New PC after 9 years

[bsemp86]

Hello everyone,

 

I am on the quest for a new PC because my 9 year old one is showing its age lately, some time ago I tried to upgrade but the bitcoin fever caught on me and GPU prices rocketed. The main uses are photography editing, gaming and I am introducing myself to video editing (not streaming) and 3D modeling and 3D printing. In a future I might attempt some overclocking but not from the beginning.

 

I live in Spain and my budget is around 1500€, 1750€ tops! I don't like that RGB trend and i want to aim for a PC that is not screaming "I'm here".

 

Currently I am working with this part list: https://es.pcpartpicker.com/list/mcRXXH

 

Do you find anything that might not work or need more investment? Storage wise, I am considering to reuse my HDD for mass storage and I have a samsung 512Gb EVO SSD from 2016. It might be possible to squeeze an M.2 SSD into the price. Also, it is not on the parts list but I might add some PWM noctua fans to swap the ones on the case and allow motherboard control.

 

Thank you very much in advance!

[Flavortown2k16]

Looks good, if you can squeeze some more dough, then you might aswell get 1080ti.

 

Also if you like to see inside your pc that case has a windowed variant

[chris_gpvd]

Hi there!

 

First of all, your choices are -in my opinion- a good start. However, the CPU and GPU are not that well balanced. I would rather see a 1080ti, or if you want to keep costs low, switch to Ryzen. A 1700x would be a good middle ground. You could save about 100 euros which could go towards the GPU. Also, the 1080 is a bit dated, and I think it would make more sense to go with a 1070ti, which when overclocked is on par with a 1080. The difference is the GDDR5x memory on the 1080. In addition, I don't think you need an M.2 drive, as a good sata ssd is plenty for everyday use and the extra cost of M.2 will not be justified.

You are very unlucky, with regards to both RAM pricing and GPU pricing being driven up. A couple of years ago I got the same amount of ram at the same frequency from HyperX for 98euros. Also, GPU's then were better priced, and you could get an MSI R9 390 for 330-350 euros, which was a pretty good middle tier GPU at the time. It was better even than the RX480, and on par with the 970, which it even beat out in most titles.

I don't want to say wait, but I could not recommend fully to go ahead and build at this time. But, given that you have a 9 year old system, I understand your eagerness. Just try and hunt the better deals, and also check out mindfactory.de which has good prices sometimes. 

[Jurrunio]

I'd get the 1070ti because those start at 500 (of whatever currency) and has 95% of the performance of a 1080 clock for clock. Overclock it and you will get a 1080.

 

Dont use this cooler. Either use the huge monsters like NH-D15, Cryorig R1, Dark Rock Pro 3 sth like that, or use the stock cooler that comes with the CPU. Air coolers are durable, so if you buy an expensive one now, you can keep on using it for a very long time, even after multiple rebuilds sometimes. As for the stock cooler... At least it's free.

 

For PSU, you can this Seasonic Focus + 650w Gold unit, which is also a good PSU but is cheaper. Not something critical though.

 

Too bad the budget isnt enough for a 1080ti without nerfing the CPU too much...

[Technomancer__]

a ryzen 1700 or 1700x would be a better choice. and since its cheaper, you can get a better gpu like the 1080ti

if you dont own the cooler already i would go with the nd 15 am4. 

for a motherboard, i suggest the asus x370

[Nicnac]

looks like a very solid build to me! I also agree on the idea of switching the 1080 for a 1070ti

[bsemp86]

Thank you all for your comments. First of all having a 9 yo computer means I can wait 1 or 2 month to build a new one. I have already waited too long. Thanks for the insight on the SSD, I'll reuse mine then.

 

There is also the option of building around the "old" 7700k in place of the new 8700k. It might not be cutting edge but still a very fast chip. What do you think?

[chris_gpvd]

1 hour ago, bsemp86 said:

Thank you all for your comments. First of all having a 9 yo computer means I can wait 1 or 2 month to build a new one. I have already waited too long. Thanks for the insight on the SSD, I'll reuse mine then.

 

There is also the option of building around the "old" 7700k in place of the new 8700k. It might not be cutting edge but still a very fast chip. What do you think?

Yeah, the 7700k is not a bad option of course, but it depends at what price you will find it. If you manage to score one for ~300 euros or less, then go for it. Here in Greece that is how much they go for today.

You can use a more modern board for future compatibility, such as the one you have already picked. The 7700k is a beast for gaming, and its per core performance is right up there. 

Keep in mind that Zen+ is right around the corner, if you want to check out pricing and comparative performance...

Ultimately it comes down to personal preference. But for the GPU I still recommend going either 1070ti or 1080ti. 

