Comments on a high-end system build (First timer)

Extentionlead · Oct 27, 2016

After twiddling my thumbs for a year or so waiting for the next generation of graphics cards (10xx series) I've finally got around to assembling the funds and a list of parts for a high-end build.
I'm upgrading from an dell Insipron laptop with a terrible dual-card feature (one-intergrated, one physical). This is mainly a gaming machine but I'm not justt playing FPS / graphics-heavy games, playing more of RTS and processor intensive types as well as some light photoshop and 3D work. I plan to overclock the machine as time goes on to keep up with the time.

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/zMCM3F

I'm open to suggestions / changes on just about any of the parts in the build, really. The list I've compiled is just where I've got to under research. I already have an exellent 1440p monitor and headphones, but something which I'm rather unsure about is what would be the 'best' keyboard and mouse to get. I'm fine with teh cost as long as the overall build (including other suggestions besides the Peripherals) stays below or around £1800.

A few other questions:

> Is the speed of an M.2 SSD worth it for the increased cost over a regular SSD on SATA?

> Would liquid cooling be more effective than air when overclocking (though realistically I don't plan to take the processor past 4.4 gHz).

> Might it be better to go for an I7 4690k and a DDR3 motherboard, as the RAM has a lower latency?

> Is the wattage on the power supply too high? In future I would like to have the option of putting in a second 1070 for when / if a single one doesn't cut it anymore.

Thanks in advance!

Isokolon · Oct 27, 2016

> SSD is personal taste. in my opinion a S-ATA SSD is plenty fast. others might disagree.
> for 4.4 GHz air cooling will do just fine at lower noise and lower cost
> DDR4 RAM is fine
> 850W can easily power 2x1070. if you wanna go SLI in the future with a second 1070 it's nice otherwise wasted money

nice build! however I'd go for low profile RAM (Corsair Vengeance LPX or Kingston Hyper) for no cooler interference
also the CPU cooler is a bit oversized for your needs. a Noctua NH-U12S would do fine easily. even a Cryorig H7 is enough for that build.

with the R5 I'd personally add another Noctua NF-A14 FLX case fan as additional intake (front or bottom)

bamanec · Oct 27, 2016

Huge fan of the Cryorig cpu fans, good call

Multipack · Oct 27, 2016

It is a very, very good build and will cope with all your needs, CPU and GPU wise. It's hard to find fault with it, and the Hero VIII is a monster motherboard. M2 come in two different forms. Those with SATA 6GB/s interface, and those with PCIE 3.0 x4. The SATA ones are barely quicker than a SATA SSD, but the PCIE versions are way faster. Whether you will notice is another matter, as you probably wont really utilise those kind of speeds, but it is good future proofing I guess. OEM (plain green) Samsung pcie nvme's are cheaper than their Pro range siblings btw, if you wanted to save a little.

RAM latency on DDR3 is lower because of the much higher frequencies of DDR4 causijng longer relays between controller and chip, but DDR4 was released for a reason and is superior imo. If you are asking would a 4690k be okay for what you need, the answer is definitely, but the Skylake would be slightly better and more future proofed.

Liquid cooling isn't really necessary and you have a high range air cooler, but you'll find out if it's enough if and when you overclock the CPU. High end AIO coolers aren't going to make a big difference, but in my experience they are a bit more effective. Dual/tri radiator ones anyway.

If you plan on SLI then 850w is fine. It'd be a shame to buy a lower one then have to fork out again on a higher wattage, so its probably more economical in the long run.

Chugalug_ · Oct 27, 2016

Some very poor value choices in there, I can post a build in a bit with some changes etc. and a keyboard/mouse recommendation.
The 950 Pro isn't worth it, stick with the 850 Evo, all the speed the conventional user needs really.

Chugalug_ · Oct 27, 2016

Here's a build for cheaper than you've listed above (OS wasn't priced!) that performs miles better and also includes a mechanical keyboard and mouse.
What would your budget for monitor be?
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor (£310.00 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock 3 67.8 CFM Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU Cooler (£55.56 @ CCL Computers)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170-Gaming K3-EU ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (£100.80 @ CCL Computers)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory (£56.99 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£84.99 @ Ebuyer)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£60.98 @ Novatech)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 1080 8GB AMP! Extreme Video Card (£549.62 @ Amazon UK)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black/Red) ATX Mid Tower Case (£66.94 @ CCL Computers)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G2 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£76.74 @ CCL Computers)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit (£84.98 @ Novatech)
Keyboard: Corsair K70 Wired Gaming Keyboard (£89.99 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Mouse: Razer DeathAdder Chroma Wired Optical Mouse (£52.15 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £1589.74
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-10-27 23:33 BST+0100

bamanec · Oct 27, 2016

Chug, its crazy that the EVGA FTW card you have is $130 more than the Zotac you put in your list

