[SOLVED] Thoughts on new GOOD gaming build?

[Xavier Bouttier]

Hey all!

Being back on this forum after 8 years brings back memories hehe. So.. i haven't built a PC since then.. still running the gtx 770 on my previous gaming build hahaha.. and haven't had the time to game in a few years.

I got some cash on the side and want to build another gaming PC that will be able to handle top tier games for atleast 4 years, i did some 'quick' research after all this time, and have come up with the foll components, looking forward to your thoughts/advice/criticism!!

GPU: MSI TRIO RTX 3080
CPU: i7-12700k
MB: MSI Z690 Carbon
PSU: Corsair RM1000x
Cooler: Corsair H115i
RAM: Corsair Vengeance 32g (2x16) 5600MHz
Drive: WD Black SN850 1TB
Case.. still looking around maybe the NZXT H710i

This build will run me around 2600euro here in Greece.

Oh.. and another question since im basically clueless.. When i last built my PC, SSDs were expensive, and I had built it with 1 256GB SSD for the operating system, and a 1TB HDD for games and everything else.

Would it still be worth it to parse it into one SSD for the operating system, and another larger SSD for everything else? Or just use the 1TB WD black?

Thanks in advance!!

Brgrds

 

[Why_Me]

Nice build ^^ I'm going to show you another option where you can step up to an i7 and possibly a 2TB SSD while maintaining your budget of 2600 euros.

https://www.skroutz.gr/s/34396780/Intel-Core-i7-12700F-2-1GHz-Επεξεργαστής-12-Πυρήνων-για-Socket-1700-Tray.html
Intel Core i7-12700F €335,41

https://ark.intel.com/content/www/u...2700f-processor-25m-cache-up-to-4-90-ghz.html

https://www.skroutz.gr/s/33381584/Asus-TUF-Gaming-B660M-PLUS-WIFI-Motherboard-Micro-ATX-με-Intel-1700-Socket.html
Asus TUF Gaming B660M-PLUS WIFI €182,94

TUF GAMING B660M-PLUS WIFI｜Motherboards｜ASUS Global

TUF Gaming series distills essential elements of the latest AMD and Intel® platforms, and combines them with game-ready features and proven durability. Engineered with military-grade components, an upgraded power solution and a comprehensive set of cooling options, this motherboard delivers...

www.asus.com

https://www.skroutz.gr/s/33889836/MSI-MAG-B660M-Mortar-Motherboard-Micro-ATX-με-Intel-1700-Socket.html
MSI MAG B660M Mortar €192,80

https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/MAG-B660M-MORTAR

https://www.skroutz.gr/s/33889602/MSI-MAG-B660-Tomahawk-WiFi-Motherboard-ATX-με-Intel-1700-Socket.html
MSI MAG B660 Tomahawk WiFi €209,08

https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/MAG-B660-TOMAHAWK-WIFI

https://www.skroutz.gr/s/33382199/Asus-ROG-STRIX-B660-F-Gaming-Wifi-Motherboard-ATX-με-Intel-1700-Socket.html
Asus ROG STRIX B660-F Gaming WiFi €231,19

https://rog.asus.com/motherboards/rog-strix/rog-strix-b660-f-gaming-wifi-model/

https://www.skroutz.gr/s/33572742/Asus-Rog-Strix-B660-A-Gaming-WiFi-Motherboard-ATX-με-Intel-1700-Socket.html
Asus Rog Strix B660-A Gaming WiFi €232,92

ROG STRIX B660-A GAMING WIFI | Gaming motherboards｜ROG - Republic of Gamers｜ROG Global

ROG Strix B660-A Gaming WiFi Intel® B660 LGA 1700 ATX motherboard features PCIe® 5.0, three M.2 slots with heatsink, DDR5 support, USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 Type-C®, WiFi 6 and Intel 2.5 Gb Ethernet. It also features ASUS Enhanced Memory Profile, AI Cooling, AI Networking, Two-Way AI Noise Cancelation...

