Beast gaming PC for all the money I can muster ($7,000 / £5,000 range)

[VelikiPCguy]

Budget (including currency):  $7,000 / £5,000

Country: United Kingdom

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: Gaming, stuff like RDR2, WoW, Cyberpunk 2077, Warframe, but also future-proofing it for upcoming titles like Elder Scrolls 6, Total War: Warhammer 3, etc.

Other details (existing parts lists, whether any peripherals are needed, what you're upgrading from, when you're going to buy, what resolution and refresh rate you want to play at, etc): Building a brand new gaming PC that I've wanted for years. This isn't about price-performance ratios, it's simply about trying to put together the best possible machine money can buy. I haven't decided yet on case and peripherals, but any suggestions would be appreciated as well. Buying all of this in the UK. Will be using a curved / 4K / 144/240Hz monitor.

 

• GPU: GeForce RTX 3090 Kingpin Hybrid Gaming
  • (If I can't get one, then the GeForce RTX 3090 FTW3 Ultra Hybrid Gaming)
• CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 5950X
• Motherboard: Gigabyte X570 Aorus Master
• CPU Cooler: Arctic Liquid Freezer II 420mm
• RAM: G.SKILL TridentZ RGB Series 64GB (4 x 16GB) DDR4 3600 CL17
• SSD: Samsung 980 PRO 2TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe 3D Nand
• PSU: AX1600i Digital ATX Power Supply
• Case: open to suggestions (I really like the look of the Cooler Master ones)
• Keyboard: open to suggestions
• Mouse: open to suggestions

I know this build is overkill, but just imagine you had your pick of any and all parts for free. Would you stick with these parts? Would you change anything, optimise anything? Does it have any glaring flaws?

Thanks!

[Azade12]

18 minutes ago, NewwGuyy123 said:

Budget (including currency):  $7,000 / £5,000

Country: United Kingdom

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: Gaming, stuff like RDR2, WoW, Cyberpunk 2077, Warframe, but also future-proofing it for upcoming titles like Elder Scrolls 6, Total War: Warhammer 3, etc.

Other details (existing parts lists, whether any peripherals are needed, what you're upgrading from, when you're going to buy, what resolution and refresh rate you want to play at, etc): Building a brand new gaming PC that I've wanted for years. This isn't about price-performance ratios, it's simply about trying to put together the best possible machine money can buy. I haven't decided yet on case and peripherals, but any suggestions would be appreciated as well. Buying all of this in the UK. Will be using a curved / 4K / 144/240Hz monitor.

 

• GPU: GeForce RTX 3090 Kingpin Hybrid Gaming
  • (If I can't get one, then the GeForce RTX 3090 FTW3 Ultra Hybrid Gaming)
• CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 5950X
• Motherboard: Gigabyte X570 Aorus Master
• CPU Cooler: Arctic Liquid Freezer II 420mm
• RAM: G.SKILL TridentZ RGB Series 64GB (4 x 16GB) DDR4 3600 CL17
• SSD: Samsung 980 PRO 2TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe 3D Nand
• PSU: AX1600i Digital ATX Power Supply
• Case: open to suggestions (I really like the look of the Cooler Master ones)
• Keyboard: open to suggestions
• Mouse: open to suggestions

I know this build is overkill, but just imagine you had your pick of any and all parts for free. Would you stick with these parts? Would you change anything, optimise anything? Does it have any glaring flaws?

Thanks!

Remember to get an IPS panel with good color gamut. 
 

I recommend Logitech G815. It is a wired, low profile keyboard with aluminum front. 
G915 is good if you want wireless. It’s brushed aluminum for the front. 

The keyboard is also RGB with a wide range of macros and modes.

 

congrats and have fun building your new pc! Mine some crypto while you’re at it! Lol

[Chris Pratt]

The thing is that the parts aren't free. But, even playing your game, nope.

 

The 5950X is only the "best" if you actually need the extra cores/threads, which you don't for gaming. The 5900X, for example, can actually hit 5GHz with a good chip and PBO2's curve optimizer. Some have even gotten the 5800X there as well. You won't need more than 8 cores for gaming for a long time.

