New Workstation / Gaming PC - £3200 Budget

[Mister K]

Looking to build a new system. Really liking the Lightning Z by MSI however its £100 more around the £850 mark. I have no machine atmo, just my laptop (6700HQ so its not bad).

On that note. Would a 965m run a 3840x1600 resolution? Not planning to game for the time being on 965m, just movies, tv shows and adobe creative suit.

I got Dual 850 Evos so im gonna raid 0 them as gaming library drive which are pretty much brand new from my old build already. The M2 will be boot/software apps.

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 7 1700 3.0GHz 8-Core Processor (£274.39 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: NZXT - Kraken X62 Rev 2 98.2 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler (£149.99 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Motherboard: Asus - CROSSHAIR VI HERO ATX AM4 Motherboard (£209.96 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LED 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory (£149.95 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Samsung - 960 EVO 500GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive (£204.00 @ Aria PC)
Storage: Seagate - Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£55.80 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: Asus - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB STRIX GAMING Video Card (£769.96 @ Ebuyer)
Case: NZXT - S340 - Designed by Razer ATX Mid Tower Case (£94.99 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA G3 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£131.99)
Monitor: LG - 38UC99-W 37.5" 3840x1600 75Hz Monitor (£1242.26 @ More Computers)
Total: £3283.29
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-08-08 08:52 BST+0100

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

[potis]

There isnt much to add since the target seems to be the monitor and not really anything else and you already bought?

But personally i wouldnt go for 4K gaming yet.

Now if you are gonna play 1 game per month, single player, then sure, but if we are talking regular gaming with online stuff like WoW raids, BF maps and similar stuff then i would not go for a 4K system just yet.

1080 Ti is strong yes, but i do not enjoy dipping of frames, and benchmarks are fine and dandy but we all know how they are.

Also, i am assuming you are gonna OC that R7 1700.

Otherwise i would , personally remove the overkill M2 cause day life situations its not any faster than a usual SSD.

I would save like 100$ from that, get a 250GB for Boot/Apps and put that money into a 1800X.

Its all irrelevant mostly, the Monitor counters everything

[Mister K]

I have increased the budget to £3,500 and thinking of going fully custom kit. Still really settling for M.2 but if it means increasing the Watercooling kit by extra £200 than I bight the bullet and have one of my EVOs as boot and the other for games and the 2tb for storage.

Also dropping from 3840x1600 to 3440x1440 GSync (should be fine for Web Design anyway).

Updated Build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 7 1700 3.0GHz 8-Core Processor (£267.00 @ Amazon UK)
Thermal Compound: Gelid Solutions - GC-Extreme 3.5g Thermal Paste (£6.99)
Motherboard: Asus - CROSSHAIR VI HERO ATX AM4 Motherboard (£212.11 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: G.Skill - Trident Z RGB 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory (£170.62 @ More Computers)
Storage: Samsung - 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (Purchased For £0.00)
Storage: Samsung - 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (Purchased For £0.00)
Storage: Samsung - 960 PRO 512GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive (£269.99 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Seagate - Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£56.99 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB Founder Edition Video Card (£749.99 @ Novatech)
Case: NZXT - S340 - Designed by Razer ATX Mid Tower Case (£91.48 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA G3 (EU) 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£92.99 @ Aria PC)
Monitor: Asus - ROG SWIFT PG348Q 34.0" 3440x1440 100Hz Monitor (£931.14 @ Aria PC)
Total: £2849.30
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-09-06 11:02 BST+0100


____________________

Watercooling options:

Which EK kit/blocks should I get for the Ryzen 7 1700 + the EVGA Founders 1080ti? This leaves around 300 to 500 pounds budget for Watercooling/fans.

Looking at this for the cpu/gpu - http://www.watercoolinguk.co.uk/p/EK...280_57466.html

Thoughts?

[Thunderball]

- Drop 960 PRO for 960 EVO/850 EVO M.2
- Change the case to something that can fit at least a 280mm rad at top.
- Drop RGB RAM (it's powered through your DIMM slot and fucks with your memory power delivery)
- I dont get the GPU choice: if you're going with a custom loop you just need any card with a reference PCB, they are all the same: ANY FE, MSI Aero, EVGA SC, etc. Just pick the cheapest available.
- Recommend bumping up the PSU to 750W.
- That kit is fine, but it doesnt support AM4 out of the box, make sure the AM4 retention kit is included, and if it's not ask for it before you order. It also doesnt include the GPU block, so you're going to need a GPU block, additional tubing and fittings.
- You're going to need a 1080 Ti FE/Titan Xp block. All FE cards are identical, there are also cards with custom coolers that use the same PCB.
- EK Vardar fans are great, but if you want RGB Corsair ML series are your only feasible replacement.
- Please dont save on the case, PSU and watercooling components here. Get a cheaper mobo if you must.

