Request for Appraisal - First Build

[Revanchist1ab]

Hi, I'm Rev. Thanks for clicking. I'm requesting some critique on my first (future) PC build.

 

List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/ccKGmq

 

1. Budget & Location

Target price is below $1800 USD; location is East Coast United States (UTC-5).

 

2. Aim
The primary purpose of this rig is to run most AAA video games at 1440p on high/ultra settings at a refresh rate above 60 FPS. If I had to state a more concrete goal, it would be to run Destiny 2 on ultra-graphic settings at 120 FPS.

 

3. Monitors
I will be running two monitors (already purchased).

• one Acer XB271HU abmiprz 27.0" 2560x1440 165 Hz monitor AND
• one Acer S231HL 23" 1920x1080 60Hz monitor

 

4. Peripherals
I will be using a Razer Ornata Chroma keyboard and a Logitech G403 Hero mouse (both already purchased). Speakers are not a concern and I'm not sure anyone agrees on headphones. I was looking at the ASUS ROG Delta but I'd rather leave that for another discussion. I currently use Astro A50 Gen3's unfortunately.

 

5. Why are you upgrading?
In late 2016, I purchased an Acer Predator G3-710-UC11 (model#:DGB14AA008) (http://snlookup.com/acer-predator-g3-710-desktop-dg-b14aa-008-p7197#ffs-tabbed-16) for $1200 (from CostCo) with salary that I had been saving from my part-time job. While not outputting the greatest resolution, it was an exceptional deal for the time and is able to run most games on high at 60+ FPS and has been an extremely reliable computer with the exception of the pre-installed Sound Blaster software which never truly worked.

 

Now that I have graduated from my college and I'm looking for an industry job, I'd like to plan what I'm going to be gaming on in less than a year's time or so. After, I plan on (attempting) to sell my original Acer machine for about $750-800 USD; keyboard, mouse, and all original instructions and packing material included.

 

The parts have been chosen by binging LTT and Techquickie videos for weeks. Computers are not foreign to me; my major in college was Cybersecurity and I am the proud owner of a new CompTIA CySA+ certification. Regardless, I am still very new to consumer computer building.

 

The following is a complete list of components I intend on purchasing with the exception of the power supply which I bought to upgrade my Acer pre-built (I assumed there was an issue with the current power supply. There was not.).

 

List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/ccKGmq

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	Intel Core i7-9700K 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor	$339.99 @ Amazon
CPU Cooler	Corsair H100i v2 70.69 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler	$199.87 @ OutletPC
Motherboard	Gigabyte Z390 AORUS PRO WIFI ATX LGA1151 Motherboard	$179.99 @ Amazon
Memory	Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory	$89.99 @ Amazon
Storage	Samsung 970 Evo 500 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive	$89.99 @ Amazon
Storage	Seagate Barracuda 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive	$79.89 @ OutletPC
Video Card	MSI GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER 8 GB GAMING X TRIO Video Card
Case	Cougar Panzer ATX Mid Tower Case	$94.99 @ Newegg Business
Power Supply	SeaSonic FOCUS Plus Gold 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply
Operating System	Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit	$99.89 @ OutletPC
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total (before mail-in rebates)	$1184.60
	Mail-in rebates	-$10.00
	Total	$1174.60
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-09-07 16:04 EDT-0400

6. Reasoning

• CPU: The i7-9700K was chosen as the current strongest CPU for gaming for the price. From what most say, the 9700 is the sweet spot in terms of strength.
• Cooler: I wanted something that wouldn't break the bank and while physical coolers may be stronger, the peace of mind that you get from moving a liquid cooler was enough to make me switch.
• Motherboard: It has good reviews and does what I want. It doesn't look half bad either.
• Memory: 3600 seems to be the current sweet spot. This will not be a work PC so I don't need 32 GB.
• Storage: (HDD) Good reviews. (SDD) I want something strong that can store at least one game at a time. I have a 250 GB SSD but due to how much space Windows, the page file, etc. take up, I can't store a games on it. I could be convinced to upgrade to a 1 TB 970 Evo if given a good reason.
• GPU: I want something exceptionally strong with ray-tracing future-proofing.
• Case: It looks really nice and gets the job done. I'd prefer not to have all glass as I want a good deal of cooling since my room gets exceptionally hot during the day.
• PSU: In retrospect, I would have looked for something stronger, but I believe that would just be overkill. This is highly-rated and I have already purchased it a while ago.
• Optical drive: N/A; I would like one as textbooks still come with CDs, but this is a concession I'm willing to make.
• OS: I'm sensible and not enough of a masochist for Linux. I don't want to spend hours configuring everything.
• Case fans: I'm willing to take recommendations for what else I should line the case with.
• UPS: No idea; recommendations?
• Sound card: N/A; I read the forum post; still don't understand. The motherboard (listed above) is supposed to have decent audio.

