Help sorting a build ~$2.5K AUD

[Benjals]

Hey guys,

I've started full time work and finally have money to replace my current broken laptop set up.
My current laptop has the following specs:

• Intel Core i7-4710MQ
• Nvidia GTX 850M
• 8GB RAM

I think the processor is fine but the GPU lacks the power to play the games I want to play.
I run a 32" 1080p monitor with that at the moment, the screen was broken so I removed it.
I want to get a 1440p widescreen in the future to go along with it. Possibly more, but definitely a multi monitor set up.
I don't really play any high end games, but that's mostly due to my lack of a gaming computer. I'd love to get around games like ARK and PUBG, just need the PC to run em.

So I live in Australia and will have a max of $2500 AUD to spend on a computer.
I've been looking into the new Ryzen CPUs and a 1080ti, but I haven't really been in the computer parts loop for a few years so I'm not sure what the go is at the moment, I need a push in the right direction

Thanks.

[STRESSMASTER]

Ryzen 5 1700 or better yet if you can swing it the 1800 will do you well. I use them and do pubG. Also thought the 1080ti is the king so to speak the 1050ti is much cheaper and does almost as well imho

[Herman Mcpootis]

need the 1440p monitor included in the budget? need os/monitor/pripherals?

[Benjals]

1 minute ago, Herman Mcpootis said:

need the 1440p monitor included in the budget? need os/monitor/pripherals?

My bad, I have all peripherals and OS. Monitor is in the future so can be left out.

[STRESSMASTER]

@Benjals check this out

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/9ZMNxG

 

it is about 1022AUD

[STRESSMASTER]

@Benjals FYI the cost of a 1080ti is equal to everything in that list.

[STRESSMASTER]

PCPartPicker part list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/NCxM4q
Price breakdown by merchant: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/NCxM4q/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600 3.4GHz 6-Core Processor  ($165.99 @ Amazon) 
CPU Cooler: Corsair - H100i v2 70.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($94.99 @ Newegg) 
Motherboard: Asus - ROG STRIX B450-F GAMING ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($129.89 @ OutletPC) 
Memory: Team - Vulcan 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  ($85.98 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Samsung - 860 Evo 250GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  ($75.87 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: MSI - GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB Video Card  ($159.99 @ B&H) 
Power Supply: Cooler Master - MasterWatt 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($40.98 @ Newegg) 
Total: $753.69
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-08-18 01:21 EDT-0400

 

Just needs a case and a HDD for storage

[Herman Mcpootis]

11 minutes ago, Benjals said:

My bad, I have all peripherals and OS. Monitor is in the future so can be left out.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-8700K 3.7GHz 6-Core Processor  ($518.00 @ Shopping Express) 
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG - R1 Ultimate 76.0 CFM CPU Cooler  ($99.00 @ PCCaseGear) 
Motherboard: ASRock - Fatal1ty Z370 Gaming K6 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($228.00 @ Umart) 
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  ($239.00 @ IJK) 
Storage: Crucial - MX500 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($85.00 @ Shopping Express) 
Storage: Toshiba - P300 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($78.00 @ Umart) 
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB FTW3 DT GAMING Video Card  ($1000.98 @ Amazon Australia) 
Case: Corsair - Carbide Series 275R (Black w/Tempered Glass) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($105.00 @ Shopping Express) 
Power Supply: Antec - Earthwatts Gold Pro 750W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($101.00 @ Amazon Australia) 
Total: $2453.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-08-18 15:24 AEST+1000

[Spotty]

6 minutes ago, STRESSMASTER said:

check this out

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/9ZMNxG

 

it is about 1022AUD

Why the 960 evo and the 860 evo?
Also why only 2x4GB RAM?
OP wants 1440p display for gaming (maybe 144hz?), but wants to play PUBG at 1440p. 1050ti is good for 1080p gaming, but for 1440p PUBG it won't cut the mustard.
The mail in rebates on a lot of those items probably aren't available in Australia. (We miss out on a lot of them, some are world wide, but most aren't)

 

You can set the country in PCPartPicker up the top right hand of screen and it will change the source of the parts to Australian retailers and to AUD. The cost of that build is $1300 AUD, not $1022.

