Building a new PC once GTX 3080 is released. Would love some help!

ChrisUlrich

Weaksauce
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This should be fairly strong setup for modern gaming at a quality FPS. But I really want to make sure I am not forgetting or overlooking anything.

I'm not to comfortable with my motherboard or heatsink choice. Staying air cooled so I am hoping the Noctua delivers awesome cooling like I had with my i5 2500K rig!
And motherboards are always so challenging to choose. So many different options and benefits.

Case: Silverstone FT02
PSU: Seasonic Prime TX-850 Titanium
Motherboard: MSI MEG Z490 Unify
Processor: i7 10700K - Looking to overclock to 4.8-5.0ghz
Heatsink: Noctua NH-U12A
Harddrive: Samsung 970 Evo Plus(1TB)
GPU: RTX 3080
RAM: G.Skill Trident Z Royal Series DDR4 3600 2x16
Monitor: Asus VG27AQL1A
 
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If possible, wait a month or so until AMD releases Ryzen 3 (4000 series) CPUs and also new GPUs, and we get some reviews/benchmarks.

Platinum/Titanium PSUs are usually not worth the cost premium over gold-rated units, unless maybe you live in a region with very high electricity rates. You could also scale back a bit to a 650-750 W model.
 
If possible, wait a month or so until AMD releases Ryzen 3 (4000 series) CPUs and also new GPUs, and we get some reviews/benchmarks.

Platinum/Titanium PSUs are usually not worth the cost premium over gold-rated units, unless maybe you live in a region with very high electricity rates. You could also scale back a bit to a 650-750 W model.
I have an irrational fear of my PSU burning out my parts. It actually isn't for the extra efficiency rating. I read that the Platinum and Titanium units are less likely to fail. Is that not entirely true?

You really think the new AMD chips have something for the intel chips? When I did benchmarks from the current Ryzen chips, they weren't up to par with the 9th and 10th gen chips.
 
I have an irrational fear of my PSU burning out my parts. It actually isn't for the extra efficiency rating. I read that the Platinum and Titanium units are less likely to fail. Is that not entirely true?

You really think the new AMD chips have something for the intel chips? When I did benchmarks from the current Ryzen chips, they weren't up to par with the 9th and 10th gen chips.

Above a certain level I don't believe there is a direct relationship between a PSU's efficiency rating and its component/build quality. I'd say it's more important to look at the brand's reputation and reviews that actually hit on things like voltage output precision/variation. Anecdotal, but I've been running Seasonic gold-rated PSUs forever and have never had one blow out a system. As long as you're not using a $20 "1000 W gold-rated" PSU you're probably good.

As for CPUs, I suggest waiting because the new ones are imminent. Unless one absolutely needs a new system now there's little sense in not waiting a few weeks to see what comes. Currently, yeah, Intel does have an edge in single-core performance (still important for gaming), AMD generally excels at multi-core value. Come early Oct. the answers may be a bit different.
 
Above a certain level I don't believe there is a direct relationship between a PSU's efficiency rating and its component/build quality. I'd say it's more important to look at the brand's reputation and reviews that actually hit on things like voltage output precision/variation. Anecdotal, but I've been running Seasonic gold-rated PSUs forever and have never had one blow out a system. As long as you're not using a $20 "1000 W gold-rated" PSU you're probably good.

As for CPUs, I suggest waiting because the new ones are imminent. Unless one absolutely needs a new system now there's little sense in not waiting a few weeks to see what comes. Currently, yeah, Intel does have an edge in single-core performance (still important for gaming), AMD generally excels at multi-core value. Come early Oct. the answers may be a bit different.
Games still predominantly run better on stronger clock speed CPUs because it uses a single core?

I know the 10700K does better on games right now. But not sure why that is
 
Case: Silverstone FT02
I assume you already have this; however, there are a lot of considerations involved, like the length of the GPU and the airflow setup of Nvidia's stock cooler. If you don't have it, there are likely better options.
Processor: i7 10700K - Looking to overclock to 4.8-5.0ghz
Unless you want this system up and running as soon as the new GPUs release, it's probably worth waiting. Both Intel and AMD have new products in the pipe and it'd at least be worth waiting for AMD's next releases.
I'm not to comfortable with my motherboard or heatsink choice.
Most of the stuff that comes on any motherboard over $200, you just don't need.

For air cooling, I'm sure Noctua has something good, but if you're not married to the FT02, then you'll probably find AIOs that can keep the CPU more stable at higher speeds.
Harddrive: Samsung 970 Evo Plus(1TB)
Really no reason to pay Samsung prices. Plenty of great NVMe drives with 2TB for not much more than a 1TB Samsung.
 
with a RTX 3080? No, don't do that. 850 or higher is good. I NEVER recommend cheaping out on a GPU. I agree that titanium isn't necessary though.

