Help building my first PC, lots of questions.

Miknab · Mar 28, 2017

I am trying to build my first gaming PC that will also be used for photo/video editing. I am fairly inexperienced with some of the finer details regarding RAM speeds and cooling needs. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

The specs I am considering right now are as follows:
CPU - Intel Core i7-7700K 4.2GHz Quad-Core Processor
CPU Cooler - Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO sleeve bearing CPU cooler
Motherboard - Asus MAXIMUS IX HERO ATX
RAM - G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB DDR4-3200 (x4)
Storage SSD - Samsung 850 Pro Series 512GB
Storage HDD - WD Caviar Blue 1TB 7200RPM
GPU - Asus GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB Founders Edition
Case - Corsair 600T White Graphite ATX Mid Tower Case
Power Supply - EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 650W 80+ Gold Modular ATX Power
OS - Windows 10 Home 64GB
Monitor - Asus PG2790 ROG Swift 27" 2560x1440 165Hz IPS monitor 4ms

Total Cost on PCPartpicker - $3,192

My questions are...

Motherboard - Is this sufficient for my needs. I want to get around 60fps on every game I have at ultra settings. Maybe do some modding. I play games like Skryim, GTA, BioShock Infinite, Subnautica, Fallout, etc. (i.e. nothing online really) plus current games as they come out.

I've read in some reviews that this model only has 1 slot for a high performance GPU so what I'm asking is 1 GPU going to be enough or should i try to find something that supports two-way SLI configuration if I plan to add a second GPU in the future when games are more demanding?

RAM - Okay so I know next to nothing about RAM. Is DDR4-3200 better than DDR4-1333? What does CAS mean and is it bad that the RAM I'm considering is CAS15 because I can't find any below that without lowering the GB of the ram?

I realize that the 64GB is probably overkill but I do want to do Photoshop/Premiere work and I want this system to be pretty future-proof. I might settle for 32GB to get me out the door and add-on later to cut costs a bit, but what is advisable at this point.

Storage - I don't plan to exceed the storage space very quickly and the case I've chosen is more than accommodating of more HDs. What is the general rule of thumb with dual drives? I know you're supposed to put your OS on the SSD but beyond that how does it work? Should transfer games I'm currently playing to the SSD to make them read faster or does that matter?

GPU - I realize this GPU just came out but is it going to be overkill? Like I said I want to be pretty future-proof. Would it be better to get two 1070s and SLI them? I trust Asus but should I go with EVGA or another brand instead?

Monitor - Is the 4ms response time going to be noticeable? As I said I would like to use this for editing photos/videos as well so I kind-of wanted an IPS panel for color accuracy.

Misc. - Do I need a sound card or is the one integrated into the motherboard sufficient for listening to some music and standard video game sounds?

Is there going to be bluetooth included with the system so I can use a wireless mouse/keyboard/headset? or do I need to get the tiny usb adapters?

Does it really make a difference if I get windows 10 home or pro?

Do I need case fans or do cases come with stock fans? Should I get a liquid-cooling system or is air-cooled sufficient?

- Again, any help is appreciated. I'm sorry this post is so lengthy, I just want to get the best bang-for-my-buck when it comes to hardware. I am spending quite a bit on this and I don't want to make any mistakes. Here is a link to my build. https://pcpartpicker.com/list/RtDJ2R

WiiUMasterGman · Mar 28, 2017

That CPU is good but I would spend more for a better one like the CRYORIG H7. The motherboard is a little overkill. This is fine http://pcpartpicker.com/product/2Phj4D/asus-strix-z270-e-gaming-atx-lga1151-motherboard-strix-z270-e-gaming

I'd really suggest getting 64GB kit instead of going with 4 individual sticks just in case they don't work together. You can always add more HDD/SDD later and the storage you have chosen is good! Zotac and Gigabyte are good brands and I'd choose them just because you can save some money there.

This is good enough http://pcpartpicker.com/product/spbkcf/acer-monitor-umhg0ee001

You don't need a sound card. The motherboard provides a good sound. You will need a Bluetooth adapter or a Bluetooth card. If the parts that have Bluetooth come with a USB adapter that is fine and you won't need an adapter. Windows 10 Home is good, pro just gives you the option to set the updates to a later time. You could buy more case fans if you really want to. The cooler I listed ^^^ is good sometimes better then water cooler.

Coming from a 13 year old!

Isokolon · Mar 28, 2017

Board: this board supports a standard SLI configuration (8x+8x)
It's a nice board maybe slightly overkill.
Generally dual GPU setups are a major pain and a single card is always nicer.

RAM: 4x16GB is huge overkill. A gaming system should get 16GB total for heavier video editing 32GB RAM can be nice. 64GB doesnt do much other than making your wallet lighter. I'd get 32GB for now (unless money is no issue at all for you)
Lower CAS is better than higher CAS but it's related to clock speeds. The higher the clocks, the higher the cas get. Cas15 for 3200MHz is nice.

Storage: anything that's read from the drive a lot profits off the SSD. I'd install Photoshop and Premiere on the SSD. As for games, singleplayer games with lots of loading sequences profit off a SSD, Multiplayer games or games that don't load files often from the drive generally less.

Founders Edition cards come directly from NVIDIA, brand doesn't matter.
The 1080Ti is a good choice for that screen.

