2022 SFF Build

Oxblood87 · March 22, 2022

Budget (including currency): ~$2000 CAD

Country: Canada

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

CPU: i5-12600k, as I don't have much other than gaming I don't see the use for a i-7 or i-9 at this point.

Cooler: Noctua NH-L9i, looking for a low profile cooler for the SFF

GPU: Whatever I can get, 3060ti/3070/3070ti range, wondering what would match best with the 12600k?

RAM: DDR4-4000, G.Skill Ripjaws have been in my past 2 builds, and seem reliable and well priced. From what I've seen DDR5 still isn't worth it. Would there be real benefits to going with faster speeds?

PSU: Corsair SF 750w, simple, reliable, modular.

Case: DAN A4-SFX smallest case I've found that will still take 2 slot GPU

SSD: Samsung 970 Evo Plus/WD Black SN750 (whichever is on sale at the time as I've ready they are quite comparable) 1TB should be plenty for OS and games, I may consider a larger but slower M.2 drive for storage.

https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/FwNgJM

I am am currently using a PC that I built back in 2016 when the 1070s released, and while it has served me well for the last 6 years its time to upgrade.

I keep the case on my standing desk, so for stability etc. I prefer a SFF. My current build is in a Silverstone FTZ01, but I would prefer something with a smaller footprint so I was looking at the DAN A4-SFX, or was hoping that the Dr. Zaber Sentry 3.0 would come out.

Really looking for input on:

RAM( DDR4 vs DDR5, Speed 3200/3600/4000 or higher?),
GPU availability (Prices came down a good chunk recently, do we think that will continue? Is it worth holding off to the RTX 40XX?
CPU to GPU pairing (12600 looks like a sweet spot atm, will it keep up with bigger GPUs?)
Other SFF cases that would be good on a standing desk

jaslion · March 22, 2022

Does it have to be that small? Id recommend a bit bigger case like a nr200p so you don't end up having to use a cooler that is on the edge of good enough for the 12600k.

As for ram just get some ddr4 cl16 3600mhz ram faster isn't making a difference.

Other than that and the fact you can totally just go with the gold version of that psu saving you A LOT of money without losing anything there is nothing I'd change in this case.