Question Gaming build at 1440p, need help with selecting parts

Page 2 - Seeking answers? Join the Tom's Hardware community: where nearly two million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.

Weathered

Honorable
Aug 2, 2017
336
9
10,795
Looking to build a new computer for gaming at 1440p. Currently running 8700k, 1080ti, 16gm ram. Would just need the main components, don't need monitor, keyboard or mouse.

Haven't really kept up with the latest news on hardware. I know gpu prices have been pretty high, have those been coming down any? What video card would I need to see a noticeable increase over my current 1080ti? 3060? 3070? 3080ti?

Part of me wants to go all out on this build. But also at same time, don't want to spend 3,4 or 5k dollars. Don't plan on doing any watercooling unless certain cpu's absolutely require some type of watercooling. I have never messed with water cooling before.

Any reason to wait to build? New hardware coming out soon? I may not "need" to upgrade but been getting the itch to upgrade
 

Weathered

Honorable
Aug 2, 2017
336
9
10,795
I think I am going to add a 2nd ssd drive for storage. Was going to reuse my current HDD but notice there is a delay when accessing that drive at times. Any reason to get a 3.5" or 2.5" ssd drive? Probably going to get one at least 2tb, maybe more depending on what they cost. Is samsung still one of the top brands?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Why_Me
I think I am going to add a 2nd ssd drive for storage. Was going to reuse my current HDD but notice there is a delay when accessing that drive at times. Any reason to get a 3.5" or 2.5" ssd drive? Probably going to get one at least 2tb, maybe more depending on what they cost. Is samsung still one of the top brands?
Although there are other solid SSD's, Samsung is still the preferred brand imo.
 
D

Deleted member 362816

Guest
I think I am going to add a 2nd ssd drive for storage. Was going to reuse my current HDD but notice there is a delay when accessing that drive at times. Any reason to get a 3.5" or 2.5" ssd drive? Probably going to get one at least 2tb, maybe more depending on what they cost. Is samsung still one of the top brands?

I prefer Samsung and Crucial.
 

Weathered

Honorable
Aug 2, 2017
336
9
10,795
I think I will hold off on the 2nd ssd for now. Now I am thinking about getting an AIO cooler like the Artic liquid freezer II. Just concerned about having liquid near the components. And what type of maintenance is involved with an AIO? Do they need to be refilled periodically? Would temps be less than with the Noctua?
 
I think I will hold off on the 2nd ssd for now. Now I am thinking about getting an AIO cooler like the Artic liquid freezer II. Just concerned about having liquid near the components. And what type of maintenance is involved with an AIO? Do they need to be refilled periodically? Would temps be less than with the Noctua?
I've only used air cooling myself. Make sure that AIO fits your case.

https://www.amazon.com/ARCTIC-Intel-LGA1700-Upgrade-Kit/dp/B09K452ZTR/
ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II Series Intel LGA1700 Upgrade Kit $7.56
 
D

Deleted member 362816

Guest
I think I will hold off on the 2nd ssd for now. Now I am thinking about getting an AIO cooler like the Artic liquid freezer II. Just concerned about having liquid near the components. And what type of maintenance is involved with an AIO? Do they need to be refilled periodically? Would temps be less than with the Noctua?

Most AIO's are prefilled and sealed other then some alphacool and older EK ones. In my travels they seems to die before they leak. Always a chance they could leak though (not super common) Unless you go with something 280mm or 360mm I would just stick to air cooling as it is cheaper and often produces the same results without the fear of liquid spillage.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Why_Me
Most AIO's are prefilled and sealed other then some alphacool and older EK ones. In my travels they seems to die before they leak. Always a chance they could leak though (not super common) Unless you go with something 280mm or 360mm I would just stick to air cooling as it is cheaper and often produces the same results without the fear of liquid spillage.
Lian Li AIOs have a refill port. Large AIOs are a tier above the best air coolers, and that's a fact.
 

Case closed then.

