Your Ideal PC Rig Specs / New Builds & Upgrades 2023

[Mr Latte]

General place to discuss PC Hardware components you are either thinking of buying or may have already bought. Feel free to share your own user experiences and help others to maybe make good buying decisions.

 

[Mr Latte]

Lots of interesting new games including sim titles coming this year and next.
I've had for a while the itch to upgrade but wanted to hold off to now.

I could not find any pre-builds that contained the components I wanted. So over the period of the last few weeks, I searched for the best prices. Got excellent deals on certain items that were either highly regarded in reviews or are newly released 2023 tech.

My own situation is replacing what is now approximately a 6-year-old system. So the upgrade I get will be quite extensive. I wanted high performance, but also important was future upgradeability and to still get from the build excellent value for money.

I will update this post to share the components I decided to go with in building my own new system and why I opted for certain hardware. Will be interesting to get people's views on what they would have done differently or to see what others currently own or seek to consider getting


A new case from Phanteks, did catch my eye, the smallest model from the new NV series.

I had considered the upcoming Lian Li Sup01 case shown at Computex but as I decided to include the newest Corsair iLink AIO/FANS. They would not really of featured that well in the Sup 01 case.

My rig will include "Phillips Hue" products as well and the Corsair software can sync with that. So this will offer plenty of ways to play around with the visual appearance or mood setting the PC and the rig build offers.

CPU - AMD 7800X3D
MOB - ASUS ROG CROSSHAIR X670E HERO
PSU - Be Quiet! Straight Power 12 1000 W80+ Plat Certified ATX Power Supply
RAM - CORSAIR DOMINATOR TITANIUM DDR5 RGB 6000 CAS30 2x16GB
SSD 1 - SAMSUNG 2TB 990 PRO PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD
SSD 2 - CORSAIR 2TB MP700 PCIe 5.0 (Gen 5) x4 NVMe M.2. SSD
GPU - SAPPHIRE NITRO RX 7900XTX
AIO - CORSAIR iCUE LINK H150i RGB Liquid CPU Cooler
AIO - CORSAIR iCUE ELITE CPU COOLER LCD Display
FANS - CORSAIR iCUE LINK QX120 RGB 120mm PWM Fans Starter Kit
CASE - PHANTEKS NV5 - Satin Black
CASE - NV5 - Premium LED Kit

General Component Thoughts:

CPU
From what I have seen, the AMD 7800X3D appears to be a very good-performing CPU for gaming. It also requires less power and generates less heat than other options. The price reductions on this have also recently made it a very appealing buy.

MOBO
The Crosshair X670W Hero is regarded as one of the best motherboards for this new AMD platform. Includes excellent features, nice looks, and a decent onboard audio solution. Not a cheap option but with this motherboard it will be upgradeable with AMD CPU released up to 2025 and is PCIe 5 for future GPU and high-speed SSD.

PSU
The one chosen is a new improved model shown at Computex 2023 which is meant to be practically silent and ready for future GPU. I considered 1000W to be enough.

RAM
The selected choice is highly recommended for this motherboard. I went for CAS 30 which is also EXPO certified. I'm not that interested in overclocking to gain 3-5 fps but I want high performance and stability.

SSD
Now things get a bit trickier.... I'm not 100% sure about the SSD, originally all I wanted was to use a tried/tested option in the 990 PRO and use this for WIN 11 as well as my games.

However, I decided having discovered what is still quite new and not fully being utilised yet is "Direct Storage" with GEN 5 drives. I also then decided, I wanted to separate all my game installs away from the system drive and avoid a problem with my past build.

I think this may be best for performance but also easier if I ever upgrade the drive in the future. From searching tech videos it appears the Corsair MP700 is currently one of the fastest drives for gaming.

Question:
Should I place the MP700 into the top slot which has the bigger heatsink on the motherboard but not certain if I should then place the system drive into the secondary GEN 5 slot (even though it is GEN4 drive) or place it into the 3rd slot which is GEN4 speed? I don't yet want to rely on having the OS installed on a GEN5 device. Although I am not quite certain what the best approach is or what others have done?


more to follow later....

GPU
AIO
FANS / LIGHTING
CASE

 

[EIF]

I'd be happy with what I have, (7600X, 32GB 6000Mhz, Nvme Gen4, if only I'd upgrade my aged GTX1060 ha Still does alright at 1080p as long as I avoid rainy weather in AMS2 and ACC.

