New high-end gaming build advice

mattStoor

mattStoor

mattStoor

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Some build suggestions for a high end gaming PC would be greatly appreciated. I've got all of my peripherals already so it's just the PC build that I'm looking for.

My budget is £2000-£3000 which I'm hoping will get me a build that plays new games at max settings with good FPS. Maxing out the budget isn't a requirement but obviously I'd like to be as future proofed as possible.

A nice to have would be if the PC could run relatively quietly. I'd prioritise performance over noise though. I'm not in a hurry to buy so if there are new releases coming up that I should be thinking about then please do say so.
 
Wait for Navi / Vega 2 as well.

Some components you could include in the build to keep it very quiet:

My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £388.57 (includes shipping: £12.60)
​

That case comes with two Silent Wings 3 fans which are the very best at being quiet but still effective at moving a lot of air. The CPU cooler also has two Silent Wings 3 fans and the case itself has noise dampening material. You could get it slightly quieter if you go for a windowless case as that'll be another side that can have noise dampening material.

The PSU has a fanless mode too which means below a certain load it'll run passively and not spin up the fan.

Load for fan to turn on (%) 40%
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Source

In terms of performance vs quietness, the CPU cooler is top end and isn't negatively impacted by being quiet, it's just a great choice. The case you could argue may suffer a bit with temps as is always the way when you try to balance temps and noise. Here I'd say it should be fine as you'll have a v.good CPU cooler and hopefully a decent GPU. Potentially you could add in another Silent Wings 3 fan to the front of the case dependent on how the temps play out.

You might find my recent thread an interesting read.
 
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orbitalwalsh said:
What's your monitor ?

Ryzen 3000 and X570 boards out Q2 2019 .
No engineering samples have been leaked yet so not hitting Q1.
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I wouldn't be so sure, AMD could sneak some of the Ryzen 3xxx CPU's out in March, or even before possibly a bit like the first Ryzen launch, just 2-3 SKU's no need for X570 if you just wanted the CPU horse power and were not interested in PCI-E 4.0, it's not like there is any competition or alternative presently. :)
 
Journey said:
I wouldn't be so sure, AMD could sneak some of the Ryzen 3xxx CPU's out in March, or even before possibly a bit like the first Ryzen launch, just 2-3 SKU's no need for X570 if you just wanted the CPU horse power and were not interested in PCI-E 4.0, it's not like there is any competition or alternative presently. :)
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Same as x470 and zen+ didn't need the boards. Though they need vendors support , specially after the the god awaweful launch of Ryzen 1*** series. The engineering samples they shipped were just bad , must dig mine out somewhere . Explains a lot why vendors didn't support it much or release boards as good as x470 .

Hopefully I'm wrong but haven't seen any bios road maps for the Big 3 yet not benchmark stuff . Gigabyte techs normally the worst at keeping their stuff off line
 
@orbitalwalsh
I got the below monitor back in 2015. It wasnt B grade at the time but it looks like that's how OCUK lists it now:
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/b-gr...s-widescreen-led-monitor-black-bg-10v-bq.html


@davidmt83
Thanks for the interesting suggestions. I'm pretty excited for a quietish build that doesnt compromise on performance. I'd actually already come across your other thread and it was a helpful read thanks.

@everyone
How are the Navi and Vega 2 releases likely to stack up with the latest Intel/Nvidia hardware? I assume since several of you are talking about them, that you're quite hopeful? Q2 is quite a long wait :eek:

Thanks for the great replies!
 
mattStoor said:
@orbitalwalsh
I got the below monitor back in 2015. It wasnt B grade at the time but it looks like that's how OCUK lists it now:
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/b-gr...s-widescreen-led-monitor-black-bg-10v-bq.html


@davidmt83
Thanks for the interesting suggestions. I'm pretty excited for a quietish build that doesnt compromise on performance. I'd actually already come across your other thread and it was a helpful read thanks.

@everyone
How are the Navi and Vega 2 releases likely to stack up with the latest Intel/Nvidia hardware? I assume since several of you are talking about them, that you're quite hopeful? Q2 is quite a long wait :eek:

Thanks for the great replies!
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Rtx 2080 ti , only true 4k GPU and you don't. Have sync tech on that monitor so that'll take be the only card to hit 60fps min/average on most games
 
If purely gaming I would just buy a Ryzen R7 2700/X and a solid board (Gigabyte X470 Gaming 7 for example). At 4K the cpu is less of a priority. Stick a 2080 ti in there as suggested by Orbital and you will have a nice system for 4K.
 
Something along the lines of this is what I would look at. You can always swap out the case/cooler fans for some BeQuiet ones if need be.


