1440 Gaming Spec - suggestions?

DangerMouse1981 · 15 Oct 2020 at 10:20

Hi folks,

Looking to build a Mini ITX gaming rig after not building a desktop for quite some time! Last PC was a Intel Q6600 so we're talking a long time ago.

Looking to get back in to PC gaming - tend to go for FPS titles. Recently picked up a LG 27GL850 which is awesome and would like to be able to get the most out of it. Don't plan to go to 4k any time soon.

Processor wise, currently looking at the i5 10600k or one of the new AMD processors at similar price point (I guess this would be 5600?) - thoughts?

GPU selection is proving a little more tricky - suggestions appreciated.

Cheers,

Steve

mickyflinn · 15 Oct 2020 at 10:46

Hi What's your budget ?

A 3070 or 3080 depending on budget but there's avalability issues.

5600x is November 5th launch.

DangerMouse1981 · 15 Oct 2020 at 10:57

Not sure the budget will stretch to a 3080 and as you say there are major availability issues with the 3000 series - not sure I have the patience with the drama!

Normally I'd put a budget in of around 1k but was planning on going pretty small with the Dan Case A4 (https://www.overclockers.co.uk/dan-cases-a4-sfx-v4.1-mini-itx-gaming-case-black-ca-006-da.html) so I know that I'll end up with a bit of a premium on case price, PSU, mobo etc. The price of going mini-ITX I guess.

So back to budget; its more about getting good bang for buck and decent performance for me. Not aiming for the latest and greatest on anything, and probably won't be upgrading regularly. Hopefully 1.2-1.5k should cover it.

Will the 5600x be more thermally efficient than the i5? Planning on sticking with air cooling if possible, no plans to overclock.

Steve

mickyflinn · 15 Oct 2020 at 11:33

There's seems to be no available sfx psu at the moment and will be £150 for 750w unit.

Micro atx mite would give you more options.

This is without the cpu and cooler so you see what your getting with some of your choices.

ODE My basket at Overclockers UK:

1 x Dan Cases A4-SFX V4.1 Mini-ITX Gaming Case - Black= £199.99
1 x Corsair SF Series 750W 80 Plus Platinum Modular SFX Power Supply (CP-9020186-UK)= £134.99
1 x Team Group Vulcan Z T-Force 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4 PC4-25600C16 3200MHz Dual Channel Kit - Grey= £98.99
1 x Asus GeForce RTX 3080 TUF Gaming 10GB GDDR6X PCI-Express Graphics Card= £719.99
1 x WD Blue SN550 1TB NVME M.2 2280 PCIe Gen3 Solid State Drive (WDS100T2B0C)= £109.99
1 x MSI MPG B550I Gaming Edge WiFi (AMD AM4) B550 Mini-ITX Motherboard= £164.99

Total: £1,440.04 (includes shipping: £11.10)

Shaolin Chicken · 15 Oct 2020 at 12:25

You would have to get the Nvidia RTX 3080 Founders Edition if you wanted to use the Dan A4 as it only takes 2 slot graphics cards.

DangerMouse1981 · 15 Oct 2020 at 12:29

Thanks Micky - similar to what I mapped out.

Really want to the 3080 (doesn't everyone?

) - is it needed for 1440p gaming?

Inspiration for this build came from this - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AENfa_nNvuI

Wondering if the AMD 5600x will be the better processor option when its available? Haven't been Team Red since Athlon days and wouldn't mind switching away from Intel.

Shaolin Chicken said:
You would have to get the Nvidia RTX 3080 Founders Edition if you wanted to use the Dan A4 as it only takes 2 slot graphics cards.

Good shout. Plus I'm not sure if the cooling on the FE is good when mounted vertically in a small case.

Steve

mickyflinn · 15 Oct 2020 at 12:55

Your case here has a choice of compatable coolers .

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/dan-...2mm-all-in-one-cpu-cooler-bu-000-da.html#t=a7

The 5600x is goining to be a good choice but wait for benchmarks to compare.

DangerMouse1981 · 15 Oct 2020 at 12:56

Awesome, thanks. Didnt realise that a bundle existed.

