Question Gaming PC build

[powrie]

https://pcpartpicker.com/user/Powrie/saved/JctzZL

I am looking at building a new gaming PC. It has been 7 years since my last build and it is time to upgrade. I usually spend about $1500 and build a PC that will last me for 7 more years with zero upgrades. I am able to spend slightly more on this build, but I am not sure if $1000 for a video card is worth it. I was also looking at the RTX 4070 Super so I could save $400. Is the 4080 performance that much better?

I already have the Samsung 990 Pro SSD. I got it really cheap on sale a while ago. Also I will be using the monitor from my last build.

Please let me know if I can optimize this build in any way. Thanks.

My last build I asked for help with was back in October 2017. I am still currently using that PC, but newer games like Baldur's Gate 3 are getting hard to play.
"CPU: Intel - Core i5-8400 2.8GHz 6-Core Processor ($199.89 @ B&H)
Motherboard: MSI - Z370-A PRO ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($90.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung - 850 EVO 500GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($168.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus - GeForce GTX 1080 8GB TURBO Video Card ($499.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design - Focus G (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - EVO Edition 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($65.98 @ Newegg)
Monitor: AOC - AG271QX 27.0" 2560x1440 144Hz Monitor ($399.99 @ Best Buy)
Total: $1585.70"

The build before this was posted in March 2010. This one still works !
"-Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1156
-ASUS P7P55D-E Pro LGA 1156 Intel P55 SATA
-COOLER MASTER Hyper 212
-XFX HD-585A-ZNBC Radeon HD 5850
-SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB
-Sony Optiarc DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA
-Antec EarthWatts EA650 650W
-Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 4GB (2 x 2GB)"

I did a build 7 years before in 2003. I'm not sure if the Tom's Hardware forum existed back then.

 

[logainofhades]

You want something that will last you several years, I would look at an AMD GPU instead, as you get more vram for your money, and often a bit better performance/$ as well. I would do AM5 as well. You get an upgrade path that way, as AMD has promised support through 2027+, so the platform will last you longer than an Intel one would. I normally do not select 64gb ram for a gaming rig, but with your track record of keeping a system long term, it's not a terrible investment to make. The 4000D is a nice case, but the cost is quite a bit more, as it really needs a couple of fans added to make full use of its great airflow capability.


PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D 4.2 GHz 8-Core Processor ($308.00 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B650E PG RIPTIDE WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard ($190.11 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Flare X5 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory ($194.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 990 Pro 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($114.59 @ Amazon)
Video Card: ASRock Phantom Gaming OC Radeon RX 7900 XTX 24 GB Video Card ($899.97 @ Newegg)
Case: Montech AIR 903 MAX ATX Mid Tower Case ($74.98 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower GF3 TT Premium 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($93.03 @ Amazon)
Total: $1910.57
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-08-28 15:48 EDT-0400

 

[powrie]

That is a great build. I can appreciate it and even admit it is a better system for the price. Intel has just been so good to me for 30ish years that it is hard to switch. I don't know if I can do it.

 

[Eximo]

Intel is currently a bit of a risk. They identified a problem with their microcode for 13th and 14th gen chips that was actually causing damaging voltage spikes. It has been corrected, but we have no long term data regarding effectiveness for future.

7800X3D also provides the best gaming performance on average than anything from Intel at the moment. There are a few exceptions here and there where Intel's clock speed advantage pays off.

I think the 4070 Super and 4070 Ti Super are the only really current gen worthwhile Nvidia products at the moment. 4080 Super is nice discount over the original 4080, but still $1000.

If you wanted to stick to that $1500 budget the 7900 GRE should fall in right next to the 4070 Ti Super under the 7900 XT.

Option B would be to hold out and see what Intel and AMD launch this year for GPUs. Nvidia is delayed until 2025 it looks like.

 

[geofelt]

What kinds of games do you play?
Fast action shooters or playing on higher resolutions want a strong graphics card.
CPU centric games like strategy/MMO or sims want strong cpu, particularly single thread performance.

Whatever, I suggest you plan on a graphics card upgrade on the way to your replacement date.
Buy a sufficiently strong psu to allow that.
I might consider keeping your GTX1080 initially so you can see what you need.

Gamers are currently hot for the ryzen X3D processors. But while good for games, they are not so hot for any other work.

Ryzen and Intel have comparable price performance at every level.
If you are more comfortable with Intel, Look at the 13600K.
13/14 gen prices have been beaten down because of fears of voltage issues.
Such issues have been fixed and warranties extended.

