First PC build. Looking for help

[esmith1153]

I am looking to build my first PC in the next couple weeks. With Black Friday upon us, I figured there would be no better time to jump into the PC master race as they call it. My goal is mainly gaming but I am pursuing a degree in computer science so I want it to be powerful enough to handle any project I might have to do while also killing any game I throw at it. 

 

here is my build so far:
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/BvvCjc

 

There are a couple components that I am unsure on.

first off the ram- I have 2 sets of ram listed because I like the look of the G-Skills set better but if the performance is worth it I will go with the Corsair set instead. From my understanding, the performance boost isn't guaranteed and overclocking ram can be quite tricky. Second, the CPU cooler. Is water the best way to go? I've heard that I can get about the same performance out of an air cooler for less with a little bit more noise. The case is another area that I am unfamiliar with should I get a more expensive case or stick with the one I have? I liked this one because it is inexpensive and it had all the features I was looking for. 

 

Thanks for all the help. 

 

Edit:

I am also in need of some help picking out a monitor. I would like to be able to do 1440p at 144hz, but that may be unachievable with a 1080. Would getting a G-Sync monitor help with this seeing as how it could change refresh rates if the 1080 couldn't quite meet the 144hz?

[firecrow797]

you wont really get more noise from an air cooler.....most aio use 2 120mm fans and so does something like a hyper 212.....and water cooling has pump noise as well

[Jurrunio]

Never get 7700k new. With 8600k here 7700k is best avoided. 4 cores will never win a 6 core even if it doesnt have hyperthreading.

 

overclocking RAM is easy on Intel platform.

[seon123]

I'm assuming you live in the US.

Don't get the 7700K. Get the Coffee 8700, as it has 2 more cores and 4 more threads. Should cost about the same. You can use the stock cooler with it. The 8700K is ideal, but it's significantly more expensive. 

Not a fan of water coolers. They're generally noisier and less reliable than a good air cooler, and don't perform that much better. The Cryorig H5 is decently priced, and the highest end air coolers are the NH-D15, Cryorig R1 and Dark Rock Pro 3.

For Coffee, you'll need a Z370 motherboard. 

There are 3000 MHz RAM kits that cost $140. Pretty much all RAM at 3000 MHz uses the same Hynix die, so brand doesn't really matter. Alternatively, get the 3000 MHz CL15 kit of Trident Z RGB for $195, if you really want it. 

For most tasks, an NVMe SSD won't improve the performance at all. Unless you know you will read and write lots of big files to and from the SSD, get a normal SATA SSD. The SL308 is very decent, and only costs $78.

With a $1900 budget, I can usually fit a 1080 Ti.

That is a really nice PSU for a very good price. 

[HZapperz]

This is a pretty nice build, https://pcpartpicker.com/list/q9zsqk also if you relly wanted a 1080ti you could always get the 8600k and a 1080ti. 

 

In your first build, you have two differnt types of ram, multiple kits of ram wont work unless you have the exact same brand and or speed of the ram.

[CrippledROBOT]

24 minutes ago, esmith1153 said:

I am looking to build my first PC in the next couple weeks. With Black Friday upon us, I figured there would be no better time to jump into the PC master race as they call it. My goal is mainly gaming but I am pursuing a degree in computer science so I want it to be powerful enough to handle any project I might have to do while also killing any game I throw at it. 

 

here is my build so far:
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/BvvCjc

 

There are a couple components that I am unsure on.

first off the ram- I have 2 sets of ram listed because I like the look of the G-Skills set better but if the performance is worth it I will go with the Corsair set instead. From my understanding, the performance boost isn't guaranteed and overclocking ram can be quite tricky. Second, the CPU cooler. Is water the best way to go? I've heard that I can get about the same performance out of an air cooler for less with a little bit more noise. The case is another area that I am unfamiliar with should I get a more expensive case or stick with the one I have? I liked this one because it is inexpensive and it had all the features I was looking for. 

 

Thanks for all the help. 

 

Edit:

I am also in need of some help picking out a monitor. I would like to be able to do 1440p at 144hz, but that may be unachievable with a 1080. Would getting a G-Sync monitor help with this seeing as how it could change refresh rates if the 1080 couldn't quite meet the 144hz?

Get the i5 8600k and the 1080ti!

[brob]

@esmith1153

 

A couple of suggests, most of which have been mentioned already.

 

Consider an i7-8700 cpu. Its performance is quite close to a stock i7-8700K. Since it is a locked cpu and has a much lower TDP rating, there is no need for a heavy duty aio cooler. Something like the Cryorig H7 will do a decent job.

 

Memory speed and latency do matter. But if one wants some bling the Trident Z RGB are a nice pick. Just get a faster kit.

 

The psu has a bit too much capacity. A 550W unit would be more than enough. 

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-8700 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor  ($339.99 @ B&H) 
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG - H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler  ($31.40 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: Asus - ROG Strix Z370-H Gaming ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($163.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Memory: G.Skill - Trident Z RGB 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  ($228.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Samsung - 960 EVO 250GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  ($127.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Seagate - Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($66.88 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: Asus - GeForce GTX 1080 8GB ROG STRIX Video Card  ($558.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Case: Phanteks - ECLIPSE P400S TEMPERED GLASS ATX Mid Tower Case  ($79.99 @ Amazon) 
Power Supply: Corsair - RMx 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($89.99 @ Newegg) 
Total: $1688.21
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-11-16 18:29 EST-0500

 

[esmith1153]

3 hours ago, seon123 said:

I'm assuming you live in the US.

Don't get the 7700K. Get the Coffee 8700, as it has 2 more cores and 4 more threads. Should cost about the same. You can use the stock cooler with it. The 8700K is ideal, but it's significantly more expensive. 

Not a fan of water coolers. They're generally noisier and less reliable than a good air cooler, and don't perform that much better. The Cryorig H5 is decently priced, and the highest end air coolers are the NH-D15, Cryorig R1 and Dark Rock Pro 3.

For Coffee, you'll need a Z370 motherboard. 

There are 3000 MHz RAM kits that cost $140. Pretty much all RAM at 3000 MHz uses the same Hynix die, so brand doesn't really matter. Alternatively, get the 3000 MHz CL15 kit of Trident Z RGB for $195, if you really want it. 

For most tasks, an NVMe SSD won't improve the performance at all. Unless you know you will read and write lots of big files to and from the SSD, get a normal SATA SSD. The SL308 is very decent, and only costs $78.

With a $1900 budget, I can usually fit a 1080 Ti.

That is a really nice PSU for a very good price. 

If I ended up going with the 8700k would the cryorig H5 be able to cool it enough for some overclocking? I'm not looking to squeeze every last drop of power out of the chip but I would like to be able to get a decent bit extra out of it if I choose to spend the extra money on the new cpu.