New Intel I7/1080ti Frostbite Build ready to order.

Cyan_Griffonclaw
N5

Uncle Cyan

Dang it.

Games: Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, KOTOR, Baldur's Gate, Shattered Steel, Neverwinter Nights, Jade Empire, Mass Effect Andromeda
Origin: griffonclaw39
Posts: 2,515 Likes: 2,604

New Intel I7/1080ti Frostbite Build ready to order. Jun 20, 2017 22:09:43 GMT mousestalker and crusty like this

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Post by Cyan_Griffonclaw on Jun 20, 2017 22:09:43 GMT

Good Afternoon Fellow BSNers!

I just got my first bonus check that was awarded last year (our federal government is slow) and I'm made a wishlist through NewEgg.com. I checked other sites, but I wanted to keep my entire order in one place and personally, I've had nothing but positive outcomes (returns and refunds are never questioned). So, with that in place, I give you my build:

Please chime in if you know of a certain product that you wouldn't recommend or know of a similar item that is reliable.

GOAL: A PC that will run Frostbite products at 60fps on the monitor provided for at least three years without having to upgrade. I only want to upgrade the GPU and CPU after three years. I will make another rig in about five years and move Frostbite to the living room to replace this rig.

So, here it is with all items linked to NewEgg.com

CASE
~~Phanteks Eclipse P400 Series PH-EC416P_BK Satin Black Steel Side Window ATX Mid Tower Case with 10 Color RGB Downlight~~
~~Current price: $69~~
DIYPC Skyline-07-B Black SECC ATX Full Tower USB3.0 Gaming Computer Case w/ 7 x 120mm Blue Fans
Current price: $79. It has 330m clearance for the 1080ti (300m) which is necessary.

CASE FAN (mounted on side panel)
Cooler Master SickleFlow 120 - Sleeve Bearing 120mm Blue LED Silent Fan for Computer Cases, CPU Coolers, and Radiators
Current price: $9.99 (now on sale for $7.99) (not necessary, but a viable spare and it's cheap)

POWER SUPPLY
~~Thermaltake Toughpower XT TPX-1375M 1375W ATX 12V 2.3 & SSI EPS 12V 2.92 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply~~
~~Current price: $299~~
Changed due to expert concerns that it's way too overpowered for the build and not necessary or cost-effective.
New:VGA SuperNOV EA 1000 G2 120-G2-1000-XR 80+ GOLD 1000W Fully Modular Includes FREE Power On Self Tester Power Supply
Current price: $199 (a $100 savings! Sweet! Going to apply this amount to gaming headphones)

MOTHERBOARD
ASRock Fatal1ty Z270 Gaming K6 LGA 1151 Intel Z270 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.1 USB 3.0 ATX Motherboards - Intel
Current price: $179 (on sale now for $159.99)

CPU
Intel Core i7-7700K Kaby Lake Quad-Core 4.2 GHz LGA 1151 91W BX80677I77700K Desktop Processor
Current price: $349

CPU Fan
ARCTIC Freezer 7 Pro Rev. 2, CPU Cooler - Intel & AMD, Multi-Directional Mount, 92mm PWM Fan
Current price: $40 (now on sale for $20)

GPU
GIGABYTE AORUS GeForce GTX 1080 Ti DirectX 12 GV-N108TAORUS-11GD 11GB 352-Bit GDDR5X PCI Express 3.0 x16 ATX Video Card
Current price: $719
MSI GeForce GTX 1080 Ti DirectX 12 GTX 1080 Ti SEA HAWK X 11GB 352-Bit GDDR5X PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
Current price: $799 (it's $80 more, but I save $150 with the built-in liquid-cooling. (The case is not big enough, dang it. Changing the case)

GPU Cooler
PHANTEKS PH-GB1080Ti_CR01 VGA Cooler
Current price: $149
Wrong model for this GPU. Also, unnecessary as MSI model already has this. $149 saved (applied to monitor).

