Intel’s latest Rocket Lake CPUs may not have set the world on fire at the high end, but the mid i5 parts offer good value and strong performance. They make a great basis for a mid-range gaming machine and importantly the non F versions include integrated graphics, so you can build a functional PC now and get a GPU when you are able to. The F version will require a discrete GPU for any display output. 

This PC balances cost and performance to get the most value from the i5-11400 or 11400F without overspending. By choosing an appropriate GPU it will perform excellently at all resolutions, allowing high framerate gaming and good performance in demanding AAA titles. It’s also perfectly capable of basic productivity work and general use.

In this guide, we’ll take you through our choices for each component in turn for this Intel Core i5-11400(F) build.

Best Intel i5-11400(F) Build – The Parts List

CPU: Intel Core i5-11400

Intels 11^th generation CPUs, named “Rocket Lake” bring a number of new features to the table. They have native PCIe 4.0 support allowing the use of fast SSDs and the most up to date GPU connection protocol. They also have Intel’s most up to date integrated graphics architecture, the Iris Xe powered UHD 730. The i5-11500 and i5-11600 get the next tier up, the UHD 750 which offers slightly more performance, but sadly they’re still not able to play anything but the most basic of desktop games. Nonetheless, this iGPU allows desktop output, basic games, and accelerates some processes like video transcoding and calculations in Adobe suite products making it a versatile addition to the spec of this PC.
The i5-11400 boosts the per-core performance relative to the older generation Intel CPUs and has 6 cores and 12 threads. This means it’s well suited to gaming and all-round use. The peak clock speed of 4.4GHz enables high frame rate play and ensures good gaming performance.

Alternatively, if you have a GPU and will not use applications assisted by the iGPU, you can opt for the ‘F’ suffix CPUs which are slightly cheaper but forgo inbuilt graphics. This saves a little money. You could also opt for the i5-11500 or i5-11600 which have a slightly higher boost speed and the slightly higher performance intel UHD 750 iGPU. However, the performance difference is not marked and it’s not worth paying substantially more for these CPUs. If you’re considering the i5-11600K, then we’d recommend pairing it with a Z590 motherboard in order to unlock its full potential by overclocking.

The i5-11400 mixes high performance, versatility and great value to be a fantastic choice for your gaming PC.

CPU Cooler: ID-COOLING SE-224-XT

The i5-11400 is supplied with a revised ‘all black’ CPU cooler, and if you’re seeking to minimize costs you can happily use that. However, we recommend using an upgraded tower cooler to minimize noise and keep temperatures down. Lower temperatures ensure your CPU will reach and maintain the highest boost clock speeds it can. The ID-COOLING SE-224-XT is a great option at $35. It performs well with 4 heat pipes and an efficient fan, and the cost is lower than some competitors, and it comes with a tube of thermal paste so you can attach and refit it without buying more. It’s a great buy. 

Motherboard: ASRock B560 Steel Legend

Intel’s B560 chipset complements the i5 non-K CPUs perfectly in a gaming or general-purpose build. They have allowed memory overclocking even for non-K CPUs, which unleashes a good amount of additional potential through reduced memory latency with faster RAM. The primary PCIe slot is PCIe 4.0 compliant, and so is the main M.2 slot although PCIe 3.0 drives will work perfectly well in this slot, providing better value. Whilst boards are still trickling into retail availability, the ASRock B560 Steel Legend is a sound choice from the B560 motherboards available at this time. It has both display port and HDMI outputs if you need to use the integrated graphics as a stop-gap. There’s a reasonable VRM configuration, plenty to get the most from an i5 CPU. Three M.2 slots for SSDs and six SATA ports take care of storage, whilst there’s a dedicated m.2 E-Key slot if you want to add an m.2 WiFi adaptor. It has a USB 3.2 header to ensure the USB-C port on the case is functional. There’s a total of six fan headers to allow a variety of cooling setups, and plenty of RGB control headers too.

RAM: ADATA XPG GAMMIX D20 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16

RAM is the working space of the PC, and 16GB is plenty for gaming and general use. This 3200MHz kit from ADATA, the XPG Gammix D20, is relatively cheap, and fast enough to ensure you’re getting good performance from your CPU. Two 8GB Stick enables dual channel mode which is fundamental to aid performance. The CL16 timings are relatively tight, again helping the CPU perform to it’s best. Just be sure to enable the XMP profile in BIOS when you first set the PC up to take advantage of the speed. The simple black heat spreaders give a discrete aesthetic. This RAM is the price to performance sweet spot for a great value Intel system. 

Storage: Western Digital Blue SN550 1TB

This NVMe SSD from Western Digital, the SN550 1TB, is truly excellent value. It uses PCIe 3.0 so whilst it lacks in benchmark results compared to PCIe 4.0 drives, it’s indistinguishable in actual use and provides responsive versatile SSD space. 1TB is ample storage for the operating system, core storage, and several large games and the M.2 form factor makes it a cinch to fit to the motherboard, with no additional data or power cables required. If you have a lot of data to store such as videos or music that doesn’t rely on fast access, we’d advise pairing this with a 2TB or larger Hard Disc Drive, to obtain the advantages of an SSD in general use and the large space of a hard drive. 

Case: Corsair 4000D Airflow

We’ve chosen the popular and versatile Corsair 4000D Airflow for this build. It’s a modern well-engineered case with great airflow thanks to the ventilated front panel. It’s solidly constructed and easy to build in, with good instructions and accessories supplied. It has USB 3.2 via Type A and Type C sockets on the front, and tool-less panel removal. All the intakes have mesh dust filters which are easy to remove and clean. Whilst it comes with 2 120mm fans pre-installed, we’d recommend a pair of 140mm intake fans like the Arctic P14 PST. These larger fans can be run slower, for less noise but plenty of airflow to keep the system cool. This case accommodates the largest of GPUs and has plenty of space for expansion, as well as a basement to conceal the power supply, cables and hard discs. 

Power Supply: be quiet! Pure Power 11 CM 600W 80+ Gold

Power supplies haven’t been immune to supply disruption with prices steadily creeping up and popular units often out of stock. This 600W Semi-modular and gold-rated unit from be quiet! blends the feature set you need with good reliability and an affordable price point. It’s semi-modular so the build isn’t cluttered with cables you don’t need, and uses a quiet 120mm fan. Gold certification means it’s at least 92% efficient. It’s rounded out with a 5-year warranty for your peace of mind. 

The Elephant In the Room: Graphics Cards

We haven’t specified a GPU in this guide. Primarily this is because the market is so unfavourable at this time, any suggestion is going to be out of stock or heavily inflated in price. This PC is well suited to run any GPU from a GTX 1660 Super up to an RTX 3060 Ti, for excellent 1080p to 1440p gaming performance. If you wish to fit a more powerful GPU such as an RTX 3080 or RX 6800 XT for 1440p ultrawide or 4K gaming and can find one, then the only modification required to this build list is a more powerful Power supply, 750W or higher, to support the GPU. So long as you don’t opt for the i5-11400F you can build and test your PC whilst you wait to obtain a GPU and can use it for general tasks, browsing and media consumption as well as some basic games to keep yourself entertained. The addition of a GPU makes this a fantastic gaming PC. 

The post Best Intel Core i5-11400(F) Build for 2021 (Gaming / All-Round Use) appeared first on PremiumBuilds.

Nvidia has released another Ampere GPU and it’s the most affordable yet: The RTX 3060 Ti starts at $399 but make no mistake, this is no entry-level GPU. With performance surpassing the outgoing RTX 2080 Super, this GPU is well suited to 1440p high FPS gameplay. With advanced technologies like RTX cores and DLSS 2.0 for upscaling, it brings high-performance graphics to a price point not seen before. In this build guide, we’ll take you through the best system $1200 can buy featuring the RTX 3060 Ti.

RTX 3060 Ti Gaming PC Build – The Parts List

Graphics Card

At $400 the RTX 3060 Ti is the most affordable Ampere GPU released so far. This new architecture from Nvidia brings a huge step forwards in performance with this $400 card exceeding the performance of the last generations $700 RTX 2080 Super—That’s this generations mid tier card faster than all but the highest end of the Turing GPU offerings from just 2 years ago. This card will approach or exceed 100FPS in demanding AAA titles at 1440p, with even Red Dead Redemption 2 hitting around 80FPS with settings turned up to High. It has the advantage of a lower power draw than the higher end cards in the lineup, with a 650W Power supply being adequate to power it’s 200W demands. This increases the value of this graphics card and reduces the additional spend needed to build a well-rounded system. This GPU forms the core of the best bang for buck gaming system currently available – so we’ll select parts that allow it to achieve it’s potential without overspending.

Related: RTX 3060 Ti vs RTX 2080 Super

CPU

To properly take advantage of the RTX 3060 Ti you need a well-balanced system with a high-performance CPU. This is because the GPU is capable of high frame rates in well-optimised titles so long as the CPU is up to the task. We’ve opted for the Intel i5-10600K in this instance to maintain the value of the build: whilst the Ryzen 5 5600X is slightly higher performance, it’s also more expensive and at present stock is hard to find. The Intel i5-10600K nearly equals it in performance in high framerate titles, but most of the time the GPU will be the limiting factor so there will be no performance difference at all. We’ve paired this CPU with a Hyper 212 Black Edition, which is a great value and capable CPU cooler to reduce temperatures and noise and keeps the total CPU cost to $300.

Motherboard

We’ve opted for this Aorus Elite AC branded Z490 motherboard from Gigabyte for a number of reasons. Firstly Gigabyte offers strong VRM performance across their Z490 range, meaning you can comfortably overclock the power-hungry Comet Lake CPU without excessive heat or instability. The Aorus Elite AC has 12+1 Phase VRM with 50 Amp Mosfets to ensure stable power to the CPU. This motherboard is also capable of taking the more powerful i7-10700K or even the 10-core i9-10900K in future if you wish to upgrade, as well as being forwards compatible with upcoming Rocket Lake ‘11^th gen’ intel CPUs.

The Aorus Elite AC uses a Realtek 2.5G Ethernet controller, whilst many of the competition uses an Intel ‘I225V’ which unfortunately suffers from packet loss in some earlier revisions: Rather than hunt through retailer sites to ensure you don’t get a defective LAN chip, this motherboard avoids the issue entirely. The rest of the specifications are excellent with good USB connectivity, inbuilt WiFi, three M.2 slots and a high quality ALC1200 Audio Codec. This motherboard is a strong pairing with the i5-10600K and will allow the RTX 3060 Ti to really shine. Regarding the lack of PCIe 4.0 functionality: Testing shows that this doesn’t negatively impact GPU performance at all, and neither is the increased speed of a PCIe 4.0 SSD beneficial to gaming or worth the additional costs of those high-performance SSDs. Therefore the specification of this motherboard and CPU is in keeping with the bang-for-buck nature of this build, giving you maximum gaming performance without overspending. 

