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"I Need a New PC!" 2022. The GPU drought continues...

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Leonidas

Member
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2022 is set to be an exciting year for PCs with next-gen architectures for CPUs and GPUs planned for launch this year. Current gen GPUs are still very difficult to come by at reasonable prices.

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Builds will be updated when new products launch. For now all builds will have GPUs at their MSRP as it is possible to get them at that price (if you're lucky).


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CPUs
Recommended:

AMD Ryzen 5600X
Intel Core i5 12600K

Intel 12th Gen is technically the fastest gaming CPU but these are both great gaming CPUs, and in most games you won't be able to notice a difference between them, especially if you are gaming at a high resolution. Zen 3 with V Cache is coming soon which could be an interesting launch.

Value:
Intel Core i5 12400F
Ryzen 5 5600G

Intel Core i5 12400F is the highest performance best value CPU and comes in at under $200, though the Ryzen 5 5600G could make sense if you need a decent integrated GPU while waiting on a discrete GPU.

GPUs
Recommended:
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080
AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT


Value:
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

The latest GPUs from both Nvidia and AMD are impressive. Nvidia has a substantial lead in heavy ray tracing applications but AMD is very competitive when it comes to rasterization performance. Currently, Nvidia leads in the $400 tier with the RTX 3060 Ti which is a fantastic GPU with better than console raster and RT capabilities. At the higher end the RTX 3080 and RX 6800 XT offer similar rasterization performance with the 3080 coming ahead at 4K and the 6800 XT ahead at 1080p. But in games with heavy RT effects there is a massive advantage for Nvidia GeForce RTX even before DLSS is enabled. The RTX GPUs have the ability to use DLSS 2.x in a handful of games which increases performance with graphics that are arguably on par with native rendering.

Intel is planning to launch their new DG2 GPU architecture in Q1 2022, which features hardware RT and AI upscaling similar to DLSS 2.x.

RAM
Recommended:
32 GB DDR4 3600

Value: 16 GB DDR4 3200

Some may argue 16 GB is enough but 32 GB gives you a lot more freedom in desktop usage and can improve your experience. Activate your memory profiles in BIOS in order to run them at their rated speeds.

SSDs
Recommended: PCIe 3.0x4 NVMe SSD

Value: SATA SSD

The sweet spot is still PCIe 3.0 NVMe in terms of price and gaming load time performance. It could be years before we see games taking advantage of PCIe 4.0 speeds. Currently zero games use Direct Storage on PC. SATA SSDs are still great for gaming too.
TechSpot did a nice article where they tested drives in a number of games and found no difference between 3.0 and 4.0 drives at this point.

PSUs
Graphics cards require more power these days than they used to, make sure you have enough PSU power or you could see system instability.

Cases
Good airflow is a concern with some cases make sure you do your research before buying a case to see if it is easy to build in and has the features you want as they can last you through a number of builds.


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Game Pad

Recommended:
Xbox Series Controller
PS5 Dual Sense Controller

Xbox Series controller is fantastic on PC if you play console style games. The Dual Sense is also a fantastic game pad and Steam has Dual Sense integration. Xbox Series controller is cheaper but Dual Sense can be worth it especially if more games take advantage of it's haptic capabilities on PC.

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AI Upscaling


Spatial Image Enhancement


Ray Tracing



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Overclocking is a way to get even more performance out of your components but it does require a bit of tinkering to get things right as things can become unstable if you are not careful. There is not much overclocking headroom these days for current gen CPUs & GPUs however...

Programs for Setup & Overclocking
CPU-Z: Information on your CPU, motherboard and memory
GPU-Z: Information on your GPU and VRAM

MSI Afterburner: overclocking utility for GPUs, works on any modern GPU from any vendor
HWiNFO64: detailed system information

CPU Benchmarks
CinebenchR20
Blender

GPU Benchmarks
Unigine Heaven
3DMark

Pricing & Compatibility

PCPartPicker: Good way to see if all your components are compatible and compare prices between components aggregated from various websites.



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Youtube
Gamers Nexus
Digital Foundry

Websites
Anandtech
Techpowerup
Techspot

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DGrayson

Mod Team and Bat Team
Staff Member
As last year user Topher Topher , an expert in keyboards, wanted to submit a post on mechanical keyboards. Thank you Topher!!!


Mechanical Keyboards

Membrane keyboards are common, cheap, and there really isn't much to say about them outside of what is covered in the features and form factor sections. So mechanical is the focus here. The "gaming" mechanical keyboard aspect is largely marketing outside of the macro functionality. A non-gaming mechanical keyboard and a gaming mechanical keyboard are ultimately not very different in functionality.

