4k 120fps First Build?

[Arco]

Finally saved up enough money and the market has more or less stabilized.
So I want other people's input and hopefully, get the best option I can

I'm pretty much dead set on a 4k 120 fps OLED TV and building it in 4 months.
My uses would be primarily for gaming but a good side of video editing, photo editing, and maybe even some server hosting.
My budget right now is around 2500 (+-200) for the PC itself.
I've already got everything but the pc and a few other items that are in another budget.

I do not have experience with brands.

List:

Case: I do not care about looks. RGB doesn't matter to me nor does color. I've been looking at the Fractal Torrent for its performance, but it's a bit costly.

CPU: I've been looking at the R7-R9 7000 series CPUs since what I've seen of Raptor lake isn't all that interesting or upgradeable.

GPU: 4k 120 fps is very demanding. I do play a few older games but I want to be able to have a large margin. At least an 80 series sort of high-end. 7900 and the 4080 look good so far.

Ram: DDR4 for intel, DDR5 for AMD. Intel system is only one time so I will need to upgrade everything if I do. AMD is more of a longer upgrade path option here.

Motherboard: ATX Wifi! X670 for AMD. Z690 for intel most likely. This is definitely one of the more important components. I would like good audio, wifi, and good power delivery.

Storage: Don't care much. Any 1tb nvme with a good rep is fine by me.

CPU Cooler: 280 AIO? I do care a bit about this.

 

[Dr. Dro]

Building from scratch today, I would purchase the AM5 system with DDR5 memory, so the 7900X is a solid pick. I'm targeting the same goal, but for the moment I'm just going to upgrade my existing 5950X rig with a new (Radeon, no matter what) GPU, i'll be waiting until the 13900KS and the 3D versions of Zen 4 launch to make a decision on whether I upgrade or skip entirely. I need the OLED TV for that to begin with!

For 4K120 the GPU is definitely going to be the strongest factor to decide, and we do not yet know how Ada and RDNA3 flagships will perform, or if the current trend of AMD being faster at traditional graphics and NV winning at raytracing will persist (I believe this will remain the case), as a 3090 owner i'll tell you that 4K120 gaming is flat out of its reach at the moment unless you are playing rather light games.

Case is very much a personal choice, though I'm fond of the Lian Li O11 Air and I would recommend it, motherboard, just focus on something that has a strong VRM area and a good NIC - integrated audio is invariably bad, don't bother with that.. and the cooling, do try to get a 360mm AIO or a Noctua NH-D15/D15S if you can.

 

[P4-630]

7900 and the 4080 look good so far.

Tell me about it.

 

[Arco]

Building from scratch today, I would purchase the AM5 system with DDR5 memory, so the 7900X is a solid pick. I'm targeting the same goal, but for the moment I'm just going to upgrade my existing 5950X rig with a new (Radeon, no matter what) GPU, i'll be waiting until the 13900KS and the 3D versions of Zen 4 launch to make a decision on whether I upgrade or skip entirely. I need the OLED TV for that to begin with!

For 4K120 the GPU is definitely going to be the strongest factor to decide, and we do not yet know how Ada and RDNA3 flagships will perform, or if the current trend of AMD being faster at traditional graphics and NV winning at raytracing will persist (I believe this will remain the case), as a 3090 owner i'll tell you that 4K120 gaming is flat out of its reach at the moment unless you are playing rather light games.

Case is very much a personal choice, though I'm fond of the Lian Li O11 Air and I would recommend it, motherboard, just focus on something that has a strong VRM area and a good NIC - integrated audio is invariably bad, don't bother with that.. and the cooling, do try to get a 360mm AIO or a Noctua NH-D15/D15S if you can.

Building anywhere from 2-4 months from now. Hopefully trying to max out the budget and performance using sales and stuff. I do like AMD for the longevity as with Intel I would have to replace anything. The 7950x looks quite sweet tho!

Yep.

I do like them too but I don't really care about looks. Maybe a DAC then?

I also don't play the heaviest or newest. games but I do want a large margin.

 

[P4-630]

7900 and the 4080 look good so far.

What is good about them.
They aren't out yet.

 

[Count von Schwalbe]

If you go AMD and want to keep it for upgrades later, ensure you get a X670E or B650E board. This will guarantee PCIe 5.0 on the GPU slot, so you will have a better upgrade path later.

 

[Arco]

What is good about them.
They aren't out yet.

Nor is most of the stuff on this list. Going off of a bunch of leaks and averaging them.

