$2000 Newegg Gaming Build Task

[hazeyez]

A bunch of coworkers are console gamers, and a few are starting to get into pc gaming (Thanks to Fortnite!). I built my gaming rig last year and while it's not top of the line, it does the job well. I've always been the computer geek at work so my coworkers come to me for ideas and advice. One tasked me to build them a rig for between $1,500 and $2,000. We ordered the parts yesterday and should have them Tuesday to build. Here's what I went with:

 

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/8GHwgw (doesn't show chassis or peripherals) 

 

Chassis: Phanteks Eclipse P400 TGE White

MoBo:    Asus ROG Strix Z370-E Gaming

CPU:      Intel Core i5-8600k 3.6 GHz Coffee Lake

RAM:     Corsair Vengeance RGB 16GB (2x 8gb) DDR4 3000

GPU:     Asus ROG Strix Geforce GTX 1070 Gaming 8gb

PSU:     Corsair CX-M 650w 80+ Bronze 

Storage: WD Blue 1tb 7200rpm

Chassis Fans: 3x Corsair AF140 140mm White LED

CPU Cooler: ENERMAX ETS-T40F-W 120mm White LED Dual-Fan

Peripherals: MSI Vigor GK40 Combo w/ backlit RGB

OS:      Windows 10 Home

Monitor: Asus ROG Strix XG27VQ 27" Curved HD 1080p 144Hz

 

Of course you could have done this build differently for $2,000, but I think you can agree that this is an above-par build.

 

I am a fan of both Asus and Corsair while they make good products that perform reliably and are aesthetically pleasing.

 

This coworker actually tasked myself and someone else to make up a build for him to choose. The other person went with a $200 Corsair 570x case, another $200 on a liquid cpu cooler, $250 ssd - with a $300 GTX 6gb 1060 gpu.. and just mixed up a bunch of parts. While his build would have worked, there was no direction for it.

 

My build was superior because I asked my coworker what was important to him: gaming performance, mobo options, and aesthetics. I put the money where it mattered - choosing to save $425 on my case, cooling, and storage choices, and putting it into the better gpu, better monitor - while not having to sacrifice speed and performance. He can also tinker with overclocking which we spoke about.

 

My coworker is an entry-level pc enthusiast - actually novice, no experience at all. He said "make sure I have wifi, bluetooth, and I don't have to upgrade it within 2 years." We sat down and I let him choose between what I thought to be the top 4 chassis available under $100 - Phanteks P400 TGE, NZXT S340 Elite, Fractal Design Meshify C, and Silvestone RL06 - and this is the product of my thinking.

 

I appreciate any positive feedback. Maybe tell me what you would have done differently? Build pics to come next week!

 

Product photos attached courtesy of Newegg.

 

 

 

 

[Herman Mcpootis]

6 minutes ago, hazeyez said:

 

My coworker is an entry-level pc enthusiast - actually novice, no experience at all. He said "make sure I have wifi, bluetooth, and I don't have to upgrade it within 2 years." We sat down and I let him choose between what I thought to be the top 4 chassis available under $100 - Phanteks P400 TGE, NZXT S340 Elite, Fractal Design Meshify C, and Silvestone RL06 - and this is the product of my thinking.

 

I appreciate any positive feedback. Maybe tell me what you would have done differently? Build pics to come next week!

all of that hardware and not even an ssd anywhere in the build? the Z370-E is overpriced too, you can find boards with similar VRMs for much cheaper. also, this belongs in build logs instead of new builds and planning.

[spartaman64]

i would trade the fans for a ssd they probably wont make much difference in cooling anyways

[LienusLateTips]

>SSD

>Better lower wattage psu would be better

>1070 Ti is cheaper

[hazeyez]

I see everyone is hellbent on having a SSD - please know that this was discussed with the coworker who bought the build. We chose not to get an SSD because having more storage was more important than loading windows 5 seconds faster. However, he did say that he may add one in the future.

 

Out of curiosity - can you all tell me any advantages of having an ssd other than the ability to load windows faster? 

 

Also - what are the key differences of an m.2 ssd and 2.5" ssd?

 

As for the gpu - going with the 1070 over the 1070ti is what kept the build right under $2,000. The 1070ti is anywhere from $25 - $45 more at the moment, and similar in specs other than a couple hundred more cuda's. Sure we could have cut costs elsewhere but we specifically discussed getting a good 8gb gpu and keeping it as close to $500 as possible. 

 

Spartaman - I'd have to disagree with the statement that having 3 additional 140mm fans won't make a difference in cooling as opposed to not having them.

[Taf the Ghost]

42 minutes ago, hazeyez said:

I see everyone is hellbent on having a SSD - please know that this was discussed with the coworker who bought the build. We chose not to get an SSD because having more storage was more important than loading windows 5 seconds faster. However, he did say that he may add one in the future.

 

Out of curiosity - can you all tell me any advantages of having an ssd other than the ability to load windows faster? 

