way to go though.

4. Peripherals

Need a monitor (see above), 1 keyboard & 1 mouse (preferrably both non wired), a Windows license.

 

Now that we got that out of the way, here is the machine I am looking at:

 

As for my questions:

• CPU: I have seen a few threads here saying the 9700K is not worth the additional cost compared to the 8700K. Even for a brand new machine?
• GPU: Been quite disappointed by the RTX debacle and not sure I want to pay the premium for ray tracing which is too immature of a technology for now and which I won't benefit from for quite some time.
• Cooling: I'd rather keep the machine quiet and cool for a multitude of reasons I won't detail but I'm not sure about watercooling. What I want is a "fire and forget" approach with the occasional dusting with an air canister.
• Motherboard: Not interested in overclocking, I just want a board that does not slow down the machine while offering decent I/O. (USB 3.1 & C, headphone jack, HDMI [in case I buy a video projector for watching movies], maybe WiFi).
• Storage: SSD for the system and games, HDD for long term storage. (I already have an external 2TB back-up drive + an airport time capsule)
• Case: I'm completely clueless here. Just want something big enough for the parts, not too open to avoid dust, USB 3.1 & C at the front.
• Monitor: 1440p would be great. Not sure I need the 1ms though.

Thanks a lot for your help and looking forward to seeing your feedbacks!

[Slottr]

23 minutes ago, JeanRob said:

CPU: I have seen a few threads here saying the 9700K is not worth the additional cost compared to the 8700K. Even for a brand new machine?

Hyper threading is important, go with the 8700k

23 minutes ago, JeanRob said:

GPU: Been quite disappointed by the RTX debacle and not sure I want to pay the premium for ray tracing which is too immature of a technology for now and which I won't benefit from for quite some time.

2070 acts a little better than a 1080. If you don't want to buy used then thats a fine card for gaming. Gigabyte card might not be quiet though. Good for 1440p high refresh. I wouldnt touch 1080p with that system.

23 minutes ago, JeanRob said:

Case: I'm completely clueless here. Just want something big enough for the parts, not too open to avoid dust, USB 3.1 & C at the front.

Go with a be quiet silent base or a fractal R6  considering you're looking for silence 

[d3adc3II]

Ur choice of hardware is good. Go for it.

[ch3w2oy]

25 minutes ago, Slottr said:

Hyper threading is important, go with the 8700k.

Only if you need it. They're basically on par with each other. I would get the 9700k if it's within your budget (OP) . The 0.4 extra threading power you get from the 8700k won't be noticeable in every day tasks, gaming and most productivity stuff. If you want the faster processor get the 9700k. Both will be relevant for quite a while. If the money could go towards something else, then get the 8700k. It doesn't really matter, honestly. If you have to ask or can't decide whether you need 6 cores with hyperthreading or 8 without, then just get the faster processor (doesn't apply in every situation).

 

Is the cost difference worth it? Only you can decide that. If you don't know why you would need hyperthreading with 6 cores (honestly I can't even figure out why I needed it, other than being relevant for a while, by then I will upgrade anyway, soo.. ), then the 8 core chip will bring you lots of joy for a long time. 

 

I mean if you're buying Intel then you already  don't care about price to performance because then Ryzen comes into play and crushes everything. 

\rant

[ch3w2oy]

BTW OP, that looks like a solid build. 

[JeanRob]

Thank you guys for your kind and detailed help!

 

20 hours ago, Slottr said:

Go with a be quiet silent base or a fractal R6  considering you're looking for silence

Thanks. I've updated the list parts to a base Define R6 USB-C for the moment.

Do you have any comments on the advantages of the TG version?

 

20 hours ago, tomswife said:

Is the cost difference worth it? Only you can decide that. If you don't know why you would need hyperthreading with 6 cores (honestly I can't even figure out why I needed it, other than being relevant for a while, by then I will upgrade anyway, soo.. ), then the 8 core chip will bring you lots of joy for a long time. 

 

I mean if you're buying Intel then you already don't care about price to performance because then Ryzen comes into play and crushes everything. 

\rant

Regarding the 9700k, I'll probably go with this one as the 0.4% performance delta will not change my life.

This being said, I am not closed to the idea of switching the whole machine to AMD for the CPU & GPU. They clearly seem to have a better ROI as you mentioned, but the performances in gaming still seem to be behind the Intel/Nvidia combo.

Besides the price to performance, what else would make in your opinion the AMD choice the best in my case?

 

Couple of noob questions:

1. For the Windows / Linux dual boot, should I put the two OS on the same SSD or invest in 2 separate SSDs?
2. For the prices & shipping internationally, any website to recommend besides Amazon & Newegg?
3. If I switch to AMD for the GPU, would the ASUS MG279Q monitor be a better choice?

Once again, thanks for your help!

[Slottr]

1 hour ago, JeanRob said:

TG version?

Considering you want silence then id go without the glass window. But if you'd still like to have the window it won't raise the decible level by a violent amount