New gaming build advice

Bemused

Hi all,

I have no previous experience doing a build but all say it is much better than buying a pre-built model. I have also been told that it is much easier to but motherboard with processor already installed rather than doing it yourself.

What is your budget? [€xxx] 2000

2. What will be the main purpose of the computer? [Gaming/Video editing/3D Modelling/HTPC/Internet] (If gaming include which games)

Gaming. The likes of upcoming cyberpunk game, FPS,...

3. Do you need a copy of Windows? [Yes/No]
Yes

4. Can you use any parts from an old computer? [Hard drive/DVD Drive/Case/PSU/etc.] (If possible state brand and model of the parts to ensure compatibility)
No

5. Do you need a monitor? [Yes/No]
Yes - would like 4k if possible - could go higher price if needed (say 2500)

5a. If yes, what size do you need. [19'/20'/22'/24'/etc.]
Not sure - will follow advice


5b. If no, what resolution is your current monitor and do you plan to upgrade in the near future? [1920x1080/1440x900/etc.] [Yes/No]

6. Do you need any of these peripherals? [Keyboard/Mouse/Wireless Card/Card Reader/Speakers/etc.]
Will be hard wired. Could probably do with new mouse keyboard and speakers

7. Are you willing to try overclocking? [Yes/No]
Yes

8. How can you pay? [Bank Transfer/Credit Card/Laser]
All

9. When are you purchasing? [In x days]
This week ideally but can wait for better deal.

10. If you need help building it, where are you based? [South Dublin City/Cork City/Kerry/etc.]

Galway

Thanks in advance

K.O.Kiki

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600X 3.6GHz 6-Core Processor (£196.79 @ Aria PC)
CPU Cooler: Scythe - Mugen 5 Rev. B 51.2 CFM CPU Cooler (£42.95 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Motherboard: MSI - B450 TOMAHAWK ATX AM4 Motherboard (£99.95 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory (£138.92 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Samsung - 860 Evo 500GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive (£89.94 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: Gigabyte - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB AORUS Video Card (£625.47 @ Scan.co.uk)
Case: Cooler Master - MasterBox MB500 ATX Mid Tower Case (£64.96 @ Scan.co.uk)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - FOCUS Plus Gold 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£85.47 @ Amazon UK)
Monitor: Iiyama - G-MASTER RED EAGLE 27.0" 2560x1440 144Hz Monitor (£349.00 @ Amazon UK)
Keyboard: Cooler Master - MasterKeys Pro S White (MX Red) Wired Standard Keyboard (£72.84 @ Amazon UK)
Mouse: Logitech - G305 (Black) Wireless Optical Mouse (£51.95 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Total: £1818.24
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-09-22 18:33 BST+0100

Giveaway

The Ryzen 5 has good onboard graphics. Consider alternative processor with equal cpu performance as the GTX1080ti makes the onboard graphic superflous

K.O.Kiki

Giveaway wrote: »

The Ryzen 5 has good onboard graphics. Consider alternative processor with equal cpu performance as the GTX1080ti makes the onboard graphic superflous

Ryzen 5 2600X has no onboard GPU.
I have no idea what the rest of your statement means, either :pac:

Giveaway

sorry my bad

Bemused

Cheers for the advice K.O.

Will that give me good performance on most new FPS games on high settings? Is there any chance I can get the processor already attached to the motherboard? I hear that can be difficult. 500GB seems pretty limited storage - should I add a 3TB hard drive and if so what would you recommend and is there enough power for it?

Finally do I have a bit of future proofing here in that I can upgrade this in the future and maybe run VR with it?

Thanks again, much obliged.

refusetolose

processor is one of the easiest parts to attach

Bemused

Bemused wrote: »

Cheers for the advice K.O.

Will that give me good performance on most new FPS games on high settings? Is there any chance I can get the processor already attached to the motherboard? I hear that can be difficult. 500GB seems pretty limited storage - should I add a 3TB hard drive and if so what would you recommend and is there enough power for it?

Finally do I have a bit of future proofing here in that I can upgrade this in the future and maybe run VR with it?

Thanks again, much obliged.

If you look on Amazon you can pick up a pre assembled bundle where all you have to do is put it into the case.

K.O.Kiki

Bemused wrote: »

Cheers for the advice K.O.

Will that give me good performance on most new FPS games on high settings? Is there any chance I can get the processor already attached to the motherboard? I hear that can be difficult. 500GB seems pretty limited storage - should I add a 3TB hard drive and if so what would you recommend and is there enough power for it?

Finally do I have a bit of future proofing here in that I can upgrade this in the future and maybe run VR with it?

Thanks again, much obliged.

1080 Ti is the 2nd-best GPU available right now (and better value than 2080 / 2080 Ti). That machine can run anything at highest settings possible.
Included screen is 1440p/144Hz because I don't see the point in 4K/60Hz - higher refresh beats higher res IMHO

Putting a CPU into a motherboard is trivial if you read the manual / watch a "How to build a PC" video.

Yes there is enough power LOL
Hard drives (HDD) only use 5-10W max. Get a 3Tb or 4Tb, any speed.

