Build Advice Is this a good build for my needs ?

[Spitfire7]

Hi guys, my old computer finally died after 10-15 years.

I use it mostly for work, internet surfing, Battlefield 3/4, GTAV, XPlane11.

I don't need the greatest gaming pc, but I do want something that will last. Here is my list. Is this overkill? Can I go cheaper for my needs? Should I downgrade the CPU?

I currently have the Gigabyte rtx 3070 and the Corsair ms850x PSU.

Any ideas or help would be greatly appreciated. I hope to have a system I don't have to touch for another 8-10 years.

My list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/QGpGzf

 

[Darkbreeze]

I think you are pretty spot on here. You could even likely go with some lower cost parts and still be completely within your requirements and expectations, but if you are ok with the price the way it is now, then the build itself is completely fine.

I might recommend looking at other AIO coolers though. Not a huge fan of Cooler master when it comes to longevity. Not a fan of AIO coolers when it comes to longevity for that matter. If you go with an AIO I'd plan to replace it again at some point. 5 years tends to be the commonality on most of them.

The 2 year warranty that cooler carries is not the greatest when some others like Corsair have a 5 year warranty on most of theirs.

Also, you'd already be 150w over the recommended capacity for an RTX 3070 if you dropped down to an RM750x, and could save a few bucks while still having plenty of overhead, but if the prices are relatively similar or you think you may upgrade to a higher end card at some point there is certainly nothing wrong with staying with the 850w model.

 

[Spitfire7]

I think you are pretty spot on here. You could even likely go with some lower cost parts and still be completely within your requirements and expectations, but if you are ok with the price the way it is now, then the build itself is completely fine.

I might recommend looking at other AIO coolers though. Not a huge fan of Cooler master when it comes to longevity. Not a fan of AIO coolers when it comes to longevity for that matter. If you go with an AIO I'd plan to replace it again at some point. 5 years tends to be the commonality on most of them.

The 2 year warranty that cooler carries is not the greatest when some others like Corsair have a 5 year warranty on most of theirs.

Also, you'd already be 150w over the recommended capacity for an RTX 3070 if you dropped down to an RM750x, and could save a few bucks while still having plenty of overhead, but if the prices are relatively similar or you think you may upgrade to a higher end card at some point there is certainly nothing wrong with staying with the 850w model.

Thank you so much for getting back to me. What would say your recommendation be for a slightly more affordable system. Keep in mind I might buy the new X-Plane12 and maybe actually get the latest Call Of Duty at some point in the future. However, my current system in my signature specs, runs GTAV, XPlane11, BF3/4 all on ultra settings in 4k at very fast fps.

This is actually the fan setup I wanted, but parts picker didn't offer it. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08QRC9XJ...olid=3AX1G7ZS072J2&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

 

[Spitfire7]

I think you are pretty spot on here. You could even likely go with some lower cost parts and still be completely within your requirements and expectations, but if you are ok with the price the way it is now, then the build itself is completely fine.

I might recommend looking at other AIO coolers though. Not a huge fan of Cooler master when it comes to longevity. Not a fan of AIO coolers when it comes to longevity for that matter. If you go with an AIO I'd plan to replace it again at some point. 5 years tends to be the commonality on most of them.

The 2 year warranty that cooler carries is not the greatest when some others like Corsair have a 5 year warranty on most of theirs.

Also, you'd already be 150w over the recommended capacity for an RTX 3070 if you dropped down to an RM750x, and could save a few bucks while still having plenty of overhead, but if the prices are relatively similar or you think you may upgrade to a higher end card at some point there is certainly nothing wrong with staying with the 850w model.

By the way, this ASUS mobo z690-e doesn't support the 13th Gen 13700k out of the box. It needs a 2004 bios update. I am unfamiliar with how to update a bios on a brand new system right out of the box. How would I do that? This is making me look at the 12th Gen 12700k processor instead which is compatible right out of the box.

