Build Advice System to run 32:9 1440p ultrawide at 120Hz ?

[AR1983]

Hi, Question from Norway

I am going to build a system that can utilize my current monitor a Samsung S49UA, that does 32:9 1440p at 120Hz.

Its been a while since I build my current pc (I5 4th gen, GTX 960 Strix) , so it is a bit confusing, and frustrating, to pick a new system in the current market.

I am looking for a sort of reasonable build that can run games on this monitor at a decent level, not necessarily looking for top performance. The pc will mainly be used for gaming and general webbrowsing.

It is hard to set a budget since pricing on hardware seems to be a bit different in Norway than in the states. But i would say that I would like keep them budget at around 2000$, but it is flexible.

I feel that an AMD system is the way to go, but with the current development with exploding cpus on current gen, should i then go with last gen?

My current pick of parts is here:

If AM5:
Ryzen 5 7600X
ASUS ROG STRIX B650E-F GAMING WIFI
Kingston FURY Beast DDR5-6000 C36 DC - 32GB (AMD EXPO)

If AM4
Ryzen 7 5800X3D
ASUS ROG STRIX B550-F GAMING WIFI II
Corsair Vengeance RGB PRO SL DDR4-3200 DC C16 - 32GB

In both cases:
Corsair RM850x SHIFT - Got curious
Kingston KC3000 SSD PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 - 1TB
Fractal Design North - Locked due to WAP
Arctic Liquid Freezer II 240
Noctua NF-A12x25 - extra case fan

I have already ordered an ASUS GeForce RTX 4070 Ti TUF today, but that order can still be cancelled if it is not suitable for this scenario.

is there any obvius places this system should be tweaked?

 

[Why_Me]

@Zerk2012 you run this resolution I believe.

 

[helper800]

Hi, Question from Norway

I am going to build a system that can utilize my current monitor a Samsung S49UA, that does 32:9 1440p at 120Hz.

Its been a while since I build my current pc (I5 4th gen, GTX 960 Strix) , so it is a bit confusing, and frustrating, to pick a new system in the current market.

I am looking for a sort of reasonable build that can run games on this monitor at a decent level, not necessarily looking for top performance. The pc will mainly be used for gaming and general webbrowsing.

It is hard to set a budget since pricing on hardware seems to be a bit different in Norway than in the states. But i would say that I would like keep them budget at around 2000$, but it is flexible.

I feel that an AMD system is the way to go, but with the current development with exploding cpus on current gen, should i then go with last gen?

My current pick of parts is here:

If AM5:
Ryzen 5 7600X
ASUS ROG STRIX B650E-F GAMING WIFI
Kingston FURY Beast DDR5-6000 C36 DC - 32GB (AMD EXPO)

If AM4
Ryzen 7 5800X3D
ASUS ROG STRIX B550-F GAMING WIFI II
Corsair Vengeance RGB PRO SL DDR4-3200 DC C16 - 32GB

In both cases:
Corsair RM850x SHIFT - Got curious
Kingston KC3000 SSD PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 - 1TB
Fractal Design North - Locked due to WAP
Arctic Liquid Freezer II 240
Noctua NF-A12x25 - extra case fan

I have already ordered an ASUS GeForce RTX 4070 Ti TUF today, but that order can still be cancelled if it is not suitable for this scenario.

is there any obvius places this system should be tweaked?

Both options are solid, however, I would go with the 7600x system so you can upgrade the CPU in a couple years if you want to.

 

[helper800]

@Zerk2012 you run this resolution I believe.

It is about 7/8ths the amount of pixels to push as 4k so its nearly as demanding.

 

[AR1983]

Both options are solid, however, I would go with the 7600x system so you can upgrade the CPU in a couple years if you want to.

How worried should i be about the recent developement on exploding/overheating cpus on current gen?

 

[Zerk2012]

@Zerk2012 you run this resolution I believe.

Ya 32:9 is higher than I use might as well call it 4K like Helper800 said.

If the game will support 32:9 with modern games a 4070ti is not a good choice the processor is not going to matter much.

 

[AR1983]

Ya 32:9 is higher than I use might as well call it 4K like Helper800 said.

If the game will support 32:9 with modern games a 4070ti is not a good choice the processor is not going to matter much.

I usually don't play that graphic demanding games, and consider myself more of a casual gamer. But then again, I have also been limitied by what my current system can manage.

