My computer setup - Request for opinions

[hr22]

Hi. I am thinking about assembling a computer, and I have selected the components that make up such a set. I would like to know from you whether this is a good set?

Processor: Intel Core i7-14700K, 3.4 GHz, 33 MB, BOX

Motherboard: MSI MAG Z790 TOMAHAWK MAX WIFI or Asus ROG STRIX Z790-H GAMING WIFI

RAM memory: G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB, DDR5, 32 GB, 6400MHz, CL32

Graphics card: Asus TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER OC 16GB GDDR6X or MSI GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER Gaming X Slim 16GB GDDR6X

Disk: SSD Kingston KC3000 2TB M.2 2280 PCI-E x4 Gen4 NVMe

PSU: be quiet! Pure Power 12 M 1000W or SeaSonic FOCUS GX-1000 1000W

Water-cooling: Arctic Liquid Freezer III 360 A-RGB Black

Computer case: be quiet! Silent Base 802 Window Black

Which motherboard should I choose?

- These motherboards are both great, but MSI MAG TOMAHAWK already has WiFi 7 standard.

Which graphics card should I choose?

- Both of these cards are great. MSI is a bit faster and slimmer than Asus. Slimmer MSI card takes up less space in the case.
- Is it true that the MSI RTX 4070 Ti Super Gaming X Slim has a smaller radiator, resulting in higher fan speeds and therefore a higher noise level?
- How much percent more efficient is the RTX 4070 Ti Super graphics card compared to the RTX 4070 Super? Is it really 6%?

RTX 4070 SUPER vs RTX 4070 Ti SUPER [5-Benchmark Showdown]

Comparing RTX 4070 Ti SUPER with RTX 4070 SUPER: technical specs, games and benchmarks.

technical.city

Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Super vs Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super: What is the difference?

What is the difference between Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super and Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Super? Find out which is better and their overall performance in the graphics card ranking.

versus.com

- Do the coils squeak with this cards?

Which power supply should I choose?

- I have read that these are two great power supplies that have received many positive reviews. The be quiet! Pure Power 12 M power supply operates fully actively, meaning it runs continuously, whereas the Seasonic FOCUS GX has semi-passive cooling, which is purportedly a better solution. I found out that the Seasonic FOCUS GX power supply has better capacitors and voltage regulation and filtration, but it lacks SIP protection: Surge & Inrush Protection – protection against surge currents.

- Should I choose a 850W or 1000W power supply for this set?

Is this RAM memory suitable for this setup?

Is this computer case good?

- I think it's a good choice. What do you think about this computer case?

 

[Onasi]

These motherboards are both great, but MSI MAG TOMAHAWK already has WiFi 7 standard.

Depends on whether you even use Wi-Fi and have any devices that support the new standard. I personally prefer my desktops hard wired to the Ethernet of my router and not on wireless, but that is a matter of preference.

Which graphics card should I choose?

Of these two - definetely the Asus. With the MSI I would ne concerned with temps or noise since, as you mentioned, the heatsink is quite a bit smaller.

How much percent more efficient is the RTX 4070 Ti Super graphics card compared to the RTX 4070 Super? Is it really 6%?

If you mean energy efficiency, then it's actually LESS efficient.

Do the coils squeak with this cards?

Pure lottery.

Which power supply should I choose?

PSU Tier List rev. 17.0g - Cultists Network

PSU Tier List will help you to choose the best PSU out of hundreds of models on the market. From budget to the highest end Power Supplies.

cultists.network

Should I choose a 850W or 1000W power supply for this set?

850 would be plenty, but if going for a 1000 isn't a huge price increase and you are unbothered by it - go ahead, having overhead is always beneficial.

Is this RAM memory suitable for this setup?

Sure. Although on Intel you could potentially go higher freq, like 7200.

What do you think about this computer case?

Decent with the Mesh front panel. Questionable with the Solid one.

