First Self Build

[Clare]

Hi im building my first computer

 

 My build so far,

 

Motherboard: Msi Z370 M5

Cpu: i7 8700

Gpu: Msi 1080 8gb

Case: The Tower 900 Snow Edition

Storage: Toshiba X300 4tb

Ssd: Corsair MP500 120gb

Cpu Cooler: Captain 240ex

Thermal paste: Arctic Silver

Ram: XPG Spectrix D80 Liquid Cooled RGB 3200MHz 16gb (2x8gb)

Power Supply: 750 80gold EVGA

Disk Drive: WH12LS38

Case Fan: LL140mm RGB 2 pack

 

When do you think is the best time to buy parts on sale Black Friday or Christmas.

I'm trying to keep this build under 2000 but will to add a little more if needed and I don't know how to overclock so I don't know if I save money buying the none K or X or TI versions.

 I have a Vive headset and want to game at 4k ultra on all games if possible, is there anything I can improve or don't need.

 I do 3D models(Blender, Mud-box, Unity Building) and heavy painting software (painttoolsai, Photoshop) for work as well and video editing for YouTube. Will the new cpus handle this well.

I also want to keep the build blue, pink, and white color scheme if anyone knows how I could do more colors in the case please let me know with links.

 

Just the highlights

1. Best time of year to buy parts.

2. Improvements to build

3. Vr ready and 4k ultra ready

4. blue, pink, and white color scheme options 

 

Thanks to anyone who helps

[IdiotPenguin]

You don’t need a z370 mobo for a locked cpu but since you have ram that’s higher than 2666 (performance increase won’t really matter for intel) then go ahead, why not (or find a cheaper z370 board). I’d get a budget air cooler like the H7 (I have same cpu and cooler) and they both work fine, 8700 isn’t that hot) and the thermal paste on the cpu cooler (or comes with) is good enough to do the job for this CPU. As for the case, I’m not sure but If you wanted to save money go with a cheaper case but your money your choice

[mxk]

9 minutes ago, IdiotPenguin said:

You don’t need a z370 mobo for a locked cpu but since you have ram that’s higher than 2666 (performance increase won’t really matter for intel) then go ahead, why not (or find a cheaper z370 board). I’d get a budget air cooler like the H7 (I have same cpu and cooler) and they both work fine, 8700 isn’t that hot) and the thermal paste on the cpu cooler (or comes with) is good enough to do the job for this CPU. As for the case, I’m not sure but If you wanted to save money go with a cheaper case but your money your choice

IdiotPenguin is right, you don't need a motherboard meant for overclocking with a locked processor. The CRYORIG H7 is a great cooler too, I would recommend it too.

[Spotty]

Kept it under $2k, and tried to stick with the white theme. Hard to find pink parts though, so if you want it to be pink then maybe buy an RGB light strip.
Upgraded to an 8700k since you're going with a Z370 mobo, and 1080ti since it was within the budget and will help with 4k gaming and VR.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type	Item	Price
CPU	Intel - Core i7-8700K 3.7GHz 6-Core Processor	$379.99 @ Amazon
CPU Cooler	Corsair - H100i v2 70.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler	$89.99 @ Amazon
Motherboard	Asus - Prime Z370-A ATX LGA1151 Motherboard	$159.00 @ Amazon
Memory	Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory	$139.99 @ Amazon
Storage	Samsung - 860 Evo 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive	$86.99 @ Amazon
Storage	Seagate - Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive	$58.99 @ SuperBiiz
Video Card	Gigabyte - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB Gaming OC 11G Video Card	$704.98 @ Newegg
Case	NZXT - H500i (White) ATX Mid Tower Case	$99.00 @ B&H
Power Supply	Corsair - RMx (2018) 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply	$69.99 @ Newegg
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total (before mail-in rebates)	$1808.92
	Mail-in rebates	-$20.00
	Total	$1788.92
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-10-12 01:14 EDT-0400

 

[MrChemistryCow9]

Ti isn't for overclocking, just for better performance.