The games i have played most in the latest:
Dyson Sphere Program
Cities Skylines
Transport Fever 2
Subnautica
GTA V

Some games I would like to play on my new system
The Witcher 3
Red Dead redemption 2
Subnautica: Below Zero
Cities Skyline 2

I have been used to play these games with about 30 fps on a regular 1440p monitor. So if I can just get close to around 60 fps on my 32:9 1440p , then I am satisfied.

 

[Zerk2012]

I usually don't play that graphic demanding games, and consider myself more of a casual gamer. But then again, I have also been limitied by what my current system can manage.

The games i have played most in the latest:
Dyson Sphere Program
Cities Skylines
Transport Fever 2
Subnautica
GTA V

Some games I would like to play on my new system
The Witcher 3
Red Dead redemption 2
Subnautica: Below Zero
Cities Skyline 2

I have been used to play these games with about 30 fps on a regular 1440p monitor. So if I can just get close to around 60 fps on my 32:9 1440p , then I am satisfied.

I would try for a 2TB drive and for the power supply don't get the shift they moved the connectors to the side panel and that case only has 30mm of clearance.

Corsair RM850x Shift PSU Review: They Shifted the Modular Panel! - Hardware Busters

Hardware Busters - Corsair RM850x Shift PSU Review: They Shifted the Modular Panel! - PSUs

hwbusters.com

 

[AR1983]

I would try for a 2TB drive and for the power supply don't get the shift they moved the connectors to the side panel and that case only has 30mm of clearance.

Corsair RM850x Shift PSU Review: They Shifted the Modular Panel! - Hardware Busters

Hardware Busters - Corsair RM850x Shift PSU Review: They Shifted the Modular Panel! - PSUs

hwbusters.com

I'm aware that the connectors are moved to the side of the PSU, and as far as seen in different reveiws, the cables are smaler and more flexible than the regular PSU. This should make it easier to route in tight spaces.

https://help.corsair.com/hc/en-us/articles/13506805630221-Which-CORSAIR-cases-are-the-the-RMx-SHIFT-PSUs-compatible-with-What-about-non-CORSAIR-cases-

It seems that they have validate a bunch of Fractal Define cases, but the North is not mentioned here though... They do say that the minimum clearance is 30 mm.

Do you know if the North has a less clearance than the other ones mentioned here?

Regarding the storage, i'm considering maybe a second M.2 drive for games, and keeping one for OS and other programes. I will also transfer a 2.5 ssd and a 3.5 drive from my current pc.

 

[Lucky_SLS]

the resolution is bigger than WQHD and its almost 4k. U need a GPU with more VRAM.

The 7900 XT or XTX might be worth considering here...

I tried to work out a 7700X and 7900 XTX build in pcpp norway, its way over your budget at 28500 krones

https://no.pcpartpicker.com/list/xPYqTn

 

[AR1983]

the resolution is bigger than WQHD and its almost 4k. U need a GPU with more VRAM.

The 7900 XT or XTX might be worth considering here...

I tried to work out a 7700X and 7900 XTX build in pcpp norway, its way over your budget at 28500 krones

https://no.pcpartpicker.com/list/xPYqTn

Yes, I agree that more Vram would have preferable, but I just had to draw the line at some point.

I also considered the 6950 xt. i is a bit cheaper, but it demands more power and the performance is similar to the 4070 TI.

But, i can see that I can get a ASUS Radeon RX 7900 XT TUF OC for just 787 NOK more. That is only a 75$ increase compared to the 4070 TI that I already ordered. It also barely fits in my case with only 2 mm to spare.

Would this be a sensible upgrade, when paired with my already listed parts?

Regards to @Zerk2012 post

I would try for a 2TB drive and for the power supply don't get the shift they moved the connectors to the side panel and that case only has 30mm of clearance.

Corsair RM850x Shift PSU Review: They Shifted the Modular Panel! - Hardware Busters

Hardware Busters - Corsair RM850x Shift PSU Review: They Shifted the Modular Panel! - PSUs

hwbusters.com

I will change the PSU to the non-shift version of the Corsair RM850e. I found some pictures of the shift psu mounted in the North, so while it is doable it will be a thighter squeez to my liking.

 

[Lucky_SLS]

It all depends on if you care about ray tracing or not.

In ray tracing, the 4070ti gives about 10 to 15% better FPS.

In normal games, the 7900XT is about 10 to 15% faster.

You can see the results here: https://www.techpowerup.com/review/sapphire-radeon-rx-7900-xt-pulse/30.html

 

[AR1983]

It all depends on if you care about ray tracing or not.

In ray tracing, the 4070ti gives about 10 to 15% better FPS.

In normal games, the 7900XT is about 10 to 15% faster.