The Alpenföhn Alpenfohn Black Ridge Low Profile CPU Cooler - 120mm was already in the basket

Agree - indications are that it makes sense to go with the AMD option if possible.

Steve

mickyflinn · 15 Oct 2020 at 13:20

DangerMouse1981 said:
Awesome, thanks. Didnt realise that a bundle existed.

The Alpenföhn Alpenfohn Black Ridge Low Profile CPU Cooler - 120mm was already in the basket

Agree - indications are that it makes sense to go with the AMD option if possible.

Steve

I'm a big fan ( no pun intended ) of Alpenföhn they make quality components at good prices.

Remember to Check the thermal cooling of the cpu you choose.

The m2 drive i sugedted was £90 yesterday so keep an eye out.

The Adata XPG SX8200 Pro M.2 1TB is a top performing drive and costs £110

Chaos666 · 15 Oct 2020 at 21:13

i'm still on 1080ti and it plays everything i throw at it in 1440p .. but.... i also ordered a 1440p 165hz Dell .. so I am looking for a cheap used 2080ti or 3080 ...
If you want to take full advantage of your new monitor you need at least 100+ frames per second

martin363 · 16 Oct 2020 at 07:19

Shaolin Chicken said:
You would have to get the Nvidia RTX 3080 Founders Edition if you wanted to use the Dan A4 as it only takes 2 slot graphics cards.

The EVGA XC3 should also fit, I have a Dan case and it will take a 2.2 slot card

DangerMouse1981 · 16 Oct 2020 at 13:30

mickyflinn said:
I'm a big fan ( no pun intended ) of Alpenföhn they make quality components at good prices.

Remember to Check the thermal cooling of the cpu you choose.

The m2 drive i sugedted was £90 yesterday so keep an eye out.

Thanks Mick - that does sound like a great price on that.

Chaos666 said:
i'm still on 1080ti and it plays everything i throw at it in 1440p .. but.... i also ordered a 1440p 165hz Dell .. so I am looking for a cheap used 2080ti or 3080 ...
If you want to take full advantage of your new monitor you need at least 100+ frames per second

Makes sense. The whole debacle over the new 3000 series cards is really putting me off even thinking of getting one!

martin363 said:
The EVGA XC3 should also fit, I have a Dan case and it will take a 2.2 slot card

Thanks Martin - what do you use in your Dan case? How are the thermals?

Chaos666 · 16 Oct 2020 at 22:41

DangerMouse1981 said:
Makes sense. The whole debacle over the new 3000 series cards is really putting me off even thinking of getting one!

that is how you know that there is a good product to buy :>
its finally a product with a good price to performance unlike rtx 2000 series
I'm thinking about it myself as I ordered an 1440p 165hz monitor :>

martin363 · 17 Oct 2020 at 07:13

DangerMouse1981 said:
Thanks Martin - what do you use in your Dan case? How are the thermals?

I use it as a secondary machine for my office and some light gaming, so stuffed with older parts.

Thermals on the GPU are absolutely fine, though do not go for a founders edition 3080, this is a sandwich layout case and the airflow on that card will not work. I don't have an XC3, but I do have an EVGA XC 2080 2 slot card I have used in there before and it was no issue. I am confident looking at the remaining space a 2.2 slot card (like the XC3) at 44mm should fit, tight but should fit. The 1660ti I have in there currently is a 3 fan Gigabyte and never gets above about 62c when gaming at 1440p, medium settings.

The CPU is more of an issue, cooling options are limited. I used to use the 645l AIO in there but the space for it is so restricted it does not get the air required to cool effectively. The black ridge is likely the best bet with a mid range CPU. I currently have a 4790k in there with a Noctua NH-L9i and I limit the CPU clocks to 3.9ghz to keep it comfortable. It gets too hot at anything much beyond that. Set up like that the CPU never goes above about 65c gaming, but ramps up rapidly if I try to increase the clocks further. I also have a 0.045v offset on the CPU at those clocks.

Good case though if you don't want a high end CPU in there. GPU, no issue I suspect with anything up to the 3080.