Any changes for gaming build?

[PCS08]

Budget should not really exceed what is shown. Primarily for games, including a lot of flight sim. All suggestions welcome.

Case
PCS SPECTRUM RGB MID TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 12-Core Processor i7-12700K (3.6GHz) 25MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME Z690-P D4 (LGA1700, USB 3.2, PCIe 5.0) - ARGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3060 Ti - HDMI, DP, LHR
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB INTEL® 670p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3500MB/sR | 2500MB/sW)
1st Storage Drive
1TB PCS 2.5" SSD, SATA 6 Gb (520MB/R, 470MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 150 Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00003]
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 12 to 14 working days
Price: £1,863.00 including VAT and Delivery

PCSPECIALIST - Top Spec Custom PCs & Laptops Built to Order

Manufacturer of performance custom computers and laptops. Customise your ideal gaming PC or laptop using our advanced configurator.

www.pcspecialist.co.uk

 

[SpyderTracks]

Hiya, what monitor are you pairing this with, what make and model?

By flight sim do you mean MSFS?

 

[PCS08]

Yes, I did mean MSFS. Current monitor is 1080p only. But this will be upgraded to at least a 1440p monitor. Haven't decided on which brand yet.

 

[SpyderTracks]

Yes, I did mean MSFS. Current monitor is 1080p only. But this will be upgraded to at least a 1440p monitor. Haven't decided on which brand yet.

MSFS is about the most demanding program on the planet. for 1080p 60Hz at full settings, you really need a 3080 as a minimum.

So you have to temper your expectations. Either you particular fit this build purely with MSFS in mind in which case stick with 1080p, or you spec it as a normal 1440p gaming computer and lower settings for MSFS.

 

[PCS08]

Thanks for the input. It's something for me to think about.
Are there any particular changes you'd make in regard to the cooler, is that model good enough?

 

[SpyderTracks]

Thanks for the input. It's something for me to think about.
Are there any particular changes you'd make in regard to the cooler, is that model good enough?

The whole build would need balancing, but depends on your answer to the previous question?

 

[PCS08]

For arguments sake let's say I go with the normal 1440p gaming PC, and lower settings for MSFS. How much would you change from that point?

 

[SpyderTracks]

For arguments sake let's say I go with the normal 1440p gaming PC, and lower settings for MSFS. How much would you change from that point?

Could you add the configuration link at the bottom of the quote so we can edit it?

 

[PCS08]

Link posted.

 

[SpyderTracks]

Link posted.

I can't get it within budget.

For the build you posted, the following area's aren't suitable:

1/. Case, case is of paramount importance to a build as it dictates airflow, it's not just looks.

2/. Motherboard, I wouldn't be satisfied with the Prime on any build, let alone a 12700

3/. PSU will hamper future upgrades, you really need to be looking at around 1000w RMx

4/. Cooler, you'd need a minimum of an H100i on that CPU, the current one wouldn't be sufficient and the pump would fail fairly fast.

Either on Intel or AMD, I can't get a 3060ti build in that budget I'm afraid.

 

[PCS08]

Thanks for trying. How much did you go over my prefered budget? I'm thinking it may be best to put the build on hold for now.

 

[SpyderTracks]

Thanks for trying. How much did you go over my prefered budget? I'm thinking it may be best to put the build on hold for now.

Yeah, one of the other guys may be able to configure something.

Prices are just insane at the moment, I mean it really is quite rediculous, and to be clear, it's not PCS, they're still cheaper than most places, it is just the state of the universal markets at the moment.

To put it into some perspective, probably only 1 year ago, I designed a B550 RTX 3080 build for UNDER £2000. And even then prices were high.

It's just got ludicrous recently.

As an example of an optimised build based on yours, it's not too far over your current cost, see what you think:

Case
CORSAIR iCUE 220T RGB AIRFLOW MID TOWER GAMING CASE Much better case that can accommodate the cooler
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i5 10-Core Processor i5-12600K (3.7GHz) 20MB Cache Lowered due to budget, still a capable processor
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING Z690-PLUS WIFI D4 (LGA1700, USB 3.2, PCIe 5.0) - ARGB Ready Better board and actually not much more expensive
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 16GB) Totally agree, 32Gb is worthwhile for MSFS
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3060 Ti - HDMI, DP, LHR Great 1440p card
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB INTEL® 670p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3000MB/sR | 1600MB/sW) Main OS drive
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB INTEL® 670p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3500MB/sR | 2500MB/sW) Dedicated game drive, upped to NVME as not much more expensive, but new DirectStorage tech will improve gaming performance also
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1000W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS GOLD, ULTRA QUIET Next gen GPU's are going to use a lot more power, this enables any upgrade in the future
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair iCUE H100i ELITE CAPELLIX RGB Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler Worthwhile for optimum boosts on the processor
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING Cooler comes pre applied with high quality paste
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00003]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) Only £5er and ups return to base costs to 1 year from 1 month.
Delivery
TIMED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND - MON-FRI (BEFORE 2PM)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 8 to 10 working days
Price: £1,895.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z690-pc/ycnJcXjJ29/

 

[PCS08]

Thank you for this. It really does help to get another opinion on what to build and why.
I had looked at the i5, but thought it might not be as future proof as the i7. A lot more to go away and think about, but I imagine the longer I wait the more the prices will just increase.

