First new gaming rig since 2009!

[disarm]

I just pulled the trigger on parts to assemble my first new desktop since 2009, finally replacing my surprisingly reliable (but now virtually worthless for modern gaming) rig that I built almost 15 years ago. That system was a beast at the time (Intel i7-860 and Radeon HD5870) that could run Crysis maxed out at 1600x1200, but it never had any updates mainly because I switched to console gaming when the Xbox One launched and I could play HD games on big TV with surround sound, sitting on my couch. While that's still appealing, I decided to go all-in on a new build now because of a generous tax return that allows me to make up for fifteen years of PC neglect all at once. I will no longer be behind the tech curve by this weekend!

Details of my build...

- Intel Core i7-147000KF
- MSI MPG Z790 CARBON WIFI II ATX LGA1700 Motherboard
- Kingston FURY Beast RGB 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6000 CL36
- Crucial T700 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 5.0 X4 NVME SSD
- Samsung 980 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME SSD
- MSI EXPERT GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER 16 GB Video Card
- SeaSonic VERTEX GX-1000 1000 W 80+ Power Supply
- Corsair iCUE H150i ELITE LCD XT Liquid CPU Cooler
- Corsair iCUE 5000X RGB ATX Mid Tower Case

I've been out of the PC loop for a while, so I did learn a few interesting things while doing my research...

#1 - They put RGB lights on almost any component now. It's a little ridiculous in my opinion, but I bought into it mostly because my 10yo son will be helping me build and thinks it's really cool

#2 - The price difference between SATA and NVMe SSDs is so small that it doesn't make much sense to go with the slower SATA unless you need a really big SSD. 2.5” SSDs were brand new technology with my last build, costing me $400 for a 120GB drive.

#3 - The nVidia RTX 4090 is still insanely expensive. While tempting, it really doesn't seem worth paying more for a GPU than the entire rest of a cutting-edge system.

#4 - Choosing a new monitor was the most difficult part. Size, ultra-widescreen or standard, curved or flat, HDR, 4K...what's important to you?

The last part of my new system is upgrading my 15yo 24” Dell 1600x1200 monitor, and I spent more time agonizing over that decision than anything else. While the system I'm building will be able to do 4K for a lot of games, I decided to go with a 1440 ultra-widescreen monitor instead because you can get a bigger monitor for less money, and I can't imagine 4K to be all that important when sitting close at a desk. So what did I choose?

Alienware AW3423dw 34" Curved QD-OLED

Given that I'm building a system that should be able to push high framerates on a lot of games at 1440, I wanted a monitor with high refresh rate and G-Sync capability. I've also realized the benefits of HDR over increased resolution while playing console games on an HDR TV for several years. Many review sites rave about the Alienware OLED and I initially thought it was too expensive, but then I stumbled across Amazon selling them through their Warehouse program for $300 below the usual price and couldn't resist. The one I ordered is supposedly "like new" with only damaged packaging, so as long as it shows up in the promised condition, I'll have gotten a great deal on one of the best gaming monitors on the market. If there are any problems, I send it back and try again.

So my parts are on the way, with everything set to be delivered by Thursday. That will give me the weekend to build and play...can't wait to have a new PC again!

(Just don't let my wife find out how much money I spent)

[Daehawk]

After having this ultrawide for many years I could never go back.

[Scoop20906]

Good Luck with the build, Disarm. I recently did a build last fall and it super stressful me. I am not a hardware guy. It looks like it will be a hell of a rig!!

[gbasden]

After having this ultrawide for many years I could never go back.

Ironically, I had an ultrawide and replaced it with a 42" more traditional form factor. I loved the ultrawide for some games, but it wasn't great for work and I missed out on the vertical in shooters.

[disarm]

I never posted back on this, but the build went totally smooth and booted up perfectly on the first try. The most time consuming part of the build was cable management, but the end result is a super clean case with very few cables showing. Installed Windows 11, all the other necessary software, and it's been almost flawless...crazy fast, and even under heavy load it stays cool while barely making a sound. The only hiccups I've had are the software that runs the LED light systems not always loading correctly when coming out of sleep. Sometimes I have to reset my keyboard or restart the lighting software (Corsair iCue and MSI Mystic Light), but it's purely cosmetic and doesn't affect performing at all.

As for gaming, one of the first things I loaded was Starfield and it's amazing how much more sharp and detailed everything looks compared to my Xbox Series X, even though my ultrawide monitor is lower resolution (1440p) than my gaming TV (65” 4K). I'm really glad the monitor is OLED and HDR because the contrast and colors are amazing, but I have no regrets about not going 4K.

Other than Starfield, my son has played some Fortnite and I've been putting in time with Baldur's Gate 3. Everything either defaults to max settings or I set it there and enjoy super smooth frame rates (often well over 100fps). Coming from a rig that was cutting edge 15 years ago, it's an incredible jump in performance.

I'll have to take some pictures of the system soon and post them. I only loaded it with LEDs because my son thought it would be cool, but I have to admit that it is pretty neat. Maybe I'll even get ambitious and figure out a way to link some video...

[Daehawk]

Coming from a rig that was cutting edge 15 years ago

I think nothing of time amounts like this these days. my rig is now 13 or 14 years old. But if you think about it thats like being born to being a mid aged teenager. At 15 I would have lived my entire life in the same time Ive had this rig. Heck it was just 4 years later I met my wife. Im sure ill still be using this pc in 3 years if it lasts.

When I first started in 94 I upgraded my machine every year. Maybe a couple times a year. And I built a new system every 2 years or so. Im not sure if its just that now tech doesn't move as fast or I dont care as much. I know that in the 90s if you didn't upgrade often then games would not work or work badly. Now though I player new stuff ok..not highest but they run and run good and play good. It helped I built the best I could in 2010 or 2011.

15 years. That would be nearly a quarter of my life but when thinking of PCs and gaming it seems a lot less.

[Kraken]

When I first started in 94 I upgraded my machine every year. Maybe a couple times a year. And I built a new system every 2 years or so. Im not sure if its just that now tech doesn't move as fast or I dont care as much.

A bit of both, I think. Back in the day a machine was seriously behind the times after just 2-3 years. Nowadays I don't even think about replacing one until it's 6 or 7. My laptop and my desktop are both turning 6 this year and still doing fine. But I don't really play compute-intensive games. Eventually Civ7 or Fallout 5 or something will motivate me to upgrade again, or MS will force my hand by ending support for Win 10.

[Blackhawk]

My old pattern was to upgrade the video card one year, then the motherboard the next, then other peripherals the third, then back to the beginning.

The upgrade schedule is far less demanding these days.

[Blackhawk]

or MS will force my hand by ending support for Win 10.

When they do that, I'm just going to have to be vulnerable. There are six PCs in this house. Exactly one meets the requirements for Windows 11, and there's no way I can just toss out everything else and buy new ones.

Microsoft is out of their #$!(*#&! minds.

[Daehawk]

When I first started in 94 I upgraded my machine every year. Maybe a couple times a year. And I built a new system every 2 years or so. Im not sure if its just that now tech doesn't move as fast or I dont care as much.

A bit of both, I think. Back in the day a machine was seriously behind the times after just 2-3 years. Nowadays I don't even think about replacing one until it's 6 or 7. My laptop and my desktop are both turning 6 this year and still doing fine. But I don't really play compute-intensive games. Eventually Civ7 or Fallout 5 or something will motivate me to upgrade again, or MS will force my hand by ending support for Win 10.

If my next system lasts as long as this one ill be pushing 70 if Im alive.