New Build advice

[Truegrim]

Hello all,

I looking for some new build recommendations as I only do my due research on a rebuild about every 2-4yrs. I want to build a new PC and get a new monitor to step up to 1440p or more. (I would like the monitor to last me for multiple future builds). I have no real confirmed budget, as I much prefer bang for buck, at whatever level that may be. At the minute I am looking at the following, although I'm second guessing myself on whether to go Z370 on x299.

CPU: i7- 8700k
Motherboard: ASrock Z370 Extreme4
RAM: some 2x8Gb (3200MHz)
GPU: Minimum GTX1070
Storage: Samung 970 Evo NVMe (plus other SATA storage)
Cooler: Have a H100 in old PC that could be reused, otherwise looking at NZXT Kraken X52
Case (needs to have white): Fractal Meshify or Lian Li PC-011 Dynamic.

Any comments/ recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Should I wait a couple of months for certain components to drop in price for example?

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Most of that looks solid but the only thing is whether Nvidia will launch the GTX1100 series in the next few months.Also regarding the SSD I would probably prioritise the size over speed TBH if it is for storing games on.

Regarding RAM I would aim for at least 2666MHZ stuff minimum but would get 3000MHZ to 3200MHZ stuff as cost usually tends to go up massively after that.

Also depending on what games you are running perhaps something like a Ryzen 7 2700X might be worth considering, as it also comes with a very solid stock cooler and is under £300. Also AM4 will be supported for a few years apparently.

Edit!!

What cpu do you have now? Next year AMD is moving to 7nm and might possibly get one up over Intel as they have issues with 10nm currently.

[Truegrim]

Updated RAM with speed as I will be getting 3200MHz

Current spec is...

CPU; AMD FX6100
Motherboard: 990FX Sabertooth
GPU; GTX560ti
Storage: 2x 500Gb HDD and a 1.5TB HDD

I know these are tired but want to get a really good 1 player game to max things out again, not to mention I plan to step form a 24" to a 27" montior. Sadly I always build with upgrade potential, I now realise that I never do this, if I ever do it will be just a GPU swap out.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

What are the games giving issues currently? X299 is poor value for gaming. A Core i7 8700K is the best gaming CPU under £500 but not the best value. A Core i5 8600K is cheaper,and probably similar performance but has only six threads,the Ryzen 7 2700X is probably a better all rounder and comes with probably the best stock cooler ever made which even has lighting.

[Truegrim]

Most recent games I have played on ultra have been Far Cry 4 and the latest Assassins Creed. Now I know some of it is down to stupid ubisoft not releasing a game ready as usual but I really want to make sure I get epic graphics that I can immerse myself in, what ever I choose next (6 weeks summer hols coming up (teacher, not pupil haha)). If you have any suggestions for games to look out for with this new builds let me know I think I will check out Witcher atm

[Truegrim]

On a side note, I don't do any of this streaming stuff. Its a gaming PC that I use for general Microsoft office work

[Xlucine]

NVMe drives don't provide any benefit in real-world usage for consumers/gaming (toms hardware has some good real-world SSD tests showing this), and cost a lot more. SATA SSDs give the same bang in load times, for a lot less buck

[Truegrim]

Yeah I saw about this. I know it wont be a significant jump from a normal SSD to a NVMe, its just something I really want to do. ( a small factor could be that my brother has been rubbing his load times into games before me since he got a SSD)

[pp05]

Are you thinking of carrying out CPU upgrades in the near future. If not then you should give i5 8400/ 8600k some consideration as gaming is a big reason for the upgrade. If overclocking then go with k, If not then 8400 offers some savings and has turbo boost and get better graphics card.

[DanceswithUnix]

On your current build the graphics card looks by far like the weakest link.

I would try getting a Vega64/GTX 1080 now for about £500, and see if that fixes the gaming experience. If if doesn't, you already have the first component for your next build.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

The graphics card will be the biggest issue with the current build you have OP,but in AC the CPU might not be helping either. The main advantage of AM4 is not just the potential of a better upgrade path but more the case if you do intend to keep the system for 4 years,I can see getting a replacement motherboard as being easier,although it will be interesting to see if Intel has another 400 series generation of chipsets for 14NM CPUs,and whether they will work in the 300 series. The Z370 is essentially the same as the Z270 series.

[DanceswithUnix]

The graphics card will be the biggest issue with the current build you have OP,but in AC the CPU might not be helping either.

The GPU is a 40nm part presumably with a 1GB VRAM as that was standard (though my GTX 460 had 2GB so not a given). A superb bit of kit in its day, but that day was a long time ago. A 1080 would be about 5 times faster?

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

The GPU is a 40nm part presumably with a 1GB VRAM as that was standard (though my GTX 460 had 2GB so not a given). A superb bit of kit in its day, but that day was a long time ago. A 1080 would be about 5 times faster?

AC can also have issues with stutter if the CPU does not meet the spec.

[Truegrim]

I see a lot of talk about my current PC but as I said I'm after a full upgrade. I'm a bit confused by some comments discussing th nm's of chips. Are you recommending a certain path? I.e. x299/z370 or waiting for newer architecture?

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

I see a lot of talk about my current PC but as I said I'm after a full upgrade. I'm a bit confused by some comments discussing th nm's of chips. Are you recommending a certain path? I.e. x299/z370 or waiting for newer architecture?

Ryzen will have its first major update on the 7NM node,ie,smaller transistors and potentially capable of higher switching frequencies,ie,CPUs with higher clockspeeds,and Intel has the equivalent with their 10NM node,but it seems to have problems.

[DanceswithUnix]

I see a lot of talk about my current PC but as I said I'm after a full upgrade. I'm a bit confused by some comments discussing th nm's of chips. Are you recommending a certain path? I.e. x299/z370 or waiting for newer architecture?

Apologies if I derailed things slightly, was trying to potentially save you some money. A full update will give the CPU up to double the performance, but the GPU will be a factor of five. So most of the performance improvement you get will be from the GPU, but if you have the money the CPU is worth upgrading.

All SSDs are fast, but SATA ones are a whole lot cheaper so you get to store more games for your money and/or put the money saved towards a better GPU.

As a starting point I would be looking at a GTX 1080; Ryzen 2600X so you have a possible upgrade path for the future, a 1TB SSD for plenty of games (I have been looking at https://www.amazon.co.uk/Crucial-MX5...dp/B077SF8KMG/ as is it £60 cheaper than the equivalent Samsung) and £150 cheaper than the Samsung NVMe 1TB 970.
I wouldn't worry about waiting for CPU upgrades right now, the performance doesn't increase that fast. GPU is a bit more worrying that a new one will be out before long, but not until after the summer is over and you need a new GPU above all else.

If you want people to help come up with a list of parts:

Do you intend overclocking?
Do you need to include a new copy of Windows?
Is £1000 too cheap, about right, or more than you were hoping for?