My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £2,500.58 (includes shipping: £14.70)​
​
 
I'd put a 2600(X) in an upgrade it to a Zen2 CPU in 2-6 months time, then you'll have spent the same but have 9900/9700K like performance. £320 for a 2700X, with a resale value of about £150 in possibly less than a week.
 
Journey said:
I'd put a 2600(X) in an upgrade it to a Zen2 CPU in 2-6 months time, then you'll have spent the same but have 9900/9700K like performance. £320 for a 2700X, with a resale value of about £150 in possibly less than a week.
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He is gaming at 4K though so the cpu is less of an issue for the most part. An 8 core will last a good while if he wants something now. He could always go with the R7 2700 to save £50.
 
lee32uk said:
He is gaming at 4K though so the cpu is less of an issue for the most part. An 8 core will last a good while if he wants something now. He could always go with the R7 2700 to save £50.
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Yes I got that much, but he asked for longevity. Given the potential IPC increase, clock speed increase and price reductions on the Zen2 8-core CPU's a mid-range 3600X (or whatever it will be called) could be the next 2500K/2600K equivalent. Also like you said, 4K gaming isn't going to be impacted that much by a 6c/12t CPU, especially since the 2600/X can do 4.2GHz all core. :)
 
Journey said:
Yes I got that much, but he asked for longevity. Given the potential IPC increase, clock speed increase and price reductions on the Zen2 8-core CPU's a mid-range 3600X (or whatever it will be called) could be the next 2500K/2600K equivalent. Also like you said, 4K gaming isn't going to be impacted that much by a 6c/12t CPU, especially since the 2600/X can do 4.2GHz all core. :)
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I would certainly hang on for CES just to see if there is any solid release date. I have a feeling they won't release until May at the earliest though, assuming they follow the same 13 month release date between Ryzen 1xxx (Mar 2017) and 2xxx (Apr 2018).
 
A lot of you mentioned that CPU is less of a priority for 4K. What’s that in comparison to? Surely it’s got to be more intensive than 1080p? Would a synch monitor need a beefier CPU?

Also is there a reason that all the suggestions have been AMD? I always thought intel had the performance edge although coming with a bigger price tag.
 
mattStoor said:
A lot of you mentioned that CPU is less of a priority for 4K. What’s that in comparison to? Surely it’s got to be more intensive than 1080p? Would a synch monitor need a beefier CPU?

Also is there a reason that all the suggestions have been AMD? I always thought intel had the performance edge although coming with a bigger price tag.
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At higher resolutions the gpu has more to render so it levels out. An R5 2600 or R7 2700 etc will usually be as good as an i9 9900K at 4K. If you had a 1080p high refresh rate monitor then Intel would be the better option.

The value for money option is definitely Ryzen. You can definitely fit an Intel cpu in this budget though if you prefer that route. It would just be a case of swapping out the cpu to an i7 9700K or i9 9900K and a Gigabyte Z390 board to suit.

So something like this:


My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £730.48 (includes shipping: £10.50)​
​
 
Thanks for the explanation, good to know if I decide to upgrade my second monitor to one with a high refresh rate.

I'm also curious about the be quiet fan mentioned by @davidmt83 compared to the water cooling you mentioned @lee32uk. They're comparable in price and I assume comparable in noise levels? I'm curious if one is superior to the other for overclocking the cpu? My guess would be that water cooling will keep thing cooler.

I like your suggested build but would be tempted to change out the tower for the be quiet one suggested by David as long as it all fits and doesn't get too hot.

You've both suggested subtly different PSUs and it seems like the only difference is the wattage. If the 650W will cover everything then I see no reason to go for the 750W.
 
The Alphacool is supposedly a quiet cooler for an AIO. You can see the noise levels in Eteknix review below on an 8700K at 5GHz. It compares well against the Noctua D15S which is similar to the BeQuiet DR4.

https://www.eteknix.com/alphacool-eisbaer-lt-360-cpu-liquid-cooler-review/4/

The Dark Base is a nice case but you can always swap out the fans for BeQuiet/Noctua etc if you went with a cheaper case. A lot of the Fractal Design cases also have sound dampening if that is something you want. You still need good airflow though, so the Phanteks should have the edge on that front due to the mesh intake. A solid front panel obviously has less airflow. You just need to find that balance.

A 650W is enough for a single gpu setup. The RMx series are quiet power supplies even at full load from what I have seen due to the relaxed fan profile.

https://www.tomshardware.co.uk/corsair-rm650x-psu,review-33614-5.html
 
i run my eisbaer/silent loop at 100%

quietest thing in the system!

rKhmuZ6.jpg
 
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