$1100 Warcraft/Gaming build (Purchasing within 24 hrs)

[BruceG87]

Opened a small thread a few days ago but budget changed and so did prices.

Budget: $1100 +/- $50
Purpose: Gaming, Overwhelmingly Warcraft
Resolution: 1440p 60Hz via old Dell U2717
Location: US
Parts to be reused: Optical Drive

No overclocking, no peripherals, nothing flashy, no LED's that can not be turned off, desires plainish black case with no side panel window and owner literally resides in the desert.

Here's what I came up with, critique welcomed as always. Goal to finalize part list and purchase within 24 hours.

PCPartPicker part list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/n7T46X
Price breakdown by merchant: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/n7T46X/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel - Core i5-8400 2.8GHz 6-Core Processor ($199.89 @ B&H)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG - M9i 48.4 CFM CPU Cooler ($18.99 @ Newegg Marketplace)
Motherboard: MSI - Z370 GAMING PLUS ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($101.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Team - Vulcan 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung - 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($84.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($41.89 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: Asus - GeForce GTX 1070 8GB Dual Series Video Card ($433.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Corsair - 100R Silent ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - 520W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $1111.70
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-11-30 04:27 EST-0500

[Spaze]

I guess you better go with an older 4 core i5 7600 higher clock rate and the most games don't support more than 4 core ( https://pcpartpicker.com/product/FN9...m8067702868011 )

[loadedaxe]

Nothing wrong with your build. And definitely don't go with a 7600k, that's old tech.

I am not a fan of the small ff heatsinks, but to each his own, I would get the bequiet Pure Rock

[BruceG87]

Nothing wrong with your build. And definitely don't go with a 7600k, that's old tech.

I am not a fan of the small ff heatsinks, but to each his own, I would get the bequiet Pure Rock

Yea, in this instance I couldn't find any reason to go with the 7600 over the 8400, especially given the the older tech having a higher price tag.

For CPU heatsinks I originally narrowed it down to the M9i or BQ! Since I'm going the route of a "silent" case it makes sense to swap out for the BQ Black Rock (Quieter than the M9i from what I read on comparisons).

[loadedaxe]

Yes it is a bit quieter. I actually have both and the be-quiet is the better of the 2.

Good luck with your build and let us know how you like it when completed.

[Kagthul]

Also note that since you are using a Z370 MoBo, you can do a kind of semi-overclock of the 8400.

If you set an XMP profile and/or go in and manually turn it on (not sure where it is in the BIOS for that MSI, but ASUS' boards turn it on automatically), there is a feature called "all core optimization" or something like that, that forces all the cores to run at the max turbo at 24/7, so you get a sort of ghetto 4Ghz OC on the 8400.

Really improves the value of the chip, IMO.

[BruceG87]

Yes it is a bit quieter. I actually have both and the be-quiet is the better of the 2.

Good luck with your build and let us know how you like it when completed.

Build is for a friend, hopefully he'll love it.

Also note that since you are using a Z370 MoBo, you can do a kind of semi-overclock of the 8400.

If you set an XMP profile and/or go in and manually turn it on (not sure where it is in the BIOS for that MSI, but ASUS' boards turn it on automatically), there is a feature called "all core optimization" or something like that, that forces all the cores to run at the max turbo at 24/7, so you get a sort of ghetto 4Ghz OC on the 8400.

Really improves the value of the chip, IMO.

Thanks a ton for that tip!

[Linkedblade]

If you have an extra $50, I'd say try for the 8600k. Just me though.

[BruceG87]

If you have an extra $50, I'd say try for the 8600k. Just me though.

Cheapest I find it at is approximately $95 more than the i5 8400, though I see a listing with directron for $264 but they are sold out.
Also, still not looking to do any overclocking. The owner has no desire to get into the hardware so to speak, and I'm hesitant to do even a mild everyday overclock for someone elses rig after past experience biting me in the ass in the form of 'extended' tech support a few years later.

[Svisalith]

I guess you better go with an older 4 core i5 7600 higher clock rate and the most games don't support more than 4 core ( https://pcpartpicker.com/product/FN9...m8067702868011 )

The 8400 turbos hard with fewer core loads (4ghz max, 3.8ghz on all cores if within power limits) and it has the same power limit as the 7600 while using less power (more efficient process) if the same amount of cores are used

That cpu supports 2666mhz RAM out of the box so i'd suggest buying some of that, RAM performance has a big impact on WoW and an impact on some games in general when cpu limited so it's usually a lot of gain for the $$ spent. 2400 to 2666 is not a large change but the price difference should be similarly small

[BruceG87]

Additional note, as I'm actively buying hardware right now.. I've never dealt with Superbiiz before, but I do hate them with a passion. Enjoy all these discounted parts we offer over our competitors, and while you are at it enjoy our insane overpriced shipping options over our competitors free shipping.

