Gaming @ 4K

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maverick786us

2[H]4U
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Aug 24, 2006
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Can someone recommend me a good setup in which I can play game like Crysis 3 at 4K resolution with settings Maximum. I will prefer a 4K display that has 30 inch screen size. Besides gaming, I will be using that rig for other works too, but primarily for gaming
 
Armenius said:
Do you already have a monitor, or do you need to buy one with that budget?
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No I am going to make everything from scratch. Its been more than a decade that I am out of touch from gaming rigs. So I am completely unaware of the pricing.

I believe 1500-2500 isn't even closer.

I don't want something top notch. I can extend my budget way beyond 4000 if needed I believe any GPU less than 4090 won't play that game smoothly. But can I get recommendation on CPU that isn't much expensive but has good Overcloking potential so that it doesn't create a CPU / GPU bottleneck while playing with 4090. I also need recommendation rest of the components RAM, SSD, GPU, Case, Thermal Cooling and so on.
 
maverick786us said:
No I am going to make everything from scratch. Its been more than a decade that I am out of touch from gaming rigs. So I am completely unaware of the pricing.

I believe 1500-2500 isn't even closer.

I don't want something top notch. I can extend my budget way beyond 4000 if needed I believe any GPU less than 4090 won't play that game smoothly. But can I get recommendation on CPU that isn't much expensive but has good Overcloking potential so that it doesn't create a CPU / GPU bottleneck while playing with 4090. I also need recommendation rest of the components RAM, SSD, GPU, Case, Thermal Cooling and so on.
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If you want raster performance close or equal to the 4090 then a 7900 XTX is enough for that. The ray tracing is just about half the 4090 in most titles, but it can vary a lot depending on the effects used. This is what I came up with. It doesn't include incidentals like keyboard, mouse, headphones/speakers, or UPS/surge protector. If you really want a 4090 then I still think this is a good base to work from.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 7600 3.8 GHz 6-Core Processor ($226.99 @ Amazon)
Thermal Compound: ARCTIC MX-6 4 g Thermal Paste ($7.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI B650 GAMING PLUS WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws S5 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Black SN850X 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: XFX Speedster MERC 310 Black Edition Radeon RX 7900 XTX 24 GB Video Card ($979.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Phanteks Eclipse P400A ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic FOCUS Plus 750 Gold 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($139.99 @ B&H)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 11 Home Retail - USB 64-bit ($138.98 @ Newegg)
Case Fan: Phanteks M25-120 PWM 84.26 CFM 120 mm Fan ($14.60 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Phanteks M25-120 PWM 84.26 CFM 120 mm Fan ($14.60 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Phanteks M25-120 PWM 84.26 CFM 120 mm Fan ($14.60 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Phanteks M25-120 PWM 84.26 CFM 120 mm Fan ($14.60 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Gigabyte ‎M28U 28.0" 3840 x 2160 144 Hz Monitor ($529.99 @ Best Buy)
Total: $2502.29
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-08-01 10:16 EDT-0400

You could maybe save some money by going with a 5800X for the CPU since motherboards and DDR4 are generally cheaper. The 5800X has two more cores and more overclocking headroom than the R5 7600, but you'll only end up matching the 7600 in performance at 4K resolution. The R5 7600 comes with the Wraith cooler, so if you want something better you'll need to spend money on that, too. For air cooling the Noctua U12A is a solid choice while not being as large as the DH15. For AIO cooling, really anything Corsair is good. They all mostly use Asetek pumps, anyway.

For 4K and Windows 11 I would recommend no less than 32GB, which is what I picked above. DDR5-6000 is optimal for Zen 4, and again, you're not really going to save money looking around. The G.SKILL kit has the best timings out of the box for a retail kit without the flashy RGB.

For storage, again you really are not going to be saving money looking around at SATA SSD or other NVME SSD. The SN850X is one of the best on the market right now with the best price-to-performance ratio. I would recommend against substituting an HDD for the SSD due to asset streaming requirements of today's games, especially at 4K resolution.

The system together is only going to be using around 500W. 750W was chosen for headroom, and Seasonic for one of the best OEMs on the market. The power supply chosen is fully modular for flexibility. The 7900 XTX uses Gen 3 PCI-E cables, so no need for 12VHPWR. Power supply is one of the areas I wouldn't skimp on by trying to shave off dollars.

Choice of case is a personal thing, but I personally like Phanteks. Corsair cases are also nice to work in. Whatever you go with midtowers are generally around the same price. The P400A only comes with 2 fans, so I added 4 more 120mm fans to fill up the available slots. These are 85cfm PWM fans, so they're some of the best. The only downside is they don't have the daisy chaining ability that Phanteks' other fans do. If you go AIO cooling then adjust the extra fans as needed.

I added Windows 11 Home USB since OEM copies are not much less expensive and require a DVD drive. You can probably save money by looking for a key reseller. The person I purchased a Windows 10 Pro key from for cheap was unfortunately banned from here for faulty advertising (actual cost was a little higher than the top post in his FS thread).

The Gigabyte M28U was chosen as one of the best mid-range 4K monitors on the market. It only has basic HDR support (8 edge lit zones, HDR 400 certification), but you're really not going to get any better without spending more money. If you can afford $300 more, then the INNOCN 27M2V is recommended for full HDR 1000 FALD: https://www.amazon.com/INNOCN-Monitor-Computer-Connectivity-Adjustable/dp/B0BCK1Z5FD

Of course, going used when able to will save money compared to the retail list above. If you have a Micro Center nearby then they're also generally cheaper than shopping online for new retail parts.
 
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Boy. Sounds so crazy to say this as I haven't looked in a couple years, but "4000" series cards have come down a bit, eh? I thought for sure the GPU itself would eat up his entire budget.
 
Westwood said:
Boy. Sounds so crazy to say this as I haven't looked in a couple years, but "4000" series cards have come down a bit, eh? I thought for sure the GPU itself would eat up his entire budget.
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Not really. They have always been close to NVIDIA's MSRP. There have been the occasional deals on the 4080 for around $1k, but nothing impressive.
 
maverick786us said:
I don't want something top notch.
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I would reconsider wanting to play at native 4k with maximum setting new AAA title for the shooter genre (if you want 120 fps or so)

maverick786us said:
I can extend my budget way beyond 4000 if needed I believe any GPU less than 4090 won't play that game smoothly.
Click to expand...
Seem like you do want something top notch ;)

maverick786us said:
But can I get recommendation on CPU that isn't much expensive
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The best gaming CPU is not that expensive relative to GPU, a 7800x3d is around $430 right now and can be cooled with your average cooling solution, does not require anything special motherboard-psu-ram speed wise and DDR5-6000 for it are now down to high but regular high ram price
 
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