Question Why £1000 for a motherboard and 128GB of RAM ?

[Hasselblad]

My son is finally going to, consider, thinking about (that's Autism for you) getting a new computer built.

He has had the one he uses for 8 years now, that is how top spec it was back then at £6000

All he does is game, with others, doesn't smoke, drink, or go out, and he has saved all his money for the past years.

He is NOT new to PC building, and knows them and the components inside out.

This is more of a question for me:

Why do you gamers need a £1000 motherboard, 128GB of RAM, and a £1000 graphic card ?

He says the build will cost about £8000, running 3 monitors etc.

 

[Hasselblad]

Perhaps he's chosen a fancy illuminated case with a custom water loop? Most of my systems have solid metal side panels and the only LEDs are on 10Gb NICs and SAS cards.
https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https://preview.redd.it/2nd-try-custom-loop-with-rtx-4090-v0-cg6pf6ucmffa1.jpg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9cd7843f86febb75d7d97ac8b65f33b6f3f0261c

I'm not into gaming, but as other people have mentioned, I'd probably buy the latest NVidia RTX 5090 GPU, which range from very expensive to ludicrous prices. A quick look on Amazon.co.uk shows the cheapest is a very "reasonable" £2,199.98:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/MSI-GeForce-RTX-5090-32G/dp/B0DYK4FGLH/ref=sr_1_2

Mid range RTX 5090 cards cost £2,500 to £3,000.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/GeForce-Graphics-Radiator-Chain-Connectable-Magnetic/dp/B0DTV54ZNH

Or you could customise your PC in white with this card for £5,777.20:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/ZOTAC-GAMING-GeForce-Graphics-ZT-B50900Q-10P/dp/B0F3NH96ZM/ref=sr_1_17
I've no idea why it's more expensive than a professional A6000 GPU. Perhaps they don't have any in stock and it's a "placeholder" price.

For the CPU I'd use an AMD Ryzen 9950X3D at £612.42:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/AMD-Processor-3D-V-CacheTM-Technology/dp/B0DVZSG8D5/ref=sr_1_2
It's probably overkill for gaming but good for apps that need more cores.

I've no idea about AM5 motherboards, but I'd allocate £400 to £600, if money is no object.

You can fit large numbers of M.2 NVMe SSDs if you have a mind to. Games can occupy hundreds of GB and fast 8TB M.2 drives aren't cheap. Here's a WD Black SN-850X for £521.40:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/WD_BLACK-SN850X-Expansion-Performance-Internal/dp/B0D9WT512W/ref=sr_1_4
Fit two, three or four 8TB drives and you've used up a small fortune. Most gamers might manage with only 8TB, but of course 32TB is "better".

A 1200W Corsair Shift PSU would be £244.51. I'm sure there are £300 digital PSUs.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-RM1200x-Shift-Modular-Supply/dp/B0BPSYHY41/ref=sr_1_15

I haven't got around to the monitors, but it's easy to spend large sums of money on many things. £8,000 is cheap compared to a super car.

Don't worry about the cost. He's not gambling it away playing on-line poker. Now that would be a waste if he didn't win.

You could spend £7,369 on an X2D 100C (body only):
https://www.parkcameras.com/shop/hasselblad-x2d-100c-medium-format-camera_h015759x

More like his aims

And, my camera gear including my Hasselblad, is insured fo0r £25k, it builds up, one body was £5k, a Gitzo tripod x2 each £500 and so on, that's MY gaming built up over years not in one go.

 

[Hasselblad]

And yes that is one of the components he is after

https://target.georiot.com/Proxy.as...subtag=tomshardware-gb-1842796709550584741-21

 

[USAFRet]

And yes that is one of the components he is after

https://target.georiot.com/Proxy.ashx?tsid=45723&GR_URL=https://amazon.co.uk/WD_BLACK-SN850X-Expansion-Performance-Internal/dp/B0D9WT512W/ref=sr_1_4?tag=hawk-future-21&ascsubtag=tomshardware-gb-1842796709550584741-21

Hopefully that is the Game/OtherStuff drive, and not the OS/Only drive.

