Build for Streaming Fortnite

[chazus]

A customer of ours wants to build a gaming rig for streaming Fortnite with the best possible results. They've already given us the green light on "Money isn't an object", though obviously I'd like to keep SOME restraint on hardware, if there's little to no benefit then there's no need for it.

I imagine we'll need a full setup. Monitor, kb/ms, speakers, headset. Maybe even a camera.

I believe we'll like'y be doing a 1080p or 1440p monitor at 144hz (She demanded 200-300fps but... yeah)

[Saphyron]

will it be a 2-system setup or 1-system setup?

[chazus]

will it be a 2-system setup or 1-system setup?

I honestly don't know which we'd be doing, nor do I know her proficiency. I've never used a capture system before so I don't know how complicated that is to use for her. I'd be leaning towards a 1 system setup.

[Temp name]

Do you know what streaming software they'd be using? Are they aiming to do any editing to upload elsewhere?

[chazus]

Do you know what streaming software they'd be using? Are they aiming to do any editing to upload elsewhere?

Unfortunately I have no info, nor do I think they have any either. They literally called in saying "I want to stream fortnite at 200-300 fps. Please build a system"

[Temp name]

Unfortunately I have no info, nor do I think they have any either. They literally called in saying "I want to stream fortnite at 200-300 fps. Please build a system"

Maybe this? I have no idea how well Fortnite runs on AMD vs Intel.. GPU should be enough to run it at 1080p240hz though.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor ($327.20 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus TUF GAMING X570-PLUS (WI-FI) ATX AM4 Motherboard ($199.79 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory ($74.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: Intel 660p Series 1.02 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon RX 5700 XT 8 GB PULSE Video Card ($413.98 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT H510 ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.98 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic FOCUS Plus Gold 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Alienware AW2518HF 24.5" 1920x1080 240 Hz Monitor ($299.99 @ Best Buy)
Keyboard: Redragon K552-N Wired Standard Keyboard ($26.99 @ Amazon)
Mouse: Logitech G502 Proteus Spectrum Wired Optical Mouse ($46.99 @ Amazon)
Headphones: Logitech G430 7.1 Channel Headset ($48.98 @ Amazon)
Total: $1718.86
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-10-18 14:14 EDT-0400

For webcam a Logitech C920, but couldn't find the option for webcams on PCPP

[Saphyron]

1-system setup (please note i have no idea about monitors)

PCPartPicker Part List


CPU: Intel Core i9-9900K 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor ($488.89 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X72 Liquid CPU Cooler ($184.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte Z390 AORUS ULTRA ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($249.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Trident Z RGB 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($154.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Intel 660p 512 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($66.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital RE 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.34 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER 8 GB XC ULTRA GAMING Video Card ($533.98 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT H710i ATX Mid Tower Case ($169.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G2 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($143.89 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($99.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $2140.94
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-10-18 14:06 EDT-0400

2-system setup

The Gaming System.
PCPartPicker Part List


CPU: Intel Core i7-9700K 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor ($363.99 @ B&H)
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X62 Rev 2 98.17 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($140.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte Z390 AORUS PRO WIFI ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($179.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Trident Z RGB 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($154.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Intel 660p 512 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($66.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Intel 660p Series 1.02 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER 8 GB XC GAMING Video Card ($523.98 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT H510 ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.98 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic FOCUS Plus Gold 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($99.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1810.68
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-10-18 14:12 EDT-0400

The Streaming System.

PCPartPicker Part List


CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3400G 3.7 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($144.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI B450M PRO-M2 V2 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($74.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($69.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: Kingston A400 120 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($21.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital RE 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.34 @ Amazon)
Case: Thermaltake Versa H18 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA BR 450 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $448.97
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-10-18 14:18 EDT-0400

And needs to get a capture card.

EDIT: reason I went with what I did.

Not entirely sure how good the newest version of AMD is with streaming. but the I9-9900k is a beast in solo system streaming and getting high fps.
She was asking for 2-300 fps. Thus you need a powerful CPU as well as a powerful GPU. This causes price to go up drastically.

For the 2 system setup which will be more expensive. But it will reduce the load on the CPU. And again since the main objective is high fps gaming I went with the I7-9700k
I prefer AMD lately but Intel is still king for high fps gaming.
Also based on what I could find Intel is still king in Fortnite.
The second system is there to have the streaming happening and saving the data of the stream in case they are planning a YouTube career on the side. Most of them are.
Again I need to reiterate. While I prefer AMD unless something happened lately that I don't know about Intel will actually be the best choice for once.

[chazus]

A couple questions for those builds:
1) Is a 2080 overkill for single monitor, 1440p/144hz?
2) Is 32gb overkill for this as well?
3) Is ram speed still not very relevant for Intel? Is 3000/3200 enough?
4) Is intel still best choice for gaming in this case?

[Saphyron]

A couple questions for those builds:
1) Is a 2080 overkill for single monitor, 1440p/144hz?
2) Is 32gb overkill for this as well?
3) Is ram speed still not very relevant for Intel? Is 3000/3200 enough?
4) Is intel still best choice for gaming in this case?

1) Yes and No. Depends on the game. But a 2070 super performs almost the same as a 2080 but is cheaper.
2) Yes. Even for a streaming machine. Now if the person was streaming, encoding YouTube videos at the same time I would say then its okay to upgrade to 32 GB. Luckily this system is easy to upgrade to 32 GB.
3) Intel don't really benefit much from above 3200. They benefit more from timings.
4) Due to wanting high fps. Yes Intel is the king. If the need was not high fps I would go with AMD. But that is a personal choice. Since this is a gaming machine Intel is the winner at the high end.