 

[SpyderTracks]

Thank you for this. It really does help to get another opinion on what to build and why.
I had looked at the i5, but thought it might not be as future proof as the i7. A lot more to go away and think about, but I imagine the longer I wait the more the prices will just increase.

It's anyones guess unfortunately, nVidia are saying that the GPU shortage should start to recover around summer this year:

Nvidia Finally Has Good News on the GPU Shortage in 2022 | Digital Trends

The current graphics card shortage has made it tough to be a PC gamer. However, Nvidia thinks there is a light at the end of the shortage tunnel.

www.digitaltrends.com

But then TSMC who make most of the silicon for CPU's and GPU's have recently raised their prices which will of course be passed onto us:

TSMC price hike expected to impact CPUs and graphics cards this year

According to DigiTimes (via Tom's Hardware), TSMC's rising foundry costs will have an impact on all processors made using its 7nm and 5nm process nodes. It will...

www.techspot.com

And general news from the market is that prices are likely to rise over this year by another 20%:

High-Performance CPUs & GPUs From Intel, AMD, NVIDIA To See Up To 20% Price Hike In 2022

Intel, AMD, and NVIDIA are reportedly going to increase the prices of their high-performance CPUs & GPUs by up to 20% in 2022.

wccftech.com

So it's hard to tell, but I think you're right, I think they're just gonna go up which is just ludicrous.

It doesn't help that nVidia has replaced the original GPU's with newer models with more VRAM which does absolutely no performance improvement for gaming, but helps miners, but they're ceased production of the original cards and increased prices on the new models.

It's daylight robbery really.

 

[JUNI0R]

The other option if You’re trying to save a bit further is the 12400F, it performs similarly to our trusty 5600X for a bit less cash as well as being on a more modern more future upgradable platform. Build would look something like this:


Case
LIAN LI LANCOOL 215 GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i5 Six Core Processor i5-12400F (2.5GHz) 18MB Cache 12400F to save the cash
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B660-PLUS WIFI D4: ATX, LGA1700, USB 3.2, SATA 6GBs - ARGB Ready Cheaper (although not by much) motherboard that’ll amply support the 12400F
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3060 Ti - HDMI, DP, LHR
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB INTEL® 670p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3000MB/sR | 1600MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2200 MB/R, 1500 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 100 RGB V3 Series High Performance CPU Cooler Less demanding CPU requires less demanding cooler, the FF100 will be perfectly adequate for the 12400F
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 8 to 10 working days
Price: £1,609.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z690-pc/2bEgeDS3sx/

 

[PCS08]

Thanks Junior.

 

[Scott]

I wouldn't worry in the slightest with the i5 btw. As much as you can get wrapped up in the i5<i7<i9, it cannot be ignored that the i5 is a 10-core chip. As far as gaming goes that's right in the mix for where things are headed (they aren't even there yet).

 

[SpyderTracks]

I wouldn't worry in the slightest with the i5 btw. As much as you can get wrapped up in the i5<i7<i9, it cannot be ignored that the i5 is a 10-core chip. As far as gaming goes that's right in the mix for where things are headed (they aren't even there yet).

I wouldn't go so far as to call it a 10 core chip. That's Intel marketing through and through.

It's a big/little design, and the e cores have pretty much zero use for gaming whatsoever.

It's a 6 core chip in real terms, any big/little design it's only the big cores that really matter.

But that aside, it's still no slouch.

There's a performance comparison here, MSFS is the last game (you have to open in YouTube, won't play from the forum):

 

[Scott]

I wouldn't go so far as to call it a 10 core chip. That's Intel marketing through and through.

It's a big/little design, and the e cores have pretty much zero use for gaming whatsoever.

It's a 6 core chip in real terms, any big/little design it's only the big cores that really matter.

But that aside, it's still no slouch.

There's a performance comparison here, MSFS is the last game (you have to open in YouTube, won't play from the forum):

Oh no, agreed. It is a 10 core chip though...... with 6 of the cores being full fat (with hyperthreading). It'll best the 5600X quite handily. £ for £ it wins the battle for me.

It remains to be seen if the likes of FS2020 are going to make use of 8 cores. It's more of a hope for me than anything else now.

 

[SpyderTracks]

Oh no, agreed. It is a 10 core chip though...... with 6 of the cores being full fat (with hyperthreading). It'll best the 5600X quite handily. £ for £ it wins the battle for me.

It remains to be seen if the likes of FS2020 are going to make use of 8 cores. It's more of a hope for me than anything else now.

Worth watching this on the p vs e core performance in gaming, having e cores active actually REDUCES performance in a lot of games:

On any gaming scenario, you'll get better performance by disabling the e cores.