At the time I have a 2010 pc that it's showing his age, I bought DOOM in the last Steam sale and it was impossible to play with the default configuration. I was already thinking on making a new build and that was the tipping point for me.

So I started to investigate on what I want for my new build, I want the most future proof pc that I can get. I took 7 years for my actual build to show his age and I want the new one to be at least as good as my last one.

This means that I want a pc that can run games in 4K and also be goo for VR (thinking of buying a Vive next year).

This is what I've come up with so far, and I would appreciate your opinion and help on choosing my components. I'm aiming to buy everything in May so we have a month to prepare this.

Hope you all join me on building my new pc.

• Case: Fractal Design Define R5 Preta
• Power Supply: Fonte Corsair RM650i
• CPU: Intel Core i7-7700 skt1151
• Graphics Card: MSI GeForce GTX 1080 Ti GAMING X 11G
• RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws V 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4-3000MHz
• SSD: M.2 2280 Samsung 850 Evo 250GB TLC SATA
• Motherboard: Asus ROG Maximus IX Hero

The motherboard is the thing I have more doubts on buying, the CPU and GPU are the things I'm more certain.

So what do you think of this build?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Get a 7700K the non-K version can't overclock which you will want to get the most out of that 1080ti. 16 GB is more than enough for now but 32GB would be good for future profing but like I said 16gb is good for now.

Asus ROG motherboards are good. Seems like good picks.

@dagas: Do you think I should by (x1) 16GB of RAM insted of 2x8GB and buy another 16GB in the future?

You want twin RAM sticks otherwise your not taking advantage of dual channel memory. Since you're going all the way with everything else 32gb of RAM right now is a good move. It's a bigger deal when running VR even now, i run both headsets and they push for resources haaaard.

I would also suggest grabbing a bigger SSD. Games are weighing in at 60gb+ these days, unless you've got lightening internet and dont mind uninstalling/installing stuff all the time it's not too costly to go for a 512gb model.

@dagas is right with the CPU choice too. K series matches nicely with that motherboard. If you're not looking to overclock heavily consider getting a more basic motherboard, you'll never notice the difference between a low end ASUS motherboard and an ROG model if you're running everything stock (Even if you are overclocking i think the crazy bling-bling motherboards are a waste of money). Can save a couple of hundred easy there to offset going for the larger SSD and 32gb of RAM.

@lukos: When I was buying RAM I asked the same question. My understanding is memory is a lot more effective when it's spread out, so it's actually better to have 4x4, than say 1x16 or even 2x8.

If the idea is that you might upgrade later, I'd say go with 2x8. I will add that from my own experience and a similar PC (i7, 1070) that I just went with 8x4 (Corsair Vengeance LPX), because 32GB was the most I knew I'd ever need, and I wouldn't have to worry if I was limiting anything by using all 4 sockets (it also ends up being cheaper.)

That sounds like a really cool build btw. Good luck :)

Get the K version of the 7700. Even if you don't plan on overclocking, the K's are a higher frequency than the non-K counterparts.

Since you'll be getting the K version of the 7700, you'll need a headsink fan. Even if you for some reason stuck with the 7700, I'd recommend swapping the stock Intel heatsink for something else. Unless they stopped using the plastic pins, I've found the stock coolers a giant headache. Even an Evo 212 will do nicely.

I've been happy with all the Asus boards I've used.

The M.2 drive will be nice to boot off of. But get a larger 2.5" SSD for your games.

I have the R5 in white. I really like the case. I don't recall mine coming with all the fans it needed, but I replaced the ones that came with with Noctuas. It's a dead quiet computer.

I'd perhaps consider jumping up to a 750 watt Corsair RMI. It's a few bucks more and if for some reason you ever needed a bigger power supply than the 650, you wouldn't need to swap it. I've always found swapping power supplies a pain if you're big into cable management. I do think what you chose is fine, but if you're going to spend the big bucks on a 1080ti, what's a few dollars here and there.

@masterpine: Do you have any recommendations for a motherboard for 7700 CPU? I'll use the M.2 SSD mainly for booting and running games that need more speed on acessing the disck like DOOM, I have a 2TB HDD for documents and other games.

@zelyre: I've always had a non overclock CPU, I'm not think of overckloking do you think that the 7700k is still the better option? Can you recommend a cooler for that?

So I've been thinking and here is extra information and decisions that I think are important.

