Advice for a 2080ti gaming PC build @ £2k to £2.5k?

mcnulty

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Hi,

My old 2015 overclockers pre-built is showing its age (i5 and GTX-970) and for once I am going big instead of going for the best value (as I have always done before).

The new build will be only for gaming on a 4k OLED TV (which I think has a 60 fps maximum, right?). It will live beside the TV in the living room, so I would like it to be quiet.

Here's what I'm thinking so far:

- CPU - For gaming only, am I correct that the i7-9700K is the sweet spot?
- Cooler - I am gun-shy about water cooling so would something like a Dark Rock Pro 4 work?
- Ram - 16GB, I think. Does speed matter? (No RGB, ideally)
- GPU - 2080ti - which one do you recommend? Is it worth spending more on a better one?
- SSD - at 1TB, is there money to be saved by using a sata SSD instead of an NVMe?
- Power Supply - How much power do I need? 650W? 750W?
- Motherboard - no particular requirements, any recommendation welcome (I don't need WiFi)
- Case - I'd like something inconspicuous (and ideally not huge) and I am anti-rgb and would avoid a glass-panelled case

I have built a PC myself before, but last time I got the good folks at overclockers to build it and I think I'll do the same this time, just for peace of mind.

So this is my one shot at going all out on a PC. Help me to go mad! :D

Thanks.
 

DeanT77

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I can't answer all of your questions but if I was in the market for a 2080ti then I would be looking at cards with a long warranty, like the Zotac ones.
 

skipper847

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mcnulty said:
Hi,

My old 2015 overclockers pre-built is showing its age (i5 and GTX-970) and for once I am going big instead of going for the best value (as I have always done before).

The new build will be only for gaming on a 4k OLED TV (which I think has a 60 fps maximum, right?). It will live beside the TV in the living room, so I would like it to be quiet.

Here's what I'm thinking so far:

- CPU - For gaming only, am I correct that the i7-9700K is the sweet spot?
- Cooler - I am gun-shy about water cooling so would something like a Dark Rock Pro 4 work?
- Ram - 16GB, I think. Does speed matter? (No RGB, ideally)
- GPU - 2080ti - which one do you recommend? Is it worth spending more on a better one?
- SSD - at 1TB, is there money to be saved by using a sata SSD instead of an NVMe?
- Power Supply - How much power do I need? 650W? 750W?
- Motherboard - no particular requirements, any recommendation welcome (I don't need WiFi)
- Case - I'd like something inconspicuous (and ideally not huge) and I am anti-rgb and would avoid a glass-panelled case

I have built a PC myself before, but last time I got the good folks at overclockers to build it and I think I'll do the same this time, just for peace of mind.

So this is my one shot at going all out on a PC. Help me to go mad! :D

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Also 4k 60fps you might need 32GB ram if playing simulators etc. I ordered 16GB with mine and 1st thing im upgrading later is another 16GB ram.
 

mcnulty

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DeanT77 said:
I can't answer all of your questions but if I was in the market for a 2080ti then I would be looking at cards with a long warranty, like the Zotac ones.
Click to expand...
Thanks. I hadn't thought about the warranty.
skipper847 said:
Heads up all 2080ti cards gone up in price in last 2 days here.
Click to expand...
Crap. Any idea of why they have gone up in price?
skipper847 said:
Also 4k 60fps you might need 32GB ram if playing simulators etc. I ordered 16GB with mine and 1st thing im upgrading later is another 16GB ram.
Click to expand...
Cheers. I don't play simulators these days, so I think I will be OK with 16GB and I'll keep the upgrade option in mind.
 

skipper847

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mcnulty said:
Thanks. I hadn't thought about the warranty.

Crap. Any idea of why they have gone up in price?

Cheers. I don't play simulators these days, so I think I will be OK with 16GB and I'll keep the upgrade option in mind.
Click to expand...

Most probably because of the super cards. I paid £1289 for mine and gone up to £1,399 and a lot of other 2080ti gone up too. Been told its mainly here though they gone up which I got told they would do be for I bought mine. Think that why a lot went out of stock all of a sudden. lol.
 

tyler_jrb

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https://www.overclockers.co.uk/ocuk...B3)U#bIIB3)UybIIC3)UzbIID3)V@bIIE3)VXbIIF3)X~

That’s what I would go for.

3700x or 3800x over the 9700k for sure due to 8c/16t vs just 8c/8t on the 9700k. In terms of gaming performance you may see some tiny improvement on some games but you will also see some games favour the 3700x/3800x.

The 3800x is a touch faster but a 3700x is still a good option.

You can obviously customise the case to your liking and if you don’t want an AIO watercooled then I’m sure you could contact ocuk and have the dark rock or something like a noctua added instead.