Finally, for the psu, although I am a Corsair fanboy, you could pick something equally good and cheaper. The wattage is ok, but forget adding another GPU, it would be cutting it too close. Check out EVGA's options as well. And always check at jonnyguru's site for a review on the psu you want to buy. A good psu is not necessarily the most expensive one. Look for low variance in 12V rail, and all japanese components. 

 

Hope I helped out!

 

[bsemp86]

1 hour ago, chris_gpvd said:

Yeah, the 7700k is not a bad option of course, but it depends at what price you will find it. If you manage to score one for ~300 euros or less, then go for it. Here in Greece that is how much they go for today.

You can use a more modern board for future compatibility, such as the one you have already picked. The 7700k is a beast for gaming, and its per core performance is right up there. 

Keep in mind that Zen+ is right around the corner, if you want to check out pricing and comparative performance...

Ultimately it comes down to personal preference. But for the GPU I still recommend going either 1070ti or 1080ti. 

Finally, for the psu, although I am a Corsair fanboy, you could pick something equally good and cheaper. The wattage is ok, but forget adding another GPU, it would be cutting it too close. Check out EVGA's options as well. And always check at jonnyguru's site for a review on the psu you want to buy. A good psu is not necessarily the most expensive one. Look for low variance in 12V rail, and all japanese components. 

 

Hope I helped out!

 

Hi man, thank you very much for your help. 7700k are retailing for about 270-280€ here, might consider the new board with the "old" chip.

 

Sorry about my question but, what exactly is Zen+? Some sort of Ryzen v2.0?

 

Could you explain me a bit more about PSU's? What appeals to me about the RM series is its full modular design and the semi-fanless design. For less clutter and less noise.

[chris_gpvd]

Quote

23 minutes ago, bsemp86 said:

Hi man, thank you very much for your help. 7700k are retailing for about 270-280€ here, might consider the new board with the "old" chip.

 

Sorry about my question but, what exactly is Zen+? Some sort of Ryzen v2.0?

 

Could you explain me a bit more about PSU's? What appeals to me about the RM series is its full modular design and the semi-fanless design. For less clutter and less noise.

 

Zen+ is not the official name, but it is highly rumored that AMD will come out with a refresh of the Ryzen lineup, with no major changes in architecture. Instead we expect Zen+ to have tweaked frequencies, better overclocking etc, kind of like Skylake and Kaby Lake. However, it may be a while before we get them here in Europe so don't hold your breath. 270euros for the 7700k is excellent, so go for it! 

 

 

I too have been drawn towards Corsair's RM series, as they offer the best quality with full modularity and great performance. I actually bought a Corsair RM750i, and it has been great. No coil whine, no buzzing, excellent power delivery, and zero fan mode. I actually can game with the fan off.

 

You can use this list to get started and give you an idea of which brands and series are better than others:

I would not get anything below Tier 1 for your type of system, and would go with tier 2 only for budget gaming rigs. PSU's are essential as your system needs clean power. 

 

Finally, I wanted to comment on the cooler. As it has been pointed out, this one is a good to great air cooler, which means you should get a mild to good overclock with no throttling. If you don't plan on overclocking too much, i.e. around 4.8, then a good air cooler is sufficient. Mind you, the K processors no longer come with coolers, as Intel deems them insufficient.

A better cooler is the Noctua NH-D15, which is, however, quite expensive. 

I currently have a very mild overclock on my 6700k around 4.5 and have been using the CoolerMaster Hyper 412s, which is a beefier version of the 212Evo. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[bsemp86]

25 minutes ago, chris_gpvd said:

Zen+ is not the official name, but it is highly rumored that AMD will come out with a refresh of the Ryzen lineup, with no major changes in architecture. Instead we expect Zen+ to have tweaked frequencies, better overclocking etc, kind of like Skylake and Kaby Lake. However, it may be a while before we get them here in Europe so don't hold your breath. 270euros for the 7700k is excellent, so go for it! 

 

 

I too have been drawn towards Corsair's RM series, as they offer the best quality with full modularity and great performance. I actually bought a Corsair RM750i, and it has been great. No coil whine, no buzzing, excellent power delivery, and zero fan mode. I actually can game with the fan off.

 

You can use this list to get started and give you an idea of which brands and series are better than others:

I would not get anything below Tier 1 for your type of system, and would go with tier 2 only for budget gaming rigs. PSU's are essential as your system needs clean power. 

 

Finally, I wanted to comment on the cooler. As it has been pointed out, this one is a good to great air cooler, which means you should get a mild to good overclock with no throttling. If you don't plan on overclocking too much, i.e. around 4.8, then a good air cooler is sufficient. Mind you, the K processors no longer come with coolers, as Intel deems them insufficient.

