Help with new gaming PC build

somik · September 2023

So here's the deal. Starfield is coming out next week. Tried running the currently available copy on my PC to test. It doesn't run it. Given my gaming PC is 5 years old, that's not unexpected. So need your help.

I plan to use the PC mostly for gaming. The games I want to play are Starfield, Cyberpunk, GTA 6, etc. No fast paced games.
My monitor is a 1440p ultra wide (3440x1440) and I want to run the games at at least 60 FPS.

Here are the parts I am planning to buy. I want to re-use my existing case and storage.

PCPartPicker Part List: https://ie.pcpartpicker.com/list/ywnyXk

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 7900X 4.7 GHz 12-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Black Edition 42 CFM CPU Cooler
Motherboard: Asus PRIME X670-P WIFI-CSM ATX AM5 Motherboard
Memory: Corsair Vengeance RGB 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL40 Memory
Storage: Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive
Video Card: Asus TUF GAMING GeForce RTX 4070 Ti 12 GB Video Card
Power Supply: Asus TUF Gaming 850G 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-09-01 14:37 IST+0100

The budget should be around 3000 SGD ( about 2250 USD) but no hard limits.

Not too sure on the specs though, specially the GPU. May go with AMD RX 7700 (once it is out) or something different (if you guys say it would be better to go that way).

So what do you guys think?

kuroneko23 · September 2023

If you want a pre-built alternative, you can check this Aftershock PC. Cost around 2970 SGD with similar specs. The SSD is just a basic Lexar 1TB though, and they have limited choice in CPU cooling.

bikegremlin · September 2023

What I did (so, no more honest recommendation than that) was I avoided the latest gen.
Paying premium to beta test - no way. They have their glitches, downsides, and come with a greater power draw (and heating).

So, I would go with the last gen. AMD Ryzen 9 5900X, and get a last-gen AMD video card, like Sapphire Nitro+ RADEON RX 6900 (Sapphire Nitro+ AMD cards come with a price premium but are very good and stable).

That should run just fine, and you could skip any upgrades until they sort out the cooling and the other smaller bugs.

An Asus AM4 board, full-size (no mini ATX).

Get 2TB of storage, you'll thank me later (that drive is very good, but get a 2TB version).

For the PSU, my vote goes for Corsair RM850x 80 PLUS Gold.

While you are at it, get a Noctua NH-D15S cooler, and a nice case for air cooling like the CoolerMaster MasterCase H500P Mesh.

The proposed alternatives are generally not more expensive than your listed build (apart from the storage, add a few bucks for the 2TB version).

Of course, use your own common sense and judgement. This is what I'd do and recommend (my video card is a lower tier, as the higher tier was with a huge price penalty, and my needs were/are fulfilled with the RX 6800).

Relja

emperor · September 2023

Can you tell us your current build ?

bakageta · September 2023

I'd second the comment for some previous gen parts and splurging on 2tb. A 7900x is huge overkill for gaming, unless you're expecting to need a LOT of cpu grunt you can save some money here. A 5800x3d is a decent option also, depending on the kinds of games you play. I went with a 5900x and honestly I'd have been better off going with the 5800x3d. You're going to drop from ddr5 to ddr4 here, but as a gaming machine, you won't even notice the difference.

bikegremlin · September 2023

@bakageta said:
I'd second the comment for some previous gen parts and splurging on 2tb. A 7900x is huge overkill for gaming, unless you're expecting to need a LOT of cpu grunt you can save some money here. A 5800x3d is a decent option also, depending on the kinds of games you play. I went with a 5900x and honestly I'd have been better off going with the 5800x3d. You're going to drop from ddr5 to ddr4 here, but as a gaming machine, you won't even notice the difference.

Curious:
Did you run into situations where your CPU is at a full load and your video card has room to spare?
If yes, what gaming (or work) did result in that, which video card do you use, and, with gaming, how many FPS was the limit?

P.S.
Ryzen 7 5800X3D should perform better for sole gaming, no doubt.
IF gaming and only that (no streaming and other work) is to be done, it's definitely a better choice than the Ryzen 9 5900X.

P.P.S.
5900X should arguably be easier to keep cooler (so no clock dropping even when under load for a prolonged period). But I don't think that's relevant for gaming.

bakageta · September 2023

@bikegremlin said:
Curious:
Did you run into situations where your CPU is at a full load and your video card has room to spare?
If yes, what gaming (or work) did result in that, which video card do you use, and, with gaming, how many FPS was the limit?

