My Build -- looking for opinions

Here’s the build I would recommend for gaming.    

I swapped to the 8700k cpu, it being better in most areas over the 7820x.   Definitely better in gaming.   It has better architecture, faster cores, etc.   The benefit of the 7800x is quad channel ram and more Pcie lanes for graphics cards.   Unless you use 3 or more graphics cards or use apps that make use of wider bandwidth ram, the 7800x has no benefit.

I also changed primary drive to the 970 Pro. Many times faster and longer warranty.

Put in the gtx 1070 because dropping the x299 build allows it for the same money.   I don’t know those games so gtx 1060 might be all you need.   Moving to 1440p with more demanding games will make the 1070 a worthwhile addition.

Think about the sound card. Motherboard audio today is excellent. Not sure what you have for audio gear.

Configuration Code: 1945694
Total Price with Instant Savings: $3,084.00

Direct Load URL: https://www.digitalstorm.com/configurator.asp?id=1945694

Specifications:
Chassis Model: Digital Storm Velox
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i7-8700K (6-Core) 3.70GHz
Motherboard: MSI Z370 GAMING PRO CARBON AC (Wi-Fi) (Intel Z370 Chipset) (Up to 3x PCI-E Devices) <br><strong></strong>
System Memory: 16GB DDR4 3000MHz Digital Storm Performance Series <br><strong></strong>
Power Supply: 750W Corsair RM750x (Fully Modular) <br><strong></strong>
Expansion Bay: - No Thanks
Optical Drive: - No Thanks
Storage Set 1: 1x SSD M.2 (512GB Samsung 970 PRO) (NVM Express) (Extreme Performance) <br><strong></strong>
Storage Set 2: 1x Storage (2TB Seagate / Toshiba) <br><strong></strong>
Storage Set 3: - No Thanks
RAID Config: - No Thanks
RAID Card: - No Thanks
Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Graphics Card(s): 1x GeForce GTX 1070 8GB (VR Ready) <br><strong></strong>
Sound Card: Creative Sound BlasterX AE-5 <br><strong></strong>
HPC Processor: - No Thanks
Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 2: Corsair H110i GT - 280mm Liquid CPU Cooler (Fully Sealed + No Maintenance) <br><strong></strong>
HydroLux Tubing Style: - Not Applicable, I do not have a custom HydroLux liquid cooling system selected
HydroLux Fluid Color: - Not Applicable, I do not have a custom HydroLux liquid cooling system selected
Cable Management: Exotic Cable Management - Red - (Cable Combs with Custom Color Sleeved Extension Cables) <br><strong></strong>
Chassis Fans: Standard Factory Chassis Fans
Internal Lighting: Remote Controlled Advanced LED Lighting System (Multiple RGB Color Modes) <br><strong></strong>
Airflow Control: - No Thanks
Chassis Mods: - No Thanks
Noise Reduction: - No Thanks
LaserMark: - No Thanks
Boost Processor: Stock Factory Turbo Boost Advanced Automatic Overclocking
Boost Graphics Card(s): - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s)
Boost OS: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 10 Home (64-Bit Edition)
Recovery Tools: USB Drive - Windows 10 Installation (Format and Clean Install)
Virus Protection: Windows Defender Antivirus (Built-in to Windows 10)
Office: - No Thanks
Game: - No Thanks
Display: - No Thanks
Surge Shield: - No Thanks
Speakers: - No Thanks
Keyboard: - No Thanks
Mouse: - No Thanks
Branded Gear: - No Thanks
Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 15-20 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed
Warranty: Life-time Expert Care with 3 Year Limited Warranty (3 Year Labor & 1 Year Part Replacement)

Hope this helps.

Hoserator brings up a good point that we don’t always mention.....one case has a left window and the other a right window.    Your desk setup might make the decision for you.

I went with Lumos for the window on left.   

Originally posted by CArnold40 Sorry if I'm asking too many questions.

No such thing... keep going and learning and getting the best system for you. These guys love to help and will be happy to do so.

