First Build Critique

[WolframAlucard]

Hi everyone, been reading the posts and following along to get some ideas for my own build. Really looking for function over form, so not a lot of RGB on this build. (Sorry guys) My parameters for the build have been trying to keep it around $2000 for everything including monitor and peripherals. I’m not going to overclock and it’s going to be an all-around system, not just gaming. Staying away from Ryzen, I acknowledge it’s a popular chip because of it’s price point and value ratio, but I prefer Intel for this build. Hence the choice of the Coffeelake chip, assuming they ever produce enough of them. :-D

This is essentially a build that I’ve been doing the “Eh, if I wait longer, I can get better stuff for cheaper.” Been saying that for about 10 years now. As my Steam library gets larger and the devices I currently own are beginning to fail and reach new levels of obsolescence I figure this is the time to start building a new computer. This is what I’ve cobbled together:

Budget: $2000 USD

Aim of the computer is kind of all-around use, Gaming/Video & Music, Sound Editing, Podcasting/maybe stream/etc.

Monitor: Acer R240HY unless someone suggests something better, considered higher resolution monitors 2560x1440 144hrz and 4K and all that, but could not justify higher price considering what I’m going to use the computer for.

 

Peripherals: Currently looking at this Corsair Gaming K55 RGB Keyboard, Backlit RGB LED with Corsair CH-9301011-NA Gaming Harpoon RGB Gaming Mouse, Backlit RGB LED, 6000 DPI, Optical

 

Upgrading because current tech is a 2009 Toshiba laptop.

 

CPU: Intel - Core i7-8700K 3.7GHz 6-Core Processor ($500.00)

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master - Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Amazon)

Motherboard: MSI - Z370-A PRO ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($119.11 @ Amazon)

Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($379.99 @ Amazon)

Storage: Samsung - 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive

Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Black 4TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($184.99 @ Amazon)

Video Card: MSI - GeForce GTX 1080 8GB Video Card ($529.99 @ Amazon)

Case: NZXT - S340 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($90.00)

Power Supply: EVGA - 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (I realize I might be falling into the ‘Great build, awful power supply choice’ field here)

Monitor: Acer R240HY 23.8" 1920x1080 60Hz Monitor ($129.00)

OS – Win 10

Corsair Air Series AF120 Quiet Edition Twin Pack Fans ($33.00)

Any suggestions, advice or general input anyone wants to offer would be appreciated.

[Adrian18102001]

everything looks pretty good but the psu try to upgrade to at least a 600w psu for the 1080

[seon123]

What the hell $500 for an 8700K? You might as well get a 7820X at that point. 

Where do you get those aweful prices from? Don't buy from just a single store, buy from where the price is the best. 

The PSU is crap, and knowing EVGA, it will be overpriced. 

[minervx]

This build is really imbalanced.  You have a $500 graphics card, the most powerful consumer-end processor and a crap monitor.

 

Audio work isn't that demanding at all.  It just needs a processor that isn't a mediocre laptop chip.  Honestly, even an i3-8100/i3-8350k would crush any DAW and plugin with flying colors.

 

A higher-res monitor will give you much more workspace in DAW's and will make games look prettier.  With 1080p and 60 hz, you won't get any more out of your 1080 than you would out of a 1060.

 

Perhaps use an i5-7600k/i7-7700k, go to a cheaper 7th gen motherboard, and At least get yourself a 27" 1440p IPS monitor.

[Ilan Yakov]

In addition to what they said ^^ I'd probably buy a better CPU cooler.

[Connor Price]

You'll probably want a better cooler for that 8700k. I have an 8600k paired with a Cyrorig H7 which is slightly better than that Hyper 212. I can just about get away with 5GHz, but I wouldn't use it for daily use. The 8700k will be a hotter chip than my 8600k, so even a very achievable overclock like 4.6-4.7GHz will probably be pushing it on that cooler. I'd suggest something like a Noctua Dh-15 or a BeQuiet Darkrock pro if you're going down the aircooled route.

[Jurrunio]

If a 1080p 60Hz monitor is enough then a $1200 build can do more than enough. I recommend a 1440p 144Hz, seriously.

 

CPU: 8700k is the best, but 8600k and 8700 are both more than enough.

 

CPU Cooler: 212 Evo isnt enough to keep overclocked quad-core CPUs cool (I can pull this off because of the high airflow and noisy fan). Something much larger like NH-D15, Dark Rock Pro 3, Cryorig R1 etc is what you should be looking for.

 

PSU: As others pointed out, it's terrible

 

GPU: What MSI 1080 is that? The Aero sucks, The Armor still sucks but not as bad, the others are good.