 

[Hyderz]

That looks like a sweet setup, if it was me 32gb should be enough but you didn’t mention what you do with it…. If it’s gaming then sure 32gb is enough but you open browser like chrome and game and stream at the same time, might opt for a 48gb kit 24x2, 64 I think is a lil overkill but then again depends

 

[Todestrieb]

My two cents here:

WiFi 7 : if you don’t know what device you will need Wifi7, you probably don’t need it.
By the time you really need it, it’s not an expensive fix (stick a Intel BE2xx on your board and call it a day)
So, only use it as a deciding factor if you can’t decide on other features.

Which GPU: The slim card has a very niche use case (being 2 slot -> you can have one more PCIe slot), but do you really need it? If you don’t know you probably don’t need it.
The use case I can think of is : WiFi (but both boards have it), M.2 SSD (but both boards being Z790 have many slots) , super high speed wired network and super high end audio.
In short, for the choices given it’s the TUF all the way unless blablabla.

Coil noise: my brother has a TUF 4070TiSuper non-OC. The coil whine is only noticeable for his super sensitive ears on touching distance. If it’s noticeable on normal usage on normal distance he would have RMA/changed/thrown the card at me. Of course it’s a lottery and YMMV.

Can’t add anything on other questions. Good luck on your build.

 

[P4-630]

protection against surge currents.

In my home I'm using a few quality surge protected power strips.

 

[hr22]

Depends on whether you even use Wi-Fi and have any devices that support the new standard. I personally prefer my desktops hard wired to the Ethernet of my router and not on wireless, but that is a matter of preference.

I use WiFi at home and I don't have any devices that support WiFi 7. But it would be good to have such a WiFi standard in my computer for the future. I'm not insisting on it, I just thought about this MSI MAG Z790 TOMAHAWK MAX WIFI motherboard.

I read that the network card chipsets Intel I226-V and I225-V have a factory defect in the 700 series motherboards, causing random disconnections from the Internet. This is a factory defect of the chip, no driver or firmware will fix it. Do you know anything about it? I know that the MSI MAG Z790 TOMAHAWK MAX WIFI motherboard has an Intel I226-V network card chipset. However, I don't know what network card chipset the Asus ROG STRIX Z790-H GAMING WIFI motherboard has.

If you mean energy efficiency, then it's actually LESS efficient.

I meant the performance of the 4070 Super versus the 4070 Ti Super in games, etc.

PSU Tier List rev. 17.0g - Cultists Network​

PSU Tier List will help you to choose the best PSU out of hundreds of models on the market. From budget to the highest end Power Supplies.

Thanks for the article, I'll check it out.

850 would be plenty, but if going for a 1000 isn't a huge price increase and you are unbothered by it - go ahead, having overhead is always beneficial.

Thanks for the thought, I think I will choose a 1000W power supply.

Sure. Although on Intel you could potentially go higher freq, like 7200.

So choosing 6400MHz is a good choice, or should I choose RAM with a higher frequency?

I've read that some users mentioned that RAM with a higher frequency than 6200/6400MHz may have compatibility issues with the i7-14700K, it's a lottery. I'm not sure if that's true.

"6800MHz would be a safe choice, 7200MHz might be unattainable if you encounter a weak controller in this processor."

"Unfortunately, there's no guarantee as it depends on the specific piece of the processor. 6000-6400MHz will work without issues, while 6800-7200MHz may already pose a challenge for the processor's controller."

"The 14th generation works without issues at 7200MHz (with a limit around 8000MHz), just choose a high-quality Z790 motherboard."

Decent with the Mesh front panel. Questionable with the Solid one.

I understand, and could you recommend any other computer cases?

I have one more question regarding the choice of RAM size. Which RAM variant should I choose?

48GB (2x 24GB)

or

32GB (2x16GB), and later if I need to, I will add more RAM sticks. Is this solution good? Does it not result in worse memory performance?

The PC will be mainly used for gaming and in the future for amateur video editing.

That looks like a sweet setup, if it was me 32gb should be enough but you didn’t mention what you do with it…. If it’s gaming then sure 32gb is enough but you open browser like chrome and game and stream at the same time, might opt for a 48gb kit 24x2, 64 I think is a lil overkill but then again depends

Hyderz, please see my comment above. Your opinion regarding the choice of RAM is also welcome.

In my home I'm using a few quality surge protected power strips.

Thank you for recommending the power strip. It's interesting.

