Feedback on New Build for 4K Gaming

V

vilhiem

Weaksauce
Joined
Aug 24, 2005
Messages
125
Hey All ... I'm pulling together the specs on a new rig.

I'm interested in 4K gaming, so I need a fast enough system to handle the graphics for FPS games (like Battlefield, etc.) but also RPG games that seem to take forever to load. I'd also like to try some VM gaming (think Occulus).

Here's what I've got so far:
  • CPU Intel Core i7-8700K
  • Motherboard GIGABYTE Z370 AORUS GAMING 7
  • Memory Corsair Dominator Platinum 32GB
  • SSD Samsung 960 Evo 500GB
  • Video Card GTX 1080 Ti
I could still use recommendations for the following:
  • 4K monitor
  • Power Supply
  • Case
  • Anything Else ...? :)
Thanks in Advance!!!
Vilhiem
 
Are you going to be okay with 4k@60Hz? It's as fast as inexpensive monitor tech can go.

You can grab a 4k 60Hz Gsync panel if that works for you.

There are new 4k Gsync monitors with 144Hz support to be released later this year, but they're priced at several thousand dollars. Your call if you want to spend that much :D

Everything else in your system looks fine.
 
vilhiem said:
Why would I have to be limited to 4k@60Hz?
Click to expand...

Because that's as fast as current DisplayPort 1.2 / HDMI 2.0 tech can drive a monitor at.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DisplayPort#1.2

A 4k 60Hz Gsync monitor:

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236677

There are new monitors coming that can push 4k at 144Hz thanks to the new DisplayPort v1.4, but they're taking a long time to work out the bugs. And when they are released, expect to pay at least two thousand for them (that was the price of 4k 60Hz monitors when they were first released).

https://www.anandtech.com/show/12561/nvidia-expects-4k-144-hz-gsync-hdr-displays-april

Just be warned, these high-end GSYNC monitors tend to have poor quality control (small number of customers, and pushing the components to the bleeding-edge), so be prepared to play panel lottery.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the feedback!

OK ... let's scratch the 4K monitor then! :)

How's about the rest of the specs ...? Any other suggestions/comments ...?
 
This Viewsonic 1440p is highly-rated (if you must have IPS) Just understand that the panel tech comes with downsides (IPS glow). Otherwise the Dell TN panel is pretty damn good for the price.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824116827

https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Gaming-S2716DGR-LED-Lit-Monitor/dp/B0149QBOF0

The rest of your system is fine. I'd go with a Seasonic power supply (shoot for 750w just in case you need to go dual graphics in the future). Anything above Gold efficiency is pure overkill.

Cases come down to personal preference. I'm a fan of Corsair, Fractal Design and NZXT, but there are tons of other brands with their own style out there. How about you make a shortlist of cases you like the look of, and I'll make some recommendations?
 
Last edited:
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
I say get this monitor;

https://www.pcgamer.com/philips-bdm4065uc-monitor-review/

I've had this for 2 years now and it's fantastic gaming on it is unbelievable and web viewing and doing work on it you can have four 1080p screens open at same time.

Yeah it's only 60 hertz but playing games like Wolfenstein and World of Warcraft on it are jaw-dropping amazing.

I've been building my own custom gaming PCs since 1994 and can say out of all the upgrades I've ever done over the years that Philips 4k monitor is hands-down the biggest wow factor, the biggest enjoyment I've ever gotten out of any upgrade
 
Zorachus said:
I say get this monitor;

https://www.pcgamer.com/philips-bdm4065uc-monitor-review/

I've had this for 2 years now and it's fantastic gaming on it is unbelievable and web viewing and doing work on it you can have four 1080p screens open at same time. It's also an old VA panel when means the input lag is terrible.

Yeah it's only 60 hertz but playing games like Wolfenstein and World of Warcraft on it are jaw-dropping amazing.

I've been building my own custom gaming PCs since 1994 and can say out of all the upgrades I've ever done over the years that Philips 4k monitor is hands-down the biggest wow factor, the biggest enjoyment I've ever gotten out of any upgrade
Click to expand...

Yours is 4k@60Hz just like the rest of them. Same problem as I already discussed earlier in the thread.

No, if you WANT THE BETTER CONTRAST of VA, this is the best gaming 1440p@144z VA monitor, if you can deal with the larger size.

https://www.amazon.com/LG-32GK850G-B-Gaming-Monitor-Refresh/dp/B078TTXLW5

The [H] thread on this display, which has universal praise:

https://hardforum.com/threads/31-5-2560x1440-165-hz-va-g-sync-lg-32gk850g.1947751/page-7
 
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
Get a 1440p 144Hz IPS or VA monitor in the 24-27" range (or bigger, if you want and budget permits).

PSU - Seasonic Gold or Platinum, around 850W would be plenty, Prime Ultra or Focus Plus.