Quote

Total:

$1303.46

[Benjals]

4 minutes ago, STRESSMASTER said:

PCPartPicker part list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/NCxM4q
Price breakdown by merchant: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/NCxM4q/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600 3.4GHz 6-Core Processor  ($165.99 @ Amazon) 
CPU Cooler: Corsair - H100i v2 70.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($94.99 @ Newegg) 
Motherboard: Asus - ROG STRIX B450-F GAMING ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($129.89 @ OutletPC) 
Memory: Team - Vulcan 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  ($85.98 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Samsung - 860 Evo 250GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  ($75.87 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: MSI - GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB Video Card  ($159.99 @ B&H) 
Power Supply: Cooler Master - MasterWatt 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($40.98 @ Newegg) 
Total: $753.69
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-08-18 01:21 EDT-0400

 

Just needs a case and a HDD for storage

Cheers, I'll assess all the stuff I want to do on the PC and see if I need to beef the GPU up

[Benjals]

4 minutes ago, Herman Mcpootis said:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-8700K 3.7GHz 6-Core Processor  ($518.00 @ Shopping Express) 
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG - R1 Ultimate 76.0 CFM CPU Cooler  ($99.00 @ PCCaseGear) 
Motherboard: ASRock - Fatal1ty Z370 Gaming K6 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($228.00 @ Umart) 
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  ($239.00 @ IJK) 
Storage: Crucial - MX500 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($85.00 @ Shopping Express) 
Storage: Toshiba - P300 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($78.00 @ Umart) 
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB FTW3 DT GAMING Video Card  ($1000.98 @ Amazon Australia) 
Case: Corsair - Carbide Series 275R (Black w/Tempered Glass) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($105.00 @ Shopping Express) 
Power Supply: Antec - Earthwatts Gold Pro 750W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($101.00 @ Amazon Australia) 
Total: $2453.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-08-18 15:24 AEST+1000

So is it worth it to go with intel for the cpu still?
Oh yeah forgot to mention I already have SSD and bulk HDD storage

[STRESSMASTER]

Spoiler

Just now, Spotty said:

Why the 960 evo and the 860 evo?
Also why only 2x4GB RAM?
OP wants 1440p display for gaming (maybe 144hz?), but wants to play PUBG at 1440p. 1050ti is good for 1080p gaming, but for 1440p PUBG it won't cut the mustard.
The mail in rebates on a lot of those items probably aren't available in Australia. (We miss out on a lot of them, some are world wide, but most aren't)

 

You can set the country in PCPartPicker up the top right hand of screen and it will change the source of the parts to Australian retailers and to AUD. The cost of that build is $1300 AUD, not $1022.

 

Thanks I didn't know you could change the $$. As for the rebates most of those companies are worldwide so "should" work. Also see above the 960 EVO was by mistake. as for the 1050ti it is a cost versus gain. Especially with the 2000 series coming very soon

[STRESSMASTER]

Spoiler

6 minutes ago, Benjals said:

So is it worth it to go with intel for the cpu still?

 

intel gets you like 3% difference. If you compare the Ryzen 7 gen 2 or thread ripper to current offerings it is about the same or in case of thread ripper much better imo. However that 3% is in artificial scenarios. idk about real game performance. The price difference for that 3% is double to triple the cost so in the end it is upto what you want. I personally think saving a huge chunk of $$ is more than worth getting the Ryzen for. Plus JaysTWOcents just ran benches with same specs (as close as possible) but only changed CPU's and it the difference didn't affect FPS in any noticeable way. for what you save you can up the GPU to something better.

[STRESSMASTER]

35 minutes ago, Benjals said:

So is it worth it to go with intel for the cpu still?
Oh yeah forgot to mention I already have SSD and bulk HDD storage

you still want to get a M.2 drive the speed is 10x or more faster roughly.

 

Edit: yes I did mean the M.2 2280 NVME drive like the 860 EVO or 960 EVO

[Herman Mcpootis]

18 minutes ago, Benjals said:

So is it worth it to go with intel for the cpu still?
Oh yeah forgot to mention I already have SSD and bulk HDD storage

it'll perform better than the ryzen 5/7 CPUs for gaming.

[Spotty]

1 minute ago, STRESSMASTER said:

you still want to get a M.2 drive the speed is 10x or more faster roughly.

I think you mean NVME drive. M.2 is the connector type. You can get M.2 sata drives that are the same speed as 2.5" sata SSDs (550MB/s sequential). 

 

AMD Ryzen CPUs have extra cores so are strong in multicore tasks, such as gaming and streaming at the same time. The Intel CPUs have less cores but better single core performance, so usually run better in games. The 8700k is still plenty strong enough for gaming + streaming encoding.
 