[mxk]

Also, Intel's 9th generation unlocked processors just came out and the i5

Just now, Spotty said:

Kept it under $2k, and tried to stick with the white theme. Hard to find pink parts though, so if you want it to be pink then maybe buy an RGB light strip.
Upgraded to an 8700k since you're going with a Z370 mobo, and 1080ti since it was within the budget and will help with 4k gaming and VR.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type	Item	Price
CPU	Intel - Core i7-8700K 3.7GHz 6-Core Processor	$379.99 @ Amazon
CPU Cooler	Corsair - H100i v2 70.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler	$89.99 @ Amazon
Motherboard	Asus - Prime Z370-A ATX LGA1151 Motherboard	$159.00 @ Amazon
Memory	Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory	$139.99 @ Amazon
Storage	Samsung - 860 Evo 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive	$86.99 @ Amazon
Storage	Seagate - Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive	$58.99 @ SuperBiiz
Video Card	Gigabyte - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB Gaming OC 11G Video Card	$704.98 @ Newegg
Case	NZXT - H500i (White) ATX Mid Tower Case	$99.00 @ B&H
Power Supply	Corsair - RMx (2018) 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply	$69.99 @ Newegg
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total (before mail-in rebates)	$1808.92
	Mail-in rebates	-$20.00
	Total	$1788.92
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-10-12 01:14 EDT-0400

 

you did a good job but he/she is a new builder and probably won't be overclocking. It all depends though just a thought

[mxk]

Not sure if you're updated on it, but Intel 9th generation came out and If you are willing to try overclocking in the future you can consider an i5-9600k. If not, the i7-8700k looks better than the i7-9600k as of now, but there are no benchmarks yet so just waiting until then. 8700k is a solid choice. If you can somehow fit it into your budget the i9-9900k was announced too... But still there are no benchmarks but it looks like a great cpu

[Clare]

Love the build idea, guess I could learn how to overclock a little, but is it ok to over clock always or should you turn it off if your not gaming. All the parts work, but i might keep my cpu cooler for aesthetics. 

[mxk]

3 minutes ago, Clare said:

Love the build idea, guess I could learn how to overclock a little, but is it ok to over clock always or should you turn it off if your not gaming. All the parts work, but i might keep my cpu cooler for aesthetics. 

Well, you usually have to go into the BIOS of the motherboard to overclock. What some people do when they buy unlocked cpu's is they do some light overclocking at the start, when they first buy then they overclock much more when they've had the CPU for a longer period of time to get better performance for as long as possible for upgrading.

If you do overclocking I would suggest keeping the water cooler

[Clare]

3 minutes ago, mxk. said:

Not sure if you're updated on it, but Intel 9th generation came out and If you are willing to try overclocking in the future you can consider an i5-9600k. If not, the i7-8700k looks better than the i7-9600k as of now, but there are no benchmarks yet so just waiting until then. 8700k is a solid choice. If you can somehow fit it into your budget the i9-9900k was announced too... But still there are no benchmarks but it looks like a great cpu

Do you think waiting for the 2080 and 9900k would be much of an improvement for longevity?

[mxk]

1 minute ago, Clare said:

Do you think waiting for the 2080 and 9900k would be much of an improvement for longevity?

I mean, theyre both out and it would exceed your budget a lot, but yes it theoretically would. The 2080 is on sale already, but keep in in mind the 2070 is on the way but not released and that might be a cheaper option. Also keep in the mind the 9990k is $500+. An 8700k will probably be fine but if you can get together more money in the time you wait for the 9900k and 2070/2080 youll be set

[mxk]

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117957&cm_re=9900k-_-19-117-957-_-Product

wow its $580 USD. I mean once you start getting into the i7-8700k range I guess its only 170 more but wow Intel

[Clare]

Thanks for your help guys I think I'll wait a little longer since there is some stuff coming out and might get a little more money to make improvements. 

[mxk]

Just now, Clare said:

Thanks for your help guys I think I'll wait a little longer since there is some stuff coming out and might get a little more money to make improvements. 

no problem bb . Make sure to keep an eye on if the new intel stuff is a good choice! and keep eyes peeled for 2070

 

[Spotty]

11 minutes ago, Clare said:

Love the build idea, guess I could learn how to overclock a little, but is it ok to over clock always or should you turn it off if your not gaming. All the parts work, but i might keep my cpu cooler for aesthetics. 

If you won't be overclocking, then a i5 non-k might be a better choice with a B360 motherboard. Or even Ryzen 2600 or Ryzen 2700 with AM4 B450 motherboard. With either of those options if you're not overclocking you could use either the stock coolers that come with the CPUs or something like an Arctic Freezer cooler - no need for a huge cooler like you would need with an 8700k.
If you're gaming in 4k and playing VR, you'll mostly be GPU limited anyway.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD - Ryzen 7 2700 3.2GHz 8-Core Processor	$265.00 @ Amazon
CPU Cooler	ARCTIC - Freezer 33 eSports ONE (Black/White) CPU Cooler	$31.81 @ Newegg
Motherboard	Asus - ROG STRIX B450-F GAMING ATX AM4 Motherboard	$124.01 @ B&H
Memory	Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory	$139.99 @ Amazon
Storage	Samsung - 860 Evo 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive	$86.99 @ Amazon
Storage	Seagate - Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive	$58.99 @ SuperBiiz
Video Card	Gigabyte - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB Gaming OC 11G Video Card	$704.98 @ Newegg
Case	NZXT - H500i (White) ATX Mid Tower Case	$99.00 @ B&H
Power Supply	Corsair - RMx (2018) 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply	$69.99 @ Newegg
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total (before mail-in rebates)	$1600.76
	Mail-in rebates	-$20.00
	Total	$1580.76
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-10-12 01:33 EDT-0400

 

9 minutes ago, Clare said:

Do you think waiting for the 2080 and 9900k would be much of an improvement for longevity?

