New Gaming Build for My Lad

BadBreath on 05/06/2018 - 19:47
Last edited 06/06/2018 - 20:11

Hi everyone,
My son is 16 and wants to build a new computer.

He is thinking about getting the following from msy

msi Z370M Gaming Pro AC $249.00
i7-8700 $419.00
16GB Kit (8GBx2) 2666 HyperX FURY White $269.00
Total $937.00

He already has a
GPU Galax 1060 3gb
Antec Nine Hundred case
corsair Professional Series™ HX650 — 80 PLUS
Samsung 750 evo 500gb
And a 2TB wd Blue

It should be a pretty good rig.
Does anybody disagree?

He games and does computer animation at school.

Would appreciate any advice.

Cheers
Baddie1

Computing

Comments

  • vitastic on 05/06/2018 - 19:50
    +1

    If he's a gaming enthusiast, you probably want to have a look at what graphics card he is currently running as well.
    Depending on the animation software, the graphics card could also improve productivity in computer animation.

  • currentfad on 05/06/2018 - 19:52
    +1

    Games yet no graphics card in that build. Just get this https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/382290

    • BadBreath on 05/06/2018 - 19:54

      Sorry he already got a GPU Galax 1060 3gb a few weeks ago

  • hogwarts on 05/06/2018 - 19:57
    +3

    Why buy a Z370 motherboard with a non-unlocked processor?

    • BadBreath on 05/06/2018 - 19:59

      Hi Hogwarts thanks for the input.
      We liked that motherboardwhen it was on sale but it was a pricing error a few weeks back
      Can you recommend another motherboard?

      • hogwarts on 05/06/2018 - 20:03
        +2

        Either get an i5 8600k or i7 8700k if you want to overclock. If you are not planning to overclock, use this table here - https://www.eteknix.com/intel-300-series-chipset-feature-com… - to see what features the PC will use / your son needs.

        • BadBreath on 05/06/2018 - 20:10

          Hi Hogwarts.
          Probably wont overclock so this motherboard will be wasted.
          Will probably look for a different motherboard.

        • hmac on 05/06/2018 - 23:02
          +1

          @baddie1: depends what you want. Since you aren't going to overclock, it personally doesn't matter what motherboard you pick. What size do you want? ATX or mATX? How many ram slots? How many PCI-e slots? How many sata ports? Do you want an RGB motherboard?

          I'd save about $150 or more on the motherboard for something else, possibly even downgrade to a i7-7700, but if you want to future proof as much as possible then i7-8700 it is. Graphics card is a bottleneck but if it is enough for him, then keep it for now and look for an upgrade in the coming years

        • vitastic on 06/06/2018 - 18:35
          +1

          @baddie1:
          I'd probably just go for something with 4 RAM slots, a size/format that fits the case and have enough PCIe slots. Probably want enough USB3.1 ports. USB-C is probably just a nice extra at this point in time. You can probably find something reasonable around $150 or less.

          I'd probably stick with an i7 over an i5 for long term. It means that if your son wants to do something outside of a single application, there's room to manoeuvre.

          At the end of the day, I guess it depends on what your son is interested in. Games don't really need much from the computer, just a decent graphics card. As your son is interested in animation, you'd want some extra CPU headroom so an i7 is useful here. If your son is into animation, he'll probably do some video editing as well so some extra RAM will also help. 16Gb with 2 sticks is plenty for the moment. If you get 4 RAM slots, it means he can upgrade to 32Gb later on if he wants or needs it. When it comes to rendering, you'll probably end up using CPU and GPU so having more cores helps here too.

          You could probably save money on the motherboard and funnel it to more storage, a new monitor or w/e. Maybe put it to saving for the next graphics card upgrade?

  • azndraon on 05/06/2018 - 20:23
    +2

    Looks solid for 1080p gaming, could look at a spare 1/2tb sata hdd in case your son needs some extra storage. As mentioned above, no need to get a z series motherboard with an unlocked processor otherwise it's wasted potential.

    • magic8ballgag on 07/06/2018 - 09:39

      no need to get a z series motherboard with an unlocked processor

      Locked* processor.

  • ccarnage on 05/06/2018 - 21:00
    +2

    Just FYI an i7 is not needed for great gaming performance; i5 processor is just as good and cheaper. Additionally, you don't need the latest generation desktop processors: the mobile 8th gen is a lot better than 7th gen, but the improvements to the desktop processor performance are generally quite small between 7th and 8th gen.So, maybe something like this might be better to save ~150$?
    https://www.pccasegear.com/products/37423?gclid=CjwKCAjw6djY…

    • Diji1 on 06/06/2018 - 00:17

      I agree.

      If this is a gaming only computer I would attempt to slash everything on the budget meaning:

      i5 instead of i7
      budget motherboard (there is no significant performamce difference if not oc'ing or playing with ram settings)
      8GB (16GB does almost nothing to game performance vs 8)

      and sell the 3GB 1060 because you really want 4GB video memory minimum.

      … to get a GTX 1070.

      For gaming the GPU is the most important thing. GTX 1060 6GB (not 3GB)is adequate for 1920x1080 60FPS.

