Help with 2.5k Pc Build

[maxlord]

Hello all,

I currently have a rough budget of 2.5k - 2.6k budget for a PC.

I am also currently deciding my options, whether to buy straight from Aftershock, or DIY.

I am not much of a tech guru in the sense of DIY, but my friend has gladly offered his help.

FYI, I am buying this comp for mostly just daily usage, sometimes do some 4k editing using premiere pro and if i am bored, some gaming as well.

So here's a few questions:

1) I understand that i may not need i7 9700, but would like to know what is the difference between 8700 and 9700. If the price difference is just $100++, i really don't mind getting it.

2) For the aftershock water cooling 120mm, a lot of people say its not worth it although it is a free upgrade by Aftershock. Will 240mm under the option B be better?


Option A - Purchase directly from Aftershock - $2659 / $2738.77 (if paying by CC, which most likely i will)

WARRANTY (PREMIUM RANGE) : 3 Years Parts 3 Years Service Onsite Pickup and Delivery Warranty
CHASSIS DESIGN (ULTRACORE) : Tempered Glass Elite O11D Edition
CPU OPTIONS (ULTRACORE) : Intel® Core™ i7-9700K | 4.9 GHZ | 8 Cores 8 Threads | (Free Call of Duty®: Black Ops 4 *Limited Stocks*)
MOTHERBOARD (ULTRACORE) : For Intel - ASROCK Z390 Pro 4 Motherboard (Single GPU)
GRAPHICS CARD (ULTRACORE) : ZOTAC NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2070 8GB GDDR6*Free Battlefield V or Anthem Game Bundle (Limited Stocks)*
THERMAL COMPOUND : IC Diamond Thermal Compound CPU
RANDOM ACCESS MEMORY (RAM) (DESKTOP) : 16GB (8GB x 2) DDR4 2666MHZ
CPU COOLING SYSTEM (Desktop) : WATERCOOLING : AFTERSHOCK Glacier 120 closed loop watercooling
SOLID STATE DRIVE PRIMARY BAY (DESKTOP) : 512GB PCIE M.2 SSD (Over 1100 MB/s Read Speed)
SECONDARY SOLID STATE DRIVE BAY : None
FIRST HARD DRIVE (DESKTOP) : TOSHIBA 2TB 3.5 INCH HDD (Buffer Size 64MB)
Case Lighting : AFTERSHOCK Advanced RGB LED
CHASSIS FANS : AFTERSHOCK F1 RGB (6) Fans Kit (Full Spectrum RGB Multicolor with over 150 profiles)
CUSTOM CABLE SLEEVES : Pure White Cable Sleeves
WIRELESS LAN (DESKTOP) : None
POWER SUPPLY UNIT : FSP / EVGA 650W 80+ Gold Premium PSU
OPERATING SYSTEM : No Operating System
PRIMARY MONITOR : None
CREATIVE SOUND BUNDLES : None
PRECISION GAMING MOUSE : None
GAMING MOUSE MATS : None

Option B - DIY - $2586.90 (Prices not including additional fans and other RGBs.)

Processor + Mobo: i7 9700k + ASROCK Z390 Pro 4 = $831
Graphics Zotac Nvidia Geforce RTX 2070 8GB DDR6 Mini = $759
RAM: Corsair Vengeance RGB PRO 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4 2666MHz = $209
Watercooling: Corsair Hydro Series H100i PRO RGB 240mm Liquid CPU Cooler = $185
SSD: Samsung 860 QVO SSD 1TB = $217.90
HDD Toshiba P300 2TB 3.5Inch 7200rpm = $78
PSU: EVGA GD 650W 80Plus Gold Power Supply = $118
Case: Lian Li o11 Dynamic = $189

Sentence in red means an upgraded item

 

[bobozhang137]

Hello all,

I currently have a rough budget of 2.5k - 2.6k budget for a PC.

I am also currently deciding my options, whether to buy straight from Aftershock, or DIY.

I am not much of a tech guru in the sense of DIY, but my friend has gladly offered his help.

FYI, I am buying this comp for mostly just daily usage, sometimes do some 4k editing using premiere pro and if i am bored, some gaming as well.

So here's a few questions:

1) I understand that i may not need i7 9700, but would like to know what is the difference between 8700 and 9700. If the price difference is just $100++, i really don't mind getting it.

2) For the aftershock water cooling 120mm, a lot of people say its not worth it although it is a free upgrade by Aftershock. Will 240mm under the option B be better?


