GPU Types - What does this spec buy me exactly?

KPJUK

Member
I've been lucky enough to save up for a new rig - last one was a PCS build bought 4 years ago with an i5 5th gen Quad Core OC'd at 4.6GHz, Asus Z97A Board, 4GB GTX970. The one before that, and my first ever gaming PC was also a PCS build. Couldn't fault it other than a HD6970 GPU that cooked big time, but more on that later...

Honestly it has been a faithful trooper, but I have wanted to upgrade for a bit to something that has a good chance of lasting me some years in the 4k era. My current order (which couldn't arrive quickly enough, even if it turned up yesterday) is as below;

Case
BE QUIET! DARK BASE PRO 900 REV. 2 FULL TOWER GAMING CASE

Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i9 Eight Core Processor i9-9900KS (4.0GHz) 16MB Cache

Motherboard
Gigabyte Z390 AORUS Master: ATX, LG1151, USB 3.1, SATA 6GBs WIFI - RGB Ready

Memory (RAM)
64GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3200MHz (4 x 16GB)

Graphics Card
11GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2080 Ti - HDMI, 3x DP GeForce - RTX VR Ready!

1st Storage Drive
2TB Samsung 860 QVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 550MB/sR | 520MB/sW)

1st M.2 SSD Drive
250GB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 2300MB/W)

2nd M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3300MB/W)

Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET

Processor Cooling
Corsair H115i PRO Cooler w/ PCS Ultra Quiet Fans


The couple of questions I have are;

1. Which GPU can I expect to receive? I understand that PCS use MSI or Zotac - is this right? And if so, which design/type am I likely to find in my new desktop? I ask because the one and only GPU I ever fried had an enclosed card with a single centrifugal fan design (the old 6970). It always ran hot, and I often attributed that to the ventilation of the card itself. I'm hoping I will receive a GPU with a dual/triple fan setup akin to my current GTX970. Can anyone confirm what I'll likely have on the way?

2. Are there some considerations I need to make about cooling this beyond what I have specified already? I believe there are at least 3 case fans and a controller with the cooler etc - I wasn't able to spec any additional control.

3. Can I reach a safe 5GHz on the CPU with the liquid cooler specified? My many searches of the internet have returned widely varying views, some saying it can do it air cooled, others saying they wouldn't dare go above 5GHz without a liquid cooler. Any further info would be ideal.

Whatever happens I'm keen as a bean to get going with it. I've never been in a position to buy such a high spec before, and I am going to enjoy it.
 

KPJUK

Member
I should say the other part that bothers me about not knowing the model I may receive is the possibility of a blower fan making the PC enter jet mode after I specced the quiet cooler and fans etc.

So are PCS using blower model 2080ti's or am I going to be lucky enough to have a dual fan for a £3.5k build?
 

Oussebon

Multiverse Poster
PCS use MSI or Zotac - is this right?
Palit or Zotac.

And if so, which design/type am I likely to find in my new desktop? I ask because the one and only GPU I ever fried had an enclosed card with a single centrifugal fan design (the old 6970)
It will vary. There is a Zotac blower they might use. Otherwise it will be Zotac/Palit twin fan most likely. You can always but without a GPU and install your own sourced from elsewhere. Ask them and see what they say they are using / whether that is what will be used for your order.


What is the budget?

What does that spec cost?

What do you use it for? I assume heavy CAD uses or professional video editing rather than gaming? What uses, what software?

If gaming, what monitor are you gaming on? What model?

3. Can I reach a safe 5GHz on the CPU with the liquid cooler specified? My many searches of the internet have returned widely varying views, some saying it can do it air cooled, others saying they wouldn't dare go above 5GHz without a liquid cooler. Any further info would be ideal.
Why do you want 5GHz? Who said that was the magic number to have? :)

The CPU you've selected there is the -KS, not the K. The KS boosts to 5GHz on all cores by default. But it's a small nuclear reactor and you'll want the best CPU cooler on offer for it tbh. Depending on your uses for the PC it might be a waste of money anyway.

1st Storage Drive
2TB Samsung 860 QVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 550MB/sR | 520MB/sW)

1st M.2 SSD Drive
250GB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 2300MB/W)

2nd M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3300MB/W)
How are you using these?
 

KPJUK

Member
Thanks for the response!

I'll be using it for gaming with a view to being CAD capable should I get back into it.

