Hi All,
Just replaced my ~7 year old i5 3570K/GTX680 computer with a new build that can better handle 1440P gaming at higher refresh rates. Here is a bit about the build, why I chose the parts that I did, and what I found to work well for me. I would also love to hear suggestions for benchmarking software so I can play with settings and see how the performance changes. First is a list of the components I purchased, and after that the discussion:
Acer XB271HU (27", 1440P, IPS, G-sync, 144 Hz)
Ryzen 2700X
Noctua NH-U14 with AM4 adapter kit
Asrock Fatality B450 ITX
2x8 GB G-skill TridentZ RGB 3200-14-14-14
EVGA RTX 2080 XC Ultra
970 EVO 1TB SSD
Micron 1100 2TB SSD
Seasonic Titanium 650 PSU
Fractal Design Meshify-C Mini Tempered Glass
1X Fractal Design 120mm Fan (rear, came with case)
2X Noctua 140mm Fans (front, replaced the second Fractal 120mm fan that came with case)
Deepcool 4-Port Fan Hub
First, my goal was to build something that would handle 1440P gaming at higher refresh rates, and that had some headroom for processor upgrades a few years down the road. I also wanted something that could edit go-pro videos of trackdays, and transcode digital movies for playback on the entertainment system of my minivan. The most common high-performance use would be gaming.
I also wanted a smaller system, and I never plan to have more than one video card, so I decided I wanted to do an M-ATX or ITX build. It seemed to be that you got better components in the ITX motherboards, so I decided to go that route. I also wanted something air cooled (for simplicity and reliability) but relatively silent, so that affected my choice of cooler and case setup.
The first step was choosing a monitor, since that is something that can last through several systems if you find something you are happy with. I wanted an IPS or VA panel, with a high refresh rate. I didn't care too much about G-Sync or Free-Sync, but I figured that I'd end up with an Nvidia GPU so G-Sync was preferred, all else being equal. I ended up looking at the ASUS ROG Swift PG279Q and the Acer Predator XB271HU. I also considered Free-sync versions of both, as well as a lower priced Acer that I no longer remember the model name. I believe both the ROG Swift and Predator use the same panel, and ended up going with the Acer because it was almost $200 less. I think I paid about $520 from Amazon, but now see it for $499 from Newegg (but out of stock). I was a bit nervous ordering online due to reports of dead pixels and such, but mine arrived in essentially perfect condition. For me, this monitor is awesome! Great resolution that gives plenty of desktop space, large enough that I can still see text and icons at 100% scaling in the native resolution, and a resolution that is still somewhat playable in games.
With the monitor choice out of the way, it was time to choose the computer to drive it. It seemed that at 1440P gaming, most games are going to be MOSTLY GPU limited, so I didn't think I'd get a huge benefit from going Intel over AMD. I believe the recent Anandtech tests show this to be the case. Also, because I wanted a platform that would have a reasonable upgrade path, I thought AMD would have an advantage with the AM4 socket. Finally, I like to support the underdog when there are minimal drawbacks to doing so. I therefore decided to go with AMD, and since I don't upgrade often I went with the 2700X in order to maximize performance on that platform.
For the motherboard I went with ITX for the small size, efficient packaging, and good components at a reasonable price. I ended up going with the Asrock Fatality B450 ITX, which has Intel LAN, Intel WiFi, Intel Bluetooth, USB 3.1 Gen2 Type A and Type C, plus the ALC1220 sound chip. Basically top-notch components all around IMO. Also in Asrock's favor was the fact that my previous computer was running an Asrock Z77 Extreme4, which gave me years of great performance with no problems. The BIOS is eerily similar between the two boards as well, which is nice. The main limitations of the ITX form factor are weaker VRM solutions and only 2 RAM slots. Neither was a concern for my use case.
For RAM I wanted something decently fast with good timings, so I splurged and got the G-skill Trident Z, 3200, 14-14-14 stuff. 2X8 GB, and I decided to add some bling and get the RGB ones for a little color.
