High end PC case & Motherboard... Recommendations?

Hi,

After many a year I'm finally building a new PC.

I'd like to buy a top end PC case (ATX) It's got to have options for an Optical drive etc. I want quality and I'm prepared to pay for it. I want it to be easy to work on and easy to maintain. Lots of space, good options for cooling & cable management. And being a flight simmer lots of connectivity. (don't want an XL ATX case) I'm debating wether or not to go down the water cooling option so space might be good.

I'm also not interested in RGB lighting so I'll pass on the Glass side panels. (I'm in my 50's and can live without flashing lights.

Next question is I want a Quality Z370 Motherboard that is reliable and will last for years. Again not bothered about RGB lighting but it may have to be an extra I don't want that I can switch off.

More important to me is connectivity and ease of overclocking.

Also whats your thoughts on M.2 drives? Are they much faster than SSD's (which I love)

Maybe one M.2 drive for Windows and one M.2 drive for DCS and other sims?

Your thoughts please :thumbup:

if money is not the issue i would go with the highend X series, it enables u to maximize RAM (128gb), and overclocking is easy too

9900K Z390 2080ti x2 in SLI optane SSD

Come on guys..... Money is important. All I'm asking for is High end case and High end MB's. Nothing else.

http://www.phanteks.com/Enthoo-Evolv-Shift-X.html

It looks too skinny for my needs.

Thanks though!

if money is not the issue i would go with the highend X series, it enables u to maximize RAM (128gb), and overclocking is easy too

Like I said it's been a long, long time since a new PC........ Highend X series of what?

Here is the case I got for my last build...

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811854004

It's roomy with sensible cable routing, three bays up front.

Knurled screws secure the sides - I like latches better - just preference.

I recommend an open air case, especially if you don't liquid cool, and if you do liquid cool, you'll have room for easy access and maintenance. There is no requirement for PC components to be in an enclosure. It just creates bad thermals.

RGB lighting is pretty standard nowadays as it's only a few dollars worth of LED's. You just turn it off in bios or utility if you don't want to see it. You'll miss a lot of good motherboards if you judge them by their LEDs.

i have the thermaltake v51 and is an awesome case

The only case I have ever seen that wouldnt crush like a coke can when you knee on it's top is a Chieftec. In that respect, all others I have ever seen and built and used are made of THIN metal. Yeah, LED count more these days but I miss the cases that didnt bend and squeek.

I have a Carbide 500r from CVorsair and it's the full opposite of my old Chieftec, worse than a coke can...LOl...but it got L E D !

Any recommendations for a z370 mb?

Have you considered the Core i9-7900X, 10 core / LGA 2066

or

AMD? 2700X, 8 core or perhaps even Threadripper 16 core.

2080ti or two....possibly down the track?

The problem I have at the moment with upgrading, is how will DCS perform with Vulkan and the possibilities of eating cores?

I'm still lucky where my system is now, it's very capable. I would be in a real mess trying to decide on how to upgrade to a new system today.

I will upgrade, I just don't know the best route for DCS and that's what I build my system around, everything else I use will be good I know that.;)

This is my case here below, with a front mounted AIO (No std drives only M.2 and SSD's hidden behind the motherboard. She is generally very quiet when not running at max OC. I could use better fans to get it quiet, still good even in the fam room.

Waiting to also see how the 2080ti preforms with the older 7700K in DCS...

Get a gaming motherboard for more USB ports.

1 x USB 3.1 front panel connector port(s)

2 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 port(s) (2 at back panel, , Type-A + USB Type-CTM)

6 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 port(s) (4 at back panel, blue, 2 at mid-board)

6 x USB 2.0 port(s) (4 at back panel, black, 2 at mid-board)

and I still use a powered hub. LOL

Phanteks and Fractal Design Make great cases.

Also if your your budget is decent I am using the Maximus X Code which is like the Formula motherboard without the water cooling parts on the board. Great board. The whole Maximus X line is very nice.

