New mega build advice needed please ;-)

[xy16644]

Hi All

Been travelling for the last year so am out of touch with hardware so need some advice/assistance in building a new PC please!

I'll be using this PC for the following:

1. Gaming
2. Virtualisation (HyperV and/or VMware Workstation)
3. Web browsing
4. Email
5. Office 365 apps
6. Watching 4K movies/shows using Potplayer
7. YouTube (4K)
8. Plex server for the home
9. Spotify

The hardware I have on my list so far is as follows:

1. Case: Corsair Obsidian Series 1000D
2. Motherboard: ASUS ROG MAXIMUS Z790 DARK HERO Intel Z790
3. CPU: Intel Core i9-14900K
4. RAM: Corsair Vengeance RGB 192GB DDR5-5600MHz
5. CPU air cooler: Cooler Master MasterAir MA624 Stealth Black 140mm Dual Tower CPU Air Cooler
6. GPU: ASUS GeForce RTX 4090 ROG Strix OC Edition
7. PSU: ASUS ROG Thor 1600W
8. SSD: 3 x Crucial T700 1TB M.2 2280 PCIe 5.0 NVMe Solid State Drive (one for OS, one for data and one used for VMs)
9. Case fans: 13 x Corsair QX120 iCUE Link 120mm
10. Monitor 1: Dell U4323QE UltraSharp 43 4K (in landscape mode)
11. Monitor 2: Dell P3223QE 32 4K (in portrait mode)
12. Keyboard: Corsair CH-K100 AIR WIRELESS RGB CHERRY MX Ultra Low Profile Tactile Gaming Keyboard
13. Mouse: Logitech MX Master 3S
14. Headset: Corsair Virtuoso RGB Wireless XT High Fidelity Slate Black Gaming Headset
15. OS: Windows 11 Pro 64bit

So two questions that come to mind (am sure there will be more!):

1. Any issues with these parts working when used together? ie: RAM clearance, CPU cooler clearance, GPU, cabling etc?
2. I have read that the case is best used with a water cooling system (which I am not interested in) so will there be issues with cooling if I ONLY use air cooling for everything?

Thanks for any help and assistance, cheers!

PS: Yes, this system is a BEAST. My previous setup was over 10yrs old so it's time for a SERIOUS new system!

 

[Tetras]

I have read that the case is best used with a water cooling system (which I am not interested in) so will there be issues with cooling if I ONLY use air cooling for everything?

14900K is difficult to cool with a tower air cooler, it is possible if you power limit them, but at stock settings they hit 100 degrees almost instantly in modest-high multithreaded load. More chassis cooling will help, but the heat density and power consumption of these CPUs is so high that a few fans can't tame them.

Any issues with these parts working when used together? ie: RAM clearance, CPU cooler clearance, GPU, cabling etc?

Corsair say max GPU (length) is 400mm, max CPU (height) cooler is 180mm. That's fine for both parts.

Heatsink and motherboard VRM/component clearance: I don't know.
Heatsink and RAM height clearance: I don't know. I think on their website they say 70mm for single fan and 40mm for dual fan, but it is not clear (or I'm stupid). Corsair say that the DDR5 Vengeance RGB is 44mm, which appears to be incompatible with a dual fan config.

FYI: You're way overpaying for these parts (versus the performance offered), in my opinion (and your VM usage needs to be pretty hardcore to justify the 14900K and 192GB of memory), but I assume you're aware what premium(s) you're paying and why.

 

[mickyflinn]

Did you check the memory is on the QVL list for your motherboardalthough most memory work regardless.?

I personally would want the best cooling to handle that flame thrower of a CPU as it probably will throttle under load. Just checked your case and you can fit a 420mm aio in the roof but I know your not keen on water.

 

[xy16644]

Maybe I should have asked: Are there any other good cases I should consider for this setup?

