New Canadian Build (from a current Apple user)

mlitttler89 · October 24, 2018

Hey everyone. I need some help with my first build. I've been using Apple computers since 2010 and have been a console gamer for most of my life. After E3 2018, I decided my OG Xbox One wasn't going to cut it anymore for upcoming games and, after much deliberation, I've decided to go the PC building route for my next computer.

My current computer is a base model mid-2014 MacBook Pro with an Intel i5 4278U. It's a good daily driver and can handle some light music production. However, it hasn't kept up ever since I started using Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop for photo editing. Importing, building previews, and even some editing functions are pretty sluggish. If Intel Power Gadget is to be trusted, my CPU typically runs between 92-99 degrees while importing and building previews.

For my next system, I want to migrate all my photo editing and music production onto it as well as use it as my primary gaming system. I am planning on dual-booting and Hackintoshing it so I can use Apple music production software.

As far as gaming goes, I want to play at pretty damn good settings at 1440p, 60Hz. I primarily play RPG and action RPG games like The Witcher 3, Mass Effect, and Assassin's Creed. I do dabble in Overwatch and hope to expand my gaming genre options after building this PC. I also want to be able to play future titles like CyberPunk 2077 and Anthem at 1440p, 60Hz. If any of you can see the future, please advise.

Anyways, here is the build I came up with. Keep in mind that prices are in Canadian dollars.

Quote

CPU: Intel - Core i5-9600K 3.7GHz 6-Core Processor ($349.99 @ Newegg Canada)
CPU Cooler: Noctua - NH-U12S 55.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($78.75 @ Vuugo)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - Z390 M GAMING Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($187.99 @ PC-Canada)
Memory: *G.Skill - Value 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($157.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage [Windows boot drive]: Western Digital - Black NVMe 250GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($109.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Storage [OSx drive]: *Crucial - MX500 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($98.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Storage [Mass storage for games/photos]: *Seagate - Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($73.75 @ Vuugo)
Video Card: Gigabyte - GeForce RTX 2070 8GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($649.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Case: Metallic Gear - NEO MICRO MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($119.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Power Supply: *EVGA - B3 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($69.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Total: $1907.42

Notes:

I'm waiting for Black Friday/Boxing Day sales to do all my part shopping so I would like to keep my options open so I can snag a deal. With that in mind, I don't really want to spend anymore than already shows and want err towards extracting the greatest performance out of my Canadian dollars.

I realize there is probably plenty of room for optimization. I've thought about going for a Ryzen build but they don't Hackintosh as well from what I hear. Also thought about getting a Vega 56/64 to take advantage of free-sync but they're just too expensive. The cheapest Vega 64 I can find on Newegg is still $100 more than the 2070 and I can't find much of a compelling reason to go that route.

I also have some hardware specific questions:

Is the 9600k totally overkill for my needs? Should I just go for an 8400 build?
Will I be able to get a decent overclock out of the 9600k with the Noctua NH-U12S or should I go for something bigger? That will determine whether I go for an ATX or mATX case.
Is the 2070 overkill? Would I be better off with a 1070ti?

Thanks in advance.

DocSwag · October 24, 2018

5 minutes ago, mlitttler89 said:

I realize there is probably plenty of room for optimization. I've thought about going for a Ryzen build but they don't Hackintosh as well from what I hear. Also thought about getting a Vega 56/64 to take advantage of free-sync but they're just too expensive. The cheapest Vega 64 I can find on Newegg is still $100 more than the 2070 and I can't find much of a compelling reason to go that route.

You could consider a 56 which would be a little bit cheaper though you'd lose a lot of performance. Plus a 2070 should max out 1440p 60 fps pretty well

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/RcdFf7/cooler-master-masterliquid-ml240l-rgb-667-cfm-liquid-cpu-cooler-mlw-d24m-a20pc-r1

6 minutes ago, mlitttler89 said:

Is the 9600k totally overkill for my needs? Should I just go for an 8400 build?

It's probably ok if you're willing to OC

7 minutes ago, mlitttler89 said:

Will I be able to get a decent overclock out of the 9600k with the Noctua NH-U12S or should I go for something bigger? That will determine whether I go for an ATX or mATX case.