Memory

This G.Skill Ripjaws V 16GB DDR4-3200 CL16 RAM kit is sufficient for all current games. Intel isn’t as RAM speed sensitive as Ryzen, allowing us to take advantage of slightly lower-priced and more readily available RAM. This kit is from G.Skill who is a trusted brand and runs at 3200MHz. It has CL16 16-18-18-38 timings for good performance and a stable XMP overclock with one click in BIOS, and using a dual-stick kit means you benefit from dual-channel operation which maximizes the bandwidth and improves performance. This is a rock-solid RAM kit and provides enough memory at a high enough speed to ensure great performance from this PC. 

Storage

With SSD prices dropping all the time it makes sense to specify a large SSD for the operating system and games. This is a solid choice from Western Digital with their SN550 1TB NVMe SSD, and whilst it may not post the highest scores in benchmarks, our own testing shows it to be no slower in real-world performance (booting and game loading) than much more expensive options. Therefore it’s an ideal drive for a gaming and general-purpose PC. Running this in the primary M.2 Slot keeps a second M.2 slot free for future upgrades, and simplifies both storage and set up with just one drive. 

PC Case

Phanteks have a strong reputation for high performance and attractive cases with great cooling capability. The Phanteks P400A has a mesh front panel allowing maximum airflow into the case, to ensure ample cooling for the CPU and GPU. A PSU shroud keeps cabling neat inside whilst a tempered glass side panel shows off the bits you do want people to see. It’s an ATX mid-tower and has a standard layout for ease of build and maintenance, but there’s plenty of options to mount radiators, multiple fan configurations and additional drives as you need or PC expand with time.  There are alternative versions if you’d prefer: The P400A Digital includes 3 RGB front case fans, and there are white variants too, but this case represents a great starting point and can be configured however you choose.  If you don’t opt for the P400A Digital, We’d recommend adding a pair of 140mm fans of your choice to this case to act as intake, and ensure case temperatures are kept low.

Power Supply

One of the blessings of the RTX 3060 Ti against its higher strung siblings it the reduced power requirements. Whilst the RTX 3080 and RTX 3070 demand much more expensive power supplies, the relatively frugal 250W draw of this GPU mean we can specify a cheaper but still very capable Power supply. With choice restricted and prices elevated owing to supply issues, we’ve opted for the EVGA GD series in 600W format here. This is a new design, refreshed in 2019 and meeting Gold efficiency requirements. It’s non modular, which means all required cables come permanently attached to the power supply. That’s not a problem – in fact it simplifies the build process and if you wish to customise your cabling then extensions are cheaper and easier to find than full custom cables for a modular power supply. This PSU also has the full suite of protection features to prevent damage to itself and your system in the event of any faults. It’s backed by EVGA’s 5 years warranty, to provide you with peace of mind.

Best 1080p 240Hz Monitor for RTX 3060 Ti

The Alienware AW2521HF is a specialist 1080p monitor with 240Hz refresh rate and a very fast response time: This is the perfect monitor to take advantage of the very high frame rates this PC’s CPU and GPU combination will deliver at 1080p. If you’re a competitive player in titles like Rainbow 6 Siege, CoD Warzone, or even Fortnite then a faster framerate can make the difference between winning and losing. This monitor uses G-Sync compatible Adaptive Sync technology to display frames as soon as they’re ready, reducing lag and eliminating tearing. It’s the perfect complement to this system if fast-paced shooters are your favoured games.

Best 1440p All-rounder Monitor for RTX 3060 Ti

The RTX 3060 Ti really shines at 1440p resolution, where it can bring detailed worlds to life in intricate detail. To really immerse yourself in games like Cyberpunk 2077 or Red Dead Redemption 2, we’d recommend this 27” 1440p monitor, the M27Q, from Gigabyte. It uses an IPS panel for rich vibrant colors and includes a 144hz refresh rate and Freesync premium to ensure tear-free high frame rate action. It’s great value and keeps it on-trend with the theme of this PC: Maximising bang for buck around the new value champion, the RTX 3060 Ti. 

Conclusion

Overall, this system delivers an epic high FPS 1080p or all-round 1440p Gaming experience, at just $1200. This is a level of performance we couldn’t dream of at the price only a year ago. Nvidia’s Ampere has brought this within reach, with the RTX 3060 Ti providing a gaming experience you had to spend $800 on the GPU alone to rival in the previous generation. This is an excellent gaming PC at a price you can afford. 

The post $1200 RTX 3060 Ti Gaming PC Build for 1440p Gaming appeared first on PremiumBuilds.

AMD’s RDNA2 launch announcement has put the cat amongst the pigeons in the upper end of the GPU market. Finally, Nvidia has competition on their hands. The entry-level RDNA2 GPU is the Radeon RX 6800. This GPU promises to equal or better the RTX 3070 in 1440p and 4k gaming performance but offers double the VRAM with 16GB instead of 8GB. Retailing at $579 the RX 6800 offers compelling performance for the money. We’re excited that GPUs capable of high FPS 1440p gaming is attainable for less than $600.

In this build guide, we’ve assembled a parts list that seeks to maximise the performance and longevity of the system based around the Radeon RX 6800. We’ve taken care to ensure that the PC will last well into the future without requiring upgrades or expansion. We’ve done this by choosing the current best in class CPU, optimised RAM and 2TB of NVME SSD storage. This PC will provide a top-notch gaming experience for the foreseeable future but packs enough punch to double as a versatile workstation and general-purpose PC as well. Its ideally suited to high FPS 1440p gaming or running a 1440p ultrawide monitor for an enthralling AAA gaming experience. It’s well capable of 4K gaming if you want to bring PC gaming to the living room TV or a dedicated 4K monitor. Let’s run through the parts selection.

Best RX 6800 Gaming PC Build – Our Recommendations

CPU

We’ve opted for AMD’s 8 core part in the new Zen 3 line up for this build, the Ryzen 7 5800X. This CPU has a 3.8Ghz Base clock and boosts to 4.7GHz with ‘Power boost Overdrive’ meaning it has excellent gaming performance. AMD has boasted of a huge leap forwards with their revised Zen 3 Architecture. They’ve enhanced the Cache access for the 8 cores and reduced the latency of the interconnect between cores – traditionally a big performance barrier in the Zen layout. All of this adds up to a CPU that will outperform any current intel CPU in gaming, whilst 8 cores and 16 threads meaning it is both adept at productivity tasks and multitasking but also set to last the course as programmes become more demanding in future. Finally, the RDNA2 announcement offered a few more compelling reasons to opt for an AMD CPU. Combined with the B550 motherboard ‘Smart Memory Access’ gives the CPU broadband interconnect with the GPU VRAM dramatically enhancing framerates at 1440p and 4K. AMD Claim a benefit of 5-10% using this technology, certainly worthwhile. Secondly this CPU is fully PCIe 4.0 compliant allowing faster communication with both the primary GPU and a PCIe 4.0 SSD in future. Overall the $449 Ryzen 5800X is a rock-solid core for this PC and represents best in class technology at a reasonable price point.

CPU Coolers

The Ryzen 5800X isn’t particularly hot running or hard to cool. We’ve chosen a great looking and reliable tower cooler with some added RGB highlights to match the case. This tower cooler – the ID-COOLING SE-234-ARGB, uses 4 heat pipes, and a quiet 120mm PWM tan to draw heat away from the CPU. Its 200W cooling capacity is more than enough for the 105W power draw of the 5800X. It’s simple to install and includes AM4 compatible bracketry. Meanwhile, black anodising and an addressable RGB shroud compliments the styling of the motherboard and case to give your PC a cohesive aesthetic. If you’re not a fan of the RGB, the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Black edition is an equally capable and more discreet looking cooler at the same price. 

Motherboard

MSI has released a strong line up of B550 motherboards in support of Zen 3 and this mid-range Gaming Edge model hits the sweet spot of performance, features and price. The 10+2 phase power supply circuitry is more than capable of supporting the Ryzen 5800X at full speeds and there are heavy-duty VRM heatsinks to help draw heat away from the components. The MSI MPG B550 Gaming Edge WiFi motherboard incorporates Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth for versatile connectivity but also has a 2.5GB Ethernet port powered by a Realtek chipset. The ALC1200 Audio codec is mid-range but allows for excellent audio output and there’s optical SPDIF as well as five 3.5mm audio outputs. It supports PCIe 4.0 and AMD’s ‘Smart Memory Access’ technology to boost the performance of the RX 6800 GPU. Finally, it has a discreet black aesthetic in keeping with the rest of the build.

Memory

RAM prices have dropped consistently in 2020 and 32GB is now a sensible choice for a high-performance PC build. Our own investigations have shown 3600MHz RAM to be the sweet spot in terms of performance and value on Zen 2 CPU’s. Because Zen 3 CPU’s retain the same IO die and ‘infinity fabric’ as Zen 2 we’re confident that 3600MHZ speed will remain the best value option for Zen 3. Whilst this RAM has slightly slower CL18 timings it’s clock speed that really impacts performance by synchronising the CPU’s infinity fabric and RAM frequencies. This 32Gb Team T-FORCE Dark Za Memory Kit comes with a QVL supported one clock A-XMP overclock profile to get it running at optimal speed so you can be confident of compatibility. The Anodised black heat spreader matches the black aesthetic of the motherboard. In 2x16GB configuration you benefit from dual-channel operation and also leave 2 RAM slots free should you ever need to upgrade capacity in future. 

Storage

Games are getting ever-larger and we don’t want to under specify SSD space for a versatile and powerful PC. That’s why we’ve opted for the Adata Swordfish NVMe SSD in 2Tb capacity. At $200 this is a remarkable value. Whilst it is a mid-range SSD with 1,800MB/s read and 1,400MB/s write it’s plenty fast enough for general use and gaming and it will even handle occasional video editing and other storage punishing tasks with ease. We haven’t chosen a PCIe 4.0 SSD because the much higher cost is rarely justified and the benefits of the additional theoretical speed really aren’t made out for most users. The Adata Swordfish, therefore, strikes the best balance of price, performance and 2TB capacity. It ships with a 5-year warranty and 960Tb total endurance rating as well as inbuilt AES 256 bit encryption.

PC Case

The Phanteks Eclipse P400A Digital is an excellent value case including 3 RGB fans and a mesh front panel for optimal airflow. It’s a mid-tower ATX design so it offers plenty of space for components and upgrades but remains more manageable than a full ATX tower. The tempered glass side panel showcases the components within whilst a full suite of dust filters keeps everything clean. Front panel connectors include 2 USB 3.0 sockets and the usual headphone and microphone jack. Build quality is excellent with a PSU shroud, sliding Hard disc trays and good cable management features like tie-down straps and cable channels integrated into the design. A single additional 120MM fan in the top rear position will act as exhaust whilst preserving the 3 fan aesthetic of the front of the case. This Case is a pleasure to build in and look at and provides the airflow to keep everything running cool and quiet.