Forced me to reevaluate parts, purchase source, and changed the build cost that I already informed my friend of. Went from purchasing 4 parts from Superbiiz to purchasing a single part.

- - - Updated - - -

The 8400 turbos hard with fewer core loads (4ghz max, 3.8ghz on all cores if within power limits) and it has the same power limit as the 7600 while using less power (more efficient process) if the same amount of cores are used

That cpu supports 2666mhz RAM out of the box so i'd suggest buying some of that, RAM performance has a big impact on WoW and an impact on some games in general when cpu limited so it's usually a lot of gain for the $$ spent. 2400 to 2666 is not a large change but the price difference should be similarly small

Yea, I'm pretty set on the 8400 over the 7600, and the 8600k just doesn't fit the budget and I don't feel it's worth the stretch with zero interest in overclocking.

Shopping for RAM right now just actually pretty damn rough, prices are pretty intense and a lot of ideal options with great prices are sadly sold out. Was just too late to grab those deals, and honestly I wasn't approached for this build until the last minute of monday which did not help.

The Team Vulcan choice I selected above fit the budget, and while it's 2400mhz it has a CAS latency of 14, which when factored into the price made it the winner in my books but unfortunately it sold out. As far as the budget goes, I'm looking at other 2400mhz alternatives in that budget range but all have a CAS latency of 15. Meanwhile, the cheapest 2666-3200mhz option is significantly more expensive.

[Svisalith]

That's fine, RAM prices are screwed all around at the moment. Good luck!

[Linkedblade]

Cheapest I find it at is approximately $95 more than the i5 8400, though I see a listing with directron for $264 but they are sold out.
Also, still not looking to do any overclocking. The owner has no desire to get into the hardware so to speak, and I'm hesitant to do even a mild everyday overclock for someone elses rig after past experience biting me in the ass in the form of 'extended' tech support a few years later.

Fair enough, in my mind getting a locked CPU and z series chipset just seems like a waste.

- - - Updated - - -

That's fine, RAM prices are screwed all around at the moment. Good luck!

Yeah this screws with thing right now. Nand supplies are short so that increases the cost of ram, SSDs and graphics cards.

[Evildeffy]

Just as a side-note:

According to many tech YouTubers and sites (I've been unable to test this myself in builds so far because of the insane lack of availability) they have spoken about the myth that the locked chips can benefit from the "All-Core Enhancement" feature mentioned earlier.

Their simply answer is "No, it cannot and does not, the feature doesn't even show up on most motherboards if there's a locked chip in it.".

So don't count on that.

Having said that on paper and the benches I've seen the 8400 is impressive for a locked chip.

[HeiAggra]

Also if u live on the desert i would go nuts with the cooling. Better safe then sorry.

[Denpepe]

Fair enough, in my mind getting a locked CPU and z series chipset just seems like a waste.

There are only Z series board atm for coffee lake so you don't really have a choice there.

Personally for a gaming pc I would not buy a weaker i3-i5 or i7 unless the price difference is absurd, the k parts while beeing able to overclock usually run faster stock clocks then their non k counterparts but that's just me, people can spend money how they want.

[Netherspark]

The i5 8400 will be terrible for Wow. Wow is almost entirely dependent on clock speed, and the 8400 is a measly 2.8GHz (don't believe that 'boost' stuff). And core count is meaningless in this game. With that CPU you could probably expect barely 40-50 FPS at decent settings.

Get the i3 8350k - it has a base clock of 4.0GHz, is cheap and can be easily overclocked to 4.8 and above, without even needing hardcore cooling. It's literally one the best processors you can get for Wow (on par with the 8600k).

[Vertigo X]

The i5 8400 will be terrible for Wow. Wow is almost entirely dependent on clock speed, and the 8400 is a measly 2.8GHz (don't believe that 'boost' stuff). And core count is meaningless in this game. With that CPU you could probably expect barely 40-50 FPS at decent settings.

All of this is literally false.

[Kagthul]

Not to mention that you can set “all core optimization” to ON in the EFI/BIOS, and itll force all six cores to run at max turbo (4.0 Ghz). Its basically a ghetto overclock.

[Evildeffy]

Not to mention that you can set “all core optimization” to ON in the EFI/BIOS, and itll force all six cores to run at max turbo (4.0 Ghz). Its basically a ghetto overclock.

Please ignore this statement as it is incorrect.



MCE does not work on locked chips.