Chugalug_ · Oct 27, 2016

Yeah, pricing is really skewed based on models, really all you need is a decent cooler and the same GPU core, but the Amp Extreme is insanely well priced.

bamanec · Oct 27, 2016

Agreed, but man do I love EVGA. I have had nothing but great stuff from them, my next card will be another EVGA. I went into full on instant gratification mode when I purchased the Reference 1070 haha

Isokolon · Oct 27, 2016

however the K3 board doesn't offer SLI capability, comes with a budget LAN controller, only 7 power phases and for that price just gotta come with cheaper circuitry
and the S340 is nowhere near the quality and comfort of a R5

but I guess it's about what's your focus. if the focus is max fps per $ it's certainly an excellent build that delivers a crazy amount of fps for that budget

Multipack · Oct 27, 2016

Chugalug_ :

I don't see how a SATA interface 850 evo (Read 540MB/s, Write 500MB/s, 97k IOPS ) could be better than a PCIE NVME 950 pro (Read 2200MB/s, Write 900MB/s, 270k IOPS) . The Samsung PM961 would be a good option (Read 2800MB/s, Write 1100MB/s, 250k/180k IOPS). Am not sure what M2 setup the K3 supports though? It's kinda budget but the GPU you chose is way better than the original one. Just look at the core/memory clocks. Insane difference! Also he said he wanted to maybe SLI so I guess 550w would need to be changed in that case.

Chugalug_ · Oct 27, 2016

Multipack, the 950 Pro is just over the top.
If you have an insane budget and do video work, yeah sure, but you're cutting down boot times from 7 seconds to 5 seconds for $100 more, its just silly.
Even high end video rigs typically use a 500GB 850 Evo, any faster is just a waste.
I'll take SLI into account and adjust, cheers.

Multipack · Oct 27, 2016

Lol I cant disagree chug. You cant get much faster than instant. The cost vs reward factor isnt worth it. Maybe there'll be a need for pcie nvme bandwidth in the future but for now I agree, invest the money in other areas, like that 1080.

Chugalug_ · Oct 27, 2016

Updated for SLI.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor (£310.00 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock 3 67.8 CFM Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU Cooler (£55.56 @ CCL Computers)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming 3 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (£124.99 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory (£56.99 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£84.99 @ Ebuyer)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£60.98 @ Novatech)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 1080 8GB AMP! Extreme Video Card (£549.62 @ Amazon UK)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black/Red) ATX Mid Tower Case (£66.94 @ CCL Computers)
Power Supply: SeaSonic EVO Edition 850W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£99.40 @ YoYoTech)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit (£84.98 @ Novatech)
Keyboard: Corsair K70 Wired Gaming Keyboard (£89.99 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Mouse: Razer DeathAdder Chroma Wired Optical Mouse (£52.15 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £1636.59
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-10-28 03:43 BST+0100

Isokolon · Oct 27, 2016

makes little sense putting in a non-sli board with a sli-ready PSU imo
rather up the board to an UD3 for 30 bucks additionally and be ready for it.
also again with a budget around 1800 I'd definitely go with a R5 instead of the S340

Chugalug_ · Oct 27, 2016

Forgot about that too.....

Thanks for the pointers, i'm off the ball today!

The R5 is about a 50% price jump, around $30 more, that's money you could invest into a better monitor.
Sticking with the red and black theme, so going for the Gaming 3 instead, only slightly fewer features.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor (£310.00 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock 3 67.8 CFM Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU Cooler (£55.56 @ CCL Computers)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming 3 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (£124.99 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory (£56.99 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£84.99 @ Ebuyer)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£60.98 @ Novatech)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 1080 8GB AMP! Extreme Video Card (£549.62 @ Amazon UK)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black/Red) ATX Mid Tower Case (£66.94 @ CCL Computers)
Power Supply: SeaSonic EVO Edition 850W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£99.40 @ YoYoTech)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit (£84.98 @ Novatech)
Keyboard: Corsair K70 Wired Gaming Keyboard (£89.99 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Mouse: Razer DeathAdder Chroma Wired Optical Mouse (£52.15 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £1636.59
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-10-28 03:43 BST+0100

Isokolon · Oct 28, 2016

Quality sound dampening material, superior air flow, solid metal and elegant design - in my opinion the price bump for the more class of the R5 or at least the f31 suppressor is justifiable. (I honestly found switching to a sound dampened case more convenient and satisfying than switching to a SSD and we all know how good booting up your ss for the first time feels after being stuck with HDDs) But yeah as stated before in a pure max fps per $ you're right.