 

[dgianstefani]

Looks good. I'd pick a 7200 MT RAM kit. There's not much price difference and it's a nice uptick in performance.

14th gen K and Z790 won't have compatibility issues with faster RAM.

The limit is actually around 8200 MT for current gen Intel, but you need a two DIMM slot motherboard for that. For a four slot Z790 board 7600 is generally doable and 7200 is safe.

The 4070 Ti Super is essentially a diet 4080, which is the most efficient card currently available. The Ti Super loses a bit of efficiency, and isn't as efficient as the non Ti but they're all very, very efficient cards.

Definitely go for the TUF 4070 Ti Super, they're great cards.

 

[dirtyferret]

Thanks for the article, I'll check it out.

skip the list and just go to their source @ hardware busters. He has top tier list posted there and on Tom's as well.

 

[dgianstefani]

skip the list and just go to their source @ hardware busters. He has top tier list posted there and on Tom's as well.

A good way to also pick parts not just PSU is simply to go to TPU reviews and sort by editors choice/recommended. Then pick something recent in the category you're looking for.

TechPowerUp

www.techpowerup.com

If you already have a few parts in mind, chances are most of them will have been reviewed pretty thoroughly.

 

[dirtyferret]

A good way to also pick parts not just PSU is simply to go to TPU reviews and sort by editors choice/recommended. Then pick something recent in the category you're looking for.

TechPowerUp

www.techpowerup.com

If you already have a few parts in mind, chances are most of them will have been reviewed pretty thoroughly.

yep, same guy did most of the TPU PSU reviews and pretty thorough in detail compared to some other sites

 

[hr22]

Looks good. I'd pick a 7200 MT RAM kit. There's not much price difference and it's a nice uptick in performance.

14th gen K and Z790 won't have compatibility issues with faster RAM.

The limit is actually around 8200 MT for current gen Intel, but you need a two DIMM slot motherboard for that. For a four slot Z790 board 7600 is generally doable and 7200 is safe.

The 4070 Ti Super is essentially a diet 4080, which is the most efficient card currently available. The Ti Super loses a bit of efficiency, and isn't as efficient as the non Ti but they're all very, very efficient cards.

Definitely go for the TUF 4070 Ti Super, they're great cards.

Thank you for your opinion, it explained a lot to me.

If I buy a 32GB RAM kit (2x16GB) and later on I add two more identical RAM sticks (2x16GB), will I not have stability issues with this setup? Because I read somewhere that stability issues may arise. Because manufacturers may use different chips during production, which can later cause stability issues.

skip the list and just go to their source @ hardware busters. He has top tier list posted there and on Tom's as well.

Thank you for the information.

 

[dgianstefani]

Thank you for your opinion, it explained a lot to me.

If I buy a 32GB RAM kit (2x16GB) and later on I add two more identical RAM sticks (2x16GB), will I not have stability issues with this setup? Because I read somewhere that stability issues may arise. Because manufacturers may use different chips during production, which can later cause stability issues.



Thank you for the information.

Adding more RAM sticks makes for a more difficult load on the memory controller and CPU.

It's better to buy the RAM capacity and speed you want from the beginning, because even if you buy the same model, the sticks are not guaranteed to work well together, and you might also have to reduce their frequency to be stable.

A 2x24 GB kit or even 2x32 GB kit really isn't that expensive. If you really see yourself needing more than 32 GB of RAM, simply go for one of those.

Kits of multiple sticks of RAM are specifically validated to work with each other, so mixing kits can work, but it might not, too.

 

[Onasi]

I read that the network card chipsets Intel I226-V and I225-V have a factory defect in the 700 series motherboards, causing random disconnections from the Internet. This is a factory defect of the chip, no driver or firmware will fix it. Do you know anything about it? I know that the MSI MAG Z790 TOMAHAWK MAX WIFI motherboard has an Intel I226-V network card chipset. However, I don't know what network card chipset the Asus ROG STRIX Z790-H GAMING WIFI motherboard has.

It should be an Intel NIC as well, from what I remember. I don’t have hands on experience with the issue though. If you want to be safe, you can look for something with a Realtek NIC, although those are sometimes wonky as well, though that’s more on a software side.

