ssfpc SSFPC for gaming, which accompanies my existing Mac hardware

[pichfl]

Budget (including currency): Probably up to 1800€

Country: Germany

 

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: 

Anno 1800, some Overwatch, Borderlands 3, Baldurs Gate 3 and probably Cyberpunk if it ever arrives. 

 

Aim:

I am a developer and designer by trade, doing JavaScript and Swift so my work machine is and always will be a MacBook Pro or some variation of that which runs the software I need. I don't want to rely on a Hackintosh and dual booting using Bootcamp has been a pain and while the laptop is well suited for my work, it simply doesn't hold up as a gaming machine. I do have little space left on my desk where I could put a PC, so small form factor it is. I am aware of the trade offs. I will use this machine for games only, so it will basically become an expensive gaming console for keyboard/mouse games. 

 

Monitors:

I do own a LG 27" 5K Ultrafine USB-C / Thunderbolt. This is the monitor I want to continue using. It's nice and the color space was neat for my work. I am aware it will suck on Windows. But: It comes with an USB-C hub and powers and even charges my Laptop which means I have a single thing to plug in and work. It does not have any input besides the single TB3 cable. 

 

Other details

The single plug is a requirement for this build. I want pull the TB3 to the monitor from the MacBook and plug it into the PC and start gaming. I know this limits the possible components, that's what makes this interesting, isn't it?

I also would prefer going with air cooling at first. I have not built a PC in way over a decade, my last custom system still ran Windows XP SP1 and had a Geforce 4. I know AIO exist, but I also do play with headphones on so a little fan noise bothers me less than the constant fear of pump failure or a leak in the system. Don't judge. I think there is plenty of time and options to keep upgrading in the future. I do need Wifi, mostly because I can't run cables to my desk. I don't care much for RGB, the case has mesh panels anyways.

 

Oh well, so here is what I have so far:

1. I ordered the FormD T1 in Silver/Black which should arrive in late December or early January. It's the right size, it looks amazing and should fit all I need. - I will run it in 3/2 Slot config (3 for the GPU because most current are over >2 slots, 2 for the CPU side, so low profile coolers are required)
2. Thunderbolt 3 is a hard requirement given my "less than ideal but well I have it" monitor choice. Which gives me some weird options. USB-C would be a last resort option, as the Monitor does work over USB-C, but it "only" supports 4K there.
3. PSU: Corsair SF Series SF750 80 PLUS Platinum 750W SFX12V (not that there are many other options)
4. AMD Ryzen 5600x seems like a reasonable choice for the CPU (not too hot and well, fast)
5. Samsung 980 Pro M.2 1TB for system and games. There will be no other storage, anything longterm goes into my 12TB NAS.

 

Missing parts

 

GPU

• If I can get one in January, I think I'll go team red and go with the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT which comes with a USB-C port. I was unable to get information from AMD on the actual specs of that port which makes it a bit of a gamble. It *should* support DisplayPort 1.4, which *could* in turn power my display at 4K. It's just unclear if that port will also support the mouse, keyboard and camera attached to the display. Could be, could be not. 

 

Hence, my mainboard choice

• ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming-ITX/TB3 - Most likely my only option for TB3 where I can feed the DP1.4 output of the GPU back into the Titan Ridge TB3 chip so I can connect and run my display at full res.

 

CPU Cooling. What would probably fit the ASRock and also what I found so far:

• Thermalright AXP-90i FULL COPPER with a Noctua fan replacement if the noise of the included one is that bad 
• CRYORIG C7 Cu (same fan situation) (or the black model, I know back from the Zalman days how bare copper behaves)

 

RAM

• I have no clue. 16GB would make a good baseline I guess? 
• I made my best guess and found Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 4000MHz C19 Black, which could be okay?

 

Cooling and odd stuff

• It should help to add another 2 slim case fans, obvious choice are Noctua NF-A12X15 PWM Chromax.Black
• A display port 1.4 cable to wire the GPU to the TB3 port. hopefully a very short one which can be cable managed. Are there angled DP connectors?

 

Last time I checked all of the above should hit me with about 1700€. 

 

So, what are your thoughts? I'm not in a hurry. I know I missed the first round of 5600x. But I do get by with my current setup and I'll do so until everything is available once more. The case will take time to arrive anyway. Looking forward to your opinions on RAM, cooling and the USB-C situation.

 

[kewtz]

3 hours ago, pichfl said:

I think I'll go team red and go with the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT

I would wait until you see reviews. We don't "know" much about the 6xxx line from AMD except fancy marketing graphs.
For creators in general, AMD didn't talk about performance for that crowd at all, whereas NVidia spent a bit of time discussing features. I understand that USB-C may be important, but we also have to consider the track record of AMD Radeon software issues...just something to consider. I am not pooping on your choice.

 

3 hours ago, pichfl said:

CPU Cooling. What would probably fit the ASRock and also what I found so far:

This is a good reference:

-- if you haven't seen it already.

[kewtz]

3 hours ago, pichfl said:

Samsung 980 Pro M.2 1TB for system and games. There will be no other storage, anything longterm goes into my 12TB NAS.

Forgot to add, check out this drive:
ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro

 

You can save $100 and still get great performance and reliability. 

[pichfl]

@kewtz thanks a lot for both insights and no worries, your feedback is more than welcome.

 

I agree, the RX is a bit of a gamble. However, it's hopefully slightly cheaper than the team green. The 3080 sits comfortably at >700€ regardless of brand. I was hoping to get something that's slightly more powerful than a 2080 TI / 3070 with some wiggle room in terms of power consumption. But you're totally right, I should wait for actual results before pulling the trigger. 

 

 

The video (and his channel) is part of how I ended up down the rabbit hole  OptimumTech is incredibly thorough. However, I don't think he has a review of the Thermaltake and the CPU he used had a higher rating. So looking at that, I think either will work. Which is why I'm writing stories here, I'm bad at deciding between two so similar options. Ah well. 

 

Also thanks for the SSD. It looks solid enough and if I need to stretch my budget, this looks like a solid contender. 

 

[marc-g]

Hi @pichfl, first of all, thanks for sharing your setup!

 

I stumbled upon this thread and I was curious to know what the latest status of your build is and how it ended up like, as I own an LG Ultrafine 5K monitor as well which I love, and I'm planning to build a Windows ITX machine similar to yours for archvis and light gaming.

 

Are you still using the Ultrafine 5K or did you switch to a different option?

 

Thanks!