[SOLVED] Building PC Mainly For Gaming at 1440p 144hz (Need Help For Cooler,Motherboard, General Suggestions)

[Bach0]

Hi, i'm building a PC mainly for gaming, web surfing, light editing/rendering (AE, Premier, 3D apps...) at 1440p 144hz. Ineed help for CPU air cooler, because i've never got an aftermarket cooler before and since i'm not going to overlock CPU i need good budgetish B660 motherboard. I have specific needs for PC components, which i will talk about later,but this is what i have by now:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-12600K 3.7 GHz 10-Core Processor  ($278.99 @ Adorama)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U12S 55 CFM CPU Cooler  ($69.94 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI MAG B660M MORTAR WIFI DDR4 Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard  ($179.95 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory  ($163.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 970 EVO Plus 2 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  ($199.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: XFX Radeon RX 6700 XT 12 GB Speedster QICK 319 BLACK Video Card  ($629.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Enermax Revolution D.F. 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1612.84

CPU: I want CPU with integrated graphics and i'm not willing to go higher than 12600k, in that price range Intel beats AMD and also 12600k is future proof (DDR5, PCIE 5.0). Considering i will not buy CPU without IGPU, i could only find Ryzen 7 5700G as a competitor for 12600k (they cost same around 300$). AMD comes with stock cooler and AM4 boards are cheaper than b660 ones, but 12600k outperforms 5700G and , also 5700G isn't future proof like 12600k. Since, 12600k doesn't come with stock cooler i will have to buy an aftermarket one, this is where i need your help.

CPU Cooler: I will not be overclocking CPU, so i'm loocking for a budgetish air cooler for stock 12600k. Cooler should come with everything needed to finish installation like mounting kit and thermal paste(pre applied or for me to apply). First i found popular Cooler master hyper 212 for around 40$-50$, but i read , that they are kinda old by now and overpriced and weak for 12600k, also they don't come with mounting kit for LGA 1700 CPUs. Then i found Noctua air coolers, it seems they are good and come with everything i need, but they cost more. To be frankly i think 70$ is too much for stock 12600k cooling, i want to hear your suggestions about that.

Motherboard: I don't know much about motherboards, other than basic compatability stuff, i want B660 because i'm not going to overclock CPU, only RAM (XMP). I just want my motherboard to function well, as intended and not die soon, i don't care about fancy features, RGB stuff e.t.c I found 2 motherboards for reasonable price compared to z690 boards:

MSI MAG B660M MORTAR WIFI DDR4 Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard

and

Asus TUF GAMING B660M-PLUS WIFI D4 Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard

They are basically same, cost same, but i've read somewhere MSI has better audio, so i'll probably go with it, what are your suggestions?

RAM: I know 16GB is enough for today , but i want 32GB, so i found cheapest 32GB 3600MHz CL16 sticks with good reviews, there's not much to search here

Storage: Samsung 970 EVO PLUS 2TB easy pick, pricy but good SSD

Power Supply: I think i'll will be OK with good quality 80+Gold 850 watt PSU, there are more popular ones but they cost 30-40$ more like corsair cmx ones, i've heard that
Enermax Revolution D.F. 850 W 80+ Gold is a solid one, if not i'm open to suggestions

Case: i'm not sure if i will buy it locally or online, so i'm not looking for it now, but i'm open to suggestions

GPU: This is the one that hurts the most, considering current prices and everything. From what i have found RX 6700 XT is a good mid range 1440p Gaming GPU, it has similar performance to RTX 3070 (without ray tracing and DLSS) and costs way less around 600$ compared to 700$-800$. I want to go with Nvidia GPU but, they all have 8GB of VRAM except for 3080 and up (which i can't afford) i think 8GB is minimum for todays games and will not be enough for future ones. RX 6700 xt has 12GB VRAM, i know it lascks ray tracing/ or has bad one and also lacks similar feature as DLSS, but without them seems a good choice for less money and with more vram. I could have gone for RX 6800(non XT) for 900$ , but around 300$ bump in price for 4gb more vram and 10-14% performance increase doesn't seem good choice for me. I wish NVIDIA would release new gen GPUs by now, or we would see Intel GPUs, but i have to buy one now and choice is limited

Monitor: I will go with 27 inch or 32 inch 1440p 144hz+ monitor, i don't have one in mind for now, but i will look for one with a good reviews , price and features like freesync and HDR, budget will be around 300-350$

If you have any suggestions on how can i spend less money for same performance components feel free to do so, thanks in advance!

 

[Lutfij]

If you're going for a B series chipset, you should skip the K suffix processor, should save you some money. We'll need to know the sort of case you want to go for since cases can impede cooler selection. Noctua coolers are worth every penny. That being said, 70USD for a workstation'ish build is nothing compared to the reliability offered by keeping your processor cool and making sure you get your renders done without fear of an overheating issue.

is future proof
That's a term that doesn't hold true. Everything will continue to move forward in the name of advancements. You're only delaying the time the next upgrade will come around with getting a higher pedigree part/component.

