Build Advice: $1500 Compact/Mid-Size Gaming System

[Yeroh]

Hi everyone,

I'm looking to build a new custom PC and since I've lost track of hardware a while ago, I'd like to get some help. In short:

 

Budget: $1500 (system only, no peripherals or monitor needed)
Use: Gaming (1080p, preferably 120Hz), Media Consumption, possibly Video Editing

Other:

• Compact / Mid-Size Case preferred, would like to avoid large cases, though performance shouldn't be compromised
• Integrated Wifi or a separate Wifi module would be great
• DVD/Blu-ray drive required

 

I'd be willing to be more flexible on the budget, but I'm not gaming as much as used to and don't have a 4K monitor, so I feel like spending more wouldn't net me a whole lot of extra value.

 

Something to consider is that I've only just bought a GTX 1070 about a year ago (which was used in my old rig), so I could still use it in this system. I wasn't very impressed with it though, in BFV frame rates never got to a point where I felt like I benefited from my 144 Hz monitor. Granted, the rest of the system was from 2012, so I think the other components may have been holding it back (a little?). Would you consider replacing the GTX 1070 or sticking with it for now? Are M.2 SSDs worth considering? And would an AMD processor be a better option these days?

 

Thanks in advance!

[ddennis002]

 

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	Intel Core i9-9900KF 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor	$419.99 @ Newegg
CPU Cooler	be quiet! Dark Rock 4 CPU Cooler	$74.90 @ Amazon
Motherboard	Gigabyte Z390 M GAMING Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard	$139.99 @ Amazon
Memory	G.Skill Trident Z RGB 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory	$104.99 @ Newegg
Storage	Intel 660p Series 1.02 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive	$94.99 @ Amazon
Video Card	MSI GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER 8 GB GAMING X TRIO Video Card	$539.99 @ B&H
Case	Thermaltake Core V21 MicroATX Mini Tower Case	$58.98 @ Newegg
Power Supply	Corsair RMx (2018) 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply	$87.99 @ Amazon
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total (before mail-in rebates)	$1531.82
	Mail-in rebates	-$10.00
	Total	$1521.82
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-08-30 15:48 EDT-0400

 

[Epimetheus]

2 minutes ago, ddennis002 said:

 

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	Intel Core i9-9900KF 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor	$419.99 @ Newegg
CPU Cooler	be quiet! Dark Rock 4 CPU Cooler	$74.90 @ Amazon
Motherboard	Gigabyte Z390 M GAMING Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard	$139.99 @ Amazon
Memory	G.Skill Trident Z RGB 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory	$104.99 @ Newegg
Storage	Intel 660p Series 1.02 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive	$94.99 @ Amazon
Video Card	MSI GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER 8 GB GAMING X TRIO Video Card	$539.99 @ B&H
Case	Thermaltake Core V21 MicroATX Mini Tower Case	$58.98 @ Newegg
Power Supply	Corsair RMx (2018) 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply	$87.99 @ Amazon
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total (before mail-in rebates)	$1531.82
	Mail-in rebates	-$10.00
	Total	$1521.82
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-08-30 15:48 EDT-0400

 

You'd be putting a core of the sun hot cpu like the 9900k in a small form factor pc? The absolute madlad

[Sorenson]

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	Intel Core i7-9700K 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor	$339.99 @ Amazon
CPU Cooler	Corsair H80i v2 70.69 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler	$94.89 @ OutletPC
Motherboard	Gigabyte Z390 I AORUS PRO WIFI Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard	$164.99 @ Amazon
Memory	Team XCALIBUR Phantom Gaming RGB 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory	$84.99 @ Newegg
Storage	Intel 660p Series 1.02 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive	$94.99 @ Amazon
Video Card	Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER 8 GB GAMING OC Video Card	$549.99 @ Newegg
Case	Phanteks ENTHOO EVOLV SHIFT Mini ITX Tower Case	$120.00
Power Supply	EVGA SuperNOVA GM 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular SFX Power Supply	$80.98 @ Newegg
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total (before mail-in rebates)	$1565.82
	Mail-in rebates	-$35.00
	Total	$1530.82
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-08-30 16:13 EDT-0400

This is pretty much my build right now, and I'm loving it. This is the only triple fan 2070 super that will fit in the Evolv Shift, and it requires you to only use one fan on the H80I v2 (but that is plenty, mine is running at around 60c under load at 4.9ghz with only one of the fans). I shopped for discounts (student, and sales) and was able to get everything for around $1400. The Evolv Shift is out of stock everywhere right now until the beginning of next month because they are about to release the air version of it which will be much better for cooling. 

 

EDIT: If you're leaning towards Ryzen I originally tried the 3700x in this case but it ran too hot for my comfort (80-90c under stress tests and would shut down). But this was during the first two weeks of release so i'm not sure if it has gotten better or not. 

Edited August 30, 2019 by Sorenson

[Yeroh]

Thanks for your responses, guys.