Power Supply

The total power draw of this system is around 450W peak and we’ve selected a good value and well-specified Power supply to meet these demands. The Antec Earthwatts Gold Pro is a semi-modular design meaning the ATX and EPS cables are permanently connected, whilst you add additional cables to power accessories as required. This build will make use of 2 additional PCIe Cables only to keep the wiring clean and simple. 650W capacity allows headroom for transient loads and also future expansion with a more powerful GPU or additional drives and accessories. It has a quiet operation with a high-quality fan. The PSU uses Japanese capacitors and ships with a 7-year warranty so you can be confident it will last the lifetime of this PC. We’ve been using this Power supply in the Premiumbuilds test bench and have been impressed with its resilience and consistent operation so we have no hesitation recommending it for this build. 

1440P Monitor Recommendation

The RX 6800 is a high-performance GPU and demands a monitor that’s up to task. The Asus TUF Gaming VG27AQ is a 165Hz 1440p IPS panel that benefits from Freesync. The high resolution of this monitor allows sharp images and more detail, really maximizing the power of the GPU for stunning visual fidelity. Meanwhile, it’s able to keep pace with a GPU and CPU that excel in generating fast-paced gameplay. The IPS panel ensures razor-sharp response times and no motion blur, the perfect combination for serious gamers. The panels color accuracy and quality are well regarded in reviews. If you’re planning to make the most of this latest round of GPU’s you really do need a monitor that displays their full potential and the Asus VG27AQ certainly meets the standard. 

Ultrawide Monitor for RX 6800 Alternative

If you’re looking to exploit the power of the RX 6800 for the ultimate AAA gaming experience, or want sims like MS Flight or racing sims to really shine then we’d recommend this 34” ultrawide from LG, the Ultragear 34GK950F-B. The Ultrawide experience wraps around you filling your peripheral vision and immersing you in gameplay. Almost all titles are fully compatible and whilst the previous generation of GPUs required you to spend nearly $1000 to properly drive this demanding resolution we’re now seeing GPUs at under $600 that absolutely excel. This 144Hz panel uses AMD’s Freesync 2 to eliminate screen tearing, smooth framerates and maintain immersion. The IPS panel ensures great colour accuracy and response times. This is a high-end monitor and comes with an integrated USB Hub and a sturdy and ergonomic stand. Reviews praise its image quality and response times. We highly recommend this monitor if you want to take full advantage of the power of the Radeon RX 6800 GPU. 

The post $1800 RX 6800 Gaming PC Build for High-FPS 1440p Gaming appeared first on PremiumBuilds.

AMD’s Ryzen CPUs have come to redefine what we expect from a processor in terms of performance and value. Using higher core counts to achieve versatile CPU whilst pricing them competitively saw AMD build a strong market. They still excelled in-game though, with more than enough performance for all but the most demanding competitive players. This month AMD made a bold statement with their Zen 3 release. They’ve announced that they’re out-performing intel across the board but especially in gaming which was traditionally Intel’s strongest suit. The six core ‘Ryzen 5’ CPUs have always been the mainstay of this line of products and the 5600X looks like it will continue this trend offering top-drawer gaming performance and versatility too. In this article, we’ve built a PC that takes full advantage of this $299 high-performance processor. This PC will excel in high FPS gaming, but also has a powerful enough GPU to allow glorious AAA titles to shine at 1440p. However, the strength of the 5600X will be in its value, so the build is carefully balanced to keep performance high but costs under control. Every part represents the best value component for this class of build, so let’s dig in!

Best Ryzen 5 5600X Gaming Build – The Parts List

CPU: Ryzen 5 5600X

AMD claim to have made big strides with this generation of their Zen Architecture. The CPU core layout has been redesigned for better access to the cache memory on the CPU and reduced memory latency overall, as well as slightly higher clock speeds. The Ryzen 5 5600X is a 6 core 12 thread CPU with a boost clock of 4.7Ghz, 300Mhz higher than the outgoing Zen 2 parts. It still uses AMD’s ‘PBO’ technology that opportunistically raises boost levels to take advantage of thermal and power delivery headroom and maximise the potential of your chip. All of this adds up to a CPU that should exceed the capabilities of the current gaming value champion, the $279 Intel i5-10600K but at a much lower power draw. This CPU will excel in fast-paced shooters and more complex titles alike, whilst the six cores mean it’ll be perfectly capable in tasks like occasional video editing or photo processing. It supports the latest specifications such as PCIe 4.0 so you can adopt these technologies as they mature. The Ryzen 5600X is set to become the standard core of mid-range gaming systems owing to its touted performance advantage and lower platform costs over an equivalent Intel CPU.

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Black Edition

Whilst AMD includes a stock cooler with the Ryzen 5 5600X, it’s a noisy affair and not really suited to getting the most out of the CPU. We’ve opted to include a more appropriate aftermarket cooler for the 5600X, the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Black Edition. This tower cooler uses a 120mm fan and four heat pipes to pull heat away from the 5600X with minimal noise. Lower temperatures equate to higher boost clocks and the ability to sustain them for longer, improving the performance of your CPU. With PBO on hand to take advantage of a better cooler, the $35 outlay is easily justified for both performance and quality of life via lower noise levels. 

Motherboard: Gigabyte B550M AORUS Pro

There is no motherboard revision for the Zen 3 CPUs and they will all work on B550 and X570 motherboards –although has the specification of the CPU is unreleased, if you buy prior to the CPU release you may have to flash the BIOS to gain compatibility. In terms of Value B550 is more than enough for almost all gamers. This chipset offers PCIe 4.0 support for the GPU and one NVMe SSD, along with a full suite of CPU and RAM overclocking facilities and multitudes of USB connectivity options. We’ve selected the Gigabyte AORUS B550M owing to its well-judged balance of features and pricing at just $130. It has a strong voltage delivery configuration with 10+3 phase design to ensure that the Ryzen 5600X is able to perform optimally and boost to those high clock speeds. There are two M.2 slots with the main slot offering PCie 4.0 compatibility direct to the CPU. The audio codec is a high-quality ALC 1200 chip, and gigabyte Ethernet is plenty for almost all home settings. There are 5 fan headers and a suite of 6 temperature sensors to allow you to monitor the thermal performance of your build and tweak adjustments if needed. Overall this motherboard is an excellent backbone to the system and keeps costs down with an attractive $130 price point.

RAM: Crucial Ballistix RGB 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory

Whilst we will have to wait for performance testing of RAM on Zen 3 CPUs, what we know about the design allows us to make informed decisions. The IO chip that acts as an interconnect between the CPU cores and the outside world remains unchanged, axnd it’s this that dictates the infinity fabric speeds and optimal RAM specification. Therefore it seems very likely that 3600Mhz RAM with tight CAS timings will be optimal, and given our testing it will certainly remain the price to performance sweet spot for this new processor with 3600MHz RAM being relatively affordable. We’ve chosen this Crucial Ballistix 2X8GB kit with RGB highlights for a little extra visual flair. It offers good timings and uses Micron E-die chips which are high quality and overclock well if you want to try your hand at optimising speeds and timings further. 16GB is plenty of RAM for almost every game, and there are 2 slots left free for a hassle-free upgrade should you need more RAM in future. 

Storage: Western Digital SN550 1Tb NVME SSD

2020 has been a great year for SSDs and we’ve seen storage prices drop making high capacity SSDs affordable for all. There’s also been competition for performance however the benefits for gaming and general-purpose PC’s really aren’t made out. There’s minimal difference in boot or loading times and only really specialist usage cases need to consider the higher performance SSDs for tasks such as high-resolution video editing or manipulation of large files. We’ve used the Western Digital SN550 in our test bench for over 3 months now and remain impressed with its performance. This SSD offers 2400MB/s sequential read and 1950MB/s write speeds and uses 3D TLC NAND for good endurance and sustained write speeds. It lacks DRAM but doesn’t let that put you off: WD uses an SRAM cache combined with their proprietary controller to ensure performance doesn’t suffer.  It ships with a 5-year warranty and at $105 represents excellent value for money. 

Graphics Card: Nvidia RTX 3070

We’ve gone out on a limb here because this is an unreleased GPU featuring in a build for an unreleased CPU – however, we’re confident that the October 29^th release of the RTX 3070 will be the best price to performance offering for a mid-range PC. Listing at around $499 the RTX 3070 has 8GB VRAM but Nvidia tout performance equalling the RTX 2080 Ti. We’ll have to wait and see exactly how that stands up to scrutiny but nevertheless, we can expect at least RTX 2080 Super class performance at a much-reduced price. This combines with Ray tracing and tensor cores to leverage AI technologies. Chief amongst these is DLSS 2.0, a super-sampling process whereby AI is used to upscale images using a library of super-high-resolution 16K renders from games. This allows for dramatically improved visuals and performance and is a game-changer in the way GPUs process in-game graphics. At $500 this GPU represents the current best in class 1440p solution, with ample power for the most demanding titles. Be warned: Demand is likely to be high and supply limited, so get in the queue early to secure yours!

PC Case: Cooler Master MasterBox MB311L ARGB

We’ve opted for a slightly more compact mATX form factor for this build and chosen the excellent value Cooler Master MB311L. This case comes with 2 pre-installed 120mm Fans with RGB lighting behind the mesh front panel. The PSU shroud hides the uglier bits of the build whilst a tempered glass side panel displays the rest of the components to best effect: Your RGB Ram and the motherboard heatsinks will look great. We’ve also opted to add another 120mm fan matched to the front to act as an exhaust. Meanwhile, there’s a pair of additional front panel USB ports and the usual flexibility of a drive cage in the ‘basement’ of the case. At $60 this case is a great way to keep costs lower without reducing performance, and also keeps the size of the PC manageable being mATX mid-tower format.

PSU: Antec Earthwatts Gold Pro 650 W 80+ Gold

The PSU market is still reeling from supply troubles in 2020, but this unit from Antec represents a great buy. With 650W output and Gold efficiency rating it’s more than up to the task of powering the efficient components in this build without overspending. It’s semi modular so you only need to use the cables essential to the build, keeping clutter to a minimum. We use this PSU in our test bench and can vouch for its capability and stability as well as quiet operation and good build quality.  It uses high quality Japanese capacitors and ships with a 7 year warranty for your peace of mind. This PSU is an excellent choice for a mid range gaming build and rounds out the components for the PC itself.

Recommended Monitor: Gigabyte G27QC 

A PC of this calibre demands a monitor capable of showing its capabilities to best effect. Gigabyte has recently released the excellent G27QC at a very attractive $280. This 1440p QHD monitor has a 165Hz refresh rate and uses Freesync premium adaptive sync to eliminate screen tearing and give a smooth consistent gaming experience. 165Hz allows lighting quick reactions in first-person shooters, whilst the monitor has fast response times and low input lag so it’s crisp and responsive. The VA panel gives vibrant colours and deep blacks. This monitor is specified to excel in almost all gaming situations and take maximum advantage of the high refresh rates that this Ryzen 5600X and RTX 3070 gaming PC is capable of. 

Conclusion

This PC uses carefully selected parts to allow the Ryzen 5600X to achieve its full potential. It will give exemplary performance across a broad range of titles for years to come. We hope you’ve found this build inspirational, and we know you’re as excited as we are about the new Zen 3 CPU’s and Ampere GPU’s on the horizon. 