RAM - Strongly consider going with Crucial/Micron Ballistix Elite DDR4-3200 single rank
...they also offer single rank in DDR4-3466, but you'll have to add 2-4 of them since they are only sold as single modules.

Chassis - I'm partial to Corsair, so 450D with the window.
...deck it out with Arctic Cooling 120mm and 140mm PWM PST fans.

Grab your Win10 Pro and Office 2016 Pro Plus licenses from the FS/FT subforum on the cheap (if you need them).
 
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
Honestly Ive got a Samsung 28inch 4k HDMI 2.0 60hz with Freesync (using Nvidia GPU though so no Adaptive sync used) and I have no issues with it. I went from a 144hz monitor to this bad boy and I honestly prefer the resolution over the hz. I know some ppl can be sensitive to that stuff but that my opinion man.
 
IMO - Besides my fast ssd/nvme I also have a big fat HD for Steam games that dont need the load speed.

Of course I dont know what you plan to play which could affect the feedback.

For MMOs I find my NVME drive does better then a m.2 sata 3 for level loads, texture loads etc.
 
I use a 55" 4k Sony tv for 4k gaming. If the main thing you do is twitchy FPS you'll want to stick with 1440p. 4k civ 6 though oh dear lord on a good tv... dark souls 3 and other games that work great at 60hz just get the best tv you can afford. I write code all day on my TV even.

Before I had to deal with Powercolors terrible RMA I was enjoying the Vega 64. I have a 1070 ti right now and its just not enough for a lot of 4k stuff.
 
Here's my latest specs ... shoot away:
  • CPU Intel Core i7-8700K
  • Motherboard GIGABYTE Z370 AORUS GAMING 7
  • Memory Corsair Dominator Platinum 32 GB
  • SSD Samsung 960 Evo 500GB 500 GB
  • Video Card GTX 1080 Ti
  • PSU Corsair RMx Series, RM850x 850
  • Case Cooler Master Cosmos C700P
 
Also ... what's a good 4K monitor that I can match up to my setup ...? Specifically, I'd love to get a 40-inch 4K monitor that can handle games like Battlefield.
 
If you're going that large, 4k TVs are also an option. There tends to be a smaller selection of monitors at that size, and most new TVs have good response times.

Do you absolutely need GSYNC, or will any monitor do? If tearing bothers you you should really go for GSYNC, but otherwise you'll be fine with any monitor.

This is the best 4k gaming monitor over 40", but people complain about not seeing the side pixels from the front. Not quite sure what that's about.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824011128

OR you can shop around for 4k TVs in that same size range. Look at reviews on rtings.com, and check for inexpensive sets with low input lag.

This is probably the cheapest 4k TV that makes a respectable monitor. Just don't view it off-angle.

https://www.amazon.com/TCL-43S405-43-Inch-Ultra-Smart/dp/B01N29XPO3

It's rtings review:

https://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/tcl/s-series-4k-2017-s405

EDIT: if you're willing to go up to 55" (and around $1000), sky is the limit (as far as image quality goes). That's where most quality 4k TVs start.
 
Last edited:
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
mkrohn said:
I bought mine for around $800 about a year ago and the current crop is quite a bit better for monitor purposes.


This model is pretty great on the bottom end; https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071FFFRXM?tag=rtings-tv-bm11b-20&ie=UTF8 https://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/sony/x720e

I'm holding out for OLED for my next one.
Click to expand...


I have read a lot of great things about this monitor. Imagine playing those great RTS games you love on this high res of a big monitor Vil, you could see the entire game world map, and still have a full size mini map open :)
 
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
But what’s better for FPS games like Battlefield ...? 4K or a non-4K ...?
 
vilhiem said:
But what’s better for FPS games like Battlefield ...? 4K or a non-4K ...?
Click to expand...

I play Battlefield 4 on my 4k monitor, and with that high resolution the game looks super sharp, extremely crisp and clear, and less need for cranking up AA. Yeah running at 3820 X 2160 res is more taxing on the system, but the rig your putting together can easily handle it.

4k vs non 4k is like the difference between nice HDTVs compared to old tube TVs. I always take the higher resolution fir the sharper image any day of the week.
 
Zorachus said:
I have read a lot of great things about this monitor. Imagine playing those great RTS games you love on this high res of a big monitor Vil, you could see the entire game world map, and still have a full size mini map open :)
Click to expand...
I have the XBR-55X700D https://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/sony/x700d the 720e is mostly the same model only a year newer and better. If you're looking for using as a monitor a year or so ago when I was checking Sony across the line had certain anti flicker features that I needed. I've used this tv as my daily coding screen since Jan 2017. I have zero regrets. If you can afford it OLED would be worth it but a year ago I didn't have the extra money to justify it so this screen was a lower cost way to make sure I would like using a 55" tv as a monitor. Most people will tell you to go with a smaller screen for DPI reasons. I'm 35 and hate to squint or wear reading glasses so I went a few inches larger than some would say I should have gone.

the 4k vs NOT debate in this thread comes down to this; can you tell the difference between 60fps and 120fps? If you don't know... go 4k. Or if you're like me and can tell the difference but seeing more is worth more then go 4k. Short of competitive gameplay I'd take the 4k everyday.
 
