[SOLVED] Need advice on my $2.5k gaming PC build

[Philosophia]

Hello all, I was hoping you could give me your feedback on my pc build and double-check my work. I want to make certain there aren't any conflicts within the build and that the parts I've chosen are of sound quality. The build is linked below; any and all feedback is appreciated.
Some things about the build:

• I wanted it to be able to handle any game I threw at it; whether it be an MMO or high fidelity AAA title. Video editing on the side was is also intended.
• I will be reusing an older GPU until cards descend in price (I know it sort of conflicts with the prior point ha.)
• The budget was meant to be $2.5k, but it is flexible. Thus if your suggestions bump it higher that is alright.
• Do not need OS or peripherals.
• My monitor is 1080p but ill be moving to 4k ultrawide or a multi-monitor setup.
• I know the i9 is a waste of money essentially.

I really want to make certain I haven't picked out a configuration that isn't idiotic in some way (like cooler doesn't fit or is there not enough clearance for the RAM) so any mistakes you may catch are much appreciated. If you recommend any other components or configurations that are appreciated as well. Thank you for your time.

PCPartPicker Part List

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
CPU | Intel Core i9-12900K 3.2 GHz 16-Core Processor | $618.89 @ B&H
CPU Cooler | Noctua NH-D15 chromax.black 82.52 CFM CPU Cooler | $109.95 @ Amazon
Motherboard | ASRock Z690 EXTREME ATX LGA1700 Motherboard | $259.99 @ Newegg
Memory | G.Skill Ripjaws V 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-4000 CL18 Memory | $132.99 @ Newegg
Memory | G.Skill Ripjaws V 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-4000 CL18 Memory | $132.99 @ Newegg
Storage | Samsung 980 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive | $329.99 @ Amazon
Case | Fractal Design Torrent ATX Mid Tower Case | $201.98 @ Newegg
Power Supply | Corsair HX Platinum 1000 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply | $203.30 @ Amazon
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
| Total (before mail-in rebates) | $2000.08
| Mail-in rebates | -$10.00
| Total | $1990.08
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-12-07 13:49 EST-0500 |

 

[Lutfij]

Build looks stellar!...but we don't know what your current GPU is. I'd have gone with an 360mm AIO for that processor as opposed to an air cooler, just to keep things sleek but the Torrent will have good airflow and the Noctua cooler should be able to keep things cool, albeit a bulky piece of cooling atop the motherboard's socket. On a side note, you might want to contact Noctua before you purchase the cooler since the socket support does not include LGA1700...and you might need to provide proof of purchase of the cooler to Noctua in order to receive the mounting bracket for the cooler.

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

Case | Fractal Design Torrent

the layout of this case is not very intelligent.
i personally do not like top mounted power supplies.
the fan mounting options are also not good due to this.
there are plenty of fan mounting points in the case but they are not in ideal locations.

considering that heat will rise to the ceiling of the enclosure, you only have a single direct exhaust option in the rear-top.
also the power supply will be drawing in heated air from the CPU so it will stay much warmer than usual and it's fan will be operating a lot more than necessary.

if you have the front as intakes and bottom as exhaust all of the cool air brought in will be immediately sucked out through the bottom before reaching the CPU, memory, VRMs, etc.

if you have intakes in the bottom and exhaust in the front the GPU will pull in the majority of it and warm it significantly before it could reach any other components and also a lot of the air will just be sucked directly out of the front.

 

[helper800]

the layout of this case is not very intelligent.
i personally do not like top mounted power supplies.
the fan mounting options are also not good due to this.
there are plenty of fan mounting points in the case but they are not in ideal locations.

considering that heat will rise to the ceiling of the enclosure, you only have a single direct exhaust option in the rear-top.
also the power supply will be drawing in heated air from the CPU so it will stay much warmer than usual and it's fan will be operating a lot more than necessary.

if you have the front as intakes and bottom as exhaust all of the cool air brought in will be immediately sucked out through the bottom before reaching the CPU, memory, VRMs, etc.

if you have intakes in the bottom and exhaust in the front the GPU will pull in the majority of it and warm it significantly before it could reach any other components and also a lot of the air will just be sucked directly out of the front.

Gamers Nexus gave it a gold star so I would say its a great case based on that alone.

Personally I would do this.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i9-12900K 3.2 GHz 16-Core Processor ($618.88 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 280 72.8 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($104.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI PRO Z690-A WIFI DDR4 ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($239.99 @ Adorama)
Memory: G.Skill Trident Z RGB 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR4-4000 CL18 Memory ($339.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 980 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($329.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design Torrent ATX Mid Tower Case ($201.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic FOCUS PX 850 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($163.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1999.80
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-12-07 14:55 EST-0500

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

Gamers Nexus gave it a gold star so I would say its a great case based on that alone.

your personal opinion doesn't really mean much if you only base it on other's scores and not your own evaluation.

they will often give high scores to inadequate hardware just because it supposedly looks "cool" or is from a company that they enjoy getting free stuff from.

