Build Advice Need advice for building a top spec PC on a £3000 budget ?

[khaineincarnate]

Hello,

As the title says, I'd like to ask for some advice on building a top spec pc. I'm looking specifically for top quality GPU and CPU, I'm eyeing the the RTX 4090 and Intel I9 13900k with 64 gb ddr4 Ram. 1000watt PSU and liquid cooler.

Intel Core i9 13900K Raptor Lake-S CPU - BX8071513900K

Available at CCL - Intel Core i9-13900K. 3.0GHz, 24 cores, 32 Threads, 36MB Cache & 125W TDP. Fits in Socket 1700 motherboards. No Cooler Included. , Mfg Code: BX8071513900K

www.cclonline.com

Intel Socket Motherboard ranges, available from CCL | CCL

Our range of Intel Motherboards covers all sockets including 2011-v, 1151 and more, from popular manufacturers including Gigabyte, ASUS, ASRock MSI and Biostar.

www.cclonline.com

DDR4 Desktop PC Memory | CCL

Shop the latest DDR4 Desktop Memory from Kingston, Crucial, Corsair, and many more top brands

www.cclonline.com

Corsair SF-L Series 1000W Modular 80+ Gold PSU - CP-9020246-UK

Available @ CCL: Corsair SF-L Series 1000W SFX-L Power Supply. 80 Plus Gold Certified, Modular Cables, 8 x SATA, 5 x 8-Pin, 4 + 4-Pin x 2 CPU., Mfg Code: CP-9020246-UK

www.cclonline.com

CPU Liquid Coolers | AIO Liquid CPU Coolers | CCL

CPU Liquid Coolers available from CCL Computers. Find your perfect Desktop PC, Laptop, Monitor, Computer Part or peripheral with CCL Computers. Shop online today!

www.cclonline.com

The pc I want to use for gaming mainly, I play lots of triple A rpg games, RTS, turn based strategy, but I might consider using it for virtualisation.

This is the first pc I will build ever, so I won't know if anything might bottleneck its performance. The reason I'm looking for top quality components is because I don't want to keep upgrading it to enjoy maximum performance and quality with yearly game releases, I want to build something that will last me for a couple of years at least.

If someone has better suggestions I'm all eyes

 

[Lucky_SLS]

Great to hear that!

We would love to see your completed build in our member's gallery thread!

Tom's Hardware Member System Gallery

Rules ■Tom's Hardware's ToU and RoC always applies. ■Everyone will respect everyone. Flames will not be tolerated at all in this thread. ■Please limit your gallery to 1 post (4 pictures and if more pictures are needed, please post a link). ■When commenting on a system gallery, please type the...

forums.tomshardware.com

 

[khaineincarnate]

Got the parts, spent 5 hours assembling the thing. Doesn't power on.

It seems the mobo gets no power even though the molex cable is plugged into it and the power supply gets power. I havent seen a led in this mobo anywhere so cant be 100% sure thats the case though. Fans do not light up at all though...I think thats the most reliable sign something faulty.

What would you recommend me do ppl? Im already trying to book a testing service for the components, but that would be Monday at earliest I think...

 

[Nighthawk117]

Got the parts, spent 5 hours assembling the thing. Doesn't power on.

It seems the mobo gets no power even though the molex cable is plugged into it and the power supply gets power. I havent seen a led in this mobo anywhere so cant be 100% sure thats the case though. Fans do not light up at all though...I think thats the most reliable sign something faulty.

What would you recommend me do ppl? Im already trying to book a testing service for the components, but that would be Monday at earliest I think...

I would check the power switch, be sure to match positive and negative to the right pins.

 

[khaineincarnate]

I would check the power switch, be sure to match positive and negative to the right pins.

The motherboard switch? how can I do that?

 

[Lucky_SLS]

so the top connection in the mobo is called EPS 8 pin and it would be labelled as such in the PSU. its not molex.
the PSU manual and the mobo manual would help you identifying the correct cables and the proper ports on the backside of the PSU.

Also, you have the EZ debug LEDs just above the 24pin mobo connection.

you should just trial the working outside the case, that would help a lot in de-bugging.

 

[Nighthawk117]

The motherboard switch? how can I do that?

It will say in the manual for the motherboard which way around the front panel connectors plug into the board.
This is not your board it's mine, but just as an example:

https://imgur.com/NcwZmEo

View: https://imgur.com/NcwZmEo

The manual will tell you which pins are positive and negative. They should also be written on the end of the wires in the case to help you match them up.

 

[khaineincarnate]

Ahh, ok. I've had a lot of manuals to go through and don't think I saw something abiut the power switch. I look again thank you.

 

[khaineincarnate]

The EZ debug tells nothing, because I cant get power to the mobo or the mobo is dead for some reason...I dont expect these things to be broken though cuz they came in boxed and packed properly and also Im positive the psu is properly connected ~ I have it connected to the mainboard and the cpu, front panel cables are also connected. And there is just nothing going on, I cant power it up at all.

Wtf man.