For the OP, my point was in reference to the other poster who said that a 360 AIO would be superior to top end air cooling. That's true, but only if it is a quality proven unit. There's a lot of rubbish out there and of course, the MSI 240 and 360 coolers that have been recalled. You can't just buy any old thing you find when it comes to AIOs.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Why_Me
Case closed then.

For the OP, my point was in reference to the other poster who said that a 360 AIO would be superior to top end air cooling. That's true, but only if it is a quality proven unit. There's a lot of rubbish out there and of course, the MSI 240 and 360 coolers that have been recalled. You can't just buy any old thing you find when it comes to AIOs.
The same logic applies to expensive air coolers. Not all of them are as good as their price suggests in comparison to the proven best air coolers.
 

Weathered

Honorable
Aug 2, 2017
336
9
10,795
Ty for all the help so far. I still have not built a new pc yet. I have made a few changes to the list. I realize some maybe overkill, like the cpu. One reason is I want the build to last for several years, I don't build one every couple years. I did add a 2nd ssd as well.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/4cWdGL

One thing I am unsure about is the case. Will that have good enough airflow? I have read that the 12900k can get pretty hot. If I go with that case, would I be better off in adding some case fans? Part of me wants to go for ddr5 route as well. But with it being fairly new and more expensive, have to draw the line at some point.
 
Ty for all the help so far. I still have not built a new pc yet. I have made a few changes to the list. I realize some maybe overkill, like the cpu. One reason is I want the build to last for several years, I don't build one every couple years. I did add a 2nd ssd as well.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/4cWdGL

One thing I am unsure about is the case. Will that have good enough airflow? I have read that the 12900k can get pretty hot. If I go with that case, would I be better off in adding some case fans? Part of me wants to go for ddr5 route as well. But with it being fairly new and more expensive, have to draw the line at some point.
If I was going to draw the line at a certain point it would be with the i9 12900K. Not only is that cpu a complete waste of die for a gaming build, it's an expensive heat producing power hog that several peeps across the net including this site have had problems with keeping it cool.

Check out the benchmarks in the link down below and mind you the much cheaper i7 12700 / 12700F not only runs cooler and produces less heat, but it trails the 12700K / KF by a whopping one frame per second in the gaming benchmarks.

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/intel-core-i7-12700k-review
 
Is there anything meaner looking than an all black gaming build .... I don't think so.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails?ItemList=Combo.4508334
Intel Core i7-12700K + MSI MAG Z690 TOMAHAWK WIFI DDR5 ATX Motherboard + CORSAIR Vengeance 32GB (2x16GB) DDR5 5600 CL36 Intel XMP 3.0 Desktop Memory $797.97 Combo Savings: $77.00 Free Shipping

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Y87YHRH
Noctua NH-D15 chromax.Black, Dual-Tower CPU Cooler $109.95

https://www.antonline.com/Evga/Computers/Video_Cards/Graphic_Cards/1429478
EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti 12GB GDDR6X XC3 ULTRA GAMING Graphics Card $949.99 Free Shipping

O/S SSD

https://www.amazon.com/PNY-CS2130-Internal-Solid-State/dp/B0869BW8MH
PNY CS2130 500GB M.2 PCIe NVMe Gen3 x4 Internal SSD $49.99

Storage SSD

https://www.amazon.com/PNY-CS2130-Internal-Solid-State/dp/B0869C35V2/
PNY CS2130 2TB M.2 PCIe NVMe Gen3 x4 Internal SSD $139.99

This case was just recently released and it's a killer. Google the reviews.

https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16811112603
LIAN LI Lancool III Black Aluminum / SECC / Tempered Glass ATX Mid Tower Computer Case $149.99 Free Shipping



View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Np-3ylRPHb8
 
Last edited:

Weathered

Honorable
Aug 2, 2017
336
9
10,795
If I was going to draw the line at a certain point it would be with the i9 12900K. Not only is that cpu a complete waste of die for a gaming build, it's an expensive heat producing power hog that several peeps across the net including this site have had problems with keeping it cool.

