5070Ti build for £1.5k (inc monitor)?

[Scam]

Hello all. Almost a year to the day that I last started a thread about my upgrade options (which never happened!) I am back

This is my current build;

Windows 10 64bit
Intel i5-4690 CPU @ 3.50GHz
Gigabyte H97N-WiFi motherboard
RAM TeamGroup Elite Black 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600MHz
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER
Antec VP450P 450W '80 Plus' Continuous Power Supply
250GB Crucial CT256MX100 SATA 6Gbps SSD (for Windows)
1TB CT1000MX500 SATA 6Gbps SSD (for games)
1TB spinning disk for media
Thermaltake Versa H15 Micro ATX Gaming Case
AOC Gaming 24G2U 24" 1920x1080 IPS 144Hz Gaming Monitor

I am getting back into gaming a little but absolutely do not have a huge amount of time to do it. Since I posted that thread I did complete GTA5 ( ) and thought I should really get a new system that'll be able to cope with GTA6 reasonably well. For context, I'm currently enjoying DIRT Rally 2.0 with a new wheel (looking to branch out into other racers now), and also BF5, a spot of CS2 and I must get back and complete Metro Last Light so I can try Exodus. So mostly old games.

From some quick looking, I might be able to plump for a 5070Ti system, mmmmmaybe?

Some things to consider;

1. Clearly I'm not going to build this system and play in 1080p using my current monitor. Would it be daft to only get a 1440p monitor? I'm assuming with a decent 5070Ti build I should be able to play the older games in 4k fairly easily.
2. Is there much real world difference with NVMe drives compared to SATA? My current 1TB games drive is 78% full I could use that for Windows, and get a bigger NVMe for games? Worth it? Or save the money for now and stick with the existing drives?
3. My current system won't upgrade to Win11, I'm unsure if I need to purchase it or not.
4. Looks like my current case would fit a 5070Ti (max 315mm).

 

[Gray2233]

My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x Sapphire Pulse Radeon RX 9070 XT Gaming 16GB GDDR6 PCI-Express Graphics Card (SKU: GRA-SPR-03983) = £559.99
• 1 x Phanteks AMP GH 850W 80PLUS Gold ATX Power Supply Modular - Black (SKU: POW-PHK-02519) = £104.99
• 1 x Sapphire Pulse B850M WiFi (Socket AM5) DDR5 Micro-ATX Motherboard (SKU: MOT-SPR-05692) = £129.95
• 1 x Crucial Pro OC 32GB (2x16GB) DDR5 PC5-48000C36 6000MHz Dual Channel Kit (SKU: MEM-CRU-02219) = £128.99
• 1 x Gigabyte Aorus 7300 2TB SSD M.2 2280 NVME PCI-E Gen4 Solid State Drive (SKU: STO-GIG-05732) = £119.98
• 1 x AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D Eight Core 5.20GHz (Socket AM5) Processor - Retail (SKU: PRO-AMD-03517) = £399.95
• 1 x Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE ARGB Black CPU Cooler - 120mm (SKU: COO-TLR-02724) = £29.99

Total: £1,481.83 (includes delivery: £7.99)​

The 9070XT is about on par with the 5070ti and a good deal cheaper, you could switch to one but you'd need to drop down on the CPU, and whether or not the X3D benefits you will depend on the games you play. The card listed might be too long however.

The HSF might be a tight fit so you may need something a little smaller, this all assumes you're reusing your case with the intent of upgrading your monitor at a later date. Could be worth waiting until Black Friday anyway tbh, you might be able to get the above + a monitor for under £1600.

With a new build I'd absolutely factor in a gen 4 NvME such as the one I've listed.

W11 keys can be had for £10-20, I'd not go retail or you'll severely eat into your budget.

If you can stretch this monitor is a bit of a steal atm:

My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x AOC 27" Q27G4XF 2560x1440 Fast IPS 180Hz 1ms A-Sync Widescreen Gaming Monitor (SKU: MON-AOC-03326) = £129.95

Total: £129.95 (includes delivery: £0.00)​

 

[Tetras]

Clearly I'm not going to build this system and play in 1080p using my current monitor. Would it be daft to only get a 1440p monitor? I'm assuming with a decent 5070Ti build I should be able to play the older games in 4k fairly easily.

1440p is a good size and keeps the requirements for future games down, but with upscaling 4K is not a problem anyway.

Is there much real world difference with NVMe drives compared to SATA? My current 1TB games drive is 78% full I could use that for Windows, and get a bigger NVMe for games? Worth it? Or save the money for now and stick with the existing drives?

