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How is this gaming PC build?

Quiz

Quiz

[H]ard|Gawd
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Aug 25, 2010
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https://pcpartpicker.com/list/8XFB2x

Few notes:

  • I went with an AMD GPU instead of an NVIDIA GPU because this gaming build will be hooked up to my Sony X95K TV + sound system in the living room. Currently, Sony TVs have an HDMI issue with NVIDIA GPUs where random black outs occur. There is a whole thread on AVS Forum regarding this. AMD GPUs don't have this issue otherwise I would have gotten an RTX 5080: https://www.avsforum.com/threads/hd...60397/page-149?post_id=64302556#post-64302556
  • I went with a Corsair AIO cooler instead of an Arctic Freezer III 240 AIO cooler because I selected the Corsair 3000D AIRFLOW case which is on the physically smaller side. I've read the Arctic Freezer coolers have a thicker radiator so I don't want to risk it not fitting in this case.
Other than that, would appreciate any feedback on the proposed build. Is the power supply okay? What about the Samsung 9100 Pro? Is it worth it over the 990 Pro? Is 64 GB RAM worth it for a gaming build? How is the motherboard?
 
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I don't see any glaring issues. Maybe check Hardware Unboxed/Techspot to see if they review that mainboard. The PSU is probably fine, but I can't say for certain. Again, check reviews and maybe see if you can figure out the OEM.

Only change I'd definitely recommend is getting a 280 mm radiator instead of the 240 (or maybe a 360 if doing front-mount). A 240 can effectively cool a 9800X3D, but the others will do it better (i.e., less likely to throttle, possibly better boost clocks), the case has the room, more/larger fans should be a bit quieter overall, and the additional cost should be minimal.

For gaming purposes, 32 GB is fine for all but the most demanding titles (and RAM is stupid-expensive right now). A PCIe 5 SSD is unlikely to provide any real-world benefit (but the 9100 Pro is only ~$40 more and the mainboard supports PCIe 5, so... maybe?).
 
BlueLineSwinger said:
Only change I'd definitely recommend is getting a 280 mm radiator instead of the 240 (or maybe a 360 if doing front-mount). A 240 can effectively cool a 9800X3D, but the others will do it better (i.e., less likely to throttle, possibly better boost clocks), the case has the room, more/larger fans should be a bit quieter overall, and the additional cost should be minimal.
Click to expand...
Corsair's site only lists 240mm (well, and 120mm) as supported for a top mount. I wouldn't front mount the AIO, not with a 9800X3D. It's only a 120W chip. A 240mm will do fine. A decent air cooler will do ok on these too. I wouldn't think the thicker Arctic cooler would be any trouble. It looks like the 120mm mounts are off-center as usual, so 120mm fans or a 240mm rad will be shifted towards the window side of the case away from the mainboard. A 280mm would likely crash into the mainboard.

The PSU is good. The Corsair RM-x series is excellent quality and 850W is plenty for anything short of a 5090. That's also an ATX 3.1 PSU with a 12V-2x6 connector in addition to 3 6+2 pin plugs, so it'll be good for future upgrades regardless of which plug they use.
 
it is a very fancy motherboard, if you want to save money that one place you could take time to see if a lower entry cover all your need (if you want one x16 for the gpu and one 4.0 for a fast nvme, cheaper option would do
 
LukeTbk said:
it is a very fancy motherboard, if you want to save money that one place you could take time to see if a lower entry cover all your need (if you want one x16 for the gpu and one 4.0 for a fast nvme, cheaper option would do
Click to expand...
I wouldn't call a $270 board very fancy, mostly just because there are plenty of $500+ boards out there.

I guess I'm not a real big fan of that board. It only has 2 M.2 slots that are usable without gimping the vid card slot to 8x. A typical B860 or B650 board will do that. Looking at the specs, I don't see anything sharing lanes with the USB4. It's also got 2 4x slots (1 PCI-e 4.0 & 1 3.0) that don't look to share lanes either. I'm guessing most people would rather have more M.2s that don't gimp the vid card. Some boards have the USB4 share lanes, which is handy if you don't have any use for it but want more storage. There are also boards that share lanes between a 4x slot and an M.2, which again is handy if you want more storage. Or maybe 2x M.2 is all you think you'll ever need and it's fine.
 
$270 board is a cheap one nowadays lol. Last 2 MB i brought have been $450 each.
 
that would be more on the cheaper side:
https://www.newegg.com/asus-b650e-m...50-am5/p/N82E16813119736?item=N82E16813119736
Wi-Fi 6E, PCIe 5.0 x16 slot, PCIe 5.0 M.2 slot, Realtek 2.5Gb Ethernet, rear USB 10Gbps Type-A & Type-C ports, and front USB 5Gbps Type-C support

It happen but it is not common to have any need for more than something like that with wifi 6-e and 3 nvme slot (and it is not like there some overclocking there and what not), this is already overkill for most, this is for what look like a simple gaming console type of use case, not some workstation here.
 
vegeta535 said:
$270 board is a cheap one nowadays lol. Last 2 MB i brought have been $450 each.
Click to expand...
IMHO cheap is still <$150, but yeah you can spend way more than $270.