The monitor is a AOC U2879VF 4K unit.

No one said 5GHz is the magic number - fair question. I am interested in future capabilities. I'm aiming to have this for up to ten years without needing a complete do over. Right now, I want 4k gaming without overclocking and boosting to within a degree of mutually assured fire. But this machine will have other uses in time. I'll keep that in mind then and make cooling a feature to upgrade sooner rather than later.

Should a blower be used, that would be gutting. I hadn't seen blower models for the 2080ti, I thought we'd moved on... though I do understand their place in the world, I hope someone would look at this build and think "He's gonna want quiet dual fan cooling".

Total budget is £3500.

Fingers crossed for the dual fan you mentioned then. Thanks for the help.
 
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stegor

Bright Spark
If you're after 4K gaming then all you need is the new GPU in your existing machine. The new machine won't run games any faster as it will be the GPU bottlenecking. When you decide to get back into CAD buy an AMD build and transfer the GPU.
 

Oussebon

Multiverse Poster
1) Don't gamble on the GPU PCS will use if that matters to you. Ask them first. And/or buy and fit your own.

2) That's one of the most budget-end 4k monitors - seems odd to buy a £3500 system for gaming and go as cheap as possible on one of the key parts determining the experience.

I'm aiming to have this for up to ten years without needing a complete do over.
3) This is just not realistic. It's tempting to try to pour loads of cash into a system in a bid to 'futureproof' but PC hardware doesn't really work like that. Spending less now and upgrading in (say) 5 years will net you more performance for your money and let you leverage more advanced features/technologies as they become available.

For instance, the 9900KS is a bit of a stunt CPU that sees Intel trying to eke out every last drop from its beleaguered 14nm process. It has rings of the FX 9000 series processors by AMD back in 2013. Futureproof, it isn't.

Versus an otherwise equivalent build on AMD with an R7 3700x and an X570 mobo, it's ~£300 more (~£350 more if you factor in you'll want an extremely powerful CPU cooler instead of just a decent one). For which you get:
- the same 4k gaming performance
- similar multithreaded / encoding performance such that you don't see much / any difference
- no PCIe 4.0 (potential issue for future very high end GPUs, and limiting SSD choice).

And if you were going to spend that kind of money on a CPU, AMD's R9 is the way to go for professional uses, or even Intel's own Cascade Lake X CPUs coming out at the end of the month maybe. Not to mention AMD's own R9 3950x. Which also underlines the point about overspending on a CPU not futureproofing you for very long.

Similarly sinking loads of cash into 64gb RAM that you maybe possibly might need but probably not is poor value.

If you're after 4K gaming then all you need is the new GPU in your existing machine. The new machine won't run games any faster as it will be the GPU bottlenecking. When you decide to get back into CAD buy an AMD build and transfer the GPU.
That's arguably the most sensible plan.
 

Oussebon

Multiverse Poster
If you are playing games where the 4 cores / 4 threads are a bit of an issue for performance even at 4k, then something like:

Case
BE QUIET! BASE 601 TOWER GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X Eight Core CPU (3.6GHz-4.4GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)

down_right_arrow.gif
Get 3 Months of XBOX Game Pass for PC w/ select AMD Ryzen CPUs
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF X570-PLUS GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0, CrossFireX) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3000MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
11GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2080 Ti - HDMI, 3x DP GeForce - RTX VR Ready!

down_right_arrow.gif
Get Call of Duty: Modern Warfare with select NVIDIA GeForce RTX GPUs!
1st Storage Drive
6TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 5400RPM, 256MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB CORSAIR MP600 GEN 4 PCIe NVMe (up to 4950MB/R, 4250MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Noctua NH-U14S Ultra Quiet Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365 (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
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 9 to 11 working days
Price: £2,417.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/QkE4NhDrp!/

Maybe 32gb but only if you're confident you will go back into using CAD, and that your uses will need more than 16gb in the system. 0 point to more than 16gb RAM for gaming.

And keep the money you save help back for future upgrades, which is the only way to actually futureproof.
 

KPJUK

Member
Excellent input again, thank you both of you.

Particularly your points on futureproofing. I'll look into amending the order.

The interesting and fun bit about this is the lack of a perfect solution for all.

I suppose in my head there is always a new series or architecture just around the corner and I just want to get back into the scene and go from there.

It'll be a fun learning process undoubtedly.

