Check my spec please.

Hi all,

About to order the below spec and wanted to see if I’m missing anything or if anyone thinks there would be better choices.

How does the rtx4080 fit inside the fractal case and do you think the default cooling will be sufficient?

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts



Case
FRACTAL NORTH TG GAMING CASE (BLACK)

Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 20-Core Processor i7-14700K (Up to 5.6GHz) 33MB Cache

Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME B760M-A WIFI (mATX, LGA1700, DDR5, PCIe 4.0, Wi-Fi 6)

Memory (RAM)
64GB PCS PRO DDR5 4800MHz (2 x 32GB)

Graphics Card
16GB ZOTAC GEFORCE RTX 4080 SUPER TRINITY BLACK EDITION - HDMI, 3 x DP

M.2 SSD Drive
1TB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (3500 MB/R, 3200 MB/W)

Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W RMe SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET

Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)

Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 150 Series High Performance

CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING

Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
 

TonyCarter

VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
PLEASE DO NOT ORDER THAT!
  • Intel 13/14th gen are broken
  • motherboard is too low a level
  • cooler is way underpowered for that CPU
  • RAM is terribly slow
  • PCS SSD is not very reliable
  • PSU (even though it's a new-spec ATX3.1 model) is arguably too low a level for that combo of CPU and GPU
If you let us know what your budget is, what your monitor is (make & model or resolution and refresh rate), I'm sure we can come up with a much better, current gen AMD build for you.
 
Ah ok interesting thanks, I am a newbie with all this so very glad I posted.

Is there a general consensus that AMD is superior to INTEL builds now then?

I would very much appreciate a spec from someone who knows about these things, my budget is around £2200 and I would like it all to fit in the fractal north case (non XL)



These are the ideal specs for msfs2024

AMD Ryzen 9 7900X or Intel Core i7-14700K

AMD Radeon RX 7900XT or NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080

64gb ram
 

TonyCarter

VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
That's a 4K monitor, so if we're looking at a 4K build, then £2200 will be pushing it if you want an RTX4080 Super. It might be possible with an AMD GPU, but I'll see what I can configure.
Is there a general consensus that AMD is superior to INTEL builds now then?
Have read of this...

Goes on (with links to articles, youtube channels) about the high failure rate of the 13/14th gen Intel CPUs, and Intel's terrible behaviour of ignoring the problem and blaming it on users, motherboard manufacturers, etc.
 
Thanks for that, yes I think I would like to avoid that headache of potential cpu failure!

If you could suggest a spec around that budget it would be appreciated. And yes, I think I would prefer the rtx4080 as long as it fits the fractal north case with room for the required cooling etc
 

TonyCarter

VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
Case
FRACTAL NORTH TG XL GAMING CASE (BLACK) - had to upgrade to the XL version as the normal one can't fit a large GPU plus AIO cooler; could reduce the price by moving to a different case with a different aesthetic (e.g. 5000D, 5000X, 3500X)
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 7900X 12 Core CPU (4.7GHz-5.6GHz/76MB CACHE/AM5) - (OR 7800X3D / 9800X3D) don't know whether MSFS takes advantage of more cores or faster cores, so either this (as per the spec) or the 9800X3D which will be faster in almost everything else (which comes at the end of next week)
Motherboard
GIGABYTE X870 EAGLE WIFI7 (AM5, DDR5, M.2 PCIe 5.0, Wi-Fi 7) - latest generation motherboard with PCIe5 and wifi7
Memory (RAM)
64GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB DDR5 6000MHz (2 x 32GB) AMD - sweet spot for AMD CPUs and plenty for MSFS requirements
Graphics Card
20GB GIGABYTE RADEON™ RX 7900 XT GAMING OC - 2 x HDMI, 2 x DP - 4080 Super is better, but is £350 more, so no easy way to fit it into budget
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR, 4700MB/sW) - very fast boot drive (for Windows, apps, and app launchers ONLY - not for games as it will slow it down and you risk losing everything if the single boot/data drive fails)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR, 3325MB/sW) - secondary drive for game installs (install location configured via your individual game launcher apps, but the old MSFS2020 required some manual tweaks to move very large custom content to a second drive)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1200W RMx SHIFT SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS GOLD, ULTRA QUIET - becoming about the norm for high level builds (as the 850/1000W ATX3 PSUs aren't available on the config tool, and 750W is too low); it has headroom for beefier GPU upgrades in 2/4/6 years down the line, and is very efficient so it won't get hot and ramp up its fan
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
CORSAIR iCUE H115i ELITE CAPELLIX XT RGB High Performance CPU Cooler - nice & quiet, efficient AIO liquid cooler to go at the top of the case (wouldn't fit in the Fractal North)
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
ONBOARD 2.5Gbe LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
NONE OR ONBOARD Wi-Fi (MOTHERBOARD DEPENDENT)
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
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
Firefox™
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 5 to 7 working days
Price: £2,278.00 including VAT and Delivery - a bit over due to putting the more expensive Fractal North XL case in
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/8S5uKgGPM7/
 
Thankyou for that Tony, it is much appreciated.

One of the deal breakers for me was having to go to the XL case. I was really hoping it could be made to work in the standard size fractal north case.

But by the sounds of it I will have to chose between rtx4080/RX 7900 XT and the case.
 

TonyCarter

VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
I could stretch the budget a bit for a nice rtx4080 build
Well, if you click on the link at the bottom of the config above, you can switch out the 7900XT for the 4080 Super and see if the new cost is acceptable.