I will probably get a 7800XT soon

 

[Mr Latte]

I'd be happy with what I have, (7600X, 32GB 6000Mhz, Nvme Gen4, if only I'd upgrade my aged GTX1060 ha Still does alright at 1080p as long as I avoid rainy weather in AMS2 and ACC.

I will probably get a 7800XT soon

I'm upgrading from an EVGA 1070 with standard SSD, so think the system in general and not just with gaming is going to feel so much better.

The 7800XT was on my radar too, as there is no way I see a GPU at @£1700-£2000 as a good value purchase. I got the 7900XTX for I think £999 with free Starfield that did seem worth the extra over the 7800XT and it will not perform that badly to the 4090 cards.

My thoughts are, that I can lower the resolution on my G9 if I want higher framerates or reduce some in-game settings as a compromise. RT in games is cool, but not enough titles yet making good enough use of it to excite me or seem warranted to spend @£700 more for a good 4090 card.

I intend to buy the 57" G9 monitor and with the 7800XT / 7900XTX supporting DP 2.1 it was also another reason to not go with Nvidia.

 

[Novopaine]

I went with an MSI x670e Carbon instead of the ASUS option. At the time of my build I was informed by the store manager that ASUS was experiencing a ton of motherboard RMAs. I reluctantly went with MSI variant. So far the experience has been pretty good.

The last time I used an MSI mobo was over 20 years ago, and it died within the first year of service. At the time, customer service was non-existent.

 

[drvrn]

Best fans are Noctua.

 

[Novopaine]

RAM
At the time of my build I went with the G.Skill 6000MT CL30 (EXPO) memory that was recommended. I can't seem to find it locally anymore.

SSD
Be careful with the 990 Pro. There was a huge firmware bug with this drive earlier this year that was causing Failing SSD Health. If you go with this drive, make sure that you update to the latest firmware immediately.

Regarding location, keep in mind that some SSDs might end up directly under your GPU. This could cause high SSD temps. If you have no other location option, install the coolest and least used drive in that location to keep the drive from getting too hot.

Honestly, you will be happy with any good SSD. It takes 4-5 seconds to go from the Main Menu to a track in ACC for me. I'm using an ADATA XPG GAMMIX S70 BLADE 2TB M.2 PCIe Gen4 NVMe as my Game drive.

 

[blekenbleu]

Antec DP502 PC for VR

• 5.25 drive bay: still using optical disks
• white interior: still hard to see inside, but much easier than black
• air cooled: migration motivated by troubleshooting overheating liquid cooled CPU
  • bundled exhaust fan absurdly puny; upgraded to Scythe Kaze Flex 120mm
  • 7 fans mounted using silicone isolators
• i5-13600K
  • seemingly fastest for sims I use regularly
  • performance analyses on replaced system showed no need for more cores
  • thermal throttling with default MSI Z790 settings; underVolting enabled OC
  • Intel XTU expedites CPU tuning; no joy with DDR5 OC attempts
• Galax SG RTX 4090: 4 fans (price has since risen)
• TEAMGROUP T-Create Expert 2 x 16 GB DDR5-6000 CL30
  • latency is reportedly less critical for DDR5, but CL30 die are supposedly better
  • TEAMGROUP heat spreaders reportedly better than e.g. some G.SKILL
• RTX 4090 blocks MSI Tomahawk second card slot
  • an issue for most Z790 MB
  • MSI MB documentation is not bad,
    but also neither consolidated nor well organized
• MSI MEG Ai1000P PCIE5 1000 W 80+ Platinum
  • telemetry via USB
  • nice cable to RTX 4090
  • main MB connector absurdly tight
• WD SN850X 2 TB M.2 NVMe, avoiding potential Samsung issues
• card slot USB sockets for MB connectors not used by the case.

 

[Mr Latte]

RAM
At the time of my build I went with the G.Skill 6000MT CL30 (EXPO) memory that was recommended. I can't seem to find it locally anymore.

SSD
Be careful with the 990 Pro. There was a huge firmware bug with this drive earlier this year that was causing Failing SSD Health. If you go with this drive, make sure that you update to the latest firmware immediately.

Regarding location, keep in mind that some SSDs might end up directly under your GPU. This could cause high SSD temps. If you have no other location option, install the coolest and least used drive in that location to keep the drive from getting too hot.

Honestly, you will be happy with any good SSD. It takes 4-5 seconds to go from the Main Menu to a track in ACC for me. I'm using an ADATA XPG GAMMIX S70 BLADE 2TB M.2 PCIe Gen4 NVMe as my Game drive.