rog.asus.com

https://www.skroutz.gr/s/34528030/Gigabyte-B660-Aorus-Master-Motherboard-ATX-με-Intel-1700-Socket.html
Gigabyte B660 Aorus Master €253,23

https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/B660-AORUS-MASTER-rev-1x#kf

https://www.skroutz.gr/s/36027759/Scythe-Fuma-2-Rev-B-Ψύκτρα-Επεξεργαστή-Διπλού-Ανεμιστήρα-για-Socket-AM4-1200-115x-1700.html
Scythe Fuma 2 Rev.B €65,62

https://www.scytheus.com/fuma2-rev-b

https://www.skroutz.gr/s/32396663/Deepcool-AK620-Ψύκτρα-Επεξεργαστή-Διπλού-Ανεμιστήρα-για-Socket-AM4-1200-115x-1700.html
DeepCool AK620 €67,27

https://global.deepcool.com/product...-High-Performance-CPU-Cooler/2021/13067.shtml

https://www.skroutz.gr/s/25032599/Crucial-P2-SSD-2TB-M-2-NVMe-PCI-Express-3-0-CT2000P2SSD8.html
Crucial P2 2TB M.2 NVMe PCIe 3.0 SSD €172,29

Review of the 12700 / 12700F with benchmarks.

Intel Core i7-12700 + Intel B660 Review

Today we have a combo review of all-new Intel hardware, our first look at the affordable Intel B660 platform, the non-K Core i7-12700 and Intel's latest box...

www.techspot.com

 

[Xavier Bouttier]

Nice build ^^ I'm going to show you another option where you can step up to an i7 and possibly a 2TB SSD while maintaining your budget of 2600 euros.

https://www.skroutz.gr/s/34396780/Intel-Core-i7-12700F-2-1GHz-Επεξεργαστής-12-Πυρήνων-για-Socket-1700-Tray.html
Intel Core i7-12700F €335,41

https://ark.intel.com/content/www/u...2700f-processor-25m-cache-up-to-4-90-ghz.html

https://www.skroutz.gr/s/33381584/Asus-TUF-Gaming-B660M-PLUS-WIFI-Motherboard-Micro-ATX-με-Intel-1700-Socket.html
Asus TUF Gaming B660M-PLUS WIFI €182,94

TUF GAMING B660M-PLUS WIFI｜Motherboards｜ASUS Global

TUF Gaming series distills essential elements of the latest AMD and Intel® platforms, and combines them with game-ready features and proven durability. Engineered with military-grade components, an upgraded power solution and a comprehensive set of cooling options, this motherboard delivers...

www.asus.com

https://www.skroutz.gr/s/33889836/MSI-MAG-B660M-Mortar-Motherboard-Micro-ATX-με-Intel-1700-Socket.html
MSI MAG B660M Mortar €192,80

https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/MAG-B660M-MORTAR

https://www.skroutz.gr/s/33889602/MSI-MAG-B660-Tomahawk-WiFi-Motherboard-ATX-με-Intel-1700-Socket.html
MSI MAG B660 Tomahawk WiFi €209,08

https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/MAG-B660-TOMAHAWK-WIFI

https://www.skroutz.gr/s/33382199/Asus-ROG-STRIX-B660-F-Gaming-Wifi-Motherboard-ATX-με-Intel-1700-Socket.html
Asus ROG STRIX B660-F Gaming WiFi €231,19

https://rog.asus.com/motherboards/rog-strix/rog-strix-b660-f-gaming-wifi-model/

https://www.skroutz.gr/s/33572742/Asus-Rog-Strix-B660-A-Gaming-WiFi-Motherboard-ATX-με-Intel-1700-Socket.html
Asus Rog Strix B660-A Gaming WiFi €232,92

ROG STRIX B660-A GAMING WIFI | Gaming motherboards｜ROG - Republic of Gamers｜ROG Global

ROG Strix B660-A Gaming WiFi Intel® B660 LGA 1700 ATX motherboard features PCIe® 5.0, three M.2 slots with heatsink, DDR5 support, USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 Type-C®, WiFi 6 and Intel 2.5 Gb Ethernet. It also features ASUS Enhanced Memory Profile, AI Cooling, AI Networking, Two-Way AI Noise Cancelation...