[Temp name]

A couple questions for those builds:
1) Is a 2080 overkill for single monitor, 1440p/144hz?
2) Is 32gb overkill for this as well?
3) Is ram speed still not very relevant for Intel? Is 3000/3200 enough?
4) Is intel still best choice for gaming in this case?

1) Depends on the game. If you want AAA games, then no. If you want casual games, then yes. No idea where Fortnite falls on that spectrum
2) Unless they do video editing/CAD
3) Not very. There are some games where it gives like 1-2% extra, but not as much as Ryzen
4) At the very high end, yes. But you're giving up either value (going for the 9900k) or streaming capabilities (9700k) compared to AMDs offerings

[chazus]

How much better is the 9900K over the 9700K for this? Is it really necessary? They'll pay for it if its worth it, but is it worth it?

[Temp name]

How much better is the 9900K over the 9700K for this? Is it really necessary? They'll pay for it if its worth it, but is it worth it?

In raw gaming performance: Not very. We're talking 5% at most.
In streaming: The extra threads will definitely help. Maybe not on average, but on 1% lows it definitely will

[Droodid]

How much better is the 9900K over the 9700K for this? Is it really necessary? They'll pay for it if its worth it, but is it worth it?

In terms of gaming, the 9900k and 9700k are almost identical due to being able to hit the same clock speed and most games not utilizing 8 cores or more, maybe 2-3% difference, but having the 8 threads in addition on the 9900k will significantly reduce the load on the CPU versus just the 8 cores of the 9700k, resulting in better gaming/streaming simultaneous performance. If they didn't plan to do any streaming and just wanted the framerate, I'd say save the money, but in this case I'd say go 9900k for sure.

Additionally, if they're wanting pure framerate, be it 240/1080p, or 144/1440p, the 2080 SUPER is going to be great. The TI will be overkill, but I don't think a 2070 would be enough to consistently maintain framerates without dips. I have a 2070 and it struggles at 165/2560x1080 sometimes and will drop to about 60/70fps. And again, if money isn't an issue, why not add a bit of futureproofing to the system?

[chazus]

Soooo.

This is the system that my manager is going to get. I want to preface that it makes me nervous that there's no brand for the PSU, and if it's a janky one we'll just replace it with a nicer Seasonic or EVGA.

I wanted to build it, but he's stating that since it's under amazon warranty, we're not really worried about DOA stuff.

https://www.amazon.com/Stratos-i9-99.../dp/B07TC9237J

It... seems fine, I guess. Again, I'd rather build it but time/money/etc.

[Droodid]

This is a benefit of living near a Microcenter and occasionally building for people. I can tack on a warranty on individual parts for up to 3 years that lets you literally walk it into the store and just go "it's slow" and get store credit back to upgrade or swap out a part you think doesn't work. That pre-built seems "ok" in that it's high end CPU/GPU, but from the pictures, looks like they may skimp on the rest, but I guess if it's got a warranty....then ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ their choice.

No heatsink on RAM, random 120mm in-house AiO cooler, ketchup and mustard PSU cables, bleh!

[chazus]

No heatsink on RAM, random 120mm in-house AiO cooler, ketchup and mustard PSU cables, bleh!

Yeah, it's the caveat that A) The company won't pay the time for me to build it (plus it costs us more as well for individual parts), and B) The customer is not caring enough to actually want to pick parts. They just want to throw money at it to make it work. It's all warrantied so w/e.

[Temp name]

Soooo.

This is the system that my manager is going to get. I want to preface that it makes me nervous that there's no brand for the PSU, and if it's a janky one we'll just replace it with a nicer Seasonic or EVGA.

I wanted to build it, but he's stating that since it's under amazon warranty, we're not really worried about DOA stuff.

https://www.amazon.com/Stratos-i9-99.../dp/B07TC9237J

It... seems fine, I guess. Again, I'd rather build it but time/money/etc.

MOBO is bad. No heatsinks for the VRM, only 2 dimm slots, looks like this: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/2rf...0m-pro-m2-plus
Cooling is insufficient. A 120mm won't be enough to cool a 9900k that's stretching its legs, but I'll give it an Asetek/Asetek score
RAM and storage seems fine
GPU looks to be a blower card, which I wouldn't trust on a 2080ti
The keyboard looks to be a cheap membrane keyboard, and the mouse is probably shit too
"CUK 802.11 AC" isn't a real standard. Even going to their site it doesn't list which standard it's using

[Saphyron]

MOBO is bad. No heatsinks for the VRM, only 2 dimm slots, looks like this: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/2rf...0m-pro-m2-plus
Cooling is insufficient. A 120mm won't be enough to cool a 9900k that's stretching its legs, but I'll give it an Asetek/Asetek score
RAM and storage seems fine
GPU looks to be a blower card, which I wouldn't trust on a 2080ti
The keyboard looks to be a cheap membrane keyboard, and the mouse is probably shit too
"CUK 802.11 AC" isn't a real standard. Even going to their site it doesn't list which standard it's using

Ram is seriously overkill though. It has 64 GB of RAM.
Else I agree with everything else you said.
This machine is overall a shitty purchase. And your customer might not be happy about it.

[Temp name]

Ram is seriously overkill though. It has 64 GB of RAM.
Else I agree with everything else you said.
This machine is overall a shitty purchase. And your customer might not be happy about it.

Oooh, interesting.

The title of the listing says 32gb (which is a bit much, but fine for streaming), but the comparison says 64. The pictures isn't high enough quality to see if the sticks are dualrank, so can't say which it is.