 

Also - what are the key differences of an m.2 ssd and 2.5" ssd?

 

As for the gpu - going with the 1070 over the 1070ti is what kept the build right under $2,000. The 1070ti is anywhere from $25 - $45 more at the moment, and similar in specs other than a couple hundred more cuda's. Sure we could have cut costs elsewhere but we specifically discussed getting a good 8gb gpu and keeping it as close to $500 as possible. 

 

Spartaman - I'd have to disagree with the statement that having 3 additional 140mm fans won't make a difference in cooling as opposed to not having them.

SSD for your OS is more like 60-90 second faster Windows load, along with every other program running faster due to Windows Page File sitting on the SSD. That's why the 128 Gb boot drive is quite common.

 

 

[Taf the Ghost]

@hazeyez

 

Go with a i5-8400. The GPU will be the bottleneck in functionally every situation, and the difference between the 8400 and 8600k is quite minimal.

[Taf the Ghost]

49 minutes ago, hazeyez said:

Also - what are the key differences of an m.2 ssd and 2.5" ssd?

 

M.2 & 2.5" SSD are just form factors. It doesn't matter unless it's a NVMe drive. Those use PCIe lanes, so they can be either M.2 or PCIe slot.

 

NVMe drives aren't needed unless you're doing 4K video editing. Also, they're about 100USD more expensive per size.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

48 minutes ago, hazeyez said:

Out of curiosity - can you all tell me any advantages of having an ssd other than the ability to load windows faster? 

If you have your programs anf games installed on the SSD, they will also load faster. They won't run any faster unless they have to frequently access the drive. 2.5" SATA SSDs run cooler and use less power than HDDs; they are also much smaller and lighter than 3.5" HDDs. They are not susceptible to damage from physical shock like an HDD so tend to be more durable. File transfers between SSDs will be much faster.

 

Financially, HDDs are more practical for data storage. One can still enjoy most of the benefits of SSDs by using one just for the OS, games, and programs. That allows the use of a smaller one that doesn't cost as much.

 

48 minutes ago, hazeyez said:

Also - what are the key differences of an m.2 ssd and 2.5" ssd?

If using NVMe and four PCI-e lanes, m.2 SSDs are much faster than 2.5" SATA SSDs. They also can run hotter unless they get good airflow over them.

[Herman Mcpootis]

2 hours ago, hazeyez said:

I see everyone is hellbent on having a SSD - please know that this was discussed with the coworker who bought the build. We chose not to get an SSD because having more storage was more important than loading windows 5 seconds faster. However, he did say that he may add one in the future.

there's no reason not to get at least a 240gb SSD when the budget very easily fits one anyways, if he really wanted to keep within 1.4k then you could have just gotten a cheaper board with VRMs that are just as good or skipped out on the fans/gotten a cheaper 1070.

Quote

Out of curiosity - can you all tell me any advantages of having an ssd other than the ability to load windows faster? 

an SSD makes loading programs much faster and more responsively and large files get downloaded quicker on an ssd.

 

[hazeyez]

2 hours ago, Taf the Ghost said:

M.2 & 2.5" SSD are just form factors. It doesn't matter unless it's a NVMe drive. Those use PCIe lanes, so they can be either M.2 or PCIe slot.

@Taf the Ghost I see there are NVMe and SATA III types of M.2 storage. How is the NVMe any better than the SATA III when it looks like they both connect in the same slot? I'm not referring to a SATA SSD but rather actual M.2 sticks differentiated by NVMe & SATA III interfaces - yet they connect the same way?

 

Anyone feel free to answer that.

 

@Herman Mcpootis I get your point about a cheaper board but really I was happier with getting a board like this rather than skimping out for a cheaper mobo to save $50 and still have to spend at least 2x - 3x that savings to get a small SSD for OS plus still having to spend to get a HDD. When he decides to upgrade to an SSD - he wants one of decent size (1tb or so) and at that point hopefully prices will go down a bit. Really we just weighed the importance of having one right now - just like having other unnecessary parts like a $200 case, a $200 liquid cooler, $100 more for an i7, etc. - and while we held out for now, we left the option open. He needed big storage initially so this is the route we went. Trust me, I get what you're saying though - just as I understand everyone else's point.

 

However, it seems that if skipping out on an SSD is my only fault - you guys are quite satisfied with the build otherwise?

 

I really want to know what you all think of the build part list and the quality of the build overall for an intermediary / entry-level gamer, and for a $2k budget?

 

Thanks!

[Taf the Ghost]

1 minute ago, hazeyez said:

@Taf the Ghost I see there are NVMe and SATA III types of M.2 storage. How is the NVMe any better than the SATA III when it looks like they both connect in the same slot? I'm not referring to a SATA SSD but rather actual M.2 sticks differentiated by NVMe & SATA III interfaces - yet they connect the same way?

 

Anyone feel free to answer that.

 

The M.2 slot is just designed that way on motherboards. It can also take things like WiFi cards.