First build appraisal

[The Physicist]

Hi everyone.

 

I am currently planning to upgrade my computer from a laptop (Lenovo Y500, i7-3630QM, GF 750M) to a desktop and I'd like your input on a part list I'm in the process of putting together.

I'd like the system to be able to handle games like Witcher 3 and Watch_Dogs 2 at high setting, with ideally a 21:9 100Hz 1440p screen. I also do a bit of CPU and memory intensive work, so it would be nice to not skim too much on theses. I currently have 8GB of RAM and it's already not enough.

I am in Canada with a budget of around 2.5 k$ for everything including new peripherals. I don't mind paying a bit extra for the looks, as you might tell from the part list.

 

Here's the part list : https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/user/alsimoneau/saved/Mq7sYJ

I might like to change some of the case fans.

 

Thank you so much !

[LordofSavages]

I'd personally change the 480GB SATA SSD to a 256GB 960 evo for speed and also get a 7700k since you said you wanted a ore powerful CPu

[charvey2000]

i7 6700k

16gb ddr4

600w PSU

Z170I motherboard

Define nano s

GTX 1070

2TB HDD

500GB SSD

[Thinkfreely]

1 minute ago, YaqinHasan said:

I'd personally change the 480GB SATA SSD to a 256GB 960 evo for speed and also get a 7700k since you said you wanted a ore powerful CPu

He probably wouldn't notice the speed difference though.

[charvey2000]

that list would do everything you want fine

[LordofSavages]

2 minutes ago, Thinkfreely said:

He probably wouldn't notice the speed difference though.

Does that matter? Speed is what we do this for anyway

[The Physicist]

4 minutes ago, Thinkfreely said:

He probably wouldn't notice the speed difference though.

The SSD or the CPU ?

[Thinkfreely]

1 minute ago, The Physicist said:

The SSH or the CPU ?

I was saying on the SSD. 

[Moress]

A high refresh rate 1440p monitor is going to cost you $500 or more. I would suggest that you choose either a high refresh 1080p or 60 hz 1440p with your budget. Especially since you need a large amount of Ram and a good CPU.

[The Physicist]

1 minute ago, Moress said:

A high refresh rate 1440p monitor is going to cost you $500 or more. I would suggest that you choose either a high refresh 1080p or 60 hz 1440p with your budget. Especially since you need a large amount of Ram and a good CPU.

I can always upgrade the monitor later. I'd still like the system to handle the load if it comes to that eventually.

[The Physicist]

9 minutes ago, Thinkfreely said:

I was saying on the SSD. 

So the CPU upgrade is worth 150$ then ?

[Thinkfreely]

2 minutes ago, The Physicist said:

So the CPU upgrade is worth 150$ then ?

With your budget ya.

[Moress]

3 minutes ago, The Physicist said:

So the CPU upgrade is worth 150$ then ?

If you're doing things that are CPU intensive an I7 would be a good idea.

[The Physicist]

1 minute ago, Moress said:

If you're doing things that are CPU intensive an I7 would be a good idea.

I do have access to a cluster for the heavy workloads,  running some computations in a VM while watching LTT on youtube is a daily task.

[Moress]

3 minutes ago, The Physicist said:

I do have access to a cluster for the heavy workloads,  running some computations in a VM while watching LTT on youtube is a daily task.

The extra threads will be very nice for running a VM.

High refresh monitors kinda suck without Freesync or Gsync anyway. This is probably your best bet.
 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-7700K 4.2GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($464.75 @ Vuugo) 
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 3 67.8 CFM Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU Cooler  ($95.98 @ DirectCanada) 
Motherboard: MSI Z270 TOMAHAWK ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($180.48 @ shopRBC) 
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($234.99 @ Newegg Canada) 
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($222.65 @ Vuugo) 
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($110.50 @ Vuugo) 
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 1070 8GB Video Card  ($579.99 @ Newegg Canada) 
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro M ATX Mid Tower Case  ($95.98 @ DirectCanada) 
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 620W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($79.99 @ Newegg Canada) 
Monitor: AOC Q2778VQE 27.0" 2560x1440 60Hz Monitor  ($299.99 @ Memory Express) 
Total: $2365.30
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-02-21 14:10 EST-0500

[The Physicist]

4 minutes ago, Moress said:

The extra threads will be very nice for running a VM.

High refresh monitors kinda suck without Freesync or Gsync anyway. This is probably your best bet.
 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-7700K 4.2GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($464.75 @ Vuugo) 
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 3 67.8 CFM Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU Cooler  ($95.98 @ DirectCanada) 
Motherboard: MSI Z270 TOMAHAWK ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($180.48 @ shopRBC) 
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($234.99 @ Newegg Canada) 
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($222.65 @ Vuugo) 
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($110.50 @ Vuugo) 
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 1070 8GB Video Card  ($579.99 @ Newegg Canada) 
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro M ATX Mid Tower Case  ($95.98 @ DirectCanada) 
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 620W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($79.99 @ Newegg Canada) 
Monitor: AOC Q2778VQE 27.0" 2560x1440 60Hz Monitor  ($299.99 @ Memory Express) 
Total: $2365.30
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-02-21 14:10 EST-0500

Is the air cooler better than the liquid one I had ?

And I'd like to know your reasons for that case, just because I'm not clear of the advantages of any of them beyond the look.

Also I would love a 21:9 screen, but I can wait for that investment as I already have a 27" 1080p 60Hz.

[Moress]

3 minutes ago, The Physicist said:

Is the air cooler better than the liquid one I had ?

And I'd like to know your reasons for that case, just because I'm not clear of the advantages of any of them beyond the look.

Also I would love a 21:9 screen, but I can wait for that investment as I already have a 27" 1080p 60Hz.

About on par, I actually put that in there to save some money when I was trying to squeeze in the 144hz monitor.
I love Enthoo cases. This one is especially nice, minimalist and at a very reasonable price point. But the real difference would be where you place your PC. I have it on the desk next to me, so the placement of its I/O is awesome, but the S340 is better for those who put their pc on the floor. 
And thats fine for the monitor, I didnt know you had a monitor already since you were coming from a laptop

[The Physicist]

6 minutes ago, Moress said:

About on par, I actually put that in there to save some money when I was trying to squeeze in the 144hz monitor.
I love Enthoo cases. This one is especially nice, minimalist and at a very reasonable price point. But the real difference would be where you place your PC. I have it on the desk next to me, so the placement of its I/O is awesome, but the S340 is better for those who put their pc on the floor. 
And thats fine for the monitor, I didnt know you had a monitor already since you were coming from a laptop

Thank you so much !

I should have mentioned the screen, my bad.

I will take all of this into account when I take my final decision !

[Thinkfreely]

Let me know when you finalize, very exciting