[Mister K]

- Drop 960 PRO for EVO/850 M.2
- Change the case to something that can fit at least a 280mm rad at top.
- Drop RGB RAM (it's powered through your DIMM slot and fucks with your memory power delivery)
- I dont get the GPU choice: if you're going with a custom loop you just need any card with a reference PCB, they are all the same: ANY FE, MSI Aero, EVGA SC, etc. Just pick the cheapest available.
- Recommend bumping up the PSU to 750W.
- That kit is fine, but it doesnt support AM4 out of the box, make sure the AM4 retention kit is included, and if it's not ask for it before you order. It also doesnt include the GPU block, so you're going to need a GPU block, additional tubing and fittings.
- EK Vardar fans are great, but if you want RGB Corsair ML series are your only feasible replacement.
- Please dont save on the case, PSU and watercooling components here. Get a cheaper mobo if you must.

Ah yes, it was ment to be the 960 EVO not 960PRO.
Any suggestions? I do like the simplicity and tempered darkened glass of the S340/H440.
Is it really that much difference that RGB RAM has? G.SKILL is just so pretty
I wasn't sure whether it was a better FE than the other cheaper stock ones you can get. I heard something that there are lower power deliveries on the stock Nvidia ones.
EVGA/Silverstone or Corsair?
So a 360 RAD/EK kit? Any particular ones #spoonfed
Don't really care for RGB fans, more about the blocks lightning and ram. I dont want RGB Disco.

Thanks for the suggestions.

- - - Updated - - -

Bump,

Updated with Watercooling fittings, tubing, pump, res, fans, rads etc...

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 7 1700 3.0GHz 8-Core Processor (£267.00 @ Amazon UK)
Thermal Compound: Gelid Solutions - GC-Extreme 3.5g Thermal Paste (£6.99)
Motherboard: Asus - CROSSHAIR VI HERO ATX AM4 Motherboard (£212.11 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: G.Skill - Trident Z RGB 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory (£154.67 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Samsung - 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (Purchased For £0.00)
Storage: Samsung - 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (Purchased For £0.00)
Storage: Samsung - 960 EVO 250GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive (£112.99 @ Aria PC)
Storage: Seagate - Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£56.99 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: MSI - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB Founders Edition Video Card (£700.02 @ Novatech)
Case: NZXT - H440 (Matte Black) ATX Mid Tower Case (£99.98 @ Novatech)
Monitor: Acer - XR382CQK bmijqphuzx 37.5" 3840x1600 75Hz Monitor (£1198.98 @ Box Limited)
Other: EVGA SuperNOVA G3 750 Watt Modular Power Supply/PSU (£119.99 @ CCL Computers)
Other: EK Water Blocks EK-Supremacy EVO AMD/AM4 - Full Nickel (£74.99)
Other: EK Water Blocks EK-Duraclear Tubing 16/10 - Clear 3M (£15.95)
Other: x10 EK Water Blocks EK-ACF Fitting 10/16mm - Nickel (£49.90)
Other: EK Water Blocks EK-FC1080 GTX Ti TF6 - Acetal + Nickel (£109.99)
Other: EK Water Blocks EK-CoolStream SE 360 (Slim Triple) Radiator (£57.95)
Other: EK Water Blocks EK-CoolStream CE 280 (Dual) (£72.95)
Other: EK Water Blocks EK-XRES 140 Revo D5 PWM (incl. sleeved pump) (£129.95)
Other: x3 EK Water Blocks EK-Vardar EVO 120S (1150rpm) (£41.97)
Other: x2 EK Water Blocks EK-Vardar EVO 140S (1150rpm) (£31.90)
Other: Mayhems X1 Red Coolant 5ltr (£21.95)
Other: EK-FC 1080 Ti GTX Aorus Backplate - Nickel (£32.99)
Total: £3570.21
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-09-06 20:43 BST+0100

[Thunderball]

Ah yes, it was ment to be the 960 EVO not 960PRO.
Any suggestions? I do like the simplicity and tempered darkened glass of the S340/H440.
Is it really that much difference that RGB RAM has? G.SKILL is just so pretty
I wasn't sure whether it was a better FE than the other cheaper stock ones you can get. I heard something that there are lower power deliveries on the stock Nvidia ones.
EVGA/Silverstone or Corsair?
So a 360 RAD/EK kit? Any particular ones #spoonfed
Don't really care for RGB fans, more about the blocks lightning and ram. I dont want RGB Disco.

Thanks for the suggestions.

