Creating a new gaming computer?
Creating a new gaming computer?
Hey everyone!
I'm assisting my dad with assembling a new gaming PC and wanted some guidance. The budget is $1800 USD. He mainly plays racing, space simulation, and turn-based games. We've discussed it before, but I'm trying to stay updated on the latest hardware options. (I've built my own systems in the past, so we'll be purchasing components separately and I'll handle the assembly.)
Specifications:
- Case: Should not exceed 20" in height and no more than 8".
- Motherboard: Must support USB and Bluetooth natively, plus two PCIe slots. If possible, a sound card with 7 channels would be ideal; otherwise, a recommendation for a suitable card is welcome.
- CPU: i7 or i9. He wasn't too particular, but not below i7.
- GPU: 4060 or 4060Ti or similar. He prefers NVIDIA but isn't overly strict. A general-level model should suffice.
- Memory: 32GB. He doesn’t have strict requirements.
- Drives: One 1TB M.2 and one 3TB SSD.
- Power Supply: No specific preference, any recommendation is fine.
- Cooling/Fans: Prefers water cooling, but alternative options are acceptable if better.
- Monitor: A 27-30" display with high refresh rate/response time and preferably 4K resolution.
If it's not feasible to meet all these within the budget, he’s open to going up to $2200, though he’d prefer under $1800 if possible. (Note: Prices in Canada are around $2500-$3000 CAD.)
He plans to finalize the build on July 7th, giving us some time to plan.
Feel free to reach out with any questions.
Thanks in advance for your help!
High refresh rate for gaming or 4K? Since no GPU exists that won’t struggle at 4K, it’s a tough choice. 1440p at 166Hz is quite achievable and fits most budgets. Going for 4K at anything higher than 60Hz will demand significant power. I recommend aiming for a 1440p monitor—it’s more affordable and the rest of your system won’t have to strain itself as much. 4K is vastly more demanding and costly.
WIFI a, b, g, n, ac, ax, supporting 2.4/5/6 GHz carrier frequency bands BLUETOOTH 5.3 Support for 11ax 160MHz wireless standard and up to 2.4 Gbps data rate (Actual data rate may vary depending on environment and equipment.)
7.1 CH HD Audio (Realtek ALC897 Audio Codec) not the best codec but up to the job.
cpu:
- 1 x PCIe 5.0 x16 Slot (PCIE1), supports x16 mode
Chipset:
- 1 x PCIe 4.0 x16 Slot (PCIE4), supports x4 mode
- 2 x PCIe 3.0 x1 Slots (PCIE2 and PCIE3)
I don't see why the CPU should be no lower than an i7 because the performance of the i5 K model (and even non-Ks) is more than sufficient.
You're free to overrule my suggestion, of course.
Maybe in the past an i7 was more desirable, but the 12/13/14th generation intels are all good. Even the slower 12th gen CPUs. I think a good compromise is the 13400, but i have selected the 13600K with more cores.
An i5 13600K more or less trounces an i9 12900K, so that's another reason to choose it. Just relying on the iNumber is not enough as you can see.
There is a gap between 12th gen and 13/14th gen. 14th being just a refresh of the 13th. Accordingly, 12th gen CPUs are considerably cheaper.
They all fit into the same LGA1700 socket.
Water cooling takes up less space on the motherboard but distributes itself around the case. So it's a little more clean and tidy but not so much.
Liquid cooling also does not outperform a good air cooler except for the very, very best liquid coolers. Another nitpick is the pump longevity. They will not generally last longer than 5 years but that may be ok with you.
Because it's cheaper and no lesser performance-wise, i've selected an air cooler. but it's your decision.
There are no 3Tb NVMe drives, so i've selected a 4Tb model. You can drop this down to a 2Tb model, or opt for a Toshiba P300 HDD. Mass storage doesn't need speed, and with an OS running on an NVMe a HDD will feel considerably faster anyway.
It's still S.L.O.W. compared to an SSD.
Fractal's North is not too tall but it's width is 8.464567"
Montech is 9.055118"
<8" is a very difficult limit. Other cases i'd recommend are wider. Probably because of case ventilation.
