~$1.5-2k computer build help

I will refrain for adding anything beyond .... that motherboard really is something else

Sorry to hear that it seems like your video card had failed.

If you do go with 1440p then the Dell S2714DG, 27" 1440p 144hz with Gsync is $554.97 @ Amazon, roughly $200 more than the AOC G2460PG is a very good choice. Gsync range for the Dell screen is 30-144hz.

The GTX1080 would be better than the GTX1070 for 1440p@144hz, but if you're going for 144hz then the GTX1080 Ti would deliver that performance for longer w/o needing an upgrade; i.e. within the same game, a GTX 1080 should provide smoother experience compare to a GTX 1070, but since the GTX1080 is only about 10-15% faster than a GTX1070, I'd say that both will become insufficient for the task at around the same time.

So, maybe a multi-stage upgrade to avoid overshooting your budget instead of a completely new build right away? A 1080Ti + 650W(single)/1000W(SLI) PSU + 1440p144hz screen now (maybe including the HUE and its LED strips) and the rest sometime later?

While SLI-ing can improve performance, personally I feel that SLI (or CF) as an upgrade gives the best bang for your bucks when you can find somebody selling their old card for cheap (but still within the warranty period by the manufacturer) to upgrade or a retailer clearing stock; I don't know how it might be for you, but for example, recently I've seen clearing stock price for Galax GTX980 Ti HOF for about the same as the avg price of new GTX1060/RX480/580 where I am, so that's what I would be aiming for if I was thinking of SLI as an upgrade option rather than having to buy new at full or with just 5-10% sale price to do SLI/CF; i.e. if you buy a 2nd hand 1080 Ti from somebody who just have to have the best/latest when they sell their card/cards to move to Vega/Volta rather than buying a new 1080 Ti then SLI may be worth the $$$-to-performance upgrade.


Online PSU calculator almost always inflate their numbers because they have to deal with uninformed people who buy PSU based on the watts a PSU said it has rather than looking up actual quality of said PSU.

An OCed 7700k draw up to 100W under stress load. A GTX 1070 draw roughly north of 200W depends on specific version of the card. MB ~ 40W, DDR4 ~ 15W (4 DIMMs), Phanteks 140mm fans ~ 1.8W/each, LED strips ~30W, Kraken AIO ~25-30W, Aer 120mm fan ??? (NZXT provide no info on power draw of any of their component). So the build has a ~430W maximum load with the 1070 (with single SSD/HDD) and the RMx can handle that 78% rated capacity just fine. And if it weren't for the extra power draw of the LED strips and the liquid AIO, that 550W would be able to handle a 7700k+single GTX1080 Ti.

When you change that 1070 to a GTX 1080 the power draw increase by ~50W, and another ~50W when you move up to the 1080 Ti. So while technically, a good 550W can still handle that load, but it will do so under high temps because of the higher load on its components which naturally resulting in higher fan speed, more noise and a lower life expectancy (PSU fan failure is the more common cause for it to stop functioning and need to be sent to warranty service than outright PSU circuitry failure). So if you want to go to 1080 Ti then yes, 650W is recommended, but not because the system will draw 600W+.

It's at 850W where you gain just enough wattage for a second 1080 Ti, but for that power load, a 1000W PSU would be the better choice, doubly so if SLI is going to be a later upgrade (because capacitor degrade over time therefore by the time you want to get a second 1080Ti, the 850W PSU may no longer able to provide the full 850W to support that second 1080 Ti; remember each GTX1080 draw ~50W less than the Ti so a total of ~100W less in SLI config which mean SLI-1080 non-Ti should still be fine with a 850w PSU).

If you do decide on a different PSU, do remember that the Pro M (as well as the high-end EVOLV) has an opening on its PSU cover ~160 mm / 6.3" long so PSU shorter than that (like the SuperNOVA G3) will not look good in it.

***Edit***
Newegg Combo: 7700k+Z270xDesignare:
https://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.3517773

+1 For the Phanteks Enthoo Pro M. The ability to mount the cooler on top is very nice, especially if you go with a 240-280mm water loop (Kraken X52 is AWESOME!!). Suggestion: Looking at this build, it is obviously very flashy. Have you taken a look at the Corsair 570X case? I'm certain you will love it, and it comes with 3 RGB fans.

If you somehow can squeeze out the money for a 1080Ti with a 27" 1440p 144hz, you will have a gaming experience not many have, worth the extra couple of hundred bucks IMO. Another option could be a 240hz 1080p monitor (i own one, particularly the Asus PG258Q), and it literally feels smooth as real life. It's really amazing, and i can recommend it aswell. People saying they can't tell the difference between 240hz and 144hz are either blind or don't have the hardware to run it.

The main difference between those cards are: the "Xtreme" version of the AORUS and the "O" version of the STRIX are factory-overclocked (the Xtreme has LED on its backplate, and extra year of warranty with registration, and there was a Xtreme Premium edition with extra hardwares to bring HDMI&USB3.0 to the front for easier connectivity for VR hardware), but with how nVidia Boost tech now automatically does the OC for you based on GPU silicon quality and the card temps, in the real world, there's barely any difference between the one that is pre-OCed and the one that isn't. One would just be paying more money to those manufacturers in hope that they would give the more expensive version a better binned chip that can reach higher clock, but really, it isn't called the silicon lottery for nothing.

Hardware Canucks said that the 570x top rad mount isn't offset enough to clear the taller Vengeance LED, only the low profile and w/o any LED, Vengeance LPX. So if you go with the 570x you're either going to have to switch to non led, low profile LPX RAM or try to find thin 15mm fan and hope that those will fit and still deliver on the cooling front.

As for 650W PSU, if used with the Pro M, you should be looking at either the FSP Hydro G, or Corsair RMx; EVGA SuperNOVA G3 is good but probably not quite the right choice for this case aesthetic-wise since it's only 150mm long; depends on how you plan the lighting, the SuperNOVA G2 650W (165mm long) and its yellow 80+Gold logo might not clash too much with your color scheme (the Seasonic PRIME Gold 650W, 170mm long however might be too long); you can check out desegura build on PCPP with the G2 + Kraken + Pro M + lighting on his Gurren Lagann build to see how it could look, just keep in mind the components that are different between his and your build.