Gaming PC for a coworker

I am helping a coworker get back into PC gaming. He has an old PC currently but becuase he just moved it is packed away but he wants to try and reuse anything he has. Additionally, he wants 1 1440p144hz monitor but also wants two more for extra work space, so the extra dont need to be 1440p144hz.

[$3000]My budget

Date I will buy: ASAP

[X]before []after tax - rate:

[X]OK with rebates - I know I will pay more upfront

Country: US

Not US/CAN/EU/AUS? Provide websites to shop:

[]Microcenter/[]Frys store access

USAGE

List programs and indicate distribution with percentages: xx%

[X]Gaming: 80% Overwatch

[]Gameplay streaming to Twitch, YouTube

[x]Photo/Video editing: 20% nothing in particular

[]Music/Audio production:

[]CAD, CFD/FEA, Engineering Simulations:

[]Server:

[]NAS/Web surfing:

Percent time spent in each role:

SCREENS
Select ONE
[]1080p60Hz
[]1080p144Hz
[]1440p60Hz
[x]1440p144Hz
[]5760x1080-Triple Wide
[]4K 60Hz
[]I own []don't own this

OVERCLOCKING

[]I am willing to overclock my CPU

Can be very helpful for high refresh rate monitors (144Hz)

Many workstation programs benefit from it

ENVIRONMENT

[]Hot []Dusty/Pets []On 24/7 []Low noise [x]Normal

PERIPHERALS

I have:

[x]Mouse:

[x]Keyboard:

[x]Headphones/speakers:

I need:

[]Mouse: []flawless sensor, grip: []palm []fingertip []claw
[]Keyboard: []mechanical []quiet []tenkeyless []backlighting
[]Headphones/speakers: []over ear []on ear []in ear []Isolation required

OPERATING SYSTEM

I need Windows[x], version: 10

[]I have access to DreamSpark or a similar for cheaper/free OS

INTERNET

[]I can connect to this computer with [x] a cable or [] a Powerline adapter

[]I need wireless

CURRENT PARTS

Please list any parts you own we could use, exact part numbers (especially for PSU's) or pcpartpicker.com links are most appreciated: He has PC case thermaltake Vc3000bws, 650 watt power supply (I have asked for specifics but currently the part is packed away, please suggest a power supply just in case), 1 TB HDD but want an SSD for OS and games and case fans.

Posted Apr 28, 2017, 2:50 PM UTC · edited

521
transam617BuildSmith•

Definitely need part numbers or links to the actual case and PSU they have.

Are we sure they will buy this ASAP or is this a list you are just going to throw at them and hope they buy stuff?

I wouldn't want it to go 3 weeks out of date and miss huge sales or anything.

1
gunvalkyrieOP•

Nope I discussed this with him today. He wants to buy asap. I will try and get the part numbers as soon as possible. His PC case should be a full size case but again I'll double check. His old PC was built probably close to ten years ago now.

1
transam617BuildSmith•

Cool, Ill work on a build.

1
gunvalkyrieOP•

Thanks!

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gunvalkyrieOP•

He took a picture of the power supply. It's a corsair hx650w modular power supply but it's an old one and I can't find the exact one online.

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transam617BuildSmith•
1
gunvalkyrieOP•

The case is a thermaltake Vc3000bws.

1
transam617BuildSmith•

Vc3000bws

Haha oh man, I have a Xaser III still kicking around https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133106&cm_re=xaser_III-_-11-133-106-_-Product

Not sure what to do with it but its so heavy I'd feel bad throwing it out.

2
gunvalkyrieOP•

Yeah like I said it's been close to ten years since he built this old PC. That's why I wanted a suggestion for the power supply just in case his old one doesn't have the proper lines.

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[deleted]•

[deleted]

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[deleted]•

[deleted]

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gunvalkyrieOP•

No problem! Thank for your time.

1
kokolordas15BuildSmith•

unless another builder takes a shot

I wonder who that might be

Reuse the HDD if its in good shape.

You said overwatch only.The build below is overkill for just overwatch.We could even go as low as a locked i5 and a 1070 as long as you dont want to crank the game settings to the max.(i push 250+ fps in Overwatch at 1080p on my 1070 and with the settings i use I cannot tell the difference from ultra+).

If he wants to play new AAA titles the 1080ti is a necessity at 1440p144hz.

You said he doesnt want to OC and this kind of takes ryzen out of the table.For this build all he has to do is enter bios and click XMP and he will have a great experience in all games.

We can find a cheaper case but we lose build quality and looks.For some reason some of the cases are out of stock or went up in price.

You will need 1 hdmi cable and 1 hdmi to DP cable for the 2 1080p monitors.The 1440p monitor will probably come with DP and hdmi cable.This means you will probably only have to buy 1 DP to hdmi cable.

If you want to spend less(overwatch focused build) we can look at downgrading some parts.Make sure all these monitors will fit on his desk.The 1080p monitors have no vesa mount.I do not find the price premium of Gsync to be worth it especially in overwatch.