The post $1400 Ryzen 5 5600X Gaming Build – The Best Value PC Build for 2021? appeared first on PremiumBuilds.

The RTX 3070 has been announced and we’ve been able to absorb the specifications and potential performance of this latest generation of GPUs from Nvidia. If the promises made in the keynote presentation are even close to meeting Ampere will herald a new era in graphics card capability. The RTX 3070 is a $499 card that outperforms the $1,200 RTX 2080 Ti launched just 2 years ago. It launches in October and demand is likely to be wild, so get your pre-order in where possible!

Specifications indicate that it will be capable of fluid 60fps 4k gameplay and high FPS 1440p rendering in fast-paced shooters, with settings cranked up. They have doubled the Shader cores, Ray tracing cores and tensor cores performance over the outgoing Turing series RTX cards. Nvidia has made great strides in their AI-powered ‘DLSS 2.0’ algorithms. To achieve the next level in gaming graphics they use supercomputers to train a neural network: 16K resolution static renders of scenes from games are analysed and the data this produces form part of the driver package for RTX GPUs. When you’re playing the game the tensor cores use the neural network to upscale a lower resolution output to a native 1440p or 4K image, and the output is actually higher quality than the native resolution would be. Incredibly it’s also at higher frame rates because of the reduced computational loads for the GPU rendering the initial resolution. This is truly a next-generation technology and allows for unbelievable effects and post-processing without dropping frame rates. 

To experience the full potential of the RTX 3070 you’ll need a rock-solid supporting system capable of high frame rates. We’ve found the components that offer the best performance at their price. This will enable you to build a 1440p high FPS gaming system that will be capable of stunning visuals and immersive fluid gameplay no matter what games you test it with thanks to the awesome RTX 3070.

RTX 3070 Gaming PC Build – The Parts List

CPU: Intel Core i5-10600K

For the CPU we’ve chosen Intel’s latest Comet Lake Core i5-10600K. This 6-core processor has hyperthreading for 12 logical cores and boosts to a 4.8Ghz clock speed. It significantly outpaces the alternatives from AMD in pure gaming performance thanks to a higher per-core throughput. It can also be overclocked allowing you to squeeze even more performance from it: doing this sees it nearly match the gaming performance of the 10 Core i9-10900K at under half the price. The CPU doesn’t support PCIe 4.0 but this isn’t an issue: Whilst Ampere GPU’s are PCIe 4.0 ready, the standard is both forwards and backwards compatible. Even the RTX 2080 Ti uses around half of available PCIe 3.0 bandwidth, so there will be no performance penalty using an RTX 3070 in a PCIe 3.0 system. With the RTX 3070 capable of very high frame rates even at 1440p, you need a high-performance CPU to keep up: The Intel i5-10600K fits the bill perfectly without breaking the bank.

CPU Cooler: Corsair H100x 240mm AIO

The Intel i5-10600K is a hot-running chip, and a solid cooling solution is required to keep temperatures low and boost clocks high. An overheating chip can throttle to protect itself and this ruins the gaming experience with low frame rates and jarring stutters. The Corsair H100x AIO Cooler sports a combined cold plate and pump with simple integrated white LED lighting, and a pair of quiet fans to pull air through the radiator. Even at full speed it makes minimal noise and has the cooling capacity for long periods of intense CPU activity. At just $72 it represents great value for money.

Motherboard: MSI Gaming Edge Z490 WiFi

MSI has produced a fantastic Z490 motherboard with their Z490 Gaming Edge WiFi. The voltage regulation circuitry is shared with much higher tier products in their range with a 12+1+1 phase configuration and 60Amp ISL99390 power stages: This Z490 motherboard is more than capable of supplying stable clean voltage for the i5-10600K even when overclocked. It incorporates both Wi-Fi 6 and Realtek 2.5G LAN, avoiding the networking issues associated with Intel’s common but defective I225-V 2.5G Network controller. There’s the usual assortment of USB ports including USB-C, Two M.2 slots and a high-quality Realtek ALC1200 Audio chip. This board combines a host of premium features in a good value package and is an excellent pairing with the i5-10600K.

Memory: G.Skill Trident Z 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16

16GB of RAM is still plenty for gaming in 2020 with only certain niche titles requiring more. Memory speeds are important but not as critical as with an AMD Ryzen chip so we’ve opted for this DDR4-3200MHz kit from G.Skill. With a pleasing heatsink design and great performance, this RAM hits the sweet spot of price and performance as well as guaranteed compatibility with the motherboard as it is listed on the Qualified Vendors List.

Storage: Western Digital SN550 1Tb NVME SSD

SSD prices have been gradually dropping in 2020 and this 1Tb NVMe drive from western digital  represents a new peak in performance for the Dollar. It uses Western Digital’s own controller to squeeze impressive speed out of the drive, and in all metrics this drive performs amongst the best. It’s more than adequate for a gaming and general purpose drive. With games getting ever bigger it’s important to have a lot of fast storage space to keep load times down, so 1Tb is adequate for a number of AAA titles and many smaller games, as well as general use. 

Case: Fractal Design Meshify C

The Fractal Design Meshify C is an incredibly popular mid-tower case and with good reason. Fractal Design has produced a case with excellent thermal performance thanks to the mesh front. Build quality is good and there are dust filters on every intake as well as plenty of cable management features. Foam in the front panel helps keep noise down and the hard drive bays have neat sliding caddies making fitting drives a breeze. Combined with its unique angular front panel and discreet looks this case is a winner. The Corsair AIO will mount in the front with 2 fans acting as intake, and one of the two included 120mm Fractal Designs fan will exhaust to the rear meaning no additional fans are required for this build.

Power Supply: Antec Earthwatts Gold Pro 750W 80+ Gold

Nvidia recommends a 650W Power supply for the RTX 3070 but we’ve combined that with a power-hungry CPU. The Antec Earthwatts Gold Pro is a 750W PSU and is semi-modular in design, meaning the 24Pin ATX, 8 Pin EPS CPU power cable and PCIe cables are pre-attached. It has 2 EPS connectors allowing you to fully populate the CPU power sockets (8pin + 4Pin) and whilst this isn’t strictly necessary as the i5-10600K can’t pull that much power, it’s nice to have. With PSU pricing and availability still unpredictable this PSU ticks all the boxes at a reasonable price and is backed by a 7-year warranty for peace of mind. 

Monitor: Gigabyte G27QC 27-inch 1440p 165Hz Monitor 

The RTX 3070 is a powerful GPU and a high quality monitor is required to show its capabilities. We think that 1440p 165Hz is the real sweet spot here: This 27” 1440p monitor will provide fantastic detail due to the resolution but also fast fluid gameplay thanks to its’ high refresh rate. There’s always a trade-off to be made with higher resolutions taxing a GPU even with Nvidias impressive new DLSS 2.0 technologies. Note that not all games will be DLSS 2.0 enabled, meaning you will sometimes be reliant on the pure rasterization power of the RTX 3070. This makes the Gigabyte G27QC an excellent choice. It’s priced attractively and is G-Sync certified meaning that whilst it uses Freesync technology, it has been tested as fully compatible with Nvidia GPUs. This adaptive sync feature allows the monitor refresh rate to vary in line with the graphics card output, eliminating screen tearing and providing fluid gameplay even if you’re not hitting the full 165 FPS refresh rate. The VA panel guarantees vibrant colours and deep black levels. Finally, the price at just $289 is very attractive matching the fantastic value of the RTX 3070.

Conclusion

The RTX 3070 heralds a new era in Gaming PC capability. What was previously the preserve of the ultra-high-end is now available at a mid-range price point. With this system, you can be assured of excellent gaming performance for years to come, as well as enjoying all the latest cutting edge  Graphics technologies that Nvidia have brought to the table with the release of Ampere. 

The post Best $1500 RTX 3070 PC Build for 1440p High FPS Gaming appeared first on PremiumBuilds.

The latest iteration of Microsoft flight 2020 releases on the 18^th August 2020 and it looks like it’ll be huge. The developers Asobo Studios have pulled out all the stops to make this the definitive flight simulator. Technologies include live terrain mapping using over 3 Petabytes of global imagery, the most advanced flight modelling currently available, real-time weather and of course flight sim requirements like accurately modelled aircraft and cockpits. If you don’t quite ‘get it’ then we strongly recommend that you have a look at the feature discovery series on YouTube to whet your appetite for this landmark sim. And lest you think Microsoft is feeding us their highlights reel, an army of private alpha and beta testers have been producing eye-watering gorgeous screenshots of aircraft and locations all over the world. Flight 2020 is going to be fantastic!

But will you need a monstrous PC to run it? 

Well, yes and no. There is no doubt that experiencing this game at its best will require heavyweight hardware but Microsoft and Asosbo have clearly kept their eye on the specifications to make this game inclusive for all. A mid-range gaming PC at around $1000 will allow you to enjoy this huge flight simulator experience. Delving into the recommended system specs however, indicates that this is a game that will utilise the latest hardware to its fullest and scale well with more powerful CPUs and GPUs. There’s also the streamed global data to consider; it’s recommended that you have a 50Mbs internet connection an unlimited data cap so that should be one of your considerations to enhance your experience of this game.

In this article, we’ll recommend 3 PC builds that will make the most of your budget to deliver the best possible experience in Microsoft Flight 2020. They aren’t just one-trick ponies though: A PC that runs Flight 2020 well will excel with a wide catalogue of games. We’ll also recommend pairings with monitors and flight sticks appropriate to the budget that will extract the full potential of these powerful PC builds. 

Entry-level Flight Simulator PC Build – The Parts List:

Get flying without spending like you’ve bought an actual aircraft

This system is aimed at getting you the core Flight 2020 experience without breaking the bank. It meets or exceeds recommended specifications in all areas and includes some quality of life features such as Wifi and Bluetooth and a 1Tb of SSD storage.

CPU

AMD’s most recent Zen 2 CPU the Ryzen 5 3600 is an excellent value 6-core CPU with great gaming performance. Multithreading and high single-core speeds helps ensure it can keep pace with complex physics modelling. It is supplied with a cooler and thermal paste which keeps costs down.

Motherboard

The motherboard is from ASUS with their Prime B550M-A WiFi and is a B550 chipset board meaning it is fully Ryzen 3000 compatible. It has inbuilt Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth and six USB ports at the rear, important for connecting peripherals like flight sticks. Dual M.2 drive slots make future upgrades simple.

RAM

32GB of G.Skill Trident Z memory satisfies Flight 2020’s RAM demands and is approved on the Motherboard compatibility list. 2x16GB sticks at 3200Mhz means excellent memory transfer speeds thanks to dual-channel operation. Whilst 3600mhz ram is optimal for Ryzen 2 CPUs the cost of QVL certified ram in 32GB capacity becomes prohibitive at this price point, and the performance impact is minimal.

Storage

Storage is courtesy of a 1Tb NVME SSD with the Crucial P1. This drive uses denser ‘QLC’ NAND for data storage so it’s not as fast as more expensive thoroughbred SSDs but it’s plenty fast enough for gaming and means your storage is entirely on SSD. This has significant performance benefits across the system as a whole.

