Question PC build advise (high-end build for gaming/work/everyday)

[minezspeletajs]

Hello to everyone visiting this post and welcome to my PC build advisory thread

Below I am going to list the build parts that I came up with myself and I would totally love to hear your opinions and any advise you may want to share.

I do not claim to be knowledgeable about tech specs and compatibility, but I used PCPartPicker for reference and tons of googling and reddit/forum reading. Now I have settled down with the skeleton of the build and felt it is about time to ask experienced users of Tom's hardware forum of how You feel about my build and what potential issues you notice here.
Please bear with me.
Also, I apologise if I used wrong template below.

Short intro:
long story short I landed with decision to build myself a new PC. My current build features 1080 and i7-8700 and is around 7-8 years old by now. I still play on medium to high settings at 1440p for brand new games and overall feel fine.
However, I decided it is time to got RTX and oh man, I want to go big. You could say im building a PC with a distinct desire to enjoy CP2077+Phantom Liberty with RTX with proper FPS.
My budget is not limitless as im not ready to build around 4090 and im not a fan of AMD so no mention of equivalent AMD card here. But I am ready to pay a buck for 4080Super or 4070ti super, where 4080s is second best after 4090 if we exclude radeon 7000 series. (I may be wrong with my facts here, but 4080s looks OK when paired with i7-13700k. more about that in a few lines of text below). 4080s is affordable within my local pricing.


Approximate Purchase Date: the closer the better. I expect to buy parts in my home country (Latvia) and I do not mind overpaying above MSRP unless overpaying is too much.
However, I do not feel like delaying the build for another few months in order to wait for next gen chips. I may regret this decision later on if next gen appears to be ground-breaking but uh-oh, im also impatient to wait another couple of months to next gen + then another couple of months to see first tests, avoid first batch issues, confirm if they are reliable.

Budget Range: I dunno, around 2500-3000K usd? I think so far I reach almost 3k usd. its doable for me, but I do not want to raise the stakes to 4k usd.

System Usage from Most to Least Important: gaming (I really want to enable rtx, turn on dlss, maybe tinker with FG and other settings, get myself 50-60fps and enjoy rtx on otherwise ultra settings) > then heavy excel work (do not judge me but I work with excel files around 500mb size, let's not talk about it. my i7-8700 with 12 threads holds just fine) > then surfing, lightweight programming > modelling and engineering are some areas that I want to explore in my next 1-3 years so I just want to consider this just "in case".

Are you buying a monitor: No, I got benq 27inch 1440p and I love it



Parts (and my reasoning):

CPU: Intel i7-13700K

Why intel? I do not want to go with AMD, call it my stupidity or stubbornness, I call this my preference. Generally, let's not talk about Ryzen. I read a lot about Ryzen 7 and I acknowledge that they have arguably the best cpu for gaming at the moment. But I do not want to focus solely on gaming and I feel like staying with Intel despite all fuck-ups they have recently.
Why i7-13700k? Honestly, I got scared reading about gen13/14 instabilities, degradations and faults. I think 13900 and 14900 are crazy unstable. Also, unironically, my friend bought 14900k with his super-duper expensive build and couldn't launch any game without it crashing xD (he fixed this by now with some bios tinkering, and I do not want to go down this route). So I chose 13700k because it is still one-of-the-best modern intel cpu's, offers decent productivity, is usually within top5 of cpu's (sorry if this claim is false) and generally seems somewhat stable. At least not as unstable as 13900 or 14900.

I feel like this is ok choice, and after spending so much on this decision, im little bit reluctant to switch choice further. Any major No's here?

CPU COOLER: NZXT Kraken 360

I dunno. For starters, I wanted AIO. I respect huge air coolers, like Noctua or Be quiet!, but I wanted stylish AIO solution. I concluded that I need 240mm at least, so 280mm is comfortable overkill. And since im considering NZXT case, I might as well go with their relatively OK kraken. I read that i7-13700k needs a lot of cooling, but I also read that kraken seem to handle this.
I heard arctic is ok but meh, like it's decent but if you got extra budget, you might want to skip it. I dunno, but I chose NZXT in the end.
update: I switched to 360mm based on advise. 3 fans look gorgeous as well!