I've never overcloked my pc's and actually don't know how to do it, so I'm not very interested in overclocking. Do you think that I should go for the 7700k CPU even if I'm not overclocking?

Regarding RAM, I think I'm going with 1x16GB now and buy another one around December. As for hard drive I've actually have this one:

• Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive

And not a 2TB as I've mentioned. I'm think of using this as my games drive and install more demanding games on the M.2.

So if you think that I should go with the 7700 CPU, can you help me find a nice motherboard fot it?

In case you think I should go with the 7700k CPU, can you recomend a cooler?

This is going to be the first time I'll build the pc on my one

@lukos: It's faster than the non-K variant since it has a higher base frequency. So, even if you're not overclocking, it's clocked 600mhz higher, I believe than the non-K. If you're not overclocking, you could go with a more middle-tier motherboard.

Maybe there's something better at this price range now, but if I weren't overclocking, I'd probably just slap an Evo 212 on it. I use the Noctua NH-U14S and it keeps my overclocked 6700k cool.

I suggest adding a 512 GB SSD to your build. Once you get used to SSDs, that WD Black is going to seem sloooow.

Highly suggest going 2x8 rather than 1x16. You'll be hurting your performance if you do 1x16, the 16GB module will cost more, and unless you're going to do 64GB in the future, you can just do 2x8 now and 2x8 later.

@lukos: You really need to go 2x8gb if you're only looking at 16gb, you take a big hit if you're not running dual channel. I still think 16gb of RAM is not all that suited to the sort of things you're wanting to do on that PC, VR is a special case thing and you mentioned you're looking at a Vive. From my experience, when you start super-sampling titles you'll hit a barrier with 16gb.

I run an ASUS Strix Z270H in my VR Rig, you still get fancy lighting toys, fan controls, plenty of USB ports and it's a solid board. Plus you'll save $300. You're not going after insane overclocks and gimmicky nonsense so avoid the ROG stuff.

For coolers, i run self-contained water coolers on all my PC's. It's a personal choice thing. I've had great luck with Corsair H-Series stuff. Again, if you're just leaving everything stock a cheapish Air cooler is going to be fine. Noctua make really nice Air coolers, find one that suits your case.

You're also buying a massive PC with a GTX1080Ti, with the money you save on scrapping the ROG Mobo spend that on 32gb of ram and as big a SSD as you're comfortable with. Seriously, mechanical storage should only be used for that, storage (such as videos, backups and whatever other audio visual things you collect). Actually running applications off even the quickest HDD's sucks compared to an SSD and you will notice it. It comes off a bit odd that you're splurging on the highest end GPU and CPU's out there and then saving $30-50 on things that'll have a properly noticeable quality of life/performance impact.

If you're struggling to hit a budget, i would even suggest settling for a simple GTX1080 instead of the Ti. We're not quite at the point yet where our GPU's are pumping out 4K/60fps reliably, probably next gen will hit that. Hell, you could even just grab a GTX1060 now and pick up the best available GPU once you're ready to buy your Vive or crazy 4K monitor, until then a GTX1060 will handle anything you can throw at it. With the way CPU tech moves your CPU/Mobo/RAM is going to stay relevant far longer than the GPU.

A 4k gaming build will definitely show it's age quicker than anything before it, so expect to have to lower res/settings in a year or 2 regardless. So just be mindful of that, or maybe wait until the next gen of gpus if longevity at 4k is what you are really after. For 1440p and especially 1080p you will probably be good for a very very long time.

@lukos: I concur with the advice you've received so far.

Get an SSD for games. The performance difference is noticeable in load times, and in games that constantly stream data like the open worlds of The Witcher 3 and Mass Effect: Andromeda. Mechanical hard drives are good for bulk media storage (pictures, music, video), and that's about it these days.

Always use RAM in dual channel mode. There's no reason to use a single stick unless you want to intentionally lower the performance of your new machine for some reason.

So, I'm going to take your advice and change a little bit the build I have so far, I'll post it later.

Just a few questions:

• Do you think that M.2 vs SSD has a big improvement? I can save some money going SSD.
• Is there any constrain in buying a 1x16GB now and another 2 months or so later so that I have a 32GB dual channel and be prepare to have more RAM in the future?
• Is there a big diference in performance and noise with a water cooling system vs a air cooler?

I'll start the search and post the changes later in the day.

@lukos:

1) M.2, PCI-E or SATA they're all SSD's. M.2 format is clean and fast, do that.