Thanks for all the reply's guys. :thumbup:

The problem with leaving PC builds 8 years apart is you loose touch with the high end gear. So I'm a little lost in some cases with all the suggestions even though Ive been doing research for the last few weeks.

I'm flying the F/A-18 on a PC with an I7@2600. 10GB of ram @1600. A Radeaon 5700 card with 1GB of video ram. The one Godsend that keeps my PC alive is SSD's. Wow they made a difference 3 years ago.

I can only fly the 18 (or anything) if I make my own training missions I then get 15~20 fps without stutters which is smooth enough to land.

Why have I still got this old clunker of a PC you may ask. I flew mainly Falcon BMS and for that it does it's job well. (Biting my lip to keep it from a war) I said when the 18 comes out. It's new PC time.

Ive set my budget at £2000 but we do have higher prices for parts than in the US. So I cant go top end for everything. I figure a top end MB is a must to be as future proof as possible (what a joke that word is)

I was hanging off waiting for the crypto pricks to die off that pushed up the 1080ti prices. Now I find I'm waiting for the 2080's to flood the market until the 1080ti drops to bargain point. OR I buy a 2080??? (my mind is still set on a 1080ti at the moment)

So same boat as David OC. A nightmare time for a build. (price v performance) Ive got the funds now but I have to wait to see whats going on with GPU prices and 2080 performance.

This will also be my 1st build. Ive changed just about everything over the years. New PSU's, RAM, GPU's, Hard drives, SSD's. Optical drives. I think Ive done the lot. the only thing Ive never done is new case & MB. So looking forward to it. And there's loads of help on YouTube these days.

So I want to get it right from the ground up... Case is maybe just a luxury. MB is the Big One I think.

I heard the GTX 1080ti wont drop too much because they are meant to co-exist with the RTX serious this is most likely due to the fact that crypto mining causing a surplus of stock.

I remember reading this someplace not quite sure could be wrong. You might find one that is a good price or at least a price drop. Just keep those eyes pealed.

Have you thought of Ryzen 2700X along with a new X470 board ?

I agree, the 9900k sounds promising, 5G, maybe on all 8, also soldered IHS ( THANK GOD !!! ), but the difference is not that high at all and Intel still hasn't patched Meltdown & Spectre in silicon, you still need those nasty microcode updates that lower performance. With the 8700k and later, like 9900k this is a minor penalty but still, some Linux distros turned Hyperthreading OFF since the L1TF bug is not fixable by software, yeah, who cares, but what's next with them. That may hit you and me in the face.

There hasnt been a single month w/o a new Intel CPU bug published recently and there is not really an end in sight. What concerns me most is what you dont hear..yet. AMD is also affected but to a far less degree and for the performance you dont get you also dont pay for, that's a fair approach to selling a little less powerfull product, that has less flaws discovered.

I would be torn apart myself, I would love Intels speed at 5G across 8 cores but I also run a Ryzen in the office, 1600x, and that is by far the best platform experience I had in years. Now the 2700x closed the gap to an extend that I could live with what's left missing but get the better deal.

Either way, both are very capable CPU's I assume.

I personally would not buy into the high end regime of boards if they are overloaded with features. My last few 500€ boards all went RMA for one or the other reason, sad but true. Tho all RMA's went good it left a bad taste with MAximus Extreme and MSI M9 etc. style boards. They offer a lot, the box is usually filled with goodies and Sata cables for all conns, stickers and patches etc.. but the real value is not LED, it's ripeness, maturity and stableness. The more features you have the harder to get it all great.