The Gaming 3 is fine basically just sacrificing 5 power phases which is a pity but remains a quality board.

Chugalug_ · Oct 28, 2016

Yeah, i've figured out over time that the black and gold color scheme on the UD3 isn't exactly everyone elses cup of tea.

The Gaming 3 is pretty similar, not losing a tonne anyway, still should be able to get a very good overclock, I hit 4.9GHz stable for a client with a 6700k on one of those.

Isokolon · Oct 28, 2016

must have been hell of a chip!

I personally like the UD-serie's color scheme. looks very elgeant while the Gaming 3 looks like low grade plastic to me (similar to a lot of NZXT cases). but yeah, elgeance isn't exactly what everyone is going for I guess.

ohenryy · Oct 28, 2016

Spend just a little bit more on the mobo, its well worth it. This one comes with 10 power phases. Not to mention the extra features.

PCPartPicker part list: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/M8js8K
Price breakdown by merchant: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/M8js8K/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor (£310.00 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock 3 67.8 CFM Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU Cooler (£55.56 @ CCL Computers)
Motherboard: ASRock Z170 Extreme6+ ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (£157.99 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory (£56.99 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£84.99 @ Ebuyer)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£60.98 @ Novatech)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 1080 8GB AMP! Extreme Video Card (£549.62 @ Amazon UK)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black/Red) ATX Mid Tower Case (£66.94 @ CCL Computers)
Power Supply: SeaSonic EVO Edition 850W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£99.40 @ YoYoTech)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit (£84.98 @ Novatech)
Keyboard: Corsair K70 Wired Gaming Keyboard (£89.99 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Mouse: Razer DeathAdder Chroma Wired Optical Mouse (£52.15 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £1669.59
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-10-28 12:42 BST+0100

Chugalug_ · Oct 28, 2016

Isokolon :

Agreed.
@ohenryy, isn't that just my exact build to a tee with a different motherboard?
.............
The Extreme 6+ isn't a great board to be honest, the Z170-A or aforementioned UD3 is a better choice.

Extentionlead · Oct 28, 2016

Multipack :

It is a very, very good build and will cope with all your needs, CPU and GPU wise. It's hard to find fault with it, and the Hero VIII is a monster motherboard. M2 come in two different forms. Those with SATA 6GB/s interface, and those with PCIE 3.0 x4. The SATA ones are barely quicker than a SATA SSD, but the PCIE versions are way faster. Whether you will notice is another matter, as you probably wont really utilise those kind of speeds, but it is good future proofing I guess. OEM (plain green) Samsung pcie nvme's are cheaper than their Pro range siblings btw, if you wanted to save a little.

RAM latency on DDR3 is lower because of the much higher frequencies of DDR4 causijng longer relays between controller and chip, but DDR4 was released for a reason and is superior imo. If you are asking would a 4690k be okay for what you need, the answer is definitely, but the Skylake would be slightly better and more future proofed.

Liquid cooling isn't really necessary and you have a high range air cooler, but you'll find out if it's enough if and when you overclock the CPU. High end AIO coolers aren't going to make a big difference, but in my experience they are a bit more effective. Dual/tri radiator ones anyway.

If you plan on SLI then 850w is fine. It'd be a shame to buy a lower one then have to fork out again on a higher wattage, so its probably more economical in the long run.

Extentionlead · Oct 28, 2016

Amazing responses guys- sorry I couldn't reply as soon as responses started coming in. (Also please ignore my random quote!) I'm very surprised that a 1080 could be that little, and now I see just how inefficient my build was when it came to cost vs utility. I wasn't aware that the difference between PCIe M.2 and SATA speed M.2 / regular SSD would be so little. Changing the RAM was a good move as I wasn't planning to overclock that. (no real difference, right?) I probably won't go for SLI with a 1080 (and this don't need a bias with SLI utility / extra PCIe slots. The only thing I don't understand is why the DarkRock 3 cooler? Is it genuinely better than equivalents or is it just because the Noctua is so damn ugly or wouldn't fit the colour scheme?

Thanks again everyone for your great comments!

Isokolon · Oct 28, 2016

the dark rock pro is a good quiet and neat looking cooler
basically in that price region it comes down to personal preference. Noctua, BeQuiet, Phanteks, Cryorig - they all offer similar performance. and yes, the Noctuas are really really ugly^^
as for RAM: it depends. applications (other than games) profit usually off higher clocked RAM.
for games it depends on the game. also DDR4 is around for what, a year now? while older games generally don't care, some games tend to profit off faster ram (fallout 4, bf4, etc.). difference is not too big though (depending on the speed up to 10 fps max)

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