 

[Bach0]

If you're going for a B series chipset, you should skip the K suffix processor, should save you some money. We'll need to know the sort of case you want to go for since cases can impede cooler selection. Noctua coolers are worth every penny. That being said, 70USD for a workstation'ish build is nothing compared to the reliability offered by keeping your processor cool and making sure you get your renders done without fear of an overheating issue.

is future proof
That's a term that doesn't hold true. Everything will continue to move forward in the name of advancements. You're only delaying the time the next upgrade will come around with getting a higher pedigree part/component.

Thanks for replying, i would go with 12600 , but it's only 40$ less and has 6 cores instead of 10. As of cases, i'm willing to buy one under 100$ , i don't know which brands are good and offer good ventilation, do you have any ideas where should i look?

 

[geofelt]

I think you picked well on your initial suggestions.
The K suffix processors are designed for overclocking.
But, they also carry higher turbo capability than their non K counterparts so you still get good value from them.

On overclocking, that is no longer the way to get something for nothing.
Current processors are binned and the stronger ones are used in better performing models.
Overclocking is useful primarily when you have an app that can keep all threads fully busy.
The default turbo mechanism is what most will use.

Love the Noctua coolers,
Quality is tops and they are the easiest to install.On cooler, noctua maintains a suitability list for different processors.
Here is the list for the I5-12600K:
https://ncc.noctua.at/cpus/model/Intel-Core-i5-12600K-1581
The processor is not particularly demanding of cooling.
If you will not be loading all threads you do not need max cooling.
But, that said, you will be using the default turbo mechanism.
That boosts a couple of cores when load and conditions permit.
One of the conditions that lets you do better is a good cpu temperature.
To that end, pick one of the suitable coolers with a higher nspr rating.
The NH-U12s is 129. The strongest would be the NH-D15.
But, the NH-D15 needs a good case to be able to fit.

I have no particular advice on the motherboard brands.

On the case, first of all, buy one with the looks you love.
It will be with you for a long time.
I would assume that you do not need a case with a dvd drive mount; they are becoming a rarity.
I would look for a case with good filtered front air intake capability.
Two 140mm front intakes which can be filtered is very good.
Not much else matters.
Lian li makes top quality cases.
Here, for example is the lancool 215 with two 200mm front intakes:
https://www.newegg.com/p/2AM-000Z-00069?quicklink=true

On the graphics card, I might try to defer that decision.
Graphics card prices are dropping and the impending launch this quarter of the intel discrete graphics cards is going to accelerate that drop.
I applaud the inclusion of graphics in the processor, it is cheap insurance.
For fast action gaming, it is the graphics card that is most important.
At one time, a rule of thumb was to budget 2x the cost of the cpu for the graphics card.
No longer, with high gpu prices.
But, the principle is still the same.
A lower cost cpu paired with a good gpu gives you balanced gaming.

You may also want to rethink your cpu choice for gaming.
It turns out that the i5-12400 processor is an excellent gamer.
Here is a review:
https://www.tomshardware.com/news/intel-core-i5-12400-review

 

[Why_Me]

Hi, i'm building a PC mainly for gaming, web surfing, light editing/rendering (AE, Premier, 3D apps...) at 1440p 144hz. Ineed help for CPU air cooler, because i've never got an aftermarket cooler before and since i'm not going to overlock CPU i need good budgetish B660 motherboard. I have specific needs for PC components, which i will talk about later,but this is what i have by now:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-12600K 3.7 GHz 10-Core Processor  ($278.99 @ Adorama)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U12S 55 CFM CPU Cooler  ($69.94 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI MAG B660M MORTAR WIFI DDR4 Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard  ($179.95 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory  ($163.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 970 EVO Plus 2 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  ($199.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: XFX Radeon RX 6700 XT 12 GB Speedster QICK 319 BLACK Video Card  ($629.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Enermax Revolution D.F. 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1612.84

CPU: I want CPU with integrated graphics and i'm not willing to go higher than 12600k, in that price range Intel beats AMD and also 12600k is future proof (DDR5, PCIE 5.0). Considering i will not buy CPU without IGPU, i could only find Ryzen 7 5700G as a competitor for 12600k (they cost same around 300$). AMD comes with stock cooler and AM4 boards are cheaper than b660 ones, but 12600k outperforms 5700G and , also 5700G isn't future proof like 12600k. Since, 12600k doesn't come with stock cooler i will have to buy an aftermarket one, this is where i need your help.

CPU Cooler: I will not be overclocking CPU, so i'm loocking for a budgetish air cooler for stock 12600k. Cooler should come with everything needed to finish installation like mounting kit and thermal paste(pre applied or for me to apply). First i found popular Cooler master hyper 212 for around 40$-50$, but i read , that they are kinda old by now and overpriced and weak for 12600k, also they don't come with mounting kit for LGA 1700 CPUs. Then i found Noctua air coolers, it seems they are good and come with everything i need, but they cost more. To be frankly i think 70$ is too much for stock 12600k cooling, i want to hear your suggestions about that.