GPU

To enhance the spectacular visuals of MS flight we’ve opted for the Nvidia RTX 2060 and we’d suggest that this is the sensible entry point to running this game well. With lifelike cockpits, landscapes and weather to render all at once you want a top tier graphics card in your system. The RTX 2060 has consistently impressed at 1080p even in demanding AAA titles.

Case & Power Supply

Wrapping this build up there’s a good quality compact micro-ATX case from CoolerMaster with the NR400, and a quiet, high-efficiency, 600W power supply in the form of the Be quiet! Pure Power 80+ Gold.

Recommended Accessories

Monitor

We’d suggest pairing this budget MS2020 build with the LG 29UM69G-B for a wrap around 29” gaming experience in ultrawide. This 75hz monitor uses FreeSync to smooth out frame rates and will deliver rich vibrant colour thanks to its IPS panel, and is well matched to the RTX 2060 graphics card.

Flight Stick

The Thrustmaster T.Flight HOTAS X is a $65 throttle and stick with all the features you need to get flying. You can separate the two components to find your most comfortable positioning and with a multitude of customisable buttons as well as Z axis rotation on the stick and a simple 8 way thumb hat it gives you full control as you embark on your journey to flight.

Mid-Range Flight Simulator PC Build – The Parts List:

Getting the best from Flight 2020 without a phone call to the bank manager

This PC strikes the balance between performance and price. It comfortably exceeds the ‘ideal’ specifications and can be relied upon to give excellent performance. It comes in at under $2000 with a high quality flight stick included. This system will impress in Microsoft Flight 2020 and any other games you care to try.

CPU

The ideal specs for Flight 2020 strongly hint that an 8 core CPU is optimal, and with complex physics simulations being performed it’s easy to understand why. The Core i7-10700K is Intel’s high performance ‘Comet Lake’ 10^th gen CPU and excels in high frame rate gaming. The i7-10700K uses hyperthreading to provide 16 logical cores meaning it can process complex tasks in parallel at great speed. It is overclockable allowing you to squeeze even more performance from it although we’re confident it will perform excellently right out of the box.

CPU Cooler

The Intel Core i7-10700K is a power-hungry processor and that means there’s heat to be dissipated. The Dark Rock Pro 4 is a high quality cooler from Be Quiet! Has a 200W cooling capacity and blends discreet looks with a very low volume operation thanks to a single 135mm fan. A tower cooler provides excellent reliability and lower noise than a comparable liquid cooler.

Motherboard

Gigabyte made their reputation in the last generation with very solid motherboards well suited to getting the most out of Intel CPU’s. The Gigabyte Z490 Aorus PRO AX continues this legacy with a 12+1 phase voltage delivery circuitry with 55Amp MOSFETS and VRM heatsinks ensuring the i7 CPU can run at full capacity. It also has inbuilt Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth, a high quality ALC1220 audio codec chip, and a good range of input/output options on the backplate.

RAM

We have again opted for 32GB of DRR4 3000Mhz RAM to meet the recommended specification. The Trident Z kit from G.Skill – which we opted for – includes RGB heat spreaders for a touch of visual flare.

Storage

The 1Tb Western Digital SN550 is an NVME drive that utilises TLC NAND memory and a high-performance controller chip to deliver full NVME speeds. The attractive price belies the speeds on offer here, whilst TLC memory eliminates any concerns over performance and longevity. This drive ensures the game will run sweetly without constraints from slow storage.

GPU

To experience the gorgeous visuals offered by MS2020 you’ll need a top-flight graphics card. The RTX 2070 Super has earned its place as the preferred 1440p gaming GPU. Utilising Nvidias current ‘Turing’ core and 8Gb VRAM the RTX 2070 Super packs a few tricks under its sleeve with real-time ray tracing cores and ‘tensor’ cores aimed at optimising AI workloads. This EVGA version carries their strong reputation for customer support as well as three DisplayPort outputs for controlling multi-screen setups.

Case & Power Supply

To ensure good cooling we’ve opted for the mesh fronted Phanteks P400A case. This mid-tower case has good build quality and comes with a pair of case fans for cooling. On the power supply side, the Cooler Master MWE 650W Gold is a high-efficiency PSU with modular cables to reduce clutter and a 5-year warranty gives peace of mind.

Recommended Accessories

Monitor

This PC is aimed at 1440p resolution so this 1440p monitor, the ASUS TUF Gaming VG27AQ, is a perfect fit. It offers excellent picture quality and very high refresh rate along with adaptive sync to remove tearing and improve fluidity.

Flight Stick

The Thrustmaster T.1600M FCS HOTAS is a flight stick and throttle combination that doesn’t cost the earth provides full 4-axis functionality including a sliding throttle and 16 action buttons with an 8-way hat on the stick itself. The stick twists to give rudder control although there is a model with included rudder pedals if you prefer the full set up. 

High-end Flight Simulator PC Build – The Parts List:

Experience MS Flight Simulator 2020 at its very best.

If you’re looking for a no-compromises build that delivers the absolute best performance from current leading edge technology, this is it:

CPU

Intel may be facing a strong challenge from AMD but they still hold the gaming crown. The 10^th generation Core i9-10900K is a 10-core self-overclocking monster of a chip and there is no CPU with higher gaming performance on the market today. Rest assured it will provide astounding performance not just in Flight 2020 but in any game you care to test it with.

CPU Cooler

One side effect of the power of this CPU is the amount of heat it dissipates. We’ve covered that with a 360mm water loop from Corsair with their H150i Pro XT cooler. This all-in-one cooler integrates with our chosen case and delivers maximum cooling power to keep the CPU cool and fast running. 

Motherboard

The MSI MEG Z490 Unify is a high-end Z490 motherboard with excellent voltage delivery circuitry to support the CPU. With 90 Amp power stages and 16 phase VRM the i9 will not want for power. It supports a wide variety of connectivity options with Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth, 2.5Gb Lan and high-speed USB, whilst 3 M.2 slots and 6 SATA ports cover storage options. It boasts high-quality sound output.

RAM

Whilst 32GB of RAM is adequate flight sims are ripe for modification. 64GB ensures that you can run the highest textures and most complex mods with ease, as well as guaranteeing a smooth multi-tasking experience. This G.Skill Trident Z kit is fast at 3200mhz with tight timings to lower memory access latency. The RGB helps set the case and motherboard off (but you can switch it off if you like). If you don’t want to bust the budget we’re confident you can drop this to 32Gb without adverse effect on core gameplay.

Storage

We’re nearing the end of the mechanical hard disc era and with NVMe SSD’s like the Adata SX8200 Pro on the market it’s easy to see why. This 2Tb drive performs amongst the very best SSD’s and has huge capacity. There’s no need to choose which games or software gets the fast drive here: they all can. The price at $240 is actually very reasonable considering the most basic 1Tb SSD’s cost around $100.

GPU

Right now there is still no GPU to challenge the RTX 2080 Ti. If you want the best possible visuals in a game as gorgeous as MS Flight 2020 you need a GPU of this calibre. With 11Gb of VRAM and an unrivalled 4352 CUDA cores rendering in parallel, this is the fastest gaming GPU on the planet. This GPU boasts the latest graphics processing technology Nvidia has to offer with hardware ray tracing and ‘tensor’ AI cores. It will excel at 1440p or 1440p ultrawide in even the most demanding AAA titles, Microsoft flight 2020 included. 

Case & Power Supply

We’ve opted for the Corsair Obsidian 500D to house this build. This is a premium case with tempered glass hinged sides. It integrates with the Corsair CPU cooler perfectly and lends a high-quality monolithic look to this build. The power supply is a well-reviewed 750W unit from Seasonic with the FOCUS 750W Gold 80+. It’s fully modular to keep cable clutter to a minimum and ease install and has a 10-year warranty signalling Seasonics faith in their build quality.

Recommended Accessories

Monitor

A high-resolution ultra-wide monitor is ideal for flight sims: this 34” monitor from LG, the LG 34GN850-B, has wrap-around screen that gives a wide field of view and enhances immersion. It isn’t as demanding of desk space or GPU power as three 1440p screens and eliminates distracting bezels. There’s a vibrant IPS panel and 144hz refresh rate to really wow, whilst adaptive sync technology eliminates tearing and smooths out the gameplay. This monitor is an excellent pairing with the RTX 2080 Ti ensuring gorgeous visuals at high frame rates.

Flight Stick

The Logitech GX56 HOTAS throttle and stick combination takes a step up from the entry-level Thrustmaster to offer better build quality and more functionality. Its festooned with mappable buttons and has 2 analogue control thumbsticks – ideal for looking around at the world laid out beneath you from the cockpit.

Conclusion: Get ready to take flight!

With two weeks until launch there’s still time to get your fantastic rig in order for Flight 2020. In this article I’ve demonstrated three builds that are sure to handle the rigors of this demanding game and reward you with unlimited flight possibilities, whether you’ve got $1000 or $4000 to spend. Happy flying!

The post 3 Best PC Builds for MS Flight Simulator 2021 (Entry, Mid-Range & Enthusiast) appeared first on PremiumBuilds.

Virtual Reality (VR) has come of age in 2020 and now is a great time to build a VR capable rig. With immersive titles like Half-Life: Alyx, sims with full VR support such as Project Cars II and DCS World and a host of innovative ways to use the immersion of VR there’s a wealth of software to experience. GPU’s have finally become powerful enough to render smooth detailed scenes at a frame rate and resolution that maintains immersion and good quality headsets have become affordable.

In this article, I’ll explain what features make for the best VR experience and recommend entry-level, mid-range and high-end VR gaming rigs to suit any need or budget in 2020.

VR Builds: What to prioritise.

A gaming build capable of VR isn’t hugely different from any other gaming PC. It requires adequate CPU power and RAM for a smooth consistent gameplay experience but the main area to focus on is the GPU: to generate an immersive VR world the GPU must render each frame twice from different viewpoints, one for each eye. Immersion requires smooth consistent frame rates.

Because of these demands, a VR gaming PC should have a higher tier GPU than normally considered adequate for monitor-based gaming. In terms of the PC itself, this is the only additional spend to ensure great VR performance.

The other major expense is, of course, the headset itself. The Oculus Rift S represents an excellent entry point to VR gaming at around $300, whilst the Valve Index is a $1000 cutting edge headset that boasts very high resolution and refresh rate. You can read our VR headset roundup here.

Best Entry-Level VR-Ready PC Build

Experience VR Gaming at $670!

This build represents a fantastic entry point for VR gaming with a comparatively powerful GPU, very capable CPU and adequate supporting hardware. It’ll game well at 1080p alongside demonstrating that experiencing VR in the home needn’t break the bank! With good headsets starting at around $300 you should be able to obtain this set up for under $1000 all in.