 

[Hasselblad]

This is the card he is getting (so far)

And I will say again in case people come in later in the chat, this is his life, with Autism, where others would have a car, spend £3-4k on a cruise this is all he does and wants

https://www.amazon.co.uk/MSI-GeForce-SUPRIM-LIQUID-Graphics/dp/B0BSN426TP/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2J2Q7D26YJSNL&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.uhUkpeuatrOMwfbvzcJW_Q3aOC7k644xjAsvUoif3TjkZhl_vAmRwYbqoyeOamq8IpRwOlxc1B_XPSK_uuL4m_MQg-Q_03M0nHtqkeGKN6Nrqv0AQ17bey9T-f3g53E2TKeJX5vXG3PyZgPqVsyuIFCEjALfTtX3dmUpHsvHkpkgBOhrnttAp_lZlLu6IioF7hGYhmDB-1osPz_nXFATYnC2BtUHct4W1k28bCTNyew.ITAG1VTeNa3jLVgtLctbVAbRnFHfIgM84Xoz7cJ3wLk&dib_tag=se&keywords=5090+msi+aio&qid=1753548935&sprefix=5090+msi+aio,aps,87&sr=8-3&th=1

 

[Why_Me]

4K+ Gaming Monster Builds (Intel vs AMD)​

🧠 1. Intel Build (~£7500–£8000)​

Component	Model	Notes
CPU	Intel Core i9-14900K	Top gaming CPU, blazing fast, but runs hot (needs serious cooling)
GPU	NVIDIA RTX 4090	The king of 4K gaming. Expensive, but unmatched for now
Motherboard	ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero (~£700-1000)	Excellent, but overkill unless specific features are needed
RAM	128GB DDR5-6000 (e.g. Corsair Dominator or G.Skill Trident Z)	Only needed if running huge workloads, not just gaming
Cooler	Corsair iCUE H170i Elite (420mm AIO)	Needed to keep the 14900K in check
Storage	2TB NVMe Gen 4 + 4TB Gen 3 (Samsung 990 Pro + WD SN770)	Fast boot and gaming drive + big storage
Case	Lian Li O11D XL or Fractal Torrent	Great airflow and space for big GPUs/coolers
PSU	1000–1200W Platinum (Seasonic, Corsair, ASUS)	RTX 4090 needs this
Monitors	3x 4K 144Hz IPS (e.g. LG UltraGear, ASUS ROG Swift)	Easily £1200–£2000 of the budget here
Total	~£7800 (depending on brand choices)	Can go down if the motherboard and RAM are scaled back

Two things devolved PC gaming builds imo: ARGB and fish tank cases. Those fish tank cases were invented for peeps who haven't a clue in regards to basic physics and love blowing money. This Antec case down below is the current McLaren of gaming cases.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: *AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D 4.7 GHz 8-Core Processor (£401.67 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: *ARCTIC Liquid Freezer III Pro 360 77 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler (£71.98 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: *MSI MAG X870E TOMAHAWK WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard (£284.99 @ Box Limited)
Memory: *Kingston FURY Beast 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory (£199.99 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Storage: *Samsung 990 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive (£148.47 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: *Samsung 990 Pro 4 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive (£259.00 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: *Zotac GAMING SOLID GeForce RTX 5090 32 GB Video Card (£1928.99 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Case: *Antec FLUX PRO ATX Full Tower Case (£164.94 @ CCL Computers)
Power Supply: *Super Flower Leadex III Gold UP 1300 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (£169.99 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Total: £3630.02
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-07-26 20:48 BST+0100


