Help Me Build My Dream Gaming/Streaming PC

Should I Wait for Volta?

  • Yes

  • No


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Nietzsche-san

Member
Nov 16, 2010
103
1
71
It's been 7 years since I built my first PC. And you guys helped me do it (I still remember Mfenn helping me every step of the way - I wonder if he's still around).

That badboy ran for a solid 4 years, kicking every game's ass. It wasn't until 2015 that I had to upgrade my GPU since my old EVGA GTX 470 bought a cane and started throwing artifacts at me. Unfortunately, a few months later, a storm hit my house, and because of the shitty wiring, my PC got fried, even if it was plugged into an adapter (still not sure how it happened, but my PC would not work. The video card, ram, and SSD were fine and sold them used, but the m-board/cpu were gone and I didn't have the money at the time to replace them).

Since then, I've been rockin' a so-so gaming laptop, as I've been traveling the world, but in the next month or so, my finances should be steady enough to buy my dream PC, because I want to experience 4k gaming.

If you guys would help me build it, I'd be honored.

I know 4k is still somewhat new at the 1080ti can only run Witcher 3 at 60fps on 4k, but I still want to try it out. Also, I want to stream. A business I work for could be integrated and marketed with my Twitch streams (and we have a solid forum base that could be easily converted into viewers/subscribers), plus it's fun, so streaming is a must.

If the streaming + 4k becomes too much, I could always switch to my 1080p monitor when I need to stream (or maybe invest in a streaming PC to augment my dream pc).

I'm looking to make this one a beast. The most enthusiast machine money can buy on the retail side. If there is an upgrade that has a significant advantage over something I pick, throw it out, unless the bang/buck is absolutely stupid (like 1% improvement for 500 extra dollars, for example).

So here's what I have so far.

Video: ASOS ROG 1080ti OC Edition - the only counteroption I see her is waiting until Volta, which brings up the serious question; is Volta going to be NVLink or still PCI Express 3.0? If it's NVLink, then waiting until Volta might be smart, since the % increase of NVLink should be massive. If not, I could always sell the 1080ti when Volta drops and then switch over, but if I have to get a whole new motherboard, might be best to wait. Not so much for the money, but for the reassembling hassle (I know it would only take a few hours, but still...)

CPU: i7 8700k (I realize stock is low right now, so if I have to wait until January/February, that's fine, I want the best option available, so unless Ryzen 12nm is going to significantly kick Coffee Lake's ass, imma drink me some machiatto).

MEMORY: 32GB G.Skill Trident Z RGB - my god is that ram sexy. Since I plan on a see-through case, sexiness matters. Girls will come into my apartment, see that PC, and go, "Okay, you got the Trident Z RAM? You're a pimp. You want me now or after we play some vidja games?"

MOBO: ???????? I don't know much about which motherboard is good or bad, to be honest. My Gigabyte from 2010 ran fine, that's all I know. Does one BIOS run better than another? Idk. That's where my PC knowledge stops. If it can hold 32gb of ram, runs coffeelake (so 300 series?), has a decent sound card (though I'll probably upgrade anyways), and looks kinda sweet, I'm down for it.

Sound: V-MODA Crossfade M-100. I had some audiophiles on Reddit recommend this puppy. Good mid-range headphones with amazing bass (since I listen to a lot of EDM and Rap, but also Death Metal, so good mids are important, too).

I still need to ask them about an amp, but if you guys have any recommendations for that OR for a good sound card, I'm ALL ears.

Case: Corsair Crystal Series 570x RGB - I've read a few reviews that larger video cards are a tight fit but I should be fine. I also read that there's no PSU mesh or something? If you guys have a better crystal-case recommendation that has like no flaws, let me know. ALSO, SOMEWHAT IMPORTANT, I need at least 6 USB slots. Microphone, mouse, keyboard, webcam, game controller (ps4), game capture card (for p4 streaming). I know I can buy a USB HUB,but sometimes those are shit.

Fans: Corsair HD Series HD120

Storage: Samsung 850 EVO 500gb - I don't feel like partitioning a separate HDD. I don't usually have more than 5 or 6 games installed at one time, I use Spotify for my music, I make videos but won't have more than 20 on my drive at any time (I upload them to Youtube, so that's my storage for them) and other than that, I write books, so 1mb at the most for a word file. I really don't need 1TB, but if I do, I'll buy an external harddrive.

PSU: EVGA Supernova 750 2GL - I remember having a PSU that WASN'T modular. By god was that a pain in the ass. Nice cable management can now be mine. 750W should be nice, yes? I learned my lesson when I recommended a 1000w power supply for my GTX 470 back in 2010 and some dude commented, "What are you powering, a space shuttle?" Funny stuff.

Monitor: ASUS PB287Q 28" - The reason this puppy rocks is because of the 1m/s refresh rate AND the 1m/s INPUT LAG, which is SUPER important for competitive gaming (I'll be playing competitive SF5 and Dragon Ball Fighterz, so input lag is the difference between a W and a dropped combo then death).

Besides that I have a nice keyboard, mouse, and webcam. That should be everything! Oh and I do need to buy Windows 10 (that RGB case doesn't have an optical drive, so I need to download windows onto....well, how would I do that? Also is Windows 10 professional worth it for encrypted drives?)

So, have fun with this guys. This is a dream PC, so if you have some recommendation that is somewhat ridiculous but also super awesome, I'm down for it.

My goal is to run everything and anything at 4k at 60fps+ (Ideally more, since I'll be streaming). If it's not possible, I'll switch to my 1080p until a card comes out that can run 4k 60fps for it. Actually, I could always use my gaming laptop to stream while my dream PC runs the game...hmm...

Have fun with this one guys, and if I should wait for NVLink Volta, then that's fine. I might have to wait anyways for Coffee Lake to be available and not marked up to high heaven because Intel is Intel.
 
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Rifter

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
11,522
751
126
Id go beefier on the CPU if you are going to stream. Ryzen 8 core higher core count threadripper or SL-X 8 core or greater. A 6 core is going to hold you back streaming for sure.

Also, windows comes on USB keys now you do not need an optical drive.
 
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Nietzsche-san

Member
Nov 16, 2010
103
1
71
Jesus christ those are delicious. Thank you for the recommendations.

What's the performance boost i"ll see from the 1900x and the 1920x? If it's anything more than marginal, then def going with the top shelf one.

Also, recommend any MOBOS?

Oh and if I'm going to be runnin' a CPU like that, I'm sure I'll need to do liquid CPU cooling, no? I've never done that before. Or would this MONSTER do the job?
 

GothAmKing

Member
Apr 3, 2012
128
12
81
Have a look at the following chasis -
Thermaltake View 71
Cooler Master HAF H500P
Aerocool P7-C1 Pro tempered glass

Every chasis is within budget price(Thermaltake one is a bit pricey) and are dope to look at.
 

Chaotic42

Lifer
Jun 15, 2001
33,929
1,097
126
If you can, I'd wait for the 4K 120/144Hz monitors to come out. I think those will be game changers.