It's mostly because of the types of games I play, stuff like Factorio and Dyson Sphere Program end up being WAY more demanding on CPUs than your average game. They end up hitting performance bottlenecks as your builds scale too large, and the difference between my 5900x and my friend's 5800x3d was honestly surprising. I've got an rtx3080 10gb, which has been overkill for anything I play, and the 5900x has been great with it, I wouldn't consider it a bottleneck at all under most situations.

bikegremlin · September 2023

@bakageta said:

@bikegremlin said:
Curious:
Did you run into situations where your CPU is at a full load and your video card has room to spare?
If yes, what gaming (or work) did result in that, which video card do you use, and, with gaming, how many FPS was the limit?

It's mostly because of the types of games I play, stuff like Factorio and Dyson Sphere Program end up being WAY more demanding on CPUs than your average game. They end up hitting performance bottlenecks as your builds scale too large, and the difference between my 5900x and my friend's 5800x3d was honestly surprising. I've got an rtx3080 10gb, which has been overkill for anything I play, and the 5900x has been great with it, I wouldn't consider it a bottleneck at all under most situations.

Interesting - and it makes sense.

Do you get noticeable lags or under 60 FPS?

havoc · September 2023

You've got some balancing issues in that build. e.g. You're sticking a gen 3 SSD into a gen 5 slot. As a reference point that's 1gbps ssd in a 8gbps (per lane respectively), so severe mismatch.

Unless you're interested in AI tech I'd strongly suggest looking at AMD GPUs instead. All the nvidia stuff is overpriced right now because it is 100x more useful than AMD for AI...but gaming side the same doesn't apply. So if you want gaming only why pay the premium? Something like a 7900 XT perhaps? Also Starfield frame generation has better support on AMD side from what I gather.

Given that you say you've currently got a 5 year old rig you have some tolerance for not being on the absolute bleeding edge so I feel compelled to point out that you can substantially better bang per buck via 2nd hand kit in the AM4 generation. That means no gen 5 pcie, but your build literally doesn't use the mobo's PCIE 5: SSD gen 3, GPU gen 4, mobo gen 5. So there is something to be said for doing gen 4 on all three. Next round of nvidia consumer cards sound like they're going to be a bit of a wait so I'm not expecting gen 5 card imminently and current tech hasn't hit gen 4 limits yet. Gen 5 ssds from what I can see are still ridiculous, both on price and cooling.

If you do go for an AM4 build ensure you get a combination that meets resizable bar requirements. And on the memory...I'd totally do 2nd hand (same for mobo) but I'd be a little careful as to what precisely...zen 2 is a little fussy so if you buy the wrong type of mem it harms performance quite a bit. I'd normally advise buying mobo, ram and cpu 2nd hand but amazon is cheaper on cpu zen2 than ebay 2nd hand (?!?!?) right now so uhm might as well get new on that. GPU I wouldn't do 2nd hand, same for PSU. Anything that has a fan or can crypto mine I'd not 2nd hand.

I'd personally try to push the PSU a little higher...1000 instead of 850 given the noise around transient spikes. Ensure that you get one that has zero rpm support. That's an ATX3 PSU so pretty future proof so slightly higher wattage and longer life from fan spinning down makes sense in my mind.

Despite AM4 spiel...sometimes shiny new toys is nice too...nothing wrong with that. Just ensure it's balanced (or alternatively the unbalanced parts are intentional with a view towards future proofing)

somik · September 2023

@kuroneko23 said:
If you want a pre-built alternative, you can check this Aftershock PC. Cost around 2970 SGD with similar specs. The SSD is just a basic Lexar 1TB though, and they have limited choice in CPU cooling.

Prebuilts usually have a markup on existing price and I am trying to save as much as I can keeping my existing case & SSDs.

.

@bikegremlin said:
What I did (so, no more honest recommendation than that) was I avoided the latest gen.
Paying premium to beta test - no way. They have their glitches, downsides, and come with a greater power draw (and heating).

So, I would go with the last gen. AMD Ryzen 9 5900X, and get a last-gen AMD video card, like Sapphire Nitro+ RADEON RX 6900 (Sapphire Nitro+ AMD cards come with a price premium but are very good and stable).

That should run just fine, and you could skip any upgrades until they sort out the cooling and the other smaller bugs.