 

7. Final thoughts
I want the best I can get without breaking the bank. Style does matter to me and I get anxious when making concessions. I do not need an RGB light show, just a technically-sound machine that won't be an eye-sore. My favorite food is Italian, my favorite color is orange, and my personality type is INTP (also Slytherin-hisssss).

[VEXICUS]

Currently, and has the best bang for the buck. It comes pretty close to Intel in gaming performance, while even surpassing it in some games. Also, AMD has the lead in multithreaded applications. 

You can swap the gpu to 5700xt to cut down the cost. Also, the Mobo can be replaced by a b450 one to cut down the cost even more.

I have added in a 2080 super in this build.

 

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor  ($327.79 @ OutletPC) 
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 50.5 CFM CPU Cooler  ($89.90 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: Asus TUF GAMING X570-PLUS (WI-FI) ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($195.89 @ OutletPC) 
Memory: OLOy WarHawk RGB 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory  ($79.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Intel 660p Series 1.02 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  ($94.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Western Digital RE 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($38.43 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER 8 GB Video Card  ($699.99 @ Best Buy) 
Case: Cooler Master MasterBox NR600 (w/o ODD) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($69.99 @ Amazon) 
Power Supply: BitFenix Formula Gold 650 W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply  ($75.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit  ($99.89 @ OutletPC) 
Total: $1772.85
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-08-28 01:10 EDT-0400

[GoldenLag]

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor  ($327.79 @ OutletPC) 
CPU Cooler: Deepcool Fryzen 64 CFM CPU Cooler  ($78.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte X570 AORUS ELITE ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($199.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Memory: OLOy WarHawk RGB 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  ($64.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Sabrent Rocket 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  ($109.98 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: EVGA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER 8 GB BLACK GAMING Video Card  ($704.98 @ Newegg) 
Case: be quiet! Silent Base 601 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($138.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Power Supply: Corsair RMx (2018) 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($87.99 @ Amazon) 
Total: $1713.70
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-08-28 02:13 EDT-0400

 

better for cheaper. 

1 hour ago, Revanchist1ab said:

PSU: In retrospect, I would have looked for something stronger, but I believe that would just be overkill. This is highly-rated and I have already purchased it a while ago.

its allready strong enough, the issue is that the Focus line of PSUs have issues that make them worth avoiding. 

1 hour ago, Revanchist1ab said:

The i7-9700K was chosen as the current strongest CPU for gaming for the price. From what most say, the 9700 is the sweet spot in terms of strength.

suffers from lack of HT. an 8700k or 9900 would be a better choice. 

1 hour ago, Revanchist1ab said:

GPU: I want something exceptionally strong with ray-tracing future-proofing.

the raytracing capabilities arent great on Turing. arguing for "future proof" regarding it is not great. its early adopter tax essentially. you buy these cards because of their performance. 

[m777y]

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i9-9900 3.1 GHz 8-Core Processor  ($438.89 @ OutletPC) 
CPU Cooler: Scythe Mugen 5 Rev. B 51.17 CFM CPU Cooler  ($57.09 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: Asus TUF Z390-PRO GAMING ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($162.01 @ Amazon) 
Memory: Team T-FORCE VULCAN Z 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory  ($67.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Intel 660p Series 1.02 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  ($94.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Seagate Barracuda Computer 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($49.99 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: Asus GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER 8 GB DUAL EVO OC Video Card  ($729.99 @ Amazon) 
Case: Corsair 270R ATX Mid Tower Case  ($74.99 @ Corsair) 
Power Supply: Thermaltake 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply  ($89.15 @ Amazon) 
Total: $1765.09
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-08-28 06:15 EDT-0400

[Revanchist1ab]

So if anyone is watching this, I updated the list:

 