Option A - Purchase directly from Aftershock - $2659 / $2738.77 (if paying by CC, which most likely i will)

WARRANTY (PREMIUM RANGE) : 3 Years Parts 3 Years Service Onsite Pickup and Delivery Warranty
CHASSIS DESIGN (ULTRACORE) : Tempered Glass Elite O11D Edition
CPU OPTIONS (ULTRACORE) : Intel® Core™ i7-9700K | 4.9 GHZ | 8 Cores 8 Threads | (Free Call of Duty®: Black Ops 4 *Limited Stocks*)
MOTHERBOARD (ULTRACORE) : For Intel - ASROCK Z390 Pro 4 Motherboard (Single GPU)
GRAPHICS CARD (ULTRACORE) : ZOTAC NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2070 8GB GDDR6*Free Battlefield V or Anthem Game Bundle (Limited Stocks)*
THERMAL COMPOUND : IC Diamond Thermal Compound CPU
RANDOM ACCESS MEMORY (RAM) (DESKTOP) : 16GB (8GB x 2) DDR4 2666MHZ
CPU COOLING SYSTEM (Desktop) : WATERCOOLING : AFTERSHOCK Glacier 120 closed loop watercooling
SOLID STATE DRIVE PRIMARY BAY (DESKTOP) : 512GB PCIE M.2 SSD (Over 1100 MB/s Read Speed)
SECONDARY SOLID STATE DRIVE BAY : None
FIRST HARD DRIVE (DESKTOP) : TOSHIBA 2TB 3.5 INCH HDD (Buffer Size 64MB)
Case Lighting : AFTERSHOCK Advanced RGB LED
CHASSIS FANS : AFTERSHOCK F1 RGB (6) Fans Kit (Full Spectrum RGB Multicolor with over 150 profiles)
CUSTOM CABLE SLEEVES : Pure White Cable Sleeves
WIRELESS LAN (DESKTOP) : None
POWER SUPPLY UNIT : FSP / EVGA 650W 80+ Gold Premium PSU
OPERATING SYSTEM : No Operating System
PRIMARY MONITOR : None
CREATIVE SOUND BUNDLES : None
PRECISION GAMING MOUSE : None
GAMING MOUSE MATS : None

Option B - DIY - $2586.90 (Prices not including additional fans and other RGBs.)

Processor + Mobo: i7 9700k + ASROCK Z390 Pro 4 = $831
Graphics Zotac Nvidia Geforce RTX 2070 8GB DDR6 Mini = $759
RAM: Corsair Vengeance RGB PRO 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4 2666MHz = $209
Watercooling: Corsair Hydro Series H100i PRO RGB 240mm Liquid CPU Cooler = $185
SSD: Samsung 860 QVO SSD 1TB = $217.90
HDD Toshiba P300 2TB 3.5Inch 7200rpm = $78
PSU: EVGA GD 650W 80Plus Gold Power Supply = $118
Case: Lian Li o11 Dynamic = $189

Sentence in red means an upgraded item

from what i can see regarding the prices. all you gain from going custom is
better cooling, a choice in casing, and a extra 500gb of ssd.

That by itself is a bonus of around 250-300 sgd already.

since you have a friend who is willing to build it for you. I feel you should get your own custom pc.


Now regarding your question about the difference between the 9700k and the 8700k. Basically the 8700k is a 6core 12 thread cpu that maxes out at 5.0ghz and the 9700k is a 8core cpu that maxes out at 5.2ghz

Both are great gaming/work cpus, And since you have your mind set on it then i think you should go ahead and get the 9700k. unless the 60 dollar savings you get from changing to the 8700k makes a difference in your opinion.

 

[Elysium87]

if your fren is willing to help you, diy instead. you save alot and can use that money to buy better specs. but your DIY list like overprice also, u need to know where to source for cheaper price with the same specs

what you are paying for aftershock is just the brand and of course for their afterservice, whereas diy if got anything wrong, you got to troubleshoot yourself and get it repair

so depends on you.

further to your diy list, your ram only 2666mhz, since you getting such a good processor and mobo, shd get 3200mhz instead

 

[-Synchronicity-]

Ram speed does not matter much for Intel due to their cpu designs unlike ryzen. Even 2400mhz will yield around 1% or less fps vs 3200mhz rams. If you think that is worth the price difference for you then by all means.

I would recommend you to save these couple of bucks instead.

 

[shadow84]

A 360mm AIO might be needed to cool the 9700K instead. Doubt a 240mm would be useful since 9700k/9900k are very very hot if OC-ed till 5ghz.

 

[maxlord]

Thanks everyone for your feedback!

A 360mm AIO might be needed to cool the 9700K instead. Doubt a 240mm would be useful since 9700k/9900k are very very hot if OC-ed till 5ghz.

Can I check, should I go for a good Fan? Or go for watercooling is better?

 

[maxlord]

Also, does over clocking cpu makes the cpu wear and tear faster? Or I just need to get a good cooling system?

 

[shadow84]

Thanks everyone for your feedback!



Can I check, should I go for a good Fan? Or go for watercooling is better?

Go for gt1850rpm fans, they are great for rads cooling.

U can go with watercooling but it will cost u around $900-$1.2k for basic setup with 2 rads. Afterall, o11d is designed for wc setup although aircooling is also great.