Hmm... did not consider that option. I could save at least 1000 SGD going with 1 generation older and it will still run most games... and I can upgrade it 1~2 years down the line with the money I saved. I could even sell the GPU on second hand and get some money back...

@bikegremlin said:
An Asus AM4 board, full-size (no mini ATX).

My current one is also a full size ATX. Ususally cheaper that way.

@bikegremlin said:
Get 2TB of storage, you'll thank me later (that drive is very good, but get a 2TB version).

1 already got 2x 1TB SSDs in my system. Planning to keep them.

@bikegremlin said:
For the PSU, my vote goes for Corsair RM850x 80 PLUS Gold.

While you are at it, get a Noctua NH-D15S cooler, and a nice case for air cooling like the CoolerMaster MasterCase H500P Mesh.

The proposed alternatives are generally not more expensive than your listed build (apart from the storage, add a few bucks for the 2TB version).

I got the CoolerMaster CPU cooler that I can re-use on next build. And Asus case that I'll use there as well.

@bikegremlin said:
Of course, use your own common sense and judgement. This is what I'd do and recommend (my video card is a lower tier, as the higher tier was with a huge price penalty, and my needs were/are fulfilled with the RX 6800).

Ya, that's the issue. You go 1 tier up, price doubles each time...

.

@emperor said:
Can you tell us your current build ?

Current specs:
CPU: Intel i5-8600K 6C 3.6 GHz
MOBO: ASUS Prime Z370-A ATX Motherboard
RAM: Corsair Vengeance RGB 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4 3000MHz
GPU: ASUS Dual GeForce GTX 1060 OC edition 6GB
CASE: CoolerMaster MasterBox Lite 5 RGB
PSU: CoolerMaster V750
SDD: Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1 TB

.

@bakageta said:
I'd second the comment for some previous gen parts and splurging on 2tb. A 7900x is huge overkill for gaming, unless you're expecting to need a LOT of cpu grunt you can save some money here. A 5800x3d is a decent option also, depending on the kinds of games you play. I went with a 5900x and honestly I'd have been better off going with the 5800x3d. You're going to drop from ddr5 to ddr4 here, but as a gaming machine, you won't even notice the difference.

Ya... I better downgrade that. My current CPU is a bit under-powered so choose that. I guess I overshoot it by a bit. Yes, as i mentioned, the PC is only for gaming. I use a laptop for everything else.

.

@bikegremlin said:

@bakageta said:

Curious:
Did you run into situations where your CPU is at a full load and your video card has room to spare?
If yes, what gaming (or work) did result in that, which video card do you use, and, with gaming, how many FPS was the limit?

Yes. I cant recall what the game was, but while running the benchmark to test the settings I choose, it was maxing out my CPU while GPU was sitting around 70%. I think it might have been Assassins creed Valhalla? FPS was around 50~60.

@bikegremlin said:
P.S.
Ryzen 7 5800X3D should perform better for sole gaming, no doubt.
IF gaming and only that (no streaming and other work) is to be done, it's definitely a better choice than the Ryzen 9 5900X.

P.P.S.
5900X should arguably be easier to keep cooler (so no clock dropping even when under load for a prolonged period). But I don't think that's relevant for gaming.

Ya, solely for gaming, no streaming. So I guess I'll go with 5800X3D there.

.

@havoc said:
You've got some balancing issues in that build. e.g. You're sticking a gen 3 SSD into a gen 5 slot. As a reference point that's 1gbps ssd in a 8gbps (per lane respectively), so severe mismatch.

That's cause that's what I have in my existing PC for now... Planning to upgrade it down the line as I never saw any disk bottleneck. My current bottleneck is my CPU which can't keep up.

@havoc said:
Unless you're interested in AI tech I'd strongly suggest looking at AMD GPUs instead. All the nvidia stuff is overpriced right now because it is 100x more useful than AMD for AI...but gaming side the same doesn't apply. So if you want gaming only why pay the premium? Something like a 7900 XT perhaps? Also Starfield frame generation has better support on AMD side from what I gather.

I was planning on the 7700 since it'll be out together with Starfield, given it's price is reasonable. I was sticking with nVidia cause of the AI upscaling but not too sure on that. What do you think about it? Is it worth rendering game in lower res and upscaling it later or better to go with something that can handle ultrawide 1440p no issues like 7900 XT?