I ended up with a Asus Prime Z270 & X370 and ROG Strix Z370 and I have to say, the 2 Prime ones ( cheaper ones ) are the better boards, the Strix is LED and Gimmicks, the real deal is if it boots and prompts and overclocks easy. I think the Prime series is Asus' best bang for the bug( like that typo) and both AMD and Intel I have run great on them. The ROG Strix box content was, tbh, lesser than the Prime box's content, like Q-Connector in Prime but not in Strix, WTF Asus ? ! That made me rethink if ROG and Strix is worth an extra penny, it likely isn't.

and the true limiter is your CPU ( Silicon Lottery ) and your luck of picking the right DDR4 if you like them fast. The board plays a minor role in this, granted it fulfills the criteria, plenty Phases, cooling, etc..

edit:

forgot: by all means, dont take my board, Asus ROG Strix Z370-E and I would NOT buy an Asus Z370 in general as they mostly share the Bios root, and that sucks imho...I would either look Gigabyte or Asrock, MSI would be my last pick, rather Asus again then, but a Prime.

I heard the GTX 1080ti wont drop too much because they are meant to co-exist with the RTX serious this is most likely due to the fact that crypto mining causing a surplus of stock.

 

I remember reading this someplace not quite sure could be wrong. You might find one that is a good price or at least a price drop. Just keep those eyes pealed.

I saw a 1080 Ti new in box on Ebay for less than $300 US. Someone probably already bought it though. It was several hours ago.

I saw a 1080 Ti new in box on Ebay for less than $300 US. Someone probably already bought it though. It was several hours ago.

EX crypto card...? No thanks.... or New in box? Doesn't sound right, very cheap.

YEAH, this was almost overdue after the last one:

https://www.tomshardware.com/news/intel-management-engine-flaw-security,37794.html

So we will get another new Bios and another Intel ME driver that will last how long ?? weeks ?? pardon !

Those fixes have side effects..

IF I were building a new rig today, I would go with the i7 8700k or 8086k CPU, and a Z370 MB.

I will be doing a new build a little later in the year, and likely will be going either i7 9700k or i9 9900k. And probably a Z390 MB. All depends on timing for me.

IF I were building a new rig today, I would go with the i7 8700k or 8086k CPU, and a Z370 MB.

 

I will be doing a new build a little later in the year, and likely will be going either i7 9700k or i9 9900k. And probably a Z390 MB. All depends on timing for me.

Might as well wait a few weeks for the 9900k.

Hi,

 

After many a year I'm finally building a new PC.

 

I'd like to buy a top end PC case (ATX) It's got to have options for an Optical drive etc. I want quality and I'm prepared to pay for it. I want it to be easy to work on and easy to maintain. Lots of space, good options for cooling & cable management. And being a flight simmer lots of connectivity. (don't want an XL ATX case) I'm debating wether or not to go down the water cooling option so space might be good.

 

I'm also not interested in RGB lighting so I'll pass on the Glass side panels. (I'm in my 50's and can live without flashing lights.

 

 

Next question is I want a Quality Z370 Motherboard that is reliable and will last for years. Again not bothered about RGB lighting but it may have to be an extra I don't want that I can switch off.

More important to me is connectivity and ease of overclocking.

 

Also whats your thoughts on M.2 drives? Are they much faster than SSD's (which I love)

Maybe one M.2 drive for Windows and one M.2 drive for DCS and other sims?

 

Your thoughts please :thumbup:

Top tier - best world VRM : Asrock z370 taichi - Asus maximum X code and HERO, - MSI z370 godlike .

Best value for price : Asrock z370 taichi

The taichi has no rgb "crap" appart from a small rgb light which can be turned off, it is a super-solid motherboard, easy as hell to overclock, I myself running a 8700k @5.ghz , the ram can be overclclocked at 4266 mhz and it has one of the best VRM capablity along with 12 overclock phases, it has the best value/money ratio.

Best 2018 case : Fractal design R6 ( there is a no glass-side panel which cost even less,)

OT: pfff... Looking at all these suggestions about sli rtx 2080ti's, i9 9900k etc... It feels like I'm the only mortal, non-millionaire, here :cry:

OT: pfff... Looking at all these suggestions about sli rtx 2080ti's, i9 9900k etc... It feels like I'm the only mortal, non-millionaire, here :cry:

first of all the 2080ti "sli"....sli is not even supported by DCS....the new rtx should support nvidia link which should double the gpu capability