Question Preparing for High-End Gaming Build - looking for help/feedback on GPU and Monitor

[jordan24c]

As the title implies, I’m looking to upgrade – essentially rebuild save for a few components – my PC and am somewhat struggling to definitively choose a GPU and monitor. I currently have the following specs:

• I5-6600k (CM 212 evo cooling)
• MSI Z170 gaming M5
• Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 Gb (2 x 8) DDR4-3200
• Gigabyte Gaming G1 GTX 1070
• EVGA Nova P2 650W 80+ Plat (will likely keep this for the new build)
• Acer KG240 24” 1080p 144Hz monitor

I’m aiming to buy all the parts ranging anywhere from the last week of July to the last week of August. I’ll attempt to get as many parts as possible from Micro Center – Columbus, OH (saves on shipping plus they price match) – and likely would order the remainder from Amazon or Newegg, whichever is cheaper. Here are the specs I’m currently looking at getting:

• I9-9900k (Corsair H150i Pro cooling)
• ASUS ROG STRIX Z390E
• Corsair Vengeance LPX 32 GB (2 x 16) DDR-3200
• [Insert specific brand] 2080 Ti
• Either a 1440p 165 Hz monitor (likely Acer XB271) or a 1080p 240 Hz monitor (Probably BenQ Zowie)

I have an Asus Strix 2080ti in my build guide as is, but I’m wondering if it would be worth it (sorry for the ambiguous term – I’m meaning in terms of price premium & performance, etc.) to consider some of the AIO cooled 2080 Ti’s that are on the market. I don’t want to worry about the maintenance and assembly for a custom liquid cooled setup, thus the AIO CPU cooler as well. I don’t think case real estate will be an issue for the two AIO coolers, as I’ll also be grabbing a Corsair crystal 570x. Noise is not a concern for me either, I currently use Corsair VOID headphones but may look to upgrade those as well.

I play a variety of games, but recently I’ve been playing a ton of Division 2 (absolutely terrible to play with my i5), Escape from Tarkov (not optimized and capped at 120 fps, but I still rarely get above 80 on most maps), Rocket League (250fps is easy on max settings), and Ghost Recon Wildlands (Lucky to get 70 fps). I do play a fair bit of Forza 7 as well, and that’s one case where I’d settle for lower frames for higher quality – I currently get around 90-110 fps on max settings. I’m straying from considering 4k monitors simply because I’ve been blessed with the sweet smoothness that 144 Hz has to offer – though I fail to get close on some of the newer AAA titles. I tend to favor smoothness over quality, and don’t think I’d have a problem running any titles at slightly below max settings.

 

[g-unit1111]

I have an Asus Strix 2080ti in my build guide as is, but I’m wondering if it would be worth it (sorry for the ambiguous term – I’m meaning in terms of price premium & performance, etc.) to consider some of the AIO cooled 2080 Ti’s that are on the market. I don’t want to worry about the maintenance and assembly for a custom liquid cooled setup, thus the AIO CPU cooler as well. I don’t think case real estate will be an issue for the two AIO coolers, as I’ll also be grabbing a Corsair crystal 570x. Noise is not a concern for me either, I currently use Corsair VOID headphones but may look to upgrade those as well.

I'm personally not a fan of AIO GPUs because installation is way more of a pain and unless you're going for some super high end overclocking number, they aren't really worth the hassle. If you're going to liquid cool your GPU it would be better to go the full custom route, but even then you get into a lot of different logistics and hassles with that.

I play a variety of games, but recently I’ve been playing a ton of Division 2 (absolutely terrible to play with my i5), Escape from Tarkov (not optimized and capped at 120 fps, but I still rarely get above 80 on most maps), Rocket League (250fps is easy on max settings), and Ghost Recon Wildlands (Lucky to get 70 fps). I do play a fair bit of Forza 7 as well, and that’s one case where I’d settle for lower frames for higher quality – I currently get around 90-110 fps on max settings. I’m straying from considering 4k monitors simply because I’ve been blessed with the sweet smoothness that 144 Hz has to offer – though I fail to get close on some of the newer AAA titles. I tend to favor smoothness over quality, and don’t think I’d have a problem running any titles at slightly below max settings.

I wouldn't think you would need to drop $1300 - $1400 on a GPU in order to obtain 144Hz high res graphics on 1080P 144Hz. Even on 1440P the 2070 gets last year's 1080TI numbers, with about a +10 FPS difference in the 2080 and maybe about a +20 difference in the 2080TI. If that's what you're going for then get the 2080TI.

 

[jordan24c]

I'm personally not a fan of AIO GPUs because installation is way more of a pain and unless you're going for some super high end overclocking number, they aren't really worth the hassle. If you're going to liquid cool your GPU it would be better to go the full custom route, but even then you get into a lot of different logistics and hassles with that.

Yeah that makes sense, up until recently I didn't even know that you could get them with AIOS, it was just something I thought might be worth considering with the given price point. I don't expect to overclock on such a scale that would require that, at least not in the early stages as I'm not super well versed. I've only recently begun OCing my 1070 and i5 so they might run division better.

I wouldn't think you would need to drop $1300 - $1400 on a GPU in order to obtain 144Hz high res graphics on 1080P 144Hz. Even on 1440P the 2070 gets last year's 1080TI numbers, with about a +10 FPS difference in the 2080 and maybe about a +20 difference in the 2080TI. If that's what you're going for then get the 2080TI.

I'm not very worried about reaching 144fps @ 1080p, but rather that 240+ number. But it is nice to know that the Ti shouldn't really struggle to push 144 @ 1440. Given that budget isn't a restricting factor, I do like as many frames as possible! I guess its more personal preference for 240Hz @ 1080 vs 144-165Hz @ 1440. At least until high refresh rate 4k monitors aren't obscenely expensive.

 

[g-unit1111]

Yeah that makes sense, up until recently I didn't even know that you could get them with AIOS, it was just something I thought might be worth considering with the given price point. I don't expect to overclock on such a scale that would require that, at least not in the early stages as I'm not super well versed. I've only recently begun OCing my 1070 and i5 so they might run division better.

Yeah no if you're not going to do super high overclocking then don't get an AIO 2080TI. You're better off sticking with the air cooled variety, and if you do decide to go the full liquid route you can always get a water block for it.

 

[jordan24c]

Yeah no if you're not going to do super high overclocking then don't get an AIO 2080TI. You're better off sticking with the air cooled variety, and if you do decide to go the full liquid route you can always get a water block for it.

Great, thanks for the input. Also "yeah no", a fellow Midwesterner I see.

 

[g-unit1111]

Great, thanks for the input. Also "yeah no", a fellow Midwesterner I see.

No I'm from California. My mom is from the midwest though. :lol: