Build Critique : i7-12700 + 3080Ti

Selco123

Member
Hello,
Any and all advice welcome on the spec below please:

Case
CORSAIR CARBIDE SERIES™ 275Q QUIET CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 12-Core Processor i7-12700K (3.6GHz) 25MB Cache
Motherboard
GIGABYTE Z690 UD (LGA1700, USB 3.2, PCIe 5.0) - ARGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 4800MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
12GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3080 Ti - HDMI, DP, LHR
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 7000MB/R, 5000MB/W)
1st Storage Drive
4TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 5400RPM, 256MB CACHE
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 240 Series RGB High Performance Liquid Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
WIRELESS 802.11N 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00003]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 4 to 7 working days
Price: £2,892.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z690-ddr5-pc/fruMNgfYgD/

My aims are a fairly top end gaming , coding, and general purpose PC, while definitely keeping it under £3K .
I've put this together with an i7-12700K , 3080Ti , good NVMe drive and 32GB of DDR5 for what seems like a very reasonable price - certainly better than pre-built machines elsewhere. So I'm wondering what I've forgotten, or where the massive flaw or imbalance is.
If there's not a fatal flaw, but there are some cheap obvious improvements that would be interesting too.

I don't want the RGB flair, and quiet running is preferred though not a deal breaker.

[EDIT - Monitor]
(I posted straight from the store without reading the faq)
I have an existing 4K but not very good monitor that will do to get the system commissioned.
I will make a new monitor(s) purchase in a month or so , after I have firmed up my needs. The monitor cost is not included in this budget.

Cheers,
 
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sck451

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
I have to say I'd suggest quite a few changes as I think you're overspending in certain areas (e.g. graphics card) and under-spending in others (e.g. case, motherboard, cooling, probably RAM). The 3080 Ti is amazing, sure, but it's only incrementally better than the 3080 while costing a heap more. So I'd save that money and spend more on fundamentals to get a solid foundation.

Case
FRACTAL MESHIFY 2 LIGHT TEMPERED GLASS Awesome case with great cooling potential for your hot components
Processor (CPU)

Intel® Core™ i7 12-Core Processor i7-12700K (3.6GHz) 25MB Cache Solid choice
Motherboard

ASUS® ROG STRIX Z690-F GAMING WIFI (LGA1700, USB 3.2, PCIe 5.0) - ARGB Ready Stronger motherboard with integrated WiFi
Memory (RAM)

32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 5600MHz (2 x 16GB) You do, I think, get a decent step up here. But the advantage over DDR4 isn't huge yet
Graphics Card

10GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3080 - HDMI, DP, LHR Still an awesome choice (though new cards will be out this year...)
1st M.2 SSD Drive

500GB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 6900MB/R, 5000MB/W) Super-fast boot drive
1st M.2 SSD Drive

1TB SEAGATE FIRECUDA 530 GEN 4 PCIe NVMe (up to 7300MB/R, 6000MB/W) Second super-fast drive for games/coding projects (you could reduce this to a 670p to save quite a bit)
1st Storage Drive

3TB SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE The 4TB drive is much slower at 5400RPM. If you need more space, add a second drive
Power Supply

CORSAIR 1000W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS GOLD, ULTRA QUIET Plenty of capacity, including for future upgrades
Power Cable

1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair iCUE H115i RGB PRO XT Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler A great cooler
Thermal Paste

STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00003]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 4 to 7 working days
Price: £2,782.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z690-ddr5-pc/CKhvdQym4X/

You would then want to look at a 4K 144Hz display to go along with it. Maybe the LG 27GP950, the Gigabyte M32U, the MSI MAG281URF, or the Gigabyte M28.
 

Selco123

Member
Hi,
Thanks for the response.
> I think you're overspending in certain areas (e.g. graphics card)
I'd come to this conclusion myself, after I'd posted - I think I was just carried away because it was possible to fit a 3080Ti in the budget. The Standard 3080 is probably a much better fit for what I want.


Is there a generally accepted preference for two SSDs then? One just as the OS drive, and one for fast storage, plus a spinning disk for bulk storage ?

I know nothing about the benefits of a better case, and very little about the motherboard, so thanks for those suggestions. I'll have study of the spec you suggest .

Thanks again.
 

