Outdated plan: 4K 120Hz capable SFF - i3 12100F?

[TinkerBill]

Edit: Thanks to everyone who has contributed below, I've shown my partner your feedback and she has agreed a larger case seems to solve issues with temps and even cost, so this thread is no longer representative of the target.

I'll likely be back with the next version, so looking forward to your help then too

 

Budget (including currency): ~£1500 (some potential for flex as no rush)

Country: UK

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: SPSS (data analysis), Sibellius (Single core from research online), Escape from Tarkov, F1 2019/2020 (possibly more current as they come), Halo

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): Have sourced a 3090 Ventus 3X @ £740, so remaining parts ideally ~£750. Otherwise, scratch build, targeting 4k 120Hz

 

Evening, I'm looking at building a PC for my partner. For a variety of reasons, she'll be gaming on the tv, hence the target resolution/refresh rate.

 

I'm largely wondering if saving money by going i3-12100F is going to be a sensible money save? From a couple googles/youtube searches, it seems at 4K the CPU may not be a bottleneck?

 

Equally, is going DDR5 actually likely sensible now/next couple months? I'd rather not rebuild next year so was thinking current gen might allow me to upgrade less often.

 

Thanks in advace

 

Potential plan: https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/user/Hellboar/saved/DbmRVn

Edited July 7, 2022 by TinkerBill
Updated system limitations

[Hairless Monkey Boy]

This build makes way... no sorry... WAY more sense. No need for Z690 nor DDR5. Use the money you save to get a better CPU.

 

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-12400F 2.5 GHz 6-Core Processor  (£163.99 @ Box Limited) 
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-L12S 55.44 CFM CPU Cooler  (£49.99 @ Amazon UK) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte B660I AORUS Pro DDR4 Mini ITX LGA1700 Motherboard  (£187.99 @ Technextday) 
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory  (£77.97 @ Scan.co.uk) 
Storage: Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  (£106.88 @ Amazon UK) 
Video Card: MSI GeForce RTX 3090 24 GB VENTUS 3X OC Video Card  (Purchased For £740.00) 
Case: Silverstone FTZ01-E Mini ITX Desktop Case  (£135.49 @ Overclockers.co.uk) 
Power Supply: Corsair TX750M Gold 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply  (£77.98 @ Amazon UK) 
Total: £1540.29
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-07-06 19:48 BST+0100

[person123456789]

1 hour ago, TinkerBill said:

Budget (including currency): ~£1500 (some potential for flex as no rush)

Country: UK

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: SPSS (data analysis), Sibellius (Single core from research online), Escape from Tarkov, F1 2019/2020 (possibly more current as they come), Halo

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): Have sourced a 3090 Ventus 3X @ £740, so remaining parts ideally ~£750. Otherwise, scratch build, targeting 4k 120Hz

 

Evening, I'm looking at building a PC for my partner. For a variety of reasons, she'll be gaming on the tv, hence the target resolution/refresh rate.

 

I'm largely wondering if saving money by going i3-12100F is going to be a sensible money save? From a couple googles/youtube searches, it seems at 4K the CPU may not be a bottleneck?

 

Equally, is going DDR5 actually likely sensible now/next couple months? I'd rather not rebuild next year so was thinking current gen might allow me to upgrade less often.

 

Thanks in advace

 

Potential plan: https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/user/Hellboar/saved/DbmRVn

is the size of the nr200 ok?

[TinkerBill]

2 hours ago, Hairless Monkey Boy said:

This build makes way... no sorry... WAY more sense. No need for Z690 nor DDR5. Use the money you save to get a better CPU.