 

[sx_turbo]

Change the air cooler for a 360mm aio. Arctic freezer has pretty good reviews, it's not loads more expensive than the cooker master but considering the usage case and the cost of the rest of the items, keeping the 14900 cool should not be skimped on.

 

[sx_turbo]

Maybe I should have asked: Are there any other good cases I should consider for this setup?

Any atx sized case with plenty of air flow. Tbh there's an abundance of choice and ultimately it's down to what you want

 

[Mcnumpty2323]

Seems like overkill
Must be a lot of VM for 192gb ram
Not sure if that will run without any issues
Those modules are relatively new
Don't think have seen anyone in forum running 192gb
Though can't obviously see every post

Pc cases are subjective
Depends what you like really
But phanteks nv7 or even nv9 maybe
Certainly still cheaper than a 1000d
Personally that size of case I would want
If doing a full custom loop
Not sure it's needed for an air cooled build

But yeah you're not kidding
It's a SERIOUS upgrade lol

 

[xy16644]

The custom PC I built myself over 10yrs ago had 32GB of RAM. This was unheard at the time and when I started using the machine I thought it was insane and that I would never use all this memory. Fast forward to last year and I was constantly running out of RAM and pushing the machine to it's limits! So I'm trying to build this machine using the same logic...crazy now but not so much in a few years time

 

[xy16644]

Change the air cooler for a 360mm aio. Arctic freezer has pretty good reviews, it's not loads more expensive than the cooker master but considering the usage case and the cost of the rest of the items, keeping the 14900 cool should not be skimped on.

Thanks! I am not familiar with the cooler you suggested so will need to do some research on this. Pardon my ignorance, is this a self contained water cooler for the CPU only?

 

[mickyflinn]

Thanks! I am not familiar with the cooler you suggested so will need to do some research on this. Pardon my ignorance, is this a self contained water cooler for the CPU only?

It's is.

It's an aio cooler meaning all in one .

I did mention in my post 3 you can put up to a 420mm aio in the case you chose .

 

[xy16644]

It's is.

It's an aio cooler meaning all in one .

I did mention in my post 3 you can put up to a 420mm aio in the case you chose .

Ok, I have some reading to do! Two questions please:

1) I assume I can still install the 3 case fans at the top of the case if I use this AIO CPU cooler?
2) I was looking at the "Corsair iCUE Link H150i LCD AIO 360mm" to use as the CPU cooler (instead of the Cooler Master I originally mentioned), will this be sufficient to keep the CPU cool and happy?

 

[Tetras]

The custom PC I built myself over 10yrs ago had 32GB of RAM. This was unheard at the time and when I started using the machine I thought it was insane and that I would never use all this memory. Fast forward to last year and I was constantly running out of RAM and pushing the machine to it's limits! So I'm trying to build this machine using the same logic...crazy now but not so much in a few years time

Part of the problem with this, is that DDR5 is still pretty new and the boards, BIOS and CPU memory controllers seem to be very poorly optimised for running 4 sticks and you get much lower speeds and are likely to have stability issues. Intel officially only supports up to 4400 for 4 sticks with 14th gen (though I've seen 5200 with 192GB). We saw this with early Ryzen & DDR4 too, with compatibility issues and low speeds when filling all the slots.

FYI: the sticks are available now to hit 256GB, but just as with 192GB, buyer beware.

It is your call, but if I were you: I'd build a much more modest system that is easier to handle (power and heat) and replace the lot in 5 years time, when DDR5 is much more mature.

