Question New gaming PC (box only), $2-2.5k, I am out of the loop, send help

[Inquisition8]

Hi all,

I'm looking to build a new PC (box only) in the next month or so in anticipation of D4 release. I'm way out of the loop as I built my current rig back in 2016 and just did some upgrades over time (RAM/GPU/SSD). Answers to the basics:

1. What YOUR PC will be used for.

Gaming

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread

Preferably stay around $2k, but can go as high as $2.5k.

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.

US

4. IF you're buying parts OUTSIDE the US, please post a link to the vendor you'll be buying from.

N/A

5. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy, ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc.

Intel & NVIDIA fanboy (not negotiable). Had good experience with Samsung for SSDs and Corsair for the case/PSU, but can explore alternatives. Everything else open to suggestion.

6. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.

No re-use

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.

Default speeds (would like a quieter system than what I have now, but if not that's ok too - willing to explore water cooling).

8. What resolution, not monitor size, will you be using?

Currently on a 34" 1440p LG. May upgrade to a 4k, but not necessary.

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?
Note that it is usually not cost or time effective to choose your build more than a month before you actually plan to be using it.

In the next month

10. Do you need to purchase any software to go with the system, such as Windows or Blu Ray playback software?

I have all software

So, what I need:

Case
PSU
CPU
Mobo
RAM
GPU
SSD
Optical (do I though?)
Whatever fans/cooling setup

Really just looking for some general suggestions so I can part it out on PCPartPicker. Main goal is smooth gaming at max settings for D4 and (presumably) Starfield - but mostly D4. I play a lot of League too, but that's a potato game. I'm guessing with this budget 1440p maxed out shouldn't be an issue, but will it do 4K? If not that's fine. Hoping to stay close to $2k as that was my last build price and it worked well, but I can go as high as $2.5k if it makes sense from a "sweet spot" perspective.

TIA

 

[In2Photos]

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/hcwvBj

 

[fralexandr]

Fyi, neither of those games would necessarily require a rebuild. Starfield is the most demanding of the listed games and recommends a 6700k and 2070.
D4 recommends a 4670k and gtx 970.

If you spent 2k in 2016 I'd guess the system to be running a 6700k?

Also, be sure to check for firmware updates on any of the new samsung drives as there may be a firmware issue.

Info - [UPDATED] Samsung SSDs reliability :: Firmware fix available for 990 Pro, other drives potentially afected

[Update 2] More drives and multiple controllers potentially affected. [Update] Firmware fix available via Samsung Magician utility A number of concerning reports regarding 990 Pro drives have been popping up the web since December 2022. The drives are apparently losing serious chunks of drive...

forums.anandtech.com

 

[Inquisition8]

Fyi, neither of those games would necessarily require a rebuild. Starfield is the most demanding of the listed games and recommends a 6700k and 2070.
D4 recommends a 4670k and gtx 970.

If you spent 2k in 2016 I'd guess the system to be running a 6700k?

Also, be sure to check for firmware updates on any of the new samsung drives as there may be a firmware issue.

Info - [UPDATED] Samsung SSDs reliability :: Firmware fix available for 990 Pro, other drives potentially afected

[Update 2] More drives and multiple controllers potentially affected. [Update] Firmware fix available via Samsung Magician utility A number of concerning reports regarding 990 Pro drives have been popping up the web since December 2022. The drives are apparently losing serious chunks of drive...

forums.anandtech.com

Yes I played D4 beta. I'm on a 4770k + 1660 Super. It worked, but not great and in any case this is going to be a hand-me-down to my son (his first PC, lucky sob), so daddy is getting a new rig.

 

[Inquisition8]

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/hcwvBj

Checked out this build and I like it, but a few questions/inquiries:

- Why specifically that RAM choice (DDR5-6000) at 1.35v vs. DDR5-5600 at 1.25v or really any of the other similar options? I'm going to be running stock, but just curious on the rationale.
- Is 850watt sufficient? 4080 (320w) + i7-13700 is about 450watt total, and I guess another 100-200 (?) for the board, ram, whatever else. I know those GPUs get quite power hungry.
- What's the justification for the 4080 16gb vs. something else, is it just the sweet spot/price point in that range?
- Are non-nvme drives basically useless now (from a performance standpoint)?
- Debating between Corsair 4000D and 5000D Airflow cases. Is the 4000D sufficient to keep the noise down and things cool? I do like the way it looks slightly more, but assuming I'll need to use the side panel fans since front intake is lacking.