$270 is around where I seem to land these days. I want the AMD "X" or Intel "Z" board for more PCI-e lanes, but that's about it.
 
zandor said:
Corsair's site only lists 240mm (well, and 120mm) as supported for a top mount.
Click to expand...

Incorrect:
A spacious interior fits up to 8x 120mm or 4x 140mm cooling fans, along with multiple radiators including up to a 360mm in front and 280mm in the roof.
Click to expand...
https://www.corsair.com/ww/en/p/pc-...-tempered-glass-mid-tower-black-cc-9011251-ww

If you're looking at the picture-thing that page uses to illustrate the radiator positions/support, click on the 140 mm fan first.


zandor said:
I wouldn't front mount the AIO, not with a 9800X3D.
Click to expand...

Eh, front-mount is fine, though yeah it can potentially be less optimal. It might heat the GPU a tad more and leave less room for it, but I don't see that as a big issue with the desired CPU/GPU combo. Balance that against allowing for a larger rad vs. top-mount. If the build was a hotter CPU (e.g., Intel 13th/14th-gen) and/or a larger/hotter GPU, I'd be more wary of front-mount.


zandor said:
A 240mm will do fine. A decent air cooler will do ok on these too.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I said basically the same about the smaller rad. And a good air cooler will also work. My main point is that given the case supports a larger rad, go with that for potentially better performance and acoustics.
 
BlueLineSwinger said:
Incorrect:

https://www.corsair.com/ww/en/p/pc-...-tempered-glass-mid-tower-black-cc-9011251-ww

If you're looking at the picture-thing that page uses to illustrate the radiator positions/support, click on the 140 mm fan first.
Click to expand...
No. They list 140mm fans as supported for top mount, but not 280mm AIOs. In other words there's probably enough space above the mainboard for 140mm fans but not a 280mm AIO. 2x140mm fan support does not imply 280mm AIO support. A 280mm AIO will probably conflict with the VRM heatsinks and the I/O section on the back of the board while 140mm fans will fit in the space above the mainboard.
 
zandor said:
No. They list 140mm fans as supported for top mount, but not 280mm AIOs. In other words there's probably enough space above the mainboard for 140mm fans but not a 280mm AIO. 2x140mm fan support does not imply 280mm AIO support. A 280mm AIO will probably conflict with the VRM heatsinks and the I/O section on the back of the board while 140mm fans will fit in the space above the mainboard.
Click to expand...

JFC dude, I quoted directly from the page for that case and provided a link to same. But here it is in picture form for you:

1763179447198.png
 
Thanks for the replies.

I will only have one GPU and one NVMe drive. I will also, probably, not be overclocking the CPU. Still worth getting a higher-end motherboard?

Also, see the following post on where someone tried to install an Arctic Liquid Freezer III 240 in a 3000D and had an issue where the fans were touching the pump because the radiator is thicker than usual: https://www.reddit.com/r/Corsair/comments/1igm5y3/arctic_liquid_freezer_iii_corsair_3000d/
 
Also, if I should get a 280 mm AIO cooler instead of a 240 mm, I could get a Corsair H115i which is compatible with the 3000D as per Corsair's website. Rather not risk it with the Arctic Liquid Freezer III 280 and its thicker radiator.
 
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Updated specs: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/yxjc2x

I opted for the RM1000x instead of the RM850x because with the Corsair H115i I needed an additional PCIe connector (3 for the GPU + 1 for the cooler). RM1000x has 4 PCIe connectors while the RM850x only has 3. This is per the alert/notification on PCPartPicker.

Also, I changed the GPU to the one selected in the above specs after viewing the following test/review:


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bvT5XvG65Y
 
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Quiz said:
I opted for the RM1000x instead of the RM850x because with the Corsair H115i I needed an additional PCIe connector (3 for the GPU + 1 for the cooler). RM1000x has 4 PCIe connectors while the RM850x only has 3. This is per the alert/notification on PCPartPicker.
Click to expand...

It looks like PCPartPicker got that wrong. The H115i's manual states that it uses a SATA power connector, not PCIe:
https://assets.corsair.com/image/up...CUE_H100i_H115i_H150i_ELITE_SERIES_QSG_AA.pdf

Their install overview video also states SATA power:


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9swpPo-ey0w
 
Thanks.

Is it worth overclocking the 9800X3D? Is the stock boost 5.2 GHz? Isn't that "plenty"?

Also, what about the rumored 9850X3D? Is that due soon? And is the difference only boost clocks?
 
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Final specs: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/Kzgtjn

I upgraded the motherboard and kept the RM1000x power supply (over the RM850x) just in case I end up upgrading the GPU down the line. Also upgraded from 32 GB RAM to 64 GB.
 
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BlueLineSwinger said:
JFC dude, I quoted directly from the page for that case and provided a link to same. But here it is in picture form for you:

View attachment 766980
Click to expand...
No, you're right. I just missed the 140mm button on the interactive part. Their specs pages suck though. If you look at the specs in text at the bottom they don't even list top mount AIOs as compatible.
 