rog.asus.com

https://www.skroutz.gr/s/34528030/Gigabyte-B660-Aorus-Master-Motherboard-ATX-με-Intel-1700-Socket.html
Gigabyte B660 Aorus Master €253,23

https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/B660-AORUS-MASTER-rev-1x#kf

https://www.skroutz.gr/s/36027759/Scythe-Fuma-2-Rev-B-Ψύκτρα-Επεξεργαστή-Διπλού-Ανεμιστήρα-για-Socket-AM4-1200-115x-1700.html
Scythe Fuma 2 Rev.B €65,62

https://www.scytheus.com/fuma2-rev-b

https://www.skroutz.gr/s/32396663/Deepcool-AK620-Ψύκτρα-Επεξεργαστή-Διπλού-Ανεμιστήρα-για-Socket-AM4-1200-115x-1700.html
DeepCool AK620 €67,27

https://global.deepcool.com/product...-High-Performance-CPU-Cooler/2021/13067.shtml

Review of the 12700 / 12700F with benchmarks.

Intel Core i7-12700 + Intel B660 Review

Today we have a combo review of all-new Intel hardware, our first look at the affordable Intel B660 platform, the non-K Core i7-12700 and Intel's latest box...

www.techspot.com

Thanks for the reply mate! I'm not too budget conscientious for this build.. might even be willing to shell out another 500eur if it's worth it hehe.

Ill have a look at all the parts!

Thanks again

 

[geofelt]

A very good build and will work as is.
The cpu and gpu are a good balance.

I have some thoughts:

Not having budget restrictions opens you up for some suggestions:

To answer one question, I endorse using a single larger ssd for both Windows C drive as well as for apps and data.
Only if you were to store large sequential files such as videos would a HDD be more appropriate.
If you primarily play only a few games, 1tb is fine.
But, I think I would go with 2tb regardless,
In reality, you will not be able to detect any difference from faster sequential speeds of gen4 pcie devices.
Most activity is random and that differs little.
Here is an amusing video:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DKLA7w9eeA

By now, problems with ssd devices have been mostly resolved.
But, look at Samsung; Puget systems considers them most reliable:

Most Reliable PC Hardware of 2021

Here at Puget Systems, our goal is not only to provide the fastest workstations possible, but the most reliable as well. As a part of our constant drive to offer only the highest quality components possible, we track and regularly review the failure rates for each part we carry. Today, we want...

www.pugetsystems.com

And, make some sort of a plan for EXTERNAL backup where a HDD is a good option.

Today, there is no difference in performance between DDR4 and DDR5.
DDR4 motherboards and ram are less expensive.
I know that budget is not a big issue for you, but perhaps it could be used elsewhere.

I5-12600K is a good pick for gaming.
It has sufficient threads and a good turbo clock.
And, even having a discrete gpu, I think a few bucks more for the K(vs. KF)
option is cheap insurance if you should ever have a graphics issue.
If you went to 12700K, you would get more threads.
And a higher turbo boost which would benefit games.
Ditto with the I9-12900K option.
The I9-12900KS would be very interesting if the price premium were affordable.
It is a better binned chip that more easily reaches higher turbo boosts.

I like the NZXT H710i case which is decent for air cooling.
There are slightly better ones out there, but looks count.
You will be using it every day.

On cooling, let me finish with my canned aio rant:
My canned rant on liquid cooling:
------------------------start of rant-------------------
You buy a liquid cooler to be able to extract an extra multiplier or two out of your OC. Or, to keep heat under control to get the best turbo boost out of your processor.

I do not much like all in one liquid coolers if a good air cooler like a Noctua, Phantex or bequiet can do the job just as well.

Liquid cooling is really air cooling, it just puts the heat exchange in a different place.

The orientation of the radiator is a catch 22 problem.
If you orient it to take in cool air from the outside, you will cool the cpu best, but the hot air then circulates inside the case heating up the graphics card, and motherboard voltage regultor coolers.
If you orient it to exhaust(which I think is better), then your cpu cooling will be less effective because it uses pre heated case air.