 

[Darkbreeze]

I would avoid the Rosewill cooler. Rosewill is best left to builds looking for very much budget products. They have a few good products, but it's a hard pass on an Rosewill AIO for me.

The Z690-E has BIOS flashback, so you can update the BIOS without even having a CPU, memory or graphics card installed. Non-issue.

Do you already have the RTX 3070, and if so, why is it showing up in the PCPP list with a price? Just an oversight or what?

 

[Why_Me]

You want a rear exhaust fan for that case such as this one down below. I'd wait until January 3rd when Intel is due to release their locked cpu's along with the B760 / H770 boards and then I'd look at the i7 13700 / 13700F. You can figure a 10% price increase for the B760 / H770 DDR5 version of these boards down below. These few changes should allow you to step up to a better gpu while keeping to your budget.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GJGF56L
ARCTIC P12 PWM PST 120mm 4-Pin Case Fan $9.99

Intel Core i7 13700F ($350 if I had to guess)
8 cores / 24 threads

I'm just using these boards as an example. There will be B760 / H770 DDR5 versions of these boards.

https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16813119537
ASUS TUF GAMING H670-PRO WIFI D4 $178.99

TUF GAMING H670-PRO WIFI D4｜Motherboards｜ASUS Global

TUF Gaming series distills essential elements of the latest AMD and Intel® platforms, and combines them with game-ready features and proven durability. Engineered with military-grade components, an upgraded power solution and a comprehensive set of cooling options, this motherboard delivers...

www.asus.com

https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16813145373
GIGABYTE B660 AORUS MASTER DDR4 $179.99

https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/B660-AORUS-MASTER-DDR4-rev-10#kf

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09PXL3ZZB
MSI MAG B660 Tomahawk WiFi DDR4 $189.99

https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/MAG-B660-TOMAHAWK-WIFI-DDR4

https://www.amazon.com/DeepCool-AK620-High-Performance-Dual-Tower-Dissipation/dp/B09CSXS3X4?th=1
DeepCool AK620 Dual-Tower CPU Cooler $64.99

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B6FGMSNM
DeepCool AK620 Zero Dark Dual-Tower CPU Air Cooler $69.99

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/deepcool-ak620-review

https://global.deepcool.com/product...-High-Performance-CPU-Cooler/2021/13067.shtml

https://www.deepcool.com/products/C...-High-Performance-CPU-Cooler/2022/16124.shtml

https://www.newegg.com/g-skill-32gb/p/N82E16820374430
G.SKILL Ripjaws S5 Series DDR5 6000 32GB (2x16GB) CL36 $147.99

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B25ML2FH
Crucial P3 Plus 2TB M.2 NVMe PCIe Gen4 SSD $124.99

 

[Darkbreeze]

I'd bet a fair amount of money that they already have fans in the existing build so moving one of them to the rear of the new case shouldn't be a problem unless they want new a new fan there and/or possibly if they put the AIO in front they will already have THREE fans that come with the case that can be used for the rear and top-rear exhaust locations. I seriously doubt there is any NEED for additional fans unless there is something specific they desire and if so I'm pretty equally sure that that Arctic fan isn't a bad idea at all I just think they probably already have that covered. But if not, it's decent. I'd put something better if longevity is the primary consideration though.

Also, they are looking to do an AIO, so the idea of tossing an air cooler in there is probably not desirable. But maybe they are ok going that way, IDK. I just don't think that's what they are looking for but if they ARE there are definitely other coolers I'd recommend. That AG620 is decent, but I know Deepcool's fans and they aren't going to last more than a couple of years on a CPU cooler. I'd prefer to look to Noctua or Thermalright if they wanted to go with air. But that's just me, listening to what the OP wants.

 

[Why_Me]

I'd bet a fair amount of money that they already have fans in the existing build so moving one of them to the rear of the new case shouldn't be a problem unless they want new a new fan there and/or possibly if they put the AIO in front they will already have THREE fans that come with the case that can be used for the rear and top-rear exhaust locations. I seriously doubt there is any NEED for additional fans unless there is something specific they desire and if so I'm pretty equally sure that that Arctic fan isn't a bad idea at all I just think they probably already have that covered. But if not, it's decent. I'd put something better if longevity is the primary consideration though.