Generalized:

- Are there any real compatibility concerns with mixing a bunch of brands together, or are things standardized enough now?
- Is Newegg still the go-to to order PC parts or is Amazon fine? With Prime card I get 5% back on everything, so that would be a preferable route assuming I can generally expect a "good" experience.

TIA

 

[BoomerD]

I bought ALL my parts from Amazon. (I DID use Newegg as a source of info)
With some of the changes at Newegg, I've quit buying anything from them.

 

[Ajay]

There are many options in your price range. The principle determining factor will be your choice of GPU, which have become very expensive is recent years. Which GPU you buy will affect the longevity of your system. I think you could build a nice system in your budget using an $800 dollar GPU like the Radeon RX 7900XT or NV RTX 4070Ti. An AM4 system with a 5800X3D CPU could knock down the cost a bit while giving very good gaming longevity.

 

[In2Photos]

Checked out this build and I like it, but a few questions/inquiries:

- Why specifically that RAM choice (DDR5-6000) at 1.35v vs. DDR5-5600 at 1.25v or really any of the other similar options? I'm going to be running stock, but just curious on the rationale.
- Is 850watt sufficient? 4080 (320w) + i7-13700 is about 450watt total, and I guess another 100-200 (?) for the board, ram, whatever else. I know those GPUs get quite power hungry.
- What's the justification for the 4080 16gb vs. something else, is it just the sweet spot/price point in that range?
- Are non-nvme drives basically useless now (from a performance standpoint)?
- Debating between Corsair 4000D and 5000D Airflow cases. Is the 4000D sufficient to keep the noise down and things cool? I do like the way it looks slightly more, but assuming I'll need to use the side panel fans since front intake is lacking.

Generalized:

- Are there any real compatibility concerns with mixing a bunch of brands together, or are things standardized enough now?
- Is Newegg still the go-to to order PC parts or is Amazon fine? With Prime card I get 5% back on everything, so that would be a preferable route assuming I can generally expect a "good" experience.

TIA

Faster RAM provides better performance, enabling XMP is a single click in the BIOS. So you get more performance for very little effort or cost.
850W is plenty.
The 4080 is the fastest NVidia card you can get in your budget and IMO 16GB is the minimum amount of vRAM you should be buying today if you plan to play modern games at 1440p or 4K.
Non NVME aren't useless, but I would relegate them to certain types of data. I wouldn't use them for a boot drive if NVME is an option and I probably wouldn't use them for a gaming drive (again if NVME is an option).
Case is purely your choice. I just picked one that I know gets good reviews and has a decent price.

Only compatibility that really comes into play with modern builds is shared PCIe lanes between PCIe slots and NVME storage. This is motherboard dependent and typically only comes into play when using several NVME drives.
Newegg and Amazon are my go to, although I try to stay with Amazon more as Newegg has done some slimy stuff to people. I didn't have any issues with my last 3 builds from Newegg though.

 

[CodeBeholder]

I will always recommend splurging for a high quality case. A well designed case can last through several builds.

GN did a great roundup of the best cases from last year, but TLDR; if all you care about is airflow the Fractal Torrent is probably the case for you. If you want a few more features, and something that looks good as a display piece, the new Phanteks NV7 is also amazing. I'm personally holding out for the upcoming Lian-Li O11 Dynamic EVO XL but the non-XL version is also great.

Similarly to the case, a good PSU will last forever (almost). If you are buying a new PSU I'd make sure it's both ATX 3.0 and PCIE 5.0 compatible so that it is future-proofed.

 

[Papagayo]

always check the hot deals on this forum.. You will find some great deals..

 

[Inquisition8]

Thanks for the help everyone, got everything ordered! Come on D4, let me innnnnn

 

[aigomorla]

Checked out this build and I like it, but a few questions/inquiries:

- Why specifically that RAM choice (DDR5-6000) at 1.35v vs. DDR5-5600 at 1.25v or really any of the other similar options? I'm going to be running stock, but just curious on the rationale.
- Is 850watt sufficient? 4080 (320w) + i7-13700 is about 450watt total, and I guess another 100-200 (?) for the board, ram, whatever else. I know those GPUs get quite power hungry.
- What's the justification for the 4080 16gb vs. something else, is it just the sweet spot/price point in that range?
- Are non-nvme drives basically useless now (from a performance standpoint)?
- Debating between Corsair 4000D and 5000D Airflow cases. Is the 4000D sufficient to keep the noise down and things cool? I do like the way it looks slightly more, but assuming I'll need to use the side panel fans since front intake is lacking.