RAM
G.SKILL Ripjaws 4 Series 32GB (4 x 8GB) 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM DDR4 2400 (PC4 19200) Desktop Memory Model F4-2400C15Q-32GRR
Current price: $240

STORAGE
For Frostbite games only:
WD Blue 1TB Internal SSD Solid State Drive - SATA 6Gb/s 2.5 Inch - WDS100T1B0A
Current price: $289.99 (I need one for my BioWare library starting with Inquisiton)
For all non-Frostbite games:
TOSHIBA X300 6TB Desktop Hard Drive 7200 RPM 128MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5
Current price: $189.99 (all non-Frostbite games go here)
For OS use only:
~~WD Blue 250GB Internal SSD Solid State Drive - SATA 6Gb/s 2.5 Inch - WDS250G1B0A~~
~~Current price: $89.99 (Will only be used for Windows 10 and Microsoft software)~~
Changing model to improve OS startup time and response.
Toshiba OCZ RD400 M.2 256GB PCI-Express 3.0 x 4 MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) RVD400-M22280-256G
Current price: $189.99 (about $70 more. Going to change the other storage option to get some savings.)

SOUND CARD
HT | OMEGA CLARO II 7.1 Channels PCI Interface Sound Card
Current price: $164.99

MONITOR
LG 34UM69G-B 34 FreeSync IPS WFHD Ultrawide Gaming Monitor, 2560 x 1080, 21:9, 5ms, 250 cd/m2, HDMI, USB-C, DisplayPort, Tilt, Height Adjustable, VESA Mountable
Current price: $397
Changed due to expert concerns about FreeSync capability.
Asus ROG PG348Q Black 34
Current price: $1199. (I want 34" and G-Sync for the 1080ti)
This is significantly higher, but it's a five-year investment on this part.

ACCESSORIES
KEYBOARD
Logitech G105 Illuminated USB Gaming Keyboard
Current price: $74.99

MOUSE
Razer DeathAdder Ergonomic PC Gaming Mouse
Current Price: $37.18

HEADPHONES with Microphone.
Sennheiser PC350 Special Edition High Performance Gaming Headset - Brown Box Version
Current price: $99.99 (The savings from the PSU change are applied here.)

This is it! At the end of June, I'm placing the order. I'm not going to use a third-party to assemble it this time around. I'm doing it myself and I'm spending a little extra on the extended warranties that NewEgg offers on the SSDs, GPU and CPU.
Being transferred from this rig to the new one is a 8TB SATA hard drive that holds my library. It's pretty full. Lots of Steam, GoG.com, Ubisoft, Beamdog, etc. games and just the thought of downloading the whole library warrants the transfer.
I'm going to join the gaming community in time for Anthem. I'm more of a typing person, but that's too hard to do in MP games. A gaming headset is now a must-have.
Here is the thread that started it all. A big thanks to everyone who responded or chimed in on that thread. Your input was awesome and I can't wait!

My current budget is $3500 and current total is $3326 (without taxes). Even if I go over because of taxes and warranties, I'm okay with it.

EDIT: The list is being revised for maximum synergy! More! MORE! MOAR!!!

Last Edit: Jun 21, 2017 18:12:33 GMT by Cyan_Griffonclaw

crusty
N3

Righteous Paragon of Truth and Justice

Posts: 776 Likes: 3,195

New Intel I7/1080ti Frostbite Build ready to order. Jun 21, 2017 1:03:43 GMT via mobile Cyan_Griffonclaw likes this

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Post by crusty on Jun 21, 2017 1:03:43 GMT

The whole build seems to have a lack of synergy between components and is much more expensive than it could be. The Freesync functionality on the monitor doesn't work with the graphics card, the power supply is twice as big as it needs to be, etc. You could easily lop off 25% of the cost off the system without losing core performance.

I'll recommend two systems, one from Intel and one from AMD. Intel for purely gaming is a better option but AMD is better when any kind of other workload is applied such as game streaming. I'll bring up pcpartpicker lists when I'm on lunch break.

