My first PC build - any help appreciated!

[brennonjw]

Hi all! I'm brand new here, so sorry if this isn't the right place, BUT I'm finally building up my PC and I'm hunting for any and all input to see if I'm missing something simple, or bottlenecking myself somewhere.

Since I've been saving for this build for a while, I have a budget of $1,500 (though being under is more than fine by me), and I'm located in the US. The goal of this PC is a general Gaming PC that can successfully handle VR (namely the Vive) further on down the line. I'll be running at least 2 HD monitors, though I would like to eventually upgrade to displayport.

Just some general info: I've never overclocked, but I'm open to trying it out. I'd like to go for a black/blue colour set up (just because I'm tired of black and red for all things "gamer"), I have my windows 10 key and set up good to go once the PC is built. It's probably worth restating that this is my first PC build, so I don't really have any brand loyalty yet (not a fan of AMD, but that's about it), and I wouldn't be upset to get any extra actual build advice. 

The list!
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/8nr9Ps

anywho, thanks in advance!

[Czaja]

Looks good to me , just dunno psu and never seen it before tho

[Herman Mcpootis]

not bad for a beginner, everything looks quite good. I'd go for an i7 though, the i5 is already bottlenecking the gtx 1070 in 1080p 144hz. also that cooler isn't actually very good, both the cryorig m9i and raijintek aidos are cheaper and smaller but performs just as good.

[Herman Mcpootis]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($318.89 @ OutletPC) 
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG M9i 48.4 CFM CPU Cooler  ($19.88 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: MSI Z170A SLI PLUS ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($109.99 @ Amazon) 
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2800 Memory  ($106.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: SK hynix SL308 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($78.88 @ OutletPC) 
Storage: Western Digital Mainstream 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($47.99 @ Best Buy) 
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 1080 8GB DUKE OC Video Card  ($499.99 @ Newegg) or a gtx 1080ti
Case: DIYPC VT380-W ATX Mid Tower Case  ($48.89 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: BitFenix Fury 750W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($78.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Total: $1310.49
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-04-07 02:36 EDT-0400

[genexis_x]

51 minutes ago, Czaja said:

Looks good to me , just dunno psu and never seen it before tho

Tier 1 PSU.
 

55 minutes ago, brennonjw said:

Hi all! I'm brand new here, so sorry if this isn't the right place, BUT I'm finally building up my PC and I'm hunting for any and all input to see if I'm missing something simple, or bottlenecking myself somewhere.

Since I've been saving for this build for a while, I have a budget of $1,500 (though being under is more than fine by me), and I'm located in the US. The goal of this PC is a general Gaming PC that can successfully handle VR (namely the Vive) further on down the line. I'll be running at least 2 HD monitors, though I would like to eventually upgrade to displayport.

Just some general info: I've never overclocked, but I'm open to trying it out. I'd like to go for a black/blue colour set up (just because I'm tired of black and red for all things "gamer"), I have my windows 10 key and set up good to go once the PC is built. It's probably worth restating that this is my first PC build, so I don't really have any brand loyalty yet (not a fan of AMD, but that's about it), and I wouldn't be upset to get any extra actual build advice. 

The list!
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/8nr9Ps

anywho, thanks in advance!

Looks great! Only thing that can complain is, you can go for a better cooler like big air coolers or AIO. Still the 212 Evo will work fine.
Edit: Also if you have extra money to spend, you can go for i7

[Shura]

If you don't mind going Ryzen(I knou u said you didn't like AMD), then this will give you a 8 core 16 thread setup for less than your build.

 

Quote

 

PCPartPicker part list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/6zqLKZ
Price breakdown by merchant: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/6zqLKZ/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD RYZEN 7 1700 3.0GHz 8-Core Processor  ($323.39 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($24.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI B350 TOMAHAWK ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($108.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  ($114.88 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($93.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($66.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB SC GAMING ACX 3.0 Black Edition Video Card  ($374.00 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT S340 Elite (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($89.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: BitFenix Whisper M 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($88.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $1286.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-04-07 02:44 EDT-0400

 

And if you don't want to go Ryzen then I would suggest this, for $24 more you can get an unlocked i7.
 