 

It's not that that's necessarily a bad board, but there's far better X570 boards, if price is no object.

 

Likewise, with the RAM. If it's all free give me 4000MHz CL15. CL17 isn't even that great for 3600MHz. Also, you don't need more than 16GB for gaming, so anything over that is just a useless lump on your mobo. However, 32GB might make sense with this particular RAM to get the full four ranks. That's just because each stick is single ranked though. 64GB is just excessive for now reason.

 

The PCIe 4.0 storage is absolutely useless for gaming, currently. Maybe in a couple of years, but it a couple of years it will be cheaper.

 

1600W PSU? Even with all the money in the world, that makes no sense. That type of power supply is for running like 4+ GPUs, mostly for mining, or perhaps some sort of extreme data sciences scenarios. You don't need more than 850W tops.

 

So, no, just sorting by prices and throwing the most expensive things into a system doesn't make it a *beast* even if you have the money to waste.

[OfficialTechSpace]

If you truly have that much money to blow on a system, do yourself a favour and wait until the next generation of hardware.

 

You'd be digging yourself a hole to build now, they're all dead platforms.

 

Everyone is going to be on a new socket, and running DDR5 in a year. Building a DDR4 rig in 2021 is just a stupid as building a DDR3 rig a few years ago, it's just asking for trouble.

 

We can say it's okay for budget builders right now to build, but those trying to blow away cash is where we should draw the line. Don't buy hardware that's beastly this year just to have it be a paperweight by comparison to the next generation.

38 minutes ago, NewwGuyy123 said:

Will be using a curved / 4K / 144/240Hz monitor.

And 4K is still unplayable at a high-refresh, even with those specs, good luck. And no, 240Hz 4K monitors don't exist yet, nor would they be of use for another 4 years.

[OfficialTechSpace]

14 minutes ago, Azade12 said:

Mine some crypto while you’re at it! Lol

Need I refresh your memory?  https://videocardz.com/newz/nvidia-geforce-rtx-30-lite-hash-rate-series-to-begin-shipping-mid-may

[brob]

Your psu could power two of those systems. Get something like a Seasonic aprons TX-850 or PX-850.

 

I'd go with the 5900X cpu and a motherboard like the MSI MEG X570 Unify or Asus ROG Crosshair Hero.

 

Ditch the 420mm aio and go with a 280 or 360 Arctic model.

 

Take a look at the Phanteks Evolv X and Eclipse P500A DRGB cases. Also the Lian-Li Lancool 215 and PC-O11D. The Fractal Design Meshify 2 cases are also worth a look.

 

Consider memory with better timings. Consider using 2x16GB or 4x8GB modules.

[VelikiPCguy]

39 minutes ago, OfficialTechSpace said:

Everyone is going to be on a new socket, and running DDR5 in a year. Building a DDR4 rig in 2021 is just a stupid as building a DDR3 rig a few years ago, it's just asking for trouble.

When DDR5 comes out, won't I just be able to replace my RAM, or will it require a whole new motherboard?

 

39 minutes ago, OfficialTechSpace said:

And 4K is still unplayable at a high-refresh, even with those specs, good luck. And no, 240Hz 4K monitors don't exist yet, nor would they be of use for another 4 years.

I've seen these types of build take high-end games to 60-100fps, maxed out, on 4k monitors. But even so, you could always take down the resolution to 1440p if your fps is lagging, no?

[VelikiPCguy]

30 minutes ago, brob said:

Consider memory with better timings. Consider using 2x16GB or 4x8GB modules.

So having more MHz / less CL is more important than having more GB? Or does that only apply if the comparison is between 32 and 64GB? Cos as far as I've seen, there's no RAM currently on the market that's 64gb + 4000MHz + 14/15CL, so you'd gave to go down in GB to find those timings

[VelikiPCguy]

50 minutes ago, Chris Pratt said:

It's not that that's necessarily a bad board, but there's far better X570 boards, if price is no object.

Like which ones?