Pearl
N5

optics cuck

Games: Mass Effect Trilogy, KOTOR, Mass Effect Andromeda
Origin: FatherOfPearl
PSN: FatherOfPearl
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New Intel I7/1080ti Frostbite Build ready to order. Jun 21, 2017 1:56:30 GMT crusty, Fen'Harel Faceman, and 1 more like this

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Post by Pearl on Jun 21, 2017 1:56:30 GMT

As Crusty pointed out, there are a few things you could change to reduce cost or improve synergy if that interests you:

The FreeSync technology on the monitor you linked is not compatible with Nvidia graphics cards. The monitor will still function fine, but that specific feature will be disabled when connected to an Nvidia GPU. The equivalent Nvidia-supported technology is G-Sync.
As best as I can tell, the GPU water block is not compatible with that GPU. Gigabyte uses a custom circuit board for the Aorus products, and that block appears to have been designed for the reference PCB.
That power supply is ludicrously overkill for that system. You could easily run a heavily overclocked 7700K and 1080 Ti on a quality 750W unit.
You should strongly consider a better CPU cooler. The one you have now will work, but it will limit your overclocking capability - the whole appeal of a K SKU
A dedicated sound card is mostly a waste of money nowadays unless you are an extreme audiophile and have very high-end cans.
A 1080 Ti is complete overkill for a target of 2560x1080 @ 60FPS.
Having an M.2 SSD as a dedicated OS drive will be faster than a traditional SATA drive

Here are two builds I put together with a budget of $3500, based on the list you initially posted.

Intel system - 7700K, liquid CPU cooler for significantly more overclocking headroom, cooler temperatures, and better aesthetics (imo anyway), 120GB M.2 SSD for OS and core programs like browsers, email clients, etc, single 2TB SSD for lower cost and fewer cables, better motherboard, 1080Ti with a built-in liquid cooler so it will actually be under warranty if something goes wrong, much lower-watt PSU that still has adequate headroom, version of the same case with a tempered glass side panel instead of acrylic window, and a G-Sync monitor. $3423 after rebates, including shipping.
AMD system - Mostly the same as the Intel system, just with an AMD processor and an even higher-end motherboard. $3442 after rebates and shipping.

I am interested in seeing what Crusty puts together.

Last Edit: Jun 21, 2017 2:50:30 GMT by Pearl

“The story so far: In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move.” ― Douglas Adams, 1980

Ravenous Bear
N4

The Fast And The Furryous

Games: Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, KOTOR
Posts: 1,531 Likes: 4,817

New Intel I7/1080ti Frostbite Build ready to order. Jun 21, 2017 3:18:10 GMT Cyan_Griffonclaw likes this

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Post by Ravenous Bear on Jun 21, 2017 3:18:10 GMT

With a 1080 ti I would recommend a higher resolution monitor, preferrably 1440p or UW 3440 x 1440. You can go for 4k but that will be very demanding for even the 1080 ti; if you want to play max settings for the next few years with the latest gaming titles. And with Nvidia go for G-sync.

A high end Air CPU Cooler like the Noctua DH-15 or Dark Rock Pro 3 is another option instead of the liquid cpu cooler. Liquid coolers are often louder than their air counterparts, and in a worst case scenario one of the pipes could leak and damage your other components.

A sound card is not necessarily a bad option if you have a pair of quality headphones from companies like Sennheiser, AKG, Beyerdynamic, Audio Technica, and other non-gaming branded headphones. But an external AMP/DAC is a much better option. For a $3500 budget a pair of $100-200 headphones and an external amp/dac like Schiit should be strongly considered in a high end PC build.

Unfortunately the prices for ram and ssd drives have increased recently due to low supply and high demand. You may want to buy 2 x 8 GB RAM now and get another of the exact same type once the prices drop.