 

[TeamRed2024]

That is a great build. I can appreciate it and even admit it is a better system for the price. Intel has just been so good to me for 30ish years that it is hard to switch. I don't know if I can do it.

You can do it. Brand loyalty doesn't exist in today's world. I recently upgraded from a 7700k/1080 Ti build... and this is my first ever AMD rig. My first Intel rig was a Pentium 75mhz in 1997 I believe.

AMD is the better choice for today. It's not really much of a debate.

 

[Why_Me]

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: *Intel Core i7-13700 2.1 GHz 16-Core Processor ($319.99 @ Walmart)
CPU Cooler: *Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler ($35.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: *MSI B760 GAMING PLUS WIFI ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($145.26 @ Amazon)
Memory: *Silicon Power Value Gaming 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory ($90.97 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 990 Pro 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($117.39 @ Amazon)
Video Card: *Gigabyte WINDFORCE MAX OC GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER 16 GB Video Card ($779.99 @ Newegg)
Case: *Montech AIR 903 BASE ATX Mid Tower Case ($65.00 @ B&H)
Power Supply: *MSI MPG A850G PCIE5 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1654.49
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-08-28 21:47 EDT-0400

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/thermalright-phantom-spirit-120-review

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RbcQeSO-1U

 

[powrie]

What kinds of games do you play?
Fast action shooters or playing on higher resolutions want a strong graphics card.
CPU centric games like strategy/MMO or sims want strong cpu, particularly single thread performance.

Whatever, I suggest you plan on a graphics card upgrade on the way to your replacement date.
Buy a sufficiently strong psu to allow that.
I might consider keeping your GTX1080 initially so you can see what you need.

Gamers are currently hot for the ryzen X3D processors. But while good for games, they are not so hot for any other work.

Ryzen and Intel have comparable price performance at every level.
If you are more comfortable with Intel, Look at the 13600K.
13/14 gen prices have been beaten down because of fears of voltage issues.
Such issues have been fixed and warranties extended.

I play a bit of everythin

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: *Intel Core i7-13700 2.1 GHz 16-Core Processor ($319.99 @ Walmart)
CPU Cooler: *Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler ($35.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: *MSI B760 GAMING PLUS WIFI ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($145.26 @ Amazon)
Memory: *Silicon Power Value Gaming 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory ($90.97 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 990 Pro 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($117.39 @ Amazon)
Video Card: *Gigabyte WINDFORCE MAX OC GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER 16 GB Video Card ($779.99 @ Newegg)
Case: *Montech AIR 903 BASE ATX Mid Tower Case ($65.00 @ B&H)
Power Supply: *MSI MPG A850G PCIE5 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1654.49
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-08-28 21:47 EDT-0400

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/thermalright-phantom-spirit-120-review

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RbcQeSO-1U

This is a build I can work with

 

[powrie]

I play a bit of everythin

This is a build I can work with

Is an i7 much better than an i5? I was watching a video on a i5-14400 build with an RTX 4080 testing the usage while playing different games. The 4080 was consistently at 90%+ usage while the i5-14400 was at 60-70% usage.

 

[Lucky_SLS]

If you want Intel, you might want to wait for Bartlett lake. Should launch with a fix for the issues plaguing the 13th and 14th gen CPUs, hopefully.

https://www.techpowerup.com/324571/intel-planning-p-core-only-bartlett-lga1700-processor-for-2025

Both AMD and Nvidia models are at the end of their market life. Blackwell and RDNA4 are expected in 2025. If the rumours are true, RDNA4 will top out at 600 USD.

Suggesting these as you want to have your PC for a long time without upgrades.

 

[geofelt]

Is an i7 much better than an i5? I was watching a video on a i5-14400 build with an RTX 4080 testing the usage while playing different games. The 4080 was consistently at 90%+ usage while the i5-14400 was at 60-70% usage.

At one time, I3/I5/I7/I9 represented the number of cores and hyperthreading.
That has changed.
Now the designation I 3/5/7/9 is more of a general performance category.
That will change again with the post 14th gen processors.
One way to compare processors is to look at the passmark numbers.
For instance, your I5-8400 has 6 processing threads and a passmark rating of 9232. That is when all threads are fully busy.
The single thread rating is 2382. The single thread rating is arguably the more important metric for gaming.
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i5-8400+@+2.80GHz&id=3097
The I7-13700 mentioned above has 24 threads and a rating of 39153/4170