Thoughts on this build?

[~Lachlan]

Hey there,

 

I've been fiddling around with price-performance and am trying to build a computer under $2800, including a g-sync monitor. Just wanting to get everyone's thoughts on my current build – would really appreciate it.

In particular, I'm wondering if I can downgrade the power supply to say 600W, or downgrade the motherboard to a B360 or H310 chipset to save some money. And then, is there something spending that little bit extra to get?

 

Build screenshot here, from PCCG – http://prntscr.com/levwaw and http://prntscr.com/levwmn

 

Total cost is $2602, which includes $150 for PCCG to build the PC (and a 2 year back to base warranty).

 

Keep in mind that this pricing is in Australian Dollars, with inflation included! Any advice would be appreciated.

 

Thanks,
Lachlan

[Uptivuptiz]

Suggestion: Don't buy the i5-8600K. Your motherboard does not support overclocking, so it's a waste of money. Buy the i5-8600 instead.

[Spotty]

2 minutes ago, ~Lachlan said:

In particular, I'm wondering if I can downgrade the power supply to say 600W, or downgrade the motherboard to a B360 or H310 chipset to save some money. And then, is there something spending that little bit extra to get?

If you're going with a K series CPU, you should get a Z370 motherboard. H370/B360 can't overclock, and the H310 is a really budget option that is not ideal for high end CPUs. Otherwise you should change your CPU choice if you want to stick with H370/B360 motherboards.

Wattage isn't an issue, just make sure you get a good quality PSU. The Silverstone Essentials PSU isn't very good. The Corsair CX550/CX450M or better yet TX550M or Be Quiet Pure Power 11 500W would be better picks.
The cooler on the MSI 1070ti isn't that great. It's known to be a bit loud and run a bit hotter than other cards.

 

If you build it yourself, not only will you save $150, but you can shop around a bit for different parts.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i5-8600K 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor  ($398.00 @ Shopping Express)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG - M9i 48.4 CFM CPU Cooler  ($29.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Motherboard: MSI - Z370M GAMING PRO AC Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($245.00 @ Centre Com)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  ($224.62 @ Amazon Australia)
Storage: Samsung - 860 Evo 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($79.00 @ Shopping Express)
Storage: Seagate - Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($81.00 @ PLE Computers)
Video Card: Gigabyte - GeForce GTX 1070 Ti 8 GB Video Card  ($666.14 @ Amazon Australia)
Case: Cougar - MX330 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($54.65 @ Amazon Australia)
Power Supply: Corsair - CX (2017) 550 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($82.00 @ Shopping Express)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit  ($138.00 @ Shopping Express)
Monitor: Acer - XB241H bmipr 24.0" 1920x1080 180Hz Monitor  ($479.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Total: $2476.41
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-11-06 18:58 AEDT+1100

[GoldenLag]

Drop CPU to a 2600 and a B450 tomahawk.

 

Then get a better GPU as it pretty much allways the bottleneck.

[~Lachlan]

13 hours ago, Uptivuptiz said:

Suggestion: Don't buy the i5-8600K. Your motherboard does not support overclocking, so it's a waste of money. Buy the i5-8600 instead.

The K version has higher clock speeds by default - is that worth it?

 

13 hours ago, Spotty said:

The Silverstone Essentials PSU isn't very good. The Corsair CX550/CX450M or better yet TX550M or Be Quiet Pure Power 11 500W would be better picks.

Righteo.

 

13 hours ago, Spotty said:

The cooler on the MSI 1070ti isn't that great. It's known to be a bit loud and run a bit hotter than other cards.

 

The Gigabyte card would be better then?

 

13 hours ago, Spotty said:

If you build it yourself, not only will you save $150, but you can shop around a bit for different parts

Agree about building it yourself. Am considering doing this. Building this for a friend though. I've built many computers before but still, don't want the responsibility if something is DOA.

 

As for shopping around on parts - not worth it, unless the parts are going to be $20 cheaper from certain places, as shipping costs around that much - none of these places are nearby to me.

12 hours ago, GoldenLag said:

Drop CPU to a 2600 and a B450 tomahawk.

 

Then get a better GPU as it pretty much allways the bottleneck.

Is it always the case? Especially with some of the new games coming out taking advantage of higher clock speeds/more cores. A 2600 CPU? Had considered the B series motherboards.

 

Thanks for the input everyone!

[GoldenLag]

19 minutes ago, ~Lachlan said:

Is it always the case? Especially with some of the new games coming out taking advantage of higher clock speeds/more cores. A 2600 CPU? Had considered the B series motherboards.

An Ryzen 5 2600 and B450 Tomahawk

 

In newer titles this is very much the case. Older titles (2015 and before) not so much (they are you older afterall)

[Uptivuptiz]

1 hour ago, ~Lachlan said:

The K version has higher clock speeds by default - is that worth it?

Nope. Not really. I'm assuming this PC is for gaming. The extra clock speed will make almost no difference in games (maybe like, 1 or 2 FPS). So NOT WORTH IT!  