AMD Ryzen 7

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 7 2700X 3.7GHz 8-Core Processor  ($458.00 @ Shopping Express)
CPU Cooler: Corsair - H100i v2 70.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($142.00 @ IJK)
Motherboard: Asus - Prime X470-Pro ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($289.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Memory: G.Skill - Trident Z RGB 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory  ($269.00 @ Shopping Express)
Storage: Samsung - 970 Evo 250GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  ($145.00 @ BudgetPC)
Storage: Seagate - Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($79.00 @ Shopping Express)
Video Card: Asus - GeForce GTX 1070 Ti 8GB ROG STRIX Video Card  ($649.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Power Supply: Corsair - TXM Gold 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($109.00 @ Shopping Express)
Total: $2140.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-08-18 15:44 AEST+1000

 

Intel i7

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-8700K 3.7GHz 6-Core Processor  ($518.00 @ Shopping Express)
CPU Cooler: Corsair - H100i v2 70.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($142.00 @ IJK)
Motherboard: Asus - Prime Z370-A ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($228.00 @ Shopping Express)
Memory: G.Skill - Trident Z RGB 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory  ($269.00 @ Shopping Express)
Storage: Samsung - 970 Evo 250GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  ($145.00 @ BudgetPC)
Storage: Seagate - Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($79.00 @ Shopping Express)
Video Card: Asus - GeForce GTX 1070 Ti 8GB ROG STRIX Video Card  ($649.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Power Supply: Corsair - TXM Gold 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($109.00 @ Shopping Express)
Total: $2139.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-08-18 15:44 AEST+1000

 

I've left the case out since it's more of a personal aesthetics choice, but plenty of room in the budget to fit one in.
If you wanted to save some money, swapping to an 8600k or Ryzen 2700 would be a smart choice and save you $100+.

There's also a lot of expectation for the next generation of Nvidia cards to be releasing very soon, so I'd recommend waiting to see what the new generation brings within the next few weeks. There's room in the budget for a 1080ti instead of the 1070ti, but I didn't bother putting that in the list since if you were looking at a 1080ti I'd tell you to wait for a RTX2080 anyway.

[Benjals]

2 minutes ago, Herman Mcpootis said:

it'll perform better than the ryzen 5/7 CPUs for gaming.

Ahh yep rightio I'll see how I go, mainly depends on how the prices add up from one retailer, because it will be to expensive shipping wise to source from individual retailers.
Also, thoughts on the be Quiet! dark rock 3? comes in a bundle here https://www.pccasegear.com/bundle/85/intel-core-i7-8700k-with-be-quiet-dark-rock-pro-3-cpu-cooler
Cheers!

[Benjals]

1 minute ago, Spotty said:

Snip

Oh awesome, thanks for this.
On the cpu coolers, is the liquid cooling necessary? I know in the past the summer has been brutal but I think the air coolers generally go alright, there are also bundles for them on pccasegear.
Also would it be bad to get everything but the gpu and run it till I decide? Been thinking about doing it but I'm worried new cpu stuff might come along at the same time or something?

[Herman Mcpootis]

5 minutes ago, Benjals said:

Ahh yep rightio I'll see how I go, mainly depends on how the prices add up from one retailer, because it will be to expensive shipping wise to source from individual retailers.
Also, thoughts on the be Quiet! dark rock 3? comes in a bundle here https://www.pccasegear.com/bundle/85/intel-core-i7-8700k-with-be-quiet-dark-rock-pro-3-cpu-cooler
Cheers!

it's a pretty good cooler, but mounting it will be a pain IIRC

[STRESSMASTER]

that is a great idea run it on a old GPU until u decide. as for coolers. a huge air cooler is bulking imho but the rad AIO coolers like h80i or h100i which both include a am4 kit btw are better and look nicer. I get a max of 62c on my 8130 which base clock is 3.1 and it is overclocked to 4.8 atm but i have had it at 5.1 stable on a h100i and never go higher than 62c. on big air coolers even the best ones I can't overclock it past 4.4 due to heat.

 

Edit: FYI that CPU is know to run very hot.

[Benjals]

3 minutes ago, STRESSMASTER said:

that is a great idea run it on a old GPU until u decide. as for coolers. a huge air cooler is bulking imho but the rad AIO coolers like h80i or h100i which both include a am4 kit btw are better and look nicer. I get a max of 62c on my 8130 which base clock is 3.1 and it is overclocked to 4.8 atm but i have had it at 5.1 stable on a h100i and never go higher than 62c. on big air coolers even the best ones I can't overclock it past 4.4 due to heat

Oh ok, guess I'll look into AIO just in case I wanna try OC

[Herman Mcpootis]

7 minutes ago, Benjals said:

Oh awesome, thanks for this.
On the cpu coolers, is the liquid cooling necessary? I know in the past the summer has been brutal but I think the air coolers generally go alright, there are also bundles for them on pccasegear.
Also would it be bad to get everything but the gpu and run it till I decide? Been thinking about doing it but I'm worried new cpu stuff might come along at the same time or something?

not really necessary if you're scared of it leaking, a high-end air cooler is on-par with 240-280mm AIOs.

[STRESSMASTER]

Spoiler

1 minute ago, Benjals said:

Oh ok, guess I'll look into AIO just in case I wanna try OC

 

cooler temps mean longer life of CPU usually

[STRESSMASTER]

Spoiler

3 minutes ago, Herman Mcpootis said:

not really necessary if you're scared of it leaking, a high-end air cooler is on-par with 240-280mm AIOs.

