I usually do writeups for screenshots of liveries, or screenshots of addon aircraft.  I'm really excited for this post because I've finally been able to do a brand new PC build - case and all.  The GPU will have to wait though technically....it's just so hard to find a RTX card here in the Midwest of the USA.  

It's been well over a decade since my last full build (IE new case/PSU and other parts etc) so I'm a little out of that loop.  My existing PC is a frankenstein ha!  It's my original Corsair 650D case, but with 4790K (original 2500K), 32GB ddr3 ram (originally 16GB DDR2 ram), Z97 Pro AC (originally P67A I think) board, GTX 1080 Ti (originally a GTX 970 with the vram bug, then a GTX 980 later which I got for free), and a Seasonic 750W PSU (original - 11 years not bad eh!)  I also started with all HDD's except a 128GB SSD II (or SATA II I guess) which I used for my OS....  I had various SSD upgrades since then - but no one cares about those so I won't list them.  I've used this PC for FSX, P3D, XP10, XP11, DCS, and now MSFS (and many other software uses of course).  It's had its ups and downs along with occasional CTD's, BSOD's etc etc.  But overall it has been a good workhorse.  I'll probably clean it all up and give it to my daughter (lol start em young!)

Why did I drop about 2k USD on this thing?  I'm not certain yet as I've not built it - but I will say my existing PC will drop me to the teens in MSFS in heavy scenery and weather.  I'm hoping that the 12700K will be quite a leap from the 4790K (which was a serious contender for its time and honestly still is decent).  I would consider this new build a premium high end one - but not the highest out there of course...you can spend many more thousands of dollars (or your currency) on PC parts as we all know.

New build: i7 12700K  /  MSI Z690 DDR4  /  G.Skill 32GB 3600mhz cl 14 RAM /  GTX 1080 Ti  /  2x 2TB 970 Evo M.2 + 500GB SSD (OS) / EVGA 850W /  Noctua NH-D15S cooler  /  Corsair 5000X case

I'm very excited - the RAM is marketed for AMD as I could not find hardly any low latency ram marked for intel.  I believe RAM is RAM but if my board says no (says it takes a few models of Gskill with 1.45 v) then I'll just opt for some slower stuff on amazon.  

Required Photo (case couldn't fit hehe) - and I'll update this thread as I go with pics etc.  I expect it to take quite a while because my baby is just over 1 and I have other kids too!  But I'll find time for it as I go...

2022_PC_Build by Ryan Butterworth, on Flickr

 

Looks good.  Any reason you went for a DDR4 Ram and Motherboard rather than DDR5?

10 hours ago, ryanbatcund said:

he GPU will have to wait though technically.

 

Exciting stuff. Just finished my new build a couple of weeks ago.

The only thing I'd say, given that you will be buying a graphics card in the near future, is that be aware that 3080 and 3090 cards are power hungry. So be careful of PSU requirement with an 850 watt, if you manage to afford a 3080 or higher.

NVidia claim an 850 is enough of course but many have found otherwise. Modern PSU's have a pretty flat efficiency curve, so the old philosophy of over specifying so we end up in the middle of the power curve and thus max efficiency isn't so important. Even so though, capacitor wear and future upgrades are always a consideration and 3080/3090 transient power spikes are a thing. 

And I spied a D15S Chromax, now you KNOW that gets my approval. 🙂 I have one in my EvolvX three feet to my right as I type, cooling a 12900K with no issues at all.

 

2 hours ago, Charlatan said:

Looks good.  Any reason you went for a DDR4 Ram and Motherboard rather than DDR5?

Couldn't find ANY ddr5 ram when I was looking a month ago.  I see now there is some stock.  Maybe I switch my board to Z690 DDR5.  Have any recommendations on ram?

This any good?

https://www.amazon.com/CORSAIR-Vengeance-2x16GB-PC5-44800-1-25V/dp/B09NCNF2ZQ/ref=mp_s_a_1_10?crid=27519WYQIVOES&keywords=ddr5+ram+32gb&qid=1645702755&sprefix=ddr5%2Caps%2C191&sr=8-10

I went with the lower version of that.... the 5200 mhz stuff....and swapped the Z690 into a DDR5 wifi (same manufacturer).  I'll return my other ddr4 stuff.  The faster DDR5 mem like 5600 and 6000 is a lot more pricey - and the shipping is still a few weeks out.  So maybe I can upgrade the ram at a later date.... at least I'll have the DDR5 standard.

Edited February 24, 20224 yr by ryanbatcund

I had no issue a month or so ago, in the UK, getting Trident Z5 DDR5. 5600 MHz And it fits under the D15S without issue. 