I've selected the North. It's worth it's higher asking price, as long as you actually like it. Other, cheaper but good choices are Montech AIR 903 BASE and NZXT H5 Flow
https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/product/rBTZ...903-base-w
https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/product/92pz...c-h51fw-01
Now, without a monitor, i've already managed to cross your extended budget limit.
When it comes to monitors, 32" is great and huge, and well freaking huge. Can be both a pro and a con.
27" is almost certainly the sweet spot. 32" is nicer for watching a movie but not that much nicer. For gaming, i'd go with 27".
Here is the PcPartPicker build. The final price depends on whether you decide against the 3Tb HDD or 4Tb NVMe drive, and to a lesser extent the PC case you choose.
A cheaper CPU is also possible. The motherboard does support 12/13/14 gen CPUs and it can run all of them, though i would not overclock an i9 on it.
Are you open to the idea of upgrading in the next 1-2 years to an 14700K CPU? I expect it's price will be much more agreeable than it is today. That is only IF your father feels the need to upgrade the CPU.
one other savings is the CPU cooler. The Fuma 3 is excellent, reliable and quiet. The Peerless Assassin is cheaper:
https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/product...-a...white-argb
It's a good cooler, just be careful with RAM clearance.
If your father has a non-OEM Win 10 license, he can re-use it as long as he unlicenses his current PC. So that's little more money saved.
PCPartPicker Part List
CPU:
Intel Core i5-13600K 3.5 GHz 14-Core Processor
($336.96 @ shopRBC)
CPU Cooler:
Scythe Fuma 3 67.62 CFM CPU Cooler
($73.56 @ Amazon Canada)
Motherboard:
ASRock Z790 Lightning WiFi ATX LGA1700 Motherboard
($244.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Memory:
G.Skill Ripjaws S5 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory
($139.99 @ Canada Computers)
Storage:
TEAMGROUP MP44L 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive
($89.96 @ Canada Computers)
Storage:
TEAMGROUP MP44 4 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive
($315.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Storage:
Toshiba P300 3 TB 3.5" 7200 RPM Internal Hard Drive
($178.93 @ Amazon Canada)
Video Card:
PNY XLR8 Gaming VERTO EPIC-X RGB GeForce RTX 4060 8 GB Video Card
($399.99 @ Best Buy Canada)
Case:
Fractal Design North ATX Mid Tower Case
($169.99 @ Canada Computers)
Power Supply:
be quiet! Pure Power 12 M 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply
($109.46 @ Amazon Canada)
Operating System:
Microsoft Windows 11 Home Retail - USB 64-bit
($172.99 @ PC-Canada)
Monitor:
Gigabyte GS27QC 27.0" 2560 x 1440 170 Hz Curved Monitor
($249.99 @ Canada Computers)
Total:
$2482.80
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by
PCPartPicker
2024-06-30 16:01 EDT-0400
Happy building. I think i've given you some ideas and a heads-up or two. As always, read reviews. make sure the stuff is actually good.
I've tried to suggest a build that can handle racing sims at 1440p at a decent refresh rate. But it could be tweaked further.
EDIT - I've found an alternative motherboard, the Gigabyte B760 Aorus Elite AX:
https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/B76...-rev-1x#kf
https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/product/2vwy...s-elite-ax
It's cheaper but has 2 full length PCI slots in addition to the GPU PCIe x16 slot. Also has bluetooth and 7.1.
It's as good as the Lightning imo.
Also, you could choose a DDR4 motherboard. DDR4 is cheaper and while it has lower speed, it also has lower latency. But mostly it's cheaper and works just as well as DDR5.