Keeping it for your OS would be fine.

Looks like my current case would fit a 5070Ti (max 315mm).

A squeeze, but doable.

Here's white alternative to the above build, including a new case and 1440p monitor. 5070Ti can be fitted if you downgrade the CPU to a 9600X, especially if you dump the case too.

My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x AMD Ryzen 7 9700X Eight Core 5.50GHz (Socket AM5) Processor - Retail (SKU: PRO-AMD-02676) = £269.99
• 1 x Sapphire Pure B850M WiFi (Socket AM5) DDR5 Micro-ATX Motherboard (SKU: MOT-SPR-05691) = £149.99
• 1 x PNY XLR8 Gaming EPIC-X 32GB (2x16GB) DDR5 PC5-51200C36 6000MHz Dual Channel Kit (SKU: MEM-PNY-04564) = £77.99
• 1 x Sapphire Pure Radeon RX 9070 XT Gaming OC 16GB GDDR6 PCI-Express Graphics Card (SKU: GRA-SPR-03982) = £599.98
• 1 x Gigabyte Aorus 7300 2TB SSD M.2 2280 NVME PCI-E Gen4 Solid State Drive (SKU: STO-GIG-05732) = £119.98
• 1 x Antec CX600M Trio ARGB M-ATX Mini Tower - White (SKU: CAS-ATC-04166) = £74.99
• 1 x Phanteks AMP GH 850W 80PLUS Gold ATX Power Supply Modular - White (SKU: POW-PHK-02520) = £114.95
• 1 x Thermalright Assassin X 120 Refined SE White CPU Air Cooler (SKU: COO-TLR-03272) = £15.95

• 1 x MSI 27" PRO MP273QW E2 2560x1440 100Hz Widescreen Monitor - White (SKU: MON-MSI-03903) = £98.99

Total: £1,522.81 (includes delivery: £0.00)​

 

[sastusbulbas]

With current CPU/GPU scaling issues I find it hard to justify the X3D CPU's. Especially at higher resolutions and with older games as not every game needs 3DV cache. I would advise looking at some YouTube videos about CPU/GPU scaling.

You also need to ask, if only gaming, do you need eight cores? Are any of your games utilizing eight cores?

I'm running a 7600x with a 9070xt on a 27" 4k 160hz monitor, I actually run some games at 1440p due to how they scale, HUD's text etc. I think at 27" your losing some of the value of 4k. My lad has also found some of his games seem to just feel better at 1440p instead of 4k. He uses a 9900x with a 9060xt for a mix of 1080p/1440p/4k gaming on a 1080p and 4k display. He does plan to upgrade to a 9070xt later. My CPU was temporary as it was on sale and I wanted to just get started with a new AM5 build, will probably be replacing this with a 9900x or 9950X3D later simply because I want cores and do not prioritize gaming.

Depending on a white or black theme, I think the guys above have you covered, but for the budget if mainly gaming, I would certainly look at the 9600x or 9700x as the CPU choice. You could easily upgrade this next year when AMD release the 9800X3D replacement.
I love the NZXT H3 MicroATX case, and the Phanteks XT M3. I hate RGB, but if you like that, well the Phanteks comes with three RGB fans, you would need to buy fans for the NZXT H3 or Phanteks non RGB in which case I would consider the Arctic Freezer 36 with Arctic P series case fans., cable management is a breeze on the Phanteks though.

I will not list pre-order stuff, no idea when it's due if at all, considering the pricing of memory it seems difficult to believe we will be pre-ordereing £78 memory kits that are out of stock. How does that work? I could be wrong!

Below is an air cooled RGB build, no monitor. You could also do this with no RGB and add your choice of non RGB fans and cooler. You can get white versions of most of this, some cost a little more.