I meant the performance of the 4070 Super versus the 4070 Ti Super in games, etc.

Performance-wise the Ti Super is fine. It’s not a massive upgrade over the regular Ti, but seeing how the price should be similar there is no reason not to get one. 16 gigs of VRAM is nice too.

I understand, and could you recommend any other computer cases?

There are so many cases nowadays that making specific recommendations is tough. You can look at TPU case reviews and see what, from the recommendations by reviewer, you would like. My go to is usually stuff from Fractal, both Meshify and Torrent series are about as good as it gets for standard tower form-factor without going overboard.

 

[#22]

I read that the network card chipsets Intel I226-V and I225-V have a factory defect in the 700 series motherboards, causing random disconnections from the Internet. This is a factory defect of the chip, no driver or firmware will fix it. Do you know anything about it? I know that the MSI MAG Z790 TOMAHAWK MAX WIFI motherboard has an Intel I226-V network card chipset. However, I don't know what network card chipset the Asus ROG STRIX Z790-H GAMING WIFI motherboard has.

With Intel LAN I once have seen suggestion that problem originates from Windows energy saving settings and is solvable with just changing them. Maybe it's worth to dig a little more in this regard, because avoiding it much reduces mobo choices.

With GPU, you want bigger card if you simply have space for it. Bigger ones tend to be quieter and cooler, but ofc it's best to see it in reviews.

With case, SB802 is really good and adequate for any build. A little too plasticky to my taste and plastic irritates with making noises when gets hotter. Strong alternatives would be Phanteks P600S or Fractal Define 7. Non-windowed versions will be quieter and better fighting coilwhine you are concerned about. If you don't demand much in terms of ergonomy and noise supression, you can save here with going Pure Base 500 as usually cheapest good one.

 

[Onasi]

With Intel LAN I once have seen suggestion that problem originates from Windows energy saving settings and is solvable with just changing them. Maybe it's worth to dig a little more in this regard, because avoiding it much reduces mobo choices.

Not Windows itself as such, but energy saving settings of the adapter itself which can be changed via Device Manager - the likes of Energy Efficient Ethernet, Green Ethernet and so on. That might be worth a shot. It stabilized the Realtek NIC on my B550 board at the very least - used to have a weird issue with heavily throttling download speed for no reason on large files after some time passed.

 

[#22]

Not Windows itself as such, but energy saving settings of the adapter itself which can be changed via Device Manager - the likes of Energy Efficient Ethernet, Green Ethernet and so on. That might be worth a shot. It stabilized the Realtek NIC on my B550 board at the very least - used to have a weird issue with heavily throttling download speed for no reason on large files after some time passed.

To be clear I just don't remember how it was suggested to be solved, but it was something connected to energy saving. I would also suspect options in Device Menager, Properties of Intel's part and tab about energy, but maybe it's something else. Or maybe in fact author of this suggestion said total bs lol. Honestly I've never really dig into this topic, but just suggested it may not be doomed and worth further research.

 

[hr22]

Hi, thank you all for your valuable information. A few months ago, I postponed setting up my new computer, but now I would like to know which processor would be the better choice: the Intel Core i7-14700K or the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K?

​

 

[dgianstefani]

Hi, thank you all for your valuable information. A few months ago, I postponed setting up my new computer, but now I would like to know which processor would be the better choice: the Intel Core i7-14700K or the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K?

​

Ultra 7

 

[bonehead123]

Well, from someone who builds computers as a source of additional income, I can say that your choices seem pretty solid overall and should make for a nice rig.

So I will offer just a few comments:

1. If this is to be a gamin rig, then you're gonna need more storage space for the gamz....preferably a 2nd drive (& a 3rd one for back ups) that is NOT the same one as your OS is installed on....this will save you from having to re-install or re-download all your gamz & other apps if your Windows install goes poo-poo

2. On the PSU part, you mentioned one that has surge protection built-in but the other did not. What you really want is something similar to the protection device shown by [B]P4-630[/B], as you want to stop the surge BEFORE it gets anywhere near your rig, including the PSU. Unless of course, you enjoy having to rip out a fried PSU and/or other parts if/when/every time a surge hits your home

3. As I always say: RAM, BAM, thank ya MA'AM.....

As already mentioned, I strongly recomment that you get it all at one time, regardless of the total you want/need, cause mixing different sticks (even supposedly identical ones) later on usually causes aggravating issues that will have you pulling your hair out...