 

I actually have a pack of 32gb DDR5 Vengeance I'm selling on eBay, when I can get eBay support to help me with a selling issue. eBay support is a nightmare. 

Its 32gb. 5600 MHz C36.

Found some extra dosh and switched to Trident Z. So this is going spare, and cheap. I was too late to send it back. 

Edited February 24, 20224 yr by martin-w

Sorry to hear about ebay argh that's frustrating.  Yeah I saw some 5600 corsair and i almost bought it but it was 390 USD vs 310 for the 5200 stuff.  I had to stop somewhere otherwise this would have been a 3000 USD rig (without GPU!)

edit:  I lied lol.  I looked at the ram again this morning....the 5600 mhz is faster and low latency than the 5200 stuff.  So I canceled those sticks and paid the price for the new 5600 sticks.  No flashy RGB and they're just corsair like the pair you mentioned up there...but that's okay with me.

Edited February 24, 20224 yr by ryanbatcund

13 hours ago, ryanbatcund said:

Sorry to hear about ebay argh that's frustrating. 

 

Honestly Ryan UK eBay is dreadful for support. If they cant solve your problem with a couple of emails they say leave it with us, our technical people are investigating, and then leave you high and dry. 

Edited February 25, 20224 yr by martin-w

23 hours ago, ryanbatcund said:

Couldn't find ANY ddr5 ram when I was looking a month ago.  I see now there is some stock.  Maybe I switch my board to Z690 DDR5.  Have any recommendations on ram?

This any good?

https://www.amazon.com/CORSAIR-Vengeance-2x16GB-PC5-44800-1-25V/dp/B09NCNF2ZQ/ref=mp_s_a_1_10?crid=27519WYQIVOES&keywords=ddr5+ram+32gb&qid=1645702755&sprefix=ddr5%2Caps%2C191&sr=8-10

I went with the lower version of that.... the 5200 mhz stuff....and swapped the Z690 into a DDR5 wifi (same manufacturer).  I'll return my other ddr4 stuff.  The faster DDR5 mem like 5600 and 6000 is a lot more pricey - and the shipping is still a few weeks out.  So maybe I can upgrade the ram at a later date.... at least I'll have the DDR5 standard.

Sorry, I have no experience of DDR5.  Was just curious if there was a specific reason for staying with ddr4

I also went with DDR4.  I bought nice DDR4.  When considering how much more good DDR5 would be it was an easy choice.  Especially when the flight sim performance in 2022 of DDR5 vs DDR4 is negligible if anything.  I plan to totally wait until my next build for DDR4.  

I hear ya.  In the end I figured why am I doing a fresh build with old ddr4 ram?  If I'm doing a new build I'm doing it with new stuff.

 

Hi Ryan,

I'll watch this thread with great interest! I just ordered the parts for a very similar system. It will be the first time that I build a PC myself. In the past I usually bought my PCs from Dell but got tired of all the shortcomings. So that will be quite a learning experience.

That's why I'm interested to see how it works out for you 

Thankfully it's not too hard to build yourself.  I start with the motherboard CPU and heatsink...  I make sure all my Mobo parts are in the box.  I put the CPU on the mobo, I use a pea sized dab of thermal compound on it, and stick the heatsink to it.  Sometimes the liquid coolers already have compound on them...in that case sometimes I'll clean it off to use my own or just use what's on it already.

Once the HSF is on the cpu thats the hardest part.  Put it in case, connect Mobo cables to front of case headers, place PSU, connect cables ,drives (though I think I'll put the M2 drives on my board before I put it in case).  Connect fan headers etc etc.  put in gpu last usually.  Hope it all works lol.

Hey Ryan -- it has been a while since I built my current PC. One of the issues was the connection of the front panel headers. Are they better marked now or have these been made easier and less confusing to install (yes it has been about 5 years since my last build).

Thanks!

13 hours ago, pgde said:

front panel headers. Are they better marked now or have these been made easier and less confusing to install

Nope! Still as fiddly as ever, tucked away in the bottom corner and difficult to identify without the diagram in front of you. Colour coding would at least help but no motherboard I've ever used has implemented such a simple idea. I'm sure if your job is PC construction that it is an automatic process, but when it's been a while since your last build, it's still a slower process than it ought to be.

16 hours ago, ryanbatcund said:

Thankfully it's not too hard to build yourself. 

Thanks Ryan, that sounds good. Are you going to use Win 11 or Win 10? I'm still not sure about that.

Edited February 26, 20224 yr by Tim-HH