Past that, A AIO radiator complicates creating a positive pressure filtered cooling setup which can keep your parts clean.
The basic principle of positive pressure cooling is to have all air intake from one source and filtered.
Added fans, excepting perhaps a rear exhaust fan witll tend to draw in unfiltered air from adjacent openings.

The ultimate cooling ability of air or aio is the fin volume of the radiator which dissipates heat.
A 280 aio will have two 140mm fans, each in front of a radiator fin stack that is typically 30mm or so in thickness.
.
This is essentially the same size as the two fin stack on top air coolers like the Noctua NH-D15, Be Quiet drp 4 PRO Phanteks TC14pe and others.
The fin stack on a NH-D15, for example is about 40mm.

AIO coolers do not last forever. The cooling tubes have some degree of permeability that lets air eventually enter the systen requiring a cooler replacement. The pumps are mechanical devices which will eventually fail or get clogged. I do not worry about
fans for air or aio, they can be easily replaced.
But, should an aio pump fail, you can not keep running until you replace it.

If budget is an issue, a top air cooler will usually cost less than a 280 aio.

And... I have read too many tales of woe when a liquid cooler leaks.
Google for AIO leaks to see what can happen.
While unlikely, leaks do happen.
A AIO leak may be covered by warranty but a leak is a nasty problem to recover from.

Where is an aio a good fit?
If you are into maximum overclocking and can use a 360 or larger aio, then liquid is your only option. Custom liquid will be even better(and more expensive)
Another good place for an aio is
in a space restricted case where there is insufficient height available to mount a good air cooler.

If one puts looks over function, The RGB "bling available on aio coolers may direct your choice.
That is a personal thing; not for me though.
-----------------------end of rant--------------------------

 

[Xavier Bouttier]

A very good build and will work as is.
The cpu and gpu are a good balance.

I have some thoughts:

Not having budget restrictions opens you up for some suggestions:

To answer one question, I endorse using a single larger ssd for both Windows C drive as well as for apps and data.
Only if you were to store large sequential files such as videos would a HDD be more appropriate.
If you primarily play only a few games, 1tb is fine.
But, I think I would go with 2tb regardless,
In reality, you will not be able to detect any difference from faster sequential speeds of gen4 pcie devices.
Most activity is random and that differs little.
Here is an amusing video:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DKLA7w9eeA

By now, problems with ssd devices have been mostly resolved.
But, look at Samsung; Puget systems considers them most reliable:

Most Reliable PC Hardware of 2021

Here at Puget Systems, our goal is not only to provide the fastest workstations possible, but the most reliable as well. As a part of our constant drive to offer only the highest quality components possible, we track and regularly review the failure rates for each part we carry. Today, we want...

www.pugetsystems.com

And, make some sort of a plan for EXTERNAL backup where a HDD is a good option.

Today, there is no difference in performance between DDR4 and DDR5.
DDR4 motherboards and ram are less expensive.
I know that budget is not a big issue for you, but perhaps it could be used elsewhere.

I5-12600K is a good pick for gaming.
It has sufficient threads and a good turbo clock.
And, even having a discrete gpu, I think a few bucks more for the K(vs. KF)
option is cheap insurance if you should ever have a graphics issue.
If you went to 12700K, you would get more threads.
And a higher turbo boost which would benefit games.
Ditto with the I9-12900K option.
The I9-12900KS would be very interesting if the price premium were affordable.
It is a better binned chip that more easily reaches higher turbo boosts.

I like the NZXT H710i case which is decent for air cooling.
There are slightly better ones out there, but looks count.
You will be using it every day.

On cooling, let me finish with my canned aio rant:
My canned rant on liquid cooling:
------------------------start of rant-------------------
You buy a liquid cooler to be able to extract an extra multiplier or two out of your OC. Or, to keep heat under control to get the best turbo boost out of your processor.

I do not much like all in one liquid coolers if a good air cooler like a Noctua, Phantex or bequiet can do the job just as well.

Liquid cooling is really air cooling, it just puts the heat exchange in a different place.