You can also play around with the cases and other components too, but I wouldn't for any of the PCS components, and stay away from the Prime or mATX motherboards as they are intended for more budget builds and have to cut corners to fit a much lower price point.
 

TonyCarter

VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
Thankyou for that Tony, it is much appreciated.

One of the deal breakers for me was having to go to the XL case. I was really hoping it could be made to work in the standard size fractal north case.

But by the sounds of it I will have to chose between rtx4080/RX 7900 XT and the case.
Yes, you really need a decent AIO liquid cooler in there (radiator, pump & fans) too ensure the 7800X3D, 9800X3D or 7900X keeps to it's peak operating temps - the air coolers offered by PCS just won't do it (without a lot of noise, and some performance loss). In some other cases the cooler can be fitted at the front, but then it limits the GPU length...and modern GPUs are both THICK and LONG.
 
These are all the little bits of info I needed. Thanks

I am not sure if I’m ready to commit to water cooling. I don’t suppose I can ask one final favour,

What would be the best spec possible that doesn’t use water cooling and would fit in the standard size fractal case? I assume a step down in gpu would be needed
 

TonyCarter

VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
Right, I've tweaked it a little to get a AIO cooler AND the Fractal North case in (by reducing the size of the cooler, and removing the RGB from the RAM, as that was too high to fit the smaller cooler on top).

Please remember, that the 7900X will not be the best option for most games...that would be the 9800X3D...but you can't order that until the end of next week...but is what I'd be waiting for!!!

AMD 7900XT Build


Case
FRACTAL NORTH TG GAMING CASE (BLACK) - smaller of the Fractal North cases as requested
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 7900X 12 Core CPU (4.7GHz-5.6GHz/76MB CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
GIGABYTE X870 EAGLE WIFI7 (AM5, DDR5, M.2 PCIe 5.0, Wi-Fi 7)
Memory (RAM)
64GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 6000MHz (2 x 32GB) KIT - same speed RAM, but no RGB so that the cooler can fit above it
Graphics Card
20GB GIGABYTE RADEON™ RX 7900 XT GAMING OC - 2 x HDMI, 2 x DP
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR, 4700MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR, 3325MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1200W RMx SHIFT SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
CORSAIR iCUE H100i ELITE CAPELLIX XT RGB High Performance CPU Cooler - slightly smaller cooler, so fans will run a little faster, and will need to be custom configured to balance the noise over performance
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
ONBOARD 2.5Gbe LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
NONE OR ONBOARD Wi-Fi (MOTHERBOARD DEPENDENT)
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
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
Firefox™
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 5 to 7 working days
Price: £2,219.00 including VAT and Delivery - a bit cheaper too
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/pZWcurb0Fx/


Nvidia RTX4080 Super Build​


Case
FRACTAL NORTH TG GAMING CASE (BLACK)
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 7900X 12 Core CPU (4.7GHz-5.6GHz/76MB CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
GIGABYTE X870 EAGLE WIFI7 (AM5, DDR5, M.2 PCIe 5.0, Wi-Fi 7)
Memory (RAM)
64GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 6000MHz (2 x 32GB) KIT
Graphics Card
16GB ZOTAC GEFORCE RTX 4080 SUPER TRINITY BLACK EDITION - HDMI, 3 x DP
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR, 4700MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR, 3325MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1200W RMx SHIFT SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
CORSAIR iCUE H100i ELITE CAPELLIX XT RGB High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
ONBOARD 2.5Gbe LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
NONE OR ONBOARD Wi-Fi (MOTHERBOARD DEPENDENT)
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
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
Firefox™
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 5 to 7 working days
Price: £2,572.00 including VAT and Delivery - purely due to the RTX4080 Super
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/jSaNK8EVVe/
 

TonyCarter

VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
These are all the little bits of info I needed. Thanks

I am not sure if I’m ready to commit to water cooling. I don’t suppose I can ask one final favour,

What would be the best spec possible that doesn’t use water cooling and would fit in the standard size fractal case? I assume a step down in gpu would be needed
It's not 'water cooling'! It's a non-conductive, maintenance free, fully-sealed liquid cooling system.

None of the PCS air-cooling options would suffice.
 
Also, I already own this laptop;

ASUS Laptop ROG Zephyrus G16 GU603ZV 16.0" WUXGA 165Hz Gaming Laptop (i7-12700H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD,​



However I am anticipating not being able to run msfs2024 at 4k. Msfs2020 is far from ideal with this spec

I would want my new pc to be substantially more capable than the laptop. Beginning to doubt that this is possible in the normal size fractal case now? Which is surprising
 
Ah amazing, didn’t realise it could fit with small changes like that!

Thankyou, I think one of these two specs will be the one for me!

Incredibly helpful, thanks
 

TonyCarter

VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
Also, I already own this laptop;

ASUS Laptop ROG Zephyrus G16 GU603ZV 16.0" WUXGA 165Hz Gaming Laptop (i7-12700H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD,​



However I am anticipating not being able to run msfs2024 at 4k. Msfs2020 is far from ideal with this spec

I would want my new pc to be substantially more capable than the laptop. Beginning to doubt that this is possible in the normal size fractal case now? Which is surprising
Definitely.

The CPU isn't the important bit there, but it will be power limited in a laptop chassis (it has to be, as it has to run from battery). But the GPU in that laptop is barely equivalent to a desktop RTX3060, so a 1080p GPU.

Here's a chart showing average relative performance of the generations of GPUs (average as GPU performance will vary greatly with the game)...

2160p.jpg



1440p.jpg
 
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