Looking for guidance on creating a high-performance PC within a £3000 budget?
Looking for guidance on creating a high-performance PC within a £3000 budget?
Hello,
I’m seeking guidance on assembling a high-performance PC. I’m particularly interested in premium GPUs and CPUs, specifically the RTX 4090 and Intel I9 13900K with 64 GB DDR4 RAM. I plan to use a 1000-watt power supply and a liquid cooler. The CPU model I’m considering is the Intel Core i9 13900K LGA1700, which has a TDP of 125W and comes with a 3.0GHz clock speed, 24 cores, 32 threads, and 36MB cache. I’m looking for a suitable motherboard that supports this processor and has an Socket 1700 compatibility. The listing does not include a cooler, but I’ll need to source one separately. The part number is BX8071513900K and it’s available at CCL.
For the motherboard, I want options that cover various sockets such as 2011-v and 1151, offered by reputable brands like Gigabyte, ASUS, ASRock, and Biostar.
In terms of memory, I’m interested in the latest DDR4 options from major manufacturers including Kingston, Crucial, and Corsair.
For the power supply, I need a 1000-watt unit with an 80 Plus Gold certification, modular design, and compatible cables.
The CPU I’m eyeing is the Intel Core i9 13900K, and I’ll be using it mainly for gaming—especially triple-A RPGs, real-time strategy games, and turn-based strategy titles. I’m also open to using it for virtualisation tasks.
Since this is my first build, I’m unsure if any component might become a bottleneck. My goal is to select top-tier parts so I can enjoy optimal performance and quality, especially with frequent game updates each year. I’d appreciate any advice or suggestions from someone experienced.
Remember to format your thread appropriately; this adaptation comes from the Animal's *How To Ask For New Build Advice*. I made this change since many recent posts are seeking upgrade guidance both here and on the CPU forums. I believe it's important to include budget details in your post so the community can offer helpful, constructive advice.
7800x3d offers good performance with decent cooling and lower costs, especially when paired with 8000series or 9000series chips. After the 14th refresh it will still use the same socket, and all DDR5 support remains.
The 13900k is currently the top CPU overall, but for gaming it may not outperform the 7800x3d in many titles. If your main focus is on graphics, the 7800x3d will likely surpass it in most games.
If you're planning to use a 4090 and aim for higher resolutions like 1080p or even 1440p, you might want to skip the 13900k and go with something more suited for GPU-intensive tasks.
If you need additional cores, the efficiency cores in the 13900K aren’t very strong. This is especially true if you plan to run virtual servers and assign CPU cores to them.
Make sure to adjust the X3D CCD settings for gaming purposes. Even if you’re handling tasks that require heavy threading, the X3D CCD may not be utilized.
You’ve selected a SFX PSU, are you intending to build an ITX case? If yes, pairing a 7950X3D with a 4090 could work well:
PCPartPicker Part List
CPU:
AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D 4.2 GHz 16-Core Processor
(£634.99 @ AWD-IT)
CPU Cooler:
ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 360 A-RGB 48.8 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler
(£139.99 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard:
MSI MPG B650I EDGE WIFI Mini ITX AM5 Motherboard
(£219.98 @ Amazon UK)
Memory:
Corsair Vengeance 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6600 CL32 Memory
(£219.98 @ Amazon UK)
Storage:
Crucial P5 Plus 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME SSD
(£100.00 @ Scan.co.uk)
Video Card:
MSI RTX 4090 VENTUS 3X 24G OC GeForce RTX 4090 24 GB Video Card
(£1630.00 @ Amazon UK)
Case:
Corsair 2000D AIRFLOW Mini ITX Tower Case
(£99.53 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply:
Corsair SF1000L 1000 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular SFX PSU
(£196.09 @ Amazon UK)
Overall cost: £3240.56
Includes shipping, taxes, and applicable discounts
You can find more info about fitting the AIO in the Corsair case here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Corsair/comment...ird_2000d/
Upcoming BIOS updates will soon support 6600mhz RAM, and you can run at 6000 CL36 until then.
The 13900K is a processor that tends to overheat and demands top-notch cooling to perform optimally. It isn't the best choice for a gaming setup, I think. One would prefer a board with PCIe 5.0 and an ATX 3.0 PSU that supports PCIe 5.0, combined with an i7 chipset. Also worth noting is that 32GB of RAM is sufficient for most requirements.
PCPartPicker Part List
CPU:
*Intel Core i7-13700 2.1 GHz 16-Core Processor
(£379.99 @ AWD-IT)
CPU Cooler:
*Deepcool AK620 68.99 CFM CPU Cooler
(£55.47 @ Scan.co.uk)
Motherboard:
*MSI PRO Z790-A WIFI ATX LGA1700 Motherboard
(£219.98 @ Scan.co.uk)
Memory:
*G.Skill Ripjaws S5 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6400 CL32 Memory
(£129.12 @ Amazon UK)
Storage:
*Western Digital Black SN850X 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME SSD
(£114.97 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card:
*Gigabyte GAMING OC GeForce RTX 4090 24 GB Video Card
(£1640.86 @ NeoComputers)
Case:
*Lian Li LANCOOL 216 ATX Mid Tower Case
(£97.98 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Power Supply:
*MSI A1000G PCIE5 1000 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply
(£159.00 @ Computer Orbit)
Operating System:
*Microsoft Windows 11 Home OEM - DVD 64-bit
(£99.95 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £2897.32
Costs cover shipping, taxes, and any available discounts
*Selected parts based on predefined criteria*
Generated by
PCPartPicker
2023-07-21 11:47 BST+0100
A closer inspection of these items.
https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/PRO-Z790-A-WIFI
https://www.intel.com/content/www/u...-3...tions.html
https://www.deepcool.com/products/cpu-co...3067.shtml
https://www.westerndigital.com/products/...DS200T2X0E
MPG A1000G PCIE5 | Power Supply | Overflow With Power
The MPG A1000G power supply is built to support NVIDIA® GeForce RTX® 40 Series graphics cards because it features ATX 3.0 and PCIe 5.0.
www.msi.com
https://lian-li.com/product/lancool-216/
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykbhuv6yLBc
If you were searching for a high-end solution, the 7950X3D would definitely be worth considering—it performs comparably to or even surpasses the 13900K in gaming, while using significantly less power. There are a few minor issues with the E cores and virtualization features, but having uniform cores could simplify things.
I'm interested in achieving a 4k resolution with my 4k monitor. Would you think the Intel CPU might slow down the GPU if I push beyond 1440p?
What concerns you about lasting time? Would the AMD chips keep up with the latest Intel processors?