You can see the results here: https://www.techpowerup.com/review/sapphire-radeon-rx-7900-xt-pulse/30.html

Never experiencing raytracing before, and I dont think that any of the game in my current pipeline, except maybe the Witcher, is supporting RT.

I feel the extra vram will be result in a more future proof system in my use case?

 

[Lucky_SLS]

VRAM will definitely be required for your resolution. especially if you want to play the games in 32:9 full resolution and plan on using the high res textures in your games.

If you play witcher 3 with mods, then again u will require the extra VRAM as the mods are not particularly optimised.

 

[helper800]

How worried should i be about the recent developement on exploding/overheating cpus on current gen?

Not at all. Non-X3D chips are unaffected and the issue seems to have been fixed for the X3D chips with BIOS updates.

 

[AR1983]

Continuing an old tread.

I have taken a lot of your advices into account, and also got influenced with the recent trouble around Asus, when I reviewed my component list before purchase. Also my last mechanical harddrive suddently died(No important data, only game files), so I needed more storage.

I ended up with the following parts:

Ryzen 5 7600X
ASRock B650E PG RIPTIDE WIFI
Kingston FURY Beast DDR5-6000 C36 DC - 32GB (AMD EXPO)
Corsair RM850e
Kingston KC3000 SSD PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 - 1TB
Kingston KC3000 SSD PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 - 2TB
Fractal Design North
Arctic Liquid Freezer II 240
PowerColor Hellhound Radeon RX 7900 XT

I have now ordered all these part and received most of them.

AND of course... AFTER I had made the order, I began to research my new component and got in doubt...

After seeing some reviews I got aware of the MSI MAG B650 TOMAHAWK WIFI... So I ordered that one as well...

This means I now have 2 motherboards on hand, and needs to determine which one to return(I have 14 days free return on both).

The ASRock card has PCIE 5 on one of the x16 + plus 1 of the NVME-ports, but of the remaining 2 NVME-ports there is only 1 PCIE 4 port, the last one is only PCIE 3. On the MSI there are no PCIE 5, but all of the three NVME-ports are PCIE 4.

I feel like the reasons for choosing the ASRock card for futureproofing, might be futureproofing for something that won't return in real life benefits before I have to switch out the whole system again. I also find it likely that missing the last PCIE 4 NVME port could an issue for me during the lifetime of the pc.

The ASRock cost me 312 $, but I will have to pay 10 $ in shipping to return.
The MSI cost me 289 $, but I can return it for free(In store)

So... @helper800 , @Zerk2012, @Lucky_SLS and everybody else , I really valued your inputs last time and hopefully you will help me again.

Which motherboard would you keep? The ASRock or the MSI?

 

[helper800]

Continuing an old tread.

I have taken a lot of your advices into account, and also got influenced with the recent trouble around Asus, when I reviewed my component list before purchase. Also my last mechanical harddrive suddently died(No important data, only game files), so I needed more storage.

I ended up with the following parts:

Ryzen 5 7600X
ASRock B650E PG RIPTIDE WIFI
Kingston FURY Beast DDR5-6000 C36 DC - 32GB (AMD EXPO)
Corsair RM850e
Kingston KC3000 SSD PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 - 1TB
Kingston KC3000 SSD PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 - 2TB
Fractal Design North
Arctic Liquid Freezer II 240
PowerColor Hellhound Radeon RX 7900 XT

I have now ordered all these part and received most of them.

AND of course... AFTER I had made the order, I began to research my new component and got in doubt...

After seeing some reviews I got aware of the MSI MAG B650 TOMAHAWK WIFI... So I ordered that one as well...

This means I now have 2 motherboards on hand, and needs to determine which one to return(I have 14 days free return on both).

The ASRock card has PCIE 5 on one of the x16 + plus 1 of the NVME-ports, but of the remaining 2 NVME-ports there is only 1 PCIE 4 port, the last one is only PCIE 3. On the MSI there are no PCIE 5, but all of the three NVME-ports are PCIE 4.

I feel like the reasons for choosing the ASRock card for futureproofing, might be futureproofing for something that won't return in real life benefits before I have to switch out the whole system again. I also find it likely that missing the last PCIE 4 NVME port could an issue for me during the lifetime of the pc.

The ASRock cost me 312 $, but I will have to pay 10 $ in shipping to return.
The MSI cost me 289 $, but I can return it for free(In store)

So... @helper800 , @Zerk2012, @Lucky_SLS and everybody else , I really valued your inputs last time and hopefully you will help me again.

Which motherboard would you keep? The ASRock or the MSI?