This motherboard is more expensive, but it's the best one of the ones i listed. The RAM is cheaper and overall they cost less than the DDR5 variants above:
https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/Z79...v-1x/sp#sp
https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/product/LtjB...te-ax-ddr4
With a 1Tb + 2Tb NVMe drive setup, DDR4 motherboard and RAM, and assuming the Win 10 license can be carried over, the final price would be $1935.82
PCPartPicker List of Components
CPU:
*
AMD Ryzen 5 7600 3.8 GHz 6-Core Processor
($245.17 @ Amazon Canada)
CPU Cooler:
*
Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE ARGB 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler
($46.90 @ Amazon Canada)
Motherboard:
*
MSI PRO B650-S WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard
($199.99 @ Best Buy Canada)
Memory:
*
G.Skill Flare X5 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory
($144.97 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage:
*
TEAMGROUP MP44L 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME SSD
($154.97 @ Newegg Canada)
Video Card:
*
Gigabyte WINDFORCE OC GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER 16 GB Video Card
($1099.99 @ Memory Express)
Case:
*
Phanteks XT PRO ULTRA ATX Mid Tower Case
($109.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Power Supply:
*
MSI MAG A850GL PCIE5 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply
($129.97 @ Amazon Canada)
Monitor:
*
Samsung Odyssey G50A 32.0" 2560 x 1440 165 Hz Monitor
($299.99 @ Canada Computers)
Overall Total: $2431.93
Costs encompass shipping, taxes, and applicable discounts
*Selected parts based on predefined parameters*
Created by PCPartPicker
2024-06-30 18:24 EDT-0400
PCPartPicker Product Selection
CPU: Intel Core i7-13700K 3.4 GHz, 16-Core Processor (Price: $449.00 @ Amazon Canada)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Aqua Elite V3 66.17 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler (Price: $59.90 @ Amazon Canada)
Motherboard: MSI MAG Z790 TOMAHAWK WIFI ATX LGA1700 (Price: $261.19 @ Amazon Canada)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws S5 32 GB (2 x 16 GB), DDR5-6000 CL30 (Price: $139.99 @ Canada Computers)
Storage: SK Hynix Platinum P41 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME SSD (Price: $207.90 @ Amazon Canada)
Crucial P3 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME SSD (Price: $158.50 @ Vuugo)
Video Card: PNY VERTO OC GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER 12 GB (Price: $784.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Case: Montech AIR 903 BASE ATX Mid Tower (Price: $94.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Power Supply: MSI MAG A850GL PCIE5 850 W, 80+ Gold Certified, Modular ATX (Price: $129.97 @ Amazon Canada)
Monitor: ViewSonic OMNI VX2728J-2K 27.0" 2560 x 1440, 180 Hz (Price: $249.99 @ Canada Computers)
Total: $2536.42
Includes shipping, taxes, and applicable discounts
Generated by PCPartPicker
2024-06-30 19:18 EDT-0400
Some observations:
High refresh 4K screens will likely double the cost and require a significantly better video card for smooth operation
The need for multiple PCIe slots is unclear but important
No 3TB SSD options available, so two 2TB drives are included
An i7 is not essential; an i5 would suffice, though the i7 was retained per request
AMD offers strong value here, and X3D parts can enhance performance for sim games
The requested width isn’t suitable for a quality case
The 4060 lineup offers poor value and is unsuitable beyond 1080p gaming
Selection decisions were based on observed pricing and performance metrics
I do agree it's not really good enough. A 7800XT or 7900GRE would be the ideal choice. But the 4060 can work for racing sims as long as some graphical details are lowered. Mainly shadows or AA. While those are nice, they are less relevant in split second decision making games. But, ultimately it was the budget that decided the GPU. Very difficult to fit a GPU better than the 4060 while keeping the cost below $2000 or $2200.
For turn based games, the 4060 is much less at a disadvantage.
It would help if we knew more about the exact games the computer should run. Some sims require more CPU power. "Space games" could mean anything. TBS generally aren't most demanding.
Ok, this build just about squeezes into a $2200 budget. The CPU is a little weaker, but it should not be underestimated. Check reviews and performance because as i've mentioned previously, a 13600K is faster than an i9 12900K. The 13500 is in some instances preferable to the 13600K. The hybrid-era Intels (12,13,14th gen) do not automaticaly provide a benefit to an unlocked CPU.
The door is still open to a i7 14700K down the road.