Same with the GPU. I’ve put on the Strix but there are good similar cards. The Strix, lightning and FTW 3 being the top 3.

There are also the likes of the Msi gaming trio, zotac amp extreme etc which are a little cheaper but also very good if you wanted a cheaper option.

I’d go for m.2 + SSD if you can afford it. If not just get a decent 1TB (or a few ;)) SSD’s.

I’ve removed the os option as they can be had for 20x cheaper. Although up to you if you wanted to keep the option to save messing around.
 
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mcnulty

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tyler_jrb said:
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/ocuk...B3)U#bIIB3)UybIIC3)UzbIID3)V@bIIE3)VXbIIF3)X~

That’s what I would go for.
Click to expand...

Thanks a million for doing that. Very interesting.

tyler_jrb said:
3700x or 3800x over the 9700k for sure due to 8c/16t vs just 8c/8t on the 9700k. In terms of gaming performance you may see some tiny improvement on some games but you will also see some games favour the 3700x/3800x.

The 3800x is a touch faster but a 3700x is still a good option.
Click to expand...

I was tempted by the 3700X but this Digital Foundry video (Ryzen 7 3700X vs Core i7 9700K: Can AMD Challenge Intel in Gaming? [Link]) just marginally kept me on the Intel side. Ryzen is really impressive and is much better value but Intel still seems to have a slight edge in the sort of games I play (Metro, Far Cry, Tomb Raider, etc). And, for once (in my life!), I am not using good value as the most important ctiteria. :)

tyler_jrb said:
I’d go for m.2 + SSD if you can afford it. If not just get a decent 1TB (or a few ;)) SSD’s.
Click to expand...

This is one place where I still think I can save money. NVMe is of course the best of the best but my research tells me that, compared to a SATA SSD, I would save between 0.5 and 1 second of load time in the games I play. This makes the price jump from £143 (for the 1TB 860 EVO) to £221 (for the 1TB 970 EVO) feel like a lot.

Thanks again for your help!
 

tyler_jrb

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mcnulty said:
Thanks a million for doing that. Very interesting.



I was tempted by the 3700X but this Digital Foundry video (Ryzen 7 3700X vs Core i7 9700K: Can AMD Challenge Intel in Gaming? [Link]) just marginally kept me on the Intel side. Ryzen is really impressive and is much better value but Intel still seems to have a slight edge in the sort of games I play (Metro, Far Cry, Tomb Raider, etc). And, for once (in my life!), I am not using good value as the most important ctiteria. :)



This is one place where I still think I can save money. NVMe is of course the best of the best but my research tells me that, compared to a SATA SSD, I would save between 0.5 and 1 second of load time in the games I play. This makes the price jump from £143 (for the 1TB 860 EVO) to £221 (for the 1TB 970 EVO) feel like a lot.

Thanks again for your help!
Click to expand...

No problem :)

In terms of z390 boards Gigabyte are the best value for performance.

If you’re not after value then get a 9900k. It will have a little better future proofing as well for future games. Love mine and I only use mine for games where it still pulls ahead over anything available. It still has good multithread performance so when I need it, it’s plenty anyway.

If anything in my opinion get a 1TB for games and a 250gb M.2 for the OS and apps as they are reasonably cheap enough for £90 or so.
 

mcnulty

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tyler_jrb said:
No problem :)

In terms of z390 boards Gigabyte are the best value for performance.

If you’re not after value then get a 9900k. It will have a little better future proofing as well for future games. Love mine and I only use mine for games where it still pulls ahead over anything available. It still has good multithread performance so when I need it, it’s plenty anyway.

If anything in my opinion get a 1TB for games and a 250gb M.2 for the OS and apps as they are reasonably cheap enough for £90 or so.
Click to expand...

Interesting suggestions.

I'll look at Gigabyte's z390 and the 9900K.

And I hadn't thought of a combo of a small NVMe for the OS and a 1TB SATA SSD for games. That might be the compromise. Cheers!
 

lee32uk

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If you are set on the 9900K, then maybe something like this ?

A single SSD is fine. You can always ask ocuk to partition it if you want.

The D15 edges the DRP4 and the beige fans are hidden if you go with a non windowed case.

If you don't mind waiting another week then swap out the gpu for the Gigabyte Gaming OC version at £1169.99. That has a 4 year warranty when registered.


My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £2,239.54 (includes shipping: £14.70)
​
 

mcnulty

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lee32uk said:
If you are set on the 9900K, then maybe something like this ?
Click to expand...

Thanks. That spec is really helpful.

I am now leaning towards the 9900K. Will cooling be an issue, though? I don't want to water cool and I don't want it to be too loud. Will the Noctua be OK?
 

lee32uk

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mcnulty said:
Thanks. That spec is really helpful.

I am now leaning towards the 9900K. Will cooling be an issue, though? I don't want to water cool and I don't want it to be too loud. Will the Noctua be OK?
Click to expand...