@havoc said:
Given that you say you've currently got a 5 year old rig you have some tolerance for not being on the absolute bleeding edge so I feel compelled to point out that you can substantially better bang per buck via 2nd hand kit in the AM4 generation. That means no gen 5 pcie, but your build literally doesn't use the mobo's PCIE 5: SSD gen 3, GPU gen 4, mobo gen 5. So there is something to be said for doing gen 4 on all three. Next round of nvidia consumer cards sound like they're going to be a bit of a wait so I'm not expecting gen 5 card imminently and current tech hasn't hit gen 4 limits yet. Gen 5 ssds from what I can see are still ridiculous, both on price and cooling.

Agreed on this. I guess going 1 gen older will definitely be better on my wallet, since I am not even using the Gen5 features...

@havoc said:
If you do go for an AM4 build ensure you get a combination that meets resizable bar requirements. And on the memory...I'd totally do 2nd hand (same for mobo) but I'd be a little careful as to what precisely...zen 2 is a little fussy so if you buy the wrong type of mem it harms performance quite a bit. I'd normally advise buying mobo, ram and cpu 2nd hand but amazon is cheaper on cpu zen2 than ebay 2nd hand (?!?!?) right now so uhm might as well get new on that. GPU I wouldn't do 2nd hand, same for PSU. Anything that has a fan or can crypto mine I'd not 2nd hand.

I rather go all new anyway since it comes with the warrenty so i'll go 1 gen older but still new parts. Singapore 2nd hand market sucks anyway. Prices are still 80% of when they are new...

@havoc said:
I'd personally try to push the PSU a little higher...1000 instead of 850 given the noise around transient spikes. Ensure that you get one that has zero rpm support. That's an ATX3 PSU so pretty future proof so slightly higher wattage and longer life from fan spinning down makes sense in my mind.

Makes sense to go higher on PSU. As for the fan, I usually replace the fans myself if needed. I replaced my old PSU's fan with Artic F12 and it has been silent ever since. Zero rpm suppport... Need to check the listing on which PSUs support no fan spins...

@havoc said:
Despite AM4 spiel...sometimes shiny new toys is nice too...nothing wrong with that. Just ensure it's balanced (or alternatively the unbalanced parts are intentional with a view towards future proofing)

If I can get away with saving 30% of my budget, I will go with 1 gen older. I can use the money to upgrade down the line. There is no such thing as "future proofing" anyway.

somik · September 2023

This just came out. GPU benchmarks for Starfield

somik · September 2023

Looked through the latest prices in SG. They are f**ked up...

AMD RYZEN 7 5800X3D 8 (16) 3.4Ghz 3D V-Cache - SGD $709
AMD RYZEN 9 5900X 12 (24) 3.7GHz - SGD $899

AMD RYZEN 7 7700 8 (16) 3.6GHz - SGD $511
AMD RYZEN 7 7700X 8 (16) 4.5Ghz - SGD $602
AMD RYZEN 7 7800X3D 8 (16) 4.2Ghz - SGD $711
AMD RYZEN 9 7900 12 (24) 3.6GHz - SGD $666
AMD RYZEN 9 7900X 12 (24) 4.7GHz - SGD $883
AMD RYZEN 9 7900X3D 12 (24) 4.4GHz - SGD $918

So if i am to get a CPU locally and hope to warrenty claim it if it fails, that's the price I have to pay...

cybertech · September 2023

ask for advice here

FAT32 · September 2023

Would strongly recommend buying RAM used, they usually last forever. I personally find SG used market not too bad, just the good deals are usually gone within minutes.

For me I just open Carousell in my another monitor, sort by latest, then set auto-refresh to 5 minutes, you should get similar parts that are good enough and cheap within a few days. (Make sure you read the user's reviews though)

I am not sure where do you get the price of those new CPU, but Shopee is at least 10% cheaper than what you have mentioned: https://shopee.sg/DYNACORE-AMD-Ryzen-9-7900X-AM5-Zen-4-12-Core-24-Thread-4.7GHz-5.6GHz-Turbo-170W-TDP-76MB-Cache-Desktop-CPU-i.21612156.20649994722

(Local stock)

You can also wait for 9.9 if you want to stack with shop/platform/bank vouchers

somik · September 2023

@FAT32 said:
Would strongly recommend buying RAM used, they usually last forever. I personally find SG used market not too bad, just the good deals are usually gone within minutes.