Appreciate the help....

I do believe as someone else had pointed out that early batches of the Asus motherboard for the "Crosshair Hero" model I went with had issues. I've since, seen a lot of system builds, use this board and even see here as the chosen board for overclocking packages, so I can only assume it's something they dealt with since the board's original release in November 22.

I also had seen that report about the 990 Pro drive but will indeed seek to update both the motherboard and SSD to the latest firmware, thanks.

As for heat, I believe the combination of the 7800X3D CPU and combined with Sapphire Nitro 7900XTX will be more power-efficient and cooler than for example a popular alternative, such as an i9 13900K / 4090 GPU based system.



On top of that the new Corsair QX fans apparently improve over their previous models with increased airflow and with 8x fans going in the case, I don't think the temps will be that critical.

All but one of the M.2 drive slots have heatsinks, the top one has a much larger heatsink and is the one I would use for the gaming drive. I could then place the 990 Pro into the right or bottom right socket with or without an add-on heatsink.



I wanted one of the fastest drives for "gaming" in mind, even if it makes minor differences in actual games loading times.


Going to be interested to see if Forza Motorsport finally has Microsoft starting to make better usage with "Direct Storage" but it still seems early days with this rather new feature on the PC. Although things have improved from earlier this year with GEN 5 drives starting to make a difference.

 

[blekenbleu]

I could then place the 990 Pro into the right or bottom right socket with an additional heatsink?

NVMe nearest CPU has fastest access, at least on Intel motherboards.
Any of the new fast NVMe SSD need heat sinks if access gets heavy.
Good airflow over motherboard is wanted also for system and voltage regulation chips.

 

[Mr Latte]

NVMe nearest CPU has fastest access, at least on Intel motherboards.
Any of the new fast NVMe SSD need heat sinks if access gets heavy.
Good airflow over motherboard is wanted also for system and voltage regulation chips.

These guys did excellent coverage of multiple boards.

Website/Review

This quite recent review shows the board in detail.
I got the board for £550 which is still quite a lot but well reduced from the original price of £660. Really like its style though, also a reason I chose this one over others.

You can see how big the main heatsink sections are, as well as an additional PCIe M.2 card housing that I might use for the 990, not sure how it will look in the case with the GPU. It seems with newer drives they continue to get faster and run at lower temps.

 

[Mr Latte]

Update
Im off work for a few days, so the plan is to build the new PC and look forward to the release of the new Forza Motorsport this week. Will update the original post and finish off the hardware explaining my own purchase decisions.

Two changes from my original ideas, the NV5 case arrived and Ive ordered additional Corsair fans/cables this case will need. These are expensive no doubts, being new and it seems currently the most advanced we can buy for a PC.

My configuration of the fans/cooler/lcd/cables is costing just over £600 and I can see people saying that money towards a 4090 would have been wiser spent but its not DP 2.1 compatible that I wanted to partner with the Samsung Neo G9 57" monitor. Have opted to extend the styling of the PC which I hope, should provide its own satisfaction of the PC for sometime.

So Ive went with 2x sets of triple fan kits, with the triple AIO, the LCD for that and some additional cables, this will give me an extra controller and spare fan.

Also just ordered the newest "Titanium" version of Dominator RAM to replace the Vengence memory, which I only learned of from the Kit Guru video below (17:48).

Excellent coverage of both the newest RAM and iCUE link options below when compared to the previous solutions from Corsair. It appears to be less hassle but with good quality in the components as well as features they have and better software than other brands or alternatives

 

[Mr Latte]

Many of you will have noticed, a hot topic this week, is FSR3.
Also with that for support of FMF is in testing.

Going to be nice to see how FSR3 will help get better framerates for 4K/8K as well as high resolution ultrawide display configurations or monitors.

Early days but promising.....

 

[Durge Driven]

Had the best cases from Lian Li, Corsair and others.
My Phantek Enthoo Evolv X just destroys them all.
The 2 glass sides weigh more then the entire Corsair full tower. lol
To open either side you pull handle and they still hinged so they can't fall off like so many makes.
They have no thumb screws at rear either, you simply lift them off the pins.
I love the backside of with its extensive cabling, and covers for SSD's.
Fits 6 x SSD behind the 2 back covers alone.
These take 2 seconds to access and you can reach all leads, child's play.

 

[Mr Latte]

So is today a good day to build?

