Building Computer for Friend, would like Forum Input

[Jrimmer]

A friend asked me to build him a high end gaming desktop and I came up with the following system. He is going to order the parts this evening but before he does I figured I would ask you guys for your input.

 

Case: NZXT Phantom 410 Series, Black/Orange, Steel/Plastic, ATX Mid Tower.
($99.99)
Motherboard: ASUS ROG MAXIMUS VIII HERO ALPHA LGA 1151 Intel Z170, ATX Intel Motherboard.
($288.99)
CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 8M Skylake Quad-Core 4.0 GHz LGA 1151 91W
($364.99)
RAM: G.SKILL TridentZ Series 16GB(2 x 8 GB) DDR4 3200 (PC4 25600), Intel Z170 Platform
($96.99)
Graphics Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti CLASSIFIED GAMING w/ACX 2.0+
($639.99)
SSD: Samsung 850 Pro 2.5” 512GB SATA III
($217.97)
HDD: Western Digital Black 2TB, 7200 RPM SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB Cache
($122.99)
Power Supply: EVGA 220-G2-0850-XR 850W Power Supply, Fully Modular
($123.03)
Disk Drive: Asus 24x DVD Burner
($19.99)
After Market Heatsink: Cooler Master RR-212E-20PK-R2 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler
($29.49)
2.5” to 3.5” Mounting Kit: ICY DOCK Mounting kit
($6.99)
Monitor: ASUS ROG Swift PG278Q Black 27”, 1ms, Widescreen, 3D Monitor, G-Sync, 2K (2560x1440), 144hz.
($649.99)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro – Full Version (64bit and 32bit) USB
($199.99)

He wanted to pick his own Mouse and Keyboard.

[Cutout]

What is his budget? Also, you may not want to write with black text, as some people use the night theme making it hard to read.

[Vercii]

If you could use pcpartpicker.com that'd help us out a lot. But anyways, it seems like a very nice high-end build. What is he going to use this for? 

[SeanAngelo]

7 minutes ago, Jrimmer said:

 

whats his use? budget?

[j]

6 minutes ago, Jrimmer said:

A friend asked me to build him a high end gaming desktop and I came up with the following system. He is going to order the parts this evening but before he does I figured I would ask you guys for your input.

 

Case: NZXT Phantom 410 Series, Black/Orange, Steel/Plastic, ATX Mid Tower.
($99.99)
Motherboard: ASUS ROG MAXIMUS VIII HERO ALPHA LGA 1151 Intel Z170, ATX Intel Motherboard.
($288.99)
CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 8M Skylake Quad-Core 4.0 GHz LGA 1151 91W
($364.99)
RAM: G.SKILL TridentZ Series 16GB(2 x 8 GB) DDR4 3200 (PC4 25600), Intel Z170 Platform
($96.99)
Graphics Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti CLASSIFIED GAMING w/ACX 2.0+
($639.99)
SSD: Samsung 850 Pro 2.5” 512GB SATA III
($217.97)
HDD: Western Digital Black 2TB, 7200 RPM SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB Cache
($122.99)
Power Supply: EVGA 220-G2-0850-XR 850W Power Supply, Fully Modular
($123.03)
Disk Drive: Asus 24x DVD Burner
($19.99)
After Market Heatsink: Cooler Master RR-212E-20PK-R2 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler
($29.49)
2.5” to 3.5” Mounting Kit: ICY DOCK Mounting kit
($6.99)
Monitor: ASUS ROG Swift PG278Q Black 27”, 1ms, Widescreen, 3D Monitor, G-Sync, 2K (2560x1440), 144hz.
($649.99)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro – Full Version (64bit and 32bit) USB
($199.99)

He wanted to pick his own Mouse and Keyboard.

I would use a better/cheaper/nicer case such as the corsaie air 540, phanteks evolv, or the s340. also i would throw in a nzxt hue to make his rig look nicer considering how much he is spending i would make it look nice

[Cutout]

2 minutes ago, Vercii said:

 What is he going to use this for? 

He said it was a high end gaming build, so probably gaming. I'm not sure if he'd be streaming or anything, but gaming is what the post says.

[Nohemi]

well we will need his budget and preferred color scheme. Also there is this great website called https://pcpartpicker.com/ that organizes the components on one site. It also checks for compatibility. 

[nskceaj]

My OCD kicks in. With the selected Ram Kits and Motherboard i would never choose a Black/Orange Case. PLEASE FIX

[Jrimmer]

2 minutes ago, Cutout said:

What is his budget? Also, you may not want to write with black text, as some people use the night theme making it hard to read.

$2800.00 USD. I'm fairly unfamiliar with the forums, sorry about the black text.

