8700k build under $2000

a_e

Prominent
Oct 23, 2017
7
0
510
Hi Everyone,

This is my first foray into pc building for many years - my last pc was based on an AMD Athlon 64 fx!

As a now disgruntled mac user (please forgive me) I have been the proverbial kid in a candy store trying to get my head around all the options on offer. You guys here really know your stuff and any opinions would be greatly appreciated.

My main uses for the machine will be design work on the Adobe suite, photo/video editing and gaming. At $2000 or less I am looking to build the most powerful, long lasting system possible.

Living in the Czech Republic, we have a slightly different set of components and prices. The build below is actually $2200 equivalent in local currency so a few tweaks are necessary, as well as shopping around for discounts. Before the Ryzen brigade come out in full force, equivalent CPUs from Intel and AMD are practically the same price here unfortunately, so the chipset will be chosen on power alone as pricing is a wash.

Also, any feedback on monitors would really help - namely, will this system be able to fully utilise a qhd 144mhz panel? Or should I aim lower and save the money for a few years down the road.

Thanks guys!

CPU: Intel - Core i7-8700K 3.7GHz 6-Core Processor ($389.99 @ B&H)
CPU Cooler: Noctua - NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($75.57 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI - Z370 TOMAHAWK ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($150.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston - Predator 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($192.00 @ Newegg Marketplace)
Storage: Western Digital - Black 512GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($199.64 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Zotac - GeForce GTX 1080 8GB AMP! Edition Video Card ($564.75 @ OutletPC)
Case: Fractal Design - Define R5 w/Window (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($94.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA G3 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($68.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Pioneer - BDR-209DBK Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($56.88 @ OutletPC)
Sound Card: Asus - Xonar DGX 24-bit 96 KHz Sound Card ($34.69 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1828.47
 
Solution
The thermalright is a fine cooler and shouldn't have any problems with overclocking, however you may want to consider a Noctua cooler instead for even better cooling or a good AIO cooler.

M04D18

Respectable
Jun 16, 2017
430
2
2,165
For 1440p 144hz you should looking for a 1080ti in my opinion, save money from the ram ( buy the cheapest 3000mhz) and i dont think that this sound card will have any difference from the motherboard's one ( better buy a better board with the money) ..

* dont know if german prices are closer to czech...

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-8700K 3.7GHz 6-Core Processor (€449.99 @ ARLT)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright - Le Grand Macho RT 73.6 CFM CPU Cooler (€72.92 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Motherboard: Asus - ROG STRIX Z370-F GAMING ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (€200.00)
Memory: G.Skill - Trident Z 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory (€152.74 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Storage: Samsung - 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (€93.88 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (€47.00 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB SC2 Video Card (€819.90 @ Caseking)
Case: Phanteks - ECLIPSE P400 TEMPERED GLASS ATX Mid Tower Case (€86.93 @ Mindfactory)
Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA G3 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (€105.90 @ Caseking)
Total: €2029.26
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-10-23 16:06 CEST+0200
 

a_e

Prominent
Oct 23, 2017
7
0
510
Thanks for the suggested build and advice on the memory and sound card - €2000 is just a bit too much for me. I'm looking at €1650 Or less to leave money for a screen and accessories. The 1080ti costs a fair amount more than the regular 1080, if it is the only way to really use 144mhz at 1440p think I might aim for a lower resolution or frequency instead.
 

M04D18

Respectable
Jun 16, 2017
430
2
2,165
you can use gtx 1080 in QHD / 144hz but you wont see the full potentional in all games ... ( ofc you can lower the options to achieve this ) , this is your decision... As Vic 40 said i5 8600k is a good option too...
 

a_e

Prominent
Oct 23, 2017
7
0
510
Well I have definitely slept on the i5 8600k. For the price that seems like a great solution and could free up funds for a 1080ti
 


Yes and for gaming it's a very capable CPU. But for editing and rendering the 8700K is a much better choice.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-8700K 3.7GHz 6-Core Processor (€449.99 @ ARLT)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright - Le Grand Macho RT 73.6 CFM CPU Cooler (€67.84 @ Mindfactory)
Motherboard: MSI - Z370 TOMAHAWK ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (€155.97 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Memory: G.Skill - Trident Z 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory (€152.74 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Storage: Samsung - 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (€92.99 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (€47.00 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Video Card: Gigabyte - GeForce GTX 1080 8GB WINDFORCE OC 8G Video Card (€508.33 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Case: Fractal Design - Define S w/Window ATX Mid Tower Case (€81.99 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA G3 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (€97.84 @ Mindfactory)
Total: €1654.69
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-10-23 22:28 CEST+0200
 

a_e

Prominent
Oct 23, 2017
7
0
510
This seems really nice - gonna check if it can be built for the same price in Czech Republic. Is everyone choosing a 2.5 inch + 7200 rpm drive combo over m.2 purely for cost? Or is it Also more functional?
 

a_e

Prominent
Oct 23, 2017
7
0
510
Really appreciate all the answers. Was also wondering - will this build support OC for the CPU, or are more advanced cooling and motherboard solutions needed? Since it's my first build I wouldn't trust myself to mess with thermal paste or anything too advanced if that was required.