RAM Recommendations

[Daniel Aranda]

So I plan on building my first pc in June. I’m thinking of a $1600 budget, and I’ve got everything set. Here is what I have:

- 1070 Ti FE (because non FE is $150+)

- i5-7600K

- MSI B250 PC MATE ATX

- G Skill 2x8GB DDR4-2400

- 480 GB SSD and a 1 TB HDD

- 500W 80+ Bronze ATX power supply

- 23.8” 2560-1440p Display

- P7-C1 Black ATX Mid-tower case

 

Some questions:

Should I really invest in an 80+ Gold PSU? Also, I was thinking of getting 1x16 GB for ram, because I was thinking I wanted to upgrade to 32 GB later in the future. However, I was suggested by a friend of mine not to use only one stick of ram. What do you guys think? Just a stupid question: how long do you think it will take me to actually get a notification from Nvidia that I can buy a 1070 ti (since they are out of stock right now). 

 

[Canada EH]

Invest in a Tier 2 or Tier 1 PSU, its well worth the money when you are spending big money on your pc!

[Daniel Aranda]

Sounds good, I have switched to the Corsair TXM 550W 80+ Gold PSU.

[seon123]

If you're buying in June, don't even bother planning now. New parts come out, and the prices and GPU/RAM situation might change. 

[brob]

13 hours ago, Daniel Aranda said:

So I plan on building my first pc in June. I’m thinking of a $1600 budget, and I’ve got everything set. Here is what I have:

- 1070 Ti FE (because non FE is $150+)

- i5-7600K

- MSI B250 PC MATE ATX

- G Skill 2x8GB DDR4-2400

- 480 GB SSD and a 1 TB HDD

- 500W 80+ Bronze ATX power supply

- 23.8” 2560-1440p Display

- P7-C1 Black ATX Mid-tower case

 

Some questions:

Should I really invest in an 80+ Gold PSU? Also, I was thinking of getting 1x16 GB for ram, because I was thinking I wanted to upgrade to 32 GB later in the future. However, I was suggested by a friend of mine not to use only one stick of ram. What do you guys think? Just a stupid question: how long do you think it will take me to actually get a notification from Nvidia that I can buy a 1070 ti (since they are out of stock right now). 

 

Use pcpartpicker.com.

 

As others have said, by May/June there will likely be new cpu and definitely different pricing. 

 

If buying today, get an i5-8400 or i5-8600K. 

 

GPU pricing and availability is currently insane. This is a terrible time to buy a gpu. When it's time to seriously consider a gpu, seriously consider models with non-stock coolers. They tend to run cooler and quieter. They also tend to have more oc headroom.

 

If you go with an i5-8400 a psu like the Corsair CX(M) 450 will do a very good job. Otherwise, you will likely want a 550W psu. At the moment there are well priced 80+ Gold 550W - 650W psu. In addition to TX, Corsair also has the RMx line. EVGA G2 & G3 are also good as is the new Seasonic Focus Plus Gold series. When picking a psu, keep in mind that it directly affects the performance and longevity of all electronic components.

 

The difference between 80+ Bronze and Gold is one of electrical efficiency. There is no inherent difference in the quality of components or power delivery.

 

Modern cpu support multi-channel memory access. In the case of LGA1151 cpu, dual channel mode is supported. This means the memory controller (on the cpu) can read/write data from two sticks of memory at the same time. If you have a single stick of memory, this efficiency is not possible. In a general use/gaming pc the added efficiency is relatively small in most cases. It is measurable. Since the cost differential is usually fairly small, it only makes sense to opt for added performance.