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

[mcnulty]

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!

Thanks.

 

[mcnulty]

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.

Thanks. I hadn't thought about the warranty.

Heads up all 2080ti cards gone up in price in last 2 days here.

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

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.

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.

 

[mcnulty]

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

That’s what I would go for.

Thanks a million for doing that. Very interesting.

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.

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.

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

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!

 

[mcnulty]

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.

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!

 

[mcnulty]

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

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?

 

[mcnulty]

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:

• 1 x Gigabyte Z390 Aorus Pro Intel Z390 (Socket 1151) DDR4 ATX Motherboard= £179.99
• 1 x Inno3D GeForce RTX 2080 Ti Gaming OC X3 11264MB GDDR6 PCI-Express Graphics Card= £1,099.99
• 1 x Super Flower Leadex III 750W 80 PLUS Gold Modular Power Supply - Black= £99.95
• 1 x Team Group Vulcan T-Force 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 PC4-24000C16 3000MHz Dual Channel Kit - Grey (TLGD416G30= £79.99
• 1 x Samsung 1TB 860 EVO SSD 2.5" SATA 6Gbps 64 Layer 3D V-NAND Solid State Drive (MZ-76E1T0B/EU)= £149.99
• 1 x Noctua NH-D15 Dual Radiator Quiet CPU Cooler with two NH-A15 Fans= £84.95
• 1 x Fractal Design Meshify C Midi Tower Case - Black= £74.99
• 1 x Intel Core i7-9700K 3.6GHz (Coffee Lake) Socket LGA1151 Processor - OEM= £368.99
• 1 x Intel Core i7-9700K 3.6GHz (Coffee Lake) Socket LGA1151 Processor - Retail= £398.99

Total: £2,537.83 (includes shipping: £0.00)
​

 

[mcnulty]

Thanks @lee32uk - that's all really interesting. Food for thought!