Should be pretty solid tbh

7 minutes ago, mlitttler89 said:

Is the 2070 overkill? Would I be better off with a 1070ti?

For 1440p 60 fps? Yeah I'd probably save a bit of money and grab a 1070 ti

7 minutes ago, mlitttler89 said:

Power Supply: *EVGA - B3 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($69.99 @ Amazon Canada)

I would highly suggest a different PSU. B3 has bad protection issues so I would highly suggest this guy instead

https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/product/KmgzK8/seasonic-focus-gold-550w-80-gold-certified-semi-modular-atx-power-supply-ssr-550fm

Cereal5 · October 24, 2018

The 8400 is a great processor for the money. It will play basically anything you want and then some. If I were at my desktop I could make up something nice for you. I would go for a used 1080/1080 Ti though, the 2070 doesn’t really make sense to me. The 1080 is almost as good for much less, and the 1080 Ti is better for a bit less/about the same. Also, I would recommend switching the PSU to an EVGA G2 unit(550-650w for an i5). Their bronze PSUs in general aren’t fantastic. The rest of it looks pretty good

mlitttler89 · October 24, 2018

4 hours ago, Cereal5 said:

The 8400 is a great processor for the money. It will play basically anything you want and then some. If I were at my desktop I could make up something nice for you. I would go for a used 1080/1080 Ti though, the 2070 doesn’t really make sense to me. The 1080 is almost as good for much less, and the 1080 Ti is better for a bit less/about the same. Also, I would recommend switching the PSU to an EVGA G2 unit(550-650w for an i5). Their bronze PSUs in general aren’t fantastic. The rest of it looks pretty good

Thanks for the input. My initial thoughts were to go with the 8400 but the recent ~$50 price hike had me looking at alternatives. I've seen few used 1080s on Craigslist lately going for about C$500 which seems like a decent price unless I can find a new one for around $550 come Black Friday.

Cereal5 · October 24, 2018

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600X 3.6GHz 6-Core Processor ($274.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - X470 AORUS ULTRA GAMING ATX AM4 Motherboard ($177.75 @ Vuugo)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($174.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Samsung - 860 Evo 1TB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($219.99 @ Memory Express)
Storage: Seagate - Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($73.75 @ Vuugo)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce RTX 2070 8GB Black Video Card ($679.99 @ Memory Express)
Case: Fractal Design - Meshify C Dark TG ATX Mid Tower Case ($119.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA G2 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($102.50 @ Vuugo)
Total: $1823.95
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-10-24 01:44 EDT-0400

Here's a Ryzen build. You can invest in a nicer cooler if you want to do some overclocking. The stock cooler is ok for mild OCs but anything more and you'll need a better cooler most likely. I added the 1TB SSD in place of the two SSDs you had, as it will give you an extra 250GB of storage, and the difference between an NVMe and 2.5" SSD in games and loading windows in negligible. Only in big data transfers will you notice a difference really.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i5-8400 2.8GHz 6-Core Processor ($246.99 @ PC-Canada)
CPU Cooler: Noctua - NH-U12S 55.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($78.75 @ Vuugo)
Motherboard: Asus - ROG Strix H370-F Gaming ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($149.99 @ Memory Express)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($174.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Samsung - 860 Evo 1TB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($219.99 @ Memory Express)
Storage: Seagate - Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($73.75 @ Vuugo)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce RTX 2070 8GB Black Video Card ($679.99 @ Memory Express)
Case: Fractal Design - Meshify C Dark TG ATX Mid Tower Case ($119.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA G2 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($102.50 @ Vuugo)
Total: $1846.94
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-10-24 01:51 EDT-0400

Here's an Intel build (only thing I swapped was the CPU and MoBo). The CPU cooler is optional, as the 8400 comes with one (and if you want a cooler just to keep everything quieter, you can spend way less and still be good). You can also upgrade to the 8600K/9600K and a Z370/390 board for about $100 total. You would then need a CPU cooler because K chips don't come with one.

And of course, you can always look for a 1080 or 1080 Ti used, or check prices for new where you are. Or wait for black friday. Or whatever else there is for good deals around you. Hope this helps, feel free to ask any questions