I've read a couple of articles and videos in the meantime and something that's become even more of a questionmark for me is the graphics card. You've both recommended an RTX 2070, which I would probably go for if I didn't already have a graphics card, but I'm only seeing a reported 15-20% improvement in FPS over the GTX 1070. Granted, any improvement is nice, but at $500, I feel like that money would be better spent on an upgrade in the next generation.

 

1 hour ago, Sorenson said:

If you're leaning towards Ryzen I originally tried the 3700x in this case but it ran too hot for my comfort (80-90c under stress tests and would shut down).

 

Yeah, after doing some digging the Ryzen 7 3700x was what I was leaning towards. I'm a bit torn on commiting to a mini ITX case at the moment, though, particularly because of thermal and upgradeability concerns. As stated above, the most probable upgrade for me would be going for a new graphics card when the new generation comes out, but I guess I should be fine on that front. I'll most likely add a few HDDs/SSDs over the lifespan of the new PC as well, so I'm really interested on your take regarding the upgradeability.

[Suika]

14 minutes ago, Yeroh said:

You've both recommended an RTX 2070, which I would probably go for if I didn't already have a graphics card, but I'm only seeing a reported 15-20% improvement in FPS over the GTX 1070.

They're recommending the RTX 2070 Super, which is a different card from the RTX 2070 (because NVIDIA). The 2070 Super is considerably more powerful than the 2070, Gamers Nexus has some decent benchmarks if you aren't sure how much better the 2070 Super does.

 

Ultimately, it's up to you of course, but the difference is definitely a lot more than 15-20%.

[Yeroh]

1 minute ago, Suika said:

They're recommending the RTX 2070 Super, which is a different card from the RTX 2070 (because NVIDIA). The 2070 Super is considerably more powerful than the 2070, Gamers Nexus has some decent benchmarks if you aren't sure how much better the 2070 Super does.

 

Ultimately, it's up to you of course, but the difference is definitely a lot more than 15-20%.

Thanks for the heads up. I guess these days you never know when a buzzword like Super, Ultra, Gaming, Special Edition or whatnot actually means something. It looks like it's definitely an even better option than the regular 2070, so maybe I'll consider that.

[Guest]

51 minutes ago, Suika said:

They're recommending the RTX 2070 Super, which is a different card from the RTX 2070 (because NVIDIA). The 2070 Super is considerably more powerful than the 2070, Gamers Nexus has some decent benchmarks if you aren't sure how much better the 2070 Super does.

 

Ultimately, it's up to you of course, but the difference is definitely a lot more than 15-20%.

I assume that is a typo, and you meant to say the 2070 Super is considerably more powerful than a 1070 ? As a 2070 and 2070 Super are not that far apart. 

[Blind X]

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor  ($327.79 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: MSI B450M GAMING PLUS Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($84.89 @ OutletPC) 
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport AT 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory  ($69.99 @ Newegg Business) 
Storage: Intel 660p Series 1.02 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  ($94.99 @ Adorama) 
Video Card: Zotac GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER 8 GB GAMING AMP Video Card  ($738.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Case: DIYPC Cuboid MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($46.88 @ Newegg Business) 
Power Supply: Corsair TXM Gold 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply  ($72.98 @ Newegg) 
Optical Drive: LG WH14NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer  ($54.99 @ Amazon) 
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WN881ND PCIe x1 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi Adapter  ($14.23 @ Amazon) 
Total: $1505.73
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-08-30 19:12 EDT-0400

 

The AMD Wraith Prism cooler that comes with the 3700X holds up pretty well with precision boost on. But if you still want something for quieter operation you can get an ARCTIC Freezer 34 eSports for $35.

[Herman Mcpootis]

which country are you in?

[Sorenson]

4 hours ago, Blind X said:

 

The AMD Wraith Prism cooler that comes with the 3700X holds up pretty well with precision boost on. But if you still want something for quieter operation you can get an ARCTIC Freezer 34 eSports for $35.

This is 100% true in most atx cases. Micro atx and mini itx cases have less airflow so air coolers generally perform worse than they do in larger case.

[Sorenson]

6 hours ago, Yeroh said:

Yeah, after doing some digging the Ryzen 7 3700x was what I was leaning towards. I'm a bit torn on commiting to a mini ITX case at the moment, though, particularly because of thermal and upgradeability concerns. As stated above, the most probable upgrade for me would be going for a new graphics card when the new generation comes out, but I guess I should be fine on that front. I'll most likely add a few HDDs/SSDs over the lifespan of the new PC as well, so I'm really interested on your take regarding the upgradeability.

I went from the 1070ti to the 2070 super and I was really happy with the upgrade. I’ve only ever used mini itx or micro atx and there are definitely options with better cooling. If you want to go with a 3700x > 9700k I would go with the nzxt h210i with a 240 AIO. You could also do the new lian li tu 150 with a good air cooler if you don’t like water coolers.