 

That is why i only recommend the h80i or h100i. If for whatever reason they do leak(which has yet to happen in 10 years and 6 units for me) they are not filled with water but a super fast evaporating (alcohol?) liquid that leaves no residue.

[Spotty]

4 minutes ago, Benjals said:

Ahh yep rightio I'll see how I go, mainly depends on how the prices add up from one retailer, because it will be to expensive shipping wise to source from individual retailers.
Also, thoughts on the be Quiet! dark rock 3? comes in a bundle here https://www.pccasegear.com/bundle/85/intel-core-i7-8700k-with-be-quiet-dark-rock-pro-3-cpu-cooler
Cheers!

 

1 minute ago, Benjals said:

Oh awesome, thanks for this.
On the cpu coolers, is the liquid cooling necessary? I know in the past the summer has been brutal but I think the air coolers generally go alright, there are also bundles for them on pccasegear.
Also would it be bad to get everything but the gpu and run it till I decide? Been thinking about doing it but I'm worried new cpu stuff might come along at the same time or something?

Water cooler isn't necessary. The Dark Rock Pro 3 would be a good cooler for it. I'd go with the Dark Rock Pro 4 personally since they revised the mounting mechanism and made it a bit easier to mount, but the bundle price from PCCG is decent. It's about $80 extra for the bundle, but the Dark Rock Pro 4 is $120 from PCCG. (The DRP3 is $99, so you are saving $20 with the bundle deal). Does PCCG have a bundle with the DRP4 cooler?

 

Buying in one place is smart, as shipping costs quickly add up in Aus. You should be able to get most parts from PCCG, but if you're buying a case as well then be prepared for $40-$50 shipping costs.
PCCG have a pretty good range and their pricing isn't too bad. For what you can't get from PCCG, check eBay and Amazon Australia. With Amazon Prime (which you can get a free trial of atm or it's $5/month) you can get free shipping on eligible products. eBay stuff normally comes with free shipping anyway - Just buy from reputable stores on eBay and keep an eye out for the 20% off coupons that go around every few weeks. Personally I find buying HDDs and SSDs a fair bit cheaper from eBay than PCCG, assuming you can pick up one of those coupons (they advertise them on the product listing and it applies at checkout).

 

The Ryzen 2700(x) does not come with integrated graphics, so you will need a dedicated GPU to run a display from it. The Intel 8700k comes with integrated graphics that, while aren't great and not really suitable for gaming, will at least give you a display for the desktop so you can still use it as a computer until you buy a dedicated GPU. If you have an old graphics card you can use then just stick that in.
We're expecting the new generation of cards to be announced officially within the next 2 weeks. Maybe 4-8 weeks before it's available in Australia. When you're spending $500-$1500 AUD on a GPU, you may as well wait a few weeks to see if a better model comes out that is the same price/cheaper.

 

There's no new stuff set to release soon for Ryzen at the moment, with the exception of Threadripper which is aimed at more workstation rather than gaming rigs anyway.
Intel is set to release the 9 series soon, so i5 9500k(?), i7 9700k, and i9 9900k. Not entirely sure when it will be released, sometime within the next few months (Start of October for USA possibly?).
If you're going to wait for the new series of GPUs from Nvidia, it might be wise to wait for the new Intel CPUs if you are planning on going with Intel. If you are leaning towards the AMD Ryzen CPUs, then you may as well buy now (if you have an old graphics card to use in the system).

 

 

6 minutes ago, STRESSMASTER said:

  Reveal hidden contents

 

cooler temps mean longer life of CPU usually

A CPU with a Dark Rock Pro 3/4 is not going to be running at 110°C where the CPU will be damaged and lifespan shortened. Even if for whatever reason it did, it would thermal throttle or shut down to protect itself if temperatures were high enough to cause damage to the CPU. The difference between 55C and 60C under load will not cause any discernible difference in life expectancy of the CPU. So, no, running an AIO cooler will not make your CPU last longer than running it with a good quality air cooler.
 

2 minutes ago, STRESSMASTER said:

  Reveal hidden contents

 

That is why i only recommend the h80i or h100i. If for whatever reason they do leak(which has yet to happen in 10 years and 6 units for me) they are not filled with water but a super fast evaporating (alcohol?) liquid that leaves no residue.

That's incorrect. The H80i and H100i are filled mostly with distilled water and a bit of Propylene Glycol added to protect against bacterial growth.
 

Quote

What kind of liquid is used inside the Hydro Series CPU coolers?
The liquid inside our Hydro Series CPU coolers is a mixture of distilled water with Propylene Glycol added to prevent corrosion and organic build-up.
_{https://www.corsair.com/us/en/FAQs}