And u have to setup urself as well.

 

[shadow84]

Also, does over clocking cpu makes the cpu wear and tear faster? Or I just need to get a good cooling system?

If u can remove as much heat as possible from the OC-ed CPU, it shld last long if your silicon luck is good.

On wc, my cpu nvr hits above 55 although my oc is quite mild. Gpu nvr hit above 55. Tested in non aircon room, ambient maybe 28degC due to fan in room?

 

[elmariachi]

A 360mm AIO might be needed to cool the 9700K instead. Doubt a 240mm would be useful since 9700k/9900k are very very hot if OC-ed till 5ghz.

9700k's heat is manageable while overclocked but you need a good case and a decent AIO. The new H115i Pro is as good as the H150i and that is only 280mm. Do not really need a 360. For 9900k, I think even a 360 radiator can't tame the heat. What I did was to use ML120 Pro fans on my H150i and I get my 9700k at 5Ghz absolutely stable at 1.33V. Gaming temps are 70 degrees tops and AVX stress testing is 86 degrees with no errors. I do not even run an AVX offset. I can tell you the H100i will not be able to run the CPU overclocked. At stock, you probably would be fine.

9900k you may not even hit 5Ghz even with good cooling as you may hit the thermal wall before that. Hyperthreading really heats up the processor. If PRIMARILY gaming is what you are building this rig for, get the 9700k over the 8700k as it has hardware level fixes for Meltdown and Spectre and it already runs a soldered TIM. Not great but sure as hell better than the stock TIM for the 8700k which has to be delidded if you want to overclock high. Downside is if you delid the 8700k, you lose warranty so 9700k is a better choice if you do not want to deal with all of that. But if you are using the rig for other purposes like video editing and content creation, look beyond Intel's offering and get the Ryzen. As long as you are gaming at 1440p or greater, you will be GPU limited anyways. So going AMD would see you saving the money on cooling and most importantly you save a good portion of your funds.

 

[-Grift-]

Another thing is to make sure if your Friend is willing to help you with troubleshooting later down the road if problems arises... this part is often overlooked.

Edit: From what I could tell 280mm rads perform the same as 360mm with the former being able to run at lower RPMs and in turn lower fan noise.

 

[InnBiscuit]

hi TS, my recommendation is to buy from aftershock

why? that's because you said you're not really a tech guru

so from this I presume you don't really know much about building PCs. in this case, buying from aftershock will offer you after sales service which is basically warranty and service

personally, i don't like to disturb people and ask them for favors. so if spending 200-300 more and it allows me to just drop off my pc and get it settled be it for upgrade or repair, i will gladly spend that additional money yup

but then again, both options are good. so up to you bah!

 

[jasonlim1988]

hi TS, my recommendation is to buy from aftershock

why? that's because you said you're not really a tech guru

so from this I presume you don't really know much about building PCs. in this case, buying from aftershock will offer you after sales service which is basically warranty and service

personally, i don't like to disturb people and ask them for favors. so if spending 200-300 more and it allows me to just drop off my pc and get it settled be it for upgrade or repair, i will gladly spend that additional money yup

but then again, both options are good. so up to you bah!

Yep nice say.
Don't take friends time and effort for granted.
They not obligate to fix for ts when breakdown/ RMA required later .

 

[Elysium87]

maybe instead of aftershock, you can find other local companies that do the same services. some other companies have more choices to build compare to aftershock limited specs

like idealtech and etc.
compare price, after service and warranty

i still find aftershock too exp, just paying for the brand. unless you are rich then go ahead.

 

[zacky1223]

For me personally I prefer trying on my own to build up. It may seem hard at first but I like the satisfaction of building the rig from start to finish. Plus I can camp and scout for good deals through online portal which help me save quiet abit. I am by no mean good in computer specs but I do read up more on which parts suits you best and at what price.

But that's me. I also feel you should do a comparison of some of the pc builders to see the warranty and price before deciding should you go for this route.

 

[Bertrand Traore]

If u dont want to build ur own, fortran is better than aftershock in terms of pricing. Mine haven breakdown from his diy-ed comp for the last 2 years but heard hes helpful on that too

 

[Untamed]

if you are not technie, maybe the warranty and onsite support is available. Unless your friend is always ready to help in troubleshooting

 

[maxlord]

Thanks everyone for your feedback, I think i will still go with DIY.

I have a question, i decided to remove water cooling from my build, but do you guys have any recommendations for good fans? please include the rough price if you can.

 

[Elysium87]

you can go with AIO liquid cooling (it's different from water cooling) if you wan instead of fans.

for fan, do you wan RGB or no?

 

[maxlord]

you can go with AIO liquid cooling (it's different from water cooling) if you wan instead of fans.

for fan, do you wan RGB or no?

AIO liquid cooling will be better than a good Fan? If yes, what AIO liquid cooling would you recommend? Also, does it need any maintenance or whatsoever?