 

My recommendations were based on your budget. If you only wanted 1080p 120hz I would go with the 3700x or 9700k and then a 2060 super or 5700 XT partner model. Both are more than capable for 1080p. Go with the 5700 XT if you value a little more frame rate, and the 2060 super if you want the ray tracing features. I use my 2070 super for high frame rate 1440p and a medium/high 4K 60fps gaming. 

 

Finally for SSDs for your main drive I would go with a smaller ssd  from a reliable brand like Samsung with a large dram cache for your main drive, and then a larger secondary drive, like the intel 660p, for your games. 

[Blind X]

11 minutes ago, Sorenson said:

This is 100% true in most atx cases. Micro atx and mini itx cases have less airflow so air coolers generally perform worse than they do in larger case.

Thats why I recommended him the ARCTIC Freezer 34 eSports. I consider the fact that they have less air flow but even for a Micro ATX or Mini ITX build, that cooler is more than just fine if he don't plan some serious overclocking.

[Sorenson]

10 minutes ago, Blind X said:

Thats why I recommended him the ARCTIC Freezer 34 eSports. I consider the fact that they have less air flow but even for a Micro ATX or Mini ITX build, that cooler is more than just fine if he don't plan some serious overclocking.

Sorry I should have clarified, I was referring to the stock AMD stock cooler with my initial comment. If the case fits the Arctic Freezer 34 it should be more than enough.

[Suika]

7 hours ago, lee32uk said:

I assume that is a typo, and you meant to say the 2070 Super is considerably more powerful than a 1070 ? As a 2070 and 2070 Super are not that far apart. 

I meant that it wasn't something of an overclocked AIB variant, and was substantially more powerful than that.

[Yeroh]

10 hours ago, Herman Mcpootis said:

which country are you in?

I'd hoped it doesn't matter, but upon checking, it turns out quite a few of the recommended components aren't available over here.

 

I'm from Germany, so I've looked at what I can reasonably get over here and the following components looked appealing to me:

• Case: NZXT H400 - 102,85€
• Mainboard: ASRock X570M Pro4 mATX - 179€
• Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X - 334,49€
• CPU Cooler: beQuiet! Shadow Rock Slim Tower - 38,74€
• Storage: 1 TB Crucial P1 NVMe M.2 2280 PCIe 3.0 - 112€
• RAM: 16 GB G.Skill RipJaws V DDR3-3200 CL16 - 77,9€
• Power: 500W beQuiet! Pure Power 11 CM Modular 80+ Gold - 68,87€

Here's the shopping cart at a local retailer's site. The price adds up to about 900€ if I use my own GTX 1070, which is what I'd start with. If performance turns out to be less than what I'd like, I may consider going for a RTX 2070 Super later on. Otherwise I'd wait it out until the next gen graphics cards are released.

 

Can someone chime in as to what they think of the build?

 

I'd be particularly interested what you guys think of the Mainboard. It's mATX, has PCIe 4.0, a total of 8 USB 3.x ports, 2x M.2 2280 and an M.2 Wifi-Slot. I've had good experiences with beQuiet in the past, so I'd go with them for the PSU and CPU cooler. Storage is one where I'm not sure if the extra expense makes sense - I saw that a 1TB Samsung 970 Evo Plus M.2 SSD was considerably quicker in terms of read/write (3000Mb/s+ instead of roughly 2000Mb/s for the one I chose), but I'm not sure if that'd be worth the extra 100€. Again, I don't generally mind spending more, but the name of the game for me is making sense.

[Sorenson]

On 8/31/2019 at 6:20 AM, Yeroh said:

Storage is one where I'm not sure if the extra expense makes sense - I saw that a 1TB Samsung 970 Evo Plus M.2 SSD was considerably quicker in terms of read/write (3000Mb/s+ instead of roughly 2000Mb/s for the one I chose), but I'm not sure if that'd be worth the extra 100€. Again, I don't generally mind spending more, but the name of the game for me is making sense.

The build looks good, but I would recommend having a more durable SSD as your main boot drive. Cheaper SSDs generally have slower storage controllers, are made of QLC or TLC memory (which is slower), and have smaller DRAM caches. Instead of going with the 1tb Samsung, I would spend the 100€ on a 500gb 970 evo+ or evo and keep the other drive as a games drive. If your boot drive fails it’s a huge pain, and my 960 evo has lasted 5+ years and is still faster than my new 1tb Intel 660p by a lot.

[Yeroh]

2 hours ago, Sorenson said:

The build looks good, but I would recommend having a more durable SSD as your main boot drive. Cheaper SSDs generally have slower storage controllers, are made of QLC or TLC memory (which is slower), and have smaller DRAM caches. Instead of going with the 1tb Samsung, I would spend the 100€ on a 500gb 970 evo+ or evo and keep the other drive as a games drive. If your boot drive fails it’s a huge pain, and my 960 evo has lasted 5+ years and is still faster than my new 1tb Intel 660p by a lot.

Thanks! I came to the same conclusion and will probably go for the Samsung SSD.