 

[Philosophia]

Build looks stellar!...but we don't know what your current GPU is. I'd have gone with an 360mm AIO for that processor as opposed to an air cooler, just to keep things sleek but the Torrent will have good airflow and the Noctua cooler should be able to keep things cool, albeit a bulky piece of cooling atop the motherboard's socket. On a side note, you might want to contact Noctua before you purchase the cooler since the socket support does not include LGA1700...and you might need to provide proof of purchase of the cooler to Noctua in order to receive the mounting bracket for the cooler.

Oh you are right, I apologize for not mentioning that. I have 2 970s that I'll put in there for now. RIP SLI. I didn't know I'd have to contact Noctua for the new mounting bracket. Thank you for the heads up. Is there a 360 AIO you'd recommend? Also, am I correct to think it silly to wait for DDR5 availablility?

 

[Philosophia]

the layout of this case is not very intelligent.
i personally do not like top mounted power supplies.
the fan mounting options are also not good due to this.
there are plenty of fan mounting points in the case but they are not in ideal locations.

considering that heat will rise to the ceiling of the enclosure, you only have a single direct exhaust option in the rear-top.
also the power supply will be drawing in heated air from the CPU so it will stay much warmer than usual and it's fan will be operating a lot more than necessary.

if you have the front as intakes and bottom as exhaust all of the cool air brought in will be immediately sucked out through the bottom before reaching the CPU, memory, VRMs, etc.

if you have intakes in the bottom and exhaust in the front the GPU will pull in the majority of it and warm it significantly before it could reach any other components and also a lot of the air will just be sucked directly out of the front.

What do you think of the Corsair 5000D or the Lian Li lancool II mesh?

 

[Eximo]

your personal opinion doesn't really mean much if you only base it on other's scores and not your own evaluation.

they will often give high scores to inadequate hardware just because it supposedly looks "cool" or is from a company that they enjoy getting free stuff from.

I think that is doing a disservice to GN. They are the first to piss of manufacturers with bad reviews on products and they hold their ground. A lot of the stuff they get isn't free after having done that often. Many OEMs will not send samples to GN, those that do actually have begun to value feedback. Between them and HardwareCanucks is where I look for for case reviews (though I don't often do so)

Honestly I see nothing wrong with that chassis. I've certainly built powerful energy gobbling machines in old fashioned towers, with a LOT less ventilation. They work fine. PSUs can take the heat and if they get warm, the fan will kick on.

 

[Eximo]

What do you think of the Corsair 5000D or the Lian Li lancool II mesh?

Also excellent choices for airflow.

 

[Philosophia]

Gamers Nexus gave it a gold star so I would say its a great case based on that alone.

Personally I would do this.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i9-12900K 3.2 GHz 16-Core Processor ($618.88 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 280 72.8 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($104.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI PRO Z690-A WIFI DDR4 ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($239.99 @ Adorama)
Memory: G.Skill Trident Z RGB 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR4-4000 CL18 Memory ($339.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 980 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($329.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design Torrent ATX Mid Tower Case ($201.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic FOCUS PX 850 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($163.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1999.80
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-12-07 14:55 EST-0500

Why did you go with the MSI pro mother board out of curiosity?

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

They are the first to piss of manufacturers with bad reviews on products and they hold their ground. A lot of the stuff they get isn't free after having done that often. Many OEMs will not send samples to GN

that's awesome that you work for them and actually handle their communications with manufacturers and know what type of relationships they have with them.
also awesome you handle their receiving and purchasing so you actually know if they are review items or personally purchased.

but let's leave this off-topic crap out of the OP's thread.

 

[Why_Me]

The 12900K is a hose job for a gaming build. The 12700K/KF gets you similar performance while using less power and producing less heat. With the RAM you want 3600mhz CL16. Easier to set your timings and less latency. 32GB is fine for video editing and more than enough for gaming. PCIe 4.0 SSD's tend to run warm and when those SSD's heat up they throttle down. btw if you plan on playing any First Person Shooter games such as CoD or BF then forget about 4K and move up to 1440P so you get the needed frames per second.