The Noctua D15 is probably the best air cooler you can buy at present, and Noctua coolers are well regarded for low noise levels.
 

Jacky60

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For the best performance right now the 9900K is the way to go. I understand your hesitancy about water cooling I was the same. Ideally you'll want the 9900K at 5ghz or near that so you'll need a very beefy air cooler to keep it in check. I've had a corsair H110i (OC 5960X) and it's been flawless but the Ryujintek AIO I had on a 4770K leaked (fortunately with minimal damage) so I wouldn't put another AIO above my components/GPU/Mobo in future. I also would only get Corsair/Asetek AIO. Be sure to buy fast RAM (3600Mhz/4000mhz with low latencies -CAS) if you want the very best performance as unlike the 3700X/3800X the 9900K will see relatively big gains from the fastest RAM you can afford within reason and ideally with a top end MOBO. Save $/£ by going SSD not NVME unless you specifically need nvme or can't afford to lose 8 seconds or whatever on boot. Also get a decent case there are some that would allow an AIO radiator in the front or bottom of case (check hoses are long enough) thus mitigating the risk of a water leak. Obv any water in the case is an issue.
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/lian-li-pc-o11-dynamic-midi-tower-black-window-ca-76s-ll.html
That case is better and would allow relatively 'safe' AIO use.

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/team...3600mhz-dual-channel-kit-black-my-08q-tg.html
 
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mcnulty

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So I am on the brink of ordering the build below (which is very close to what was kindly suggested by @lee32uk - thanks!).

Any last thoughts?

Here are my few remaining questions:

- Motherboard: Is this a good choice? Given that this is for gaming only and I don't intend to overclock or use RGB, is there a cheaper motherboard that would be as good for my use case?

- PSU: Is this a good choice? Is 750W a good option. Does brand matter? Is this a good 7 year guarantee?

- CPU: I have included both the retail and OEM options. Can I save £30 by choosing the OEM option?

My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £2,537.83 (includes shipping: £0.00)
​
 

lee32uk

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mcnulty said:
So I am on the brink of ordering the build below (which is very close to what was kindly suggested by @lee32uk - thanks!).

Any last thoughts?

Here are my few remaining questions:

- Motherboard: Is this a good choice? Given that this is for gaming only and I don't intend to overclock or use RGB, is there a cheaper motherboard that would be as good for my use case?

- PSU: Is this a good choice? Is 750W a good option. Does brand matter? Is this a good 7 year guarantee?

- CPU: I have included both the retail and OEM options. Can I save £30 by choosing the OEM option?

My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £2,537.83 (includes shipping: £0.00)
​
Click to expand...


You can get away with a cheaper board if not overclocking. The Gigabyte Z390 UD or Gaming X would be fine.

You want a good quality psu as it is the most important part in the system, so you should never skimp on that for a system like this. You can get away with something of lesser quality on a basic office type pc but for a 2080 ti and higher end cpu you want a good unit.

The retail vs oem cpu is just the warranty difference (Retail has 3 years and oem has 1 year) and the oem doesn't have the Intel box/packaging. It is very rare for a cpu to die unless mistreated, so you can go with the oem if you want.


This Gigabyte unit is fine and saves £15 over the Leadex if you want a cheaper option there.

If you want a few more opinions before you order, then @Plec @orbitalwalsh @tamzzy might have some other suggestions.


My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £339.59 (includes shipping: £11.70)
​
 
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tyler_jrb

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mcnulty said:
So I am on the brink of ordering the build below (which is very close to what was kindly suggested by @lee32uk - thanks!).

Any last thoughts?

Here are my few remaining questions:

- Motherboard: Is this a good choice? Given that this is for gaming only and I don't intend to overclock or use RGB, is there a cheaper motherboard that would be as good for my use case?

- PSU: Is this a good choice? Is 750W a good option. Does brand matter? Is this a good 7 year guarantee?

- CPU: I have included both the retail and OEM options. Can I save £30 by choosing the OEM option?
Click to expand...

This is what i'd go for personally expanding on what lee has suggested.

My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £2,233.80 (includes shipping: £0.00)
​


The lightning is worth the extra £100 over the inno3d purely on a noise and quality basis. The lightning is probably the best air cooled card available.

The case is also a little larger if you can fit it for air flow etc and would make a nice stealth build. The fractical is a bit on the small side in my opinion.

Board is fine, it would overclock anything just fine either way.

PSU is fine. Superflower are a very reputable brand.

OEM only has 1 year warranty. However if you are having it pre-built i can't see warranty being an issue over retail if they are in stock etc.

Put the Dark rock air cooler on as it is a good performing nice stealth cooler. If not overclocking you could easily go for a slightly cheaper one.​
 
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