First build, would like some general feedback

[BlackyTheBlueCat]

I'm currently trying to piece together my first build for a desktop pc. I'd just like to get some general feedback, know whether everything should work together, whether I've overlooked anything obvious and whether anyone has any suggestions for improvements.

 

My budget doesn't really have an upper limit, I'm planning to use the pc for gaming, and will most probably run 2 monitors that will use displayport, probably one 4k and one 2k. For peripherals I don't need any recommendations, it will just be the usual, keyboard, mouse, headphones and so on. I'd also like the PC to be rather quiet.

 

Here's the build on pcpartpicker: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/ynbG29

 

The parts I'm mostly unsure about are:
For the CPU cooler, since the PCIe to which I should mount the GPU is close to the CPU socket, it might not fit. But I have trouble finding specifications as to what the distance between socket and the PCIe slot is.
Might this be an issue?

 

For the RAM, I'm not sure whether this is the best option. I'd like to have 2x16 GB RAM, but depending on the source I find that these RAM sticks are not supported by my motherboard. I'd rather not spend 400 dollars on RAM that I won't be able to use, but I also have trouble figuring out what exactly to look for to find RAM that will work fine with my build.

 

As for the PSU, I calculated the expected power usage to be around 550 W, which should work fine with my PSU, but I should search for something that provides a bit less max power?

 

Any other input is of course also appreciated.

[Firewrath9]

you dont really need 32 gb of ram,2x8 is fine

your PSU is fine although IMO anything above 80+ gold is where the value curve stops.

your cooler is fine, althouhh i would save money on the  case and get a fractal design meshify, and use the saved money for a mobo with better VRMs and a 280 or 360mm AIO.

 

[Spotty]

15 minutes ago, BlackyTheBlueCat said:

For the RAM, I'm not sure whether this is the best option. I'd like to have 2x16 GB RAM, but depending on the source I find that these RAM sticks are not supported by my motherboard. I'd rather not spend 400 dollars on RAM that I won't be able to use, but I also have trouble figuring out what exactly to look for to find RAM that will work fine with my build.

 

As for the PSU, I calculated the expected power usage to be around 550 W, which should work fine with my PSU, but I should search for something that provides a bit less max power?

Why do you need 32GB of RAM? For a gaming PC, even 4k, 16GB is plenty. Might be a better idea to start out with 2x8GB sticks and then if you find that for whatever reason that isn't enough for your tasks, then add in another 2x8GB kit. 2x8GB kits are about $150 USD, so it will actually work out cheaper this way than buying single 16GB sticks for $190 each. Your motherboard has 4 DIMM slots so adding in memory later isn't an issue.

 

With the PSU, the Seasonic Prime is a good unit, but you really don't need 850W unless you're planning on adding in another 1080ti for SLI. As you have already calculated, 550W will be enough for your system. Ultimately the only thing that will suffer from buying an 850W PSU is your wallet - You could easily save $70-$100 by going to a lower wattage PSU.

Otherwise it's a pretty solid build you have there.

Here's a version with those changes I suggested made. You save over $300.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-8700K 3.7GHz 6-Core Processor  ($350.88 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! - Dark Rock Pro 4 50.5 CFM CPU Cooler  ($88.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus - Prime Z370-A ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($163.90 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory  ($144.99 @ Newegg Business)
Storage: Samsung - 970 Evo 250GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  ($99.78 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital - Blue 1TB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($199.88 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Seagate - BarraCuda 4TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Asus - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB STRIX GAMING OC Video Card
Case: be quiet! - Silent Base 800 w/Window (Orange) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($144.00 @ B&H)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - PRIME Ultra Gold 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1357.40
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-09-09 10:20 EDT-0400

 

Edit: I'm assuming you already have the 1080ti since there's no price listed for it in the PCPP list? Or did it just not grab the price from the stores when you made the list?

Edit 2: Replaced the Dark Rock 4 with the Dark Rock Pro 4. Thanks to @Airdragonz for pointing it out. AFAIK they improved the mounting mechanism (which apparently was quite hard to use on the original one) and other smaller improvements that make it a better choice.

[Airdragonz]

A 650w power supply will work just fine, 750w will work better if you decide on overclocking. 32gb of ram will work with the motherboard, but if you'll only be gaming, 16gb will suit you perfectly fine. The CPU cooler I recommend going with a Dark Rock 4 Pro, due to the higher TDP compared to the non-pro. Otherwise, an AIO will work well too. And due to the amount of heat your components will generate, I recommend getting some extra case fans for better airflow. 