 

3 minutes ago, Vercii said:

If you could use pcpartpicker.com that'd help us out a lot. But anyways, it seems like a very nice high-end build. What is he going to use this for? 

I'll use pcpartpicker.com next time. He will likely be only playing like World of Warcraft games like that. That being said, he specifically requested I build him a fairly robust system (just below the best of the best) as he wanted to keep this desktop for a long time.

[Nohemi]

1 minute ago, Jrimmer said:

$2800.00 USD. I'm fairly unfamiliar with the forums, sorry about the black text.

 

I'll use pcpartpicker.com next time. He will likely be only playing like World of Warcraft games like that. That being said, he specifically requested I build him a fairly robust system (just below the best of the best) as he wanted to keep this desktop for a long time.

yeah, a beefy system like that one will last a long time. 

[Thecomputerman]

I suggest he should watch linustech tip video how to build a 4K pc  how to guide 

[Fatelinha]

Don't spend 119$ on windows 10, buy it from G2A. Or even buy a windows 7 copy and upgrade it to 10 for free

[stealth80]

I'm gonna guess around $2800 - $3000

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor  ($351.98 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i GTX 70.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($107.99 @ Best Buy)
Motherboard: Asus SABERTOOTH X99 ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard  ($308.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  ($134.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 950 PRO 256GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  ($177.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($71.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Superclocked+ ACX 2.0+ Video Card  ($619.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design Define R5 w/Window (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($119.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Asus PG279Q ROG Swift 165Hz 27.0" Monitor  ($799.00 @ B&H)
Total: $2782.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-29 20:09 EDT-0400

 

M.2 SSD, X99, 32GB ram, AIO cooler, IPS version of the PG278Q, Get windows from G2A etc

[BurblingBarbacoa]

It's a good built but maybe a little overkill in some areas and some things could be changes. 

 

EDIT: as a quick note, he really doesn't need a rig like this for easy to run games. I would step up to a 4K 60htz monitor as he will benefit more from the resolution than the refresh rate. 

• Case: That case is ok. If you want a mid/full tower then go for it. I personally like the Corsair 400Q/400C better for that price range. I prefer the asthetic of the corsair as well but if you like the angular design of the NZXT then go for it. Also keep the Fractal Define S in mind. 
• Mobo: That motherboard is kinda expensive. You can get more or less the same thing with the Asus Z170AR for less. If you aren't using the features that the ROG board offers then go for the AR. 
• CPU: For gaming, even at the high end, an i5 is absolutely fine. I reccomend the 6600k. 
• Ram: 8gb of ram is fine, although 16gb can't hurt is you leave lots of things open or you are a tab whore. Also leaves room for a but of content creation. 
• Graphics card: For a high end gaming rig yeah go for it. 980ti is a great card. That particular model is a different story. You don't need the Classified. It is more for high end overclocking. Get one with the normal ACX 2.0 cooler. Also, keep the R9 Fury in mind if you want to save a bit of money. It will still offer great preformance. 
• Storage: Step down the SSD to a 850 evo 500gb. The 2tb WD black is good. 
• Power supply: Power supply is 100%
• Disk drive: No. Stop it. Take it away. You DO NOT NEED AN OPTICAL DISK DRIVE. Get an external one if you really need it. 
• Cooler: Get a higher end cooler. The one you listed is fine but if you are shooting for the high end then go for high end cooling as well. I reccomend the CoolerMaster MasterAir Maker 8 or the EKWB Predator 240. 
• Drive mounting: I have zero idea why you included the mounting kit... 
• Monitor: Monitor is good. 
• OS: You can go to Kinguin for a cheap OS if you want. Ive never had any problems with it. 
• Peripherals: Tell him to look at the Steelseries Rival 300 for a mouse. I personally like WASD keyboards die to the fact that they are very easy to get shipped with custom keycaps. 

HOPE IT HELPED  

TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK...

[BurblingBarbacoa]

26 minutes ago, stealth80 said:

I'm gonna guess around $2800 - $3000

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor  ($351.98 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i GTX 70.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($107.99 @ Best Buy)
Motherboard: Asus SABERTOOTH X99 ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard  ($308.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  ($134.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 950 PRO 256GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  ($177.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($71.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Superclocked+ ACX 2.0+ Video Card  ($619.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design Define R5 w/Window (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($119.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Asus PG279Q ROG Swift 165Hz 27.0" Monitor  ($799.00 @ B&H)
Total: $2782.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-29 20:09 EDT-0400

 

M.2 SSD, X99, 32GB ram, AIO cooler, IPS version of the PG278Q, Get windows from G2A etc

Why would he need a 6 core CPU and 32gb of ram for a gaming rig? The Storage is kinda bad as well. Why would he need an m.2 drive? He wouldn't. And also he is much better off with a WD black than a Seagate barracuda. I also don't think that that monitor change is nessisary. WORLD OF Warcraft doesn't need 165htz I can tell you that. 