MoBo: Gigabyte z790 Aorus Elite X (not AX)

why z790? no comments. I do not want to go with B.. line, I can pay for Z. I believe this is just something you can agree with if money is not the issue.

why gigabyte? Another I dunno - please say it's ok situation : I wanted to combine GPU+MoBo by brand so I ended up with Gigabyte. I think it's decent? The quality of Gigabyte as brand I mean. Particularly Aorus Elite is just something I ended up with after reading forums and reddit. Looks like this is simply decent choice, not too expensive, and it's not widely unrecommended (like Asus ROG it seems). Also this MoBo seems to feature all compatibility that you may need (ddr5 ram, pcie5 video card, im not too proficient in these specs but I think this MoBo works for my particular build?)

Memory: G.skill trident z5 32gb (2x16) ddr5-6000 cl30

G.skill because I want to.
32gb because im not convinced in 64gb, should I?
ddr5 because I can afford it. I slightly remember some discussions that ddr5 is not completely stable just yet, but I also believe this is mostly true for speed of 7000+ MHz? I chose 6000 cl30 based on PC Builder advise for intel setup. But I thought about going 6400mhz . I would like to hear opinions on this. im not sure with my decision here.
update: switched to 6600 cl34 based on advise. I generally think anything below 7000mhz is stable so If I can afford it, I can go for it.

Storage: Samsung 990 Pro M2 + Some simpler SSD for storage like Samsung 860 Evo??

no comment. 990 pro as top of the notch for the OS, also gives extra space for whatever
+ ssd for storage, perhaps some Evo 860? Not important I. think, I can take 860 Evo 1tb from my current PC.
Disclaimer: I do not have a lot of important data that I absolutely cannot lose. This is mostly in cloud. So for ssd storage, I think about storage for games that come and go (and some other minor data).

Video Card: Gigabyte 4080 Super Gaming OC

for a moment there, I was going to settle with Asus tuf and combine it with Asus MoBo. But Asus tuf video card is overpriced in my country at least at the moment so I switched to Gigabyte. I read a few forums to decide which Gigabyte 4080S model is OK - and it seems Gaming OC is fine. I would definitely prefer EVGA, but you know... I am missing evga tbh

Case: NZXT H7 Flow

because it is simply ok? offers good airflow which is important for my choice of cpu. otherwise clean and decent quality case. not overwordly expensive so affordable.

Power Supply: Corsair rm1000x

this is the most confusing part of my build. Please help me, pretty please!
So, I know this is hot topic to count your watt output but I think you cannot go wrong with overkilling.
I wanted to settled with 750w but decided to go for 1000w for a good measure. do not mind the power consumption here.
But, im honestly confused with the brand and the model.

For brand, I think Corsair or Seasonic. For model? oh man, too much to choose from. HX, RX, Vertex, nada nada... so much models and everyone seems to have his own take on what good what's not. After a lot of hesitation, I decided to go for Corsair and I chose RM1000x (x, not e, because x>e in terms of quality or something?)

Please let me know if you have other opinion on PSU choice.

OS: Win10 pro ( I do not appreciate win11)

Monitor: 2560x1440 144hz

Do you need to buy OS: No (and I will use win10 pro)

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: PCPartPicker for reference, otherwise I do not care about prices and "good deals" that much

Location: Riga, Latvia. does it matter? I will buy parts from trustable stores.

Parts Preferences: Intel for CPU 1000%, G.Skill for RAM I guess, Samsung for M2 ssd, no preference for GPU, PSU, Cooling, Case, but I already listed and talked about all tat above

Overclocking: More No then Maybe

SLI or Crossfire: No? Single gpu is enough for me

Your Monitor Resolution: 2560x1440 144hz

Additional Comments: thanks for reading this

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: Long story short I got decent budget atm and want to get myself very high end PC to play proper RTX for next 5 years+. I play video games on almost daily basis and I love single player games, so graphics matter to me. I waited for a chance to get RTX since 20 series announcement and later mining history with crazy prices. Also RTX technology is now developed enough in my eyes to go for good 40 series RTX card and stay with it for a while.

TL;DR - here is link to my build, give your thought and comments.
Please no AMD, this is my personal stubbornness/preference.
but, a lot of peeps recomend AMD so im beginning to bend...
updated link - https://pcpartpicker.com/list/Ngsw9c
(switched cooling to 360mm, switched ram to ddr5-6600 34cl, added ssd storage)

Im kindly expecting your responses. I will be responding as soon as I can. Cheers!