32GB is generally considered the sweet spot nowadays for most users, HOWEVER, ram requirements will continue to grow in the near future, so you can NEVER have too much, so if you can, I would strongly suggest getting 48-128GB now, at least until coders learn how to stop being lazy f*cks and do shit right the first time (unlikely)....

Note that most of my recent/current clients need workstation-type rigs, so if/when any of them ask for less than 48GB, I just glare at them with the “Seriously, like w.T.f.” look until they change their minds. This saves me & them time & money of having to go & upgrade their rigs 2-3 months later, hahahahaha ...

4. WiFi 7 is not really important today, UNLESS you have, or soon plan to buy devices, that can utilize it's bandwidth & other features, which will surely become more widely available in the next year or so. So from a pure forward-looking aspect, yea it will be important at some point down the road, just not right now...

5. Although cases are a hugely personal choice in terms of size, features, and appearance, the biggest thing to remember is this: with a few exceptions, ON THE INSIDE, THEY ARE ALL BASICALLY THE SAME ! And there are literally hundreds of thousands of them out there of all sizes, shapes, colors etc, so choose wisely, as you will have to assemble your parts inside it and look at it for the forseeable future

6. And finally, if you can swing it, I generally recommend getting the most recent models/versions of parts, unless you find a REALLY fantastic deal on the last generation stuffs

 

[hr22]

Is it true that Intel Core Ultra 7 265K is less efficient in games than Intel Core i7-14700K?

@bonehead123

Thank you for the in-depth response - super helpful!

 

[dgianstefani]

Is it true that Intel Core Ultra 7 265K is less efficient in games than Intel Core i7-14700K?

No.

 

[hr22]

So where do these opinions come from that the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K is weaker in games than the Core 13/14 GEN, and that even overclocking this processor doesn’t provide measurable benefits? People are commenting that it performs well in programs but poorly in computer games.

 

[dgianstefani]

Have you tried simply reading any of the reviews?

Most of your questions could be answered with some basic research.

Arrow Lake Retested with Latest 24H2 Updates and 0x114 Microcode

Yesterday, Intel announced that they had root-caused the majority of Arrow Lake Core Ultra 200 performance problems, and that OS updates are already available. We tested Windows 11 24H2 with the new patches, and also compare results with 23H2 and a new motherboard BIOS.

www.techpowerup.com

 

[Bobaganoosh]

So where do these opinions come from that the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K is weaker in games than the Core 13/14 GEN, and that even overclocking this processor doesn’t provide measurable benefits? People are commenting that it performs well in programs but poorly in computer games.

What resolution do you want to play games at? The 265k is considerably more efficient, but weaker in games than high-end 13th/14th Gen Intel. That said, if you're playing at higher than 1080p, most decent newer CPUs can keep up with the GPU. The 265k is much better at some non-gaming tasks than 14th Gen, but whether that's important to you or not, I don't know.

The underlying architecture of Arrow Lake is very interesting and has some potential, but this first generation with this architecture has a latency issue that does not benefit games. That said, the latency hit really only impacts high-fps gaming, like 1080p e-sports titles. As I said, if you're playing a higher resolution, you're going to be entirely GPU bottlenecked in almost all titles anyway, especially if you're still looking at 70-tier graphics cards.

But your first question was about efficiency and the 265k uses much less power and is also much easier to cool than 14th Gen.

 

[Frick]

Have you tried simply reading any of the reviews?

Most of your questions could be answered with some basic research.

Arrow Lake Retested with Latest 24H2 Updates and 0x114 Microcode

Yesterday, Intel announced that they had root-caused the majority of Arrow Lake Core Ultra 200 performance problems, and that OS updates are already available. We tested Windows 11 24H2 with the new patches, and also compare results with 23H2 and a new motherboard BIOS.

www.techpowerup.com

Based on your link it's weaker in games in general.