If you go AMD and want to keep it for upgrades later, ensure you get a X670E or B650E board. This will guarantee PCIe 5.0 on the GPU slot, so you will have a better upgrade path later.

Thanks for the information, I didn't consider that!

 

[cvaldes]

Since your primary goal is to game at 4K@120Hz, you'll need to be patient to see what Nvidia and AMD release in terms of their next generation cards and how that affects their current generation pricing.

Realistically, you are looking to see how a mid-range next-gen card like the RTX 4060 Ti/4070/4070 Ti or RX 7070/7070XT (presumably) will compare pricewise with something like the 3080/3080 Ti or 6800XT.

Tech media is not expecting a mass rollout of graphics cards at all performance levels. It is speculated that the two companies will stagger card launches starting from the top end halo cards. This might extend your wait until early 2023 since you are not shopping for the high-end cards.

I'm guessing that some of their launch schedules will be dictated by how fast they can clear channel inventory of their current generation hardware so even Nvidia and AMD may not have exact dates yet. At least here in the USA, prices of the high-end cards have been discounted, but not so much for entry-level and mid-range cards which has led to a glut of them sitting on retailers' shelves.

 

[Arco]

Since your primary goal is to game at 4K@120Hz, you'll need to be patient to see what Nvidia and AMD release in terms of their next generation cards and how that affects their current generation pricing.

Realistically, you are looking to see how a mid-range next-gen card like the RTX 4060 Ti/4070/4070 Ti or RX 7070/7070XT (presumably) will compare pricewise with something like the 3080/3080 Ti or 6800XT.

Tech media is not expecting a mass rollout of graphics cards at all performance levels. It is speculated that the two companies will stagger card launches starting from the top end halo cards. This might extend your wait until early 2023 since you are not shopping for the high-end cards.

I'm guessing that some of their launch schedules will be dictated by how fast they can clear channel inventory of their current generation hardware so even Nvidia and AMD may not have exact dates yet. At least here in the USA, prices of the high-end cards have been discounted, but not so much for entry-level and mid-range cards which has led to a glut of them sitting on retailers' shelves.

While I'm playing lower-tier games I want some decent headroom. Plus it's 4k@120fps. So If I want any fluff, I will have to get something like the 4080 or RX 7700. I'm waiting for the AMD release X3D lineup; then I will pick a CPU. However, waiting more than 4-5 months isn't really an option.

 

[P4-630]

I'm waiting for the AMD release X3D lineup; then I will pick a CPU. However, waiting more than 4-5 months isn't really an option.

Well the rumor is that AMD will reveal 7950X3D, 7900X3D and the 7800X3D at CES in January 2023.

 

[dgianstefani]

Zen 4X3D version. Or just get the 5800x3d/12700k and save money.

32GB of 6000+ C32 or lower memory

4080

At 4k 120 any modern cpu will do fine, you're gpu limited. A 12700k ddr 4 platform with a 4090 would be much faster than a 13700k/7900x with a 4080.

 

[Arco]

Zen 4X3D version. Or just get the 5800x3d/12700k and save money.

32GB of 6000+ C32 or lower memory

4080

At 4k 120 any modern cpu will do fine, you're gpu limited. A 12700k ddr 4 platform with a 4090 would be much faster than a 13700k/7900x with a 4080.

Yep. Going AM4 and even LGA1700 would make me not be able to move forward with a lot of the components though. Good deals nonetheless. AMD zen 4 is looking pretty good even without 3D. When AMD and Nivida release their new lineups, I will buy a CPU as waiting forever doesn't get anything done.

Well the rumor is that AMD will reveal 7950X3D, 7900X3D and the 7800X3D at CES in January 2023.

Hopefully, it will launch within the window I have.

 

[dgianstefani]

Zen 4 without 3D will literally be slower for gaming than a 5800x3d or a tuned 12th gen.

Memory latency is 60ns+ with the best DDR5.
5800x3d is like 10ns due to 100mb cache, then 55ns
Tuned 12th gen is around 40ns. (still only comparable to 5800x3d due to the advantage of the massive cache).

 

[Arco]

Zen 4 without 3D will literally be slower for gaming than a 5800x3d or a tuned 12th gen.

Memory latency is 60ns+ with the best DDR5.
5800x3d is like 10ns due to 100mb cache, then 55ns
Tuned 12th gen is around 40ns. (still only comparable to 5800x3d due to the advantage of the massive cache).

I wonder when Zen 4X3D will actually release. Hopefully within 5-6 months. Otherwise, it's out of my window.

 

[Count von Schwalbe]

Zen 4 without 3D will literally be slower for gaming than a 5800x3d or a tuned 12th gen.