And the EVGA SuperNova G3 750W PSU Pearl has in the link is the exactly the same PSU I have powering my 1080 ti Aorus Xtreme and I7-6700K. No problems at all with power, but i lost the silicon lottery with my cpu.

crusty
N3

Righteous Paragon of Truth and Justice

Posts: 776 Likes: 3,195

New Intel I7/1080ti Frostbite Build ready to order. Jun 21, 2017 14:49:40 GMT Pearl and Cyan_Griffonclaw like this

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Post by crusty on Jun 21, 2017 14:49:40 GMT

I've decided to err on the side of value as I don't feel like going for 2TB SSDs and the like is really worth the money when a Hybrid Drive is good enough for general game storage. In both cases, I've chopped out around $1000 from the budget, just in time for the Steam sale!

AMD - pcpartpicker.com/list/3WT6bj

Reason for going the 1600x and B350 Motherboard is fairly straightforward. Considering you're probably new to PC building, I don't expect any hardcore overclocking or productivity workloads from your end. So rather than higher core, lower clock speed CPUs like the R7 1700 (which is the CPU I own), a higher clock lower core CPU like the 1600x can deliver more performance out of the box in gaming for a very respectable price. The AMD CPUs do not deliver the same level of gaming performance with the Intel i5 and i7 range, but they do pull ahead when you add extra tasks surrounding gaming - game streaming, using handbrake to encode videos for YouTube, etc. So it's pick your poison - if you want to only game with max performance, then go with Intel. If you want to game with reasonable performance but not be hamstrung if you want to regularly stream on Twitch or use Handbrake to help you make YouTube clips, go AMD. If you want I've chosen a 650w power supply which might be a tad small, but if you don't plan to overclock heavily then you aren't going to run into a situation where the PSU isn't beefy enough.

Intel - pcpartpicker.com/list/mnVM7h

Mostly the same, just changed to Intel where appropriate, it's about $150 more expensive but considering it's still ~$900 under budget, it's pretty good.

Keep in mind that the core performance of both systems are still in line with all the other systems posted in here, with the only real potential difference being the monitors.

Last Edit: Jun 21, 2017 14:58:24 GMT by crusty

Cyan_Griffonclaw
N5

Uncle Cyan

Dang it.

Games: Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, KOTOR, Baldur's Gate, Shattered Steel, Neverwinter Nights, Jade Empire, Mass Effect Andromeda
Origin: griffonclaw39
Posts: 2,515 Likes: 2,604

New Intel I7/1080ti Frostbite Build ready to order. Jun 21, 2017 15:35:10 GMT

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Post by Cyan_Griffonclaw on Jun 21, 2017 15:35:10 GMT

Jun 21, 2017 1:03:43 GMT crusty said:

The whole build seems to have a lack of synergy between components and is much more expensive than it could be. The Freesync functionality on the monitor doesn't work with the graphics card, the power supply is twice as big as it needs to be, etc. You could easily lop off 25% of the cost off the system without losing core performance.

I'll recommend two systems, one from Intel and one from AMD. Intel for purely gaming is a better option but AMD is better when any kind of other workload is applied such as game streaming. I'll bring up pcpartpicker lists when I'm on lunch break.

THANK YOU! I am definitely looking at monitors all over again and avoiding the Freesync function. That's definitely changing and a big change at that! Thank you.

Awesome.

Last Edit: Jun 21, 2017 16:24:54 GMT by Cyan_Griffonclaw

Cyan_Griffonclaw
N5

Uncle Cyan

Dang it.

Games: Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, KOTOR, Baldur's Gate, Shattered Steel, Neverwinter Nights, Jade Empire, Mass Effect Andromeda
Origin: griffonclaw39
Posts: 2,515 Likes: 2,604

New Intel I7/1080ti Frostbite Build ready to order. Jun 21, 2017 15:42:28 GMT

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Post by Cyan_Griffonclaw on Jun 21, 2017 15:42:28 GMT

Jun 21, 2017 1:03:43 GMT crusty said:

The whole build seems to have a lack of synergy between components and is much more expensive than it could be. The Freesync functionality on the monitor doesn't work with the graphics card, the power supply is twice as big as it needs to be, etc. You could easily lop off 25% of the cost off the system without losing core performance.