For me I just open Carousell in my another monitor, sort by latest, then set auto-refresh to 5 minutes, you should get similar parts that are good enough and cheap within a few days. (Make sure you read the user's reviews though)

Ya, that's a good idea if I am going 1 gen older...

@FAT32 said:
I am not sure where do you get the price of those new CPU, but Shopee is at least 10% cheaper than what you have mentioned: https://shopee.sg/DYNACORE-AMD-Ryzen-9-7900X-AM5-Zen-4-12-Core-24-Thread-4.7GHz-5.6GHz-Turbo-170W-TDP-76MB-Cache-Desktop-CPU-i.21612156.20649994722

(Local stock)

You can also wait for 9.9 if you want to stack with shop/platform/bank vouchers

I got the prices where @cybertech asked me to ask for advice. On Bizgram and Cybermind price lists. Click on their name to download the PDF.

I usually use these to calculate the prices of things in SG before setting a budget. Then I go bargain hunting on Lazada/Shopee/Amazon

bikegremlin · September 2023

CoolerMaster Hyper 212 will have problems cooling the 5800x3D (or 5900x for that matter). Perhaps, if you undervolt it (the CPU) - which is a good idea for the gen.4 AMD CPUs anyway. That might work. If you see it getting too hot (and lowering its frequency), you may consider getting a bigger cooler.

7900X - no way it will keep it cool.

Regarding those benchmarks:
Starfield drops below 60 FPS even at the 1080p resolution, with the most powerful video card available today. It looks like an unoptimised crap. Hopefully and ideally, they should patch the game (which often takes a year or longer when publishers even really bother to do it right).

somik · September 2023

@bikegremlin said:
CoolerMaster Hyper 212 will have problems cooling the 5800x3D (or 5900x for that matter). Perhaps, if you undervolt it (the CPU) - which is a good idea for the gen.4 AMD CPUs anyway. That might work. If you see it getting too hot (and lowering its frequency), you may consider getting a bigger cooler.

7900X - no way it will keep it cool.

5800x3D TDP is 105W and the cooler max TDP is 150W.
7900X is 170W, so ya I get that. Noctua NH-D15S max TDP is 167W. Maybe it's time to get a radiator as well?

My experience with AIO is very bad. Bought 2 different model of cooler master AIOs and the pump burned out within 6~8 months and i had to throw away cause I did not keep the receipt. So I prefer air coolers. Easier to clean too.

@bikegremlin said:
Regarding those benchmarks:
Starfield drops below 60 FPS even at the 1080p resolution, with the most powerful video card available today. It looks like an unoptimised crap. Hopefully and ideally, they should patch the game (which often takes a year or longer when publishers even really bother to do it right).

Ya, I'm waiting for the day 1 patch on 6th September. Hope those will fix most issues.

The benchmarks are meant to be used to compare the GPU to each other, not taken for the "FPS" number as they change due to differing configurations. I am using that to compare relative performance and prices. I am not going to pay double the price for a 10% uplift in performance. Does that makes sense?

bikegremlin · September 2023

@somik said:

@bikegremlin said:
CoolerMaster Hyper 212 will have problems cooling the 5800x3D (or 5900x for that matter). Perhaps, if you undervolt it (the CPU) - which is a good idea for the gen.4 AMD CPUs anyway. That might work. If you see it getting too hot (and lowering its frequency), you may consider getting a bigger cooler.

7900X - no way it will keep it cool.

5800x3D TDP is 105W and the cooler max TDP is 150W.
7900X is 170W, so ya I get that. Noctua NH-D15S max TDP is 167W. Maybe it's time to get a radiator as well?

My experience with AIO is very bad. Bought 2 different model of cooler master AIOs and the pump burned out within 6~8 months and i had to throw away cause I did not keep the receipt. So I prefer air coolers. Easier to clean too.

@bikegremlin said:
Regarding those benchmarks:
Starfield drops below 60 FPS even at the 1080p resolution, with the most powerful video card available today. It looks like an unoptimised crap. Hopefully and ideally, they should patch the game (which often takes a year or longer when publishers even really bother to do it right).

Ya, I'm waiting for the day 1 patch on 6th September. Hope those will fix most issues.

The benchmarks are meant to be used to compare the GPU to each other, not taken for the "FPS" number as they change due to differing configurations. I am using that to compare relative performance and prices. I am not going to pay double the price for a 10% uplift in performance. Does that makes sense?

That makes perfect sense.

