Description

After ordering a Ryzen 1500x, overclocking the stuffing out of it, and realizing the shortcomings of my choice... I decided to send it all back and get an Intel 7700k. Now that I've overclocked the 7700k, I'm seeing the effects of poor TIM. Delidding to come!

And before you chime in about quad-core shortcomings... I don't need a multitasking PC, I have one of those: https://pcpartpicker.com/user/sh0tsfired/saved/XZ9xrH

Installing everything into the Enthoo Luxe case that I already owned was a breeze. The processor alone is cooled by a 360+240 rad combo, a single pump, and an XSPC waterblock. Temperatures are mostly under control, but the poor TIM on the 7700k is holding me back. I did plan on watercooling and including the RX480, but I'm actually going to adopt that into my fiance's upcoming M-ITX build. So, I need a new GPU to replace this one, and that will immediately be underwater. Also looking into a higher refresh 21:9 monitor, so that may warrant getting a 1080ti.

Part Reviews

CPU

Intel Core i7-7700K 4.2 GHz Quad-Core Processor

Fast, overclocks very well. Best gaming processor in the market, still. Going to need to delidit, though, because Intel decides to use ****** TIM between the chip and the IHS...

Motherboard

Asus PRIME Z270-A ATX LGA1151 Motherboard

BIOS is awesome. Set 3200 for DDR4 right out of the box, just had to enable XMP. Overclocks very well. Has BLK and Multiplier overclocking. More options than I know what to do with. My only complaint, is that I hate that Asus put AIO pump/fan connectors in the middle of the board, left of the CPU socket. Why? Why would you put connectors there? You're HURTING cable management. Stop this.

Memory

Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory

Stable 3200. No complaints.

Storage

Western Digital Black PCIe 256 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive

FAST. Blazing fast. No regrets!

Video Card

Asus Radeon RX 480 8 GB Video Card

Perfect for 1080p gaming, even in 21:9 ratios. Love this card!

Case

Phanteks Enthoo Luxe ATX Full Tower Case

A little bulky, but overall a very good case. Everything is modular. I can see this being a case modder's dream. Good watercooling support, and thePSU shroud looks great. I hate the RBG connectors, though...

Power Supply

EVGA 500 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply

Bronze. Works. Cheap. Only in my build temporarily though.

Monitor

LG 34UM58-P 34.0" 2560x1080 60 Hz Monitor

Purchased because it was on sale at Costco. Colors and contrast are great for gaming. Shelf said 75hz, though... so, oh well. Will be upgrading to higher refresh rates later.

Keyboard

Redragon K552 Wired Gaming Keyboard

Cheap. Best mech keyboard for the money, no questions.

Mouse

Redragon Centrophorus M601 Wired Optical Mouse

Cheap. Works great.

Comments

  • 16 months ago
  • 2 points

First version looks great, but your latest knocks it out of the park.

  • 27 months ago
  • 1 point

If you were willing to drop that much cash for a motherboard, you should have sprung for a 1600/1600X at least. Or if this is all your budget could allow, save some cash on the motherboard and go for the better processor,

  • 27 months ago
  • 4 points

Starting with a good MoBo is the best way to do it. Upgrading the CPU later is far easier than upgrading the MoBo.

  • 27 months ago
  • 2 points

Unless future CPU that one has to have is not AM4 :-P

  • 27 months ago
  • 1 point

True, but considering it's a pretty new socket that's pretty safe. By the time AMD is on AM5 or whatever you'll want a mostly new system anyway. I'm still on an LGA1150 and it's limiting me but not a lot.

  • 26 months ago
  • 1 point

I went with a 1500x, due to the fact that I'll have less cores, drawing less voltages, and boosting higher under less heat. I opted to not have 6 cores. I have a 16 core workstation PC, everything that isn't gaming is done on that unit.

But... This build isn't even this setup anymore. I quickly changed my mind. Will post results soon, stay tuned!

  • 10 months ago
  • 1 point

Bro bro bro bro, seen ur comment on that monitor if its at 60Hz it might not be manually tuned to 75Hz you have to manually turn ur hz up to 75hz

  • 9 months ago
  • 1 point

I have OC'd it to 75, which it handled, but didn't notice a difference. I'm going 144 or more on my next choice.