I'll recommend two systems, one from Intel and one from AMD. Intel for purely gaming is a better option but AMD is better when any kind of other workload is applied such as game streaming. I'll bring up pcpartpicker lists when I'm on lunch break.

Thank you! I was afraid of this happening and just wasting money is not something I do. I like to treat myself every few years with a computer rig. I also don't overclock. I pretty much leave the rig alone until it's time to clean the dust out with the air compressor in the garage. I'm making changes to the list as I read the posts. This is incredibly helpful. This is awesome, actually. I appreciate the time and effort.

Last Edit: Jun 21, 2017 15:43:04 GMT by Cyan_Griffonclaw

Cyan_Griffonclaw
N5

Uncle Cyan

Dang it.

Games: Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, KOTOR, Baldur's Gate, Shattered Steel, Neverwinter Nights, Jade Empire, Mass Effect Andromeda
Origin: griffonclaw39
Posts: 2,515 Likes: 2,604

New Intel I7/1080ti Frostbite Build ready to order. Jun 21, 2017 15:59:40 GMT

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Post by Cyan_Griffonclaw on Jun 21, 2017 15:59:40 GMT

I've never streamed before, but I've been in front of the camera as a sports reporter (paid internship) with KCEN-TV6 and I loved doing it for the 75 seconds I was on the air. I've been seriously thinking of doing a stream just for friends, family and unofficial BSN. It's so I can broadcast what works, what I see needs improving or just to show off a developer's skill along with the artistry and music that helps fill the Frostbite canvas. It doesn't have to be Frostbite, either. It can be whatever engine BioWare is using.

Last Edit: Jun 21, 2017 16:00:41 GMT by Cyan_Griffonclaw

Cyan_Griffonclaw
N5

Uncle Cyan

Dang it.

Games: Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, KOTOR, Baldur's Gate, Shattered Steel, Neverwinter Nights, Jade Empire, Mass Effect Andromeda
Origin: griffonclaw39
Posts: 2,515 Likes: 2,604

New Intel I7/1080ti Frostbite Build ready to order. Jun 21, 2017 16:09:29 GMT

Quote

Post by Cyan_Griffonclaw on Jun 21, 2017 16:09:29 GMT

Jun 21, 2017 3:18:10 GMT Ravenous Bear said:

With a 1080 ti I would recommend a higher resolution monitor, preferrably 1440p or UW 3440 x 1440. You can go for 4k but that will be very demanding for even the 1080 ti; if you want to play max settings for the next few years with the latest gaming titles. And with Nvidia go for G-sync.

A high end Air CPU Cooler like the Noctua DH-15 or Dark Rock Pro 3 is another option instead of the liquid cpu cooler. Liquid coolers are often louder than their air counterparts, and in a worst case scenario one of the pipes could leak and damage your other components.

A sound card is not necessarily a bad option if you have a pair of quality headphones from companies like Sennheiser, AKG, Beyerdynamic, Audio Technica, and other non-gaming branded headphones. But an external AMP/DAC is a much better option. For a $3500 budget a pair of $100-200 headphones and an external amp/dac like Schiit should be strongly considered in a high end PC build.

Unfortunately the prices for ram and ssd drives have increased recently due to low supply and high demand. You may want to buy 2 x 8 GB RAM now and get another of the exact same type once the prices drop.

And the EVGA SuperNova G3 750W PSU Pearl has in the link is the exactly the same PSU I have powering my 1080 ti Aorus Xtreme and I7-6700K. No problems at all with power, but i lost the silicon lottery with my cpu.

I'm using headphones and the ones I use aren't made for gaming. They were made for a higher-end stereo equipment and onboard sound chips are so underpowered. I'm revising the list to get a pair of Sennheiser and looking at external amps. That seems so much easier to deal with as well! Thank you!

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