[stealth80]

13 minutes ago, BurblingBarbacoa said:

Why would he need a 6 core CPU and 32gb of ram for a gaming rig? The Storage is kinda bad as well. Why would he need an m.2 drive? He wouldn't. And also he is much better off with a WD black than a Seagate barracuda. I also don't think that that monitor change is nessisary. WORLD OF Warcraft doesn't need 165htz I can tell you that. 

Because the OP said he wanted it to "last a long time". Quantum Break is out next week, it wants 16gb ram, its about to become the norm. X99 wants quad channel so may aswell add 4x 8gb now rather than pay for another 4x4gb later.

 

6 cores are gonna be better than 4 come direct x 12, and that's a fact judging by all the early titles. 

 

What is wrong with the storage drive? Let me guess you heard this one guy have one fail?

 

The monitor is the IPS version of the OPs (and mine) giving slightly better colours, that is why I recommended it, alos as an ex 7/8 year wow player, I would have loved a high refresh rate monitor over a 60hz panel, whats the point in having a card run 100fps +on a 60hz screen? Also the OP's friend may play those games now, but what happens if he wants to play something different later? I would rather have a good 1440P panel than a 4k panel my rig is going to struggle to run ....

 

Why not have m.2 as a boot drive? I do and its been great, good cosmetically aswell as it doesn't require any wires

 

Anymore incorrect statements lol ?

[BurblingBarbacoa]

14 minutes ago, stealth80 said:

Because the OP said he wanted it to "last a long time". Quantum Break is out next week, it wants 16gb ram, its about to become the norm. X99 wants quad channel so may aswell add 4x 8gb now rather than pay for another 4x4gb later.

 

6 cores are gonna be better than 4 come direct x 12, and that's a fact judging by all the early titles. 

 

What is wrong with the storage drive? Let me guess you heard this one guy have one fail?

 

The monitor is the IPS version of the OPs (and mine) giving slightly better colours, that is why I recommended it, alos as an ex 7/8 year wow player, I would have loved a high refresh rate monitor over a 60hz panel, whats the point in having a card run 100fps +on a 60hz screen? Also the OP's friend may play those games now, but what happens if he wants to play something different later? I would rather have a good 1440P panel than a 4k panel my rig is going to struggle to run ....

 

Why not have m.2 as a boot drive? I do and its been great, good cosmetically aswell as it doesn't require any wires

 

Anymore incorrect statements lol ?

• Good point with the ram requirements but 16gb is still well enough. 
• Yes, however, it doesn't change the fact that the X99 will be under-utilised  in this use scenario
• no. A WD black is just faster. Barracudas are fine. They do have an overall higher failiyre rate but I have found them to be fine. Look at my thingy at the end of my post. I use one. 
• i know. I just think that the extra refresh rate over 144htz is not nessisary and the IPS panel will not be properly utilised withou some sort of colour or editing work. The TN panel on the the pg278q is very good for tn. If anything I think that a larger IPS 4K monitor would be good. A 980ti would run that fine. 
• I was never really that into WOW so I can't really speak for the refresh rate in games like that. 
• Im not saying that there is nothing wrong with a m.2 boot drive, I'm just saying I don't think the extra money is going to be worth it for him. I just think that he would be better off with a sata drive. The whole 'no cables thing is good though. Good point there. I'm considering switching to a m.2 drive in my secondary rig just for that. 

Chill out out a bit. We are both here to help him with this build. Nothing said was incorrect. Just different to what you said. Debating points is fine. "Anymore inncorrect statements lol" seems a little hostile. Anyway. Tell me what you think  

[Mr.Chow]

PC build is good but kinda a bit much for just WoW. I would change the processor and get an I7-5820K because you get 2 more cores and can just overclock it to the same speed as the i7-6700k. Also I think it's a bit cheaper then the 6700k but I'm not 100% sure

[Jrimmer]

4 hours ago, BurblingBarbacoa said:

It's a good built but maybe a little overkill in some areas and some things could be changes. 

 

EDIT: as a quick note, he really doesn't need a rig like this for easy to run games. I would step up to a 4K 60htz monitor as he will benefit more from the resolution than the refresh rate. 