Feel free to ask any questions.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

TypeItemPrice
CPUIntel Core i7-7700K 4.2GHz Quad-Core Processor$339.99 @ Amazon
CPU CoolerScythe Kotetsu 79.0 CFM CPU Cooler$39.17 @ Amazon
MotherboardMSI Z270 GAMING M3 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard$112.98 @ Newegg
MemoryTeam Dark 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory$99.99 @ Newegg
StorageSK hynix SL308 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive$155.99 @ SuperBiiz
Video CardGigabyte GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB Gaming OC 11G Video Card$684.79 @ SuperBiiz
CaseCorsair 270R ATX Mid Tower Case$57.99 @ Newegg
Power SupplyEVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply$69.99 @ Newegg
Operating SystemMicrosoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit$89.99 @ My Choice Software
Case FanARCTIC Arctic F12 74.0 CFM 120mm Fan$6.48 @ SuperBiiz
Case FanARCTIC Arctic F12 74.0 CFM 120mm Fan$6.48 @ SuperBiiz
MonitorAOC I2279VWHE 21.5" 1920x1080 60Hz Monitor$99.99 @ Best Buy
MonitorAOC I2279VWHE 21.5" 1920x1080 60Hz Monitor$99.99 @ Best Buy
MonitorAOC AG271QX 27.0" 2560x1440 144Hz Monitor$429.99 @ Best Buy
Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
Total (before mail-in rebates)$2343.81
Mail-in rebates-$50.00
Total$2293.81
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-04-28 16:43 EDT-0400
1
gunvalkyrieOP•

Hey thanks for putting this together! I like the way this build looks. I am assuming that you included a new case because the one he currently has can't physically house the newer graphics card? Also, I forgot to mention but he needs Powerline. I think if someone else wants to chime in and say that this build looks good I'll hand it off to him!

Edit: I wanted to speak on his gamin habits. While lately all hes been playing is Overwatch, that has mostly been because his computer was old and junky but he wants to be able to play newer games. He just doesn't know what yet. Also I agree with Gsync on the monitor. The price premium seems high to me but considering his budget I'm willing to listen to any dissenting opinions.

1
kokolordas15BuildSmith•

The old case will not fit the GPU and its generally outdated in terms of cooling and layout.Even if the gpu could fit,the case would run hot.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01929ESG6/ In order for it to perform well it must not be plugged into a power strip and it should be part of the same circuit breaker panel.

Gsync is used along with Vsync and also an fps limiter at 142 fps.This way input lag remains extremely low and screen tearing is eliminated.

If you disable Vsync then you get screen tearing.If you do not use an fps limiter with vsync on then if you reach 144fps Vsync takes over and you get huge input lag.(not that huge but big difference).

In overwatch at least,I cannot notice screen tearing on my 144hz monitor even if I try to.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADYzuMe17q8 this video indirectly explains how to get the most out of the Gsync technology.Data at 8:20

Lastly by using Gsync you reduce the frametime variance.

I cannot vote against Gsync because I have never experienced it.I cannot vote for it also because i definitely do not need it.The monitor below comes with freesync(amd equivalent).Maybe amd can come up with a decent GPU that will be able to run 1440p144hz in the future.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

TypeItemPrice
CPUIntel Core i7-7700K 4.2GHz Quad-Core Processor$339.99 @ Amazon
CPU CoolerScythe Kotetsu 79.0 CFM CPU Cooler$39.17 @ Amazon
MotherboardMSI Z270 GAMING M3 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard$112.98 @ Newegg
MemoryTeam Dark 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory$99.99 @ Newegg
StorageSK hynix SL308 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive$155.99 @ SuperBiiz
Video CardGigabyte GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB Gaming OC 11G Video Card$684.79 @ SuperBiiz
CaseCorsair 270R ATX Mid Tower Case$57.99 @ Newegg
Power SupplyEVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply$69.99 @ Newegg
Operating SystemMicrosoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit$89.99 @ My Choice Software
Case FanARCTIC Arctic F12 74.0 CFM 120mm Fan$6.48 @ SuperBiiz
Case FanARCTIC Arctic F12 74.0 CFM 120mm Fan$6.48 @ SuperBiiz
MonitorAOC I2279VWHE 21.5" 1920x1080 60Hz Monitor$99.99 @ Best Buy
MonitorAOC I2279VWHE 21.5" 1920x1080 60Hz Monitor$99.99 @ Best Buy
MonitorAOC AG271QX 27.0" 2560x1440 144Hz Monitor$429.99 @ Best Buy
Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
Total (before mail-in rebates)$2343.81
Mail-in rebates-$50.00
Total$2293.81
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-04-28 19:06 EDT-0400
1
transam617BuildSmith•

I think if someone else wants to chime in and say that this build looks good I'll hand it off to him!

koko and I are agreed on this build. no worries.

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gunvalkyrieOP•

Awesome! Thanks ks for the help both of you. Hes ordered everything but the two additional monitors. His wife said no to those. Lol!

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kokolordas15BuildSmith•

He could mount them vertically to save space.An arm on the desk will do the trick.

Build is a beast!Have fun

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kokolordas15BuildSmith•
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gunvalkyrieOP•

Will do!! Thanks for the link.

1