Gaming PC $1800- $2400

• 

  theHMASfriendship on 02/04/2018 - 22:55

  +1

  Intel i5-8600k and the Z370 motherboard of your choice.

  Add an ATX sized case you like, a 16gb kit of reputable memory (e.g Corsair vengeance), a
  Samsung 960 Evo or Intel 760p 500gb for storage, and a good gold rated modular power supply in the 650-750W range ike EVGA/Corsair/Seasonic. 8600k will require a CPU cooler, noctua nh-u12s is a good option

  See if you have enough left for a 1080ti.

  • 

    AlienC on 03/04/2018 - 03:20

    What's the lowest cpu you would go for with say a GTX 1080.. a 1080ti is ideal but looking at smaller/cheaper options.

  • 

    AlienC on 03/04/2018 - 03:20

    What's the lowest cpu you would go for with say a GTX 1080.. a 1080ti is ideal but looking at smaller/cheaper options.

    • 

      theHMASfriendship on 03/04/2018 - 07:48

      8600k is a great gaming CPU, the better bang for buck option will be the i5-8400 and upcoming B360 motherboards though, which will save a couple hundred and not give much away in gaming performance. Also Ryzen 1600/1600X (or better, the 2600/2600X due in a couple of weeks) is a reasonable alternative but the FPS crown still lies firmly with Intel at the moment, and will continue to until maybe zen 2 in 2019.

      I wouldn't go less than the above to pair with a high end graphics card but all down to budget I guess.

  • 

    cloudy on 03/04/2018 - 10:39

    What’s the main difference between “reputable” memory, and other memory providers?

    I remember when I was buying ram for my Pc, I asked the guys at MsY what’s the difference between the ram brands, and he basically nothing, just the brand preference people have. Performance wise they are all the same (as in what it’s labeled.)

    • 

      theHMASfriendship on 03/04/2018 - 14:43

      Probably generally speaking, there isn't a difference. Anecdotes of not reaching advertises speeds/timings on the cheaper brand RAM kits, and more prevalent RMA issues do pop up however.

      By reputable I meant if you choose Crucial/G.Skill/Kingston/Corsair and you'll be fine. Get the best value kit for your use case.

• 

  Diji1 on 02/04/2018 - 23:59

  -4

  The video card is priority #1 over everything else. Buy a GTX 1080 Ti with at least 2 fans. Obviously the fastest factory core and memory speed is what we want here but paying large premiums for very little core/memory speed increase doesn't make sense although it might when you overclock it.

  After video card you can skimp on the following items to various degrees but they're in order of priority to game performance:

  Next priority is CPU (although extra money spent here will only benefit a small subsection of games such as Crysis 3 engines or heavy AI or things like this): 8600K is the best choice but stepping down to a lower Intel CPU and possibly avoiding cooler costs if you choose a non-K CPU is better than skimping on video card if you want game performance.

  Step down CPU until a GTX 1080 Ti fits into the budget, you can go down a long way in Intel's line before it starts bottlenecking graphics. CPU overclocking shouldn't be in the picture unless you have a watercooled GTX 1080 Ti in the budget already.

  8GB RAM is almost perfect for gaming, 16GB buys you almost nothing as far as game performance. RAM is ridiculously priced at the moment, I would buy the normal speed RAM and wait for it to go down which it will and then maybe upgrade later on.

  Motherboard determines what you can add later on and how many devices you can add. If you are not overclocking all motherboards are the same speed as far as games including tiny ones compared to huge ones. ATM for the latest 8th generation CPUs there is only the Z370 chipset motherboard lineup but (which can overclock) but if you don't they're roughly all the same speed.

  You should have at least 1 SSD for Windows and games, I think Crucial MX500 500GB or larger (256GB is slower) is the best choice. NVMe drives are seconds faster than SATA 3, I would buy SATA unless

  If you want to store stuff that isn't game installations you might want to add a hard drive so you don't take up precious SSD space. It can be tough starting out with limited SSD space since you will have to uninstall games to play others but using a hard disk means console loading times approximately which is serious business ;)

  PSU: I'd go for a budget 500W. Matters only for overclocking.

  • 

    theHMASfriendship on 03/04/2018 - 07:58

    +1

    I ran into memory limitations with 8gb, Battlefield 1 was the main culprit. If OP had the budget it's worth it in my opinion. RAM prices won't dive any time soon.