 

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-12400F 2.5 GHz 6-Core Processor  (£163.99 @ Box Limited) 
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-L12S 55.44 CFM CPU Cooler  (£49.99 @ Amazon UK) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte B660I AORUS Pro DDR4 Mini ITX LGA1700 Motherboard  (£187.99 @ Technextday) 
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory  (£77.97 @ Scan.co.uk) 
Storage: Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  (£106.88 @ Amazon UK) 
Video Card: MSI GeForce RTX 3090 24 GB VENTUS 3X OC Video Card  (Purchased For £740.00) 
Case: Silverstone FTZ01-E Mini ITX Desktop Case  (£135.49 @ Overclockers.co.uk) 
Power Supply: Corsair TX750M Gold 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply  (£77.98 @ Amazon UK) 
Total: £1540.29
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-07-06 19:48 BST+0100

I understand the move to a higher CPU on paper, but I don't see why it's needed, can you clarify?
 

Yes, the Motherboard doesn't need to be a Z series, but it was the cheapest (by a few pennies) DDR5. On that, can you clarify DDR4 over 5?

[TinkerBill]

1 hour ago, person123456789 said:

is the size of the nr200 ok?

NR200 case? Unfortunately the partner has laid out rather specific size needs and that won't fit. The size limit is from a shelf, 115mm tall... Otherwise I'd be going for something more sensible like that yes

[person123456789]

There is no sff case under 115mm tall that can fit your gpu

 

i am 100% sure of that

[Hairless Monkey Boy]

1 hour ago, TinkerBill said:

I understand the move to a higher CPU on paper, but I don't see why it's needed, can you clarify?
 

Yes, the Motherboard doesn't need to be a Z series, but it was the cheapest (by a few pennies) DDR5. On that, can you clarify DDR4 over 5?

The build I put together will perform better for the same money than the one you originally had. It doesn't make sense to sacrifice so much CPU performance in favor of features that you do not need. The reason for getting DDR5 would be to improve CPU performance, which is better done by getting a superior CPU at this price point.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, TinkerBill said:

I understand the move to a higher CPU on paper, but I don't see why it's needed, can you clarify?

An i3 12100 and RTX 3090 is not a well balanced system.

[venomtail]

3090 for £740... so not fucking fair, I'm actually jealous. And here I am struggling to find a 3080 XC3 for less than £1200...

[brob]

17 hours ago, TinkerBill said:

Potential plan: https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/user/Hellboar/saved/DbmRVn

 

I doubt the case will accommodate a 57mm thick GPU. Even if it can be squeezed in, sufficient airflow is unlikely.

 

Noctua compatibility information indicates that the NH-L12S is incompatible with the motherboard due to VRM  height. The cooler is also unable to sustain maximum turbo clocks.

 

While the GPU is limiting at 4k, don't expect gaming performance to ever exceed that of the CPU at 1080.

[TinkerBill]

15 hours ago, Hairless Monkey Boy said:

The build I put together will perform better for the same money than the one you originally had. It doesn't make sense to sacrifice so much CPU performance in favor of features that you do not need. The reason for getting DDR5 would be to improve CPU performance, which is better done by getting a superior CPU at this price point.

Should I wait, save more and get the i5 then? I don't see the advantage of going up on the cpu but going backwards on mobo and ram, seems future upgrades would likely need more parts changed?

[TinkerBill]

1 hour ago, brob said:

 

Noctua compatibility information indicates that the NH-L12S is incompatible with the motherboard due to VRM  height. The cooler is also unable to sustain maximum turbo clocks

Ah, I'd checked the CPU comp but didn't check the mobo, thanks for that

[Hairless Monkey Boy]

9 minutes ago, TinkerBill said:

Should I wait, save more and get the i5 then? I don't see the advantage of going up on the cpu but going backwards on mobo and ram, seems future upgrades would likely need more parts changed?

Reports indicate that Intel 13th gen will support DDR4. And you won't be overclocking with such a low profile cooler. So in short, no. My build has no additional upgrade limitations vs your original build.

[Jeppes]

If you are throwing a 3090 into an itx-case, make sure it has good airflow. That case barely works if it has 50cm open space around it, pushing it into a shelf it barely fits will make it run too hot for sure.

 

You are better off building your own case into the space you have there. Three 92x38 server fans preferrably with pwm control as front intake could make it possible to run that +400W system in a tight space like that.