- This, this, you can also look at Corsair X series, Thermaltake V51 TG (if you can find it) or Cooler Master Maker 5t.
- For Ryzen - quite a bit.
- Yes, reference PCB is weaker, but it's easier to get a waterblock for it.
- 1, 2, 3 (XFX is owned by Seasonic).

build

Wrong waterblock components. You need FE compatible parts: 1, 2. I wouldnt recommend 2 rad setup for a beginner, just stick to the 280/360mm up top. Just make sure your rad is not too thick to fit into whatever case you choose.

[Mister K]

The Enthoo Evolv ATX looks amazing, might actually get that instead. In terms of cooling I went through the EK Configuration and selected the below. All recommendations from them other than the pump/res as the recommended was 171L/h so opted for something "more" for headway.

https://www.ekwb.com/custom-loop-con...W59b075cfa2976


---

Gonna see the EK cooling config compatibility for the case you linked instead of the H440.

Cheers for links

[Shakadam]

You mention it's at least partly a workstation build and you have a high budget, why not get a Threadripper at that point?

[Thunderball]

Gonna see the EK cooling config compatibility for the case you linked instead of the H440.

Cheers for links

Yeah that sounds about right, but it opts for a 360mm rad instead. Also notice that they have different colourings for GPU block: the one is this config is nickel plated+acetal on the bottom. They have different variations.

I personally dont like 360mm rads due to them using 120mm fans: those are a little too noisy for me. But they offer better performance, that's for sure.

- - - Updated - - -

You mention it's at least partly a workstation build and you have a high budget, why not get a Threadripper at that point?

That's at least 650 EUR more.

[Mister K]

You mention it's at least partly a workstation build and you have a high budget, why not get a Threadripper at that point?

Yes someone suggested this on Reddit, however I might as well opt-in for 32GB RAM which Photoshop would benefit more than the 1950x. I don't do any heavy rendering or rough cutting in Premier, it will only be animation for web elements to showcase functionality in After Effect than anything and of course HEAVY photoshop/illustrator work.

I will opt-in for 32GB Ram at some point.

If I went Threadripper way I will have to drop custom cooling and go for AIO probably or air.

- - - Updated - - -

Yeah that sounds about right, but it opts for a 360mm rad instead. Also notice that they have different colourings for GPU block: the one is this config is nickel plated+acetal on the bottom. They have different variations.

I personally dont like 360mm rads due to them using 120mm fans: those are a little too noisy for me. But they offer better performance, that's for sure.

I might go for 280mm Front/240mm Top for the second Enthoo Evolv ATX case as the EK configuration did mention that, not that noise is an issue. If the performance is more than 5C off than I will go for 360 rad at top/front (depending what fits).

How often do you need to fully drain/replace liquid on a custom loop? Never done a custom loop and hard tubing looks exciting but maybe il just keep it simpler for now.

AIO/Custom, will Custom have high chance of breaking? I suppose it comes down to the craftsman doing the work. Bodgy it and regret it.

[Thunderball]

I might go for 280mm Front/240mm Top for the second Enthoo Evolv ATX case as the EK configuration did mention that, not that noise is an issue. If the performance is more than 5C off than I will go for 360 rad at top/front (depending what fits).

Considering your hardware a single 280/360 rad should be enough.

How often do you need to fully drain/replace liquid on a custom loop? Never done a custom loop and hard tubing looks exciting but maybe il just keep it simpler for now.

Depending on your coolant. Recommended timeframe is 6-12 months. Hard tubing is pretty hard to work with so just stick with basics for now, make sure you dont kill your hardware due to leaks.

AIO/Custom, will Custom have high chance of breaking? I suppose it comes down to the craftsman doing the work. Bodgy it and regret it.

Custom loops are generally more reliable, given that you properly maintain it. The most frequent point of failure is the pump in both cases, but in the case of closed loop your whole unit is trash if that happens, in the case of custom loop you just drain the loop, replace the pump and you're good to go.

[Mister K]

Awesome, I am going to watch tutorials online anyway. Just seeing where I can save money possibly as I have less of a budget than I thought £3300.

- - - Updated - - -

PS:

Getting 4Ghz or 3.9 with Ryzen 7 1700, two rads or one rad?

- - - Updated - - -

Edit 2:

How is this setup? Single 360 rad.

EK-XRES 100 SPC-60 MX PWM (incl. pump)
Rated noise: 25.00dB

Capacity: 125ml

Dimensions: w: 68mm h: 117mm d: 67mm
Maximum flow rate: 171L/h

- - - Updated - - -

Would the fittings and tubing from the EK setup above (link) fit this pump/res?
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/xspc-...kaApGiEALw_wcB

[Thunderball]

Getting 4Ghz or 3.9 with Ryzen 7 1700, two rads or one rad?