Video Card is an EVGA RTX2080 XC Ultra. Should handle 1440P well, was no more expensive than GTX1080Ti's (which were pretty much gone anyway), and may let me play around with the ray tracing stuff at some point. This card can run in silent mode with the fans totally off, but they click every time they start up, so I ended up downloading the EVGA Precision X1 software. This lets me set the minimum fan speed to something like 30%, which keeps them running but still silent, so I don't get the click during use).
I have the 970 EVO SSD for the OS and games, and the Micron for all other data. In normal use you can't really tell the difference between the two. Benchmarks show a much larger difference. I didn't mind spending the extra for the 970 EVO, but if you are on a budget I would strongly recommend the Micron if you can find it (it was by far the least expensive 2TB drive when I got it on sale for $240, and I think it gets even less expensive at times).
I have used Seasonic PSU's for ages now, so it was a no-brainer for me to go with that brand. I ended up spending the extra for their most efficient version, mostly because I new it would generate less waste heat and therefore run more quietly. I don't think I've heard the fan spin up in this one yet, even when gaming for an hour.
I got the Noctua Cooler because it is one of the best air coolers that will fit in the ITX form factor and the Meshify-C case. I got the Meshify-C Mini case because it was one of the few that would fit the Noctua Cooler and was still a somewhat small size. I took out the front Fractal Design Fan and installed the 2X Noctua 140mm ones, and have then running off the Chassis_2 fan header (along with the rear fan, all through the Deep Cool fan hub). I control all fans through the motherboard (it can't control them individually, but with 2X 140mm intakes and a single 120mm exhaust I still get a positive pressure setup). The fans are running around 40% (the rear fan speed is being reported to the mobo, and is ~770 RPM according to CPUID HWMonitor). The CPU fan is controlled via a custom profile on the motherboard, starting @ ~700 RPM until 50C, then ramping to full speed @ 75C. This keeps the fan nearly silent under almost all use cases. When I do the 30 second stress test in Ryzen Master, the temps reach ~52C, and idle temps are in the 35C range. I'm still playing with fan profiles to try and minimize the ramping up and down of the fan speed, yet keeping a very quiet build under most circumstances.
The build went together fine, although it is tough to get the RAM, CPU Cooler, and motherboard installed. I ended up mounting the RAM and CPU outside the case, then installing the motherboard, plugging in the 8-pin CPU PWR cable, then installing the CPU heatsink without the fan (because the mounting screw is under the fan), then carefully slipping the fan down between the RAM and heatsink and clipping it in place. Worked fine in that order, and clipping it was pretty easy, although there isn't much room between the fan clip and the top of the case.
The most difficult part of the process was installing windows. I first tried to install my original CD of windows 10 from when it was first released (using an external CD/DVD player). It installed fine but had so many updates that it choked for a day trying to download them. Then it would also try and automatically install new drivers, but many weren't compatible with the older version of windows. I finally got the April 2018 windows update installed, and when I went to intsall my video drivers, about 1/2 way through I got a message saying the driver install was already happening. Apparently Windows was trying to automatically install drivers at the same time I was manually installing them. Needless to say, the system was crashing, choppy, and basically unusable. I was very dejected that evening, after spending an entire day trying to get things updated.
I ended up buying a new licence of windows (which was probably fair since I will likely keep my older computer running anyway), and then created a bootable USB stick using Microsoft's download program. I installed windows with my network cable unplugged and everything went as smooth as silk. Took 15 minutes or less. Very hapy at that point and reconnected the LAN to get the latest Nvidia drivers. Of course once again windows installed some Nvidia drivers from somewhere, but this time I waited for that to finish before upgrading to the latest. I looked all over but could never figure out how to turn off the automatic driver downloads. I do think that MS should change the default behavior so it at least asks you if you want the drivers installed.
Overall I am very happy with the setup.
I've been playing World of Warcraft, Destiny2, Far Cry 5, Doom, and Battlefield 5 (single player). Looking to get some other types, but really waiting for Mechwarrior 5 to come out. I've got my Thrustmaster Cougar joystick and throttle ready to be taken out of the closet if that game every arrives. No idea if they will still work in Windows 10, but I hope so!
Finally, if anyone has any questions, comments, or suggestions for benchmarking tools and games I'm all ears.
Thanks for reading, and sorry for the long winded post. Should be some photos as well.
