Specs for a tentative 2021 Gaming PC Build
Posted: Sun Nov 29, 2020 4:05 pm
Thought I'd share my thoughts about what parts I'd use to build a new gaming PC, if I was actually going to.
My current gaming rig is running a Core a i7 7700k, which is 7th gen and nearly 4 years old. It's still plenty of horsepower for gaming. I'm feeling the itch to build something new - although I suspect that itch would be satisfied if the damn RTX 3080s ever started becoming available to normal people.
So at this point, this is a mental exercise, but I may go ahead and build this sometime next year if I get enough of an itch.
I always like to do a LOT of research before parting out a system, so I've spent a while thinking about this, which is a fun exercise on it's own.
It may surprise you that I'm leaning towards Intel, but that's because:
a) I'm comfortable and familiar with mounting Intel CPUs - no pins to bend like AMD.
b) Games are generally optimized for Intel. Sorry, it's true.
c) Ryzen 5000 CPUs are pretty much made of the same Unobtainuium as RTX 3080s, right now. The only people claiming to have them in stock are sketchy 3rd party sellers on Amazon. If Newegg doesn't have them, I don't believe these clowns actually have them either.
d) And yeah, while I think Ryzen 5000 kicks Intel's ass, that's mainly for CPU intensive work like video transcoding. If I was going to build a new workstation, I would definitely go Ryzen 5000.
ANYWAY, here's the list so far, less video card, since if I built this tomorrow I'd put my GTX 1080 in there, and if I somehow could find an RTX 3080 in the next few months, I probably wouldn't bother with this build anyway, as that would probably satisfy the itch for a while
CPU:
Intel Core i7 10700F 2.90GHz (4.80GHz Turbo), 8-Core 16-Thread $330
https://www.amazon.com/Intel-i7-10700F- ... B086MN2XYL
CPU Cooler:
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo CPU Tower Cooler $25 (Note, replace fan with Noctua 120mm PWM). I installed this monster on my workstation last year, and I think it's one of the best tower coolers for the money.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005O65JXI
MOBO:
ASUS ROG STRIX Z490-E Gaming ATX Motherboard, WiFI 6 $275 (Yeah, high end. I don't like skimping on the mobo. You get what you pay for).
https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-ROG-Strix-G ... B086QSH67R
RAM:
G.Skill TridentZ RGB 16 DDR4 3200MHz $84 (Yes, I know, I usually don't recommend "performance" RAM, and I usually recommend stock Crucial RAM instead, just for compatibility and stability because I've had a lot of issues with performance RAM in the past. But mobos are improving, and the bottom line is that is this RAM is not overpriced, has aggressive timing, and it is fully compatible with this mobo (and most modern ones), as long as you update the BIOS, and then enable XMP in BIOS (which automatically optimizes the RAM timing). There's several documented builds online recommending this RAM and mobo combo.
https://www.amazon.com/G-SKILL-TridentZ ... B06WP4L3D7
BOOT SSD:
1TB Intel 665P M.2 NVMe SSD $139. (I usually go with 256GB or 500GB for the boot drive since all I put on it is Windows, and use separate SATA SSDs for my games, which I will be migrating from the old PC, but the price is not bad, and performance is better on larger SSDs vs smaller ones of the same make, and this leaves room for a few games that might especially benefit from the extremely fast load times on this drive).
https://www.amazon.com/Intel-Internal-S ... B07HH5G7HB
or
1TB Samsung 970 EVO Plus M.2 NVMe $150
https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-970-EVO- ... B07MFZY2F2 (ever so slightly outperforms the Intel SSD, for an extra $11)
PSU:
EVGA 220-G5-0850-X1 Super Nova 850 G5, 80 Plus Gold 850W, Fully Modular $169 (I already have one of these, as I bought it to upgrade my gaming PC when I manage to find an RTX 3080)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07WD ... UTF8&psc=1
CASE:
Corsair Carbide 200R ATX Case - Black $60. (Simple, functional, roomy, no windows or RGB lights - just the way I like it. I used this on my previous gaming PC. I do replace the stock case fans with the ultra-quiet Noctua NF-F12 fans listed below)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009GXZ8MM
FANS:
Noctua NF-F12 PWM Cooling Fan $20 each, Qty 3 (2 for case, 1 for CPU cooler)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00650P2ZC
TOTAL HARDWARE COST: $ 1,142 ($973 for me, since I already have the PSU).
This does not include the cost of Windows 10, of course.