• Case: That case is ok. If you want a mid/full tower then go for it. I personally like the Corsair 400Q/400C better for that price range. I prefer the asthetic of the corsair as well but if you like the angular design of the NZXT then go for it. Also keep the Fractal Define S in mind. 
• Mobo: That motherboard is kinda expensive. You can get more or less the same thing with the Asus Z170AR for less. If you aren't using the features that the ROG board offers then go for the AR. 
• CPU: For gaming, even at the high end, an i5 is absolutely fine. I reccomend the 6600k. 
• Ram: 8gb of ram is fine, although 16gb can't hurt is you leave lots of things open or you are a tab whore. Also leaves room for a but of content creation. 
• Graphics card: For a high end gaming rig yeah go for it. 980ti is a great card. That particular model is a different story. You don't need the Classified. It is more for high end overclocking. Get one with the normal ACX 2.0 cooler. Also, keep the R9 Fury in mind if you want to save a bit of money. It will still offer great preformance. 
• Storage: Step down the SSD to a 850 evo 500gb. The 2tb WD black is good. 
• Power supply: Power supply is 100%
• Disk drive: No. Stop it. Take it away. You DO NOT NEED AN OPTICAL DISK DRIVE. Get an external one if you really need it. 
• Cooler: Get a higher end cooler. The one you listed is fine but if you are shooting for the high end then go for high end cooling as well. I reccomend the CoolerMaster MasterAir Maker 8 or the EKWB Predator 240. 
• Drive mounting: I have zero idea why you included the mounting kit... 
• Monitor: Monitor is good. 
• OS: You can go to Kinguin for a cheap OS if you want. Ive never had any problems with it. 
• Peripherals: Tell him to look at the Steelseries Rival 300 for a mouse. I personally like WASD keyboards die to the fact that they are very easy to get shipped with custom keycaps. 

HOPE IT HELPED  

TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK...

Thanks for the feedback!

[Jrimmer]

5 hours ago, stealth80 said:

I'm gonna guess around $2800 - $3000

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor  ($351.98 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i GTX 70.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($107.99 @ Best Buy)
Motherboard: Asus SABERTOOTH X99 ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard  ($308.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  ($134.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 950 PRO 256GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  ($177.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($71.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Superclocked+ ACX 2.0+ Video Card  ($619.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design Define R5 w/Window (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($119.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Asus PG279Q ROG Swift 165Hz 27.0" Monitor  ($799.00 @ B&H)
Total: $2782.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-29 20:09 EDT-0400

 

M.2 SSD, X99, 32GB ram, AIO cooler, IPS version of the PG278Q, Get windows from G2A etc

We decided to give that M.2 Solid State Drive a shot. Thanks for the input!

[BurblingBarbacoa]

53 minutes ago, Jrimmer said:

Thanks for the feedback!

Anytime. If you have more questions then just ask  

[stealth80]

6 hours ago, BurblingBarbacoa said:

• Good point with the ram requirements but 16gb is still well enough. 
• Yes, however, it doesn't change the fact that the X99 will be under-utilised  in this use scenario
• no. A WD black is just faster. Barracudas are fine. They do have an overall higher failiyre rate but I have found them to be fine. Look at my thingy at the end of my post. I use one. 
• i know. I just think that the extra refresh rate over 144htz is not nessisary and the IPS panel will not be properly utilised withou some sort of colour or editing work. The TN panel on the the pg278q is very good for tn. If anything I think that a larger IPS 4K monitor would be good. A 980ti would run that fine. 
• I was never really that into WOW so I can't really speak for the refresh rate in games like that. 
• Im not saying that there is nothing wrong with a m.2 boot drive, I'm just saying I don't think the extra money is going to be worth it for him. I just think that he would be better off with a sata drive. The whole 'no cables thing is good though. Good point there. I'm considering switching to a m.2 drive in my secondary rig just for that. 

Chill out out a bit. We are both here to help him with this build. Nothing said was incorrect. Just different to what you said. Debating points is fine. "Anymore inncorrect statements lol" seems a little hostile. Anyway. Tell me what you think  

Haha I am chilled, I just use sarcasm too much

 

We were given a budget and I tried to utilise the maximum performance I can for that budget. The OP really should consider the 5820K:

 

See the performance jumps below between 11 - 12 and how it increases per core, its unfortunate that there isn't any 5820k benches yet to prove the theory, but I were spending my money it would be X99

 

 

[BurblingBarbacoa]

14 hours ago, stealth80 said:

Haha I am chilled, I just use sarcasm too much

 

We were given a budget and I tried to utilise the maximum performance I can for that budget. The OP really should consider the 5820K:

 

See the performance jumps below between 11 - 12 and how it increases per core, its unfortunate that there isn't any 5820k benches yet to prove the theory, but I were spending my money it would be X99

 

 

Good point however the preformance gain would be minimal.