GTX 1080 New PC Build

Hey guys I am going to buy myself a new PC and I want to get the new GTX 1080. I also want to build the PC myself but I haven't done this before and I don't know what would be a good motherboard + cpu to go with the 1080. Can anyone point me in the right direction or give advice? Thank you.

Go: I7-4790k and there's plenty of motherboards out there but I'm actually an Amd fan telling you this. Intel is stomping Amd right now. Good luck with the build.

What's your budget?

Go: I7-4790k and there's plenty of motherboards out there but I'm actually an Amd fan telling you this. Intel is stomping Amd right now. Good luck with the build.

While either is a good choice (both have a base clock of 4Ghz and can be overclocked easily), the i7-6700K is much newer and uses 14nm lithography compared to 22nm. That should theoretically make it a lot more power efficient. It also supports newer tech with higher throughput like DDR4 and DMI 3.0. Newer hardware will probably be easier to come by as well.

From what I've read, you definitely want high CPU clocks when dealing with the GTX 1080. And you definitely want them to try and run bloody COH2 at above 60fps

In terms of a matching motherboard, I won't lie, the options are overwhelming. However, for the i7-6700k you want one from the Intel Skylake 1151pin family, with a model name starting with 'Z' (denotes performance grade). e.g. Asus Z170-K or Gigabyte Z170-D3H. I find Newegg reviews useful for indicating which is best, although a lot of it is also them just talking about how crap consumer rights are in the US.

For the most part, they're very similar and just full of marketing crap. You largely just need to make sure it has all the input/outputs you think you need (such as USB3.0/3.1, m-Sata for SSD boosts, and PCI-express port sizes/numbers for expansion cards). Even then, few of them matter to gamers. Hell, the biggest factor is often how sexy you think it looks!

Definitely get an SSD for your Windows/games drive at least. 500GB +. I'm a fan of the Samsung 850 EVO series.

If you're also looking for a new monitor, I strongly recommend you check out Dell Ultrasharps. They won't give you 144Hz refresh, if that's what you're after, but their quality is second to none that I'm yet to come across. The sexiest I've ever seen COH2 is on a 2560x1440 27" Ultrasharp.

What's your budget?

+ the following:
- resolution to play on?
- parts you could re-use?
- intended purpose?

Probably the best CPU to go for would be a 6700K though if budget allows, going X99 and a 5820K might be a good idea (CPU is similiar in price but its a 6 core 12 thread cpu vs 6700k which is 4 core 8 thread. Motherboards are a bit more expensive though). The extra cores would be better for streaming, though the 6700K will be faster in games that cannot utilize multiple cores.

Motherboards do not matter so much anymore. If you are not using a dedicated sound card (PCI-e or USB) then getting a board with upgraded audio is worth it. If going 6700K then get some kind of Z170 motherboard like Cyanara suggested.

All depends on your budget really.

If you need any help building the PC or get stuck Hans, I'm only down the road (15~ miles from Brighton)

Perhaps it is wise to wait for the new gtx 1080 to be fully tested and see what other people use in their computer builds? Then you can simply pick acording to your budget

My budget is £1500. My goal is to create the best gaming/streaming pc so that I can play all my games on max settings without fps or performance drops.

For resolution I hear about 4k monitors but apparently most games don't support that yet. I would like the best resolution if possible.

For parts I plan to reuse, not sure about that to be honest. I hear that using a second pc as a streaming pc was a good idea to stop taxing the processor of the gaming pc. I could always reuse the SSD 250GB card.

I've been watching a ton of pc building videos recently to get prepared. I think the hardest part is putting the 'new' fan on the processor with thermal paste.

Thanks everyone for your advice so far.

@Puppetmaster, I might take you up on that offer

As for the motherboard and graphics card then. Something like this package?
https://www.scan.co.uk/products/asrock-fatal1ty-z170-gaming-k6-atx-motherboard-plus-intel-i7-6700-skylake-quad-core-processor-with-h

So what do you guys think of these specs? Thinking I'll just buy the gtx 1080 separate.

The i7 6700k is not better than the i7 4790k totally wrong from all the people here. the different is almost only that the i7 6700k has a much better graphicscard. if you buy a new CPU go for any 6 or 8 core. that are currently the i7 5820k or 5930k. the only 8 core which is available right now from intel is the 5960X which is totally too expensive for you i believe.

So what do you guys think of these specs? Thinking I'll just buy the gtx 1080 separate.

i know you said you're buying the 1080 separately, but damn that build looks silly with "INTEGRATED GRAPHICS ACCELERATOR"

on a totally separate note, i'm currently running the game on a work laptop with 4 GB of RAM and no graphics card. it works as long as i don't try to play more than a single 2v2 without restarting...

Hi Hans,

Building your own PC is very easy - its like Lego's for adults. I recommend maybe watching some of the videos on how to actually put the components together - NewEgg offers a few excellent youtube videos on how to assemble once you have all the parts.

Use PcPartPicker.com - this will not only give you the idea on the best price from the best dealer, it will also help with compatibility issues you may have with your current setup.

Finally, reddit.com/r/buildapc is an excellent sub dedicated to custom built pc's. It has a YUGE and very knowledgeable user base that can give you recommendations on alternative parts or components.

Hope this helps.

Yeah if you build it yourself you can save at least 50-100 that you can spend on a better processor or a nicer case

The i7 6700k is not better than the i7 4790k totally wrong from all the people here. the different is almost only that the i7 6700k has a much better graphicscard. if you buy a new CPU go for any 6 or 8 core. that are currently the i7 5820k or 5930k. the only 8 core which is available right now from intel is the 5960X which is totally too expensive for you i believe.