This will be broken down into the following sections: features, switches, form factors, keycaps, and brands.

Features

Media controls: The ability to play/stop songs, mute, volume control, etc.
Backlighting: LEDs embedded in the actual switch can lights up the keys for better visibility and possibly very color RGB effects.
Macro Keys: Keys that have dedicated functions not typically found in a standard keyboard. Usually these are programmed using proprietary software that comes with the keyboard. Allows for mimicking keystrokes or even mouse buttons as well as functions not necessarily gaming related such as launching a program.
Wireless. Typically via USB dongle or Bluetooth
Tilt. Adjustable feet on the bottom of the keyboard to tilt the back up for more typing comfort.
Palm Rest. A rest....for your palm.

Here is an example of a mechanical keyboard that incorporates all these features except it isn't wireless. This is the $200 Corsair K95 Platinum XT. As you can see it has media controls behind the numeric keypad and function keys, it has RGB backlighting, and it has programmable Macro keys on the left side.

7193Jl8PejL._AC_SL1500_.jpg


Amazon.com: Corsair K95 RGB Platinum XT Mechanical Gaming Keyboard, Backlit RGB LED, Cherry MX RGB Blue, Black: Computers & Accessories

Contrast the K95 with the K65 which lacks the macro keys and a volume rocker.

71xlW1QGHIL._AC_SL1500_.jpg


Amazon.com: Corsair K65 LUX RGB Compact Mechanical Keyboard - USB Passthrough & Media Controls - Linear & Quiet - Cherry MX Red - RGB LED Backlit: Computers & Accessories

This HyperX Alloy FPS Pro has only red back lighting and no macro or dedicated media controls.

71wYNUGGDgL._AC_SL1500_.jpg


https://www.amazon.com/HyperX-Alloy...&keywords=Alloy+FPS+Pro&qid=1609950305&sr=8-2

Of course, the feature set for these keyboards are going to dictate the price.

Switches:

The crux of the mechanical keyboard is the switch. Cherry MX is by far the most well-known switch manufacturer. Other brands exist, but typically most follow the same switch schemes as Cherry so that will be the focus.

31e669f2-5211-499e-8519-6e62b986b7ae.gif



The above images are not from Cherry MX, but it serves to demonstrate the differences. Notice in the image above the four most common variants of switches.

Red - Designed to make less noise without a tactile response.

Brown - Designed to make less noise but provide a tactile response.

Blue - Designed to make a clicky noise with each keystroke as well as a tactile response.

Black - The same as red but with a higher actuation force. Less common that the other three.

Actuation force, in layman's terms, is amount of pressure required to activate the keypress. The above switches also have variants with different actuation forces. Some keyboards have lower profile versions of switches that allow the height of the keyboard to be shorter.

571632-cherry-mx-low-profile-prototype-2.jpg



Some keyboard manufacturers such as Razer and Logitech have developed their own switches on schemes. For example, Razer uses Green, Yellow, and Orange to describe their switches. Fundamentally, Green is the same as Cherry MX Blue. Orange is the same as Brown. And Yellow is the same as Red. Logitech, HyperX, and Roccat have also created their switches which are all variations of the above.

There are also other switch brands not associated directly with switch manufacturers. Gateron and Kailh are well known alternatives to Cherry MX. All these switches, for the most part, follow the same Cherry MX conventions along with multiple variations of actuation force.

Form Factors:

Full Size Keyboard
The K95 pictured above is a full sized keyboard. It has a standard key layout with numeric keypad.

Steel Series Apex 5 Full Size keyboard
81yd9W%2B0doL._AC_SL1500_.jpg


Amazon.com: SteelSeries Apex 5 Hybrid Mechanical Gaming Keyboard – Per-Key RGB Illumination – Aircraft Grade Aluminum Alloy Frame – OLED Smart Display (Hybrid Blue Switch): Computers & Accessories

TKL Keyboard

TKL means "ten key less". It is a normal sized keyboard without the numeric keypad.

Razer Huntsman Tournament Edition TKL keyboard
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Amazon.com: Razer Huntsman Tournament Edition TKL Tenkeyless Gaming Keyboard: Fastest Keyboard Switches Ever - Linear Optical Switches - Chroma RGB Lighting - PBT Keycaps - Onboard Memory - Classic Black: Computers & Accessories


75% Keyboard

These keyboards lack numeric keypads and removes spacing between main keyboard body and the directional and navigation keys.