2) Yes. It will cripple your system performance as everyone here is saying in every post. Either buy 2x8 or 2x16. Whatever you do don't buy a single stick.

3) If you're not overclocking a basic air cooler is fine. If overclocking heavily you'll find that a water setup is both cooler and quieter.

If you're not getting a high-performance NVMe SSD, then going M.2 over SATA is pretty pointless. That said, it looks like the prices for an 850 Evo are roughly the same whether you go M.2 or SATA, so I guess if you have several M.2 ports to spare it doesn't make a difference.

@lukos

1. The SSD you picked is a SATA M.2, so it won't be any different than a SATA 2.5" drive. If you're looking for a faster drive, you need to get a PCI-E M.2 drive.

2. Your performance will be hindered until you get another stick. I think 16GB of RAM (2x8GB) is more than enough for any game today. Trying to future-proof is almost always a waste of money. Just buy more RAM when games need it. You'll either get the same amount of RAM for much cheaper, or you'll get more (and probably faster) RAM for the same price. RAM prices are also unusually high at the moment (something to do with shortages), so buying a bunch now isn't the best idea.

3. Only if you go high-end with the water cooling and overclock a lot. Like, building the loops yourself kind of high-end. Otherwise, a good air cooler with a quiet fan will be just fine.

So after reading all the advices and making some research, this is my new build. My budget for this was 2000€ and this build is 1955€.

• Case: Fractal Design Define R5 Preta
• Power Supply: Fonte Corsair RM650i
• CPU: Intel Core i7-7700K Quad-Core 4.2GHz c/ Turbo 4.5GHz 8MB Skt1151
• Graphics Card: MSI GeForce GTX 1080 Ti GAMING X 11G
• RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws V 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4-3000MHz CL15
• SSD: SSD M.2 2280 Samsung 960 Evo 250GB TLC NVMe
• Motherboard: Asus ROG Strix Z270F Gaming
• Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212X

The SSD is now a NVMe 250GB, currently I'm using 165GB of my hardrive so the 250GB is more than enough for now and in the future I can get a bigger one if I need it. I went with the Hyper 212X cooler it's cheap and it seams to have good reviews.

So what do you think? Is there room for improvement? What do you think is the weakest part of this build.

If you're stepping into the NVMe fray then you should consider either a MyDigitalSSD BPX, a Plextor M8Pe, or (at the super high end) a 960 Pro. The 960 Evo didn't review very well.

An alternative might be to spend the cash on a 512GB SSD instead. Keep in mind that 256GB is something like 3 AAA games these days.

Otherwise your build looks great. I don't see the need for more than 16GB of memory anytime soon, and the RAM shortage is a thing.

@fnrslvr: Ok so I've looked on the store that I'm buying everything and I could only find this two SSD NVMe:

• SSD M.2 2280 Corsair Force Series MP500 240GB MLC NVMe
• SSD M.2 2280 Toshiba OCZ RD400 256GB MLC NVMe

Which one do you recomend, I'm not finding any reviews for those two.

So after a lot of research I found a store in the Netherlands that sells MyDigitalSSD BPX. I've change the build, current at 1965€

• Case: Fractal Design Define R5 Preta
• Power Supply: Corsair RM650i
• CPU: Intel Core i7-7700K Quad-Core 4.2GHz c/ Turbo 4.5GHz 8MB Skt1151
• Graphics Card: MSI GeForce GTX 1080 Ti GAMING X 11G
• RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws V 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4-3000MHz CL15
• SSD: MyDigitalSSD 256GB BPX 80mm (2280) M.2 PCI Express 3.0 x4 (PCIe Gen3 x4) NVMe SSD
• Motherboard: Asus ROG Strix Z270F Gaming
• Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212X

I think this is it, what do you think?

They told me Arkham Knight should be played on an SSD, but I didn't notice any difference when I moved it to my SSD system drive. Same with GTA V. (Though, GTA V had terribly long load times when launching, no matter what drive I used. An issue with Windows 10.) Mechanical drives are still just fine for games.

If you plan on overclocking, I'd invest in a better cooler down the line.

Other then that, looks very good lukos.

Hi everyone, so yesterday I finnaly build my pc. I did a last change going for a Corsair RM750i insted of the Corsair RM650i.

The M.2 SSD did not arrive yet but is an easy install.

Here are some photos of the build process. Thank you all for the help.