I would not recommend the i9 9900k for you. It's going to be $500+ and be aimed at the heavy overclockers, not first time builders.

[Clare]

2 minutes ago, Spotty said:

If you won't be overclocking, then a i5 non-k might be a better choice with a B360 motherboard. Or even Ryzen 2600 or Ryzen 2700 with AM4 B450 motherboard. With either of those options if you're not overclocking you could use either the stock coolers that come with the CPUs or something like an Arctic Freezer cooler - no need for a huge cooler like you would need with an 8700k.
If you're gaming in 4k and playing VR, you'll mostly be GPU limited anyway.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD - Ryzen 7 2700 3.2GHz 8-Core Processor	$265.00 @ Amazon
CPU Cooler	ARCTIC - Freezer 33 eSports ONE (Black/White) CPU Cooler	$31.81 @ Newegg
Motherboard	Asus - ROG STRIX B450-F GAMING ATX AM4 Motherboard	$124.01 @ B&H
Memory	Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory	$139.99 @ Amazon
Storage	Samsung - 860 Evo 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive	$86.99 @ Amazon
Storage	Seagate - Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive	$58.99 @ SuperBiiz
Video Card	Gigabyte - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB Gaming OC 11G Video Card	$704.98 @ Newegg
Case	NZXT - H500i (White) ATX Mid Tower Case	$99.00 @ B&H
Power Supply	Corsair - RMx (2018) 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply	$69.99 @ Newegg
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total (before mail-in rebates)	$1600.76
	Mail-in rebates	-$20.00
	Total	$1580.76
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-10-12 01:33 EDT-0400

 

I would not recommend the i9 9900k for you. It's going to be $500+ and be aimed at the heavy overclockers, not first time builders.

I know I did say this on the topic but I do 3D models(Blender, Mud-box, Unity Building) and heavy painting software (painttoolsai, Photoshop) for work as well and video editing for YouTube. Will the new cpus handle this well.

[Spotty]

42 minutes ago, Clare said:

4. blue, pink, and white color scheme options 

There is also the RM750x which comes in white with white cables. You don't need a 750W PSU, but unfortunately the RMx only comes in white with the 750W model.

It's going to be about $50 more expensive than the RM550x, but if you were planning on replacing the PSU cables with a kit from CableMods or the like with white cables to suit the theme of your build, it may end up being cheaper to just buy the white RM750x.

 

 

Added it in to the build here:
 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD - Ryzen 7 2700 3.2GHz 8-Core Processor	$265.00 @ Amazon
CPU Cooler	ARCTIC - Freezer 33 eSports ONE (Black/White) CPU Cooler	$31.81 @ Newegg
Motherboard	Asus - ROG STRIX B450-F GAMING ATX AM4 Motherboard	$124.01 @ B&H
Memory	Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory	$139.99 @ Amazon
Storage	Samsung - 860 Evo 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive	$86.99 @ Amazon
Storage	Seagate - Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive	$58.99 @ SuperBiiz
Video Card	Gigabyte - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB Gaming OC 11G Video Card	$704.98 @ Newegg
Case	NZXT - H500i (White) ATX Mid Tower Case	$99.00 @ B&H
Power Supply	Corsair - RMx White 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply	$119.99 @ Amazon
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total	$1630.76
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-10-12 01:37 EDT-0400

 

[mxk]

2 minutes ago, Spotty said:

If you won't be overclocking, then a i5 non-k might be a better choice with a B360 motherboard. Or even Ryzen 2600 or Ryzen 2700 with AM4 B450 motherboard. With either of those options if you're not overclocking you could use either the stock coolers that come with the CPUs or something like an Arctic Freezer cooler - no need for a huge cooler like you would need with an 8700k.
If you're gaming in 4k and playing VR, you'll mostly be GPU limited anyway.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD - Ryzen 7 2700 3.2GHz 8-Core Processor	$265.00 @ Amazon
CPU Cooler	ARCTIC - Freezer 33 eSports ONE (Black/White) CPU Cooler	$31.81 @ Newegg
Motherboard	Asus - ROG STRIX B450-F GAMING ATX AM4 Motherboard	$124.01 @ B&H
Memory	Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory	$139.99 @ Amazon
Storage	Samsung - 860 Evo 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive	$86.99 @ Amazon
Storage	Seagate - Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive	$58.99 @ SuperBiiz
Video Card	Gigabyte - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB Gaming OC 11G Video Card	$704.98 @ Newegg
Case	NZXT - H500i (White) ATX Mid Tower Case	$99.00 @ B&H
Power Supply	Corsair - RMx (2018) 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply	$69.99 @ Newegg
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total (before mail-in rebates)	$1600.76
	Mail-in rebates	-$20.00
	Total	$1580.76
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-10-12 01:33 EDT-0400