My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x Intel Core i7-13700F (Raptor Lake) Socket LGA1700 Processor - Retail (SKU: CP-6BD-IN) = £359.99
• 1 x Asus ROG Strix B760-F Gaming WIFI (LGA 1700) DDR5 ATX Motherboard (SKU: MB-6KD-AS) = £209.99
• 1 x Corsair Vengeance 64GB (2X32GB) DDR5 PC5-41600C40 5200MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black (CMK64GX5M2B5200C40 (SKU: MY-4DC-CS) = £169.99
• 1 x Sapphire Radeon RX 7900 XTX Pulse 24GB GDDR6 PCI-Express Graphics Card (SKU: GX-3A5-SP) = £959.99
• 1 x AMD - Avatar Radeon Bundle (SKU: DIG-AMD-01186) = £0.00
• 1 x Crucial P5 Plus 2TB M.2 2280 PCI-e 4.0 x4 3D NAND NVMe Solid State Drive (SKU: HD-075-CR) = £114.94
• 1 x WD Blue SN580 2TB SSD NVME M.2 2280 PCIe Gen4 Solid State Drive (SKU: STO-WDC-00541) = £104.00
• 1 x Phanteks Eclipse P400 Air Midi Tower Case - Black (SKU: CA-09F-PT) = £72.94
• 1 x Phanteks M25 120mm PWM Chassis Fan Triple Pack - Black (SKU: FG-030-PT) = £23.99
• 1 x Phanteks AMP 1000W 80 Plus Gold Modular Power Supply (SKU: CA-0AS-PT) = £149.99

Total: £2,177.81 (includes delivery: £11.98)​

Cooler: this. (£35).

 

[sx_turbo]

Ok, I have some reading to do! Two questions please:

1) I assume I can still install the 3 case fans at the top of the case if I use this AIO CPU cooler?
2) I was looking at the "Corsair iCUE Link H150i LCD AIO 360mm" to use as the CPU cooler (instead of the Cooler Master I originally mentioned), will this be sufficient to keep the CPU cool and happy?

Yeah will be fine,

You'll still be able to use all the fans you wanted

 

[Mcnumpty2323]

@Tetras Explained what I meant
In more detail about using 192gb of ram
Thanks mate
An option could be get 2 x 48gb now
If 96gb proves not enough
Add the other 2 modules later
By which time hopefully some bios updates
Will have been released
Which improve speed and stability for 4 modules

 

[JollyJamma]

1. RAM: Corsair Vengeance RGB 192GB DDR5-5600MHz

You are going to struggle to get 4 sticks of DDR5 to be stable with current consumer products.

I’d suggest going with 2 large DIMMS rather than 4.

 

[xy16644]

Thanks everyone, you've given me LOTS to think about. I don't mind starting with 2 x 48GB of RAM and then later on adding another 96GB of RAM if/when the BIOS updates make things more stable.

 

[Mcnumpty2323]

Thanks everyone, you've given me LOTS to think about. I don't mind starting with 2 x 48GB of RAM and then later on adding another 96GB of RAM if/when the BIOS updates make things more stable.

Even with "only" 96gb
Will be a beast of a build
Congratulations

 

[JollyJamma]

Thanks everyone, you've given me LOTS to think about. I don't mind starting with 2 x 48GB of RAM and then later on adding another 96GB of RAM if/when the BIOS updates make things more stable.

It has more to do with the memory layout on the motherboard than anything so you’ll probably be stuck using 2 DIMM slots on the motherboard going forward.

The manufacturer may be able to do a work around using voltages and so on but 4 DIMMS isn’t going to be stable for a while yet.

 

[jigger]

I’d be looking more towards a Threadripper system and registered DDR5.

 

[Quartz]

I'll be using this PC for the following:

You might want to consider two separate PCs. One for gaming and desktop use with a modest amount of RAM (32 GB) and a second to host your Plex server and other VMs with much more. This will allow you to keep your VMs etc running while you game and be resilient to crashes and forced updates. Take a look at the Ryzen 7800X3D for the former and Threadripper 7000 and Epyc for the latter. Epyc and Threadripper can easily cope with many DIMMs. Indeed, the review kit for Threadripper comes with 4 DIMMs.

There is one caveat: reviews have concentrated on the high-end Threadripper 7000 CPUs which beat Intel's Xeon W CPUs hands down; I haven't found any that compare the low-end Threadrippers with the low-end Xeon Ws.