A better cooler is the Noctua NH-D15, which is, however, quite expensive. 

I currently have a very mild overclock on my 6700k around 4.5 and have been using the CoolerMaster Hyper 412s, which is a beefier version of the 212Evo. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you very much for your comments, I'm going to have a look on that list.

 

I don't want or plan to do a massive overclock and I love the simplicity and life-span of air coolers. I am tempted to go for the 412s but as looks are not a problem (not a window on the case) I might squeeze the noctua in.

[chris_gpvd]

1 minute ago, bsemp86 said:

Thank you very much for your comments, I'm going to have a look on that list.

 

I don't want or plan to do a massive overclock and I love the simplicity and life-span of air coolers. I am tempted to go for the 412s but as looks are not a problem (not a window on the case) I might squeeze the noctua in.

I don't know if I would necessarily recommend the 412s, I kinda rushed through my order when I got it...  

But I haven't seen my cpu throttle, even with 4,5GHz OC and AIDA64 running for 20+ minutes... So I guess it isn't bad! If you can afford it, go for a Noctua one, you can't go wrong.

 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, bsemp86 said:

Hi man, thank you very much for your help. 7700k are retailing for about 270-280€ here, might consider the new board with the "old" chip.

 

Sorry about my question but, what exactly is Zen+? Some sort of Ryzen v2.0?

 

Could you explain me a bit more about PSU's? What appeals to me about the RM series is its full modular design and the semi-fanless design. For less clutter and less noise.

You can't use an i7 7700K with a Z370 board assuming that is what you mean.

[chris_gpvd]

6 minutes ago, lee32uk said:

You can't use an i7 7700K with a Z370 board assuming that is what you mean.

Wow, you are right, I totally overlooked Intel's stupidity! Indeed, Intel has blocked compatibility with older processors with Z370. On Z270 you could use 6th gen processors. Sorry for misleading you! So if you are looking to go with the 7700k you must get a Z270 board. Damn.

[bsemp86]

16 hours ago, chris_gpvd said:

I don't know if I would necessarily recommend the 412s, I kinda rushed through my order when I got it...  

But I haven't seen my cpu throttle, even with 4,5GHz OC and AIDA64 running for 20+ minutes... So I guess it isn't bad! If you can afford it, go for a Noctua one, you can't go wrong.

 

Roger that!

 

15 hours ago, lee32uk said:

You can't use an i7 7700K with a Z370 board assuming that is what you mean.

New chips = new boards. Good job Intel!

[bsemp86]

Do you think it is worth considering Ryzen? I've never been a big AMD fan my current set-up rocks an i7-920 and it is working as strong as the first day.

[chris_gpvd]

2 hours ago, bsemp86 said:

Do you think it is worth considering Ryzen? I've never been a big AMD fan my current set-up rocks an i7-920 and it is working as strong as the first day.

If you had asked me that question a year ago, I would have said definitely yes. But now, already we have seen new x470 chipset boards at CES, and new Ryzen 2 processors are to be released in April, according to AMD themselves. These new processors will have integrated Radeon Graphics ***[EDIT: not all of them, you will be able to choose]*** , just like the A series APU's previously. 

It's a tricky situation the one you're in... 

 

What are your current system specs? 

Edited January 10, 2018 by chris_gpvd

[bsemp86]

If my memory is correct:

• i7 920
• P6-something asus board
• 6Gb DDR3 ram
• 2x HDD

 

Only upgraded parts:

• Power supply (old one fried itself and the GPU back in 2013)
• GTX 660
• Samsung SSD (850 EVO I think)

[chris_gpvd]

20 minutes ago, bsemp86 said:

If my memory is correct:

• i7 920
• P6-something asus board
• 6Gb DDR3 ram
• 2x HDD

 

Only upgraded parts:

• Power supply (old one fried itself and the GPU back in 2013)
• GTX 660
• Samsung SSD (850 EVO I think)

Yeah, the system is quite old, but not too much. My advice would be to get a good gpu now if you need an upgrade now. Otherwise, just do what we discussed above, and either go with a 7700k and a z270 board, which can be found for better value. Keep the SSD, but know that they do have a limited lifespan.

[bsemp86]

1 hour ago, chris_gpvd said:

Yeah, the system is quite old, but not too much. My advice would be to get a good gpu now if you need an upgrade now. Otherwise, just do what we discussed above, and either go with a 7700k and a z270 board, which can be found for better value. Keep the SSD, but know that they do have a limited lifespan.

Probably the old computer will be re-purposed for something else so I have to build a new one, although I can reuse the SSD. I'm aware SSD tend to die at some point but samsung's software tells me I'm well withing what is acceptable.