Component	Design	Selection	Price
CPU		AMD Ryzen 3 3300X 3.8 GHz	$120
Motherboard		MSI B450M PRO-M2 MAX Micro ATX	$75
Memory		G.Skill Aegis 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory	$65
Storage		PNY CS900 500 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive	$55
Video Card		Asus GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER 6 GB TUF GAMING OC	$230
Case		Thermaltake Versa H18 MicroATX Mini Tower Case	$55
Power Supply		Thermaltake SMART 650 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply	$70
		Total	$670

CPU

The newly announced Ryzen 3300X is an excellent entry-level gaming CPU. Whilst it has 4 cores multithreading helps pick up the slack in any games that require more CPU threads. Benchmarking shows it performing admirably and it’s on a par with the more expensive Ryzen 5 3600 in almost all titles. Using the supplied cooler helps keep costs down.

Motherboard

The MSI B450 Pro M-2 MAX is an entry-level B450 motherboard but it’s Ryzen 3000 compatible and offers good basic functionality. There are 4 USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports and an additional 2 USB 3 ports. There’s a spare PCIe 1x slot to add a wifi card if you require it but this motherboard will have no problem extracting the maximum potential out of the CPU.

Memory

Given the 2 memory slot capacity of the motherboard, it makes sense to start out with 16Gb Ram which is adequate for almost all current games. This Aegis 2x8GB stick kit from G.skill, and is clocked at 3000mhz.

3600mhz is generally considered optimal but performance gains aren’t going to be apparent in games where the GPU is the limiting factor so we’ve opted for the lower clock speed and $20 savings here.

Storage

A budget 500Gb SSD from PNY, the CS900, gives us plenty of space to get started and costs just $55. It’s DRAM-less which isn’t optimal but it’s still far faster than any Hard Disc. If you have some extra to spend a 1TB Crucial P1 SSD would be a fine upgrade over this at around $100, or else pair this drive with a 2Tb HDD if you need more space.

Graphics Card

The GPU is the key to VR performance and we consider a GTX 1660 Super the start point to a consistent and enjoyable VR experience. This GPU has the Displayport output required to run a VR headset such as the Oculus Rift S and benefits from a dual-fan design for quieter operation. The AIB model of the 1660 Super we have opted for is the highly-regarded ASUS TUF Gaming OC.

PC Case

The Thermaltake H18 is a good budget offering with decent airflow and looks at the price point. With a sleek black design that is certainly non-intrusive, a tempered glass side panel and ergonomic cable management make this micro-ATX case a great bargain at just $55.

Power Supply

We’ve stuck with Thermaltake SMART M for the 650W Bronze certified PSU for this budget VR-ready build. Case and PSU availability and pricing have been pretty chaotic in recent months due to trade wars and then the Covid-19 pandemic so it pays to be on the lookout for bargains.

Best Mid Range VR-Ready PC Build

An Excellent VR platform at $1200

In the mid-range territory, a budget of $1200 for the tower gives you a very strong VR gaming PC – thanks to the value and competitiveness of AMD’s CPU and GPU advances over the last year.

Parts List	Design	Selection	Price
CPU		AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz	$172
CPU Cooler		Cooler Master Hyper 212 Black Edition	$39
Motherboard		MSI B450 TOMAHAWK MAX	$115
Memory		G.Skill Ripjaws V 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600	$84
Storage		Crucial P1 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME SSD	$120
Video Card		Sapphire Radeon RX 5700 XT 8 GB PULSE Video Card	$400
Case		Fractal Design Meshify C ATX Mid Tower Case	$105
Power Supply		Cooler Master MWE Gold 650 W 80+ Gold	$100
		Total	$1135

CPU

At the mid-price point for our VR build, we decided to opt for the much-lauded Ryzen 5 3600 CPU. This 6 core 12 thread CPU redefined what we expected from mid-range CPU’s when it launched. The Zen 2 7nm architecture achieves high clock speeds whilst keeping power consumption and temperatures low, boosting performance. This CPU performs more than adequately across a wide range of titles.

CPU Cooler

We’ve paired the Ryzen 5 3600 with the capable Cooler Master Hyper 212 Black Edition air CPU cooler. This updated version of Cooler Master’s air tower cooler uses heat pipes to dissipate the CPU’s heat. It’s primarily an aesthetic and noise conscious choice over the bundled AMD Wraith Stealth cooler and with just 65W to cool there’s no need to spend more.

Motherboard

The MSI B450 Tomahawk Max has been the go-to recommendation for Ryzen 3000 series CPUs and with good reason. It has strong voltage delivery circuitry and a host of features such as USB-C on the rear panel, and BIOS flashback making updates possible even without a compatible CPU. If you’re looking to utilise PCIe 4.0, it may be worth looking at the newly announced B550 motherboards.

RAM

G.Skill offers their Ripjaws V RAM at 16GB 3600Mhz with tight CL16 timings for a reasonable $84 – the optimum RAM speed and latency for Ryzen builds. This ram allows a 1:1 timing ratio between the RAM and the ‘infinity fabric’ memory controller in the Ryzen 5 3600 lowering memory access latency and optimising performance. At the price, it’s a good way of ensuring you’re getting the most out of your Zen 2 CPU for virtual reality.

Storage

1Tb of SSD storage comes courtesy of the Crucial P1 M.2 NVME drive. At $115 it’s a great all-round NVMe SSD drive and well suited to gaming, workloads and running your OS. It is QLC nand which is slower than the more expensive TLC NAND but the controller masks performance deficits well in day to day use. We consider this drive an excellent choice for a VR gaming machine giving a lot of fast storage at a very reasonable price.

Graphics Card

At the mid-range, the AMD Radeon RX 5700XT makes a compelling case. 8gb VRAM and very high performance combines with great pricing at $400. Sapphire is a well-respected brand and their Pulse model of the 5700XT hits the sweet spot of price, performance and cooling. Whilst initially there was concern over AMD’s drivers these have been well and truly addressed through driver updates now that this GPU is nearly a year on the market so you can buy it confident that it will provide an awesome gaming performance in VR and even driving a 1440p monitor if you choose to.

PC Case

The Fractal Design Meshify C ATX case represents a great choice at $105. It includes a PSU shroud, tempered glass side panel and a mesh front panel for great airflow to help keep the 5700XT cool. It includes magnetic dust filters throughout and provides a pleasant building experience with integrated cable routing and good build quality.

Power Supply

The power supply is again a Cooler Master unit but we opted for the gold-rated MWE Gold 650W PSU on this occasion. It’s fully modular for a clean build and ships with a 5-year warranty.

Best Enthusiast VR-Ready PC Build

Ready for the most demanding VR titles for $2000

Parts List	Design	Selection	Price
CPU		AMD Ryzen 7 3700X	$295
CPU Cooler		NZXT Kraken X53 240mm AIO	$130
Motherboard		Asus TUF GAMING X570-PLUS (WI-FI)	$190
Memory		G.Skill Ripjaws V 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600	$154
Storage – NVME OS Drive		ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME SSD	$150
Additional Storage - SATA		Crucial MX500 2 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive	$230
Video Card		EVGA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER 8 GB KO GAMING	$710
Case		NZXT H510 Elite ATX Mid Tower Case	$150
Power Supply		Cooler Master MWE Gold 650 W 80+ Gold	$100
		Total	$2109

CPU

The Ryzen 7 3700X brings huge power to this build. The 8 cores with simultaneous multithreading ensure a consistent experience in even the most demanding titles whilst also excelling in productivity and workstation tasks for demanding users. Whilst higher core count AMD CPUs are on offer and may make sense for power users the 3700X hits the sweet spot of value and will remain capable for years to come.

CPU Cooler

We’ve opted to pair it with the NZXT Kraken X53 240mm AIO cooler. This unit fits perfectly with the case for a hassle-free build and has ample cooler capacity for the relatively efficient CPU.

Motherboard

Asus’s TUF line of motherboards adds features and aesthetics without the very high cost of their ROG Strix X570 motherboard line up. The TUF Gaming X570 is Ryzen 3000 compatible and offers native Pcie 4.0 support, strong voltage delivery circuity and inbuilt Wifi and Bluetooth. It also has gigabit LAN and USB 3.2 Type-C support on both the rear panel and via an internal header for the Case USB-C port. This is a fully-featured motherboard that will support expansion in the future, but delivers excellent performance now.

Memory

As stated 32Gb RAM can be a requirement for complex simulation games and also provides ample resources for video editing and other productivity work. Here we’ve opted for G.Skill Ripjaws V 32GB 3600Mhz CL16 RAM in 2x16gb sticks. Again this configuration allows for dual channel operation and a 1:1 Memory controller and Infinity fabric clock ratio optimising Ryzen performance.

Storage

This build boasts a two-tier storage set up. The Adata SX8200 Pro gives 1Tb of exceptionally fast and durable NVME storage for the Operating System and key programmes. The additional 2Tb SATA SSD from Crucial’s MX500 line up is plenty fast enough for game and data storage. Whilst the motherboard supports PCI-e 4.0, the price premium for compatible NVME SSD’s isn’t justified for anything less than full workstation builds – so we’ve kept prices down but maintained performance here.

Graphics Card

Finally, the GPU which is the cornerstone of this enthusiast VR-ready build. Whilst it’s always tempting to opt for the highest-end card spending over $1000 on an RTX 2080 Ti isn’t necessary for a truly high-end VR experience. Instead, we’ve let our head overrule our heart and chosen the $700 RTX 2080 Super.

With 8Gb VRAM and full RTX Turing capabilities, this GPU defines high-end performance. It’s capable of 4k AAA gaming or driving multiple displays at high refresh rates for flight sims or racing games, and rock-solid VR performance is just a party trick to it. The EVGA RTX 2080 Super KO variant offers EVGA’s well-regarded customer support which is always important for a $700 component. The iCX cooler and twin fan design ensure quiet operation when not gaming whilst over 3000 Cuda Cores ensure top-level performance.

PC Case

For our high end build we’ve opted for the clean lines and integrated RGB of the NZXT H510 Elite. This recently refreshed case features USB C on the front panel, RGB fans and lighting strips and a straight forwards build with the compatible and matching NZXT cooler we’ve selected.

Power Supply

Powering the system is the Cooler Master MWE Gold 650W PSU due to it’s attractive pricing when other PSUs have risen in price or disappeared from the shelves.

I hope that this article has demonstrated that VR is now well within reach for those considering a new build in 2020 and given you some inspiration to go hunting for your own Premium VR build!

If you have any questions or want any feedback on your upcoming VR-ready PC build, feel free to get in touch with us here and we will do our best to help out!

The post 3 Best VR Ready Gaming PCs for 2021 (Budget, Mid-Range, High-End) appeared first on PremiumBuilds.

As part of our PC build series here at PremiumBuilds, we aim to assemble the best possible PCs based on a specific need (e.g., gaming), form factor (e.g., ITX), budget (e.g., $500 or $2500) or component selection (e.g., building around the RTX 2080 Super or Ryzen 9 3900X).

For this entry to the series, we are focusing on the increasingly-popular ITX form factor with the best possible price-to-performance and the best possible aesthetic. Thus, we have decided to build a powerhouse SFFPC, at a mid-range budget of $1500, in the highly-rated LOUQE Ghost S1.