    Also r.e. power supply, 500W is ok however limited for decent PSU choices. It's stupid buying a $1000 graphics card and $500 CPU and motherboard and then pairing it with a cheapy power supply. Spend $100-150, get something reliable, has appropriate components to protect your system and feed it stable delicious power, and it's something you won't have to worry about.

    A more "budget" line of reasonable quality you can consider is the TXm series from Corsair (i.e. TX550M, 650M). Only semi modular.

    • 

      c0balt on 03/04/2018 - 10:03

      +1

      I wrote about how 8GB isn't enough for modern titles in previous threads (if you want a high end machine) and provided benchmarks clearly showing that having 8GB drops frames compared to 16GB and was downvoted without anyone provided benchmarks to the opposite.

      I'll provide the benchmarks comparing 8GB vs 16GB ram across many titles and resolutions again, as I think it's important that people actually have the right information.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0t4uLh2ZK04&

      "The effect is probably strongest at the 15:00 mark, where CoD: WW2 really wants 16GB of system RAM even on cards with 6GB or more of VRAM, and even only at 1080p. The whole video is interesting on the subject though."

  • 

    Tech5 on 03/04/2018 - 08:52

    +2

    I don't agree with the RAM and PSU. The "8GB is all you need" idea has been peddled for almost 5 years now. 16gb is needed for a lot of games that will use what you give it. For e.g. Deus Ex Mankind Divided. Stuttering on my PC and FPS drops to 5-6 every few seconds at 8gb ram. Added another 8gb, usage went from 6gb/8gb used to 11gb/16gb, and frame rates stayed above 120.

    The PSU is very important. You need at least 700W, for some sort of overhead as well as planning for future upgrades. Also, it is what will protect your ass from minor dirty currents as well as not explode/fluctuate, which is important.

• 

  Else2Easy on 03/04/2018 - 00:55

  What games are you planning on playing? A 1080ti makes little sense unless you're really planning on playing games that can take advantage of all that GPU power. Yeah, it may last you longer, however often times it's just more economical to upgrade from a lower-priced GPU in a few years time, GPUs tend to hold some value so it's usually easy enough to sell off your old card. This, of course, depends on your needs though. I would not sacrifice my CPU too much just so I could fit a 1080ti within budget, there should be a certain level of balance to your build.

  I'm currently running a 1080ti @ 1440p, 165hz and it's pretty overkill for a lot of games that I play. The only reason I have one is that I managed to pick it up for $700 a few months ago.

  Personally, I would be looking at something like this:

  CPU: 8600k, unless the benefits of an 8700k appeal to you. Both should give you a solid few years, and will likely last through a few GPU upgrades.

  CPU cooler: Noctua NH-D15, Dark Rock Pro 3, or a AIO liquid cooler, however both the Noctua and Dark rock pro are better bang for the buck, and generally, outperform many AIO's for cheaper.

  Mobo: Any z370 that fits your needs, possibly avoid ASUS Strix boards unless they have fixed their load line calibration issues.

  RAM: 8gb's is generally fine, however, if you plan on doing much multitasking, or you intend to record your own gameplay using OBS/shadowplay etc you may want to consider more.

  PSU: Don't cheap out too much, grab yourself something decent from a reputable brand, personally I recommend the EVGA G2 or G3. 650-750w, but as Iforgotmysocks outlined, both Corsair/Seasonic are great as well.

  GPU: Whatever fits your needs, check out benchmarks etc. You're probably looking at something between a 1070ti and 1080ti for 1440p.

  If you have steam or discord I'm happy to help out if you have questions etc, just chuck me a pm.

  • 

    AlienC on 03/04/2018 - 03:15

    Open your conversation/dm up I can't message you. I have discord and would like to ask more about your 1080ti experiences and more.. in the process of building my own pc.

    • 

      Else2Easy on 03/04/2018 - 14:54

      Sorry about that, it's open now.

  • 

    spook290 on 03/04/2018 - 11:13

    I mostly play Dota2 and Fortnite, however recently got into Sea of Thieves.

    Given me a few things to think about, I was always under the impression of getting the best GPU you can afford and going from there.

    Appreciate your help!

• 

  idontalwaysnotlie on 03/04/2018 - 09:18

  A PC I built for a friend earlier this year, mostly off ebay with a 20% off sale.
  GPU - 1080TI, $850
  CPU - Ryzen 1600x, $260
  MBO - ASROCK AB350 Pro4, $90
  RAM - 16GB crucial 2400, $210
  PSU - Antec HCG 650, $95
  SSD - Intel 760p 256gb,$150
  HDD - Segate 5tb, $150
  Case - thermaltake cheapy - $75
  Mouse/KB/fans ~ $100
  Totals just under $2000 (was his limit). Plays all the latest games on highest settings and should last him at least 5 years.
  Should pay itself off mining when he has not using it after about a year (gets $4-5 per day).

