Tell me what you think

T

Techmage

Member
Would really appreciate some advice/pointers regarding this build, this is my first gaming PC which I want for 4k gaming, thinking of pairing it with a 27 or 32 4k 144hz monitor. Is there anything that you would change and why ?
Thanks

Case


CORSAIR 5000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE


Promotional Item


Get a discount code for 20% off select peripherals at Corsair.com


Processor (CPU)


AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D Eight Core CPU (4.2GHz-5.0GHz/104MB w/3D V-CACHE/AM5)


Motherboard


GIGABYTE B650 AORUS ELITE AX V2 (AM5, DDR5, PCIe 4.0, Wi-Fi 6E)


Memory (RAM)


32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB DDR5 6000MHz (2 x 16GB)


Graphics Card


16GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 4080 SUPER - HDMI, DP, LHR


Graphics Card Support Bracket


NONE (BRACKET INCLUDED AS STANDARD ON 4070 Ti / RX 7700 XT AND ABOVE)


1st M.2 SSD Drive


2TB SAMSUNG 990 PRO M.2, PCIe 4.0 NVMe (up to 7450MB/R, 6900MB/W)


Power Supply


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


Power Cable


1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)


Processor Cooling


CORSAIR iCUE H150i ELITE LCD XT RGB CPU Cooler


Thermal Paste


STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING


Extra Case Fans


3 x Corsair AF120 RGB ELITE PWM Fan + Controller Kit


Sound Card


ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)


Network Card


ONBOARD 2.5Gbe 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


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


Google Chrome™


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 3 to 5 working days


Welcome Book


PCSpecialist Welcome Book


Logo Branding


PCSpecialist Logo


Packaging


PCS Corsair Carton Upright
 
T

Techmage

Member
Martinr36 said:

Please read before posting:- Collaboration of Helpful Hints

NB: These forums are not an official support channel. None of us work for PCS, we're all either customers or techies who just like to help out where possible. For any official support, you need to contact PCS directly either through your PCS account, or via the contact details on the main...
www.pcspecialist.co.uk www.pcspecialist.co.uk
Click to expand...
Thank you for this, i will be adding a separate SSD for my OS
 
Scott

Scott

Behold The Ford Mondeo
Moderator
@Techmage, I've moved your thread to a more appropriate part of the forum. If you're looking for useful feedback or help with the build please take the time to read the information in the link already posted by @Martinr36. If you give us the appropriate information we can give the appropriate information, help us to help you.
 
T

Techmage

Member
Apologies for my vagueness I'm new to forums and I did not fully read the link previously

My budget is maxed out for my build but I'm open to hearing if a little extra money in places will make a difference

Budget for the monitor is 700 although I've only found Alienware 32 4K QD-OLED Gaming Monitor - AW3225QF which has everything I want so I may wait and save for this.

Everything I want as in 4K and OLED

I prefer quality over speed as I play mostly single-player, simulation and strategy. Overwatch 2 is the only shooter I occasionally play

I'm also under the impression that if I get a 4k monitor I could bring it down to 1440p for better fps is this true

Thanks
 
T

TonyCarter

VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
Techmage said:
I'm also under the impression that if I get a 4k monitor I could bring it down to 1440p for better fps is this true
Click to expand...
Technically possible, yes!

Recommended, no! As to show 1440p on a 4k display will mean everything has to be interpolated to fit into more pixels as 3840 is not directly divisible by 2560 (or 2160 by 1440) it's 1.5:1 but it needs to be a whole number to be accurately mapped (1080p is 2:1 but will look blocky).

Your best bet would be to use Nvidia DLSS on quality mode to get your 4k FPS up - it will be faster, and better looking than 1440p on a 4k screen.
 
T

Techmage

Member
TonyCarter said:
Technically possible, yes!

Recommended, no! To show 1440p on a 4k display will mean everything has to be interpolated to fit into more pixels as 3840 is not directly divisible by 2560 (or 2160 by 1440) it's 1.5:1 but it needs to be a whole number to be accurately mapped (1080p is 2:1 but will look blocky).

Your best bet would be to use Nvidia DLSS on quality mode to get your 4k FPS up - it will be faster, and better looking than 1440p on a 4k screen.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the maths this makes sense.
I’ve narrowed my monitor search down to two monitors

Dell Alienware AW3423DWF 34"
3440 x 1440
165 Hz
QD-OLED
34” Curved
£696


Gigabyte M32U 31.5"
3840 x 2160
144 Hz
IPS
32” Flat
£649

I never considered a curve monitor and it sounds quite big at 34”. but it being on sale from £929 has brought it down to my price range (£700) plus I like the sound of an OLED panel however, it's not 4K but will there be a noticeable difference at 3840 resolution? Will I be losing a lot of quality?
 
T

TonyCarter

VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
I've got the Alienware AW3423DW (non-F) version which came a few months before the model above, and had been waiting for about 18 months for a 32" OLED but got fed up waiting. It's a very slight 1800R curve compared to some (i.e. from above the edges look about 1-2" further forward than the centre).

My only issue with mine is I think I'd like more vertical height (not necessarily more pixels, just more physical height...as a 34" ultrawide is the same height as a normal 27" monitor...but the ultrawide adds about 1/3rd more horizontal than a 1440p, but that might be because I'm used to that in my 'work' monitors...and in gaming the slightly wider aspect ratio does give you a bit more FOV without artificially adjusting it in game.

But I know there's newer generation OLEDs out there (especially in the 4K models) that have better text rendering and OLED burn-in protections than the gen1 panels. The 4K versions are over budget though, and I'd take a utrawide 1440p OLED over a 4K IPS any day.

