The High-End Build
High-End Gaming
We're getting to the endgame now. Here, the UK/US budget is more towards $/£2,000, up to around the £/$2,250-2,300 mark.
CPU - AMD Ryzen R7 3700X/3800X or Intel Core i7 9700K
I will say it straight up. YES. On paper, and in numbers, when gaming not GPU limited (e.g. 1080p high-refresh), the 9700k is, still, the better choice for straight up gaming. That is a material fact. However... the difference, save for some games, is small. Hitman 2 is a good example of where the difference between an overclocked 5Hz 9700k and 3700X is around 10-12%, for instance, however these are outliers. I really am not going to get into the ins and outs of which one you should buy, here, as the fact is that the difference between a stock 9700k (heck, even an overclocked one) and stock 3700X/3800X is small enough that the only way you would notice a difference would be looking at an FPS counter. The recommendation here, to be clear, is for the cheaper 3700X. However, the higher TDP 3800X can occasionally be had on sale, and - if it is - go for it, it's extra performance.
If, however,the Zen 2 based chips aren't availalble, or you simply would just prefer to go for the higher core clock speeds and overclockability of the 9700k... go for it, I ain't gonna' stop you. Good choice. Just to cover my bases, though. In most cases, at 1080p (and sometimes, at 1440p), a 9700k will outperform a 3700X/3800X by a margin that will range from 'minimal' to around the 10-12% mark (this being the widest delta I've seen outside of CSGO). I will stand by my stance, however, in recommending the extra threads/upgrade potential of the Ryzen platform over the Intel one. For those saying 'Well, yes, but then you can just get a 9900k', sure, you can, but Zen 3 releases next year, and I have absolutely zero doubt that it will finally and comprehensively overtake Intel's 9th and to be 10th generation desktop chips in gaming performance at lower resolutions.
Motherboard - Intel, Gigabyte Z390 Aorus Master or AsRock Z390 Steel Legend
The Steel Legend is, perhaps, our favourite mid-range Z390 option. Really, it's only 'of note' letdown was the presence of some hotspots when overclocking a 9900k to north of the 5Ghz barrier. It This would be very much more tamed in a case with active airflow. Otherwise, we like the board for covering most points well enough to be a strong consideration for a high-end build that doesn't break the bank. Sure, it doesn't have Wifi, but that - even in 2019 - is not that unusual! It also ships with a slightly older ALC 1200 audio codec, over the slightly newer 1220 codec. However, ask yourself if these bother you? They really shouldn't. The Steel Legend will be more than capable of 5Ghz'ing' a 9700k, without a problem. If, however, these shortfalls do annoy you, then...
It's fair to say that Aorus really, really knocked it out of the park with their Z390 range of boards. Our higher-end pick of the bunch is their 'Master' board, which - putting everything else aside - is perhaps my favourite looking motherboard released in modern times. Sure, it's got RGB aplenty, but even with said lighting off, it still looks absolutely fantastic. Add to this 3x M.2 slots, wireless networking, and a very strong VRM, and you have a very premium board that will also tame a 9900k without any kind of a problem, should you find yourself needing to scratch that upgrade itch before long.
Motherboard - AMD, Asus X570 Gaming TUF Wifi or AsRock X570 Taichi
Please note, I will deliberately split this section into X570 and B450/X470 due to the costs of X570.
Time for a flip! This time, the AsRock board is the higher end option, and for $300 USD it is really pushing the acceptable limit of what I would be spending on a consumer mainboard for a 'regular' 8-core/16 thread CPU like the 3700X. It does, however, come sporting all of the X570 platform's touted features. It is a shame that this product lacks Ethernet faster than the standard Gigabit offering, but I certainly wouldn't consider it a deal breaker. It also does not have a dual BIOS, which - if anything - is far more irksome than the lack of 2.5Gb ethernet. However, if you follow good BIOS updating process (i.e. let others install it first and take notes), then you will be fine.
