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Build Advice A few questions on a new gaming build ?

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cranked

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Apr 28, 2012
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Main use for the build is gaming and general internet usage.

I need to build a new PC. Currently running a 10 year old i5-3570K and it's well past showing it's age. I have lurked here and read every build help thread from the last couple weeks. Considering most of the same components continue to get recommended, I basically copy pasted all the things I think I might want:

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/kYqgY9

CPU: Intel Core i7-13700K 3.4 GHz 16-Core Processor ($400.81 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Deepcool AG620 BK ARGB 67.88 CFM CPU Cooler ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus TUF GAMING Z790-PLUS WIFI ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($269.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo RGB 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory ($116.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 990 Pro 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($69.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Samsung 980 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GAMING OC GeForce RTX 4080 16 GB Video Card ($1199.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: XFX Speedster MERC 310 Black Edition Radeon RX 7900 XTX 24 GB Video Card ($959.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI GAMING X TRIO GeForce RTX 4070 Ti 12 GB Video Card ($814.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Lian Li LANCOOL 216 ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Adorama)
Power Supply: SeaSonic FOCUS GX 1000 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($253.81 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM - DVD 64-bit ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Case Fan: Lian Li UNI FAN SL V2 64.5 CFM 120 mm Fans 3-Pack ($82.90 @ Amazon)

https://www.newegg.com/p/1BK-07N9-00001 <--- adding this for fan controller ??

Total: $4544.42

As I was doing it, I suddenly realized most of the parts were RGB, so I kind of stuck with that theme, but it isn't important.

Questions:

1. Fans - Do I actually need the extra fan pack and is that the controller (from Newegg) that I need to make all that work appropriately or is there some other option?

2. Do you need to run Win11 with this latest hardware or can I stay with Win10? Would rather stick with Win10.

3. Currently have 2 - 1440p monitors, main one is an MG279 Freesync monitor. I am really torn between the 4080 and the 7900XTX.
On one hand, I have the Freesync monitor and the 7900XTX is cheaper.
On the other hand, it seems like there have been some complaint threads/issues with AMD video drivers recently which really always seems to be the case generally speaking as they lag behind NVidia in that department.
Even further than that, I could go with a 4070ti and save another $100+, but I really regret not going with a little better video card when I built this PC (bought a 7850 when the 7970/680ti was the top of the line at the time).
Have always used AMD GPUs so I don't have a problem with them, currently running an R9 Fury, but it just always seems NVidia is one step ahead of them?

4. I don't completely understand the ram. It seems like a lot of people still recommend DDR4, but why not go with DDR5? Is it the latency that still isn't great yet?

5. Not sure on the motherboard as looking through all the options gives me a headache. They all seem to have WiFi, which I don't need but would be nice to have Bluetooth if possible.

6. Different option for PSU? Cheaper one? Better one? I know not to cheap out here, but there could be something different recommended?

Any and all thoughts or feedback would be appreciated. Everyone was super helpful in building this current PC all that time ago.

Thank you!
 
cranked said:
Main use for the build is gaming and general internet usage.

I need to build a new PC. Currently running a 10 year old i5-3570K and it's well past showing it's age. I have lurked here and read every build help thread from the last couple weeks. Considering most of the same components continue to get recommended, I basically copy pasted all the things I think I might want:

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/kYqgY9

CPU: Intel Core i7-13700K 3.4 GHz 16-Core Processor ($400.81 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Deepcool AG620 BK ARGB 67.88 CFM CPU Cooler ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus TUF GAMING Z790-PLUS WIFI ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($269.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo RGB 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory ($116.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 990 Pro 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($69.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Samsung 980 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GAMING OC GeForce RTX 4080 16 GB Video Card ($1199.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: XFX Speedster MERC 310 Black Edition Radeon RX 7900 XTX 24 GB Video Card ($959.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI GAMING X TRIO GeForce RTX 4070 Ti 12 GB Video Card ($814.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Lian Li LANCOOL 216 ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Adorama)
Power Supply: SeaSonic FOCUS GX 1000 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($253.81 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM - DVD 64-bit ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Case Fan: Lian Li UNI FAN SL V2 64.5 CFM 120 mm Fans 3-Pack ($82.90 @ Amazon)

https://www.newegg.com/p/1BK-07N9-00001 <--- adding this for fan controller ??

Total: $4544.42

As I was doing it, I suddenly realized most of the parts were RGB, so I kind of stuck with that theme, but it isn't important.

Questions:

1. Fans - Do I actually need the extra fan pack and is that the controller (from Newegg) that I need to make all that work appropriately or is there some other option?

2. Do you need to run Win11 with this latest hardware or can I stay with Win10? Would rather stick with Win10.

3. Currently have 2 - 1440p monitors, main one is an MG279 Freesync monitor. I am really torn between the 4080 and the 7900XTX.
On one hand, I have the Freesync monitor and the 7900XTX is cheaper.
On the other hand, it seems like there have been some complaint threads/issues with AMD video drivers recently which really always seems to be the case generally speaking as they lag behind NVidia in that department.
Even further than that, I could go with a 4070ti and save another $100+, but I really regret not going with a little better video card when I built this PC (bought a 7850 when the 7970/680ti was the top of the line at the time).
Have always used AMD GPUs so I don't have a problem with them, currently running an R9 Fury, but it just always seems NVidia is one step ahead of them?

4. I don't completely understand the ram. It seems like a lot of people still recommend DDR4, but why not go with DDR5? Is it the latency that still isn't great yet?

5. Not sure on the motherboard as looking through all the options gives me a headache. They all seem to have WiFi, which I don't need but would be nice to have Bluetooth if possible.