Also, they are looking to do an AIO, so the idea of tossing an air cooler in there is probably not desirable. But maybe they are ok going that way, IDK. I just don't think that's what they are looking for but if they ARE there are definitely other coolers I'd recommend. That AG620 is decent, but I know Deepcool's fans and they aren't going to last more than a couple of years on a CPU cooler. I'd prefer to look to Noctua or Thermalright if they wanted to go with air. But that's just me, listening to what the OP wants.

DeepCool apparently uses different fans for different cpu coolers. The ones in the AK620 seem to be of higher quality than the ones used in the AG620 hence the reason I switched out the cpu cooler recommendation in my post up above.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NpTZRassHI

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0MhwnPrEao


Another decent option if someone needs more RAM clearance is the Scythe Fuma 2 Rev B which was released around the same time as the DeepCool AK620.

https://www.scytheus.com/fuma2-rev-b

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bM_TgpKqb8

 

[Darkbreeze]

I think anybody entertaining the idea of a dual finstack 120mm air cooler would be much wiser looking at one of these, but it's always good to have options in case something isn't available at the time or in that region.

https://www.amazon.com/Thermalright-Peerless-SE-Aluminium-Technology/dp/B09LGY38L4?th=1


https://www.amazon.com/Thermalright...rless+assassin+120+se+rgb,aps,123&sr=8-1&th=1

 

[Karadjgne]

The Scythe Fuma2 is a very good cooler, but best left on cpus that don't exceed its 200w rating. Which a 13700k in stock configuration can do easily.

To keep temps in check, you should be looking at cooling capacity 1.5-2x that of the power usage of the cpu. In simplistic terms, a 200w cooler on a 200w cpu = 100°C at 200w. A 1:1 ratio.

Liquid coolers are more effecient than air coolers and can have a seriously higher capacity. Big Air tops out at @ 250w, Big Liquid is closer to 400w, so while gaming temps might be a little high, anything like blender or even win-zip is going to go all out on air.

Simple fact is that while many are scared of, dislike, don't trust or don't want liquid cooling, on a 250w cpu there is little choice. Either accept high temp limitations on performance and cooler fan volume, or go big liquid.

For a 13700k, a 360/420mm AIO is what you'd be looking at. With CoolerMaster, the ML-L is bottom of the barrel, the ML-R is considerably better. But I'd be looking at Arctic, Corsair, Fractal Design or EK if you want good companies that stand behind their products and live up to warranty expectations and more.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Arctic, Corsair, Fractal Design or EK

I would add Alphacool, Deepcool, Phanteks and EVGA to that list, although, Phanteks products have become extremely expensive and hard to find in the US market, and the EVGA AIO coolers, while having very good performance, are also seemingly ludicrously loud. But we already know they are one of the best if not THE best in the industry when it comes to customer service and product support. It's really, REALLY unfortunate that they decided to stop manufacturing graphics cards. And both Alphacool and Deepcool may have aesthetics that don't appeal to a lot of builders.

 

[Ar558]

Hi guys, my old computer finally died after 10-15 years.

I use it mostly for work, internet surfing, Battlefield 3/4, GTAV, XPlane11.

I don't need the greatest gaming pc, but I do want something that will last. Here is my list. Is this overkill? Can I go cheaper for my needs? Should I downgrade the CPU?

I currently have the Gigabyte rtx 3070 and the Corsair ms850x PSU.

Any ideas or help would be greatly appreciated. I hope to have a system I don't have to touch for another 8-10 years.

My list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/QGpGzf

I would suggest if you are only gaming and surfing and if your work doesn't use high CPU intensive tasks a 13700k is probably overkill, a 13600K would give you the same gaming performance and you wouldn't notice in windows.
8-10 years is pretty tall order, it's likely you are gonna struggle to play any new games on a 3070 in 2032 at anything other than min settings but for everything else should work.

