[SOLVED] Need advice! - CPU-heavy PC for gaming

LobsterBaron

Reputable
Feb 7, 2015
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Hello folks,

I did post this last week but it faded into oblivion without any replies :( Could really do with a pro taking a look at this and telling me thoughts.

Just starting to plan a new PC. My previous PC build from 2014 was very GPU heavy, which was great for showing off Witcher III maxed out to friends - but I realised it wasn't really well-catered to the games I play and the GPU spent a lot of time idling while my CPU died under the weight of modded 10-15 year old games or Dwarf Fortress etc...

So we're talking about CPU heavy games which are frequently poorly optimised for multiple CPU cores (or they only use one CPU core)...

EXAMPLES:
Dwarf Fortress
Kerbal Space Program (Realism Overhaul / RP1)
X3 + LitCube's Universe + Mayhem
Football Manager games
Paradox games
Mount and Blade with mods (and M&B II when it comes - and will likely be hideously optimised for CPUs...)

My intuition is also that RAM speed and SSD speed are much more important for these types of games.
The caveat is - I WOULD like to play Cyberpunk 2077 at 60 FPS whilst I'm at it... so, you know, gotta have a decent GPU too.

Approximate Purchase Date: 1-2 months from now
Budget Range: 1200-1500 USD (1000 GBP+)
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming (see comments)
Are you buying a monitor: Yes
Do you need to buy OS: No
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: I am UK-based, so that'd be helpful. Otherwise, whatever.
Location:Scotland, UK
Parts Preferences: INTEL / NVIDIA - I've been burnt by AMD too many times to go back.
Overclocking: Yes - CPU in particular.
Your Monitor Resolution: 1080p 144hz OR 1440p 60Hz

Here is what I've put together myself so far, with some rationale:

CPU i5-9600K
Preferring intel as my last AMD processor (10+ years ago) was a massive disappointment - plus Intel seems to win out on cost / single-thread processing power.
Similar priced AMD is AMD Ryzen 7 2700X which has MUCH WORSE single core speed (and of course much better Multi-core)

BOARD Gigabyte - Z390 UD ATX
Haven't got a clue... boards are such a minefield. I would like something which can OC the CPU as much as possible - single core CPU speed is important for me. (see above).

GPU Nvidia RTX 2060 6GB
Or the 2080 version - but then I'm adding ~500 USD for something I probably don't need. As long as I can get 60fps on decent spec in Cyberpunk 2077 I'll be fine... Doesn't need to model Geralt's hair physics...

SSD SAMSUNG 970 Pro 512GB
This seems about right... Could go faster... don't need to go bigger. I have a bunch of HDD I can stick in for storage.

RAM G.SKILL Trident Z RGB DDR4 3200 C16 2x8GB

COOLING stock?

I bought a massive fan on my last PC and never really used it... not sure I should bother this time. Although I would like to push the CPU more... I do NOT care about fan loudness - actually I find loud fans relaxing

MONITOR 1440p 60hz IPS OR 1080p 144hz TN - difficult choice.....

CASE Some Cheapo ATX Mid
I like BIG cases with cheesy features like flashing lights and so on. Doesn't have to have Alienware printed on the side... But a 50 quid or less case will suit me

PSU Corsair 750W or something like that. Anything which isn't likely to blow up will be fine...

Please let me know thoughts or alternatives.
 
Solution
The 9700k should OC better and last longer.
You need a robust cooler to push the clocks as high as possible.
Motherboard needs to have more power phases and VRMs while relatively inexpensive...
https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/cheap-z390-motherboards-compared,6090.html
RAM and SSD, best vs 2nd best does not have a significant effect on game performance.
2060 is good enough for 1080p/144hz which should be the sweet spot.
Never compromise on PSU quality as it has the potential to take the entire system down when its broke.
Decent quality big case should be good for thermals and air flow.
VA panels have better color depth than TN, and better G2G response time than IPS.

Something like this should be pretty...
The 9700k should OC better and last longer.
You need a robust cooler to push the clocks as high as possible.
Motherboard needs to have more power phases and VRMs while relatively inexpensive...
https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/cheap-z390-motherboards-compared,6090.html
RAM and SSD, best vs 2nd best does not have a significant effect on game performance.
2060 is good enough for 1080p/144hz which should be the sweet spot.
Never compromise on PSU quality as it has the potential to take the entire system down when its broke.
Decent quality big case should be good for thermals and air flow.
VA panels have better color depth than TN, and better G2G response time than IPS.

Something like this should be pretty good...

PCPartPicker Part List

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
CPU | Intel - Core i7-9700K 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor | £353.99 @ Amazon UK
CPU Cooler | Scythe - Mugen 5 Rev. B 51.17 CFM CPU Cooler | £51.65 @ Overclockers.co.uk
Motherboard | Gigabyte - Z390 GAMING SLI ATX LGA1151 Motherboard | £139.99 @ Box Limited
Memory | G.Skill - Aegis 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory | £63.09 @ Amazon UK
Storage | ADATA - XPG SX8200 Pro 512 GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive | £76.16 @ Aria PC
Video Card | EVGA - GeForce RTX 2060 6 GB XC GAMING Video Card | £311.99 @ Amazon UK
Case | Thermaltake - Versa H22 ATX Mid Tower Case | £33.47 @ Ebuyer
Power Supply | Corsair - TXM Gold 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply | £64.96 @ Amazon UK
Monitor | AOC - C24G1 24.0" 1920x1080 144 Hz Monitor | £179.99 @ CCL Computers
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
| Total | £1275.29
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-07-13 02:46 BST+0100 |
 
Solution