Replacing Mac Pro and going PC.

[secretagentman]

Hi all, this is my first post here. I've been watching a lot of your YouTube videos and am thankful that this forum is here. As the title suggests, I am moving from Mac Pro to a PC after 30+ years of being a sole Mac user. I have used PCs in the past but now I'm really going to dive in by building my own. My budget is $3,500usd including monitor. I have a saved parts list in pc parts picker that I think is a good start. Mainly it will be used for photoshop and probably some gaming too. Possibly in the future I'll use it for some video editing. I'm looking at the new Kaby Lake 7700k 4.2ghz with an Asus Maximus formula z270 mobo. I'm also considering waiting for Ryzen to be released and going in that direction. So many option out there could drive a man crazy! 

[ShepBook]

I'm also getting ready to build a new PC. I've been using a MacBook Pro for software development for a handful of years, so I feel ya on making the switch.

 

I'm going to be waiting to see what Ryzen comes out with and it's price. If I can get an 8c/16t Ryzen for ~$600, that's what I'll do. More cores for things like VMs and compilation, or in your case, rendering, is always good.

 

Feel free to drop your PCPartPicker link in here if you'd like to share.

[brob]

48 minutes ago, secretagentman said:

Hi all, this is my first post here. I've been watching a lot of your YouTube videos and am thankful that this forum is here. As the title suggests, I am moving from Mac Pro to a PC after 30+ years of being a sole Mac user. I have used PCs in the past but now I'm really going to dive in by building my own. My budget is $3,500usd including monitor. I have a saved parts list in pc parts picker that I think is a good start. Mainly it will be used for photoshop and probably some gaming too. Possibly in the future I'll use it for some video editing. I'm looking at the new Kaby Lake 7700k 4.2ghz with an Asus Maximus formula z270 mobo. I'm also considering waiting for Ryzen to be released and going in that direction. So many option out there could drive a man crazy! 

There is always going to be something coming soon. Almost certainly the yet to be seen tech is going to be killer and render everything before obsolete. With very rare exceptions, the reality does not meet expectations. And usually people end up waiting a bit longer than originally anticipated. That said, if one is not in a rush there is nothing wrong with waiting. Just keep in mind that as soon as the new tech appears, the competition is likely going to announce something better coming very soon. Also keep in mind that it generally takes a month or so from actual introduction before there is wide spread availability.

 

If you have a pcpartpicker list, why not post it here. (With the Current Part List displayed click on the [bb] button above the list. Then cut & paste.) This will allow people to comment on the build and offer constructive suggestions. Even if you decide to wait for new tech, the comments will help clarify options.

 

[secretagentman]

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/2ZB6KZ

 

Here is my list so far. it is a work in progress of course, but I am amazed how much more computer you get than apple offers. The big sacrifice is the OS. I hope windows 10 is amicable. 

 

[IHirs]

used or new parts?

do you need wifi?

do you care about aesthetics?

[brob]

19 minutes ago, secretagentman said:

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/2ZB6KZ

 

Here is my list so far. it is a work in progress of course, but I am amazed how much more computer you get than apple offers. The big sacrifice is the OS. I hope windows 10 is amicable. 

 

You might consider going with a less expensive motherboard since you have not indicated a desire to add a custom cooling loop. Perhaps  Asus TUF Z270 MARK 1 or  Asus MAXIMUS IX HERO.

 

Put the savings into a fast M.2 ssd like the  Samsung MZ-V6P512BW.

 

Consider a slightly lower capacity psu like  EVGA SuperNOVA P2 750W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply. In fact  Corsair RM650x and  EVGA SuperNOVA 650 are more than sufficient for the job.

 

[IHirs]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-7700K 4.2GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($349.75 @ OutletPC) 
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler  ($85.49 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: Asus STRIX Z270-E GAMING ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($189.99 @ NCIX US) 
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  ($174.97 @ Jet) 
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($164.99 @ Jet) 
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($71.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($71.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 1080 8GB STRIX Video Card  ($678.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Case: Fractal Design Define S w/Window ATX Mid Tower Case  ($78.99 @ NCIX US) 
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($99.99 @ B&H) 
Monitor: Acer Predator X34 34.0" 3440x1440 100Hz Monitor  ($1249.99 @ Best Buy) 
Total: $3217.13
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-01-14 17:41 EST-0500

[secretagentman]

1 hour ago, IHirs said:

used or new parts?

do you need wifi?

do you care about aesthetics?

new

of course

yes 

 

[secretagentman]

Would I need a Nvidia card to take advantage of the monitors "G-Sync" or would any 1080 GPU suffice? And what is G-Sync? 

[secretagentman]

1 hour ago, brob said:

You might consider going with a less expensive motherboard since you have not indicated a desire to add a custom cooling loop. Perhaps  Asus TUF Z270 MARK 1 or  Asus MAXIMUS IX HERO.

 

Put the savings into a fast M.2 ssd like the  Samsung MZ-V6P512BW.

 

Consider a slightly lower capacity psu like  EVGA SuperNOVA P2 750W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply. In fact  Corsair RM650x and  EVGA SuperNOVA 650 are more than sufficient for the job.

 

I would like a mobo with wifi, those do not. With that 750w power supply, would I be able to expand on the system at a later date, say adding 2nd video card? otherwise it makes sense to just get what I need powerwise. 

[IHirs]

heres a little more ascetically pleasing build

 

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-7700K 4.2GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($349.75 @ OutletPC) 
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler  ($34.99 @ Newegg Marketplace) 
Motherboard: Asus STRIX Z270-E GAMING ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($189.99 @ NCIX US) 
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LED 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  ($189.99 @ Jet) 
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($164.99 @ Jet) 
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($71.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($71.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 1080 8GB STRIX Video Card  ($678.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Case: Corsair 750D ATX Full Tower Case  ($148.49 @ NCIX US) 
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($99.99 @ B&H) 
Case Fan: LEPA Casino 4C 63.9 CFM  120mm Fan  ($19.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Case Fan: LEPA Casino 4C 63.9 CFM  120mm Fan  ($19.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Monitor: Acer Predator X34 34.0" 3440x1440 100Hz Monitor  ($1249.99 @ Best Buy) 
Total: $3291.13
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-01-14 18:42 EST-0500

[brob]

5 minutes ago, secretagentman said:

I would like a mobo with wifi, those do not. With that 750w power supply, would I be able to expand on the system at a later date, say adding 2nd video card? otherwise it makes sense to just get what I need powerwise. 

Asus ROG MAXIMUS VIII HERO ALPHA has dual band WiFi.

 

A 750W psu will support a second gpu along with more memory and another drive or two. You might be more comfortable with an 850W model if you really expect to add a second gpu and will be pushing the overclock.

[secretagentman]

9 minutes ago, brob said:

Asus ROG MAXIMUS VIII HERO ALPHA has dual band WiFi.

Yes, it does, i didn't see that. Still, for my build, I like the maximus formula. I did switch power supplies though. 

[brob]

Just now, secretagentman said:

Yes, it does, i didn't see that. Still, for my build, I like the maximus formula. I did switch power supplies though. 

It's a beautiful board. I don't blame you for sticking with it.

[secretagentman]

Whats nice about leaving MAC for PC is you have a lot more freedom to buy top shelf innards without "Apple Tax"