 

[Spitfire7]

I would avoid the Rosewill cooler. Rosewill is best left to builds looking for very much budget products. They have a few good products, but it's a hard pass on an Rosewill AIO for me.

The Z690-E has BIOS flashback, so you can update the BIOS without even having a CPU, memory or graphics card installed. Non-issue.

Do you already have the RTX 3070, and if so, why is it showing up in the PCPP list with a price? Just an oversight or what?

Okay I will have to look into how to update the bios. News to me.

I have the 3070 already yes and I added it to make sure everything was compatible with their compatibility checker. Maybe there's a 3 fan cooler you would recommend?

 

[Spitfire7]

You want a rear exhaust fan for that case such as this one down below. I'd wait until January 3rd when Intel is due to release their locked cpu's along with the B760 / H770 boards and then I'd look at the i7 13700 / 13700F. You can figure a 10% price increase for the B760 / H770 DDR5 version of these boards down below. These few changes should allow you to step up to a better gpu while keeping to your budget.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GJGF56L
ARCTIC P12 PWM PST 120mm 4-Pin Case Fan $9.99

Intel Core i7 13700F ($350 if I had to guess)
8 cores / 24 threads

I'm just using these boards as an example. There will be B760 / H770 DDR5 versions of these boards.

https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16813119537
ASUS TUF GAMING H670-PRO WIFI D4 $178.99

TUF GAMING H670-PRO WIFI D4｜Motherboards｜ASUS Global

TUF Gaming series distills essential elements of the latest AMD and Intel® platforms, and combines them with game-ready features and proven durability. Engineered with military-grade components, an upgraded power solution and a comprehensive set of cooling options, this motherboard delivers...

www.asus.com

https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16813145373
GIGABYTE B660 AORUS MASTER DDR4 $179.99

https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/B660-AORUS-MASTER-DDR4-rev-10#kf

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09PXL3ZZB
MSI MAG B660 Tomahawk WiFi DDR4 $189.99

https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/MAG-B660-TOMAHAWK-WIFI-DDR4

https://www.amazon.com/DeepCool-AK620-High-Performance-Dual-Tower-Dissipation/dp/B09CSXS3X4?th=1
DeepCool AK620 Dual-Tower CPU Cooler $64.99

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B6FGMSNM
DeepCool AK620 Zero Dark Dual-Tower CPU Air Cooler $69.99

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/deepcool-ak620-review

https://global.deepcool.com/product...-High-Performance-CPU-Cooler/2021/13067.shtml

https://www.deepcool.com/products/C...-High-Performance-CPU-Cooler/2022/16124.shtml

https://www.newegg.com/g-skill-32gb/p/N82E16820374430
G.SKILL Ripjaws S5 Series DDR5 6000 32GB (2x16GB) CL36 $147.99

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B25ML2FH
Crucial P3 Plus 2TB M.2 NVMe PCIe Gen4 SSD $124.99

Good finds. I really appreciate you putting all that together. I do want to stick with the ASUS motherboard family, so why go with the TUF Gaming over the Z series? Any benefits to the TUF over the Z?

And yes, great idea to wait until January. I need to anyways for work, tax, write off purposes anyways.

Regarding the K or F CPU, I do like the ability to overclock and I definitely need onboard graphics. Thanks so much for all of this. Good stuff and Good ideas.

 

[Spitfire7]

I think anybody entertaining the idea of a dual finstack 120mm air cooler would be much wiser looking at one of these, but it's always good to have options in case something isn't available at the time or in that region.

https://www.amazon.com/Thermalright-Peerless-SE-Aluminium-Technology/dp/B09LGY38L4?th=1


https://www.amazon.com/Thermalright-SE-ARGB-TL-C12C-S-Technology/dp/B09P4M4C7K/ref=sr_1_1?crid=Y7F1P7RWP04Q&keywords=peerless+assassin+120+se+rgb&qid=1671823688&sprefix=peerless+assassin+120+se+rgb,aps,123&sr=8-1&th=1

I've been very happy with the water cooled, so I want to stick in that family.