Quote

 

PCPartPicker part list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/P6Y6jc
Price breakdown by merchant: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/P6Y6jc/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i7-7700K 4.2GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($339.64 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($24.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus TUF Z270 MARK 2 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($134.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  ($114.88 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($93.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($66.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB SC GAMING ACX 3.0 Black Edition Video Card  ($374.00 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT S340 Elite (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($89.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: BitFenix Whisper M 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($88.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $1328.25
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-04-07 02:49 EDT-0400

 

 

[JoostinOnline]

1 minute ago, ZM Fong said:

Looks great! Only thing that can complain is, you can go for a better cooler like big air coolers or AIO. Still the 212 Evo will work fine.

Cryorig H7 is better than the Hyper 212 Evo at the same price, and AIO coolers aren't very effective.  It's better to get a good air cooler.

[genexis_x]

9 minutes ago, JoostinOnline said:

Cryorig H7 is better than the Hyper 212 Evo at the same price, and AIO coolers aren't very effective.  It's better to get a good air cooler.

Id-cooling coolers are not bad too. They have a lot of cheap (in my country) options, yet offer high thermal performance.
@Shura Great part lists!

[JoostinOnline]

1 minute ago, ZM Fong said:

Id-cooling coolers are not bad too. They have a lot of cheap (in my country) options, yet high thermal performance.
@Shura Great part lists!

The water just takes longer to heat up.  After an hour of gaming, you'll end up with the same temps.  With an air cooler you don't get the extra noise, and there isn't any risk of leaking.  It's far too common for AIO coolers to leak, and that can blow your whole system.

 

This is the cooler I use.

[genexis_x]

5 minutes ago, JoostinOnline said:

The water just takes longer to heat up.  After an hour of gaming, you'll end up with the same temps.  With an air cooler you don't get the extra noise, and there isn't any risk of leaking.  It's far too common for AIO coolers to leak, and that can blow your whole system.

 

This is the cooler I use.

Thanks for the info. You got a nice cooler.
Anyway, there are lots of air cooler that are better than the 212 Evo in terms of value and performance.

[brennonjw]

Thanks for all the input! 
I could be blatantly wrong, but I thought the leap from i5 to i7 wasn't all to major for gaming?

anywho, I looked at all the advice, and this is what I've now come up with:
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/Mr3zsJ

I've upgraded the PSU and the Cooler to better ones based on what you all said, and moved over to an i7-7700k.
I have about 100 bucks left budget wise, so I can attempt to up the Video card to one of the cheaper 1080's, or would it be better to stick with the 'better' 1070?

thanks in advance again! 

[JoostinOnline]

10 minutes ago, brennonjw said:

I could be blatantly wrong, but I thought the leap from i5 to i7 wasn't all to major for gaming?

It's more of a difference than it used to be, but still less so than the difference between i3 and i5.

[Herman Mcpootis]

9 minutes ago, brennonjw said:

Thanks for all the input! 
I could be blatantly wrong, but I thought the leap from i5 to i7 wasn't all to major for gaming?

I've upgraded the PSU and the Cooler to better ones based on what you all said, and moved over to an i7-7700k.
I have about 100 bucks left budget wise, so I can attempt to up the Video card to one of the cheaper 1080's, or would it be better to stick with the 'better' 1070?

thanks in advance again! 

the i7 will perform much better with less fps drops and stuttering.

no need to change the PSU, the whisper is excellent and just as good as the G2. I'd get a gtx 1080 with the monry left.

[JoostinOnline]

35 minutes ago, herman mcpootis said:

the i7 will perform much better with less fps drops and stuttering.

no need to change the PSU, the whisper is excellent and just as good as the G2. I'd get a gtx 1080 with the monry left.

It really depends on the game.  But yeah, it definitely makes a bigger difference than it used to.