Help Selecting PC Parts with Budget ~2k

cerealizeable

Commendable
Mar 19, 2018
8
0
1,510
Basically my old PC broke and I want to build a new high-end PC that will be competitive for the next couple of years. My budget is preferably around 2k but hopefully less. I already bought a gtx 1080 ti graphics card (EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti FTW3 GAMING, 11G-P4-6696-KR, 11GB, iCX) and plan on getting this cpu (Intel - Core i7-8700K 3.7GHz 6-Core Processor) with this CPU cooler (Corsair - H150i PRO 47.3 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler). Do you guys have any suggestions on cases, motherboards, memory, ssd, hdd, and power supply? Any other general tips are also welcome.

I am basing this my selection of these other parts off of this from pcpartpicker since I am honestly NOT an expert on PC building:
https://pcpartpicker.com/guide/7Dyp99/enthusiast-intel-gaming-build

Also with my additions to the link above, it warns me that the default case may not be big enough to hold the 1080 ti graphics card, which I already bought.

Thanks!
 
Something like this should be good...

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-8700K 3.7GHz 6-Core Processor ($333.00 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Corsair - H150i PRO 47.3 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($169.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus - ROG MAXIMUS X HERO (WI-FI AC) ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($254.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($180.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Samsung - 960 EVO 500GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($209.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Western Digital - BLACK SERIES 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT - Phantom 530 (Black) ATX Full Tower Case ($109.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Corsair - RMx 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($109.89 @ Newegg)
Total: $1478.73
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-03-19 14:58 EDT-0400
 
Solution
I think you are on the right track and Hellfire suggested some really good components. There is not much to comment on there.

As far as cases are concerned, the Phanteks Enthoo Lux is a really nice case and it will handle the H150i without a problem. The Fractal Design Define R6 is a really nice case as well. You really cant go wrong with either of them.

I would also ask, what monitor are you using? With a build like this you should get a really nice monitor to go along with it. At a minimum you should get a 1440p/144hz panel. It will scream on your 1080ti. They are expensive, but ultrawide monitors are incredible. I have the Predator x34 and cant say enough good things about it.

 

cerealizeable

Commendable
Mar 19, 2018
8
0
1,510


I'll consider getting the Predator x34. I looked into it and I am definitely impressed. I know i want 4k and at least 144hz refresh. Thanks for the advice froggy.
 
You have a great start finding a GTX1080ti available for what I hope is a reasonable price.
Your budget will permit the following:
1. i7-8700K.
2. Noctua NH-D15s cooler
3. Seasonic focus 650w psu.
4. 2 x 8gb kit of ddr4 ram. speed is not important, look for 3000 to 3600
5. Any Z370 motherboard will be good. No need for luxury models.
6. Samsung 960 evo m.2 pcie ssd; 500gb is good.
Unless you will be storing large files such as videos, why not defer on the hard drive until you need the space.
Then, I think I would look at WD red/blue/green since performance should not be important for such uses.
7. Cases are a personal thing, and most will do.
Pick one you like the looks of; you will be looking at it for a long time.
My personal criteria is at least two 120/140mm front intakes that have a washable filter to keep your parts cool.

Look these up and put together a list with links to verify that all is good.

FWIW:
My canned rant on liquid cooling:
------------------------start of rant-------------------
You buy a liquid cooler to be able to extract an extra multiplier or two out of your OC.
How much do you really need?
I do not much like all in one liquid coolers when a good air cooler like a Noctua or phanteks can do the job just as well.
A liquid cooler will be expensive, noisy, less reliable, and will not cool any better
in a well ventilated case.
Liquid cooling is really air cooling, it just puts the heat exchange in a different place.
The orientation of the radiator will cause a problem.
If you orient it to take in cool air from the outside, you will cool the cpu better, but the hot air then circulates inside the case heating up the graphics card and motherboard.
If you orient it to exhaust(which I think is better) , then your cpu cooling will be less effective because it uses pre heated case air.
Past that, A AIO radiator complicates creating a positive pressure filtered cooling setup which can keep your parts clean.
And... I have read too many tales of woe when a liquid cooler leaks.
Google for AIO leaks to see what can happen.
While unlikely, leaks do happen.