I did byy a different cooler though Shadow Rock 3. I've read somewhere tge pc won't power on if it doesnt have enough cooling on CPU. Also checked the CPU for frying marks and there are none. Unplugged and replugged all the cables - fans, psu mainboard, cpu cable; front panel cable, reinstalled ram. I inly forgot about the gpu but I don't bother with it until I can get the machine turned on. The only symptom of no gpu is no visual image right? I don't need it to power on the pc. I also used a different power cord cable. Reduced thermal compound on cpu as I apllied too much.

Am I missing something? Cuz I think I've exhausted all the testing options

 

[Zerk2012]

The EZ debug tells nothing, because I cant get power to the mobo or the mobo is dead for some reason...I dont expect these things to be broken though cuz they came in boxed and packed properly and also Im positive the psu is properly connected ~ I have it connected to the mainboard and the cpu, front panel cables are also connected. And there is just nothing going on, I cant power it up at all.

Wtf man.

Is this the motherboard you bought?

PRO B760M-P DDR4

PRO series motherboards tuned for better performance by Core Boost, DDR4 memory with Memory Boost, Lightning Gen4 PCIe, M.2 Shield Frozr, USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C

www.msi.com

 

[stonecarver]

Post some pictures, if there is a wiring issue someone will see it.

 

[khaineincarnate]

the power supply you chose is for an itx case. those are small formfactor cases, like the corsair 2000D case i listed in my post.

the 4090 can handle 4k 144hz. the 7000 series X3D chips are the current gaming kings. and regarding longevity, you can upgrade to ryzen 9000 series [ryzen goes in a 2XXX increment per generation, weird i know] CPUs as the AM5 mobo will be supported till 2025. maybe even the 11000 (?) series.

And like told before, 16 cores with hyperthreading is better than 8 high power and 16 power saving cores. especially when VM is not properly utilising the hybrid core design.

Revised list with normal sized components:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D 4.2 GHz 16-Core Processor (£608.44 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright FT120 82 CFM CPU Cooler (£49.60 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: MSI MAG B650 TOMAHAWK WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard (£189.00 @ Computer Orbit)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6600 CL32 Memory (£219.98 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Crucial P5 Plus 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive (£99.98 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: MSI RTX 4090 VENTUS 3X 24G OC GeForce RTX 4090 24 GB Video Card (£1639.00 @ Computer Orbit)
Case: NZXT H5 Flow ATX Mid Tower Case (£78.34 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: Corsair RM1000e (2023) 1000 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (£129.98 @ Scan.co.uk)
Case Fan: Corsair ML140 LED ELITE White Premium 82.9 CFM 120 mm Fan (£9.98 @ Amazon UK)
Case Fan: Corsair ML140 LED ELITE White Premium 82.9 CFM 120 mm Fan (£9.98 @ Amazon UK)
Case Fan: Corsair ML140 LED ELITE White Premium 82.9 CFM 120 mm Fan (£9.98 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £3044.26
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-07-22 11:33 BST+0100

This is the build ppl. The only thing different are cooler and ram (32gb 6400mt/s dr5) and ssd.

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Image 16906596473872376256161481768836 hosted in ImgBB

ibb.co

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ibb.co

 

[khaineincarnate]

Please say if you want more detail/better pictures.

Thanks

 

[Lucky_SLS]

brands like MSI would typically QC their mobo to check its not dead on arrival and will have a QC passed sticker in the packaging.

its unfortunate but it might happen and thats why RMA process is there.

But before we jump to that conclusion, could i confirm the following for ur B650 tomahawk?

Lets make sure that the mobo is working - we can check the working with limited number or components and wires.

1) have single stick of ram in slot 2 - DIMM A2. [BTW, plz use DIMM A2 and B2 for dual channel. slot 2 & 4. you have used slots 1 and 2 which would make them run in single channel and loose performance. See mobo manual page 8]

2) if u have the M.2 installed, no problem. remove the gpu and connect the display port/hdmi to the mobo port. CPU has igpu for display.

3) the H5 flow does not have a HDD and reset connections if i am not wrong. so only connect the power LED and the power switch [or just the power switch for debugging] to the JFP1 header. Its located in the bottom right as shown on page 26 of the mobo manual.

so you would be having the mobo power connectors (24 and 2 x EPS), single stick of ram, cpu and cooler and M.2 SSD. Front panel connected and display from mobo to monitor, cpu cooler power connections and CPU_FAN1 header.

Switching on the power should give you some indications and power on the cpu cooler atleast. if nothing happens, RMA your board.

Refer page 48 of the mobo manual:
The BIOS might need updating and hence you might get a red CPU led. refer page 55 for bios update.

You can also try registering and contacting MSI directly.

 

[khaineincarnate]

brands like MSI would typically QC their mobo to check its not dead on arrival and will have a QC passed sticker in the packaging.

its unfortunate but it might happen and thats why RMA process is there.

But before we jump to that conclusion, could i confirm the following for ur B650 tomahawk?

Lets make sure that the mobo is working - we can check the working with limited number or components and wires.