 

[Lutfij]

Welcome to the forums, newcomer!

13th Gen intel, is a no no from me, not with the fiasco that Intel is putting it's customer base under, with knowledge of the problem well in advance. With that being said...

Cooling, look at a 360mm AIO at the very least. The ram, is fine but you could look at a higher frequency kit like DDR5-6600MHz, if your budget will allow it. The rest of your build looks fine...but I'd add one or more storage options in your build.

 

[minezspeletajs]

Welcome to the forums, newcomer!

13th Gen intel, is a no no from me, not with the fiasco that Intel is putting it's customer base under, with knowledge of the problem well in advance. With that being said...

Cooling, look at a 360mm AIO at the very least. The ram, is fine but you could look at a higher frequency kit like DDR5-6600MHz, if your budget will allow it. The rest of your build looks fine...but I'd add one or more storage options in your build.

Hello Lutfij,
Thanks for sharing!

Even though I mentioned my preference in Intel, every time Im reminded of their fiascos - it makes me think twice. I shall take your advice and double-think about intel nonetheless!

cooling - Roger that. 360mm was something I thought about but skipped at the last minute of writing the tread.
Will take note!

RAM - sure, 6600mhz is affordable. I guess everything below 7000mhz will be stable and won't require further configuration (well except for xmp) so im good here.

storage - yeah, agree here. I wanted 990pro for OS, but I will definitely secure myself with second ssd for 2-4tb. I also consider getting hdd for extra good measure.

 

[logainofhades]

I second the no Intel right now. I am still not convinced their supposed fix, actually fixes anything. Also Intel gives you no real upgrade path. You do not need the drive with a heastink. Motherboard will have that. For a similar price to that 1tb 990 pro, you could do a 2tb SK Hynix P41, which is a very good drive as well. That PSU is overpriced. You can get high quality units, that have the 12 pin connector for that GPU, for less.

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/yG...-40-x4-nvme-solid-state-drive-shpp41-2000gm-2

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/4v...-modular-atx-power-supply-ps-tpd-1050fnfagu-l

 

[Lafong]

Regarding the purchase date, you say "the closer the better but this is absolutely unimportant."

Given that it is absolutely unimportant, I'm wondering why you haven't mentioned waiting to at least evaluate the next gen Intels, due in the next couple of months somewhere.

 

[minezspeletajs]

Regarding the purchase date, you say "the closer the better but this is absolutely unimportant."

Given that it is absolutely unimportant, I'm wondering why you haven't mentioned waiting to at least evaluate the next gen Intels, due in the next couple of months somewhere.

You got me here, I should rephrase my statement!

So, this is not absolutely unimportant for me.
I want to start buying parts as soon as I finalize the build and fine-tune it based on feedback.
Therefore I did not consider waiting for next gen intels initially.

I was trying to say that delivery time is absolutely unimportant but not that I want to delay the build for a few months.

Considering intel current state of things, would you recomend waiting for next gen chips to atleast evaluate it? I would imagine adding another couple of months after release to see how reliable they are & fix first batch issues.

 

[Lafong]

Considering intel current state of things, would you recomend waiting for next gen chips to atleast evaluate it? I would imagine adding another couple of months after release to see how reliablre they are & fix first batch issues.

I would certainly wait.

Repeat "I".

I have no idea how YOU feel about waiting.

Nor do I have any idea of your propensity for buyer's remorse if you buy AMD or the current generation Intel.

If you wake up in a new world every morning, you forget about "mistakes" easily. If not, you castigate yourself endlessly.

Evaluate yourself as only you can do and act accordingly. We can only speculate about your state of mind and decision-making process.

 

[minezspeletajs]

I second the no Intel right now. I am still not convinced their supposed fix, actually fixes anything. Also Intel gives you no real upgrade path. You do not need the drive with a heastink. Motherboard will have that. For a similar price to that 1tb 990 pro, you could do a 2tb SK Hynix P41, which is a very good drive as well. That PSU is overpriced. You can get high quality units, that have the 12 pin connector for that GPU, for less.

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/yG...-40-x4-nvme-solid-state-drive-shpp41-2000gm-2

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/4v...-modular-atx-power-supply-ps-tpd-1050fnfagu-l

regarding intel - Thanks for sharing.
Ugh okay, the scale of balance begins to slowly tip in favor of AMD based on what I read about Intel gen 13/14 chips on internet.