I thought you were researching 40" or higher monitors? At that size, you would notice the lack of pixels, which is why most monitors that size are 4k.

If you want to do 32" or smaller, then you won't notice the difference between 1440p and 4k.
 
vilhiem said:
But what’s better for FPS games like Battlefield ...? 4K or a non-4K ...?
Click to expand...

Hey there. I have the same set up, 1080Ti, 8700K, etc. I also have a 42" 4K monitor, one of the Korean ones with LG panel. Yes, the monitor runs at 60Hz, but Battlefield 1 and Battlefront II are glorious. I run in ultra and get anywhere from 80 to 120 FPS, depending on the map and location in map, but typically my FPS is around 80FPS. I used to have a 144Hz monitor, but honestly I couldn't tell the difference between it and a 60Hz. I do know that for FPS, a 42" 4K monitor is great. It's not as huge as you may think because it's not a TV, it's a monitor. I paid around $550.00 for it a couple of years ago. There are many forums where you can find the latest ones.

That's just my preference though, I like the large, high definition screen vs. Hz and with the 1080Ti you'll get enough FPS since that card is made for 4K with all it's ram. It's why I bought the card, for 4K, so don't miss out.
 
vilhiem said:
How does a high-resolution NON 4K monitor compare to a true 4K one ...?
Click to expand...
I don't know what you mean by high resolution non 4K compared to 4K. Resolution is resolution. Starting at 1080p, the next higher resolution is 1440p and then from there you go to 4K, 8K. Honestly, I don't understand the smaller 4K screens...4K is meant for large screens. If you decide to go with a 4K screen, get a 4K monitor as the bezels are slim and it's made for a desktop vs. a 4K TV and they are pretty inexpensive.

I didn't notice what cooling you'll be deploying for CPU? Also, if you want a good high clock rate 1080Ti, go with https://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-GV-N108TAORUSX-WB-11GD-GeForce-Waterforce/dp/B073D584Z1?th=1
I bought mine at launch for $830, but I think they are nearly $1300 now. It has one of the highest clock rates and stays very cool.

Also, regarding PSU, you can't go wrong with Seasonic. This is what I recommend. https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151188
 
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
I had the same hardware in my rig back in January 2018 of this year but with an EVGA GTX 1070 Ti and no way to run 4k SMOOTHLY nor with one GTX 1080 Ti unless you crank down the eye candy and then, why throw away your hard earned cash on tech you can't enjoy? As said by someone earlier, 4K @ 60 Hz, do you really need it?

For the video card buy EVGA. They have free 24/7 phone tech support (average wait time for me to get a tech is 4 minutes), they have warranty support second to none ... you've been duly informed {8^O
 
_l_ said:
I had the same hardware in my rig back in January 2018 of this year but with an EVGA GTX 1070 Ti and no way to run 4k SMOOTHLY nor with one GTX 1080 Ti unless you crank down the eye candy and then, why throw away your hard earned cash on tech you can't enjoy? As said by someone earlier, 4K @ 60 Hz, do you really need it?

For the video card buy EVGA. They have free 24/7 phone tech support (average wait time for me to get a tech is 4 minutes), they have warranty support second to none ... you've been duly informed {8^O
Click to expand...

I only have the GTX-1070 and the Philips 40" 4k monitor, abd the gsnes I play run smooth enough for me.

- World of Warcraft at Ultra max 4k settings
- Battlefield 4 at 4k settings
- Wolfenstein at 4k
- Skyrim at 4k settings
- Overwatch at 4k settings

I know thosee above games aren't super demanding, but they are all very playable for me running at 4k
 
I'm on a 1070 and all my games are at a locked 60 at 4k except for:

Far Cry 5 - 45fps
Star Ciziten - whatever the server runs at
Kingdom Come - 35 fps

4k60 is ok, but with 4k144hz out soon, I wouldn't splurge on a 4k60 display. I got my Acer 27" 4k60 Gsync for $350 at Best Buy online because it was refurbished. Looks brand new and came with a 1 year warranty.

For any serious FPS player, 4k looks amazing, but the 60hz kills it for competitive play.

That is why I keep a 144hz monitor for those FPS games.

We are also seeing displayport 1080p144hz monitors dropping below $150 (poor image quality most likely).

The game I play most on my 4k monitor is Elite Dangerous and Destiny 2. Both can get over 80-120fps at 4k on my crappy GPU.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top