Component Advice please

[Sabahl]

Hi all,

My existing self-build PC is now a tad old and past the point where individual components can be swapped out to give it a new lease of life. (It's still using an i7 4770K!) Things have moved on since I last dived into the PC build arena and I'm a little unsure of what to go for. I've put together a shopping list and would ike some advice on a) whether it's reasonable and b) how to fill in the gaps.

This is what I have on my list so far :

Component	Item
CPU	Intel Core i9-12900K
NV-ME SSD	Samsung 970 EVO Plus
Motherboard	Gigabyte Z690 Aorus Master
Cooler	Corsair H150i Elite LCD
RAM	Corsair Vengeance DDR5-5200
PSU	Unsure - Advice please?
Case	Unsure - Advice please?
GPU	2070 Super (existing)
Monitor	Samsung Odyssey G7 32" (existing)

So how does this look so far? I'd like the system to be capable of being a decent pixel-pusher for gaming (dying a lot in Escape From Tarkov right now), but also have the potential to be just as long lived with component swap-outs as the system I am replacing.

Any advice gratefully received

 

[Sabahl]

That is complete overkill for what you need. Yes, it's very well specced but do you need 10GbE LAN?

No, 10GbE isn't required at all. DDR5 compatibility is, though. As I said, I want to build some severe future proofing into this system.

Regarding the cooler, this is the first time I have gone for any form of liquid cooling or RGB in a system (AIOs are so much more common now than they used to be and the alternative scared the pants off me) so I wanted to splash out a little on this for funsies. The Corsair iCUE seemed to fit the bill.

 

[Sabahl]

With a 2070 Super I'd just get a 12400F, the 12900K is near pointless for gaming. You could re-evaluate once 13th gen is out, if it is a big step forward.

I'd also spend half that (the Master is way too expensive) on the motherboard and get DDR4 instead.

I am speccing the system for an upgrade to 13th and then 15th gen. I upgrade GPUs every two generations.
Re DDR4 please see my previous comment.

 

[Sabahl]

It costs you literally twice as much to buy DDR5 and there's little difference in games, I think it's likely this system will be dead before you'll benefit from DDR5 being widespread, better performing and cheaper.

Maybe, but meh...I am still going down the DDR5 route

 

[Sabahl]

Yeah, you can get a decent future proof motherboard for £250 or less. DDR5 isn't limited to the high end motherboards.

I do like some of the features of the Z690 Master but it's not worth £400, especially if you don't need 10gig LAN.

OK, you are right it is overspecced but I wasn't sure what else to go for in the DDR5 space. Do you have any suggestions, please?

 

[Sabahl]

Maybe my definition of future proofing is different from yours. I meant that the system would be capable of doing what it's designed to do for many years into the future, much like my last system has been. Do not confuse this with upgradablity. Sure, being able to add swankier, speedier components would be effective but why bother if they add only iterative increases in performance. I would much rather build something using high grade components now and have the system usable for its intended purpose for years to come, even if it doesn't remain cutting edge.

My experience in doing this has taught me that going for the n-1 tier components (where 'n' is top tier) gives me the sweet spot between my own level of affordability and the performance I require (e.g. 2070 super, not a 2080. 4770K not 4790K etc). If a component's price means that I can go higher than that without bweaking the bank then great, but I am not that fussed unless there is a distinct possibility it will give benefits later down the line. So for instance, I wasn't sure between the I7-12700 or the I9-12900 but I can afford the latter so why the heck not. If I do change components I'm most likely to change GPUs, storage, and memory in the system to keep it current so DDR5 may only offer marginal benefits now but later down the line it's more likely to count for something.

That's my thinking anyway. Feel free to tell me why I am a complete idiot because of it but do give reasons, please.

 

[Sabahl]

@Tetras Ahha ok this is info I was not aware of (fast changing hardware etc). And that does change my outlook somewhat. If it makes more sense right now to go for cheaper components that can be ditched faster, as you say, then I am not totally locked into the items I first listed. How much more %age improvements are we now seeing between CPU generations, and is it likely to last?

Maybe I was asking the wrong question originally, in that case. (Especialluy with me waffling on about GPU generations when you guys were talking about CPU)

If I wanted to spec out a system I could use and fully exploit my existing monitor and graphics card on, which would probably take up to series 40 Nvidia GPUs when they become available, and for which I had a budget of around £1250 (if I am not going full whack right now) what would you gents suggest?

 

[Sabahl]

Update : So after thinking through the advice on this board and doing some further research here's my final spec :

CPU : Intel i7-12700K
Mobo : MSI PRO Z690-A DDR5 WiFi
Cooler : ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 360 ARGB
Storage : Samsung 980 Pro 1Tb
Memory : Corsair Vengeance DDR5 6000Mhz C36 1.35v
Case : NZXT H7 Flow, Black
PSU : Corsair RM850x 80 PLUS Gold

My reasoning for going DDR5 after all the talk is that it's pretty obvious DDR4 is being phased out (more and more of the DDR4 components I was looking up were being marked as End Of Life) so the question was what's the price differential. The MSI Pro Z690-A is available in multiple configurations but, surprisingly, there is nearly no cost difference between the DDR4 and DDR5 versions. So the question was what's the difference in price between the actual memory. It came in at £150 if I went for the a higher spec than I'd originally planned which, given the savings on the other components versus my original costings, was completely accceptable. The DDR5 6000Mhz will give significant performance improvements over everything DDR4 can throw at it, and will have far better resale valuee if I decide to go for even better performing memory down the road.

Once I had taken some prices for all the above and spreadsheeted them the sum came to £1,337. I'm not superstitious but that has to be a good sign, right?