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor	$327.79 @ OutletPC
Motherboard	ASRock X570 Steel Legend ATX AM4 Motherboard	$199.99 @ Amazon
Memory	G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory	$70.99 @ Newegg
Storage	Samsung 970 Evo 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive	$169.99 @ B&H
Storage	Seagate Barracuda 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive	$79.89 @ OutletPC
Video Card	Asus GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER 8 GB STRIX GAMING Advanced Video Card	$767.50 @ Amazon
Case	Cougar Panzer ATX Mid Tower Case	$94.99 @ Newegg Business
Power Supply	SeaSonic FOCUS Plus Gold 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply
Operating System	Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit	$99.89 @ OutletPC
Case Fan	Fractal Design HF14-BK 118.2 CFM 140 mm Fan	$20.92 @ Amazon
Case Fan	Fractal Design HF14-BK 118.2 CFM 140 mm Fan	$20.92 @ Amazon
Case Fan	be quiet! Pure Wings 2 120 PWM 87 CFM 120 mm Fan	$11.99 @ SuperBiiz
Case Fan	be quiet! Pure Wings 2 120 PWM 87 CFM 120 mm Fan	$11.99 @ SuperBiiz
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total (before mail-in rebates)	$1886.85
	Mail-in rebates	-$10.00
	Total	$1876.85
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-08-29 01:33 EDT-0400

 

I should mention that I HAVE to purchase a new Windows license as I intend on reselling my pre-built. To be honest some of these components feel overkill but reliability is one of my goals. The GPU is certainly overkill (and ungodly expensive), but I highly doubt I'll need to swap it within the next few years. I was thinking about a better CPU cooler, but I decided to put the money saved, since I'm getting a Ryzen with an included cooler, towards the motherboard.

 

And yes... I'm completely aware I'm over the cost by $80. I really would like to trim that down.

Edited August 29, 2019 by Revanchist1ab

[seagate_surfer]

It looks great just like that fella!

[Revanchist1ab]

K, after talking with more forum members and getting more advice, I was able to knock everything down a pinch while still retaining performance:

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor	$327.79 @ OutletPC
Motherboard	Asus TUF GAMING X570-PLUS ATX AM4 Motherboard	$189.79 @ OutletPC
Memory	G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory	$70.99 @ Newegg
Storage	Corsair MP510 960 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive	$135.99 @ Newegg
Storage	Seagate Barracuda Compute 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive	$49.99 @ Amazon
Video Card	MSI GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER 8 GB GAMING TRIO Video Card	$749.99 @ Newegg
Case	Cougar Panzer ATX Mid Tower Case	$99.98 @ Newegg
Power Supply	SeaSonic FOCUS Plus Gold 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply
Operating System	Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit	$99.89 @ OutletPC
Case Fan	Fractal Design HF14-BK 118.2 CFM 140 mm Fan	$19.99 @ SuperBiiz
Case Fan	be quiet! Pure Wings 2 120 PWM 87 CFM 120 mm Fan	$11.99 @ SuperBiiz
Case Fan	be quiet! Pure Wings 2 120 PWM 87 CFM 120 mm Fan	$11.99 @ SuperBiiz
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total (before mail-in rebates)	$1798.38
	Mail-in rebates	-$30.00
	Total	$1768.38
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-08-29 22:08 EDT-0400

While I could knock the motherboard down to a C-level board, I think I'll stick with the Steel Legend as it got a B-level rating in the forums and I'm now back below $1800. Thank you everyone once again and if anyone has any other advice, I'll be glad to hear it. ^-^

[Blind X]

59 minutes ago, Revanchist1ab said:

K, after talking with more forum members and getting more advice, I was able to knock everything down a pinch while still retaining performance:

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor	$327.79 @ OutletPC
Motherboard	ASRock X570 Steel Legend ATX AM4 Motherboard	$199.99 @ Amazon
Memory	G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory	$70.99 @ Newegg
Storage	Corsair MP510 960 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive	$135.99 @ Newegg
Storage	Seagate Barracuda Compute 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive	$49.99 @ Amazon
Video Card	MSI GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER 8 GB GAMING TRIO Video Card	$749.99 @ Newegg
Case	Cougar Panzer ATX Mid Tower Case	$99.98 @ Newegg
Power Supply	SeaSonic FOCUS Plus Gold 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply
Operating System	Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit	$99.89 @ OutletPC
Case Fan	Fractal Design HF14-BK 118.2 CFM 140 mm Fan	$18.99 @ Walmart
Case Fan	be quiet! Pure Wings 2 120 PWM 87 CFM 120 mm Fan	$11.99 @ SuperBiiz
Case Fan	be quiet! Pure Wings 2 120 PWM 87 CFM 120 mm Fan	$11.99 @ SuperBiiz
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total (before mail-in rebates)	$1787.58
	Mail-in rebates	-$10.00
	Total	$1777.58
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-08-29 18:08 EDT-0400

While I could knock the motherboard down to a C-level board, I think I'll stick with the Steel Legend as it got a B-level rating in the forums and I'm now back below $1800. Thank you everyone once again and if anyone has any other advice, I'll be glad to hear it. ^-^

A pretty solit build that is. But 2 things I would change there,

 

1. Asus TUF GAMING X570-PLUS

    Gigabyte X570 AORUS ELITE

    MSI MPG X570 GAMING EDGE WIFI

 

These boards are a better option over the Steel Legend at the same price point. The order in which I have arranged them is what I would recommend going first with. Though all of them are exceptionally good and if you like any of them more for aesthetics, you can go with it.