I already own a spare retail license for Win10 Pro, and a spare retail license for Win7 Pro that I should still be able to upgrade to Win10 for free, so that's not an issue for me.
My current gaming rig is running a Core a i7 7700k, which is 7th gen and nearly 4 years old. It's still plenty of horsepower for gaming. I'm feeling the itch to build something new - although I suspect that itch would be satisfied if the damn RTX 3080s ever started becoming available to normal people.
So at this point, this is a mental exercise, but I may go ahead and build this sometime next year if I get enough of an itch.
I always like to do a LOT of research before parting out a system, so I've spent a while thinking about this, which is a fun exercise on it's own.
It may surprise you that I'm leaning towards Intel, but that's because:
a) I'm comfortable and familiar with mounting Intel CPUs - no pins to bend like AMD.
b) Games are generally optimized for Intel. Sorry, it's true.
c) Ryzen 5000 CPUs are pretty much made of the same Unobtainuium as RTX 3080s, right now. The only people claiming to have them in stock are sketchy 3rd party sellers on Amazon. If Newegg doesn't have them, I don't believe these clowns actually have them either.
d) And yeah, while I think Ryzen 5000 kicks Intel's ass, that's mainly for CPU intensive work like video transcoding. If I was going to build a new workstation, I would definitely go Ryzen 5000.
ANYWAY, here's the list so far, less video card, since if I built this tomorrow I'd put my GTX 1080 in there, and if I somehow could find an RTX 3080 in the next few months, I probably wouldn't bother with this build anyway, as that would probably satisfy the itch for a while
CPU:
Intel Core i7 10700F 2.90GHz (4.80GHz Turbo), 8-Core 16-Thread $330
https://www.amazon.com/Intel-i7-10700F- ... B086MN2XYL
CPU Cooler:
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo CPU Tower Cooler $25 (Note, replace fan with Noctua 120mm PWM). I installed this monster on my workstation last year, and I think it's one of the best tower coolers for the money.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005O65JXI
MOBO:
ASUS ROG STRIX Z490-E Gaming ATX Motherboard, WiFI 6 $275 (Yeah, high end. I don't like skimping on the mobo. You get what you pay for).
https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-ROG-Strix-G ... B086QSH67R
RAM:
G.Skill TridentZ RGB 16 DDR4 3200MHz $84 (Yes, I know, I usually don't recommend "performance" RAM, and I usually recommend stock Crucial RAM instead, just for compatibility and stability because I've had a lot of issues with performance RAM in the past. But mobos are improving, and the bottom line is that is this RAM is not overpriced, has aggressive timing, and it is fully compatible with this mobo (and most modern ones), as long as you update the BIOS, and then enable XMP in BIOS (which automatically optimizes the RAM timing). There's several documented builds online recommending this RAM and mobo combo.
https://www.amazon.com/G-SKILL-TridentZ ... B06WP4L3D7
BOOT SSD:
1TB Intel 665P M.2 NVMe SSD $139. (I usually go with 256GB or 500GB for the boot drive since all I put on it is Windows, and use separate SATA SSDs for my games, which I will be migrating from the old PC, but the price is not bad, and performance is better on larger SSDs vs smaller ones of the same make, and this leaves room for a few games that might especially benefit from the extremely fast load times on this drive).
https://www.amazon.com/Intel-Internal-S ... B07HH5G7HB
or
1TB Samsung 970 EVO Plus M.2 NVMe $150
https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-970-EVO- ... B07MFZY2F2 (ever so slightly outperforms the Intel SSD, for an extra $11)
PSU:
EVGA 220-G5-0850-X1 Super Nova 850 G5, 80 Plus Gold 850W, Fully Modular $169 (I already have one of these, as I bought it to upgrade my gaming PC when I manage to find an RTX 3080)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07WD ... UTF8&psc=1
CASE:
Corsair Carbide 200R ATX Case - Black $60. (Simple, functional, roomy, no windows or RGB lights - just the way I like it. I used this on my previous gaming PC. I do replace the stock case fans with the ultra-quiet Noctua NF-F12 fans listed below)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009GXZ8MM
FANS:
Noctua NF-F12 PWM Cooling Fan $20 each, Qty 3 (2 for case, 1 for CPU cooler)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00650P2ZC
TOTAL HARDWARE COST: $ 1,142 ($973 for me, since I already have the PSU).
This does not include the cost of Windows 10, of course.
I already own a spare retail license for Win10 Pro, and a spare retail license for Win7 Pro that I should still be able to upgrade to Win10 for free, so that's not an issue for me.