Memory latency is 60ns+ with the best DDR5.
5800x3d is like 10ns due to 100mb cache, then 55ns
Tuned 12th gen is around 40ns. (still only comparable to 5800x3d due to the advantage of the massive cache).

Quite possibly true. However, AM5 will give the OP a better upgrade path, and I strongly doubt that there will be any effect at 4K. Possibly when he upgrades GPU from the 4000/7000 series, but then he may as well upgrade CPU as well.

 

[Arco]

Quite possibly true. However, AM5 will give the OP a better upgrade path, and I strongly doubt that there will be any effect at 4K. Possibly when he upgrades GPU from the 4000/7000 series, but then he may as well upgrade CPU as well.

That's what I'm seeing. X3D at 4k with the games I play doesn't do all that much. But, it's still a sizeable difference. If it is beyond 5-6 months it's unfortunately out of my build window.

 

[dgianstefani]

Quite possibly true. However, AM5 will give the OP a better upgrade path, and I strongly doubt that there will be any effect at 4K. Possibly when he upgrades GPU from the 4000/7000 series, but then he may as well upgrade CPU as well.

Upgrade path, true.

4k120 is still 120fps. You want to stay locked at the maximum frame rate of the monitor, realistically 118fps, any time there is a fluctuation below this, it is not optimal.

Hence, 1% and 0.1% lows become relevant, nothing can beat the 5800x3d for 1% lows with the exception of Intel 12th gen that's been heavily tuned, with a top tier RAM kit also heavily tuned, even then, it's still 40ns vs 10ns latency.

 

[Arco]

Upgrade path, true.

4k120 is still 120fps. You want to stay locked at the maximum frame rate of the monitor, realistically 118fps, any time there is a fluctuation below this, it is not optimal.

Hence, 1% and 0.1% lows become relevant, nothing can beat the 5800x3d for 1% lows with the exception of Intel 12th gen that's been heavily tuned, with a top tier RAM kit also heavily tuned, even then, it's still 40ns vs 10ns latency.

I could possibly time it in a way to return the CPU I have and go for the x3d as long as it releases in the second-third month of 2023

Edit: Or just sell it. It would be a waste but going old gen would really hamper my upgrade options.

 

[dgianstefani]

That's your only optimal option if you're set on buying in the next three months.

The alternative would be Z690 and drop in a 13th gen when it releases. I expect that it will be a similar situation with 13xxxK/7xxxX3D as it is now with 12xxxxK and 5800X3D.

I would also strongly advise against day one Zen parts of any generation, later Zen 3 revisions and mfg. date chips fixed many significant issues at the hardware level, and also had IMCs much more capable of stability at 2000MHz FLCK/4000MHz memory.

 

[Arco]

That's your only optimal option if you're set on buying in the next three months.

The alternative would be Z690 and drop in a 13th gen when it releases. I expect that it will be a similar situation with 13xxxK/7xxxX3D as it is now with 12xxxxK and 5800X3D.

I would also strongly advise against day one Zen parts of any generation, later Zen 3 revisions and mfg. date chips fixed many significant issues at the hardware level, and also had IMCs much more capable of stability at 2000MHz FLCK/4000MHz memory.

My dates are going to be early 2023. Like within 4-5 months.

True. It would be a good idea to wait 4-5 months and look from there. AMD early zen did sound pretty buggy.

 

[Why_Me]

My dates are going to be early 2023. Like within 4-5 months.

True. It would be a good idea to wait 4-5 months and look from there. AMD early zen did sound pretty buggy.

Intel is due to release it's Raptor Lake cpu's and boards next month so probably worth checking in periodically to check for the reviews.

 

[Count von Schwalbe]

Intel is due to release it's Raptor Lake cpu's and boards next month so probably worth checking in periodically to check for the reviews.

Release or announce?

Or am I confused - it's been a long week.

 

[Why_Me]

Release or announce?

Or am I confused - it's been a long week.

Intel Raptor Lake 13th gen CPU release date, price, specs and more

Intel chips will soon arrive to challenge AMD Ryzen 7000 CPUs — here's everything we know.

www.tomsguide.com

 

[Count von Schwalbe]

Ok, both. I need a drink.

 

[mama]

Well the rumor is that AMD will reveal 7950X3D, 7900X3D and the 7800X3D at CES in January 2023.

"Reveal" not release.

I guess a lot will depend on how long you are prepared to wait to build the thing want. Personally, I like to wait for reviews of products before I jump in, if I do. Stability is also another factor. You don't want a setup that's problematic.