[Egg-Roll]

28 minutes ago, NewwGuyy123 said:

• Motherboard: Gigabyte X570 Aorus Master
• SSD: Samsung 980 PRO 2TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe 3D Nand

For motherboards you are wasting money on a triple 16x board as they are not true 16x slots. For a Ryzen 5000 series card for that board it will be 16,8,4. The 4x will be going threw the chipset.

 

Downgrade to 500GB for the system/main programs and get a secondary SSD and maybe a HDD for everything else(main games on a SSD but everything else on HDD). This will separate your games and windows so neither can cause any issues, plus if one drive fails you don't lose everything. The HDD would be for games you may play somewhat w/o having to delete, video captures etc.

 

Overall I do agree with @OfficialTechSpace and holding off till next gen components are announced at the very least. Tho my DDR3 system runs perfectly fine for someone else  Just saying lol... (They don't game however) Basically if and only if you need a computer today should you buy one right now. New CPUs will be announced in a few months. Tho it looks like they may not come out till late 2022.

 

4 minutes ago, Chris Pratt said:

Also, you don't need more than 16GB for gaming

 That only applies if you do nothing but gaming on the computer. The second you want to keep chrome open or maybe watch a movie, listen to music, potentially be in a zoom meeting for school/work purposes (and try getting away with gaming), etc. You'll need more. 32GB shouldn't be a issue to get with a "no money" budget... After all I got 64GB after bottle necking 32GB, and I'm already using 35% of that with "light use". Plus doesn't Linus now finally state 32GB?

 

For them I would go 32GB (money is no issue after all), as a true gamer would have Discord on their computer (450mb+) maybe have a few file explorers open? That's 50mb ea. Chrome? Well that really depends on extensions and tab counts plus what those tabs contains (I have 133 tabs open, consuming 10GB). Steam consumes 200+mb so for a basic gamer about 0.5-1GB of ram is being used up by things one likely has running. RDR2 requires 8GB which leaves only 6-7GB left for everything else, sounds like a lot but it really isn't.

 

For Cyberpunk even Tom recommends 32GB, you can get by with 8GB but if you want the best of the best sir setup you'll need at least 32GB

https://www.tomshardware.com/news/cyberpunk-2077-memory-tested-how-much-ram-do-you-need

 

  

1 minute ago, NewwGuyy123 said:

So having more MHz / less CL is more important than having more GB? Or does that only apply if the comparison is between 32 and 64GB? Cos as far as I've seen, there's no RAM currently on the market that's 64gb + 4000MHz + 14/15CL, so you'd gave to go down in GB to find those timings

What's your current ram amount and usage? Ignore anyone who doesn't know or even ask about your use patterns.

More mhz is good lower CL is good more ram makes it easier to not worry about things like chrome before loading a game.

[Spotty]

1 minute ago, NewwGuyy123 said:

When DDR5 comes out, won't I just be able to replace my RAM, or will it require a whole new motherboard?

Current CPUs do not support DDR5. DDR5 memory will require a new motherboard and new CPU.

While now isn't the best time to be building a computer due to shortages, waiting for what might come around the corner in the next year or two isn't a good idea either as there will always be something new and better coming out in the future.

 

1 minute ago, NewwGuyy123 said:

So having more MHz / less CL is more important than having more GB? Or does that only apply if the comparison is between 32 and 64GB? Cos as far as I've seen, there's no RAM currently on the market that's 64gb + 4000MHz + 14/15CL, so you'd gave to go down in GB to find those timings

It depends on what you're doing. If your tasks require more memory then there's no way around it you need the capacity. For gaming you don't need more than 16GB of memory. A good 32GB kit would make more sense than spending a bunch of money on a 64GB kit. Get a 2x16GB kit that way you can add more memory if you want to add another 2x16GB kit later to make 64GB, but if you're just gaming then you won't ever need to do that.

[Arika]

49 minutes ago, OfficialTechSpace said:

you truly have that much money to blow on a system, do yourself a favour and wait until the next generation of hardware.