Any decent cooler (even air) should get you there no problem. The problem is how much voltage you're willing to push, AMD recommends not exceeding 1.45V for 24/7 operation.

Would the fittings and tubing from the EK setup above (link) fit this pump/res?
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/xspc-...kaApGiEALw_wcB

Yes. Dont have any experience with it but looks pretty good. A lot higher coolant capacity, max flow and I think has a drain port. I'd still recommend going with a 280mm rad, especially if you're going with that pump/res.

[Mister K]

Yes. Dont have any experience with it but looks pretty good. A lot higher coolant capacity, max flow and I think has a drain port. I'd still recommend going with a 280mm rad, especially if you're going with that pump/res.

Ended up getting the https://www.ekwb.com/shop/ek-coolstream-pe-360-triple & https://www.ekwb.com/shop/ek-xres-14...lite-incl-pump and hopefully the 120mm rad at work is 10/16 fitting so i can take it home..

- - - Updated - - -

Bump:

Purchased the MSI 1080ti Founders from Novatech however just got an email it wont become available again. My EKWB kit is already shipping so trying to see what would be compatible with the following, even if it means paying more (paid £700 for the 1080ti).

Any suggestions? According to the compatibility list https://www.ekwb.com/configurator/wa.../3831109831915, this will fit the block too.

EKWB: https://www.ekwb.com/shop/ek-fc-1080..._store=default, https://www.ekwb.com/shop/ek-fc-1080..._store=default
Replacement GPU: https://www.scan.co.uk/products/msi-...pu-1620mhz-boo

[Thunderball]

Just get the cheapest GPU from that list. PCBs are all identical (some may have RGB headers), and that's all you need from it.

[Mister K]

Just get the cheapest GPU from that list. PCBs are all identical (some may have RGB headers), and that's all you need from it.

I bought EVGA Gaming 1080 ti, it was in the list and was the cheapest I could find from a reputable retailer. I think most 20-30 pounds premium over some other i could potentially find.

WATERCOOLING:

So getting all my bits and bobs next weekend for a whole new build but not sure how to layout the directions and overall flow setup for the case. Cooling 1080ti and R7 1700

Here is what I come up with so far.
FULL SIZE IMAGE
https://i.imgur.com/bunDAIB.jpg



For the rear exhaust fan, I have a 120mm rad that I could put there. Work has one that isn't being used from an old rig. Dont know if it would shave any temps of tho.

[Thunderball]

Here is what I come up with so far.
FULL SIZE IMAGE


For the rear exhaust fan, I have a 120mm rad that I could put there. Work has one that isn't being used from an old rig. Dont know if it would shave any temps of tho.

Looks optimal, however it's gonna be a mess without hardline tubing. Nothing you can do about it though. Your diagram is a little off in a sense that backplate is going to be on top, not on the bottom. Dont put any more rads, what you have right now is already way overkill, it's gonna affect the rest of your components either way.

[Mister K]

Shouldn't be too bad for tubing. More issue with removing drive cages and dropping the front 240 down a bay and loosing HDD space. Build is fine so far but cant find any 1080 tis.

So I opted in for this https://www.falconcomputers.co.uk/zo...-vr-ready.html

According to EKWB the above is compatible with the block I got - https://www.ekwb.com/configurator/waterblock/3831109831922

Pics Below:
https://imgur.com/gallery/hPLnO

[Low Hanging Fruit]

For the rear exhaust fan, I have a 120mm rad that I could put there. Work has one that isn't being used from an old rig. Dont know if it would shave any temps of tho.

Truth man if temps are anywhere close to a problem with this setup than a 120 isn't going to be a magic bullet and if they aren't a problem than ambient temp of the room and outside the case airflow is going to start playing a bigger role than an additional 120. Personally I would let the back just be air. As much as you got water cooling the major heat spots in the rig having good air flow is good too for like the motherboard, harddrives, ram, and even passive cooling thoughout the case. Of course these things don't get insanely hot but heat non-the-less is good to keep off of them. Also having an easy exit of high speed air below your exit top rad will pull a lot of the dust out of the air and out the back. This top one is the one you don't want to have to move around to clean the most from my experience because it will likely be in close proximity to the motherboard and cables and such that makes it more of a pain. The front rad you are just going to have to live with cleaning because it is in intake. But it also usually has superior filtering. So good call. Not all of it of course but reducing it helps keep those fins cleaner for a bit longer and allows a little lazier / less demanding cleaning cycle on the rads. Not to mention every time you add more fittings and such, even as good as they are these days, increases the odds of leaks and other problems that can just be avoided for little gain.

[Karon]

The biggest offender in your drawn setup is that you plan on doing the front rad in push pull. Please don't do that, it's a waste of money :-P