 

I would not recommend the i9 9900k for you. It's going to be $500+ and be aimed at the heavy overclockers, not first time builders.

You make a very strong point Spotty. Sorry, Clare if I got you into the expensive mindset. If you don't want to spend more right now, but you want to game right now at 1080p and good FPS then go with a locked it-8400 and a b360 motherboard (exactly what Spotty said). Then maybe buy a 1070 and that'll last you a good amount of time. 

[Clare]

Sorry to add more to the fire, I was told if I do anything with video editing of painting that I have to go with intel I don't know if that's correct.

[mxk]

Now that you mention the workstation stuff, a Ryzen 7 2700x will suit your needs much better. It can game well too, and all ryzen cpus come unlocked so they can all overclock. You have to pick a good motherboard that overclocks well though. Ryzen is much better than an i5-8600k (or maybe a 9600k but we'll see) and its not that much more for the 2700x

[Spotty]

6 minutes ago, Clare said:

I know I did say this on the topic but I do 3D models(Blender, Mud-box, Unity Building) and heavy painting software (painttoolsai, Photoshop) for work as well and video editing for YouTube. Will the new cpus handle this well.

In that case forget what I said about the Intel i5s and Ryzen 2600.
The Ryzen 7 2700 or 2700x should still work quite well for you. It has 8 cores/16 threads so it's good for heavy CPU tasks like what you've listed. Otherwise the 8700k would be the choice to go with for Intel, even if you don't overclock, however it will be more expensive.

 

Some programs work better with Intel CPUs than they do with AMD CPUs, and vice verse, however it depends on the individual program.

 

Stick with the GTX 1080ti if you're planning on gaming on a 4k monitor.

[Clare]

1 minute ago, Spotty said:

In that case forget what I said about the Intel i5s and Ryzen 2600.
The Ryzen 7 2700 or 2700x should still work quite well for you. It has 8 cores/16 threads so it's good for heavy CPU tasks like what you've listed. Otherwise the 8700k would be the choice to go with for Intel, even if you don't overclock, however it will be more expensive.

 

Stick with the GTX 1080ti if you're planning on gaming on a 4k monitor.

Do I have to have a 4k monitor to game at 4k right now this is what I have. https://www.wacom.com/en-us/products/pen-displays/cintiq-27-qhd

[mxk]

1 minute ago, Clare said:

Do I have to have a 4k monitor to game at 4k right now this is what I have. https://www.wacom.com/en-us/products/pen-displays/cintiq-27-qhd

yeah you need a 4k monitor to game at 4k. Honestly, unless you're playing crazy games that are meant to look good do you need 4k? Personally 1440p and 1080p are fine. 4k monitors are really expensive too..

[Clare]

11 minutes ago, Spotty said:

In that case forget what I said about the Intel i5s and Ryzen 2600.
The Ryzen 7 2700 or 2700x should still work quite well for you. It has 8 cores/16 threads so it's good for heavy CPU tasks like what you've listed. Otherwise the 8700k would be the choice to go with for Intel, even if you don't overclock, however it will be more expensive.

 

Some programs work better with Intel CPUs than they do with AMD CPUs, and vice verse, however it depends on the individual program.

 

Stick with the GTX 1080ti if you're planning on gaming on a 4k monitor.

Can I go with the rest of your build with the change in cpu?

[Spotty]

Just now, Clare said:

Can I go with the rest of your build with the change in cpu?

If you swap between Intel and AMD you need to change the motherboard. Other than that the rest of the system will work with either CPU.

 

10 minutes ago, Clare said:

Do I have to have a 4k monitor to game at 4k right now this is what I have. https://www.wacom.com/en-us/products/pen-displays/cintiq-27-qhd

That's 2560x1440. Would you actually be playing games on that though? Isn't that more of a drawing pad?

 

You will need a 4k monitor if you want to play games at 4k native resolution.
If you're doing 3D rendering and playing in VR, you could probably keep the 1080ti and it will still be useful. Maybe drop down to a 1080 if you wanted to save some money.