Our goal is to select components that offer extreme levels of performance, but don’t necessarily command an expensive price tag. We at PremiumBuilds are confident that we’ve created one of the best price-to-performance ITX gaming PCs in the mid-range market, and arguably one of the best looking SFF systems out there.

Note: We have cherry-picked the best components, proven to perform in the Ghost S1, and if we were to build in another chassis such as the Dancase A4-SFX – the case fan, CPU cooler, and PSU selection may be completely different.

How fast will this ITX gaming PC perform?

For this particular mid-range ITX build, we want to be able to game at 1440p resolution – preferably at a 16:9 ratio and minimum 100hz, or at 21:9 ultrawide 1440p at 80hz on high settings. The perfect graphics card that can achieve this, within budget, and provide futureproofing is Nvidia’s RTX 2070 Super – which is arguably the best mid-range 1440p graphics card currently on the market.

At only a $1500 price bracket for this SFF build, we, unfortunately, can’t expect to be gaming comfortably at 4K above 60Hz, even on Medium-Low graphics settings. Thus, we are aiming to nail >60Hz at 1440p on High settings for many AAA titles – with ray tracing.

Best Value Mini ITX Gaming PC Build for 2020 – The Parts List

Component	Selection	Design	Price	Reasoning
CPU	AMD Ryzen 5 3600		$174	Best value, price/performance CPU on the market today
CPU Cooler	Noctua LH-12S		$49	Best air cooling performance for the LOUQE Ghost S1
Motherboard	ASUS ROG Strix B450-I Gaming		$135	Best feature-packed B450 ITX motherboard, with Ryzen 3000 pre-flashed onto BIOS
Memory	Crucial Ballistix Sport LT 16GB 3200 MHz CL16 (2x8GB)		$97	Great value, Easy to overclock to 3600 MHz CL16, Low-profile
Storage	Sabrent Rocket 1TB NVMe M.2 2280 SSD		$149	Great price/performance NVMe SSD, cheaper than the Intel 660p but similar performance
Graphics Card	Nvidia Geforce RTX 2070 Super Founders Edition		$489	Capable of 1440p ultrawide gaming, future proofed, best value mid-range GPU of 2020
PC Case	LOUQE Ghost S1 (No Tophat, Copper Grill)		$269	Great build quality, performance, possibly the best ITX case (so far?)
Power Supply	Corsair SF600 Platinum		$149	Best in class SFX power supply, Platinum variant for sleeved cables (vs Gold rated)
Case Fan	Noctua NF-A12x15 PWM		$19	Best performing 120mm slim case fan
Thermal Paste	ARCTIC Thermal MX-4		$9	Top budget, carbon-based thermal paste
		Total Price	$1539

CPU

We want to squeeze as much performance as possible out of our components, which only leaves one option for our processor – AMD’s Ryzen 5 3600. For the money, the 3600 is regarded as the best price-to-performance value currently on the market, especially for SFF systems. It’s a fantastic 65W chip that offers performance on par with the Intel Core i5-9600K (overclocked) and its more expensive brother, the 3600X. See our comparison of the Intel Core i5-9600K and the Ryzen 5 3600.

With 6 cores, 12 threads, a base/boost frequency of 3.6/4.2 GHz, and PCIe 4.0 support – all at an extremely modest price point – there is very little to dislike about the Ryzen 5 3600.

CPU Cooler

The Noctua NH-L12S, considered to be one of the best low profile CPU coolers on the market, offers significant cooling performance improvements over the stock Wraith cooler (included with the Ryzen 5 3600). Moreover, it has shown best-in-class performance over other CPU air cooling solutions when paired with the LOUQE Ghost S1 – and considering we are building an ITX machine focused on price-to-performance – this is our best bet.

Note: The Noctua NH-L12S is just a few millimeters too large for the LOUQE Ghost S1, so for it to be compatible, many ITX builders opt to slightly bend the heat pipes to gain that few extra millimeters of headroom. Space is tight, but once you get it to fit, you know you have the best possible cooling setup within the LOUQE Ghost S1. See our guide for bending the NH-L12S.

Motherboard

For our platform, we decided to go with a B450 motherboard, which either had to be pre-flashed with the latest BIOS, or at least have USB BIOS Flashback so we can do it ourselves. If we want to utilize the latest PCIe 4.0 support offered by the Ryzen 5 3600, we would have to choose an X570 motherboard. However, both X570 motherboards and PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs are simply too expensive for a mid-range build. With our budget, we, unfortunately, won’t be able to utilize PCIe 4.0.

Our best option here is the ROG Strix B450-I Gaming. Despite its size, this ITX board certainly packs a punch with the number of features for the price: RGB, onboard WiFi module, 8x USB ports, a robust VRM for great thermals, all with a super sleek design. If only this motherboard also had USB Type C…

Memory

Picking RAM specifically for the LOUQE Ghost S1 and Noctua NH-L12S combo can be especially tricky – and many builders have found out the hard way that theirs do not physically fit in the case. Due to the Noctua NH-L12S being a low-profile CPU cooler, it has severely limited RAM clearance (even with a topside fan configuration), so we’re required to opt for super low-profile RAM to get it actually to fit.

Another consideration when picking the best RAM for the Ryzen 5 3600 is CAS latency – of which we have a comprehensive guide here. The main takeaway is that DDR4 3600MHz CL16 appears to be the sweet spot for price-to-performance, so that’s where we’re aiming. Interestingly, the Crucial Ballistix Sport LT with a 3200 MHz CL16 configuration can be easily overclocked to 3600 MHz, thus offering fantastic value for its impressive performance. The Ballistix Sport LT also has just enough clearance to fit under the NH-L12S. Additionally, this RAM features white ‘digital camo’ heat spreaders, which give them a very sleek look.

For most use cases, 16GB is still more than enough memory for gaming and basic multitasking, hence why we decided against a 32GB kit. We’re not going to be able to utilize that amount of RAM unless we start getting into intensive workstation tasks like rendering and editing.

Storage

For our storage, we decided that a single 1TB NVME SSD would be sufficient. 1TB is more than enough space for our boot drive, general storage, and game library. Our ROG Strix B450-I Gaming has a single M.2 slot, as well as 4x 6Gb/s SATA ports (though we won’t be using them in this build due to internal case volume restrictions). The LOUQE Ghost S1 has enough room for a drive at the bottom of the case, but you can decide to replace that with a new 120mm slim case fan – which is what we’ve done to ensure maximum cooling performance.

As we mentioned previously, Ryzen 3000 CPUs support the latest PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs, which offer blazing-fast transfer speeds compared to their predecessors. However, with our focus being maximum price-to-performance, we decided to stick with PCIe 3.0, and opt for one of the best values on the market. That title goes to the Sabrent Rocket 1TB NVMe SSD, which has proven to be an excellent NVMe SSD for gaming.

Graphics Card

Although there are plenty of AIB/aftermarket RTX 2070 Super cards that offer improved stock overclocks, PCBs, and VRMs over the Nvidia 2070 Super Founders Edition, we decided to stick with it here. The main reasons include the surprisingly decent performance of this dual fan design within the LOUQE Ghost S1, as well as its gorgeous design that feels right at home in such a stunning enclosure. We readily admit that the aesthetics are still a critical deciding factor in this particular build (while retaining the maximum price-to-performance for our given budget).

We wanted this system to be capable of gaming at 16:9 1440p, as well as pushing up to 4K should we decide to upgrade in the future. The alternative was a 5700 XT, but we’ll need that slight bit of extra headroom to be able to push 1440p at higher settings. See our head-to-head comparison of the Nvidia RTX 2070 Super and the AMD Radeon 5700 XT.

PC Case

Ever since the Kickstarter announcement of this small form factor (SFF) ITX case, the LOUQE Ghost S1 has been an absolute hit. Widely regarded as one of the most desirable PC cases in 2020, it had to be the star of our next build. It’s certainly not cheap and won’t maximize our overall price to performance, but the overall look and build quality justifies the cost, especially if it’s going to be sitting on our desk for the next few years. With a jaw-dropping, understated design – this ITX case will undoubtedly impress any of your fellow PC builders and fill them with envy!

Note: There have been reported shipping issues for many people that have bought this case, and many PC builders (including us!) have had to wait months upon months to get their hands on it. Most of these issues have reportedly been ironed out by LOUQE, but it may still be difficult to acquire one – so be aware. If you don’t feel like waiting or shelling out $269 for your enclosure – here is our guide on the best Ghost S1 alternatives to consider.

Power Supply

Corsair’s SFX series of PSUs, widely regarded as the best on the market, left us with an easy decision here: the SF600 Platinum. With this 600W unit, we have some overclocking headroom and the ability to upgrade components in the future. Furthermore, it was rated 9.8/10 by JohnnyGuru – a testament to its fantastic voltage regulation, performance, build quality, and value.

Benefits of the Platinum rated version of the SF600 over the Gold version include premium sleeved cables (perfect for cable management in our ITX system) for a clean interior, as well as an improved fan. However, we wouldn’t recommend the $10 premium over the Gold SF600 if you aren’t planning on using the stock sleeved cables, and are instead going for a custom sleeved cable configuration.

Case Fan

The LOUQE Ghost S1 allows for one additional 120mm case fan slot at the bottom of the chassis – should you choose not to install a 2.5” SSD drive. Occupying this slot is, of course, the industry-leading brand – Noctua. They need no introduction, offering best-in-class airflow, cooling performance, and build quality – as long as you don’t mind Noctua’s striking color scheme! The specific model we opted for was the Noctua NF-A12x15 PWM, which is a 120mm x 15mm slim case fan – with PWM fan control..

Thermal Paste

In our roundup of the best thermal pastes on the market earlier this year, we found the Arctic MX-4 to be the best carbon-based thermal paste on the market. It offers fantastic performance for its price, costing considerably less than the highly-regarded Thermal Grizzly Kyronaut, while still competing on thermal performance.

Priced at just $7 for 4 grams, the addition of the Arctic MX-4 to our build is a cheap but effective upgrade for our Ryzen 5 3600’s thermals.

Closing Thoughts

For the money, it’s tough to beat a reliable ITX gaming system. As manufacturing processes continue to improve, and smaller components offer more performance and features, SFF computers have been skyrocketing in popularity. If ever you’ve found yourself interested in joining the SFFPC community, we’re confident this build is a fantastic place to start… even if you lack the patience to wait for the LOUQE!

Have you built in the LOUQE GhostS1? Are you considering switching to an ITX system? Let us know in the comments section below, and thanks for reading!

The post Best ITX Gaming PC Build under $1500 (ft. LOUQE Ghost S1) for 2020 appeared first on PremiumBuilds.

In our series of build guides for 2021, as we approach the $1500 budget we would like our PCs to be able to do even the most demanding of rendering/editing/gaming tasks, all in parallel!

This is where the great Ryzen 7 3700X CPU comes into play. Its a direct upgrade from the best value new CPU on the market right now, the R5 3600 (as featured in our $1000 gaming PC build). Featuring 8 cores and 16 threads and an unlocked multiplier that goes up to 4.4 GHz or higher (on manual OC), the 3700X has certainly all the resources it needs for more than just a gaming/work PC.