Ragu dont spread false information.

The 6700K is better than the 4790K, not by a lot but it is slightly faster.

4790K vs 6700K (Stock) http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1263?vs=1549
4790K @ 4.7GHz vs 6700K @ 4.6GHz http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1260?vs=1543

Secondly, considering the price difference between those is less than £5 now it makes no sense to buy old technology. When Skylake first launched, it was far more expensive than DC and at some points made sense to buy it but not anymore.

Thirdly, Skylake uses a newer chipset offering newer technology's than DC does. No point in not getting the most for your money when there is barely any price difference.

Fourthly, 5930k is generally a horrible choice from a price to performance ratio, since it is quite a bit more money (£150~) for .1GHz extra (ignoring the extra PCI-e lanes, only needed if you are running more than 2 GPU's or lots of PCI-E based storage).

Ragu dont spread false information.

The 6700K is better than the 4790K, not by a lot but it is slightly faster.

4790K vs 6700K (Stock) http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1263?vs=1549
4790K @ 4.7GHz vs 6700K @ 4.6GHz http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1260?vs=1543

Secondly, considering the price difference between those is less than £5 now it makes no sense to buy old technology. When Skylake first launched, it was far more expensive than DC and at some points made sense to buy it but not anymore.

Thirdly, Skylake uses a newer chipset offering newer technology's than DC does. No point in not getting the most for your money when there is barely any price difference.

Fourthly, 5930k is generally a horrible choice from a price to performance ratio, since it is quite a bit more money (£150~) for .1GHz extra (ignoring the extra PCI-e lanes, only needed if you are running more than 2 GPU's or lots of PCI-E based storage).

you now that james has still a i7 4790k or. you know that it doesnt help him to reach better quality with more fps in game, if he streams. if he bought almost the same CPU or. even for streaming the i7 5820k is recommended and doing a very well job. And i test i7 4790k against i7 6700k. and for streaming no different.

For resolution I hear about 4k monitors but apparently most games don't support that yet. I would like the best resolution if possible.....
So what do you guys think of these specs? Thinking I'll just buy the gtx 1080 separate.
-snip-

Well, mdoern games mostly do support 4k, there's just no single GPU on the market that can drive it. Around 1440p (UW included) is max atm, otherwise you either won't reach the common 60+ FPS, or you gonna have to tune down a lot of settings.



- Ram may limit some games. Price difference is neglectable for faster modules
- some Kingston V300s use different nand that causes them to be way slower (they did some fancy switcherino)
- the CPU cooler is... (excuse my language) utter crap
- PSU could be better, quality wise.
- it's overpriced

Examples:
basic high end 6700k http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/y84gXH ~700 GBP
enthusiast high end 5820k http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/RDkD4C ~830 GBP
+ chassis + OS + your GPU of liking obv.

Just a quick draft for direction, haven't checked any compatibility, and there's room for improvement of course.

Well, mdoern games mostly do support 4k, there's just no single GPU on the market that can drive it. Around 1440p (UW included) is max atm, otherwise you either won't reach the common 60+ FPS, or you gonna have to tune down a lot of settings.



- Ram may limit some games. Price difference is neglectable for faster modules
- some Kingston V300s use different nand that causes them to be way slower (they did some fancy switcherino)
- the CPU cooler is... (excuse my language) utter crap
- PSU could be better, quality wise.
- it's overpriced

Examples:
basic high end 6700k http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/y84gXH ~700 GBP
enthusiast high end 5820k http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/RDkD4C ~830 GBP
+ chassis + OS + your GPU of liking obv.

Just a quick draft for direction, haven't checked any compatibility, and there's room for improvement of course.

the i7 6700k is not an upgrade. its almost the same CPU he has still in his moment PC. and if he will not OC it a lot, he will not see any different. And streaming in 4k is totally not working without second PC or FPS loses/special stream/game settings

the i7 6700k is not an upgrade. its almost the same CPU he has still in his moment PC. and if he will not OC it a lot, he will not see any different. And streaming in 4k is totally not working without second PC or FPS loses/special stream/game settings

I have to agree. Switching to a 6700K from an i7-4790 won't be much of an upgrade especially for the cost. Biggest changes w/ Skylake are the DDR4, PCIe lanes and M2 slot. Performance wise DDR4 is just a tick up, you won't see much benefit on the PCIe lanes with a single card and your quote isn't using a M2 slot SSD which would be the biggest performance boost. I would just drop your new GTX 1080 into your current system and wait for a bigger update in the chipset.

Hansi if your not gonna over clock CPU then dont invest into to CPU liquid coolers .. there a lot of other aftermarket air coolers that do just fine .. If you can save the cost of cooler and and put that money somewhere else like more RAM or better Cabinet .. Corsair Carbide AIR 540 is good.

You should get a Elgato HD60PRO game capture card for capture/streaming its pretty good and increases your CPU longevity.

liquid vs aircooler pros cons video

if not 4k, maybe go 21:9?

im thinking about 21:9. 34" flagship 21:9 monitors are way too expensive but you can find absolutely fine 27-29" 25~~ x 1080 monitor from 250-350 + tax on amazon US at least.

but unless you play FPS or dont absolutely require multitasking like artist or architecture student, maybe it'll be smarter to hold out for something i guess.