What is the PC Perspective Hardware Leaderboard?
Updated 10/08/24 – three down, one to go
The Dream System pricing is a bit less of a nightmare thanks to the drop in price of some of the components, excepting the craziness happening in the GPU market after NVIDIA made it SUPER. The Core i9-14900KF is the current king, and might even remain after the launch of the i9-14900KS depending on the thermals of that chip; an extra 200MHz might not be worth it. The GIGABYTE Z790 AORUS Xtreme is aptly named as it features every possible feature a Z790 board can offer. You could opt for a less feature filled board if you don’t have the need for quite this level of excess. The less said about what the market is currently doing to NVIDIA’s RTX series the better. As cards return closer to MSRP expect to see more updates on this component but for now a watercooled RTX 4090 will give you all the frames your monitor can handle. The memory is now at DDR5-8200, with high density 24GB DIMMs, with some of the best timings on the market as well. The Dream system finally has a PCIe 5.0 SSD, but remember only one M.2 port can handle it, the rest are PCIe 4.0 If you need a sound card, SoundBlaster released a new version of a fan favourite, and don’t forget to round the system off with a 1200W ATX 3.0 PSU with 12VHPWR such as the new FSP PSU listed in this build.
The High end of the Hardware Leaderboard offers a tough choice; go with the better chip overall or the less expensive offering from AMD that does game slightly better. Considering the light load on your CPU while running an RTX 4080 SUPER, and the fact the Intel motherboard offers all the new bells and whistles, pairing thee i7-14700F and ASUS TUF Gaming Z790-Plus is the way to go. The DDR5-7200 from Corsair is guaranteed to work and with the amazing speed from ADATA’s Legend 720 you don’t have a slow component in this build. The BlasterX AE-5 Plus has been here for a while for those that need it nor is there any reason to switch from the Corsair RM1000e that has been serving the High End build for a while now.
The Midrange system really comes down to the motherboard. Do you need USB4 and PCIe 5.0? Probably not, but you might really want them which puts you firmly in AMD’s X870 camp. That decision will cost you more money than satisfying yourself with the mere PCIe 4.0 M.2 and USB3.2 that Intel’s Z670 offers. Frankly, some compromise has to be made in the midrange, and you really aren’t going to notice the slightly lower bandwidth as much as you will notice the credit card bill. As long as you update the BIOS on the ASRock B760M PG Riptide (10/01/24), your i5-14600KF is now safe from the exuberant power scheme that claimed the lives of it’s siblings and it holds it’s own or beats AMD’s Ryzen 7 9600X in most scenarios. Currently one of the available M.2 ports is populated by the 2TB WD_Black SN770 with the option of expanding as your budget will allow. The inclusion of the MSI Gaming GeForce RTX 4060 will upset those who are disappointed by NVIDIA’s choice to limit the size of the VRAM, but it is a better card than the RTX 3060. The sound card is cheap and optional, while that 500W Thermaltake PSU certainly is not! All in all it’s great to see this system dip just below $1000!
The Budget System is still over the $500 and it is doubtful it will ever get back there. Most of the components are rather old, apart from the Ryzen 5 5600GT which is a fresher version of the previous 5600G. You should skip the GPU for the moment, with a new generation likely on the way older GPU prices might drop a percent or two. If your heart is set on one however, why not give Intel’s Arc 750 a chance? It beats the competition at this price point, as long as you make sure to enable BAR! The rest of the components remain unchanged, nor are they much less expensive.
Once you have all your components you can always reference Ryan’s videos covering the installation of the parts into the case as well as installing your OS and Steam so you can get right to gaming and surfing. For those of you looking at a Vive or Oculus, the systems mostly match those covered in Ryan’s VR builds; check out your expected experience in his three guides.
Dream System 2024 $4776.00
This is the Dream System. No compromises, IOO.
Processor — Intel Core i9-14900KF$540
If you are building the best of the best, you don’t need an onboard GPU taking up space and saving a bit on the price tag isn’t so bad either. We are expecting a 14900KS in March which might be more interesting depending on the thermals, but for now a 6GHz Max Turbo frequency will keep you above the competition. These 8 E-cores and 16 P-cores will keep up with any of your other components.
Motherboard — GIGABYTE Z790 AORUS Xtreme$800
This is not the most affordable of Z790 boards but it is one of the most impressive. From DDR5-8266 support through the five M.2 ports through the fact it offers WiFi 7, 2.5GbE and 10GbE connectivity, there is not much this board can’t do. The pair of Thunderbolt 4 connectors will handle your new peripherals and the 10 USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A will ensure you have enough ports for everything else. You can even see real time sensor data on the heatspreader.