In this build we have curated for 2021, the CPU has been paired with the Nvidia RTX 2080 Super, which came to take the spot of the RTX 2080, for the same price. It is the best graphics card that we can afford to put in a $1500 list without skimping on any of the other components. This build will run any 1080p, 1440p game on Ultra settings and very high frame rates. 4K and smooth VR is also an option, this card being able to deliver above 60 fps with High/Ultra settings in current games.

You will get this list if you want to future proof your purchase and get hardware that can drive even the smoothest experiences on big monitors. It’s basically a gaming beast that is no slouch in extreme workstation tasks and very close to the best gaming performance you can get for any kind of money.

Mixing and matching GPU brands is never an issue as long as you watch reputed reviews on their thermals, build quality and performance; for example, there’s no issue if you get a Nvidia RTX 2080 Super from a different brand other than the one we featured. The MSI RTX 2080 Super in the list below is of high quality and you can be sure of its reliability even during the most intensive gaming or rendering sessions; it also looks quite nice in our opinion and will match with many build color schemes! Having so many brands out there that use the same chips coming from AMD and Nvidia to make their own cards means that we as consumers will always get cutting edge technology at competitive prices. Get your components based on availability and pricing but keep the component models close to this list if you don’t feel like going exotic!

Best Gaming PC Build under $1500 – The Parts List

Perfect for stellar 1440p 144hz gaming and excellent workstation performance (entry-level 4K)

CPU

For our $1500 budget we can spec the CPU higher (compared to our $1000 build) and get the insane 8 core 16 thread Ryzen 7 3700X which frankly is the only CPU you’ll need for many years to come.

Featuring great single core performance thanks to the best IPC (Instructions Per Clock) on the market and high boost clocks (4.4GHz), the 3700X will deal with anything from gaming to editing, streaming, rendering and heavy compute workloads; its a workhorse that is also an incredible deal for the $320 you can find it at.

With only 5% gaming performance deficit, the 30% cheaper than a Intel Core i9-9900K CPU is great for this price range build because it enabled us to get a powerful GPU and not go over the budget.

Graphics Card

The big bulk of the budget will be invested in an high-end/enthusiast GPU, the RTX 2080 Super which can drive incredible framerates on 1440p high refresh rate monitors and do 4K with ease.

There are many great AIB versions of the 2080 Super to choose from but we chose the MSI Ventus OC for its slick design, decent thermal performance and great price point. AMD doesn’t have a competitor for the RTX 2080 Super at this level of performance so this is the only option you have for this gaming oriented but very workstation potent build.

Motherboard

The ASRock X570 Pro4 brings all the great features of AMD’s new X570 chipset such as extensive I/O and PCI 4.0 technologies without breaking the bank, being one of the cheapest X570 motherboards out there. This capable budget X570 motherboard comes compatible out of the box with any current Ryzen Zen 2 CPU and is also backwards compatible. VRMs are decent enough for pushing the CPU clock multiplier above spec for this $1500 build.

Memory

For our recommended $1500 gaming PC build, fast RAM is a must because large performance gains may be extracted when tweaking memory. Quality RAM allows you to mess with its voltage in order to allow higher clocks and/or lower CL latency. Tweaking RAM is a lengthy process of trial and error but you can minimize the stress by getting a tool such as TPU’s Memory Tweaker.

CPUs from both Ryzen and Intel series products work much better on fast RAM since it improves access times and overall responsiveness of your system. You’ll get better average FPS and much better 1% and 0.1% minimum FPS – meaning that your gaming session will be smooth with no stutters; 16GB is a minimum at this price point and if you’ll wait for good offers you may be able to find a 32GB Dual Channel kit that will future proof your components even more!

If you’re planning on doing video editing with this $1500 build, 32GB becomes mandatory because 16GB gets eaten up pretty fast by renders and previews. Getting dual channel memory for your builds (two identical RAM modules) is always a wise option!

Storage

We chose the Intel 660p 1Tb NVMe SSD for a big capacity and very fast storage drive for a decent price. The alternative in this class is Samsung’s 970 EVO but for its double price, that SSD doesn’t present the value of this one. If the best sustained storage performance is the most important for you, consider getting the Samsung 970 EVO but to be honest the 660p’s $100 price point is hard to beat.

PC Case

For the $1500 price point, we can afford a creme-de-la-creme ATX case that features one of the best air flow solutions on the market – thanks to its cleverly placed vents and mesh front side. The Fractal Design Meshify C will tidily fit even the largest components and easily deal with high-end cooling solutions like water cooling & large radiators. You will not be disappointed with this case.

Power Supply

As featured in our $1000 gaming PC build, the Corsair RMx PSU still remains the recommendation at the $1500 price range. Why? It’s a trusty (good for multiple builds in time), A tier power supply with Gold certification, high current output, full modularity and has excellent cables.

Its always important to pay attention to the PSU in your builds because they are responsible for the constant running of your other components; bad PSUs may even fry the other parts so make sure you watch reviews if you plan on going for something else! We can also recommend a great Index list of quality PSUs that you can find here on the LTT forum.

The post The Best Gaming PC Build for $1500 – 2021 Edition appeared first on PremiumBuilds.

In our series of recommended PC builds at different price points, we now get to the mighty $1000 price mark – allowing us to shape the build around a CPU/GPU duo that is leading to a lot of excitement in the market right now; the Ryzen 5 3600 + RX 5700XT.

The direct successor to the Ryzen 5 2600 is the 6 core Ryzen 5 3600 and it’s a worthy one thanks to its 15% better IPC and improved clock speeds. The best things about the Ryzen 5 3600? It easily works on older B350, X370, B450 and X470 motherboards and it’s a sub-200$ CPU that performs better than the previous generation top of the line Ryzen 7 2700X (comparable multi-core and much improved single-core). For you and most other people in the market for the CPU of their gaming PC, you don’t need anything better than the Ryzen 5 3600; are there slightly better CPUs out there? Yes. The Ryzen 7 3700X and the Core i9 9900K both have more cores and slightly better gaming performance but at a very steep cost. The 3700X and 9900K are 60% and 130% more expensive respectively for just small percentages of better gaming performance.

If you are planning to game, do some content creation on the side and/or stream from time to time, there is no better value CPU than the Ryzen 5 3600 (the R5 2600 would be a close contender but the boost in performance from the 2600 to the 3600 makes it worth it).

Paired with this exceptional CPU comes the RX 5700 XT, the new Navi card from AMD which delivers groundbreaking performance for the $400 you can find it for. 1080p Ultra and 1440p Ultra is a breeze for this card and high refresh games will surely delight you with such powerful hardware.

You can also get similar components to the one in the list below; for example, there’s no issue if you get a Radeon RX 5700 XT from a different brand other than the one we featured. Just be careful, not all 5700 XT implementations are great and its best that you do some research on noise, performance and cooling before deciding for a different card, from a different company, rather than the one in the list. To view our in-depth comparisons of aftermarket GPU manufacturers, click here.

Best $1000 Gaming PC Build – The Parts List

Perfect for stellar 1440p gaming and superior workstation performance

CPU

While the second-generation Ryzen 5 2600 CPU was great enough for our $500 and $700 gaming PC builds, the new Ryzen 5 3600, 6 core / 12 thread CPU is an amazing performer around the $200 price mark; it cannot be beaten in its category and it punches well above it.

Fun fact: this CPU outperforms AMD’s entire last generation CPU lineup (well superior single-core performance and comparable multi-core performance with the 2700X) and is currently the cheapest 3rd generation CPU that you can get. Fun fact: this CPU outperforms AMD’s entire last generation CPU lineup (well superior single core performance and comparable multi core performance with the 2700X) and is currently the cheapest 3rd generation CPU that you can get.

Graphics Card

Released mid year in July of 2019, AMD brought an amazing performer for the high-end market. The Radeon 5700XT GPU is based on a completely new architecture called NAVI which promises great performance, scalability and an array of features never before seen in the company’s GPUs. Built on the brand new 7nm process, the power consumption values are great even with hefty over clocks and its performance is very close (within 5-10%) to the more expensive RTX 2070 Super. Both cards are amazing performers though but we fit the 5700XT in this build because it fits the budget better. The latter will deal with the latest titles @1440p with no problems and can even drive 144hz/entry-level 4K with some settings dialed down. Its truly a great work horse that will get better and better over time with software updates and architecture optimizations. Careful that some of its drivers have been reported to be unstable.

Motherboard

A rather important step-up in this build compared to our cheaper build guides is the MSI B450 Tomahawk MAX AM4 board. Since release, it has been praised over and over for its solid VRMs (Voltage Regulator Modules) and overall quality build.

This ~$110 mid-range B450 motherboard punches well above its weight in the performance category because it allows you to run big overclocks on your CPU without the need to worry about the motherboard parts. The BIOS is great as well and the support going forward is still ongoing. This specific one, the Tomahawk MAX, comes with the 3rd generation BIOS already flashed so you don’t need to worry about compatibility issues (found in older generation motherboards lacking BIOS flashback functionality) with the new Ryzen CPUs.

Overall, the MSI B450 Tomahawk is a great board that puts up a fight even with the top-end $200+ boards in the performance sector.

Memory

At this price point you can easily afford the fast and highly tweakable RAM featured in our build lists; meaning you’ll be able to mess with memory voltage to allow higher clocks and/or lower CL latency. Tweaking RAM is a lengthy process of trial and error but such memory sticks will make it easier for you. CPUs, especially the Ryzen series, love memory speed because it reduces access latency. This results in improved responsiveness, better average FPS and much better 1% and 0.1% minimum FPS – meaning that your gaming session will be smooth with no stutters; smoothness is enough of an argument to pay more for such memory modules and 16GB is still enough for this gaming oriented build.

Just make sure that if you also want to focus on video editing (so a workstation build), it would be better to get 2 sticks of 16GB (so a total of 32GB) from the get-go. You’ll not only future proof your PC but video editing is pretty intensive on RAM timeline previews; it eats memory alive! Getting dual channel memory for your builds (two identical RAM modules) is always a wise option!

Storage

The Crucial P1 M.2 SSD assures that everything loads as fast as possible; from games to applications and file transfers, this little but powerful guy will do and ask for more. NVME SSDs, like this one are starting to be preferred over classical SATA SSDs because they come with better sustained speeds and in very small form factors. Heating and lifetime should not be an issue.

PC Case

For this $700 build, we can afford a great looking mid-tower PC case with tons of functionality. The Phanteks will certainly ‘wow’ you in areas like cooling performance, all-around looks and ease of setting up.

Power Supply

The Corsair RMx PSU is a first tier component that will provide sustained and constant current to your build. Its Gold certification and Full modularity are icings on the cake, allowing you to have an efficient power source with only the cables that you really need; no extras will crowd your case.

The post The Best Gaming PC Build for under $1000 – 2021 Edition appeared first on PremiumBuilds.