My opinion on the components for this PC
My opinion on the components for this PC
This configuration is, on paper, an excellent gaming PC! And you’ll see that, with a few “trivial” optimizations, you’ll be able to exploit the potential of each component even further and get the most out of your gaming sessions. In my case, this configuration has given me a great deal of satisfaction. Even if my personal equipment is more high-end, I’ve been able to discover other brands.
Before going into detail about the various tweaks I’ve made, I’d like to give a few recommendations to those who want to take inspiration from this configuration to build their next PC.
This configuration isn’t positioned on the entry-level market, but with a price tag of around €1,500, it’s important to understand that analyzing every euro you spend can radically change your results. So, if you want to cut your bill or gain fps “intelligently”, I’ve got a few tips for you!
1- Use your processor to increase your graphics card budget
Firstly, you can lower the price of your PC by choosing a slightly less powerful processor. You could consider the i5-14400F, but this processor is less powerful and more versatile. In my opinion, the right calculation lies elsewhere. Go for the Intel i5-14500!
It does the job perfectly! It’s practically the twin of the i5-14600KF, but with a lower boost frequency (5.0GHz vs. 5.3GHz). Clearly, even at 1080P, gaming performance will be equivalent to that of our base configuration. This would save us around fifty euros, which we could potentially reinvest in a graphics card.
The 14400F option may be considered if you want to lower your budget. However, 4 E-cores will be lost and much lower frequencies (4.7GHz). In my opinion, this is not the best option for gaming and daily use. Moreover, after some research, its performance is clearly far from that of the processor used in my configuration.
What’s more, the choice of one of these two processes is justified by the chipset used in our configuration: the B760. As a reminder, this chipset doesn’t give you a completely free hand when it comes to overclocking a processor. And for a 14600KF, that’s a real shame, even if it does offer higher frequencies, justifying the choice.
So what can we do with the €50-60 we’ve saved?
The RTX 4060 Asus Dual OC surprised me with better-than-expected performance. Just goes to show that extreme or gaming looks are not synonymous with better performance. So, to take things to the next level, let’s stick with an Asus RTX DUAL but reinvest our €50-60 on a higher-end graphics card like the Asus RTX 4060 TI DUAL (you’ll have to find an 8GB version). With the arrival of the new 12GB versions, the “old” 4060Ti are the subject of regular promotions. Perhaps an extra 20-30€ might be in order. At the moment that’s not necessarily the case, if you look hard enough. But there are ways of not having to shell out any money.
2 – Stay with Asus for the B760, but look for other references
I’m sticking with my idea of getting more for the same price. The TUF Gaming B760-Plus Wifi card offered by Asus for this round 1 is magnificent…But have you taken a look at the Asus PRIME B760-Plus? It’s magnificent too, and apart from the loss of the built-in wifi, it’s still a great way to save a few euros without lowering our PC’s performance. Be careful, though, to stick with a DDR5 platform to keep your composites longer. Another €40-€45 saved!
NB: as I said at the start, I’m first and foremost a gamer. Gamers and wifi, logically, don’t mix. A good ping is cable only!
3- Choosing a power supply: be smart but not stingy
A good power supply is the key to your PC’s stability.
It’s the component you really need to pay attention to. Don’t cut corners, but don’t go overboard on watts either. I regularly use Bequiet’s PSU Calculator, an online table that gives you an idea. After my discussions on the Discord, it’s certainly a bit heavy-handed, but it helps us to avoid underestimating our choice. As for me, I was a bit heavy-handed, anticipating a switch to a 4060Ti, and a “serious” overclocking of the GPU and CPU ( 14600K )…. The value I’m given is 601W… Once again, as a precautionary principle when it comes to power supplies, I’m leaning towards a 700W. You see, it’s in power supplies that we get the most price surprises. The prices are therefore more aggressive and the choice more complete by moving up to…750W!
Internet magic: only 15€ separate the cheapest power supply from a fully modular 80 Gold version! In any case, and depending on availability, the choices I report here are all excellent. For my part, I’ve opted for the Gigabyte GP-P750GM 80 Gold and 100% modular for a clean assembly! In our PC Tweak League, the power supply budget was €100. So either way, you’ll be a winner.
And the rest?
I found the rest of the components particularly nice. Nothing to say about the RAM and SSD duo from Corsair. The Ram kit brings a lot to the table, and that’s something not to be overlooked. While everyone immediately thinks of overclocking their graphics card, it’s by optimizing the RAM that you also gain FPS. Choosing the right ram kit is therefore essential, and this one is excellent.
Special mention to DeepCool, a brand I really discovered with the Tweak League. The case is really well designed and the details are meticulous. As for the cooler, it’s just superb and far more efficient than some of the watercooling kits you see everywhere. I think that unless you don’t like the brand’s design (which I find consensual), it’s hard to find an equivalent in terms of price with the same performance and quality. But clearly, these are very personal comments and my tastes may not be yours.