  • 

    spook290 on 03/04/2018 - 11:11

    Looks good, I'll have to keep an eye out on the next eBay sale.

    In regards to mining, I thought it generally used more electricity than the revenue it generated?

    Does mining have an adverse effect as a whole? I.e wears it down quicker, I'm not likely to do it, just curious :)

    • 

      idontalwaysnotlie on 03/04/2018 - 16:15

      He rents where electricity is included so not too bad. Doubles as a heater in winter.
      He runs dual 4k screens and games in 4k while watching videos on the other one so a 1080ti was needed.
      If you only have the one 2k screen you can get away with a 1070 easily.

• 

  spook290 on 03/04/2018 - 12:08

  After looking at some suggestions, I've put this together;
  https://au.pcpartpicker.com/list/2PF9J8
  What do you you think? It is slightly over budget & need a case, but hoping I will be able to save a few $$ by waiting for eBay sales and such :)

  My other option is to move to the GTX 1080, and perhaps upgrade the SSD slightly

  • 

    Tech5 on 03/04/2018 - 14:25

    +1

    Couple of things:
    1. Will you be overclocking?.
    2. Spending $$$ on RAM speed IMO is not that important in the grand scheme of things. 16gb 2400Mhz is more than enough. Also RGB? Up to you haha. A heavy premium is charged for that RAM
    3. Consider adding a 1 or 2TB WD black HDD as well for storage. 500gb gets used really fast and it is a bit of a waste putting your data on the SSD
    4. Good choice on the PSU, one of the best
    5. The 1080Ti is a waste of money IMO. By the time you are playing games that will really tax it, it may be more economical just to upgrade your GPU. Your preference though
    6. I'm a fan of Phanteks Enthoo Cases if you wanted suggestions.

    • 

      Else2Easy on 03/04/2018 - 15:04

      Ram is a bit tricky at the moment, more and more games like Overwatch and GTA-V can see some gains from higher clocked ram, or see better general fps stability particularly when matched with higher end 10xx series GPUs. Seems safer to just purchase 3000+ atm.

  • 

    theHMASfriendship on 03/04/2018 - 14:56

    If you're not overclocking, you should see some B360 motherboards announced imminently. You should be able to pick these up for $100-150.

    Then swapping the i5-8600k for an i5-8400, which offers most of the un-overclocked performance of the 8600k in gaming (the low 2.8gHz base clock speed is for specific workloads, most of the time it will be up near it's max boost clock of 4Ghz) for $250. The i5-8400 comes with a competent enough cooler, but a $50 cryoig or coolermaster cooler is enough and will decrease noise over the stock cooler and looks nice.

    As Tech5 suggested, you can pick up a decent 2400Mhz kit which will serve your purposes for $250.

    The above saves you $250-300.

    $100 will get you a nice tempered glass case, e.g. Corsair 275R , but plenty of decent options in the $50-100 range.

  • 

    theHMASfriendship on 03/04/2018 - 15:00

    +1

    Also whether you should get 1080ti will depend on your monitor. If you have a 1080p 60hz monitor then anything over a GTX1070 is a waste.

    Consider downgrading to a GTX1080 and using the difference towards a high refresh rate or 1440p monitor.

    • 

      Else2Easy on 03/04/2018 - 15:12

      I think he has a 1440p 144hz display, I'm running 1440p 165hz and the 1080ti is still overkill for almost everything I play, generally, I tend to play low-medium graphics though which is just a habit and not really related to performance.

  • 

    theHMASfriendship on 04/04/2018 - 07:10

    +1

    B360 boards now popping up to pair with i5-8400

    https://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&…

• 

  CheapCoffee on 07/04/2018 - 04:37

  I'm looking into a very similar build at the moment. As @iforgotmysocks mentioned just above, i5 8400 looks like a good value option since the new boards just came out.

  Quick rundown on what the difference in the new boards are like: https://www.reddit.com/r/buildapc/comments/8a0s3q/so_whats_u…

  Currently, I'm still holding out for the prices for the graphics card to drop. In saying that, don't forget nvidia also sells their Foundation Edition cards at a ok price too (https://www.nvidia.com/en-au/geforce/products/10series/store…)