I would return both and get this board if you can afford to do so. It has all thee PCIe lanes you will want:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 7600X 4.7 GHz 6-Core Processor (Purchased For kr0.00)
CPU Cooler: ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 240 56.3 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler (Purchased For kr0.00)
Motherboard: Gigabyte X670 GAMING X AX (rev. 1.0) ATX AM5 Motherboard (kr3489.00 @ Proshop)
Memory: Kingston FURY Beast 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL36 Memory (Purchased For kr0.00)
Storage: Kingston KC3000 1.024 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive (Purchased For kr0.00)
Storage: Kingston KC3000 2.048 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive (Purchased For kr0.00)
Video Card: PowerColor Hellhound Radeon RX 7900 XTX 24 GB Video Card (Purchased For kr0.00)
Case: Fractal Design North ATX Mid Tower Case (Purchased For kr0.00)
Power Supply: Corsair RM850e (2023) 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (Purchased For kr0.00)
Total: kr3489.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-05-23 20:18 CEST+0200

On the product page for the Gigabyte motherboard:

CPU:

1. 1 x PCI Express x16 slot, supporting PCIe 4.0 and running at x16 (PCIEX16)
   * For optimum performance, if only one PCI Express graphics card is to be installed, be sure to install it in the PCIEX16 slot.

Chipset:

1. 1 x PCI Express x16 slot, supporting PCIe 4.0 and running at x4 (PCIEX4)
2. 1 x PCI Express x16 slot, supporting PCIe 3.0 and running at x2 (PCIEX2)

Now for the M.2s:

CPU:

1. 1 x M.2 connector (Socket 3, M key, type 25110/2280 PCIe 5.0(Note) x4/x2 SSD support) (M2A_CPU)
   (Note) Actual support may vary by CPU.
2. 1 x M.2 connector (Socket 3, M key, type 22110/2280 PCIe 4.0 x4/x2 SSD support) (M2B_CPU)

Chipset:

1. 2 x M.2 connectors (Socket 3, M key, type 22110/2280 PCIe 4.0 x4/x2 SSD support) (M2C_SB, M2D_SB)
2. 4 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors

 

[AR1983]

@helper800 what benefits will this card give me besides four nvme-ports ?

I'm not planning to do overclocking.

Can also see you upgraded my graphics from an XT to an XTX. Assumes that were an oversight 😀

 

[helper800]

@helper800 what benefits will this card give me besides four nvme-ports ?

I'm not planning to do overclocking.

Can also see you upgraded my graphics from an XT to an XTX. Assumes that were an oversight 😀

This motherboard, has all the ports and M.2 slots you need now and has room for expansion in the future. It has wi-fi 6e which is the latest and greatest. It has a 2.5 gb ethernet port. The specifications on this board are very forward looking. It has better VRMs as well. This can allow a much more powerful flagship AMD CPU to be socketed in the future as an upgrade. Here is a full list of specifications:

X670 GAMING X AX (rev. 1.0) Specification | Motherboard - GIGABYTE Global

Lasting Quality from GIGABYTE.GIGABYTE Ultra Durable™ motherboards bring together a unique blend of features and technologies that offer users the absolute ...

www.gigabyte.com

 

[AR1983]

This motherboard, has all the ports and M.2 slots you need now and has room for expansion in the future. It has wi-fi 6e which is the latest and greatest. It has a 2.5 gb ethernet port. The specifications on this board are very forward looking. It has better VRMs as well. This can allow a much more powerful flagship AMD CPU to be socketed in the future as an upgrade. Here is a full list of specifications:

X670 GAMING X AX (rev. 1.0) Specification | Motherboard - GIGABYTE Global

Lasting Quality from GIGABYTE.GIGABYTE Ultra Durable™ motherboards bring together a unique blend of features and technologies that offer users the absolute ...

www.gigabyte.com

I agree that it has plenty of M.2 ports, but my existing choice of boards also have 2.5 gb ethernet and WiFi 6e.

Are the better VRMs needed in order to utilise a more powerful cpu, that is not overclocked, or are they only beneficial when overclocking?

 

[Lucky_SLS]

To give you some perspective, the Samsung 970 plus is a pcie 3.0 card and is faster than some pcie 4.0 card.

How is that possible you ask? the peak speeds advertised for those SSDs are for ideal conditions. Most of the work you do with your SSD is random read writes, not sequencial read writes.

And the kicker? the 970 plus even though it is a pcie 3.0 is a microsoft direct storage supported SSD - loading textures directly from SSD instead of buffering it through the GPU.