I shared these images over at GTP within the FM 2023 thread as it's one of the primary reasons my build is happening now.

Not my first build by any means but It's kind of daunting, starting to build it, just wondering if it will all work properly or if I faff up with something. After 6 years since building my last setup it's exciting too, now that it's all here. Speaking of which, the new Dominator Titanium RAM just arrived today.

 

[Mr Latte]

Got the PC built, went slow, quite enjoyed it but some moments of arrhhhhhh...

All appears to be working well but not yet tried any extensive gaming.
Did the bios/firmware updates for motherboard/ram and ran the utility tools for both .M2 drives.

Urmmmmmmm....
Some issues/oversight, even with buying one of the newest PSU thats ready for future GPU, but some of this on my part is not having built a PC in 6 years, so lots of changes to how things were then.

The Corsair iCue configuration I have uses a 6PIN from PSU for its controller. It appears with my GPU using 3x (6+2) connections and motherboard using a 6 PIN also with the 24PIN and err 2x more additional power cables at top of the motherboard. The PSU like many others is short 1x 6 PIN to connect everything.

The 6 Pin on the motherboard is not connected but I cant find out how essential it is? All the fans (8x) will be powered and not taking power from the board headers with its own power. So maybe its fine and I've ran benchmarks to stress the system and seems okay.

Corsair LCD
Seems the newest iCue Link AIO does not support the LCD upgrade. So I sent it back...

They have a new option in the works as the AIO has a USB C port which will more than likely be for a future screen.

Maybe something similar to the upcoming 5" high res screen that will be available for my NV5 case which operates as an HDMI device and can be mounted inside/outside the PC.

See (1440p) Screen Here:

The case is fantastic for its price, really surprised me.
Overall, with a brief look into the possibilities, the fans do look really cool too but need configured. I am surprised at how quiet the system is even with the panels still off. Yes it will get much louder when gaming etc but just a few niggles to sort and it seems to of went well.

 

[Novopaine]

The 6 Pin on the motherboard is not connected but I cant find out how essential it is? All the fans (8x) will be powered and not taking power from the board headers with its own power. So maybe its fine and I've ran benchmarks to stress the system and seems okay.

Grats on the new build.

The manual for your motherboard has some conflicting info. On one page it says:

Front Panel USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 with Quick Charge 4+ Support...
To support 60W, please install the power cable to 6-pin PCIe power connector or only 27w can be supported.

On another page it says:

The PD_12V_PWR connector provides additional power for your PCIe X16 slots. To support 60W, please install the power cable to the 6-pin PCIe Graphics Card connector (PD_12V_PWR) else only 27W will be supported.

My MSI 670e board doesn't have this extra connector. Your guess is as good as mine on this one.

 

[Mr Latte]

Grats on the new build.

The manual for your motherboard has some conflicting info. On one page it says:

Front Panel USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 with Quick Charge 4+ Support...
To support 60W, please install the power cable to 6-pin PCIe power connector or only 27w can be supported.

On another page it says:

The PD_12V_PWR connector provides additional power for your PCIe X16 slots. To support 60W, please install the power cable to the 6-pin PCIe Graphics Card connector (PD_12V_PWR) else only 27W will be supported.

My MSI 670e board doesn't have this extra connector. Your guess is as good as mine on this one.

Appreciate you looking into it.....
Yeah mainly seems to be for the front high power USB / fast charging, I don't think the S23Ultra even supports that and the case front USB doesn't anyways so not something I will miss.

 

[Mr Latte]

October 2023 and heres an interesting video that goes some way as to why I personally choose the 7900XTX over a 4080 or even a 4090. It appears the 7900XTX offers better value for money. While various brands of each GPU vary a bit in prices. The Nitro which is one of the best 7900XTX compared to something like the best 4080 models can be upto @ £500 cheaper.

How does each compare though in pure performance?

 

[Mr Latte]

Installed the Phanteks PREMIUM VERTICAL GPU BRACKET: PH-PGPUKT4.0

Removed its RGB bar as my GPU has one top/bottom, just waiting now on the additional Premium DRGB kit to come into stock.

Quick peek below for one of my Race-Team design options
Just one of several "AMG Mercedes" themes I made up so far.

Still some final tidying to be done but happy with how its turning out and the ways to alter the lighting is quite impressive. Feel happy now that I made the right choice to get this case over the Lian Li Sup 01

Applied a bit of an overclock via the motherboard options to boost the RAM and CPU just a little more. Will revert back if it cases any issues but seems to be working fine.