Keychron K2
614chmBNoqL._AC_SL1200_.jpg


Amazon.com: Keychron K2 Wireless Bluetooth/USB Wired Gaming Mechanical Keyboard, Compact 84 Keys RGB LED Backlit N-Key Rollover Aluminum Frame for Mac Windows, Gateron Brown Switch, Version 2: Computers & Accessories

65% Keyboard

Similar to 75% but removes the entire top row and directional keys. Many of these functions are still available with Fn keys that toggle dual functionality of other keys. For example, the number keys along with - and + can be toggled to server as F1-F12.

Durgod Hades 65% keyboard
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Amazon.com: Durgod Hades 68 RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard - 65% Layout - Cherry Profile - NKRO - USB Type C - Aluminium Chassis (Cherry Silent Red, White PBT): Computers & Accessories

60% Keyboard

Similar to 65% but removes navigation keys (page up, page down, home, end) and directional keys.

Ducky One Mini RGB 60% Keyboard
61HqcGPIbkL._AC_SL1500_.jpg


Amazon.com: Ducky One Mini RGB LED 60% Double Shot PBT Mechanical Keyboard (Cherry MX Brown): Electronics

40% Keyboard

About as slimmed down as you can get.

Minivan Keyboard
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The MiniVan Custom Mechanical Keyboard Kit | Price & Reviews | Drop

Keycaps

The most common mechanical keyboards come with ABS keycaps which means the keycap is simple molded plastic that has been painted. Another option is Double Shot PBT. These are higher quality keycaps that are not painted, but have two separate plastic molds of contrasting colors combined to form a keycap. These keycaps last longer and have a premium feel. The downside to this, however, is it that backlighting may not be as bright or may even look quite a bit off in some areas. This is due to the dual molds that can make it harder for light to shine through. Some manufacturers have been able to mitigate this issue with more attention to the actual character placement on the key.

Here is an excellent video explaining the differences between ABS and Double Shot PBT


Buying a keyboard that comes with Double Shot PBT is not required in some cases. HyperX, Razer, and Corsair offer replacement Double Shot PBT keycaps:

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CORSAIR GAMING PBT Double-shot Keycaps Full 104/105-Keyset — White

CORSAIR raises the bar on keyboard performance with PBT double-shot, backlit compatible keycaps. Each keycap is created using our special two-shot molding process, ensuring more durability, more stability and legends that won’t fade.
www.corsair.com
www.corsair.com

hx-product-pudding_keycaps_pbt_black-1-lg.jpg


www.hyperxgaming.com

Pudding Keycaps for Mechanical Keyboards | HyperX

The HyperX Pudding Keycaps allow your keyboard to shine brighter with a translucent design. These keycaps are compatible with all HyperX mechanical keyboards.
www.hyperxgaming.com
www.hyperxgaming.com

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www.razer.com

Razer PBT Keycap Upgrade Set - Gaming Keyboards Accessories

The Razer PBT Keycap Upgrade Set works with Razer and standard 104/105 key US or UK layouts, includes a 120 doubleshot PBT keycaps and additional stabilizers.
www.razer.com

There are also third party options (such as the Havit keycaps below), but care MUST be taken to ensure the keycaps are designed for the form factor of the keyboard owned.

71601Zd-dqL._AC_SL1500_.jpg


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07SGF9DTY/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Major Brands

Corsair
Does not have many options outside of full size and TKL keyboards, but these are very popular keyboards. Several variations of features. Uses Cherry MX switches exclusively.

Gaming Keyboards | RGB & Wireless Keyboards | CORSAIR

CORSAIR gaming keyboards power top esports professionals with features like CHERRY mechanical keyswitches and powerful CORSAIR iCUE software. Shop now.
www.corsair.com
www.corsair.com

HyperX
Only full size and TKL, but variations in features. Has models that have Cherry MX, Kailh, as well as their own HyperX switches.
www.hyperxgaming.com

Mechanical Gaming Keyboards | HyperX

Check out the mechanical gaming keyboards in the Alloy Family and get equipped with the one best for you. Alloy FPS Pro is a tkl keyboard tuned for FPS gamers, while the Alloy Elite offers brilliant light effects.
www.hyperxgaming.com
www.hyperxgaming.com

Logitech
As with HyperX and Corsair, no options outside of full and TKL. Uses their own Romer-G switches exclusively.

www.logitechg.com

Gaming Keyboards - Wireless, Mechanical, TKL | Logitech G

Browse Gaming Keyboards. Logitech G professional gaming keyboards are engineered to compete. For serious gamers looking for high quality and high performance.
www.logitechg.com

Steel Series
Steel Series has developed their own switches with the capability of adjusting the actuation force programmatically as well as more conventional switches. Only full size and TKL options.