Generalized:

- Are there any real compatibility concerns with mixing a bunch of brands together, or are things standardized enough now?
- Is Newegg still the go-to to order PC parts or is Amazon fine? With Prime card I get 5% back on everything, so that would be a preferable route assuming I can generally expect a "good" experience.

TIA

DDR5 @ 1.35V is XMP enabled.
1.25v is also xmp enabled, but the 1.35V ones are certified from vendor to work at speed advertised.
1.35v will require some form of active cooling blowing some air over it.
Ie. have some air being moved over the ram heatsinks.

850W is a good supply size.
However i prefer just yoloing it and going 1kw as a good number.
Also if my budget goes over 1500 dollars, i typically spend the extra on at least a Gold / Platnium / Titanium PSU.

I actually do not advise the 4080.
I would recommend since you can afford it, go up 1kw psu, and get a 7900XTX, and it should last you at least several years.
Also console xbox ports tend to be easier on AMD then Nvidia.
Although non console ports, Nvidia dominates.
But the 7900XTX is still a much more powerful workhorse then a 4080.

I would actually go 7800X3D over intel with a 7900XTX and setup SAM and Direct Memory Access.

Do not look at anything other then NVME for bootup.
For gaming drive, i would recommend a good Raid-0 Array using 4TB SATA drives in 2-3x parity.
But a good 2TB nVME can be used, if you are not a pack rat like i am at hording games.

UGH... i hate those cases.
I would think about possibly.
Lian Li O1
or Hyte Revolt.

Or possibly even a thermaltake level 20 or a smaller version of it.

 

[BoomerD]

DDR5 @ 1.35V is XMP enabled.
1.25v is also xmp enabled, but the 1.35V ones are certified from vendor to work at speed advertised.
1.35v will require some form of active cooling blowing some air over it.
Ie. have some air being moved over the ram heatsinks.

850W is a good supply size.
However i prefer just yoloing it and going 1kw as a good number.
Also if my budget goes over 1500 dollars, i typically spend the extra on at least a Gold / Platnium / Titanium PSU.

I actually do not advise the 4080.
I would recommend since you can afford it, go up 1kw psu, and get a 7900XTX, and it should last you at least several years.
Also console xbox ports tend to be easier on AMD then Nvidia.
Although non console ports, Nvidia dominates.
But the 7900XTX is still a much more powerful workhorse then a 4080.

I would actually go 7800X3D over intel with a 7900XTX and setup SAM and Direct Memory Access.

Do not look at anything other then NVME for bootup.
For gaming drive, i would recommend a good Raid-0 Array using 4TB SATA drives in 2-3x parity.
But a good 2TB nVME can be used, if you are not a pack rat like i am at hording games.

UGH... i hate those cases.
I would think about possibly.
Lian Li O1
or Hyte Revolt.

Or possibly even a thermaltake level 20 or a smaller version of it.

What do you hate about the Corsair cases? I did my recent build in a be quiet! Dark Base Pro 900 Rev.2 and am seriously thinking about replacing the case.

 

[aigomorla]

What do you hate about the Corsair cases? I did my recent build in a be quiet! Dark Base Pro 900 Rev.2 and am seriously thinking about replacing the case.

Its a design of the old.
I like cube cases more.
I like off orientation builds as well.

Meaning i do not like the typical ATX side ways mounted window on the left side typical build.
I rather have a hanging gpu, or a horizontal bed platform like a HAF style.

Base Pro 900 is suposed to b a good case no?
Its like a Bequiet version of the TJ-07 which allows inverted board builds.

 

[BoomerD]

Its a design of the old.
I like cube cases more.
I like off orientation builds as well.

Meaning i do not like the typical ATX side ways mounted window on the left side typical build.
I rather have a hanging gpu, or a horizontal bed platform like a HAF style.

Base Pro 900 is suposed to b a good case no?
Its like a Bequiet version of the TJ-07 which allows inverted board builds.

Good case, yes...and can be inverted so the window is on the other side...but if the front "door" is closed, it really restricts the airflow...and the top panel of the case is also pretty closed down for airflow. (I might take a Dremel to mine...open things up a bit. If I fck it up...well, I've been looking for a good excuse to replace it)