Check out the benchmarks in the link down below and mind you the much cheaper i7 12700 / 12700F not only runs cooler and produces less heat, but it trails the 12700K / KF by a whopping one frame per second in the gaming benchmarks.

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/intel-core-i7-12700k-review

I have read that about the 12900k being a waste for a gaming build. When I first started thinking about doing a build, I originally was going with 12700k. One reason I selected the 12900k is because I plan on keeping this build for a while. I am running 1440p monitor now, down the road I may upgrade to 4k. I am not set on the 12900k by any means. I do worry about the heat even if I would be running a noctua nh-d15 cooler.
 

Weathered

Honorable
Aug 2, 2017
336
9
10,795
Is there anything meaner looking than an all black gaming build .... I don't think so.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails?ItemList=Combo.4508334
Intel Core i7-12700K + MSI MAG Z690 TOMAHAWK WIFI DDR5 ATX Motherboard + CORSAIR Vengeance 32GB (2x16GB) DDR5 5600 CL36 Intel XMP 3.0 Desktop Memory $797.97 Combo Savings: $77.00 Free Shipping

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Y87YHRH
Noctua NH-D15 chromax.Black, Dual-Tower CPU Cooler $109.95

https://www.antonline.com/Evga/Computers/Video_Cards/Graphic_Cards/1429478
EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti 12GB GDDR6X XC3 ULTRA GAMING Graphics Card $949.99 Free Shipping

O/S SSD

https://www.amazon.com/PNY-CS2130-Internal-Solid-State/dp/B0869BW8MH
PNY CS2130 500GB M.2 PCIe NVMe Gen3 x4 Internal SSD $49.99

Storage SSD

https://www.amazon.com/PNY-CS2130-Internal-Solid-State/dp/B0869C35V2/
PNY CS2130 2TB M.2 PCIe NVMe Gen3 x4 Internal SSD $139.99

This case was just recently released and it's a killer. Google the reviews.

https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16811112603
LIAN LI Lancool III Black Aluminum / SECC / Tempered Glass ATX Mid Tower Computer Case $149.99 Free Shipping



View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Np-3ylRPHb8

I am not too concerned about looks, don't really care if its all black or not. I don't want to base my decisions on the color of the items.

On the cpu bundle from newegg, is that memory low profile. Doesn't look like it is. With the noctua cooler, would I have any trouble with clearance?

Debating on going the DDR5 route.

On the case, are mid towers big enough for these large gpus and the large noctua coolers?

Question about mid and full tower cases. I am currently using an Antec 1200 full tower case. I realize this is an older case. The dimensions on the Antec is not that different from the Lian Li case you linked, the Lian Li is actually a little deeper. What is the deal with that. Now I am starting to question if I should get a mid tower or full tower. This is part of the problem when doing something like this. I overthink everything and tend to drive myself crazy.
 
Last edited:
I am not too concerned about looks, don't really care if its all black or not. I don't want to base my decisions on the color of the items.

On the cpu bundle from newegg, is that memory low profile. Doesn't look like it is. With the noctua cooler, would I have any trouble with clearance?

Debating on going the DDR5 route.

On the case, are mid towers big enough for these large gpus and the large noctua coolers?

Question about mid and full tower cases. I am currently using an Antec 1200 full tower case. I realize this is an older case. The dimensions on the Antec is not that different from the Lian Li case you linked, the Lian Li is actually a little deeper. What is the deal with that. Now I am starting to question if I should get a mid tower or full tower. This is part of the problem when doing something like this. I overthink everything and tend to drive myself crazy.
https://noctua.at/en/nh-d15-chromax-black/specification
Height (with fan): 165mm

https://www.fractal-design.com/products/cases/meshify/meshify-2-xl-dark-tempered-glass/black/
CPU cooler max height: 185mm

https://lian-li.com/product/lancool-iii/
CPU HEIGHT CLEARANCE: 187mm (Max)