Gaming Keyboards for PC and Mac | SteelSeries

SteelSeries offers a variety of gaming keyboards for the ultimate gaming experience. Mechanical, Cherry MX, membrane, RGB lighting, and more.
steelseries.com
steelseries.com

Razer
Has 60% keyboards as well as full size and TKL.
www.razer.com

Gaming Keyboard For PC | Best Computer Keyboards ⌨️

Award-winning✅ Speed✅ Top precision✅ Razer's gaming keyboards are engineered to give you the best experience. Shop online.
www.razer.com

Roccat
TKL and full size only.
en.roccat.org

Get the Best Gaming Keyboard - Shop ROCCAT® Gaming Keyboards

A quality keyboard is vital for both work and play. Whether you’re a mechanical purist, a couch gamer, a freak for extra functions or someone who wants it all – we’ve got you covered.
en.roccat.org

DIY
Yep. Just like you can build your own PC, you can build your own keyboard. Go here for more:

www.makeuseof.com

How to Build a Custom Keyboard With Mechanical Switches: A Complete Guide

Custom keyboards are easy to make with mechanical switches. You need only a few parts and a little bit of elbow grease to get started.
www.makeuseof.com

Others
While the above covers most of the major brands, there are many other options available, most of which are available on Amazon, but are not going to be available in stores to try. When buying on Amazon, make sure you are aware of the return window as mechanical keyboards are expensive and you certainly do not want to be stuck with one your are dissatisfied with.

Final Word
There is no universal recommendation that can be made when it comes to keyboards. Personal experiences and preferences are going to vary. The best approach in deciding on a type of keyboard is first hand usage. Many retail outlets such as Microcenter and Best Buy have keyboards on display for demo purposes. Sometimes a store demo isn't enough though. It may take extensive usage after the purchase to come to a conclusion so make sure the store has a really good return policy.
 
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ymoc

Member
My eyes deceive me?! A Leonidas unbiased AMD + INTEL thread?! Respect. 👍

But ooooooh boy if I could find a 3080 for that price in my country. I just checked our biggest online retailer, they're selling the GTX 1660 for over 700(!!!!)€. There is one 3060 for 850€. Then a 3070 for like 1700€. And that's it 😂
It's utter insanity. Luckily I'm ready set, but I feel for anyone needing to buy a card right now.
 

Buggy Loop

Member
Animated GIF


Godspeed everyone on hardware drops. I’m fully setup for the next 4~5 years, ain’t touching discord servers for drops until absolutely necessary, it was a nightmare.
 

JohnnyFootball

GerAlt-Right. Ciriously.
It needs to be said again, your absolute best bet to get a 3070/3080/3090 Ti or otherwise is to sign up for EVGAs Elite Member. You will get placed on a GPU waiting list. It may take 6 months, it may take a year, but it is the best option available.

That's what I did and got my 3080 for $800. Can't complain.
 
Any recommendations on pre-builds? I have always built my own, but it seems easier to go the other way these days? Brand rather than specific build.
 

CLW

Member
So…… from what I have read/heard the flu mining is coming to an end mid 22 potentially bringing supply to the point where msrp is possible.

Hoping 2022 will be the year I can upgrade and build a new gaming rig
 

Dream-Knife

Banned
I asked this in the old thread without an answer:
I recently got a 3080 to replace my 6800. However under memory speed it states 9700mhz. My rx6800 would only do 2000mhz. I assume Nvidia is measuring it differently?
 

GloveSlap

Member
So Best Buy just dropped a bunch of gpus (all gone). I thought my time had finally come, but i got stuck in an infinite wait line and verify account loop. Anyone have any experience with Best Buy's new que system? Googling just shows that some others have the same problem. Beyond frustrated at this point.
 

Hustler

Member
How is everyone getting ahold of the GTX GPUs? I would be willing to buy a 3070 or 3080 straight up, but that sounds near impossible without paying scalper prices. Was hoping to build a new PC this year since it's been about 6 years.

Is the best route to buy prebuilt PC and where are the best outlets to look? I bought a prebuilt from Cyber Power PC in college and was not happy with it. Built my own PCs ever since.
 