The orientation of the radiator is a catch 22 problem.
If you orient it to take in cool air from the outside, you will cool the cpu best, but the hot air then circulates inside the case heating up the graphics card, and motherboard voltage regultor coolers.
If you orient it to exhaust(which I think is better), then your cpu cooling will be less effective because it uses pre heated case air.

Past that, A AIO radiator complicates creating a positive pressure filtered cooling setup which can keep your parts clean.
The basic principle of positive pressure cooling is to have all air intake from one source and filtered.
Added fans, excepting perhaps a rear exhaust fan witll tend to draw in unfiltered air from adjacent openings.

The ultimate cooling ability of air or aio is the fin volume of the radiator which dissipates heat.
A 280 aio will have two 140mm fans, each in front of a radiator fin stack that is typically 30mm or so in thickness.
.
This is essentially the same size as the two fin stack on top air coolers like the Noctua NH-D15, Be Quiet drp 4 PRO Phanteks TC14pe and others.
The fin stack on a NH-D15, for example is about 40mm.

AIO coolers do not last forever. The cooling tubes have some degree of permeability that lets air eventually enter the systen requiring a cooler replacement. The pumps are mechanical devices which will eventually fail or get clogged. I do not worry about
fans for air or aio, they can be easily replaced.
But, should an aio pump fail, you can not keep running until you replace it.

If budget is an issue, a top air cooler will usually cost less than a 280 aio.

And... I have read too many tales of woe when a liquid cooler leaks.
Google for AIO leaks to see what can happen.
While unlikely, leaks do happen.
A AIO leak may be covered by warranty but a leak is a nasty problem to recover from.

Where is an aio a good fit?
If you are into maximum overclocking and can use a 360 or larger aio, then liquid is your only option. Custom liquid will be even better(and more expensive)
Another good place for an aio is
in a space restricted case where there is insufficient height available to mount a good air cooler.

If one puts looks over function, The RGB "bling available on aio coolers may direct your choice.
That is a personal thing; not for me though.
-----------------------end of rant--------------------------

Hey man!

Thanks so much for taking the time to answer so diligently!!

Through some more research yep im going to go with a 12700k, and with 4800MHz DDR5 Ram (since the memory controller on that architecture can only handle that speed, any more would be a waste and might cause boot problems)

In regards to your comments on AIOs, while I do understand where you're coming from, I do intend to overclock. And due to personal bias since my 7 year old rig has been running with one (Corsair 110) without a hitch I will most likely go with a closed loop water cooled system. I wont skimp on that part however to reduce the risk of a possible leak (and will probably go with the ASUS ROG RYUJIN II 360 in a top position and exhaust orientation.

I will also go with 2TB NVMe if the part is available and decently priced over here hehe.

Thanks for all the help and advice

I must also mention that in Greece air temp does tend to reach 38+ C, sometimes well into the 40's, it will definitely help.

 

[geofelt]

Today, processors are binned for quality of the chip.
Better bins are used and sold in higher performing chips.
You no longer can get something for nothing since there is very little headroom to be gained for overclocking.
If your workload is one that can use all available cores, then there is some benefit from an all core overclock.
But, for gaming, it is the single thread performance of the master thread that is important.
For best performance there, use the default turbo mechanism which can boost a couple of cores past what an all core OC can give.
Yes, good cooling is one of the requirements to get a top turbo.
More important than the cooler itself, is a good source of fresh air to the cooler radiator.
If your room temperature can be 40c. that is where the cooling starts.
Then, add in the heat from a hot graphics card and the interior air in your case may well start at 50c.
For best cooling, mount the radiator in front where it gets cooler air to work with.

Bottom line is pay attention to the cooling capability of whatever case you select.
In a gaming environment, you will not be pushing all threads to the max and not generating max heat.
More likely, 6-8 threads will be how many are effectively used.
If you want the absolute best in cpu performance, it might be better to spend on a higher ranked chip.
Today, that might be the i9-12900KS.
Or, moving down, the 12900K.
The max turbo of the 12700K is 5.0, 12900K is 5.2, and 12900KS is 5.5
It really does not matter much, these new processors are so crazy fast to begin with.