BTW, there's another ultrawide option from MSI (MAG 341CQP) which has the newer OLED panel, but the same 1800R level of curve as the Alienware...
 
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T

Techmage

Member
TonyCarter said:
I've got the Alienware AW3423DW (non-F) version which came a few months before the model above, and had been waiting for about 18 months for a 32" OLED but got fed up waiting. It's a very slight 1800R curve compared to some (i.e. from above the edges look about 1-2" further forward than the centre).

My only issue with mine is I think I'd like more vertical height (not necessarily more pixels, just more physical height...as a 34" ultrawide is the same height as a normal 27" monitor...but the ultrawide adds about 1/3rd more horizontal than a 1440p, but that might be because I'm used to that in my 'work' monitors...and in gaming the slightly wider aspect ratio does give you a bit more FOV without artificially adjusting it in game.

But I know there's newer generation OLEDs out there (especially in the 4K models) that have better text rendering and OLED burn-in protections than the gen1 panels. The 4K versions are over budget though, and I'd take a utrawide 1440p OLED over a 4K IPS any day.

BTW, there's another ultrawide option from MSI (MAG 341CQP) which has the newer OLED panel, but the same 1800R level of curve as the Alienware...
Click to expand...
Thank you for this information
Based on your recommendation I have looked into the different type of OLED panals. Although I do want 4k and OLED the current generation of OLED panels don’t seem to have shaken this whole burn in issue. For me the problem is me spending over budget for tech that will eventually get burn in all whilst trying to baby the screen has put me off so i am going to get a 4K IPS for now.

The monitor I’m getting 27” 27GR93U-B can be turnt vertical so when one of the new 32” 4K OLED monitors go on sale i plan to pair it with my 27” turnt vertical
 
T

TonyCarter

VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
Depends what you mean by 'eventually'.

I've had my 1st gen Alienware AW3423DW for over 18 months, and it's probably on for gaming 20-25 hours a week. No sign of burn-in on it...and the newer generation OLEDs have more built-in mitigations against burn-in (and/or good burn-on warranties).

Here's a Monitors Unboxed video where they set out to deliberately trigger accelerated burn-in...using it in a way it's not meant to be used (for around 700 hours), i.e. as a productivity monitor with static windows/lines (you might have to watch in 4K to even see some of the issues):
 
SpyderTracks

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
Also bear in mind, any monitor suffers from burn in, weather IPS, TN or VA, it's a risk on any panel, so long as you use them within prescribed limits ie healthy auto sleep settings, then it shouldn't be an issue.
 
Scott

Scott

Behold The Ford Mondeo
Moderator
I've no idea where you're getting this advice from tbh. I would change the source personally.

4k is right in the wheel house of the 4080. You're getting more from 4k than you ever will from 240 hz. Lowering the resolution on a 4k monitor that you just spent a fortune on to try and hit a framerate that's completely pointless is the wildest advice I think I've heard.
 
T

TonyCarter

VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
I wouldn't lower resolution...but would reduce graphic options from ultra to high to hit a smooth framerate - and a suitable framerate will depend on the type of game.

So Alan Wake 2 or Last Of Us is perfectly fine at 60FPS, whereas CODMW you might want 240hz then you'd also want to have the best input latency by reducing the settings further if your can't hit your target FPS (but then 240hz is probably overkill for a normal gamer anyway).

In most cases, the difference between Ultra and High will be bigger than between High and Medium, but there are plenty of optimisation videos on youtube showing you exactly which setting will give you the biggest FPS boost for the least noticeable image quality...and some offer 30% more FPS for negligible image quality changes.

Of course, if doing all that still doesn't give you a playable/smooth FPS (and I'm not chasing max FPS here) then you turn on DLSS, and then Frame Generation (if you must).

But in the games that support it, the biggest FPS killer will be Ray Tracing...and in some cases it can more than HALVE your FPS.

For example, here's some benchmarking I did on my old machine (5800X + RTX3080) in Cyberpunk 2077...so lower level GPU, but lower resolution monitor too.

Just swapping between the non-RT presets (top set of results) shows a 10-20% FPS boost at each level), and the bottom settings in green show what I run it at - giving me the same visual quality as the high setting, but the FPS of the low default setting.
Cyberpunk.jpeg


Here's a much more limited, recent set of runs on my current machine (useful to show scaling based on settings, not so much for direct comparison of hardware), using the...

#1) Built-in presets (no Ray Tracing, no DLSS, no Frame Generation):
  • Ultra preset = Average 120, Max 150, Min 94
  • High preset = Average 145, Max 128, Min 128
  • Medium preset = Average 175, Max 199, Min 155
  • Low preset = Average 221, Max 263, Min 173
#2) Ray Tracing (RT, no DLSS, no FG) - average 50% drop from #1 results:
  • Overdrive = Average 38, Max 45, Min 35
  • Ultra (there is no High) = Average 67, Max 78, Min 60
  • Medium = Average 72, Max 86, Min 62
  • Low = Average 105, Max 128, Min 86
#3) DLSS Quality (no RT, DLSS Quality, no FG) - biggest win here is the 35% increase in the High & Medium #1 results:
  • Ultra = Average 138, Max 175, Min 119
  • High = Average 205, Max 244, Min 159
  • Medium = Average 223, Max 266, Min 173
  • Low = Average 227, Max 269, Min 178
My settings (High everything + DLSS Quality + Motion Blur Off + Film Grain Off):
  • Average 150, Max 195, Min 140
I can't see any visual difference between Ultra and High settings, so it's pointless using Ultra in this instance, and on OLED the colours pop so much that you really don't miss ray tracing at all. Of course, this is just one game, and it's not a 'twitch shooter' or a competitive game, so that's plenty of FPS for a game like that.
 
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