Motherboard: I don't know much about motherboards, other than basic compatability stuff, i want B660 because i'm not going to overclock CPU, only RAM (XMP). I just want my motherboard to function well, as intended and not die soon, i don't care about fancy features, RGB stuff e.t.c I found 2 motherboards for reasonable price compared to z690 boards:

MSI MAG B660M MORTAR WIFI DDR4 Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard

and

Asus TUF GAMING B660M-PLUS WIFI D4 Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard

They are basically same, cost same, but i've read somewhere MSI has better audio, so i'll probably go with it, what are your suggestions?

RAM: I know 16GB is enough for today , but i want 32GB, so i found cheapest 32GB 3600MHz CL16 sticks with good reviews, there's not much to search here

Storage: Samsung 970 EVO PLUS 2TB easy pick, pricy but good SSD

Power Supply: I think i'll will be OK with good quality 80+Gold 850 watt PSU, there are more popular ones but they cost 30-40$ more like corsair cmx ones, i've heard that
Enermax Revolution D.F. 850 W 80+ Gold is a solid one, if not i'm open to suggestions

Case: i'm not sure if i will buy it locally or online, so i'm not looking for it now, but i'm open to suggestions

GPU: This is the one that hurts the most, considering current prices and everything. From what i have found RX 6700 XT is a good mid range 1440p Gaming GPU, it has similar performance to RTX 3070 (without ray tracing and DLSS) and costs way less around 600$ compared to 700$-800$. I want to go with Nvidia GPU but, they all have 8GB of VRAM except for 3080 and up (which i can't afford) i think 8GB is minimum for todays games and will not be enough for future ones. RX 6700 xt has 12GB VRAM, i know it lascks ray tracing/ or has bad one and also lacks similar feature as DLSS, but without them seems a good choice for less money and with more vram. I could have gone for RX 6800(non XT) for 900$ , but around 300$ bump in price for 4gb more vram and 10-14% performance increase doesn't seem good choice for me. I wish NVIDIA would release new gen GPUs by now, or we would see Intel GPUs, but i have to buy one now and choice is limited

Monitor: I will go with 27 inch or 32 inch 1440p 144hz+ monitor, i don't have one in mind for now, but i will look for one with a good reviews , price and features like freesync and HDR, budget will be around 300-350$

If you have any suggestions on how can i spend less money for same performance components feel free to do so, thanks in advance!

The MSI board has a 12 phase design vs the Asus 10 phase design.

 

[Bach0]

The MSI board has a 12 phase design vs the Asus 10 phase design.

I assume that's for better, thanks for replying

 

[Bach0]

I think you picked well on your initial suggestions.
The K suffix processors are designed for overclocking.
But, they also carry higher turbo capability than their non K counterparts so you still get good value from them.

On overclocking, that is no longer the way to get something for nothing.
Current processors are binned and the stronger ones are used in better performing models.
Overclocking is useful primarily when you have an app that can keep all threads fully busy.
The default turbo mechanism is what most will use.

Love the Noctua coolers,
Quality is tops and they are the easiest to install.On cooler, noctua maintains a suitability list for different processors.
Here is the list for the I5-12600K:
https://ncc.noctua.at/cpus/model/Intel-Core-i5-12600K-1581
The processor is not particularly demanding of cooling.
If you will not be loading all threads you do not need max cooling.
But, that said, you will be using the default turbo mechanism.
That boosts a couple of cores when load and conditions permit.
One of the conditions that lets you do better is a good cpu temperature.
To that end, pick one of the suitable coolers with a higher nspr rating.
The NH-U12s is 129. The strongest would be the NH-D15.
But, the NH-D15 needs a good case to be able to fit.

I have no particular advice on the motherboard brands.

On the case, first of all, buy one with the looks you love.
It will be with you for a long time.
I would assume that you do not need a case with a dvd drive mount; they are becoming a rarity.
I would look for a case with good filtered front air intake capability.
Two 140mm front intakes which can be filtered is very good.
Not much else matters.
Lian li makes top quality cases.
Here, for example is the lancool 215 with two 200mm front intakes:
https://www.newegg.com/p/2AM-000Z-00069?quicklink=true

On the graphics card, I might try to defer that decision.
Graphics card prices are dropping and the impending launch this quarter of the intel discrete graphics cards is going to accelerate that drop.
I applaud the inclusion of graphics in the processor, it is cheap insurance.
For fast action gaming, it is the graphics card that is most important.
At one time, a rule of thumb was to budget 2x the cost of the cpu for the graphics card.
No longer, with high gpu prices.
But, the principle is still the same.
A lower cost cpu paired with a good gpu gives you balanced gaming.

You may also want to rethink your cpu choice for gaming.
It turns out that the i5-12400 processor is an excellent gamer.
Here is a review:
https://www.tomshardware.com/news/intel-core-i5-12400-review

Thanks for your suggestions and valuable information, i like your ideas about CPU and especially about GPU, but unfortunately i'm trying to build the PC for another person and he wants every component now, maybe i'll be able to make him wait before prices drop even more. I'll look in to cases too

 

[Why_Me]

I assume that's for better, thanks for replying

Better cooling, better audio codec ... that MSI board looks to be better all around.