Video Card — MSI RTX 4090 SUPRIM Liquid X 24G$2180
The new RTX SUPER cards are vastly over MSRP at the moment, and that has not helped the price of the RTX 4090. It is the best of the best and this MSI card comes with it’s own integrated watercooling. The card comes with a Boost clock of 2640 MHz and 24GB of GDDR6X at 21 Gbps. Also handy is the fact that it is only two slots tall, so it doesn’t impinge on other components like some of the air cooler versions can.
Memory — 48GB TEAMGROUP T-Force Delta RGB DDR5-8200MHz$366
Say hello to our new 24GB DIMM friends, as high density RAM hits the market. Not only do you get a large pool of RAM, it’s running at 8200MHz with timings of 38-49-49-84. Perhaps you don’t need RAM with such a high frequency, but you want it, don’t you?
Hard Drive — Crucial T700 4TB Gen5 NVMe M.2 SSD$500
Say hello to up to 12,400 MB/s transfer speeds with this impressive 4TB Crucial SSD. It comes with a large heatsink that allows it to be passively cooled, so you won’t have to listen to the tortured screams of a tiny fan. If you are worried about space, grab your favourite PCIe 4.0 SSD and stick it in as the motherboard has plenty of room!
Sound Card — Creative Sound BlasterX AE-5 Plus Pure Edition$140
Do you crave 32-bit/384 kHz playback with a 122 dB DNR from a SABRE32 ultra-class PCI-e DAC? Perhaps a discrete headphone amp that utilizes bi-amplification technology to power each earcup individually would turn your head? Then grab a discrete sound card to satiate your desires.
Power Supply — FSP Hydro PTM X PRO 1200W 80 Plus Platinum$250
There is a decent sale on this PSU, which is the capacity you will need to run the above components. Please take great care with the 12VHPWR cable, a little stress on it will cause you a lot of stress later on.
High End System $2108.00
High end gaming for around $2000.
Processor — Core i7-14700F$318
This is a tough call, Intel’s Core i7-14700F is a better overall chip for a general purpose computer and it’s performance in games is almost equivalent to the Ryzen 7 5800X3D which makes it a sound alternative. We shall see what Zen 5’s 3D chip brings to the table soon hopefully.
Motherboard — ASUS TUF Gaming Z790-Plus$204
It has PCIe 5.0, DDR5, WiFi and 6,2.5Gb LAN but most of all it has a proper Thunderbolt 4/USB4 header. You have a lot of choice when it comes to Z970 boards, so if you have one that you favour you can certainly opt for it. Otherwise this ASUS board will serve you well.
Video Card — PNY GeForce RTX 4080 Super XLR8 Gaming Verto Epic-X$1020
With a name as long as the card and a price that is within spitting range of MSRP, PNY’s 4080 SUPER seems a good choice. The 2595MHz Boost is impressive and while you migth find a card with a slightly higher frequency the price will be boosted as well.
Memory — 32GB CORSAIR VENGEANCE DDR5-7200MHz$148
A pair of 32GB DDR5-7200 DIMMs that are on the QVL, with timings of 34-44-44-96. Feel cramped, get two pair!
Hard Drive — ADATA 2TB SSD Legend 960$144
Sure it’s PCIe 4.0, but 7,400MB/s is nothing to sneer at! You could double the price and grab a Corsair MP700 PRO to hit 12,400MB/s but you aren’t likely to notice the difference. When the Legend 970 hits the market we shall see what happens.
Sound Card — Creative Sound BlasterX AE-5 Plus$114
Do you crave 32-bit/384 kHz playback with a 122 dB DNR from a SABRE32 ultra-class PCI-e DAC? Perhaps a discrete headphone amp that utilizes bi-amplification technology to power each earcup individually would turn your head? Then grab a discrete sound card to satiate your desires.
Power Supply — Corsair RM1000e$160
The new generation of PSUs have arrived and thanks to ready availability the prices have come in line as well. This Corsair PSU gives you 105°C rated capacitors, 80 Plus Gold efficiency but it does lack a dedicated VHPWR connection. Considering how rare they are are the moment, that is not much of a strike against an otherwise stellar PSU.
Mid Range System $926.00
You can clearly play from middle … though $1000 is the ‘new’ mid-range.