 

[Spitfire7]

The Scythe Fuma2 is a very good cooler, but best left on cpus that don't exceed its 200w rating. Which a 13700k in stock configuration can do easily.

To keep temps in check, you should be looking at cooling capacity 1.5-2x that of the power usage of the cpu. In simplistic terms, a 200w cooler on a 200w cpu = 100°C at 200w. A 1:1 ratio.

Liquid coolers are more effecient than air coolers and can have a seriously higher capacity. Big Air tops out at @ 250w, Big Liquid is closer to 400w, so while gaming temps might be a little high, anything like blender or even win-zip is going to go all out on air.

Simple fact is that while many are scared of, dislike, don't trust or don't want liquid cooling, on a 250w cpu there is little choice. Either accept high temp limitations on performance and cooler fan volume, or go big liquid.

For a 13700k, a 360/420mm AIO is what you'd be looking at. With CoolerMaster, the ML-L is bottom of the barrel, the ML-R is considerably better. But I'd be looking at Arctic, Corsair, Fractal Design or EK if you want good companies that stand behind their products and live up to warranty expectations and more.

I 100% agree. I have been running water cooled for the last 8 years and love it. So did you have any specific 3 fan coolers in mind that would keep that CPU cool? Links please.

 

[Spitfire7]

I want to go water cooled. No one mentioned corsair for the CPU cooler. Hows this one?

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/8j...pellix-75-cfm-liquid-cpu-cooler-cw-9060048-ww

 

[Darkbreeze]

I want to go water cooled. No one mentioned corsair for the CPU cooler.

Pretty sure I did.

The 2 year warranty that cooler carries is not the greatest when some others like Corsair have a 5 year warranty on most of theirs.

The Elite Capelix is a good choice.

 

[Karadjgne]

It's more than just the brand, although that can carry its own weight. Also to consider are the extras, like aesthetics (not every cooler comes with argb or in white etc) or customization (NZXT uses Cam software, Corsair has iCue, most others are bios/motherboard software controlled). There's also (as Darkbreeze said) other things, some coolers are louder than needs be (Evga), even Asus has gotten into the game in partnership with Noctua and has a seriously complex OLED pump screen.

Most aios will perform similarly, better attention paid to fan choices making for better temps, but they all fall within a few degrees of each other. So many times it falls on the gimmicks, the extras, that make or break a coolers fitment in your idea for the build.

Not many want an all White pc, with a giant black aio and dull fans, or a dark theme pc with 3 large argb fans taking up unnecessary wiring management. Although more than a few could care less about the aesthetics, they just want absolute performance at any cost.

 

[Darkbreeze]

I want it all, and I want it now. LOL.

 

[Karadjgne]

Such an awesome song...

 

[Darkbreeze]

LOL. Right?

 

[Karadjgne]

🎄Merry Christmas 🎁, now go to bed, it's 1:25AM...

 

[Darkbreeze]

I think you're an hour ahead of me. MC to you all though. Have a good Christmas at the least.

 

[Spitfire7]

Hey guys, I am now thinking of going with these options

(New addition) ASUS Z790-E ROG STRIX
Core i7-13700k
32GB Trident DDR5 6400
Phanteks Eclipse G360A case
Samsung PRO SSD 980 2TB
Win 11
and still looking for a CPU 360mm water cooler.

Parts I already have,

Gigabyte RTX 3070 OC Gamer
Corsair RM850x PSU

Any compatibility issues or weird bugs that haven't been sorted out yet?

I did hear something about if I use the onboard SSD it lowers my PCIe from 16x down to 8x? What's that all about?

Can someone help me to finalize a tri 360mm cooler under $200? I was going to go with the Phanteks Glacier One, but they are back ordered probably forever. So, the best cooler under $200, ARGB, nice high RPMs 2200+ (I don't care about noise level), but keeps it cool and efficient. Keep in mind it has to be compatible with the LGA 1700 Socket size.