[MandoPanda]

16 hours ago, ~Lachlan said:

-snip-

Dude. https://pcpartpicker.com

[brob]

Coffee Lake i5 & i7 do much better with DDR4-2666 or faster memory. Locked cpu are stuck at DDR4-2666, but unlocked can run even faster memory. There is data that suggests the sweet spot for Coffee Lake i5/i7 is DDR4-2666 CL 14.

 

You might consider a motherboard that has integrated WiFi.

 

For quieter operation I'd suggest a better cpu cooler.

 

The price differential between an i5-8600 and i5-8600K is quite small. However, the i5-8600K requires better cooling and if one will be overclocking a Z370 or Z390 motherboard. I'd suggest saving a bit on the cpu and going with an i5-8500.

 

A better psu would be a good investment. No need for 750W, especially with a locked cpu. 550W is more than enough.

 

Instead of LED fans, consider getting RGB versions. Not much more expensive and allows for changing colors and effects.

 

Presumably you have a need for an optical drive. If not, they are not really needed these days.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i5-8500 3 GHz 6-Core Processor  ($345.00 @ PCCaseGear) 
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG - H7 Plus 59.0 CFM CPU Cooler  ($69.00 @ PCCaseGear) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte - H370 AORUS Gaming 3 WIFI ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($189.00) 
Storage: Kingston - A400 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($55.00 @ PCCaseGear) 
Storage: Seagate - Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($85.00 @ PCCaseGear) 
Video Card: MSI - GeForce GTX 1070 Ti 8 GB Titanium Video Card  ($649.00) 
Case: Cougar - MX330 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($55.00 @ PCCaseGear) 
Power Supply: SeaSonic - FOCUS Gold 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($129.00 @ PCCaseGear) 
Optical Drive: LG - GH24NSD1 DVD/CD Writer  ($17.00 @ PCCaseGear) 
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home Full - USB 32/64-bit  ($165.00) 
Case Fan: Cooler Master - MasterFan Pro 120 Air Flow RGB 48.8 CFM  120mm Fan  ($25.00 @ PCCaseGear) 
Case Fan: Cooler Master - MasterFan Pro 120 Air Flow RGB 48.8 CFM  120mm Fan  ($25.00 @ PCCaseGear) 
Monitor: Acer - XB241H bmipr 24.0" 1920x1080 180Hz Monitor  ($479.00 @ PCCaseGear) 
Other: Corsair Vengeance Ryzen CMK16GX4M2Z2666C16 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 ($229.00)
Other: PCCG Full Custom System Assembly Service ($149.00)
Total: $2665.00
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-11-07 11:26 AEDT+1100

[lukart]

Never mind intel... get a Ryzen 7:

 

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

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 7 1700 3 GHz 8-Core Processor  ($311.47 @ AX86 Gaming Systems)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG - H7 Plus 59.0 CFM CPU Cooler  ($69.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Motherboard: ASRock - Fatal1ty X470 Gaming K4 ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($249.00 @ PLE Computers)
Storage: Kingston - A400 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($49.00 @ Umart)
Storage: Seagate - Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($81.00 @ PLE Computers)
Video Card: MSI - GeForce GTX 1070 Ti 8 GB Titanium Video Card  ($649.00)
Case: Cougar - MX330 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($54.65 @ Amazon Australia)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - FOCUS Gold 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($129.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Optical Drive: LG - GH24NSD1 DVD/CD Writer  ($17.00 @ BudgetPC)
Case Fan: Cooler Master - MasterFan Pro 120 Air Flow RGB 48.8 CFM  120mm Fan  ($22.00 @ Shopping Express)
Case Fan: Cooler Master - MasterFan Pro 120 Air Flow RGB 48.8 CFM  120mm Fan  ($22.00 @ Shopping Express)
Monitor: Acer - XB241H bmipr 24.0" 1920x1080 180Hz Monitor  ($479.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Other: Corsair Vengeance Ryzen CMK16GX4M2Z2666C16 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 ($229.00)
Other: PCCG Full Custom System Assembly Service ($149.00)
Total: $2510.12
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-11-07 13:04 AEDT+1100

[~Lachlan]

Have decided that am probably going to build it myself. So, upgraded to an RTX 2070 as it wasn't too much extra compared to the 1070ti. Also have the i7-8700. Was able to put in some choices based on cosmetics (better case and some white LED fans). Additionally, I opted for an 80+ Gold fully modular PSU.

 

Total cost comes to $2688 without windows 10 (which is fine as I can get a key fairly cheaply). https://www.pccasegear.com/sc/xt

 

Pretty happy with how this turned out. Anything painfully stupid I've done with the setup?

[brob]

The i5-8600 and any other locked Coffee Lake i5 or i7 will not run memory faster than DDR4-2666.

 

Why not get a motherboard with onboard WiFi. https://www.pccasegear.com/products/42098/asus-tuf-h370-pro-gaming-wifi-motherboard has dual band a/b/g/n/ac WiFi and Bluetooth 5.0. 