Bemused

Just completed the build today - had to wait on some parts coming back into stock but you were right, build went fine except for one thing. I couldn't work out how to connect the case fans (two at the front and one at the back) to the mother board. In the end I just hooked up a power cord to a connection on the back of the case that connected to all of the power lines leading to the fans. They seem to be working although I have no lights on them (which I believe they are supposed to have).

Was this the way to go Kiki? Anyway I can get those LEDS on?

Thanks again for the advice.

TitianGerm

Bemused wrote: »

Just completed the build today - had to wait on some parts coming back into stock but you were right, build went fine except for one thing. I couldn't work out how to connect the case fans (two at the front and one at the back) to the mother board. In the end I just hooked up a power cord to a connection on the back of the case that connected to all of the power lines leading to the fans. They seem to be working although I have no lights on them (which I believe they are supposed to have).

Was this the way to go Kiki? Anyway I can get those LEDS on?

Thanks again for the advice.

Is that not them (the four pin connector down the right side of the board) that says SYS fans.

There's probably a similar pin on the far side as well.

TiGeR KiNgS

Bemused wrote: »

Just completed the build today - had to wait on some parts coming back into stock but you were right, build went fine except for one thing. I couldn't work out how to connect the case fans (two at the front and one at the back) to the mother board. In the end I just hooked up a power cord to a connection on the back of the case that connected to all of the power lines leading to the fans. They seem to be working although I have no lights on them (which I believe they are supposed to have).

Was this the way to go Kiki? Anyway I can get those LEDS on?

Thanks again for the advice.

Can you put a picture up ? ... and what FPS are you getting in games ?

K.O.Kiki

Bemused wrote: »

Just completed the build today - had to wait on some parts coming back into stock but you were right, build went fine except for one thing. I couldn't work out how to connect the case fans (two at the front and one at the back) to the mother board. In the end I just hooked up a power cord to a connection on the back of the case that connected to all of the power lines leading to the fans. They seem to be working although I have no lights on them (which I believe they are supposed to have).

Was this the way to go Kiki? Anyway I can get those LEDS on?

Thanks again for the advice.

The RGB fans are supposed to connect via a splitter to a little controller.

Bemused

Thanks guys,

Kiki that did it and I can now choose various settings for lights using the control - nice one. Tiger I'll post pics once I have the chance - been busy with work and just wanted to make sure I had it up and running. I haven't had a chance to play any games on it yet. Actually there is nothing out there at the moment that takes my fancy! May reload Red Orchestra 2 and have at that.

Any final advice for speakers and headset (with surround sound)?

K.O.Kiki

Mionix Nash 20 is an underrated budget headset.

Kingston HyperX Cloud Revolver is next step up after that, and beyond you're looking at either high-end headsets OR mid-range headphones with a separate desk mic.

Bemused

Thanks Kiki, will check those out.

I ran a Furmark stress test on my GPU and the temperature maxed out at 68C which I guess is good. Only two of the three graphics card fans were operating - is this normal and the third one will only kick in at higher T?


While running the test I started to get a periodic clicking noise which seems to be coming from the PSU. If I was to compare it to anything it would sound like the noise from an old HDD. Once the test stopped and the card is not being stressed the noise disappears. Any ideas what might be causing this?

Bemused

No way to upload pics as imageshack is no longer free. I'm getting max fps of 144, min of 70 and average of 105 on Red Orchestra with max settings (ultra) and no tweaking. Plays very smoothly so thanks again, especially to Kiki - great to get back to one of my favourite games and see it in a whole new light!

Shlippery

Bemused wrote: »

No way to upload pics as imageshack is no longer free. I'm getting max fps of 144, min of 70 and average of 105 on Red Orchestra with max settings (ultra) and no tweaking. Plays very smoothly so thanks again, especially to Kiki - great to get back to one of my favourite games and see it in a whole new light!

Ah don't hold back - https://imgur.com/ this is free! - just make a new post / drag drop photos! Share the new toy with us all!

Samuel T. Cogley

Select 'Go advanced' and simply attach the images to your post right here on boards.

Bemused

Sorry for the delay - attached is pic. I am wondering if I can add a second graphics card for increased performance? I have no previous experience of this and would appreciate any advice.

K.O.Kiki

You don't need more performance than a GTX 1080 Ti
Just double-checking, but you DID plug the monitor into the graphics card and NOT the motherboard, right?

Bemused

K.O.Kiki wrote: »

You don't need more performance than a GTX 1080 Ti
Just double-checking, but you DID plug the monitor into the graphics card and NOT the motherboard, right?

Yes, plugged into graphics card

TerrorFirmer

Bemused wrote: »

Sorry for the delay - attached is pic. I am wondering if I can add a second graphics card for increased performance? I have no previous experience of this and would appreciate any advice.

That's called SLI or Crossfire for AMD cards, but it's never worth it realistically, as not all games support dual cards, some even perform worse, and those that support it can still have issues.

If you genuinely want more performance, the only realistic option is to sell the 1080Ti and get a single RTX2080Ti for the pocket friendly price of £1,000+.