I recently ordered my new DS rig, at Stage 7, and picked the Lumos case for the window facing and also selected the extra cost 2 year parts warranty.   Most parts have 3 years or more manufacturers warranty but I like making a single call to DS and getting it troubleshot and new part sent.   No RMA from others.    I’ve troubleshot my own problems and just had DS verify, but that’s me.

My present rig did lose the graphics card within warranty, DA sent me another, so the warranty was worth it.

Warranty is like insurance.....you hope it’s a waste of money but there just in case.

Cretae -- My 2010 purchase was actually a gaming laptop. I stopped using that about 2 years ago. My first DS gaming desktop computer was purchased in late 2011, and I have really been satisfied with it. The only thing I've done was upgrade the video card about 2 years ago.

Everyone -- I've come up with what I am hoping is my final build. Please let me know if you see anything that I am missing, or any bad decisions I might be making. I pretty much used the build that bprat22 had given me, with the following exceptions:

Removed the sound card
Changed the case to Lumos
White LED performance fans
Stage 1: Overclock CPU - Up to 4.7GHz on All CPU Cores
OS Boost
Microsoft Windows 10 Professional

I figured I'd spend the few extra dollars on the LED fans, the OS boost, and Win10PRO since I was saving a lot of money by downgrading the tower from the Velox to the Lumos, and by removing the sound card. And the Stage 1 CPU Overclock is FREE.

Configuration Code: 1946891
Total Price with Instant Savings: $2,905.00

Direct Load URL: https://www.digitalstorm.com/configurator.asp?id=1946891

Specifications:
Chassis Model: Digital Storm Lumos <br><strong></strong>
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i7-8700K (6-Core) 3.70GHz
Motherboard: MSI Z370 GAMING PRO CARBON AC (Wi-Fi) (Intel Z370 Chipset) (Up to 3x PCI-E Devices)
System Memory: 16GB DDR4 3000MHz Digital Storm Performance Series
Power Supply: 750W Corsair RM750x (Fully Modular)
Expansion Bay: - No Thanks
Optical Drive: - No Thanks
Storage Set 1: 1x SSD M.2 (512GB Samsung 970 PRO) (NVM Express) (Extreme Performance)
Storage Set 2: 1x Storage (2TB Seagate / Toshiba)
Storage Set 3: - No Thanks
RAID Config: - No Thanks
RAID Card: - No Thanks
Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Graphics Card(s): 1x GeForce GTX 1070 8GB (VR Ready)
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio <br><strong></strong>
HPC Processor: - No Thanks
Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 2: Corsair H110i GT - 280mm Liquid CPU Cooler (Fully Sealed + No Maintenance)
HydroLux Tubing Style: - Not Applicable, I do not have a custom HydroLux liquid cooling system selected
HydroLux Fluid Color: - Not Applicable, I do not have a custom HydroLux liquid cooling system selected
Cable Management: Exotic Cable Management - Red - (Cable Combs with Custom Color Sleeved Extension Cables)
Chassis Fans: Standard LED Performance Fans (White) Fans <br><strong></strong>
Internal Lighting: Remote Controlled Advanced LED Lighting System (Multiple RGB Color Modes)
Airflow Control: - No Thanks
Chassis Mods: - No Thanks
Noise Reduction: - No Thanks
LaserMark: - No Thanks
Boost Processor: Stage 1: Overclock CPU - Up to 4.7GHz on All CPU Cores <br><strong></strong>
Boost Graphics Card(s): - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s)
Boost OS: Yes, Disable and tweak all of the non-crucial services on the operating system <br><strong></strong>
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 10 Professional (64-Bit Edition) <br><strong></strong>
Recovery Tools: USB Drive - Windows 10 Installation (Format and Clean Install)
Virus Protection: Windows Defender Antivirus (Built-in to Windows 10)
Office: - No Thanks
Game: - No Thanks
Display: - No Thanks
Surge Shield: - No Thanks
Speakers: - No Thanks
Keyboard: - No Thanks
Mouse: - No Thanks
Branded Gear: T-Shirt - Digital Storm - Dark Gray (Large) (L) <br><strong></strong>
Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 15-20 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed
Warranty: Life-time Expert Care with 3 Year Limited Warranty (3 Year Labor & 1 Year Part Replacement)