 

I don't believe that the case can accommodate an optical drive.

[~Lachlan]

1 hour ago, brob said:

The i5-8600 and any other locked Coffee Lake i5 or i7 will not run memory faster than DDR4-2666.

 

Assume it would still work though?

 

1 hour ago, brob said:

I don't believe that the case can accommodate an optical drive.

Well that was certainly an oversight! Whoops.

 

1 hour ago, brob said:

Why not get a motherboard with onboard WiFi. https://www.pccasegear.com/products/42098/asus-tuf-h370-pro-gaming-wifi-motherboard has dual band a/b/g/n/ac WiFi and Bluetooth 5.0. 

That particular one has an external antenna - thanks for the recommendation.

[VEXICUS]

On 11/6/2018 at 1:06 PM, ~Lachlan said:

...

Build something like this instead and save a few bucks. Added the RGB components too (RGB RAM, RGB fans).

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor  ($247.34 @ Amazon Australia) 
Motherboard: MSI - B450M GAMING PLUS Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($129.00 @ Umart) 
Memory: Team - T-Force Delta RGB 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  ($209.00 @ BudgetPC) 
Storage: Crucial - BX500 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($54.00 @ Umart) 
Storage: Toshiba - P300 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($75.00 @ Mwave Australia) 
Video Card: MSI - GeForce GTX 1070 Ti 8 GB DUKE Video Card  ($579.00 @ Umart) 
Case: Cooler Master - MasterBox Lite 3.1 TG MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($58.00 @ PLE Computers) 
Power Supply: Corsair - RMx (2018) 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($139.00 @ Shopping Express) 
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Pro Full 32/64-bit  ($39.99 @ Amazon Australia) 
Case Fan: Thermaltake - Riing 14 RGB 3-Pack 51.1 CFM  140mm Fans  ($74.00 @ Shopping Express) 
Monitor: Acer - XB241H bmipr 24.0" 1920x1080 180Hz Monitor  ($479.00 @ Mwave Australia) 
Other: PCCG Full Custom System Assembly Service ($149.00)
Total: $2232.33
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-11-08 02:41 AEDT+1100

[brob]

4 hours ago, ~Lachlan said:

Assume it would still work though?

..

 

Yes. Manual settings may be required to optimize performance.

[~Lachlan]

17 hours ago, vexicus365 said:

Build something like this instead and save a few bucks

Was kind of looking to make the most of the 2800 budget. Thanks for the suggestion though!

 

16 hours ago, brob said:

 

Yes. Manual settings may be required to optimize performance

Instead I'll probably go for 2400mhz Corsair Vengeance.

 

Thanks for the input everyone!

[VEXICUS]

9 minutes ago, ~Lachlan said:

Was kind of looking to make the most of the 2800 budget. Thanks for the suggestion though!

If that's the case, then....

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 7 2700 3.2 GHz 8-Core Processor  ($348.00 @ Amazon Australia) 
CPU Cooler: Noctua - NH-D15 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler  ($115.00 @ Centre Com) 
Motherboard: MSI - X470 GAMING PLUS ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($209.00 @ Umart) 
Memory: Team - T-Force Delta RGB 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  ($209.00 @ BudgetPC) 
Storage: Crucial - BX500 240 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($54.00 @ Umart) 
Storage: Toshiba - P300 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($75.00 @ Mwave Australia) 
Video Card: Gigabyte - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11 GB Gaming OC 11G  Video Card  ($999.00 @ Umart) 
Case: Thermaltake - View 31 TG ATX Mid Tower Case  ($135.00 @ PCCaseGear) 
Power Supply: Corsair - RMx (2018) 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($139.00 @ Shopping Express) 
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Pro Full 32/64-bit  ($39.99 @ Amazon Australia) 
Monitor: Acer - XB241H bmipr 24.0" 1920x1080 180Hz Monitor  ($479.00 @ Mwave Australia) 
Total: $2801.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-11-08 19:58 AEDT+1100

[brob]

5 hours ago, ~Lachlan said:

Was kind of looking to make the most of the 2800 budget. Thanks for the suggestion though!

 

Instead I'll probably go for 2400mhz Corsair Vengeance.

 

Thanks for the input everyone!

 

Why not DDR4-2666?

[~Lachlan]

On 11/8/2018 at 11:54 PM, brob said:

Why not DDR4-2666?

Extra cost involved. Team T-Force 3000mhz is cheaper with lifetime warranty. Would I be better off doing that?

 

On 11/8/2018 at 6:58 PM, vexicus365 said:

If that's the case, then....

Unfortunately that doesn’t take into account shipping costs. 

[brob]

The T-Force should be ok.

[~Lachlan]

18 minutes ago, brob said:

The T-Force should be ok.

So the 3000mhz speed will just throttle down to 2666?

[brob]

2 hours ago, ~Lachlan said:

So the 3000mhz speed will just throttle down to 2666?

 

You will have to make a samll change in the BIOS settings.