So i guess a pcie 4.0 is more than enough to future proof and even having 1 pcie 5.0 is ok if you ask me.

The same goes for GPU pcie lanes. the RTX 4090 in pcie3.0 is getting bottlenecked slightly when compared to 4.0. and pcie bandwidth doubles each gen. So u have a lot of life left for your pcie4.0 cards.

I especially like the GPU holder function that is given in the B650E Riptide. i dont know if the MSI board includes it. The 7900XT card is a beefy unit and the GPU holder would come in handy.

So i guess it depends on whether the mobo had enough RGB and front panel connections or USB headers to comfortably connect all your parts.

The other part is that MSI has ALC4080 codec compared to Riptide's ALC897 codec. The 4080 is a better codec compared to ALC897. This might matter if you dont have a dedicated DAC.

BTW, no problems with the RAMS and cooler clearance with the Arctic AIO mounted in the top? that is a thicc boi u got there XD

 

[AR1983]

To give you some perspective, the Samsung 970 plus is a pcie 3.0 card and is faster than some pcie 4.0 card.

How is that possible you ask? the peak speeds advertised for those SSDs are for ideal conditions. Most of the work you do with your SSD is random read writes, not sequencial read writes.

And the kicker? the 970 plus even though it is a pcie 3.0 is a microsoft direct storage supported SSD - loading textures directly from SSD instead of buffering it through the GPU.

So i guess a pcie 4.0 is more than enough to future proof and even having 1 pcie 5.0 is ok if you ask me.

The same goes for GPU pcie lanes. the RTX 4090 in pcie3.0 is getting bottlenecked slightly when compared to 4.0. and pcie bandwidth doubles each gen. So u have a lot of life left for your pcie4.0 cards.

I especially like the GPU holder function that is given in the B650E Riptide. i dont know if the MSI board includes it. The 7900XT card is a beefy unit and the GPU holder would come in handy.

So i guess it depends on whether the mobo had enough RGB and front panel connections or USB headers to comfortably connect all your parts.

The other part is that MSI has ALC4080 codec compared to Riptide's ALC897 codec. The 4080 is a better codec compared to ALC897. This might matter if you dont have a dedicated DAC.

BTW, no problems with the RAMS and cooler clearance with the Arctic AIO mounted in the top? that is a thicc boi u got there XD

Good points about the different PCIE versions. Are the NVME-cards backwards compatible, so I can put a PCIE-4 card in an PCIE-3 port and it will work, with a slightly reduced performance?

Also a good point about the GPU-holder.

Both have enough internal connectors for my use (I have no RGB-fans)

I use a DAC through the KWM in my monitor, so the codecs doesnt matter.

Haven't actually thought about Ram clearance at all, but I seem to be in luck with my choice. The case manual states a max of 35 mm with radiator use, and my ram are 34,9 mm

 

[Lucky_SLS]

Yes, the pcie standard is backward compatible. The pcie 4.0 cards will work with 3.0 interface with reduced speeds.

The Arctic freezer rads are 38mm thick rads. I dont know if the thickness would also vary. 2mm difference in width is to be expected from different manufactures.

I would suggest you to test fit before the return window.

After you finish your build, do pop in to our members forum with photos!

Page 198 - Tom's Hardware Member System Gallery

Page 198 - Seeking answers? Join the Tom's Hardware community: where nearly two million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.

forums.tomshardware.com

 

[AR1983]

Yes, the pcie standard is backward compatible. The pcie 4.0 cards will work with 3.0 interface with reduced speeds.

The Arctic freezer rads are 38mm thick rads. I dont know if the thickness would also vary. 2mm difference in width is to be expected from different manufactures.

I would suggest you to test fit before the return window.

After you finish your build, do pop in to our members forum with photos!

Page 198 - Tom's Hardware Member System Gallery

Page 198 - Seeking answers? Join the Tom's Hardware community: where nearly two million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.

forums.tomshardware.com

The backwards combability seals the deal, so I think I will keep the ASRock and returns the MSI-board

The fans and radiator is 120 mm wide and the case is rated for 122 mm, so there should be enough clearance. Nevertheless, I'm expecting to receive the case either today or tomorrow, so a test-fit, if not a complete build, will be done within the return period.

Posting pictures of my work, are you crazy!, that would force me to do actual cable management

Just kidding, I have always had closed case before, so haven't been that big on cable management before, but I had intended to give it a good effort this time, and post some pics ion here after the build.

 

[Lucky_SLS]

Who knows, post your pics and ask for cable management advice in the tread, you might get advice from fellow peers XD