As for the 4ms -- it's fine. There are no faster IPS screens and they're way better for editing.
Anything below 5ms is faster than your eye and hand reflexes anyway.

As for misc:
Get a better PSU. The NEX isn't really good.
Look at Seasonic Prime, Corsair RMx or EVGA G3 for a build like that. The NEX cuts some costs at some of the components used.

I haven't seen a wireless mouse or keyboard that doesn't connect to a little usb receiver but they might exist. For gaming you'd generally want a wired connection though.
Boards comes without Bluetooth or WiFi.
The onboard sound is sufficient.

To cool a 7700k you'd want a better cooler. Noctua NH-D15 or Phanteks TC14DX or Cryorig R1 would be my top choices to get the most out of it.
Liquid cooling looks good but isn't worth the maintenance in my opinion, other people think differently about that.

Additional fans depend on the case. Some come with everything you need, others come with some, others without.

Depending on how much editing you're going to do, going for a AMD Ryzen 7 CPU could be interesting.
As of today you would lose some FPS in games but can reduce time for some video-editing related tasks up to 50%.
You get twice as much cores as with Intel for the same price.

Depends on what's more important to you

WiiUMasterGman · Mar 28, 2017

PCPartPicker part list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/9JpmKZ
Price breakdown by merchant: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/9JpmKZ/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i7-7700K 4.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($343.49 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus STRIX Z270-E GAMING ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($186.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 64GB (4 x 16GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($399.99 @ Corsair)
Storage: Samsung 850 Pro Series 512GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($237.99 @ Jet)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.33 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB Founders Edition Video Card ($698.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Corsair 600T White Graphite ATX Mid Tower Case ($149.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA 850W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Asus BW-12B1ST/BLK/G/AS Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($109.89 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($92.99 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Asus PB277Q 27.0" 2560x1440 75Hz Monitor ($317.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $2712.42
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-03-28 13:06 EDT-0400

Miknab · Mar 28, 2017

Isokolon :

Board: this board supports a standard SLI configuration (8x+8x)
It's a nice board maybe slightly overkill.
Generally dual GPU setups are a major pain and a single card is always nicer.

RAM: 4x16GB is huge overkill. A gaming system should get 16GB total for heavier video editing 32GB RAM can be nice. 64GB doesnt do much other than making your wallet lighter. I'd get 32GB for now (unless money is no issue at all for you)
Lower CAS is better than higher CAS but it's related to clock speeds. The higher the clocks, the higher the cas get. Cas15 for 3200MHz is nice.

Storage: anything that's read from the drive a lot profits off the SSD. I'd install Photoshop and Premiere on the SSD. As for games, singleplayer games with lots of loading sequences profit off a SSD, Multiplayer games or games that don't load files often from the drive generally less.

Founders Edition cards come directly from NVIDIA, brand doesn't matter.
The 1080Ti is a good choice for that screen.

As for the 4ms -- it's fine. There are no faster IPS screens and they're way better for editing.
Anything below 5ms is faster than your eye and hand reflexes anyway.

As for misc:
Get a better PSU. The NEX isn't really good.
Look at Seasonic Prime, Corsair RMx or EVGA G3 for a build like that. The NEX cuts some costs at some of the components used.

I haven't seen a wireless mouse or keyboard that doesn't connect to a little usb receiver but they might exist. For gaming you'd generally want a wired connection though.
Boards comes without Bluetooth or WiFi.
The onboard sound is sufficient.

To cool a 7700k you'd want a better cooler. Noctua NH-D15 or Phanteks TC14DX or Cryorig R1 would be my top choices to get the most out of it.
Liquid cooling looks good but isn't worth the maintenance in my opinion, other people think differently about that.

Additional fans depend on the case. Some come with everything you need, others come with some, others without.

Depending on how much editing you're going to do, going for a AMD Ryzen 7 CPU could be interesting.
As of today you would lose some FPS in games but can reduce time for some video-editing related tasks up to 50%.
You get twice as much cores as with Intel for the same price.

Depends on what's more important to you

I took your advice and dowsized the RAM to 32GB (2x16GB) and instead went with Corsair vengeance LED DDR4-3000 if that works?

I also upgraded to the Corsair RMx 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply. Is this sufficient?

Additionally, I looked at the NZXT Kraken X52 as a better cooling option. It is liquid-cooled, but it's a closed system is my understanding. Is something like this reliable as far as leaks go? Also, is there maintenance involved down the road or is it pretty much just install and go?

Thanks for the help so far!

Isokolon · Mar 29, 2017

RAM works. The LED Ram usually has worse CAS though than the lpx.

PSU is easily sufficient, will be dead silent most of the time.

Kraken coolers are pretty good for their price range.
No special maintenance required, de-dust it from time to time and get a case with dust filters.

Miknab · Mar 29, 2017

Isokolon :

Sorry, one last hiccup. I'm still confused as to which RAM to buy. What did you mean by the LED having worse CAS than the LPX? I looked at the 32GB (2x16GB) Vengeance LPX DDR4 set. Is that an option? I looked at the motherboard's qualified vendors list and the LPX I'm looking at supports 2DIMM but not 4DIMM does that mean it wouldn't work properly if I later bought two more of the same card? Idk why I find this part so confusing.

And sounds good about the PSU and the cooler.

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Help building my first PC, lots of questions.

Miknab

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WiiUMasterGman

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Isokolon

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WiiUMasterGman

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Miknab

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Isokolon

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