1) have single stick of ram in slot 2 - DIMM A2. [BTW, plz use DIMM A2 and B2 for dual channel. slot 2 & 4. you have used slots 1 and 2 which would make them run in single channel and loose performance. See mobo manual page 8]

2) if u have the M.2 installed, no problem. remove the gpu and connect the display port/hdmi to the mobo port. CPU has igpu for display.

3) the H5 flow does not have a HDD and reset connections if i am not wrong. so only connect the power LED and the power switch [or just the power switch for debugging] to the JFP1 header. Its located in the bottom right as shown on page 26 of the mobo manual.

so you would be having the mobo power connectors (24 and 2 x EPS), single stick of ram, cpu and cooler and M.2 SSD. Front panel connected and display from mobo to monitor, cpu cooler power connections and CPU_FAN1 header.

Switching on the power should give you some indications and power on the cpu cooler atleast. if nothing happens, RMA your board.

Refer page 48 of the mobo manual:
The BIOS might need updating and hence you might get a red CPU led. refer page 55 for bios update.

You can also try registering and contacting MSI directly.

Thanks ill give it one more try and probably hand it over for testing tomorrow. I wanted to do it myself but i dont have spare equipmemt or any equipment to do testing properly.

Cheers

 

[khaineincarnate]

Apparently, it's the power switch that's falty (phew). The mobo seems fine.

I'll post the PC picture tomorrow .

 

[Lucky_SLS]

Thats great news, cheers!

 

[khaineincarnate]

No problem.

Also, isn't water cooling better than air? I'm asking because of that and because water coolers are reqlly cool.

Another thing is sound. Do I need to install a sound card in pci to use speakers? What speakers would you recommend?

 

[Lucky_SLS]

only the 13900k/13700k would require an AIO. they pull about 200W in gaming scenarios.

The ryzen would pull about 100W, so the air coolers are more than sufficient.

speakers is a difficult to say. the price varies according to power output and features.

high end speakers have amplifiers built in. so the mobo audio dosent play a role at all.

Few models to consider:

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/hND7YJ/creative-labs-creative-stage-v2-80-w-21-channel-speakers-mf8375

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/svBv6h/logitech-speakers-980000402

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/PKmxFT/creative-labs-sound-blasterx-katana-0w-21ch-speakers-51mf8245aa000

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/TRsV3C/creative-labs-sound-blaster-katana-v2x-90-w-21-channel-speakers-51mf8400aa000

 

[khaineincarnate]

only the 13900k/13700k would require an AIO. they pull about 200W in gaming scenarios.

The ryzen would pull about 100W, so the air coolers are more than sufficient.

speakers is a difficult to say. the price varies according to power output and features.

high end speakers have amplifiers built in. so the mobo audio dosent play a role at all.

Few models to consider:

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/hND7YJ/creative-labs-creative-stage-v2-80-w-21-channel-speakers-mf8375

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/svBv6h/logitech-speakers-980000402

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/PKmxFT/creative-labs-sound-blasterx-katana-0w-21ch-speakers-51mf8245aa000

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/TRsV3C/creative-labs-sound-blaster-katana-v2x-90-w-21-channel-speakers-51mf8400aa000

That's a shame lol, I really like the LEDs they put around these coolers and the whole design some PC's have when powered up.

Thanks for that list.

 

[Lucky_SLS]

What i said about the AIO is that they are not needed, but you can install one anyway.

I think with that long GPU, a front mounted AIO is not advisable. You would be having space to mount a 240 AIO in the top.

I would recommend this one: https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product...-illusion-liquid-cpu-cooler-mlx-d24m-a18p2-r1

 

[Nighthawk117]

No problem.

Also, isn't water cooling better than air? I'm asking because of that and because water coolers are reqlly cool.

Another thing is sound. Do I need to install a sound card in pci to use speakers? What speakers would you recommend?

It would depend on what coolers you are comparing. A high end air cooler is going to be similar to a good 240mm liquid cooler. The top end liquid coolers will outperform a high end air cooler.

My personal preference is for liquid cooling, they have greater capability at the top end, it's easier to access your other components and they look nicer. For reference I use an Asus Rog Strix LC240.

Do I need to install a sound card in pci to use speakers

No you don't need a sound card.

 

[khaineincarnate]

It would depend on what coolers you are comparing. A high end air cooler is going to be similar to a good 240mm liquid cooler. The top end liquid coolers will outperform a high end air cooler.

My personal preference is for liquid cooling, they have greater capability at the top end, it's easier to access your other components and they look nicer. For reference I use an Asus Rog Strix LC240.


No you don't need a sound card.

I cant get sound to work at all. Tried realtek and tomahawk oboard drivers and nothing. I have a pair of speakers that work on old pc but only because i installed Intrl hd audio and amd dont have that.
Help?

 

[khaineincarnate]

Ahh, nvm.

 

[Nighthawk117]

Ahh, nvm.

Does that mean you've fixed it?

 

[khaineincarnate]

Does that mean you've fixed it?

It does, yeah.

Btw. is it at all possible I can install fans the wrong way around? they have back-panels, so I assume they are meant to blow air in a single direction. But whats the purpose of these fans? Cooling or removing heat from the case?