The rest of the board, however, is very solid. Great connectivity, exceptional VRM quality, good layout, good looks, and Wifi 6 is very nice to have. Naturally, this range of options means the AsRock product is pricey. So, for a lower end option, we can look to Asus' X570 Gaming TUF Wifi.
The TUF is our pick for the $200 range, which I would consider appropriate for a build of this calibre. It offers 2.5Gb Ethernet, a solid VRM, good connectivity options, and perhaps my only complaint of note is that it is a little 'boring' looking, with very little flair. IO connectivity is also very much down on the more premium option already listed, but - to some - the presence of 2.5Gb Ethernet may actually give it a leg up!
Older AM4 Mainboards
The high entry price point for even mid-range X570 boards means that a very popular option for Zen 2 based PC builders is... well, going back in time! B450 and X470 boards, with a BIOS update, are more than capable of supporting the 7nm Zen 2 chips. So which should you go for? Well, I am very firmly of the opinion that if you are buying into an older platform, then you should be spending as little as possible. Therefore, my recommendations will carry over from our 'mid-range' PC build. Depending on your case choice, go with the aforementioned Tomahawk, Mortar, Bazooka, or B450-F Strix.
CPU Cooler - Corsair H115i Pro, Noctua NH-D15, BeQuiet! Dark Rock Pro 4
For AIOs, there are a vast array of options on the market. We all know that Intel's recent CPUs (since the advent of Kaby Lake back in early 2017) have had a tendency to run fairly hot. However, Zen 2 is also a fairly toasty architecture. So, how to tame Zen and Intel's Coffee Lake-S, and get the best out of them under water? Well...
The minimum you should be looking at, in my view, is a 240mm unit. Simple as that, or up to 280mm. The cooling performance of c. 95% of these AIO units will be largely down to the fans that get stuck on the radiator, and you choose to configure them. As for what to go for, two have received high praise in the tech industry for their looks and performance, and the third is a personal recommendation of mine:
- Corsair H100i/115i RGB Platinum - If you like Corsair products, you will like this cooler. Personally, I think that Corsair's software is a serious leg up on NZXT's, which means that this would (probably) be my choice. The bundled fans are nice as well, giving your PC an appropriate lightshow.
- NZXT Kraken X52/62 V2 - This unit from NZXT is well known to be a looker, and whilst their CAM software is well known to be a bit hit and miss, my experiences with it have largely been positive. The cooler is priced competitively with its rivals, and - to boot - performs well.
- Fractal Design Celsius S24 - Wilst this product is certainly getting on in years, do not discount it. The other coolers are flashier, will perform better, and are more modern... however, the S24 is whisper quiet, is great looking, and will certainly tame a PBO enabled 3700X, or be able to moderately overclock a 9700k.
Naturally, there are other coolers, but the ones I have listed are from companies I trust. Another worthy shout out should go to Deepcool's 'Castle' series of coolers, specifically the 240/280/360EX. Not only is it - in my view - one of the best looking products in this segment, but it has a neat trick in Deepcool's 'Anti-Leak' tech, which is basically a pressure equalising bladder inside the radiator that expands/contracts to maintain loop pressure within an acceptable range, preventing pressure related leaks. Sure, it won't stop the potentially of leaking full stop, but I still feel like this is important, as liquid cooling is always going to be inherently riskier than air cooling, simply due to the fact that an AIO has multiple times the numbers of points of failure.
Cooler - Air
This is more familiar territory for me. With air cooling, the biggest and baddest dual-tower air coolers are more than capable of matching even very large AIOs in terms of performance, often at cheaper price points. However, they are not (save for a few, perhaps) as good looking, and... that's really it. I am well aware that my personal bias towards air cooling is fairly prevalent, here, but... In my view, air cooling using large tower coolers is the better choice for all but the most serious overclockers and individuals who want absolutely no compromises liquid cooling via custom loops. If you are running a mid to high tier system, you really should consider air cooling. Period.
So what would I recommend? Well, there are several contenders out there, so see below:
- Noctua NH-D15(S) - Love em' or hate em', this product remains one of the best dual-tower air coolers on the market. Big, quiet, and potent.