      But that's just me.

      Whirlpool suggested pc builds usually have solid motherboard and other parts suggestions:

      https://whirlpool.net.au/wiki/?tag=rmp_sg_whirlpoolpcs

  • HighAndDry on 05/06/2018 - 21:28
    +2

    A gaming rig should focus almost solely on the Graphics Card, so for your build here, I'd recommend scaling back on the motherboard (absolutely no need for a Z370 chipset board for gaming), and going down to an i5 (no need for an i7 for gaming either). And then, with the money you save from those - and maybe flog the 1060 on EBay, upgrade to a 1080. You'll see worlds better performance than your current specs going from the 1060 to an 1080.

    • akanub on 05/06/2018 - 21:46
      +1

      depends if he's playing @ 1080p or 1440p since a 1060 will be enough for 1080p

      • BadBreath on 05/06/2018 - 21:59

        He has 2 x 1080p monitors

        He is very keen on animation so this is why we think the I7 is the go.
        Think its best to spend all he has to get the best he can for the next 5ish years. :)

        • Kangal on 05/06/2018 - 22:06
          +4

          Why didn't you start him off a Dell Optiplex and a GTX 750 Ti-LP like the rest of us?

        • BadBreath on 05/06/2018 - 22:10

          @Kangal:
          He has saved up the funds. (been 14 months so far) 2 birthdays and a Christmas.
          I'm only inputting the ideas.

        • hmac on 05/06/2018 - 23:03
          +1

          definitely keep the i7, it is really useful for animation

        • HighAndDry on 06/06/2018 - 09:54
          +1

          Hmmm. That does go a lot further in justifying the i7. Generally with computers - though this takes some tinkering proficiency - you don't want to build just [One Thing] for 5 years, it's usually more efficient money and performance wise to build a decent rig for now, and then upgrade every 2-3 years. I do understand the desire to not have to mess around with the rig for as long as possible though.

          If that's the plan though - this is a good rig. You can always pick up a used 1080 in a couple years too.

        • BadBreath on 06/06/2018 - 21:21

          @HighAndDry: ThanksHighanddry
          That is the plan. :)

  • [Deactivated] on 05/06/2018 - 22:48
    -1

    It should be a pretty good rig.
    Does anybody disagree?

    Yes, I do.

    I suggest you visit

    http://thebottlenecker.com/

    Bottleneck detected: Your GPU is too weak for this processor.

    Intel Core i7-8700 @ 3.20GHz with GeForce GTX 1060 3GB (x1) will produce 23% of bottleneck. Everything over 10% is considered as bottleneck. We recommend you to replace GeForce GTX 1060 3GB with GeForce GTX 1080 Ti.

    • Axelstrife on 06/06/2018 - 01:08
      +1

      I suggest you stop using that shitty website.

      • [Deactivated] on 06/06/2018 - 08:57
        +1

        But Linus told me it was awesone

    • theHMASfriendship on 06/06/2018 - 08:56
      +1

      A bottleneck for what exactly? Highly dependent on use case.

      • [Deactivated] on 08/06/2018 - 09:28
        +1

        As per op. This use

        He games and does computer animation at school.

        • theHMASfriendship on 08/06/2018 - 10:31
          +1

          Yes but your site does not take this into consideration does it.

        • [Deactivated] on 08/06/2018 - 12:10
          +1

          I believe it assumes you are flogging both the CPU and GPU

    • BadBreath on 06/06/2018 - 22:14

      Hi Tight I up-voted - appreciate the input.

  • theHMASfriendship on 06/06/2018 - 08:54
    +1

    Unless you're set on that motherboard for whatever reason, get a cheaper one. There's not a huge amount of value add getting the higher end Z series boards if you're getting a locked processor, get a lower end Z370 or B360.

    Also note you have an ATX sized case so you can go up to an ATX motherboard if you wish (an mATX like the MSI you have listed is smaller and will fit, but won't use up the area in the case if looks are important to your son).

    Really anything from the big brands in the $149 to $199 range will suit. I'm partial to Asrock boards personally but Asus is generally the most popular. e.g.
    Shiny MSI B360 board for $189
    Budget Z370 Asrock board $159

    But have a look through here and see what you like the look of, plus has all the features you want http://www.msy.com.au/saonline/673-intel-300-series-chipset-…

    Can you confirm what SSD he has? If it's a nvme like a 960 evo, then potentially you can get a storage drive. If it's a 2.5 inch like an 850/860 evo, then use that for games/storage and get a nvme drive for the operating system.

    Also what PSU does he have? Strongly recommend it should be a TX or RM series or higher…

    • BadBreath on 06/06/2018 - 19:37
      +1

      Hi iforgotmysocks

      Thanks for a great post.
      He has a
      corsair Professional Series™ HX650 — 80 PLUS
      Samsung 750 evo 500gb
      And a 2TB wd Blue

      We like the look of the MSI B360 GAMING PRO and will probobly go with that. thanks

      Axelstrife - he will proboly upgrade the 1060 to a 1080 when the price comes back down to normal.

      Thanks to everyone who posted you guys are great.

      Baddie1

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