But, frankly speaking, how does 7800x3d compete in non-gaming activities?
I really and I mean really hesitate when I look at 8 cores/16 threads. I have a strong feeling its not enough for multithreaded workloads (and i usually work with multiple large excel files at the same time).

regarding drive /w heatsink - understood. wasnt sure with that to begin with.

regarding samsung vs sk hynix - thanks for pointers, I will look into it!

regarding psu - any advise is welcomed here because psu is my weakest point so far. i will happily take a look at thermaltake, although i favor corsair a little bit, i will now explore toughpower as well. Thanks!

 

[minezspeletajs]

I would certainly wait.

Repeat "I".

I have no idea how YOU feel about waiting.

Nor do I have any idea of your propensity for buyer's remorse if you buy AMD or the current generation Intel.

If you wake up in a new world every morning, you forget about "mistakes" easily. If not, you castigate yourself endlessly.

Evaluate yourself as only you can do and act accordingly. We can only speculate about your state of mind and decision-making process.

fair response, Lafong.
I guess I was hoping you will share your hopes about next gen intels - meaning, if there is a good chance next gen will be revolutionary enough to make sense to wait for it.

But i understand what are you saying.
Ultimately, this will be my remorse and my decision so I should examine both sides and come to conclusion myself.

Thanks for sharing

 

[Lafong]

fair response, Lafong.
I guess I was hoping you will share your hopes about next gen intels - meaning, if there is a good chance next gen will be revolutionary enough to make sense to wait for it.

But i understand what are you saying.
Ultimately, this will be my remorse and my decision so I should examine both sides and come to conclusion myself.

Thanks for sharing

My "hopes about next gen Intels"????

I have no more insight than you do. Probably less. Regardless, hopes are just that and no more. Hope is generally a poor strategy.

I've been delaying upgrading for 3 or 4 years.

I'm on a 6600K....built 8 years ago. It works perfectly and I don't need more power but am antsy about hardware with 40,000 hours of time. It could die in 10 seconds or 20 years.

If it were to die in the next 2 or 3 months, I would be strongly tempted by AMD due to the current uproar about current gen Intel. Even though I wouldn't go above a 13600K or 14600K and very rarely stress a CPU.

Since I'd never notice the relatively minor performance differences between any plausible AMD or Intel in my price bracket, I would try to err on the side of least likelihood of buyer's remorse. That of course is a moving target.

So, I understand your indecision.

Good luck.

 

[geofelt]

Do you have some current documentation that the 13900 and the 14900 are unstable?
I did some research and I can only find reports from some 4 months ago.
That was before the motherboard default bios were found to be running high voltages to improve performance by default.
I would think that 13900 and 14900 chips would not have a problem since the chips can not be overclocked, and they are 65w base power parts anyway.
Some other thoughts:
The X3d processors are very good for gaming.
But, any sort of batch work is not as good as the underlying plain processor.

I can't argue against looks.
If an aio looks good to you, buy one.

But, I am not in favor of aio coolers for the most part.
They do not last forever. Plan on a replacement in 5 years.
Intel processors are designed to run at 100c.
Exotic cooling still runs at 100c. but you get a bit more work done.
How much??
This article may give some insight to that.
https://www.tomshardware.com/features/intel-core-13900k-cooling-tested

 

[logainofhades]

Do you have some current documentation that the 13900 and the 14900 are unstable?
I did some research and I can only find reports from some 4 months ago.
That was before the motherboard default bios were found to be running high voltages to improve performance by default.
I would think that 13900 and 14900 chips would not have a problem since the chips can not be overclocked, and they are 65w base power parts anyway.
Some other thoughts:
The X3d processors are very good for gaming.
But, any sort of batch work is not as good as the underlying plain processor.

I can't argue against looks.
If an aio looks good to you, buy one.

But, I am not in favor of aio coolers for the most part.
They do not last forever. Plan on a replacement in 5 years.
Intel processors are designed to run at 100c.
Exotic cooling still runs at 100c. but you get a bit more work done.
How much??
This article may give some insight to that.
https://www.tomshardware.com/features/intel-core-13900k-cooling-tested

You have been out of the loop then.

https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-com...says-damage-is-irreversible-no-planned-recall


https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-com...s-are-the-root-cause-fix-coming-by-mid-august

Gamer's Nexus has some videos on this topic as well.