PCPartPicker part list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/wDpqw6
Things I’m totally sure about are the board (thanks to Crosshair VII video) and the cpu (2700x). I already have the NZXT Source 210 case from my last build.
EDIT- Made some changes based on responses. Got price down $100, improved/refined specs. Thanks!!!
Everything else…
CPU Cooler: Leaning toward a Noctua air cooler since it doesn’t seem AIO is needed for the 2700x, but am open to debate. I don’t plan to do any serious overclocking, more interested in stability. Seems like 4.2 OC is mostly stable… was going to switch out the included Noctua fans with one of the Noctua Redux to test since I needed case fans… but honestly am nearing the price of a decent water cooler setup. Any advice here?
Ram: Wanted low timing and high clocks. cl14 was lowest I found at 3200, which seemed to be stable for most, although I’m wondering if there’s a better price/performance combo someone knows of I’m all ears. I do want 32GB, and understand 2x16 is better than 4x8, at least that’s my current understanding.
GPU: Currently game at 1080p, but might go to 1440/4K later, so went with a 1080, but should I consider a 1080 ti to extend the life a little? Hm… guess that’s it. Any other thoughts or suggestions would be awesome!
Dual M.2 Samsung 970 Evo vs Single M.2 970 Pro with single GPU: Two Evo were about the same price, or a little cheaper than one Pro. My thinking was this might be more performant than a single 970, I just hate to spend more than the price of a single Pro. Also, I wasn’t totally sure if on the Crosshair VII if using M.2 in RAID 0 meant I couldn’t run the GPU at 16x or was it you can’t run more than one GPU? Didn’t quite understand this in the video. So, if I can’t run GPU at full performance, would simply going with a single Pro M.2 be better? Sounded like even running the 1080 at x8 wasn’t a big deal, but again, I’m obviously confused on this topic.
I’ve never built an AMD desktop, am switching from Intel this round. Honestly, I’m more excited about this AMD build than any other Intel I’ve done.
-Thanks to LevelOneTechs for the informative video reviews on these parts. Super helpful. Got me hyped about AMD. Hope you are getting some AMD kick backs!!!