The PC build thread

That's gonna be a great build. Just a couple of comments on some things you said (IMO)

1) No such thing as "more CPU than I need." That is a great CPU. I have a 9900k which performs almost identical to the 10700k. You will love it (without need to overclock.)

2) The cooler. I had an enormous Noctua double fan (push-pull) cooler on my last build. It was fantastic and performs about like medium-end water coolers do. But it is HUGE. On this 9900k build I went with a no maintenance sealed water cooler from EVGA (here: Products - Cooling) for $69. It is tiny and very quiet. Even the single fan keeps the CPU nice a cool without taking up that massive amount of space.

3) The NVME drive. There have been some mixed comments about it. I went with a 500 GB Evo Plus 970 to run Windows and a couple of other housekeeping functions, but no other unnecessary programs. Windows boots in 18 seconds. I went with the smaller one because as a long-time builder I believe that your OS and essential utilities drive should be separate and does not need to be enormous as such. I have to respectfully disagree (with another user) that a spin drive is necessary anywhere at this point (except in maybe massive data storage racks like his video storage friend to keep per GB costs lower.) With the cost of SSD's so low now I feel that there is no reason not to use one as your storage/games/programs drive also. I do not believe that the SSD will "wear out" for normal users in any amount of time that outweighs the speed benefits of SSD. I have Samsung SSDs that are going on 6 years old right now.

4) ROG Strix 3060ti will run your 1440p games at medium-high with great frame rates. You did not mention your monitor. Is it 2K? Is it 144hz? Gsync? With the scarce availability of the RTX 3 series right now you did good by getting one at MSRP. It will be fine for 2K and 1080p gaming unless you are a videophile looking for >120 FPS on Ultra Triple-A titles (like somebody I know who lives in my game room...)

5) Great job doing your research. I hop that there are no burps putting it all together. I'd love to see your UserBenchMark result when it is finished if you care to share.

Have fun!

 

Well, remember that Cyberpunk devs were forced to release it before Christmas by corporate and it came out very poorly optimized (especially for consoles which were underpowered for its original code. So they very quickly patched it, and it got better, but I am confident that Cyberpunk patches will keep coming making it better. With that said, these are the recommended PC specs:

• 
  RECOMMENDED:
  • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
    
  • OS: Windows 10
    
  • Processor: Intel Core i7-4790 or AMD Ryzen 3 3200G
    
  • Memory: 12 GB RAM
    
  • Graphics: GTX 1060 6GB / GTX 1660 Super or Radeon RX 590
    
  • DirectX: Version 12
    
  • Storage: 70 GB available space
    
  • Additional Notes: SSD recommended

Cyberpunk is a visually demanding game. So, if you built a budget gaming rig based on playing Cyberpunk, that same machine would run other games pretty well too, many of them at much higher frames than Cyberpunk. When talking "budget PC gaming" then you should be building for "1080p gaming." 2K and 4K require more horsepower, more money. Everybody has their opinions on what "a good PC gaming experience" means. For example, I do not feel that running at sub-1080p and "low" graphic settings is a "good" gaming experience ever. I feel that the minimum attempt is to get at least 60 FPS consistently at at least "medium" graphic options at 1080p to be enjoyable. A "great" gaming experience is >100 FPS at 2K resolution, but that is more money than a "budget" rig.

With all that said, and given the devs specs above, here's a stab at an AMD build for at least 60 FPS consistently at 1080p. (see this GPU chart for some benches of GPUs on Cyberpunk: https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/4ik2ALqmP8aNnegRMTtWn.png)

Possible build example: https://pcpartpicker.com/user/The_Kergan/saved/n8k6D3


Two last notes.
1) Do you have a monitor already, and a keyboard, and a mouse, and speakers or headphones? This build did not include any peripherals.
2) The reason I did this one as an AMD build is because Nvidia GPU's and some Intel processors are very hard to get right now and the scalpers are raping folks. Nvidia says that after Q1 their sub-vendors will begin to product the RTX3 series cards in much greater numbers and the prices will go down. But for now...

 

There are also pre-builts out there that would run it, like this: https://www.amazon.com/CLX-Ryzen-3-8GHz-GeForce-1660Ti/dp/B07V4GTX4J/

 

That's a beast. Great build choices. As I said, that will push 1080p on Ultra at 144hz (or even 240hz) no problem. Plus it will push 1440p monitors at medium to ultra (depending on the game) at 60 - 100 FPS. You didn't say what the refresh rate of your TV is, but if it is 60hz or 1080p then this rig will run everything maxed. However, I do feel that there is a significant experience difference if you get a 144hz / 2K monitor. I feel that if a person has the money this is the "sweet spot" for visually stunning gaming in 2020 / 2021. However, there are some points to consider before spending the money on both the PC and the monitor to game at greater than say 80 fps in 2K.

1) Monitor physical size. Let's face it - most folks reading here drive a truck. So if they are looking to PC game in a truck, well space is at a premium. In my opinion, if your monitor is going to be 24" or smaller then the best way to spend your build money is on a good IPS panel at 144hz / 1080p / and a high response rate (1 - 3 ms) - something like this great one: https://smile.amazon.com/Acer-XB253Q-Gpbmiiprzx-Compatible-DisplayHDR400/dp/B087GTR74D/

Or, your TV could double as a gaming monitor, especially if it has 120 hz refresh like this: https://smile.amazon.com/VIZIO-SmartCast-Class-Full-Array-D32f-F1/dp/B07195FH8G/

However, if you have the space to go to 27" or larger dedicated monitor you will see a visual difference if your system can push 1440p at > 60 FPS on high or ultra settings (which yours can.) It just is what it is. 2K visuals at high frame rates are awesome if the PC can drive it.

2) IPS vs TN vs refresh rate and Gsync/Freesync. If you are going to 27" or larger then TN panels will run about $100 cheaper than IPS panels. IPS panels are harder to make and have better color clarity and deeper blacks at more angles, but many argue that the difference is negligible considering the higher cost. So you can get a high response rate (1-3 ms) high refresh (120 - 144hz) TN or VA monitor at pretty good prices these days, like this: https://smile.amazon.com/GFV27DAB-Color-Rich-HDR-Ready-G-Sync-Compatible-Full-Motion/dp/B086ZZBPY9/

Or if you have the money, a name-brand IPS with full Gsync support like this: https://smile.amazon.com/LG-27GL83A-B-Ultragear-Compatible-Monitor/dp/B07YGZL8XF/

Here are some video links for research:
60hz vs 144hz vs 240hz:
1080p vs 1440p at 27" -

Don't forget - your monitor can also do double-duty as your TV.

My system Userbenchmark: MSI MPG Z390 GAMING EDGE AC (MS-7B17) Performance Results - UserBenchmark

(disclaimer: I have ZERO business relationship with any brand or device mentioned here and do not use any paid links to products.)