You already have 212 so it is worth giving it a try at least and see how it fares.

AIO is more hassle - I prefer to avoid it when possible.

We'll see if the next-gen. CPUs (and GPUs) are even more power-hungry with the same cooling area - which will make water cooling a must.

Edit:
Based on this test (it is in German), it appears that Starfield is limited by single-core CPU performance more than it is limited by the video card (at least that's how I see it - correct me if I'm wrong):

https://www.pcgameshardware.de/Starfield-Spiel-61756/Specials/cpu-benchmark-requirements-anforderungen-1428119/

somik · September 2023

@bikegremlin said:

@somik said:

@bikegremlin said:
CoolerMaster Hyper 212 will have problems cooling the 5800x3D (or 5900x for that matter). Perhaps, if you undervolt it (the CPU) - which is a good idea for the gen.4 AMD CPUs anyway. That might work. If you see it getting too hot (and lowering its frequency), you may consider getting a bigger cooler.

7900X - no way it will keep it cool.

5800x3D TDP is 105W and the cooler max TDP is 150W.
7900X is 170W, so ya I get that. Noctua NH-D15S max TDP is 167W. Maybe it's time to get a radiator as well?

My experience with AIO is very bad. Bought 2 different model of cooler master AIOs and the pump burned out within 6~8 months and i had to throw away cause I did not keep the receipt. So I prefer air coolers. Easier to clean too.

@bikegremlin said:
Regarding those benchmarks:
Starfield drops below 60 FPS even at the 1080p resolution, with the most powerful video card available today. It looks like an unoptimised crap. Hopefully and ideally, they should patch the game (which often takes a year or longer when publishers even really bother to do it right).

Ya, I'm waiting for the day 1 patch on 6th September. Hope those will fix most issues.

The benchmarks are meant to be used to compare the GPU to each other, not taken for the "FPS" number as they change due to differing configurations. I am using that to compare relative performance and prices. I am not going to pay double the price for a 10% uplift in performance. Does that makes sense?

That makes perfect sense.

You already have 212 so it is worth giving it a try at least and see how it fares.

AIO is more hassle - I prefer to avoid it when possible.

We'll see if the next-gen. CPUs (and GPUs) are even more power-hungry with the same cooling area - which will make water cooling a must.

Edit:
Based on this test (it is in German), it appears that Starfield is limited by single-core CPU performance more than it is limited by the video card (at least that's how I see it - correct me if I'm wrong):

https://www.pcgameshardware.de/Starfield-Spiel-61756/Specials/cpu-benchmark-requirements-anforderungen-1428119/

Seems like more cores = faster FPS to me.

Anyway, Starfield is very weird. It runs barely in indoor environments but when outdoor, the quality drops off a ledge. So I guess the number of assets on screen also matters.

febryanvaldo · September 2023

@somik said: Seems like more cores = faster FPS to me.

I don't think so, for gaming specifically it's about Single Core performance (Higher Clock Speed), ofc more cores is great addition for gaming, but it seems you are choosing AMD Ryzen 9 7900X over Intel i7-13700K, that's your choice.

For CPU Cooler, i don't think Cooler Master 212 is good enough to cool down the beefy Ryzen 9 7900X, maybe you could try to look at the Dual-Tower CPU Cooler? I think it's much more sufficient for the CPU you choose. Something like Thermalright Frost Commander/Spirit - Phantom Spirit or Deepcool Assassins III/IV.

emperor · September 2023

@somik said: Current specs:

This is their official system req so i would say change mobo+cpu+gpu only (take 4 ram slots mobo so you can add more ram if needed), you can go with r5 or r7 5 series and some decent graphic card

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS - PC - STARFIELD
Starfield
Minimum
OS: Windows 10 version 21H1 (10.0.19043)
Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 2600X, Intel Core i7-6800K
Memory: 16 GB RAM
Graphics: AMD Radeon RX 5700, NVIDIA GeForce 1070 Ti
DirectX: Version 12
Storage: 125 GB available space
Additional Notes: SSD Required
Recommended
OS: Windows 10/11 with updates
Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 3600X, Intel i5-10600K
Memory: 16 GB RAM
Graphics: AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080
DirectX: Version 12
Network: Broadband Internet connection
Storage: 125 GB available space
Additional Notes: SSD Required

somik · September 2023

@febryanvaldo said:

@somik said: Seems like more cores = faster FPS to me.

