Core i9/Gigabyte Z390/GTX1070 - first time builder

bmoregan

Hi Folks,
Not much of a poster and a bit of a n00b at building PCs. I've had to pull apart laptops occasionally over the years for work, but finally getting around to building my first Desktop PC as a project with my teenager. Familiar story; growing out of consoles and needs a PC anyway for Zoom/School etc...
Priority is actually "works first-time and for a long-time". Like for many, Covid-19 has made life/work busier so would like to avoid cycles of RMA-ing/repurchasing.

This is not going to be a serious gaming rig; so given the state of the GPU market when a 2nd-hand GTX1070 appeared on adverts within 5km of me I just went with that.
I was able to get a deal on the MB and CPU also.

1. What is your budget? [€1500 but can stretch]
2. What will be the main purpose of the computer? [Gaming - but not serious gaming/School]
3. Do you need a copy of Windows? [Yes]
4. Can you use any parts from an old computer? [Not so much, but the GTX1070 is bought and CPU/MB/Case on order]

Bought or already ordered;
CPU - Intel Core i9-9900K
Motherboard - Gigabyte Z390 AORUS ELITE ATX LGA1151
Case - Fractal Design Meshify C ATX Mid Tower
Video Card - Asus GeForce GTX 1070 8 GB

Considering;
CPU Cooler - Noctua NH-U12S chromax.black 55 CFM
Seems like Noctua/be quiet are the premium brands? This will be a bedroom PC so dB a factor. At 158mm I think I'll have 2 CM clearance in the case.

Memory - Corsair Vengeance LPX 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 (from komplett.ie)

Storage - Samsung 970 Evo 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME SSD
Seems like the 970 is the "go-to" SSD; appears a lot on youtube vids and I've got 2 in another PC; seems fine.

5. Do you need a monitor? [No. Have a 1080p 24"]
6. Do you need peripherals? [No]
7. Are you willing to try overclocking? [Maybe - but just want a working PC first]
8. How can you pay? [Bank Transfer/Credit Card]
9. When are you purchasing? [Over the next week or two]
10. If you need help building it, where are you based? [Isolating; in Dublin]

Havn't really thought about PSU yet, or additional fans. The case should arrive with 2 120mm fans; one front and one rear. Should I be adding maybe 2 on top also?
I'll have a few 2.5 inch drives I can add if/when I need additional storage.

It seems there's still no consensus yet on best/easiest/cheapest ways to buy so since I've never had a problem before with elara.ie and komplett.ie I'm happy enough to buy from them if possible.

Any thoughts/comments?

Spear

I'd suggest you consider an AIO cooler for the CPU. That case should take a 240/280 on the top, and a 360 on the front panel, but please research to confirm this, as it's from a quick reading of the Fractal design page for it.

K.O.Kiki

SSD is overkill - get literally any M.2 model. No need to pay the 50% Samsung tax.

9900K might overwhelm the Noctua alright unless you're ok with the fan going full blast.
https://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/cases_cooling/oc3d_2020_cpu_cooler_roundup/9

So for quiet operation, you want a Noctua NH-D15 or a 240mm+ AIO. Arctic Liquid Freezer II line (not shown in link above) are very good - extra-thick radiator, a VRM fan to cool the motherboard & powerful yet quiet fans.

bmoregan

Thanks for the responses. I havn't received the case yet; I'll wait until I get it in front of me before I order an AIO instead of the air-cooler.

Any concerns with the longevity of AIOs in general? Seemed to be a few that gunked-up and failed or was that just one brand?

Samuel T. Cogley

bmoregan wrote: »

Thanks for the responses. I havn't received the case yet; I'll wait until I get it in front of me before I order an AIO instead of the air-cooler.

Any concerns with the longevity of AIOs in general? Seemed to be a few that gunked-up and failed or was that just one brand?

I had corsair's that lasted for years. It was one or two brands the majority are pretty decent. Ninja 5 (if you can fir it in) or a Fuma 2 might do the job also.