[Herman Mcpootis]

32gb of ram and an 850w titanium PSU is overkill, 16gb and a 750w PSU is enough if you're gonna do SLI. the 970 evo is unnessary if you're not doing 4k editing/rendering.

[Herman Mcpootis]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-8700K 3.7GHz 6-Core Processor  ($350.88 @ OutletPC) 
CPU Cooler: be quiet! - Dark Rock Pro 4 50.5 CFM CPU Cooler  ($88.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Motherboard: MSI - Z370 GAMING PRO CARBON ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($129.99 @ Newegg Business) 
Memory: Team - Night Hawk RGB 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory  ($154.99 @ Newegg Business) 
Storage: Samsung - 860 Evo 1TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  ($179.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Toshiba - X300 4TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($109.99 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: Asus - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB STRIX GAMING OC Video Card 
Case: Fractal Design - Meshify C Dark TG ATX Mid Tower Case  ($96.78 @ Walmart) 
Power Supply: Corsair - RMx (2018) 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($89.99 @ Newegg) 
Total: $1201.60
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-09-09 10:26 EDT-0400

[BlackyTheBlueCat]

9 minutes ago, Spotty said:

Edit: I'm assuming you already have the 1080ti since there's no price listed for it in the PCPP list? Or did it just not grab the price from the stores when you made the list?

 

I am not in the US and it therefore probably can't list my price.

 

I'm planning on using the PC also for coding, including some machine learning. I'd also like to still use the PC in a couple of years and would like to future proof it, that's why I wanted 32 GB of RAM.

 

Quote

The CPU cooler I recommend going with a Dark Rock 4 Pro

I did not opt for that one due to its size, but if that should be fine, I'll definitely get that one.

 

And yeah, extra fans will probably be installed.

[NickPickerWI]

Here's a LOT of very technical words...

 

 

 

1. The CPU cooler will fit fine. The Be Quiet coolers do not exceed the "window" that the motherboard allots to the CPU and cooling, per ATX standards. Some Noctuas and other huge coolers do. The Dark Rock Pro 3 and 4 will also not interfere with your graphics card, but have RAM clearance issues...however, these would be better picks because Intels run hot/has a high TDP especially while overclocking (you could also delid the CPU to help with this). The DRP3 and DRP4 give you similar performance to AIO's without the noise, cost, and risk.

 

2. Unless you're doing Photoshop heavily, doing video rendering, or using this as a CAD/animation/other intense workstation, 32GB of RAM is overkill. 16GB is good. I've found RAM compatibility lists to be confusing, but what you can count on is: if the motherboard supports one stick of that kind of RAM, it will support more than one. Where you run into a different issue is when the integrated memory controller (IMC) in the CPU has a hard time running a lot of RAM at high frequencies and timings...typically, at the upper end, there's a balance of overclocking the CPU and overclocking the RAM, where you can't go past a point with either and the other needs to drop a bit so the other can be bumped up. You would be overclocking the RAM (XMP) to hit 3000MHz. That motherboard may run into this issue earlier than another higher-quality board might - you might not be able to get all four sticks to 3000MHz with that CPU at stock. You might only be able to get them to 2666MHz and crash it past that (or possibly kill the IMC in the CPU, which is a sad day).

 

3. The power supply is overkill, nobody NEEDS anything more than a Bronze (those white, bronze, gold, platinum, and titanium ratings have to do with efficiency ratings and how much money you spend on electricity, they don't equate to power quality to your motherboard and components). A 750W Gold like the SeaSonic FOCUS Gold would work great, and be cheaper. I like this SeaSonic because of its good components and ripple suppression/power quality (and the 10 year warranty). Corsair and EVGA make models in this range that are also great. Also, 750W is good enough for your rig, even if you do SLI in the future. A benefit of an oversized PSU for a single card like this is noise - the fan might never need to spin up. Also, you're right in the center of the efficiency window, so the PSU is working at its most efficient, and isn't really being taxed much - equals longer life.

 

4. The case is overkill. I would consider a cheaper case, but if budget isn't an issue...then it isn't an issue.

 

5. The 970 EVO is very fast, but not to a point that you'd notice while gaming. A 960 or 850 EVO would do just as well. And...why an M.2 and an SSD?
 

 

 

My thoughts.