Processor — Intel i5-14600KF$230
This chip is a proper midrange product, it offers very good performance for the price and is now has its voltage addiction under control. Single core performance is not as good as the new Ryzen but multicore is miles ahead. In gaming, where it really counts, you will see equal or better performance and for most people that is what really counts for them.
Motherboard — ASRock B760M PG Riptide$110
ASRock returns again with a solid board for your Raptor Lake CPU. It has 2.5GbE networking, two PCIe 4.0 M.2 ports, teo USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-C and it loves DDR5. It doesn’t have PCIe 5.0 like it’s AMD compatriot, but it doesn’t cost anywhere near as much as an X870 with those features either. When the silicon hits the copper, you really aren’t going to notice the difference unless you are in the habit of transferring gigabytes of data day in and day out.
A new BIOS dropped for this board on Oct 1st, grab it quick!
Video Card — MSI Gaming GeForce RTX 4060$300
Yes, yes, yes, it has a mere 8GB of RAM! The horrors one faces when building a midrange system are unspeakable. The thing is that the RTX 4060, especially one clocked to 2505 MHz out of the box, is faster than an RTX 3060. That older card does have half again the VRAM, so if you 12GB is the line you draw then go for it. A nice RTX 3060 or even a RX 7600 XT will fit nicely in this build and only cost a couple of bucks more!
Memory — TEAMGROUP T-Create Expert DDR5-6000 32GB$86
TEAMGROUP’s DDR5-6000 is on the QVL and with timings of 30-36-36-76 it is great out of the box and offers you some space to tweak the timings or frequency. I know you want RAM with a higher frequency, but that’s for the High end … or for a small upgrade later on.
Hard Drive — WD_BLACK 2TB SN770$120
Up to 5,150 MB/s of PCI3 4.0 storage, and thanks to decent pricing you can get 2TB. The extra storage is important, as if you can keep the drive half full or less you will see better performance than if it is almost completely full.
Sound Card — Creative Sound Blaster Audigy FX$40
If for some reason you find you do need a discrete audio solution instead of the onboard Realtek ALC892 7.1, Sound Blaster offers a decent deal. This particular card sports a 600 ohm headphone amp in addition to 5.1 surround speaker support.
Power Supply — Thermaltake Smart 500W 80+ White$40
500W will handle the components in this system easily. This particular PSU offers quiet cooling and while it isn’t as efficient as some at this wattage it is far less important as your power bill won’t show much difference.
Low End System $577.00
Plenty of fun still to be had on the low side.
Processor — AMD Ryzen 5 5600GT$126
The price on the Intel Core i5-14400 is too high for the Budget build and doesn’t offer much extra. The Ryzen 5 8500G or Ryzen 5 8600G are options, but the processor is more expensive and shifting to DDR5 will increase the cost above the $500 target, as both memory and motherboard will cost noticeably more.
Motherboard — ASRock B550M Steel Legend$128
There are a number of B550 and X570 boards at this price range and generally they all offer the same mix of M.2 and PCIe capabilities. The B550M Steel Legend does have one thing that stands out, which is 2.5GbE wired connectivity. That is enough to make it the recommended board if you are on a budget.
Video Card — Sparkle Intel Arc A750 ORC OC Edition 8GB$200
Intel’s Arc 750 generally outperforms similarly priced cards from AMD and NVIDIA, not that there are many of them to compete against. Sure, 8GB of GDDR6 is small, but it’s bigger than onboard. Then again you can save a lot of money by trimming this component off for now and depending on your Ryzen 5 5600GT until you can afford a better GPU.
Memory — Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB DDR4-3600$43
This 2x8GB kit shows up on the compatibility chart for the B550M Steel Legend. Nothing fancy but it should boot at the full speed with no headaches.
Hard Drive — Crucial P3 Plus 500GB$40
The drive to grab at this time is from Crucial, the P3 Plus offers a decent price for 3500MB/s sequential reads and 3000MB/s writes. The only catch is the lack of cache, but that isn’t going to have much of an impact on you daily usage.
Sound Card — Onboard Audio$0
7.1 Channel from the Realtek ALC1200 Audio Codec with Nahimic Audio; good enough for the majority of earholes.
Power Supply — Thermaltake Smart 500W 80+ White$40
500W will handle the components in the Low end as well as the Mid range system. This particular PSU offers quiet cooling and while it isn’t as efficient as some at this wattage it is far less important as your power bill won’t show much difference.