Most parts have been delivered but I am still waiting for a few others.

Quick question:

When I install Windows 11, should I also install the latest motherboard drivers from the Gigabyte website or just let Windows 11 install whatever drivers it thinks are necessary?
 
Quiz said:
Most parts have been delivered but I am still waiting for a few others.

Quick question:

When I install Windows 11, should I also install the latest motherboard drivers from the Gigabyte website or just let Windows 11 install whatever drivers it thinks are necessary?
Click to expand...

FWIW, personally I'll download/install straight driver packages from the manufacturer's site if available, but not any of the branded apps/utilities.
 
BlueLineSwinger said:
FWIW, personally I'll download/install straight driver packages from the manufacturer's site if available, but not any of the branded apps/utilities.
Click to expand...
Thanks.

What if I need to control the RGB of my fans with the fans connected to the motherboard and not some Corsair RGB/fan controller? Should I install the motherboard's RGB control software or is there a better alternative?

Also, the RAM and cooler were delivered yesterday. Only part remaining is the PSU which, hopefully, should be delivered during this coming week.

Edit: Any recommendations for where to buy a cheap Windows 11 Pro key?
 
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Get the AMD chipset drivers directly from the AMD website. They are the latest and most motherboard manufacturers don't always keep their drivers up to date on the download page.
I personally heave never used Gigabytes motherboard RGB software, but I haven't had any problems using the ASUS RGB software for fan control and RGB control. Also, not sure if Corsair has a Gigabyte plug-in built into i-Cue but I use that to sync the motherboard RGB with my corsair fans.
Hope that helps a bit.
 
Thanks.

What about the AMD Adrenalin software for the GPU? Is it worth installing and using to update the GPU drivers or should I keep it uninstalled and manually update GPU drivers as they come? Sorry, but this is my first AMD GPU in like 20 years.
 
I have only used nVidia GPU's personally but I put a RX6600 in my youngest son's PC years ago and just updated it manually rather than using the Adrenaline updater.
My oldest son is using a 9070xt and he does the same and we have not had a single issue downloading newer versions of Adrenaline directly from AMD.
 
I love what you picked out BUT I would get the cheapest memory you can find 32GB and wait for the insane prices on memory to get back to earth.

Or

CORSAIR 4000D RS ARGB $89.99​

 
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mullet said:
I love what you picked out BUT I would get the cheapest memory you can find 32GB and wait for the insane prices on memory to get back to earth.

Or

CORSAIR 4000D RS ARGB $89.99​

Click to expand...
I bought my RAM just a few days before it almost doubled in price. I got 64 GB Corsair DDR5-6000 CL28 for $500. Today, it is around $800-$1,000.
 
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Quiz said:
Thanks.

What about the AMD Adrenalin software for the GPU? Is it worth installing and using to update the GPU drivers or should I keep it uninstalled and manually update GPU drivers as they come? Sorry, but this is my first AMD GPU in like 20 years.
Click to expand...
I would install the software, as it also now will keep your chipset drivers up to date. It makes things much easier than contantly having to check for updates from AMD directly.
 
Thanks.

Is there any difference between installing chipset drivers from Gigabyte vs. directly from AMD? According to ChatGPT, the ones from Gigabyte may have tweaks for the specific motherboard.
 
Quiz said:
Thanks.

Is there any difference between installing chipset drivers from Gigabyte vs. directly from AMD? According to ChatGPT, the ones from Gigabyte may have tweaks for the specific motherboard.
Click to expand...
No, I wouldnt worry about it. I used MSI ones for a while, but they were slow to update new ones, esp ones with security fixes, so I just started using the ones directly from AMD.
 
I returned the 2 TB 9100 Pro and got the 4 TB model.
 
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Started the build today even though I am still waiting for the SSD.

The H115i didn't fit at the top of the case as the motherboard's I/O area got in the way of the fans. I didn't want to install it in the front of the case. I did a return of the H115i and got the H100i. Should be delivered tomorrow.

Also, the cooler does use PCIe power. The manual linked in the earlier posts are of an older model as it keeps mentioning AM4 instead of AM5.
 
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Received the H100i RGB and returned the H115i RGB. Still waiting for the SSD but I booted it up just to see if everything was okay. It POSTed and was able to enter the BIOS. Should be receiving the SSD in a few days.
 
SSD delivered along with new keyboard and mouse. Just have to install Windows now.
 
Installed the SSD yesterday and also finally installed Windows 11 Pro. Everything went smoothly. Did a quick test with Apex Legends and it ran great (running at max settings at 4K it was pegged at a capped 144 fps).
 
In my opinion, this is a perfectly adequate gaming rig. The components are chosen logically, without any obvious budget constraints.
 
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If you can triple box Crysis warhead on 2560 by 1600 at 60 + FPS. then its perfectly fine!! Should be ok for 5-15 years.

but in all seriousness now. It looks epoch for whatever you going to do with it!! Nice Job!
 
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