Martinr36

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
Is there a generally accepted preference for two SSDs then? One just as the OS drive, and one for fast storage, plus a spinning disk for bulk storage ?
Yeah, the general thinking is a really fast 500 GB for the OS, then a slightly slower 1 TB for the games drive, and a HDD for general storage
 

HoraceC

New member
Depending on your storage requirements, a single drive would always be faster, and more practical (e.g. no deciding which drive to use for what). You might compromise a small amount of storage, but using a single SSD instead of a SSD and HDD would be a cleaner approach.
 

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
Depending on your storage requirements, a single drive would always be faster, and more practical (e.g. no deciding which drive to use for what). You might compromise a small amount of storage, but using a single SSD instead of a SSD and HDD would be a cleaner approach.
I'm afraid this is just not accurate and not good advice in a modern system especially when factoring in gaming with DirectStorage

In any best practice scenario, you have the OS drive and DATA / Secondary drive split to protect against losing data, or issues reinstalling. They're each operating on their own PCIe lanes of which the CPU has bundles and so there would be zero slow down from any queueing. There is no guessing about what drive to use for what at all, it's all predetermined in the OS and application level, so there's zero CPU processing required there either.
 
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Selco123

Member
Thanks for the comments so far. I've been looking through sck451's spec and trying to ensure I understand the reasoning for it all. It certainly fits the bill for what I was originally looking for. My concerns now are:
1) Physical size of the case. The full depth of 54cm plus air gap at the back doesn't really work with my current location. I tried to see if the Meshify compact would work , but that would involve other compromises / changes to the spec so I've parked that idea for now. Ideally I'd create some space for the full size unit. (Should be possible with some DIY)
2) I don't need this new machine right now. I can live without it. Therefore I'm in the situation we're all always in whenever we make a purchase. Buy now, or wait a few months for the next exciting upgrade? New CPUs and GPUs are always around the corner. That's not something this thread can help with really .
 

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
2) I don't need this new machine right now. I can live without it. Therefore I'm in the situation we're all always in whenever we make a purchase. Buy now, or wait a few months for the next exciting upgrade? New CPUs and GPUs are always around the corner. That's not something this thread can help with really .
I would unquestionably wait.

The upcoming gpu's and CPU's along with new generation SSD's and motherboards are going to make for a SIGNIFICANT upgrade from current generation. We're talking SIGNFICANT GAINS when you factor in all the different components that have a new generation being released.
 
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Selco123

Member
So, (I promise I won't hold you to this) . That if I wait until mid/late September this year, I should get something significantly better for about the same price point ?
I see that any of 4000 series GPU should be better than the 3080, but will they release the affordable ones first?
Is it just the AMD CPUs you're waiting for or are we expecting improved Intel around then?

And there's Gen 5 NVMes coming too. I wasn't aware of that at all. The Gen 4 stuff still seems like magic to me.

I've been thinking about buying a decent machine on and off for over a year now. I think it's the general high inflation and economic/supply chain worries that have made me want to pull the trigger now, given that I've got the money available. You can almost see cash being worth less day by day at the moment. Plus the crypto collapse has made it so you wouldn't feel totally ripped off by making a purchase, like for the past year.

But I do suspect you are right in your advice.
I'm surprised the market hasn't priced this in as much then. The GPUs are not really silly anymore, but it's not exactly a fire sale either.
 

sck451

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
So, (I promise I won't hold you to this) . That if I wait until mid/late September this year, I should get something significantly better for about the same price point ?
I see that any of 4000 series GPU should be better than the 3080, but will they release the affordable ones first?
Is it just the AMD CPUs you're waiting for or are we expecting improved Intel around then?

And there's Gen 5 NVMes coming too. I wasn't aware of that at all. The Gen 4 stuff still seems like magic to me.

I've been thinking about buying a decent machine on and off for over a year now. I think it's the general high inflation and economic/supply chain worries that have made me want to pull the trigger now, given that I've got the money available. You can almost see cash being worth less day by day at the moment. Plus the crypto collapse has made it so you wouldn't feel totally ripped off by making a purchase, like for the past year.

But I do suspect you are right in your advice.
I'm surprised the market hasn't priced this in as much then. The GPUs are not really silly anymore, but it's not exactly a fire sale either.
Announcements are likely to be in September, launches some time later, I'd expect.
 
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