Check out the rig in my signature..
i7-8700k, 500GB
Samsung 970 Pro NVMe m.2 drive,
ASUS ROG Maximus XI Z390 Hero, 32GB
Corsair Dominator Platinum 3000MHz @ 15-17-17-35 timings. Sounds like what you're looking for. I also have a very good GPU, but that isn't as important for your needs.
With this setup, I went into the BIOS and set the RAM to run at spec using XMP profile, and set the CPU o/clock at 5GHz without having to touch voltage or anything else - left it all on auto. Took all of 2 minutes, and the overclock is stable as a brick craphouse - I've never had a crash, and so easy to do, no messing around pushing voltage up bit by bit and testing each time. I believe the majority of i7-8700k CPUs will clock to 5GHz without issue. I run the CPU under water using
EVGA's CLC280 AIO cooler - easy to install, zero maintenance, and very effective cooling, as well as running quietly, although I replaced the stock fans with a couple of 140mm high-speed
'be quiet!' SilentWings3 PWM fans for the radiator, which I strongly recommend for both performance and low noise. I do not recommend air cooling if you're planning to overclock this CPU, particularly if low noise matters to you. I also used
120mm 'be quiet' SilentWings3 fans for the case, purely for low noise and high performance. They do not make fans with multi-colored LEDs, they just make quality performance fans. If you really want RGB fans, you don't have to compromise on quality - just grab these
RGB fan frames and you're good to go with whatever fans you have. Nice right?
I find the integrated audio very good on this motherboard, and the ASUS Sonic software gives you some added tools to tweak the performance to your preference. In saying that, I am not an audiophile by any means, but I have used Creative sound cards in the past (standard models, not top of the range), and this integrated sound is just as good, if not better - certainly I don't have the driver issues that Creative almost always gave me. A description from ASUS:
SupremeFX : Utilizing the S1220 codec, SupremeFX is the integrated-audio solution that's engineered to provide a flat frequency response for a neutral, detailed sound signature. And to ensure that pristine signature is perfectly preserved, the front-panel output is driven with dual op amps, delivering sonics with the scale and authority to create virtual worlds via your gaming headset. You can always drop in a separate sound card - EVGA have just released a
rebranded(?) AudioNote sound card as it happens, although I haven't looked into any reviews but you might want to check it out. Alternatively you can go for an external sound card - I believe these
Burson Audio ones are top of the line, but you definitely pay for quality. If you're an audiophile you're probably used to that though.
I use photoshop reasonably often and that performs much quicker than the previous i7-7700k quad core I was using (also clocked at 5GHz), and very occasionally do a bit of video editing, and I've also rendered a little bit using DAZ3D, and it was quicker than I expected. This i7-8700k CPU is fast. 6 cores (12 virtual) @ 5GHz and decent RAM should make you pretty damn happy. Combined with the 970 Pro NVMe drive makes for a very snappy system (I run it as PCIe which disables SATA ports 5 & 6, but still leaves you 4 more SATA ports for additional hard drives / optical drive, and retains x16 lanes for the GPU). I also run 3 x 850 EVO SSD's (SATA) for data, media, backups etc., plus an optical (DVD/CD) drive. I am very very happy with this rig, and sounds like it might be close to what you're looking for.
Good luck, and let us know what you end up getting!
post edited by Nereus - 2019/01/15 20:32:30