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Bron! <S>

I should also add that I am also in the process of picking components for a new computer, which I haven't done in almost 10 years! I've upgraded the video card on my computer twice now and I've added memory, but I'm still sporting the same CPU and motherboard from 2014.

I custom built all of my PC's from about 1998 to 2015 but then I just got tired of the hassle and time investment required with reinstalling Windows, sweating profusely while squeezing in the motherboard, video card, and arranging the cables. I've been an Alienware man since 2016. :-)

So when looking at the CPU, for instance, i7-12700K, what is the 12700K and what would you recommend for at least DCS?

v6,
boNes

Never mind, it appears it just the designation for that particular CPU. Funny thing is PC Mag is saying that the high end i5 is actually better for gaming because the i7 isn't that much faster and it's $140 less.

v6,
boNes

I've learned that as a general rule, you never want to get the top of the line CPU because you'll be paying exponentially more for just a few percentage points more of performance. It's much better to go with the second or even third from the top of line when buying a CPU.

and paying for more heat that is probably not necessary.

The games may seem ok, but only 4GB VRAM is just too little for modern games. Many are running short even with 8GB at 1080p res!
You may want to look into a RTX 4060 that's just coming out. Great bang for the buck and it won't hold your 12700k back. I've got a 3070 I'm using with mine.

I concur with Jedi on those cards.

Thanks everyone for all your help and input and guidance.

I made the plunge just now:

Win 11 Home USB Retail version (was gifted free Norton VPN)
Intel Core i7 13700K 13th Gen Raptor Lake 16-core 3.4 Ghz (Plus $20 off and free TOtal War WARHAMMER III)
Corsair Vengeance 2x16 GB DDR5 6000 (PC5 48000)
ASUS TUF Gaming Z790-plus WiFi ATX MoBo
ASUS Dual Fan GeForce RTX4070 OC Edition 12 GB GDDR6X GPU (With free Diablo IV)
Samsung 980 Pro M.2 2280 2TB NVme SSD
Cooler Master CPU fan

I ordered a pretty nice case, but after awhile I think I determined that I can use my existing MidTower so I will probably do that and return the new one if it comes down to it. I will also reuse my current 1TB SSD (that I am currently on for OS and DCS), my 2 TB HDD, my DVD-ROM, my 2 TB external HDD, my 2TB portable SSD, my gaming keyboard, my monitors (1 1080P HDMI and the other 1820x1080 DVI) and my 750W power supply (Thanks Hammer and Creeper, I checked and my existing one is both modular AND 80 plus gold certified).

Next is the build. I think I will do that after Wed night's session if not next weekend.

Thanks again!

v6,
boNes

Edit: fixed typo on i7: 13700K was 12700K

That is a great rig! You will quite happy. Extremely jealous of the gpu. It'll be years before you have to say "I wonder if I can run that game?"

That's going to be an awesome rig! Congrats, Bones. I hope the build goes smoothly for you.

Thanks. I'm starting to second guess if I should re-use the case or not, only because I don't want to go through the whole process of assembling then disassembling and reassembling if I find something doesn't go right or fit. I'm just so attached to my previous case, I like it so much!

v6,
boNes

Bones wrote: ↑

10 Jun 2023, 08:42

Thanks. I'm starting to second guess if I should re-use the case or not, only because I don't want to go through the whole process of assembling then disassembling and reassembling if I find something doesn't go right or fit. I'm just so attached to my previous case, I like it so much!

v6,
boNes

To each their own of course but stuff like this is exactly why I went Alienware and don't build my own gaming rigs anymore.

Panzer,

So outta curiosity about how much was "a pretty penny" to pay for Alienware?

I'm thinking now maybe I will use the new case because if I want to do things with an eye on future proofing, as GPUs come out into the future I imagine they will get bigger and the new case will then have the space for it. We'll see.

v6,
boNes

Bones wrote: ↑

12 Jun 2023, 07:48

Panzer,

So outta curiosity about how much was "a pretty penny" to pay for Alienware?

Here is the system I bought back in February of 2022:

Alienware Aurora Ryzen™ Edition R10 Gaming Desktop

AMD Ryzen™ 9 5950X
Windows 11 Home
NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3090 24GB GDDR6X
32GB, 2x16GB, DDR4, 3200MHz, XMP
1TB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD (Boot) + 1TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s (Storage)

I paid just under 4K for it.

Since then I've added 32 GB more of RAM and another 1 TB SSD.

That's outrageously expensive Panzer. But, if you're enjoying it, then there is value in that---especially since you use it every day.

Bones, personally, I would use the new case for several reasons. First of all, you're potentially increasing the longevity of your build. Secondly, you're saving yourself a ton of time, angst, and potential component damage by skipping the step of dissemble your old rig. I guess it depends on how big and flexible your new case is. Does it provide more or less the same slots? What's its footprint? Is it going to take up a lot of room?

Grif.

Panzer, thanks for sharing your info. I was interested as to the difference in cost between a prebuild and a home build. My home build really should be more expensive since I am cannibalizing parts and have labor, but just wanted to get a feel.

Grifter, I think you have very valid points as to why I am leaning toward using the new case. I want to future proof to an extent and right now the card I use will barely fit in my current case, but I know in a year or so we will probably have 50X0 series or more GPUs that are longer or may even take up more slot space and then that's it for me being able to upgrade. I had 6 USB ports on the top of the case (2 are 3.0) but I suspect that some of those ports aren't working properly anymore. Of course I have ports in the rear too but these top ones are so convenient for me to plug my TrackIR and wireless headset mike to. Also being an older case, there is no USB-C port. I'm not sure I will actually need it presently, but again, future proofing.

The footprint is pretty close to my current case. Another compelling thing about the new case is that it has the ability to mount the GPU on its side rather than the usual flat, saving space and freeing up slots (I think). And given how many SATA SSDs I have that I've been, as Hammer calls it, "Wrangling", this case lets me mount them all internally as there are many drive bays. Last, and this is old school of me, but there is still a drive bay for a DVD-ROM which I still use. If I held off and got a case in the future, that bay might not be there. I haven't seen many with that bay even now.

So...we'll see...

v6,
boNes

i r-use everything i can. period. i like my case, have reused it on 2-3 builds. of course i have been working on/with computers for over 25 years, so that is not a big deal for me.

the case will not dictate how the gpu fits into the mainboard. it will fit into a slot in the mainboard - period. you are stuck with how that turns out - UNLESS you want to get a cable that connects from the mainboatd pci-e slot to the GPU. i advise against that.

Bones wrote: ↑

09 Jun 2023, 13:47

Intel Core i7 12700K 13th Gen Raptor Lake 16-core 3.4 Ghz (Plus $20 off and free TOtal War WARHAMMER III)

Isn't the 12700k a 12 core, and not a 16 core? I think the 13700 is the 13th gen 16 core, and the 12700k is the 12th gen 12 core.