I would support an AIO cooler primarily in a space restricted case.
If one puts looks over function, that is a personal thing; not for me though.
-----------------------end of rant--------------------------

Your pc will be quieter, more reliable, and will be cooled equally well with a decent air cooler.

 

cerealizeable

Commendable
Mar 19, 2018
8
0
1,510
IN CONCLUSION, I am thinking something like this:
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/228BP3

CPU: Intel - Core i7-8700K 3.7GHz 6-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: Noctua - NH-D15 SE-AM4 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler
Motherboard: Asus - ROG MAXIMUS X HERO (WI-FI AC) ATX LGA1151 Motherboard
Memory: G.Skill - Trident Z RGB 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3600 Memory
SSD: Samsung - 960 EVO 500GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive
HDD: Western Digital - BLACK SERIES 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB FTW3 GAMING iCX Video Card
Case: Phanteks - Enthoo Luxe Tempered Glass (Black) ATX Full Tower Case
Power Supply: Corsair - RMx 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply
Operating System: Windows 10 Pro OEM 64-bit

Considering the deal I got on the 1080 ti, that's around $2500. Could you guys let me know if you think this is all compatible or any other tweaks I could make on it, btw I stuck with Hellfire's motherboard essentially because it has 4 usb outputs instead of 2 and I don't mind spending a couple 100 on parts that are better.

I also decided against water-cooling. Fans are easier to maintain and not a big issue to fix if you get a good quality one.
 

cerealizeable

Commendable
Mar 19, 2018
8
0
1,510


I agree with you actually after doing a bit more research. I kind of want to go all out with this computer but water cooling apparently has issues with pumps needing to be fixed or, as you said, leaks. Fans are just easier and I would rather get a nice fan that is quiet and gets the job done. Also I don't really overclock so it should not get too hot.

I posted an updated solution based on all of your suggestions. Let me know what you or anyone else thinks.
 
I am not a big fan of AIO either. Never appealed to me. That said, your restructured build looks pretty good. The 3600 RAM is a bit of overkill though. Around 3000/3200 diminishing value of return usually kicks in. But it depends on your workload as well. Some softwares do take advantage of faster RAM speeds, but they are few and far between.
 

cerealizeable

Commendable
Mar 19, 2018
8
0
1,510
Well I just wrote this long ass essay on tips for the build and mistyped losing everything I wrote because the webpage changed. So I'll make this brief.

This is a pretty high end build. The computer itself totals to 2.5k, or around 2.8k if you can't find a deal on the 1080 ti. But with a computer this nice, you might as well get a high end moniter with g-sync, high resolution, and >60hz capabilities so expect to spend an extra 1k on that.

Finished the build and everything runs great. Part list is linked here:
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/GHfBP3

General Building Tips
Cryorig R1 Ultimate is pretty massive and will cover a ram slot completely, though if you want to fit 4 ram slots the fan has adjustable heights and probably can barely give enough headway to fit everything. For only 2 ram slots everything fits fine, though I would recommend putting the ram first before the cpu cooler.

There is a warning about the M.2 slots on pc part picker but I wouldn't worry about it. The second SSD M.2 slot is easily reachable, but the 1st slot gets covered by the CPU cooler and Graphics Card so put that M.2 ssd chip before the CPU cooler and graphics card. Switch your hardrives/ssd or ssd M.2 to different SATA ports on the motherboard if everything isn't being recognized. Also disconnect any SATA cable that is not connected to its corresponding device or the computer may not start up.

Final Part List
Thank you everyone who gave me suggestions. I took everyone's comments into account when picking pc parts.

CPU: Intel - Core i7-8700K 3.7GHz 6-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG - R1 Ultimate 76.0 CFM CPU Cooler
Motherboard: Asus - ROG MAXIMUS X HERO (WI-FI AC) ATX LGA1151 Motherboard
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory
SSD: Samsung - 960 EVO 500GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive
HDD: Western Digital - BLACK SERIES 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB FTW3 GAMING iCX Video Card
Case: Phanteks - Enthoo Luxe Tempered Glass (Black) ATX Full Tower Case
Power Supply: Corsair - RMx 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply
Monitor: Acer - Predator X34 34.0" 3440x1440 100Hz Monitor
Operating System: Windows 10 Pro OEM 64-bit