Try this and put your savings towards the gpu.

https://www.newegg.com/gigabyte-aorus-z690-gaming-x-ddr4/p/N82E16813145347
GIGABYTE Z690 GAMING X DDR4 $229.99

https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/Z690-GAMING-X-DDR4-rev-10#kf

https://www.newegg.com/intel-core-i7-12700kf-core-i7-12th-gen/p/N82E16819118345
Intel Core i7-12700KF $409.98

https://www.newegg.com/be-quiet-dark-rock-pro-4-bk022/p/13C-001F-00027
be quiet! 250W TDP Dark Rock Pro 4 $89.90

https://www.newegg.com/ballistix-32gb-288-pin-ddr4-sdram/p/N82E16820164174
Crucial Ballistix DDR4 3600MHz 32GB (16GBx2) CL16 $199.99

https://www.newegg.com/pny-2tb-cs2130/p/0RN-002V-003B4
PNY CS2130 M.2 2280 2TB PCI-Express 3.0 x4, NVMe 1.3 3D NAND Internal SSD $184.99 Save: $55.00 (22%)

https://www.newegg.com/seasonic-focus-plus-gold-ssr-1000fx-1000w/p/N82E16817151210
Seasonic FOCUS GX-1000, 1000W 80+ Gold Modular Power Supply $179.99

https://www.techpowerup.com/289205/...essors-to-dynamically-park-and-unpark-e-cores

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

https://www.tomshardware.com/news/i...ryzen-9-5900x-and-5800x-face-off-intel-rising

https://www.techpowerup.com/review/intel-core-i7-12700k-alder-lake-12th-gen/

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B14h25fKMpY&t=1285s

 

[Eximo]

that's awesome that you work for them and actually handle their communications with manufacturers and know what type of relationships they have with them.
also awesome you handle their receiving and purchasing so you actually know if they are review items or personally purchased.

but let's leave this off-topic crap out of the OP's thread.

If you want to make such assumptions, the exact same can be said of you. Just flip the employment part. Do you know they were paid for their review of that chassis?

Not sure what all the vitriol is about having some trust in tech reviewers, I can't personally buy everything out there, and neither can people trying to buy components. I can look at their numbers objectively, and review the videos about individual components, and compare to others. Draw my own conclusions from aggregated results. If multiple outlets tell you the same thing, usually a good sign of honest reviews. And when they do provide negative and critical remarks regularly, that also shows integrity.

There are certainly ones that take any and all items sent to them and provide favorable reviews, but I tend to avoid them as it is obvious it is just pure marketing.

If you trust no one but yourself, then I assume you have this chassis in hand?

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

okay since we're continuing to hijack this thread :

Do you know they were paid for their review of that chassis?

i never mentioned anyone being paid for anything.

If you trust no one but yourself, then I assume you have this chassis in hand?

i don't need to have a case in hand when i can see every aspect of it in detailed images.

i have worked with more than enough different designs to know what works the best, what can be arranged differently to accommodate poorer designs, and what is just a worse idea and should be avoided for certain scenarios.

 

[Eximo]

okay since we're continuing to hijack this thread :

i never mentioned anyone being paid for anything.

i don't need to have a case in hand when i can see every aspect of it in detailed images.

i have worked with more than enough different designs to know what works the best, what can be arranged differently to accommodate poorer designs, and what is just a worse idea and should be avoided for certain scenarios.

Okay, then had a free chassis sent to them. But they do make money from people watching, not necessarily positive or negative reviews. And they do both. But it is more their comprehensive chassis performance charts and consistency that make me trust their reviews more than others.

I have similar levels of experience going back to the mid-90s. And I like to experiment and tinker, but it has been a while since my last drive to actually do some significant testing. Last time was buying about 5 different fans, and trying about 4 more, and picking the ideal candidate for replacing a no longer extant fan in an old CPU cooler. (Actually might reclaim that here soon, would be interesting to see how it has held up, an old dual tower on my Athlon X2)

Even if you didn't intend to come off that way, or feel that I am coming off that way, as long as we can have a civil discussion there is nothing wrong with differing opinions.

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

Even if you didn't intend to come off that way, or feel that I am coming off that way, as long as we can have a civil discussion there is nothing wrong with differing opinions.

of course.
many times that's how solutions & resolutions come to pass;
different opinions leading others to different paths that can eventually even solve many other unrelated problems.

been a while since my last drive to actually do some significant testing. Last time was buying about 5 different fans, and trying about 4 more...

too bad you or I can't do this with a good supply of review fans these days.

there are so many hundreds of models out there now,
some newer cheaper ones actually with very good specs nowadays,
it would great to have a completed Tom's thread with comparisons and actual real-world performance like the PSU tier lists, display comparisons, CPU comparisons, etc...

 

[Eximo]

I do have an old wind tunnel laying around I've been meaning to do something with...I always wanted to stick a Noctua heatsink in it with Mini-ITX board upside down on the top, just to see how cool I could get something. I have been looking for replacements for my Z87 ITX board with the 4770k in it, a good candidate, but it is my HTPC at the moment.

Fan market moves pretty quickly, and the popular models certainly get reviewed. But as was pointed out recently, this move to RGB fans has kind of homogenized the industry. Rather than making bespoke static pressure and air flow fans, everyone is making in-betweens so they work under both conditions.