As if the next generation is even going to have stock, much like the current one

[Chris Pratt]

2 minutes ago, Egg-Roll said:

That only applies if you do nothing but gaming on the computer. The second you want to keep chrome open or maybe watch a movie, listen to music, potentially be in a zoom meeting for school/work purposes (and try getting away with gaming), etc. You'll need more. 32GB shouldn't be a issue to get with a "no money" budget... After all I got 64GB after bottle necking 32GB, and I'm already using 35% of that with "light use". Plus doesn't Linus now finally state 32GB?

I'm not sure what your issue is but I do that and more with 16GB. The only reason I went 32GB is because I run Docker containers for development, and that was pushing me to like 17-18GB in use.

[VelikiPCguy]

2 minutes ago, Egg-Roll said:

What's your current ram amount and usage? Ignore anyone who doesn't know or even ask about your use patterns.

More mhz is good lower CL is good more ram makes it easier to not worry about things like chrome before loading a game.

I couldn't even tell you, I'm on my laptop currently, this is a build for the future. Whew so Cyberpunk is recommended at 32GB, I had no idea! So why are so many people acting like I'm crazy for wanting 64GB, who's to say a 64gb-optimised game won't come out in the next 2 months? And wouldn't a 32gb-recommended game run better on 64gb? So in that case does GB win over MHz and CL?

[wONKEyeYEs]

1 hour ago, NewwGuyy123 said:

Budget (including currency):  $7,000 / £5,000

You could go pre built from a boutique builder and get hard lined water cooling for the CPU and GPU.

Prob the easiest way to get the GPU.

[Chris Pratt]

3 minutes ago, NewwGuyy123 said:

I couldn't even tell you, I'm on my laptop currently, this is a build for the future. Whew so Cyberpunk is recommended at 32GB, I had no idea! So why are so many people acting like I'm crazy for wanting 64GB, who's to say a 64gb-optimised game won't come out in the next 2 months? And wouldn't a 32gb-recommended game run better on 64gb? So in that case does GB win over MHz and CL?

Cyberpunk is an unoptimized mess. Yeah, if you throw a game together in 3 months, it might require 32GB.

 

And no, having more RAM than you need does nothing. You don't get any performance uplift from more RAM unless you're paging to the drive because you don't have enough.

[VelikiPCguy]

8 minutes ago, Spotty said:

While now isn't the best time to be building a computer due to shortages, waiting for what might come around the corner in the next year or two isn't a good idea either as there will always be something new and better coming out in the future.

"They hated him because he told them the truth" meme haha

 

But seriously, 100% agree, tech develops so quickly it's never a good time to splurge on anything... yet life happens, and sometimes there's reason to celebrate, and sometimes, rarely, it just so happens that what you want and what you are able to afford / achieve overlap. So I'm not really bothered about the naysayers, all I'm doing is collecting feedback, tweaking the set-up where possible, and I'll go ahead and buy it and I know I won't be downgrading any parts tbh, no matter if excessive.

[brob]

2 minutes ago, NewwGuyy123 said:

So having more MHz / less CL is more important than having more GB? Or does that only apply if the comparison is between 32 and 64GB? Cos as far as I've seen, there's no RAM currently on the market that's 64gb + 4000MHz + 14/15CL, so you'd gave to go down in GB to find those timings

 

As a general rule of thumb more memory trump's faster memory. However your intended usage is quite specific and does not require 64GB. 32GB is more than enough. But were you to stick with 64GB I'd still suggest memory with better timings. DDR4-3600 is a sweet spot for 5000 cpu and CL16 or lower is optimal at that speed.

 

Anything faster than DDR4-3600 is likely going to require some tinkering to optimize. If you are into that, go ahead and get faster modules.  Otherwise, stick with a decent 3600 kit.

[Egg-Roll]

1 minute ago, Chris Pratt said:

I'm not sure what your issue is but I do that and more with 16GB. The only reason I went 32GB is because I run Docker containers for development, and that was pushing me to like 17-18GB in use.

I'm a power user in terms of leaving stuff open, while 16GB works for you the last thing any new computer builder would want is buying something and regretting it. That's my point. With 32GB I have seen ran out of memory crashes, I would die on 16GB. Someone willing to go ballers on a PC shouldn't cut down on ram amount just because it works for you. 