PCPartPicker Part List
CPU:
Intel Core i5-13500 2.5 GHz 14-Core Processor
($319.99 @ Newegg Canada)
CPU Cooler:
Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE WHITE ARGB 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler
($41.90 @ Amazon Canada)
Motherboard:
Gigabyte Z790 AORUS ELITE AX DDR4 ATX LGA1700 Motherboard
($269.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Memory:
G.Skill Ripjaws V 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory
($80.95 @ Amazon Canada)
Storage:
TEAMGROUP MP44L 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive
($89.96 @ Canada Computers)
Storage:
TEAMGROUP MP44L 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive
($154.97 @ Newegg Canada)
Video Card:
Gigabyte GAMING OC Radeon RX 7900 GRE 16 GB Video Card
($749.00 @ Canada Computers)
Case:
Montech AIR 903 BASE ATX Mid Tower Case
($94.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Power Supply:
SeaSonic FOCUS GX-750 ATX 3.0 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply
($140.25 @ Vuugo)
Monitor:
Gigabyte GS27QC 27.0" 2560 x 1440 170 Hz Curved Monitor
($249.99 @ Canada Computers)
Total:
$2191.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by
PCPartPicker
2024-07-01 07:06 EDT-0400
Edit - replaced the PSU with a 750 SeaSonic ATX 3.0 model
Thank you everyone for your responses! I forwarded them to my father who will review them when he has a moment.
Honestly, the advice is great overall. I’ll let him know once he has had a chance to check them.
Regarding some specific questions: besides 4x games, he seems inclined to play Star Citizen, Star Wars Squadrons, the Forza racing series, and Dyson Sphere Project.
These are mainly fast-paced racing titles and dog fighting space sims.
As for particular components, I think he’ll be open to alternatives if they fit the budget. Feel free to suggest better options if you think they’re worth it.
Budget-wise, he mentioned being open to increasing it to $3000 if there’s a real improvement.
The situation is unusual—he wants to confirm everything before making a decision. I’ll ask him if there are other places where he could store it.
He also expressed interest in getting two PCIe slots for future upgrades, though I’m not sure why that’s important.
Thanks again for all the time and helpful suggestions!
I talked with my father and he responded. Here were my concerns and his answers:
- Sim racing (Forza4/5, Assetto Corsa, Hot Wheels Unleashed 2, others), Space Sims (Star Wars Squadrons, Star Citizen, Everspace, X4), Grand Strategy (Stellaris, Civ, Europa), Builders (Dyson Sphere, Satisfactory, Skylines)
I might be able to if I had to. What would the requirements be?
Well, one for the GPU, and another for anything else I might pick up. Right now I have an M.2 card that needs that slot and I don’t own it. Honestly, I haven’t missed it all these years with my current setup, so maybe I could skip it.
Definitely. But I’d prefer something that lasts at least 3 to 4 years before needing an upgrade. Five would be ideal.
No. I’m fine using an i5.
If that’s the case, then we should build the right machine as long as we keep working on it, right?
Feel free to ask me more questions or concerns and I’ll pass them along.
Thanks again.
most recent builds that don't use a dual-channel layout are typically around 230mm/9 inches. The main concern here is that client platforms have limited PCIe options, and most budget motherboards only provide one CPU lane slot. If higher bandwidth is required, the choice would shift to another board, and if you need separate channels for more storage or similar features, switching to an AMD board might be necessary. This shouldn't be a major obstacle for the project.
The 4K monitor issue is the key point for addressing this because at 4K resolution it's likely you should consider a graphics card with at least 16GB of VRAM just to ensure stability. For 1440p, a 12GB card would suffice, making the focus on the performance level that fits your budget.
PCIe slots can be full length or very short.
What are PCIe X1 Slots Used For? Ultimate Beginner’s Guide – DigiChasers
digichasers.com
Guide to PCIe Lanes: How many do you need for your workload?
PCIe Lanes can severly bottleneck your performance if you don't have enough for your workload. Here's all you need to know about PCIe Lanes.
www.cgdirector.com
~9"
Basically a case is likely to be between 215 and 240 mm. Definetly more than 8" but not a hell of a lot more.
The Fractal Design North is one of the slimmest. Costs a little bit more but it's got enough space to work in, good ventilation. It looks odd, but if that's not a problem i would recommend it.