Edited by CArnold40 - 03 Jun 2018 at 6:30pm

I think the OS tweak is an artifact from times when Windows Aero and other processes would eat into the limited amount of RAM systems came with. I don't think there's any issue coming from the OS that really needs tweaking. But, I do think Win 10 is complex enough that if you found something is turned off that you would prefer to have, you'd have a heckova time trying to figure out what and where!

Because the 8700k already achieves 4.7 and 4.6 GHz on the first two (gaming) cores, some knowledgeable contributers have said any overclock is unnecessarily boosting the core voltage for very little benefit. Just so you know. IMO, it's probably not a big deal, but why bother?

Everything else looks aces!

OK guys. I just finished ordering.

Thank you all for all of your help and advice!

Congratulations on your purchase.   Enjoy. 

Yup. Link away

Go with the IPS.   Better color, saturation.   TN does have faster response by the numbers but reality is IPS works great.

IPS it is then. Thanks again guys!

Now you have me scared...lol.

This monitor could possibly be too much for my video card?

That is an awful lot of money to spend only to find out that I can't use it -- or I can use it but it hampers me when playing multiplayer first-person-shooters (which is mostly what I play)

Hmmm....

Originally posted by Acetylide Hopefully Pantheon handles the large raids much better than previous games of this type. I'm not sure how the testing went so far in the beta, but for anything @ 1440 or above resolution, I would go with a 1080 just to be on the safe side and for future proofing. Years ago I was part of the EQ beta and continued playing it for a few years after its release, but just got tired of the game. Raiding was more of a second job where you were always hurrying up and waiting. The original lead programmer for EQ, Brad McQuade(not sure if I spelled it right), is the same individual who created Pantheon.

Well, I think I'm a little too far along to get the 1080 now. I have already passed Stage 5.

But I'm ok with that. To be honest, I could never see myself doing any raiding in Pantheon (or any other MMORPG). I just don't have the time (or desire to put in the effort) for raids.

Originally posted by bprat22 That motherboard is 7.1 audio capable.    That said, I’ve never tried anything more than 2.1 so can say if it would be what you want. You could try it without the sound card and add one later if it doesn’t rock your world.

whether it's an add in card or onboard mobo surround is simulated surround sound. 

Originally posted by CArnold40 Originally posted by Acetylide Hopefully Pantheon handles the large raids much better than previous games of this type. I'm not sure how the testing went so far in the beta, but for anything @ 1440 or above resolution, I would go with a 1080 just to be on the safe side and for future proofing. Years ago I was part of the EQ beta and continued playing it for a few years after its release, but just got tired of the game. Raiding was more of a second job where you were always hurrying up and waiting. The original lead programmer for EQ, Brad McQuade(not sure if I spelled it right), is the same individual who created Pantheon. Well, I think I'm a little too far along to get the 1080 now. I have already passed Stage 5. But I'm ok with that. To be honest, I could never see myself doing any raiding in Pantheon (or any other MMORPG). I just don't have the time (or desire to put in the effort) for raids.

most mmorpg are heavily cpu-bound types of games.  a fast cpu (preferably oc'able) will prob net you more performance in a game like Pantheon than gpu power.   having both is nice :)

I'll be honest, I've bought from Digital Storm before and was very satisfied with my experience. They seem to be a great company and of course that is what keeps me coming back.

BUT...that is not the ONLY thing that compels me to continue to buy from DS. So much of it is this community. There is no other boutique builder that I have seen that has such a helpful bunch of people, willing to walk people like me through the whole process.

Digital Storm Employees + Great Community = Great Buyer's Experience


Thanks for every single bit of help & feedback from every one of you.