I'd recommend this GPU based on the brand, the wattage and price

https://slickdeals.net/f/14338889-s...l-modular-power-supply-175?v=1&src=SiteSearch

Assuming you meant to type PSU and not GPU.

Nvidia's own recommendation is for a 750 W PSU (click the "Full Specs" button on that page and scroll down).

Stated power draw for the RTX3080 is up to 320 W. Mainstream desktop CPU will probably max at ~150 W, mainboard + RAM somewhere between 25-50 W. Another two to three dozen for SSDs and other peripherals. Assuming a quality unit (e.g., Seasonic), even a 650 W model would be able to handle it just fine, but Nvidia has to play safe to compensate for lesser PSUs users/OEMs may have installed.

It's also out of stock (as is the current trend for PSUs unfortunately) but the Seasonic GM-750 currently goes for ~$60 less than the overkill 1000 W one you linked. The only minor drawbacks of the GM series relative to the GX I can find are that the former is semi-modular (meh, who's swapping their PSU so often that's an issue?) and has a 7 vs. 10 year warranty. The GM-850 is ~$40 cheaper.
 
I assume you already have this; however, there are a lot of considerations involved, like the length of the GPU and the airflow setup of Nvidia's stock cooler. If you don't have it, there are likely better options.

Unless you want this system up and running as soon as the new GPUs release, it's probably worth waiting. Both Intel and AMD have new products in the pipe and it'd at least be worth waiting for AMD's next releases.

Most of the stuff that comes on any motherboard over $200, you just don't need.

For air cooling, I'm sure Noctua has something good, but if you're not married to the FT02, then you'll probably find AIOs that can keep the CPU more stable at higher speeds.

Really no reason to pay Samsung prices. Plenty of great NVMe drives with 2TB for not much more than a 1TB Samsung.

I realized the 3070 is the better choice bang for buck. So that's what I will be going with.

I am going to wait for the AMD chips to be released. Seem to good to pass up (even it is just a month of waiting).

Still haven't decided on a heatsink.

I already own the Silverstone FT-02. It's still considered one of the top air cooling cases around. I can fit a 12" GPU (GTX 680 without a problem).

GTX 680: 10.00 x 2.00 x 4.38 inches

RTX 3070: 10 x 4

So it should no problem!
 
I agree a high-performance CPU and cooler is needed if you want to upgrade the gaming experience
 
I realized the 3070 is the better choice bang for buck. So that's what I will be going with.

I am going to wait for the AMD chips to be released. Seem to good to pass up (even it is just a month of waiting).

Still haven't decided on a heatsink.

I already own the Silverstone FT-02. It's still considered one of the top air cooling cases around. I can fit a 12" GPU (GTX 680 without a problem).

GTX 680: 10.00 x 2.00 x 4.38 inches

RTX 3070: 10 x 4

So it should no problem!
Yeah, I would at least wait for them if it won't be to long, worst case they aren't up to the task and stick with your original. If they do close the gaming gap and are better at everything else, then go AMD. If they aren't, no big deal. The announcement is Oct 8th, but not sure about when it'll actually be released/available.

Games still predominantly run better on stronger clock speed CPUs because it uses a single core?

I know the 10700K does better on games right now. But not sure why that is
It's mostly due to the latency issues between CCX's on AMD. If you look at Intel memory Latencies vs AMD there is a lot of seperation. The hope is that with the new layout with 8 cores per CCX and unified cache, this will bring them closer to Intel. If you look up reviews on a 3100 vs the 3300x, where the 3100 comprises 2 CCX's with 2 cores each, and the 3300x is a single CCX with 4 cores (same overall cores) and both are run at the exact same speeds, there is about a 10% difference in speed just due to this layout. So, hopefully with a better layout, more cache available per core, and some architectural improvements, it'll catch up (or get very close to) Intel in single core/games and widen it's multi-core gap. Of course, hope doesn't always equal reality, so until we get benchmarks, we won't know how much or how little an improvement we'll actually see, but there are real reasons to be hopeful, not just wishful :).
 
I agree with the majority of the folks informing you to simply wait and see how AMD's CPU line up is going to be. If you don't need a new PC now, might as well wait. There are still components that you can buy and stock if there's a deal for them. I'm sure you were not one of the lucky ones that picked up a 3080, so we're all just waiting, haha.

Regarding the PSU, Gold should be enough. 850w being the sweet spot. If you're worried about frying parts, make sure you have a good surge protector.

Do research some AIO instead of the air fan. It might sound like it's a lot more work, but it really is not. I switch to an AIO back in 2017 and I don't think I'll ever go back to air cooling.
 
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