I don't think so, for gaming specifically it's about Single Core performance (Higher Clock Speed), ofc more cores is great addition for gaming, but it seems you are choosing AMD Ryzen 9 7900X over Intel i7-13700K, that's your choice.

Ah, no, i was replying to @bikegremlin on his observation for Starfield as per the chart on the german website.

@febryanvaldo said:
For CPU Cooler, i don't think Cooler Master 212 is good enough to cool down the beefy Ryzen 9 7900X, maybe you could try to look at the Dual-Tower CPU Cooler? I think it's much more sufficient for the CPU you choose. Something like Thermalright Frost Commander/Spirit - Phantom Spirit or Deepcool Assassins III/IV.

Sorry, it seems that the CPU cooler I have is not the Cooler Master, but Cryorig H7 with a TDP of 140W. So I guess a change to a dual tower CPU cooler is in order.

Also I plan to downgrade the CPU to AMD 7700 as 7900X is definitely a overkill for my needs (which is just gaming).

My CPU cooler (ignore the dirt on the glass)

somik · September 2023

Updated specs:

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/CwzWDZ

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7700X 4.5 GHz 8-Core Processor  ($314.00 @ Amazon) 
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15S chromax.black 82.51 CFM CPU Cooler  ($109.95 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte B650M DS3H Micro ATX AM5 Motherboard  ($144.87 @ Amazon) 
Memory: G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL36 Memory  ($99.99 @ Newegg) 
Video Card: Gigabyte GAMING OC Radeon RX 7900 XT 20 GB Video Card  ($889.99 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: Corsair RM1000e (2023) 1000 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($159.99 @ Amazon) 
Total: $1718.79
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-09-02 06:24 EDT-0400

bikegremlin · September 2023

I used to swear by Gigabyte motherboards.
However, their AM4 stuff, at least in Serbia, had/has many returns/faults.

Not sure about the latest socket versions (still early to tell).

The same goes for their video cards (lots of coil whine). Sapphire Nitro+ are costly, but those are well-built.

febryanvaldo · September 2023

@somik said: Also I plan to downgrade the CPU to AMD 7700 as 7900X is definitely a overkill for my needs (which is just gaming).
Video Card: Gigabyte GAMING OC Radeon RX 7900 XT 20 GB Video Card ($889.99 @ Newegg)

...

I plan to use the PC mostly for gaming. The games I want to play are Starfield, Cyberpunk, GTA 6, etc. No fast paced games.
My monitor is a 1440p ultra wide (3440x1440) and I want to run the games at at least 60 FPS.

I think RX 7900 XT also a little overkill for your needs, but it's a good choice though.

somik · September 2023

@bikegremlin said:
I used to swear by Gigabyte motherboards.
However, their AM4 stuff, at least in Serbia, had/has many returns/faults.

Not sure about the latest socket versions (still early to tell).

The same goes for their video cards (lots of coil whine). Sapphire Nitro+ are costly, but those are well-built.

Did not know that! Any recommendations for motherboard brands? My current ones are Asus, so is that a good option?

I had a Sapphire AMD GPU. It lasted me a few years before I decided to "clean" it with a air blower pointed directly at the fans to clean the dirt from the heat sinks. It cleaned all the dirt, but glitched the GPU. Aparently you are not supposed to spin the fans so fast without unplugging them first... who knew!

I may go with Asus as they tend to fetch a higher price when I sell it off down the line compared to Sapphire GPUs, but that's still to be confirmed.

.

@febryanvaldo said:

@somik said: Also I plan to downgrade the CPU to AMD 7700 as 7900X is definitely a overkill for my needs (which is just gaming).
Video Card: Gigabyte GAMING OC Radeon RX 7900 XT 20 GB Video Card ($889.99 @ Newegg)

...

I plan to use the PC mostly for gaming. The games I want to play are Starfield, Cyberpunk, GTA 6, etc. No fast paced games.
My monitor is a 1440p ultra wide (3440x1440) and I want to run the games at at least 60 FPS.

I think RX 7900 XT also a little overkill for your needs, but it's a good choice though.

And that would be why this thread exists! I was planning to downgrade the specs to RX 7800 once it is out a week later, so that is still a option.

.