-AG
Just replaced my ~7 year old i5 3570K/GTX680 computer with a new build that can better handle 1440P gaming at higher refresh rates. Here is a bit about the build, why I chose the parts that I did, and what I found to work well for me. I would also love to hear suggestions for benchmarking software so I can play with settings and see how the performance changes. First is a list of the components I purchased, and after that the discussion:
Acer XB271HU (27", 1440P, IPS, G-sync, 144 Hz)
Ryzen 2700X
Noctua NH-U14 with AM4 adapter kit
Asrock Fatality B450 ITX
2x8 GB G-skill TridentZ RGB 3200-14-14-14
EVGA RTX 2080 XC Ultra
970 EVO 1TB SSD
Micron 1100 2TB SSD
Seasonic Titanium 650 PSU
Fractal Design Meshify-C Mini Tempered Glass
1X Fractal Design 120mm Fan (rear, came with case)
2X Noctua 140mm Fans (front, replaced the second Fractal 120mm fan that came with case)
Deepcool 4-Port Fan Hub
First, my goal was to build something that would handle 1440P gaming at higher refresh rates, and that had some headroom for processor upgrades a few years down the road. I also wanted something that could edit go-pro videos of trackdays, and transcode digital movies for playback on the entertainment system of my minivan. The most common high-performance use would be gaming.
I also wanted a smaller system, and I never plan to have more than one video card, so I decided I wanted to do an M-ATX or ITX build. It seemed to be that you got better components in the ITX motherboards, so I decided to go that route. I also wanted something air cooled (for simplicity and reliability) but relatively silent, so that affected my choice of cooler and case setup.
The first step was choosing a monitor, since that is something that can last through several systems if you find something you are happy with. I wanted an IPS or VA panel, with a high refresh rate. I didn't care too much about G-Sync or Free-Sync, but I figured that I'd end up with an Nvidia GPU so G-Sync was preferred, all else being equal. I ended up looking at the ASUS ROG Swift PG279Q and the Acer Predator XB271HU. I also considered Free-sync versions of both, as well as a lower priced Acer that I no longer remember the model name. I believe both the ROG Swift and Predator use the same panel, and ended up going with the Acer because it was almost $200 less. I think I paid about $520 from Amazon, but now see it for $499 from Newegg (but out of stock). I was a bit nervous ordering online due to reports of dead pixels and such, but mine arrived in essentially perfect condition. For me, this monitor is awesome! Great resolution that gives plenty of desktop space, large enough that I can still see text and icons at 100% scaling in the native resolution, and a resolution that is still somewhat playable in games.
With the monitor choice out of the way, it was time to choose the computer to drive it. It seemed that at 1440P gaming, most games are going to be MOSTLY GPU limited, so I didn't think I'd get a huge benefit from going Intel over AMD. I believe the recent Anandtech tests show this to be the case. Also, because I wanted a platform that would have a reasonable upgrade path, I thought AMD would have an advantage with the AM4 socket. Finally, I like to support the underdog when there are minimal drawbacks to doing so. I therefore decided to go with AMD, and since I don't upgrade often I went with the 2700X in order to maximize performance on that platform.
For the motherboard I went with ITX for the small size, efficient packaging, and good components at a reasonable price. I ended up going with the Asrock Fatality B450 ITX, which has Intel LAN, Intel WiFi, Intel Bluetooth, USB 3.1 Gen2 Type A and Type C, plus the ALC1220 sound chip. Basically top-notch components all around IMO. Also in Asrock's favor was the fact that my previous computer was running an Asrock Z77 Extreme4, which gave me years of great performance with no problems. The BIOS is eerily similar between the two boards as well, which is nice. The main limitations of the ITX form factor are weaker VRM solutions and only 2 RAM slots. Neither was a concern for my use case.
For RAM I wanted something decently fast with good timings, so I splurged and got the G-skill Trident Z, 3200, 14-14-14 stuff. 2X8 GB, and I decided to add some bling and get the RGB ones for a little color.