ARGB build. Replace the 140mm exhaust fan that's included with this case with the 140mm ARGB fan down below if you desire the full effect.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: *AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D 4.7 GHz 8-Core Processor (£401.67 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: *ARCTIC Liquid Freezer III Pro A-RGB 360 77 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler (£79.98 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: *MSI MAG X870E TOMAHAWK WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard (£284.99 @ Box Limited)
Memory: *Kingston FURY Beast RGB 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory (£199.99 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Storage: *Samsung 990 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive (£148.47 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: *Samsung 990 Pro 4 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive (£259.00 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: *Gigabyte GAMING OC GeForce RTX 5090 32 GB Video Card (£2143.94 @ CCL Computers)
Case: *Lian Li LANCOOL 216 RGB ATX Mid Tower Case (£89.00 @ Computer Orbit)
Power Supply: *Super Flower Leadex III Gold UP 1300 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (£169.99 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Case Fan: *Lian Li Uni Fan SL-Infinity 72.7 CFM 140 mm Fan (£25.99 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Total: £3803.02
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-07-26 20:57 BST+0100

https://www.scan.co.uk/products/lian-li-lancool-216-filter-kit-black
Lian Li LANCOOL 216 Front Panel Dust Filter Kit Black £4.99

 

[helper800]

Here is, in my opinion, what an 8k build should look like with 3 monitors as a requirement:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D 4.7 GHz 8-Core Processor (£405.32 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: Gigabyte AORUS WATERFORCE X II 360 ICE 72 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler (£223.60 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: Gigabyte X870E AORUS PRO ICE ATX AM5 Motherboard (£309.00 @ Computer Orbit)
Memory: G.Skill Trident Z5 Royal Neo RGB 96 GB (2 x 48 GB) DDR5-6000 CL28 Memory (£456.05 @ Newegg UK)
Storage: Crucial T705 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 5.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive (£186.00 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital WD_Black SN850X 8 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive (£520.00 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: Gigabyte AORUS MASTER GeForce RTX 5090 32 GB Video Card (£2399.00 @ Box Limited)
Case: Antec FLUX PRO ATX Full Tower Case (£170.00 @ Computer Orbit)
Power Supply: Montech TITAN PLA 1200 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (£211.49 @ Scan.co.uk)
Monitor: Gigabyte AORUS FO32U2P 31.5" 3840 x 2160 240 Hz Monitor (£1049.00 @ Amazon UK)
Monitor: Gigabyte AORUS FO32U2P 31.5" 3840 x 2160 240 Hz Monitor (£1049.00 @ Amazon UK)
Monitor: Gigabyte AORUS FO32U2P 31.5" 3840 x 2160 240 Hz Monitor (£1049.00 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £8027.46
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-07-26 22:40 BST+0100

 

[CyberFlash]

This is the card he is getting (so far)

And I will say again in case people come in later in the chat, this is his life, with Autism, where others would have a car, spend £3-4k on a cruise this is all he does and wants

https://www.amazon.co.uk/MSI-GeForce-SUPRIM-LIQUID-Graphics/dp/B0BSN426TP/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2J2Q7D26YJSNL&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.uhUkpeuatrOMwfbvzcJW_Q3aOC7k644xjAsvUoif3TjkZhl_vAmRwYbqoyeOamq8IpRwOlxc1B_XPSK_uuL4m_MQg-Q_03M0nHtqkeGKN6Nrqv0AQ17bey9T-f3g53E2TKeJX5vXG3PyZgPqVsyuIFCEjALfTtX3dmUpHsvHkpkgBOhrnttAp_lZlLu6IioF7hGYhmDB-1osPz_nXFATYnC2BtUHct4W1k28bCTNyew.ITAG1VTeNa3jLVgtLctbVAbRnFHfIgM84Xoz7cJ3wLk&dib_tag=se&keywords=5090+msi+aio&qid=1753548935&sprefix=5090+msi+aio,aps,87&sr=8-3&th=1

Good choice. That is like the only 5000 series GPU that genuinely impressed me and should serve him for 5 years or more depending on his requirements. Spend more on the GPU and less on other parts.