6. Different option for PSU? Cheaper one? Better one? I know not to cheap out here, but there could be something different recommended?

Any and all thoughts or feedback would be appreciated. Everyone was super helpful in building this current PC all that time ago.

Thank you!
Click to expand...
What is your max budget?
 
@cranked here's a recent review on those fans.
https://www.techpowerup.com/review/lian-li-uni-fan-p28-120-mm-fan/

There's some fat that can be trimmed off that build if your primary purpose is gaming. This psu down below comes with PCIe 5.0 which allows you to skip the mickey mouse adapter that comes with that card.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: *Intel Core i7-13700F 2.1 GHz 16-Core Processor ($349.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Deepcool AG620 BK ARGB 67.88 CFM CPU Cooler ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: *MSI B760 GAMING PLUS WIFI ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($159.99 @ B&H)
Memory: *G.Skill Ripjaws S5 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6400 CL32 Memory ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: *Western Digital Black SN770 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($112.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GAMING OC GeForce RTX 4080 16 GB Video Card ($1199.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Lian Li LANCOOL 216 ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Adorama)
Power Supply: *MSI A1000G PCIE5 1000 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($199.99 @ Amazon)
Operating System: *Microsoft Windows 11 Home OEM - DVD 64-bit ($117.98 @ Other World Computing)
Case Fan: Lian Li UNI FAN SL V2 64.5 CFM 120 mm Fans 3-Pack ($82.90 @ Amazon)
Total: $2478.80
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-07-03 14:52 EDT-0400
 
I'm still running Windows 10 with DDR5 on a recent (non gaming) build. There may be specific advantages in Windows 11 for gaming, but there's no harm in trying Windows 10 first.

As for latency, until I run Aida64 on my 3800X DDR4 rig and 7950X DDR5 rig, I won't be able to say if there's much difference. Since I don't game, I'm not worried about latency.

DDR5 is more "future proof" but DDR4 still has some life left and is cheaper.

I assume you're only fitting one GPU with two monitors? If not, you may have to run two GPUs in PCIe x8, x8 mode as opposed to one GPU in x16 mode. Choose your motherboard carefully. Some PCIe x16 slots are spaced 2 slots wide, others 3 slots wide. If you fit a large GPU in slot 1, it might cover the second x16 slot.

From the cooling aspect, you could delay adding more fans until you've built the rig.

Since you're using a big air cooler (I use NH-D14 and NH-D15) I suggest at least two front fans and two rear fans (in addition to the PSU fan). Some PSUs (Corsair) don't run the internal fan until the system draws 200 to 300W. As a result, one rear panel fan might not be enough.

Some mobos have Bluetooth, others don't. A USB Bluetooth dongle is only a few bucks, so it's not worth worrying about.

I don't use the WiFi on my 7950X rig. Instead I fitted a 10GbE Ethernet card because the on-board 2.5GbE Realtek NIC was flaky and too slow.

If you're worried about latency in games, Ethernet might be a better way to connect to your broadband router. A lot depends on the speed of your router.

I don't think you'll be disappointed with the Seasoniic PSU, but if you're fitting two GPUs you might need a more powerful PSU.

The 4090 (and possibly your 4080) are known to pull huge current spikes from the PSU. I know 1200W and 1500W seem like overkill, but they might be necessary if you run two power hungry GPUs.

A PSU with huge power reserves might be required for two GPUs, even though the average power required is less than 800W.
 
Why_Me said:
@cranked here's a recent review on those fans.
https://www.techpowerup.com/review/lian-li-uni-fan-p28-120-mm-fan/

There's some fat that can be trimmed off that build if your primary purpose is gaming. This psu down below comes with PCIe 5.0 which allows you to skip the mickey mouse adapter that comes with that card.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: *Intel Core i7-13700F 2.1 GHz 16-Core Processor ($349.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Deepcool AG620 BK ARGB 67.88 CFM CPU Cooler ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: *MSI B760 GAMING PLUS WIFI ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($159.99 @ B&H)
Memory: *G.Skill Ripjaws S5 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6400 CL32 Memory ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: *Western Digital Black SN770 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($112.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GAMING OC GeForce RTX 4080 16 GB Video Card ($1199.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Lian Li LANCOOL 216 ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Adorama)
Power Supply: *MSI A1000G PCIE5 1000 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($199.99 @ Amazon)
Operating System: *Microsoft Windows 11 Home OEM - DVD 64-bit ($117.98 @ Other World Computing)
Case Fan: Lian Li UNI FAN SL V2 64.5 CFM 120 mm Fans 3-Pack ($82.90 @ Amazon)
Total: $2478.80
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-07-03 14:52 EDT-0400
Click to expand...
I was going with the unlocked chip because I did with this current build and it allowed me to extend the life of this PC for a while longer. Don't mind spending the extra money on it.

Was also going 2 SSDs one for OS And such and one for games/files.

What are your thoughts between the 4080 and 7900XTX, especially considering I have a Freesync monitor?
 
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cranked said:
I was going with the unlocked chip because I did with this current build and it allowed me to extend the life of this PC for a while longer. Don't mind spending the extra money on it.

Was also going 2 SSDs one for OS And such and one for games/files.

What are your thoughts between the 4080 and 7900XTX, especially considering I have a Freesync monitor?
Click to expand...
If that monitor doesn't support G-Sync than the AMD card for sure.
 
I'd put off buying the PSU until the new 12-2x6 connector becomes available, if your GPU needs a high power connector. It might save melting issues, especially if you ever buy a 4090.
 
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