Question New Gaming PC Build....

[N1njaDestr0yer]

Hello There,

I am in the mood to build another gaming PC but I am having trouble as to finding the right parts for the build, I was aiming to have an i7 12700k + 3070 Ti (maybe an RTX 3070 Ti) if the budget allows...

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/J9Kg3y My current list for the PC and I am trying to keep the PC's budget at $2,000.

Another thing is I do not live near a Microcenter (which sucks) I considered going to Best Buy to get all the parts that I need. Since I don't want to buy parts and wait while other parts are still in shipping/transit... I'd rather get all the parts in one stop, But that's just me... Any thoughts/improvements are welcome.

Also should I ditch the 500GB SSD (Boot Drive)?

Edit, I am aware of the i7 12700KF but I don't like CPU's that don't have integrated graphics on board, since what if I need to remove a virus is safe mode but can't use my GPU's Drivers or the GPU dies then you are SOS...

 

[Why_Me]

Second attempt at updating the PC PartPicker List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/Bxpn2m

since when did PC parts get so expensive...???

You want balance in a build. You have $750 invested in the board + cpu + cooler. That right there is almost half your $2000 budget. That set up will get you a whopping 1 more FPS on average vs the B660 + 12700. You need the more expensive cpu cooler for that 12700K for the fact that cpu has both a higher TDP and higher boost rate. Because of that $750 you lose out on both DDR5 and an RTX 3080. Now facter in the SSD. Samsung SSD's are solid but there's less expensive SSD's that offer the same performance and they include DRAM cache such as the PNY SSD I posted in that build on here. Know where to cut cost without cutting reliability and performance.

 

[N1njaDestr0yer]

I saw the build you posted... I was aiming for a 12700k + a 3070 Ti (maybe RTX) on a Z690 Motherboard, but I don't know if I can keep the Z690 Mobo with the current budget I had in mind, But B660? Never heard of it... I always thought if you are going with a K series CPU like a 12700k you would want a Z690, but I find myself just wanting that 12700k even though I never overclock it (nor any other parts that allow overclocking)

 

[Why_Me]

I saw the build you posted... I was aiming for a 12700k + a 3070 Ti (maybe RTX) on a Z690 Motherboard, but I don't know if I can keep the Z690 Mobo with the current budget I had in mind, But B660? Never heard of it... I always thought if you are going with a K series CPU like a 12700k you would want a Z690, but I find myself just wanting that 12700k even though I never overclock it (nor any other parts that allow overclocking)

Overlocking these 12 gen cpu's aren't worth the minimal gain you'd see vs the cost as is evident with your build. Most all the builds I post on the internet .. and I post a lot, include B660 boards + locked cpu's for the reason(s) I previously mentioned. It's all about Frames Per Second for a gaming build. Ask yourself what build on this thread is going to get the most frames per second.

 

[Vic 40]

Also I have never used an AIO, not once... I've always gone with a Air Cooler, simpler, and a lot less parts to fail sometime down the road...

That's up to you, can only recommend, what you choose is your decision.

Same goes for the cpu although i agree with those who say that the 12700(f) will be enough and will perform the same. I will say if you choose the K version get the decent Z chipset board with it, might as well go all the way then, maybe by taking some time for it you might be able to overclock it in the future just abit.

 

[helper800]

I saw the build you posted... I was aiming for a 12700k + a 3070 Ti (maybe RTX) on a Z690 Motherboard, but I don't know if I can keep the Z690 Mobo with the current budget I had in mind, But B660? Never heard of it... I always thought if you are going with a K series CPU like a 12700k you would want a Z690, but I find myself just wanting that 12700k even though I never overclock it (nor any other parts that allow overclocking)

Do this. As others have said the 12700-non K is nearly the same performance as the 12700k. The only reason to get a K processor is if you plan to overclock. Even if you do dial in a great overclock its very rarely more than a 5-10% difference in performance and this not worth the price increase. This also allows for much cheaper b660 motherboards.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i7-12700F 2.1 GHz 12-Core Processor ($312.96 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 50.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($89.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI PRO B660-A DDR4 ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($149.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($116.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 970 Evo Plus 500 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($79.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial MX500 2 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($179.99 @ Adorama)
Video Card: MSI GeForce RTX 3070 Ti 8 GB GAMING X TRIO Video Card ($769.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 4000D Airflow ATX Mid Tower Case ($94.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA G5 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1884.78
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-06-06 13:23 EDT-0400

 

[N1njaDestr0yer]

I've had some second thoughts on the PSU I want to use for this build... I was thinking about jumping up from a 750W PSU to a 850W PSU.... I thought a 750W PSU would be good on paper, but when I do some googling I hear about these power spikes and how some PSUs have a bad reputation with the 3000 series GPUs...

And I think I might foucs on getting all the basic parts first like CPU, Mobo, RAM, CPU Cooler, PSU and Case, and Case Fans.... Then worry about getting the GPU later (from places like Best Buy or where-ever or who has the "best" price for the GPU that I need and that has the closest price to MSRP so I don't wind up paying scalper prices for something I'll be using for a long while)

One other thing would Arctic MX-4 Thermal Compound work to cool the i7 12700k?