- Noctua NH-U12A - Whilst not new by any means, this cooler is based off of the now famous NH-U12S and sports a pair of Noctua's 'x25' fans. Its performance is seriously impressive for a product that is so small, so those wanting near dual-tower levels of performance in a smaller form factor might like this lil' thing.
- BeQuiet! Dark Rock (Pro) 4 - BeQuiet's coolers perform well, but their USPs over Noctua's products are - for most - going to be their looks. Matte black is always going to be easier to colour match than brown and beige, simply put. The 'Pro' cooler is huge, so those wanting something smaller could opt for the 'Dark Rock 4.'
- Scythe Ninja 5 - The very definition of an 'absolute unit,' this is a vast cooler that is about one thing and one thing only. Silence. Scythe's approach to cooling has always been 'large heatsink, low RPM fans', and the Ninja 5 is that to the letter. Dual 1200rpm fans, dual-tower, not unattractive at all... good product.
Moving on, then, to the motherboard choice.
RAM
I was legitimately shocked when I went onto PCPartPicker to select some RAM for this PC. RAM has become so cheap that 16GB of 3600Mhz CAS 16 RAM can now be had for sub $90, which is utterly insane compared to the situation we found ourselves in during the dark days of 2017. My pick, bar none, would be G.Skill's Trident Z Neo RGB. It is priced at a just over $80, and - in addition to being a very good looking bit of hardware - has all the specs to satisfy both Intel and AMD chips. Sure, you can spend less on a less fancy kit of RAM, and absolutely feel free to do so if needed. Such kits are only 10-15 USD cheaper, though, so don't feel obligated to cut costs here! If needed, you could potentially look into getting 32GB of RAM. However, this still is not even close to necessary for purely gaming focused builds and will not be - I suspect - for quite some time yet.
Storage
The advice offered on the previous page (i.e. the 'mid-range' PC) still applies here. A single 1TB SSD should really be your go to for a boot drive, and - this time - there is certainly the available budget to make this an M.2 NVMe product. Which one, however? The value orientated (and very much still viable) option would be either Intel's 660p, Crucial's P1, or AData's XPG Pro. However, if you wanted something more, high-end drives like Samsung's 970 Evo/Pro are the 'best of the best' options, which you could certainly consider. Bear in mind though that depending on what you call high-end, 1TB versions of these might be difficult to squeeze into this price bracket. Again, depending on your needs/definition of 'high end,' you might need more than a 1TB single SSD. Therefore, you could consider the following: 1) Another 1TB SSD, this time a SATA based 2.5'' drive. The pick of the bunch has to be Samsung's 1TB 'QVO' drive, the little brother of their famous 'Evo' range. If, however, you need bulk storage and don't really care how fast it is, then a 2TB 7,200rpm HDD will see you right.
Power Supply
As one might predict, my choices from the previous page can carry across, with some caveats. First is drop the 80+ Bronze options. 80+ Gold or go home. Second, ignore 550W options, and look in the 650-750W capacity range. You will be thankful for it, trust me. Third, you can look into higher rated PSUs in the 80+ Platinum range, e.g. Corsair's RMi, or Seasonic's Focus Plus Platinum. You are looking for the best, at this point, with ample headroom, all Japanese caps, and high efficiency.
Graphics Card
I have already mentioned the RX 5700XT. However, there is nothing preventing either it or the 2070 Super being mentioned in the 'high-end' breath, so I will. If anything, the 5700XT is perhaps the 'value' option, here. If you end up going for one of these GPUs, then you will be fully capable of 1440p high refresh rate gaming. However, we all know that the RTX 2080 Super is the 'go to' card here. It offers performance that varies between 5-10% stronger than the 2080, and - by that extension - a few percentage points over the old generation king, the 1080Ti. That said, the 2080S can be had for around $650-750 USD and comes with those RT cores for actually playable performance in raytraced games. That's really it, here. I will not be recommending the Radeon VII as not only is it EOL, but the 2080S is an objectively better GPU in nearly every single facet.