My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x AMD Ryzen 5 9600X Six Core 5.40GHz (Socket AM5) Processor - Retail (SKU: PRO-AMD-02677) = £188.99
• 1 x Sapphire Pulse B850M WiFi (Socket AM5) DDR5 Micro-ATX Motherboard (SKU: MOT-SPR-05692) = £129.95
• 1 x Corsair Vengeance RGB EXPO 32GB (2X16GB) DDR5 PC5-48000C36 6000MHz Dual Channel (SKU: MEM-CRS-00997) = £149.98
• 1 x WD Black SN7100 2TB SSD NVME M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 Solid State Drive (SKU: STO-WDC-04135) = £119.99
• 1 x Thermalright Assassin Spirit 120 Evo ARGB CPU Cooler - 120mm (SKU: COO-TLR-02720) = £16.99
• 1 x Sapphire Pulse Radeon RX 9070 XT Gaming 16GB GDDR6 PCI-Express Graphics Card (SKU: GRA-SPR-03983) = £560.00
• 1 x Phanteks AMP GH 850W 80PLUS Gold ATX Power Supply Modular - Black (SKU: POW-PHK-02519) = £104.98
• 1 x PHANTEKS XT M3 Micro-ATX Case, includes 3x 120mm Fans - Black (SKU: CAS-PHK-05735) = £59.91

Total: £1,342.78 (includes delivery: £11.98)​

Of course if you wanted a better CPU, you could go with the 9700x, if you want an AIO and more viewable case there are alternatives. The Phanteks XT V3 is a nice dual chamber at a great price, three 120mm RGB vans in the bottom, with a glass front instead of 120mm fans, and room for a 360 AIO on top as does the XT M3. You may not need an AIO, but they can look great and be ran pretty quiet.

I would certainly go for a 2tb NVMe and simply use your old 1tb SSD as a storage or games drive until you add a second NVMe.

My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x PHANTEKS XT V3 Micro-ATX Case - Black (SKU: CAS-PHK-05737) = £59.90
• 1 x AMD Ryzen 7 9700X Eight Core 5.50GHz (Socket AM5) Processor - Retail (SKU: PRO-AMD-02676) = £269.99
• 1 x Thermalright Frozen Warframe SE 360 ARGB Black All In One CPU Cooler - 360mm (SKU: COO-TLR-04551) = £59.99

Total: £401.87 (includes delivery: £11.98)​

 

[Scam]

Thanks guys great thoughts there. Apologies for the radio silence but been away this weekend. Some thoughts from me...

1- I definitely want to go Nvidia. Happy to pay more for it. Personal preference, I bought Radeon back in the day and never felt it was comparable to the same-gen Nvidia cards and I had lots of problems. As you can see this 1650 SUPER has done me very well indeed.
2 - I'm really struggling to decide if it's silly not to go 4k for the monitor here. One one hand I should get the performance out of the older games I'm up for playing, but then again a 32" is just silly big. 4k not worth it on a 27"? Or should I be looking at non 16:9 monitors as well

With a new build I'd absolutely factor in a gen 4 NvME such as the one I've listed.

For OS or games? Or both - my friend was telling no-one really separates them anymore?

W11 keys can be had for £10-20, I'd not go retail or you'll severely eat into your budget.

Please PM me details?

If you can stretch this monitor is a bit of a steal atm:

I do like my AOC, good shout if I stick with 1440p. What would be the 4k upgrade to that in the AOC line?

Keeping it for your OS would be fine.

As above. SATA for OS (the most I might use the machine for is photo editing, nothing strenuous) and NVMe for game installs? What do people do nowadays?

You also need to ask, if only gaming, do you need eight cores? Are any of your games utilizing eight cores?

I have no idea but will check it out Next up on my list (once I complete BF6), would be Metro Last Light Redux, Metro Exodus, then I have all of the Batman Arkham games to try... maybe the Tomb Raider series. Like I say, just getting back into it so really the only new games I'll be interested in is GTA6 and maybe a current F1 game, and maybe I'll try Assetto Corsa etc.

 

[sastusbulbas]

If your going to be putting your OS and programs on a Sata SSD, buying a 5070ti, and using a 2017 £25 budget micro ATX case with a plastic window and 5.25 bay, I think your priorities are wrong. If you can afford the 5070ti, then your as well going the whole hog and building a proper system.

My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D Eight Core 5.20GHz (Socket AM5) Processor - Retail (SKU: PRO-AMD-03517) = £399.95
• 1 x Crucial T500 2TB NVMe PCIe Gen4 M.2 Solid State Drive (SKU: STO-CRU-01090) = £131.99
• 1 x Gigabyte B850 Aorus Elite WIFI7 (Socket AM5) DDR5 ATX Motherboard (SKU: MOT-GIG-03856) = £189.99
• 1 x Kingston FURY Beast EXPO 32GB (2x16GB) DDR5 PC5-48000C30 6000MHz Dual Channel Kit (SKU: MEM-KNG-03705) = £158.99
• 1 x Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE ARGB Black CPU Cooler - 120mm (SKU: COO-TLR-02724) = £29.99
• 1 x Zotac GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Solid SFF 16GB GDDR7 Graphics Card (SKU: GRA-ZTC-04898) = £698.99
• 1 x NVIDIA Game Bundle - Arc Raiders Deluxe Edition PLUS Astro Cosmetic Pack (SKU: DIG-NVI-06436) = £0.00
• 1 x Phanteks AMP GH 850W 80PLUS Gold ATX Power Supply Modular - Black (SKU: POW-PHK-02519) = £104.98
• 1 x Phanteks XT Pro Ultra ATX Case Tempered Glass Window, Black (SKU: CAS-PHK-01443) = £74.99