Video Card is an EVGA RTX2080 XC Ultra. Should handle 1440P well, was no more expensive than GTX1080Ti's (which were pretty much gone anyway), and may let me play around with the ray tracing stuff at some point. This card can run in silent mode with the fans totally off, but they click every time they start up, so I ended up downloading the EVGA Precision X1 software. This lets me set the minimum fan speed to something like 30%, which keeps them running but still silent, so I don't get the click during use).
I have the 970 EVO SSD for the OS and games, and the Micron for all other data. In normal use you can't really tell the difference between the two. Benchmarks show a much larger difference. I didn't mind spending the extra for the 970 EVO, but if you are on a budget I would strongly recommend the Micron if you can find it (it was by far the least expensive 2TB drive when I got it on sale for $240, and I think it gets even less expensive at times).
I have used Seasonic PSU's for ages now, so it was a no-brainer for me to go with that brand. I ended up spending the extra for their most efficient version, mostly because I new it would generate less waste heat and therefore run more quietly. I don't think I've heard the fan spin up in this one yet, even when gaming for an hour.
I got the Noctua Cooler because it is one of the best air coolers that will fit in the ITX form factor and the Meshify-C case. I got the Meshify-C Mini case because it was one of the few that would fit the Noctua Cooler and was still a somewhat small size. I took out the front Fractal Design Fan and installed the 2X Noctua 140mm ones, and have then running off the Chassis_2 fan header (along with the rear fan, all through the Deep Cool fan hub). I control all fans through the motherboard (it can't control them individually, but with 2X 140mm intakes and a single 120mm exhaust I still get a positive pressure setup). The fans are running around 40% (the rear fan speed is being reported to the mobo, and is ~770 RPM according to CPUID HWMonitor). The CPU fan is controlled via a custom profile on the motherboard, starting @ ~700 RPM until 50C, then ramping to full speed @ 75C. This keeps the fan nearly silent under almost all use cases. When I do the 30 second stress test in Ryzen Master, the temps reach ~52C, and idle temps are in the 35C range. I'm still playing with fan profiles to try and minimize the ramping up and down of the fan speed, yet keeping a very quiet build under most circumstances.
The build went together fine, although it is tough to get the RAM, CPU Cooler, and motherboard installed. I ended up mounting the RAM and CPU outside the case, then installing the motherboard, plugging in the 8-pin CPU PWR cable, then installing the CPU heatsink without the fan (because the mounting screw is under the fan), then carefully slipping the fan down between the RAM and heatsink and clipping it in place. Worked fine in that order, and clipping it was pretty easy, although there isn't much room between the fan clip and the top of the case.
The most difficult part of the process was installing windows. I first tried to install my original CD of windows 10 from when it was first released (using an external CD/DVD player). It installed fine but had so many updates that it choked for a day trying to download them. Then it would also try and automatically install new drivers, but many weren't compatible with the older version of windows. I finally got the April 2018 windows update installed, and when I went to intsall my video drivers, about 1/2 way through I got a message saying the driver install was already happening. Apparently Windows was trying to automatically install drivers at the same time I was manually installing them. Needless to say, the system was crashing, choppy, and basically unusable. I was very dejected that evening, after spending an entire day trying to get things updated.
I ended up buying a new licence of windows (which was probably fair since I will likely keep my older computer running anyway), and then created a bootable USB stick using Microsoft's download program. I installed windows with my network cable unplugged and everything went as smooth as silk. Took 15 minutes or less. Very hapy at that point and reconnected the LAN to get the latest Nvidia drivers. Of course once again windows installed some Nvidia drivers from somewhere, but this time I waited for that to finish before upgrading to the latest. I looked all over but could never figure out how to turn off the automatic driver downloads. I do think that MS should change the default behavior so it at least asks you if you want the drivers installed.
Overall I am very happy with the setup.
I've been playing World of Warcraft, Destiny2, Far Cry 5, Doom, and Battlefield 5 (single player). Looking to get some other types, but really waiting for Mechwarrior 5 to come out. I've got my Thrustmaster Cougar joystick and throttle ready to be taken out of the closet if that game every arrives. No idea if they will still work in Windows 10, but I hope so!
Finally, if anyone has any questions, comments, or suggestions for benchmarking tools and games I'm all ears.
Thanks for reading, and sorry for the long winded post. Should be some photos as well.
-AG
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