 

1 minute ago, NewwGuyy123 said:

I couldn't even tell you, I'm on my laptop currently, this is a build for the future. Whew so Cyberpunk is recommended at 32GB, I had no idea! So why are so many people acting like I'm crazy for wanting 64GB, who's to say a 64gb-optimised game won't come out in the next 2 months? And wouldn't a 32gb-recommended game run better on 64gb? So in that case does GB win over MHz and CL?

Open up task manager and go to Performance, it'll tell you how much ram you have and how much is being used exactly.

Cyber needs 8GB, however Toms suggests 32, I would say 16 min for it right now someday it might actually successfully meet its 8GB without having issues, maybe, however that 16GB is on top of system and other overhead.

A 64GB game is very unlikely to come out for years to come, unless someone is making Sword Art Online without anyone knowing  Reason why many people are acting crazy is because 64GB is crazy for the average user, one could get away with 16GB on a budget (8GB on a shoestring) for gaming but for the last 3 years (about) I've stated 32GB is the minimum to avoid ram issues (running out, forcing to close stuff). A game should run about equal 32 or 64 so long they are the same timings and stick count, but at least for cyberpunk it seems to favor more ram, for now.

 

If you ask me base should be 32GB (For no worries, no trouble) the Mhz should be at least 3200 and CL shouldn't be 17+

Might not be flashy but it should get the job done:
https://www.corsair.com/ca/en/Categories/Products/Memory/VENGEANCE-LPX/p/CMK32GX4M4K3600C16

[OfficialTechSpace]

11 hours ago, Arika S said:

As if the next generation is even going to have stock, much like the current one

I'm not saying it'll be any easier to find stuff in stock, just that it would be worth the wait

Plus if you're quick enough you can easily find stuff in stock right now, everyone's just too slow.

 

When stuff restocks, you got about ~20mins to check-out with that part before it's gone again. That's a lot of time if you have stock updates enabled, hence how I ordered a 3070 at MSRP unlike most (which I will be selling for like $1,800 on eBay btw, HMU)

[brob]

There is always something around the corner. DDR5 is at least 8 months away, probably 12 -14. Initially the memory modules will be significantly more expensive per GB and I wouldn't rule out some initial teething problem. Sure it's going to offer higher performance, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

 

Make your purchase decision based on current need. Whatever you get will be obsolete within the year, regardless of when the purchase is made.

[OfficialTechSpace]

11 hours ago, NewwGuyy123 said:

I've seen these types of build take high-end games to 60-100fps, maxed out, on 4k monitors.

Yes, but there's not much point in putting £5,000 into gaming at 60-100FPS is there? I'd choose competitive advantage > pixel density any day of the week.

1440p high-refresh would be the way to go, with something like this: Asus ROG Swift PG279QM or this: Samsung Odyssey G7

 

[curiousmind34]

12 hours ago, Chris Pratt said:

You won't need more than 8 cores for gaming for a long time.

 

5900x is much more easier justifyable than 5950x, it's not much more than a 5800x (at msrp). I think a 5900x atleast is reasonable

[VelikiPCguy]

15 hours ago, brob said:

Anything faster than DDR4-3600 is likely going to require some tinkering to optimize. If you are into that, go ahead and get faster modules.  Otherwise, stick with a decent 3600 kit.

By that do you mean just enabling Extreme Memory Profile?

 

15 hours ago, brob said:

But were you to stick with 64GB I'd still suggest memory with better timings

Could you recommend any 64GB sticks with better timings?

[VelikiPCguy]

15 hours ago, Egg-Roll said:

If you ask me base should be 32GB (For no worries, no trouble) the Mhz should be at least 3200 and CL shouldn't be 17+

Well for 32GB this is the best combo I've found (4000MHz, 15CL): https://www.gskill.com/product/165/166/1580378326/F4-4000C15Q-32GTZR-Overview

 

If I do decide to go for 32GB instead of 64, is there any better RAM than this?