Updated specs:

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/w44GGP

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7700X 4.5 GHz 8-Core Processor  ($314.00 @ Amazon) 
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15S chromax.black 82.51 CFM CPU Cooler  ($109.95 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: Asus TUF GAMING X670E-PLUS WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard  ($299.99 @ Amazon) 
Memory: G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL36 Memory  ($99.99 @ Newegg) 
Video Card: Asus TUF GAMING OC Radeon RX 7900 XT 20 GB Video Card  ($971.13 @ Amazon) 
Power Supply: Corsair RM1000e (2023) 1000 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($159.99 @ Amazon) 
Total: $1955.05
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-09-02 07:31 EDT-0400

bikegremlin · September 2023

Asus had a problem with AM5 - not sure if it’s been fixed yet.

The CPUs themselves look like a beta test (CPU cover sits higher than it should, for “cooler compatibility” i.e. sales boost & marketing, so cooling is less efficient, while power and frequencies are high).

Edit:
At the same time, Intel can’t keep their CPUs cool either, so they make crippled cores and call them “E-cores” for “economical”, right…

febryanvaldo · September 2023

@somik said: Updated specs:

Maybe like this.

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/HXVCbL
...
CPU: Intel Core i5-13600K 3.5 GHz 14-Core Processor  ($317.99 @ Amazon) 
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Frost Spirit 140 V3 BLACK 77.8 CFM CPU Cooler  ($51.59 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: Asus ROG STRIX Z790-H GAMING WIFI ATX LGA1700 Motherboard  ($279.99 @ Amazon) 
Memory: G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL36 Memory  ($99.99 @ Newegg) 
Video Card: Zotac GAMING AMP AIRO GeForce RTX 4070 12 GB Video Card  ($619.99 @ B&H) 
Power Supply: SeaSonic FOCUS Plus Platinum 850 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($176.99 @ B&H) 
Total: $1546.54
...
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-09-02 08:01 EDT-0400

somik · September 2023

@bikegremlin said:
Asus had a problem with AM5 - not sure if it’s been fixed yet.

The CPUs themselves look like a beta test (CPU cover sits higher than it should, for “cooler compatibility” i.e. sales boost & marketing, so cooling is less efficient, while power and frequencies are high).

Edit:
At the same time, Intel can’t keep their CPUs cool either, so they make crippled cores and call them “E-cores” for “economical”, right…

Ah, yes, the BIOS issue where settings were not being saved and it always over-volted your CPU. Ya, that got fixed a while back.

Since I am running the PC only while gaming, it wont be running all the time. More like about 6 to 8 hours on weekends, and may be 1 to 2 hours on weekdays (if lucky).

@febryanvaldo said:

@somik said: Updated specs:

Maybe like this.

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/HXVCbL

Isn't that motherboard a overkill for that CPU? I mean I am going by prices. $300 dollar CPU did not need a $300 CPU back in the day... Then again, there wasn't a $3000 GPU back then either....

bikegremlin · September 2023

@somik said:

@bikegremlin said:
Asus had a problem with AM5 - not sure if it’s been fixed yet.

The CPUs themselves look like a beta test (CPU cover sits higher than it should, for “cooler compatibility” i.e. sales boost & marketing, so cooling is less efficient, while power and frequencies are high).

Edit:
At the same time, Intel can’t keep their CPUs cool either, so they make crippled cores and call them “E-cores” for “economical”, right…

Ah, yes, the BIOS issue where settings were not being saved and it always over-volted your CPU. Ya, that got fixed a while back.

Since I am running the PC only while gaming, it wont be running all the time. More like about 6 to 8 hours on weekends, and may be 1 to 2 hours on weekdays (if lucky).

@febryanvaldo said:

@somik said: Updated specs:

Maybe like this.

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/HXVCbL

Isn't that motherboard a overkill for that CPU? I mean I am going by prices. $300 dollar CPU did not need a $300 CPU back in the day... Then again, there wasn't a $3000 GPU back then either....

If that's been solved, then that Asus MB looks very good.

somik · September 2023

@bikegremlin said:
If that's been solved, then that Asus MB looks very good.

The issue was a small bug. The main issue was that Asus tried to hide the problem and released a note saying anyone who is still on the original BIOS voids their warranty. This was not in their blog or any social media, but was at the BIOS download page, as a release note for the bios, where they normally put the "change log". So people got upset over it and Asus tried to back paddle saying they are still honoring the warranty. Anyway, the patch was released soon after and that "release note" was removed and replaced by a official statement saying they will cover their product under warranty. So all is good now.

Help with new gaming PC build

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