Total: £1,801.86 (includes delivery: £11.98)​

 

[Scam]

If your going to be putting your OS and programs on a Sata SSD, buying a 5070ti, and using a 2017 £25 budget micro ATX case with a plastic window and 5.25 bay, I think your priorities are wrong. If you can afford the 5070ti, then your as well going the whole hog and building a proper system.

I don't disagree on principle, but my system sits in the cupboard so I honestly don't care what it looks like. Look after the pennies and the pounds look after themselves, right? (That is assuming I can fit a 5XXX gpu in there for sure. 1cm leeway doesn't sound much fun.

That said I'm sure everyone is horrified at putting a high-spec system in the cupboard. Helpfully - we can go back in time to last year when I was last looking to upgrade, which shows you how I ventilated it; https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/t...ng-case-for-this-am5-gtx-4070-build.18994995/

I'm more than happy to put an intake fan through the cupboard side as well. I just really don't want it on my desk. Maybe there's space on the floor where my feet are but I'm not sure that's much better than in a cupboard with good-ish airflow.

More stuff to think about. Hmn.

 

[Tetras]

As above. SATA for OS (the most I might use the machine for is photo editing, nothing strenuous) and NVMe for game installs? What do people do nowadays?

A lot of specs nowadays are a single drive, so it doesn't matter, whatever suits you. Though, if you are tempted to put games on the SATA drive, be aware that a small number of games are now capable of using DirectStorage, which SATA does not support.

2 - I'm really struggling to decide if it's silly not to go 4k for the monitor here. One one hand I should get the performance out of the older games I'm up for playing, but then again a 32" is just silly big. 4k not worth it on a 27"? Or should I be looking at non 16:9 monitors as well

32" isn't THAT huge, but it can be an issue if you're sitting close to it. 1440p is definitely the sweet spot right now (it is easier to run than 4K and more realistic with current cards) and 27" is a good size.

If I'm brutal about it, I'd say that your budget is too small to be making this a big issue, because you don't have the room (without strongly compromising the spec) for the kind of large/higher-end monitor you might want to buy. Whereas, reasonably sized 1440p monitors are available not much over £100.

 

[Scam]

A lot of specs nowadays are a single drive, so it doesn't matter, whatever suits you. Though, if you are tempted to put games on the SATA drive, be aware that a small number of games are now capable of using DirectStorage, which SATA does not support.

I guess what I'm asking is would I notice any performance hit (overall, and in games) for using one of my existing SATA drives for Windows, and installing all games on a nice 2TB NVMe drive?

If I'm brutal about it, I'd say that your budget is too small to be making this a big issue, because you don't have the room (without strongly compromising the spec) for the kind of large/higher-end monitor you might want to buy. Whereas, reasonably sized 1440p monitors are available not much over £100.

I think you might be right. I think spending more like £2k isn't worth it for me when I just don't have the time or inclination to game that much. The idea behind upgrading was to be able to play what I want at much better quality settings than what I'm struggling with at the moment. If 4k is still reserved for ultra-high end machines >£2k then I don't think I need to get suckered into that right now. I could build this machine, spend 4-5 months or so loving it and then not game at all over the whole of summer.

Contrary to my post above, I am thinking perhaps it should sit on the floor and not hidden/overheating in my cupboard. I bought a SAN off a chap on here which was slightly bigger than I thought to go on display on the desk, so perhaps that can go in the cupboard, I sit the PC on the floor (not on the carpet!). If I buy a new case perhaps I'd get that money back by selling it on as a whole PC to someone

 

[tamzzy]

4k AAA gaming at max detail is reserved for the highest end systems and frankly @Scam if i may say so
the sweet spot in price/performance is high refresh rate 1440p gaming

i'd rather have high detail high refresh rate 1440p gaming than low detail 60fps 4k gaming.
there's no point seeing a slideshow of low quality polygons in 4k