 

2. 750W is overkill. No need for that. You can get a RMx 650 instead. Its a much better unit and as @GoldenLag said SeaSonic has some issues which makes it hard for us to recommend. A 550W will also do the job but 650W is for quite purposes.

[Revanchist1ab]

@Blind X Thank you for reminding me. Somehow, I forgot to change the board. Much appreciated.

 

I'll edit the config above this one.

 

For better or worse, I bought the power supply months ago to replace the one in my pre-built, so I will simply be scavenging it and placing it in the new PC. Changing is not an option, but I do wonder why this is a common response. I see no problems in any of the reviews on the store sites. The primary issue seems people weren't too thrilled with the sleeve-ing which didn't bother me.

 

What problems were people having?

[Blind X]

3 hours ago, Revanchist1ab said:

@Blind X Thank you for reminding me. Somehow, I forgot to change the board. Much appreciated.

 

I'll edit the config above this one.

 

For better or worse, I bought the power supply months ago to replace the one in my pre-built, so I will simply be scavenging it and placing it in the new PC. Changing is not an option, but I do wonder why this is a common response. I see no problems in any of the reviews on the store sites. The primary issue seems people weren't too thrilled with the sleeve-ing which didn't bother me.

 

What problems were people having?

You can read more about it here,

Click on the bold LinusLateTips replied go a topic. Will take you directly to your answer.

[GoldenLag]

6 hours ago, Blind X said:

MSI MPG X570 GAMING EDGE WIFI

this board really isnt much better than the steel legend iirc. 

[Blind X]

1 minute ago, GoldenLag said:

this board really isnt much better than the steel legend iirc. 

Buildzoid was rembling about the x570 MSI boards and AFAIK he clearly considered it to be a better option at this price point then the Steel Legend. Though his first recommendations were the Asus TUF GAMING X570-PLUS and Gigabyte X570 AORUS ELITE.

[GoldenLag]

1 minute ago, Blind X said:

Buildzoid was rembling about the x570 MSI boards and AFAIK he clearly considered it to be a better option at this price point then the Steel Legend. Though his first recommendations were the Asus TUF GAMING X570-PLUS and Gigabyte X570 AORUS ELITE.

its a better option, but the heatsink wasnt very impressive. and without some actual airflow that not really worth it. 

[Revanchist1ab]

Final, not looking for replies, just updating this thread for archive purposes.

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor	$327.89 @ Amazon
Motherboard	Asus TUF GAMING X570-PLUS ATX AM4 Motherboard	$189.99 @ Amazon
Memory	Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory	$79.99 @ Amazon
Storage	Corsair MP510 960 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive	$135.99 @ Newegg
Storage	Seagate Barracuda Compute 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive	$54.99 @ Amazon
Video Card	MSI GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER 8 GB GAMING TRIO Video Card	$749.99 @ Newegg
Case	Cougar Panzer ATX Mid Tower Case	$94.99 @ Newegg Business
Power Supply	SeaSonic FOCUS Plus Gold 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply
Operating System	Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit	$99.89 @ OutletPC
Case Fan	Noctua NF-P14s redux-1500 PWM 78.69 CFM 140 mm Fan	$14.95 @ Amazon
Case Fan	Noctua NF-P14s redux-1500 PWM 78.69 CFM 140 mm Fan	$14.95 @ Amazon
Case Fan	Noctua NF-P12 redux-1700 PWM 70.75 CFM 120 mm Fan	$13.90 @ Amazon
Case Fan	Noctua NF-P12 redux-1700 PWM 70.75 CFM 120 mm Fan	$13.90 @ Amazon
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total (before mail-in rebates)	$1801.42
	Mail-in rebates	-$10.00
	Total	$1791.42
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-09-07 16:02 EDT-0400

 

[seagate_surfer]

Nothing feels better than when you have made your decision based on well-founded information and sometimes extensive reviews to help you make a decision, make it for the use that will be given since you started the project and that will be sufficient, nothing more nothing less.