North
North reimagines the gaming PC, introducing natural materials and bespoke details to make gaming a stylish addition to the living space. Fusing design and airflow engineering, the case features fine-patterned mesh ventilation and an open front with real walnut or oak panels. The design is...
www.fractal-design.com
As for the PCIe slots, most motherboards will have at least one extra slot besides the GPU. And they will have a few M.2 slots for NVMe drives.
The Aorus Elite AX DDR4 motherboard i recommended has 4 M.2 slots for NVMe drives (one of which supports M.2 SATA drives), and 3 full length x16 PCIe slots. One is PCIe 5.0, the others 4.0 and 3.0
It also has the Bluetooth, WiFi and 7.1 audio features so overall it ticks all the boxes. It does cost more but what's $30-40 if compromises will have to be made.
Full specs:
https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/Z79...v-1x/sp#sp
The Radeon RX 7900GRE is king and queen of 1440p gaming. There are faster GPUs but they cost more.
If your father is willing to part with roughly $1100 for a Nvidia RTX 4070 Ti Super GPU, he will get a higher level of performance, and it will last longer.
However, we are some 4-6 months away from the launch of many new GPUs from Intel, AMD and Nvidia. The Nvidia's in particular are expected to be a great improvement on the current 40XX series.
The 5070 will probably blow away what the 4070 Ti Super can deliver, and do it for less money and less power.
Buying a cheap RTX 4060 helps save some money towards a more meaningful purchase in the near future. One that will last 3-5 years or even longer.
On the other hand, buying a RX 7900GRE delivers right now and will not become gutless for another 3 years. Possibly longer.
It's normally best to buy right now but we are very close to the next gen launching. So waiting is an option.
Perhaps this can convince you further that just looking at the number after the "i" is not enough:
Passmark benchmark - single thread performance (most relevant for gaming)
13500 - 3890 pts $320
13600K - 4148 $337
13700K - 4363 $450
12900K - 4348 $410
11900K - 3511 $522
10900K - 3135 $700
i3 12100 - 3481
😳
$150
As you can see, the newer generation CPUs are improved in performance so much, they can outclass the higher tier CPUs from the previous generation.
In the multithreaded performance, the higher tier CPUs like the i7 and i9 still have some fight left in them because of higher core counts and more threads. But it's the single thread performance that is most relevant for gaming, as games very rarely take advantage of extra threads and cores.
Good attitude but it doesn't have to be crazy expensive to be good. Your budget was pretty close (except for 4K gaming)
This build costs ~$2500
Maybe a more expensive monitor or an extra $250 for the RTX 4070 Ti Super would be a good way to spend up to $3000.
A power supply that would last a decade and efficiently handle pretty much anything ($245):
https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/product...d-...-1300f14xg
Or drop the CPU down to an i5 13600K and save $110. The i7 doesn't exactly improve things that much for it's price.
PCPartPicker Part List
CPU:
Intel Core i7-13700K 3.4 GHz 16-Core Processor
($449.99 @ Best Buy Canada)
CPU Cooler:
Scythe Fuma 3 67.62 CFM CPU Cooler
($73.56 @ Amazon Canada)
Motherboard:
Gigabyte Z790 AORUS ELITE AX DDR4 ATX LGA1700 Motherboard
($344.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Memory:
G.Skill Ripjaws V 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory
($80.95 @ Amazon Canada)
Storage:
TEAMGROUP MP44L 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive
($89.96 @ Canada Computers)
Storage:
TEAMGROUP MP44L 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive
($154.97 @ Newegg Canada)
Video Card:
Gigabyte GAMING OC Radeon RX 7900 GRE 16 GB Video Card
($749.00 @ Canada Computers)
Case:
Fractal Design North ATX Mid Tower Case
($169.99 @ Canada Computers)
Power Supply:
SeaSonic FOCUS GX-750 ATX 3.0 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply
($140.25 @ Vuugo)
Monitor:
Gigabyte GS27QC 27.0" 2560 x 1440 170 Hz Curved Monitor
($249.99 @ Canada Computers)
Total:
$2503.65
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by
PCPartPicker
2024-07-01 18:13 EDT-0400