 

[Phaaze88]

One other thing would Arctic MX-4 Thermal Compound work to cool the i7 12700k?

This subject gets overblown. Your choice of paste matters very little. MX-4 is fine - hasn't it been succeeded by MX-5?
The choice matters more when the die is naked(no IHS on it), which is found in gpu and most laptops.

 

[N1njaDestr0yer]

Where could I go about finding a Bracket for the Be Quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4? Since Amazon tends to not supply one even when you reach out/call asking about it??

Edit: Should I go for a 850W PSU over the 750W PSU?

 

[Phaaze88]

Where could I go about finding a Bracket for the Be Quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4? Since Amazon tends to not supply one even when you reach out/call asking about it??

It's included in the packaging - BUT, if you are unlucky and get an older package that does not have it, the next step is calling be quiet and letting their support know what's up, and they should send you one free of charge.

 

[helper800]

Where could I go about finding a Bracket for the Be Quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4? Since Amazon tends to not supply one even when you reach out/call asking about it??

Edit: Should I go for a 850W PSU over the 750W PSU?

750w is fine.

 

[N1njaDestr0yer]

It's included in the packaging - BUT, if you are unlucky and get an older package that does not have it, the next step is calling be quiet and letting their support know what's up, and they should send you one free of charge.

Not from the reviews I read, they were complaining about the same thing... how that the cooler doesn't come with the bracket, annoying

https://www.amazon.com/quiet-Dark-R...4&qid=1654538863&sprefix=Be+Qu,aps,146&sr=8-2 Cooler I wanted to use

 

[helper800]

Not from the reviews I read, they were complaining about the same thing... how that the cooler doesn't come with the bracket, annoying

https://www.amazon.com/quiet-Dark-Rock-BK022-Cooler/dp/B07BY6F8D9/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1RILVYEUXN4XX&keywords=be+quiet+dark+rock+pro+4&qid=1654538863&sprefix=Be+Qu,aps,146&sr=8-2 Cooler I wanted to use

If it does not come with the bracket you can get one from the manufacturers site for free after you upload the invoice of the order to them.

 

[Phaaze88]

Not from the reviews I read, they were complaining about the same thing... how that the cooler doesn't come with the bracket, annoying

https://www.amazon.com/quiet-Dark-Rock-BK022-Cooler/dp/B07BY6F8D9/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1RILVYEUXN4XX&keywords=be+quiet+dark+rock+pro+4&qid=1654538863&sprefix=Be+Qu,aps,146&sr=8-2 Cooler I wanted to use

It takes time to supply updated packaging. In the mean time, they're still going to sell the older ones; they're not just going to get rid of them.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Where could I find all the parts that I wanted in that build list? I would like to buy all the parts instead of buying parts then waiting 3-4 days while some parts show up and while others are still in transit....

Also I have never used an AIO, not once... I've always gone with a Air Cooler, simpler, and a lot less parts to fail sometime down the road...

Buying the way you want to do it, and accept my apology in advance because I'm not saying it to be offensive to YOU, but it's stupid. Here's why.

First of all, even if you buy them all from one retailer, on the same day, at the same time, they are not all going to show up together, even if you ask for it to. I know, I've gone through this dozens of times with Amazon. They even ASK you if you want to do that half the time, and even when you say yes, it usually doesn't.

But that's not the real reason it's stupid. The real reason it's stupid is because from one retailer to another, on any given day, there might be as much as a 20 dollar difference on the cost of any given piece of identical hardware depending on if it's part of a bundle, or it's on sale, or one retailer has high inventory of that item while others have little. Many reasons why the prices vary from retailer to retailer and buying from multiple retailers is the only way to ensure you pay as little as possible, especially if you are ordering items large enough to qualify for free shipping.

As far as the cooler goes, I MUCH prefer using air to using liquid. Closed loop AIO coolers generally don't tend to greatly, if at all, outperform top shelf air coolers and even some of the upper mid range coolers give everything smaller than a 360mm AIO a good run for their money AND generally result in a significantly quieter overall build, for a variety of reasons which I won't get into unless you really want to hear them. I have yet to encounter a CPU that can't be cooled using air except the FX-9590 and most of the problem with that wasn't really that the coolers couldn't keep the CPU cool, it was that realistically there weren't any boards at any price with good enough VRMs to handle the high leakage aspect of the CPU design, which was just terribly flawed. Other than that, so long as we're not talking about overclocking already high TDP models, a high end twin finstack cooler can handle even the highest TDP processors for the most part so long as the remainder of the cooling system is also adequate.

Besides which, the 12700k really isn't one of those anyhow.

As far as thermal paste goes, it does get overblown, but there ARE measurable differences between different products. Without getting into the exotic stuff, I generally use Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut or Noctua NT-H1 or H2, on higher TDP builds and for lower, average type builds, Arctic MX-4, Arctic Silver, or any of the pastes that generally already come WITH the cooler, IF it's a decent cooler to begin with, work fine. Every build I do these days pretty much gets Kryonaut or NT-H2 because those are what I usually keep on hand but I have no problem with using MX-4 or most any of Arctic's products for that matter. Thermalright (NOT Thermaltake), Cryorig, Phanteks and Be Quiet all have decent TIM as well.