As for the monitor, it can be upgraded in time. Already eons ahead of the old Illyama 21.5" 1080p model I had.

Looks like im too far in to respec the gpu from the build process and available finance. Gamble it is and lesson learned!

Thanks again guys.
 

Oussebon

Multiverse Poster
Cancel the order, review options, and resubmit tbh.

I suppose in my head there is always a new series or architecture just around the corner and I just want to get back into the scene and go from there.
This seems to get said on the forums a lot, often as a justification for overspending "because ofc there's always something new, so just buy the 'best' now" - whereas really it's a reason to not overspend for a 10-year plan, but just spend enough for a 5-year plan and buy again/ buy upgrades in 5 years. :)
 

KPJUK

Member
Cancel the order, review options, and resubmit tbh.

This seems to get said on the forums a lot, often as a justification for overspending "because ofc there's always something new, so just buy the 'best' now" - whereas really it's a reason to not overspend for a 10-year plan, but just spend enough for a 5-year plan and buy again/ buy upgrades in 5 years. :)

I'm sure! Some may not want the hassle :p and in my case, I'd be remortgaging then.

But fair point, and thanks again.

Must admit, there was little strategy, and much excitement. Not a luxury I often afford myself.
 

KPJUK

Member
Took on some of your advice. Dropped the 64b RAM to 32GB, and the 2 TB SSD to 1TB. To then upgrade to the ROG Strix 2080 ti for another £32.

Sense has been made. Thank you.
 

Oussebon

Multiverse Poster
The Strix GPU is not remotely worth the money. It's a £300 premium. It's known as the Asus Tax on the internet...

If you're worried about getting a blower cooler, just phone PC Specialist and ask what model they are using. Surely a phone call is worth it to save £300?
 

KPJUK

Member
And another will tell me snap on tools are not worth it as a technician. Buy cheap buy twice, and buy the correct bits from them to not needlessly overspend. That level of my knowledge doesnt extend to PC's, but the concept remains in my head. Hence the desire to buy my way out of a blower.

Made a phone call but he didnt seem able to specify.
 

Oussebon

Multiverse Poster
Amend the order to remove the GPU and buy and fit your own?

The Asus price premium is really ludicrous. It's not "Oh, it's expensive, so it must be at least a bit premium". It's just a rip off. It's not even a Strix OC edition. There's a lot one could do with £300.
 

KPJUK

Member
Im with you. Its not that big a problem for me. Cooling is. Hence why that was my initial line of questioning ;P
 

Oussebon

Multiverse Poster
If cooling is a major concern, buy without an RTX 2080 ti Strix and buy and install something like:


Or


For literally the same price as the Strix
 

Rakk

The Awesome
Moderator
Also note that PCS are happy to let you install your own stuff in the machine without it voiding your warranty (as long as you don't damage anything in the process).
But yeah, if you don't want whatever happens to be on the top of the RTX2080Ti line when you're machine is being built and want something specific it would be much better to get it separately and install yourself, then you will be guaranteed an exact model.
 

KPJUK

Member
Thanks again. Good to know re warranty! I just wont risk shanking a component at that price point. Im not ready! 😂
 

KPJUK

Member
To offer an update on this build now I have it and did a 6 hour non-stop stint on GR Breakpoint:

The cpu (9900ks) and GPU (2080ti Strix) have been superb.

After my stint the temps for both GPU and CPU didnt exceed 55 degrees with all game settings at ultimate. I also used Nvidia Control Panel to set AA to 16x and voltage for performance, only for GRB.

The fans were quiet and I had a few issues with gameplay which I'll give solutions to:

- With V sync and Freesync on, fps tanked to 30 and was unplayable. Just jarring on the eyes. To resolve this I used CRU to up the monitor refresh rate to 65HZ, reactivated V an Free sync, problem solved! 48-65fps all day with those temperatures mentioned earlier.

- Blurring was an issue so I used Nvidia CP to up the AA to 16x globally. Sorted.

On other misc bits, to get RGB control I needed/used the following;

- darkbase 900 rev 2case - button on front of the case, manual available online.

- gigabyte mobo required Gigabytes control software - link available from their website

- GPU required RGB Fusion, available from Aorus website

- RAM and CPU Cooler 115i Pro required iCue from corsair. Available on their website.

I'm blown away and very happy with this rig. Its just an animal!
 
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