HeisenbergFX4

Gold Member
How is everyone getting ahold of the GTX GPUs? I would be willing to buy a 3070 or 3080 straight up, but that sounds near impossible without paying scalper prices. Was hoping to build a new PC this year since it's been about 6 years.

Is the best route to buy prebuilt PC and where are the best outlets to look? I bought a prebuilt from Cyber Power PC in college and was not happy with it. Built my own PCs ever since.
Got my 3080 and 3090 both in prebuilt systems through Best Buy then had the PC rebuilt into a nicer system

Can get a 5800x 3080 Omen for about $2000 right now there

 

Xdrive05

Member
In before the tears. :messenger_loudly_crying:

I'm in the market for a good 1080p RTX card, 3060-ish. The 3050 may even be okay for my needs depending on how benchmarks turn out and how well DLSS and RTX works on it. Thing is, I really need to be around MSRP to justify the upgrade.

But now I'm just hoping that the markets get closer to normal by the time 4060 exists.
 

rofif

Can’t Git Gud
Maybe it's time for new case.
I have p600s and it's huge and empty inside... and airy and cool. I like how it looks but you know...
I still need to stay within ATX motherboard and PSU since I don't want to rebuy them.
Maybe white case... or no window? or something. No idea.

sGWeV3Y.jpeg
 
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BigBooper

Member
I feel you. I have a great pc, with a case I love, but it's way old. My 980ti ain't cutting it. I'd thought I'd stick with a series X for a while until hopefully gpu prices get more normal, but now Sony games are coming to pc that I want to play.

I could probably stand to upgrade my cpu and mobo too, 6700k, but I don't feel that upgrade is as necessary yet, so buying a full system doesn't make sense.

I have the HAF XB EVO 2 case and I have it in the bottom of a wooden entertainment console. It's got a retro look like an old hifi system from the 60s. I really like it.
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JohnnyFootball

GerAlt-Right. Ciriously.
The purpose of the 12GB 3080 was basically to discontinue the 10GB and mark up the price. If you’re holding out for a close to MSRP 3080 then you’re basically fucked unless mining just absolutely crashes and the market gets flooded with used GPUs.

I hate saying it but that is where we are.
 
Wouldn't be surprised if I'm heading into 2023 with this 2080ti still, probably end up doing CPU upgrade depending on how interesting they are
 

xPikYx

Member
I'm wondering what are the chances to see the new GPU gen coming out at reasonable price and stock availability
 

Tg89

Member
Anyone here using a NZXT H500 case with a Corsair H100? If so how's it fit?

I originally built with a bequiet Dark Rock 4 Pro and while it works fine, it's an absolute pain to work around. Wanted to install some new RAM and a second nvme and it basically means taking out the cooler to access it. figure I'll just switch it at this point. obviously this case doesn't have room for the rad at the top but I'm figuring set the rad up at the front as intake RAD < FAN < FRONT and have my two exhaust fans (top and back) take care of the rest.

Wish I got a bigger case initially but can't be bothered to spend the money/time on a migration atm.
 

Ironbunny

Member
I'm wondering what are the chances to see the new GPU gen coming out at reasonable price and stock availability

Digitimes just said that parts will see 20% price rise so I'd say no.

Removed article as its paywall but the price hike is both gpus and cpus
 
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MiguelItUp

Gold Member
Just anecdotally, it looks to me like gpu drops are becoming more frequent and people are posting that they got one by going into stores. It feels like it is easing up a little.
Yeah, I've seen a lot of pals of mine get lucky just going to Micro Center early on a weekend. They needed to go there for other stuff, but figured why not earlier. They weren't even trying, and boom.

I'm hoping it truly gets easier for folks to get what they need, cause this is all pretty annoying. Both the lack of stock and obscene price gouging.
 

HeisenbergFX4

Gold Member

Nitty_Grimes

Made a crappy phPBB forum once ... once.
Only glaring issue I'm seeing is that the 120mm aio is probably gonna get really loud trying to cool a 10900k.
Have had an 11900k 3080 HP Omen 30l in my house and honestly was a great little system once you upgrade the cooling as the single 120mm rad lets it get a little warm and loud at times
Thsnks for the advice, any AIO you would suggest to replace it with?
 

HeisenbergFX4

Gold Member
Thsnks for the advice, any AIO you would suggest to replace it with?
I had the parts put into another case because from what I remember that case could only support a 120 mm rad on top and I can't really confirm that until I get back to Indiana as that PC is there.

Side note I was pushing that system pretty hard running 4k 160hz (and obviously not that many frames in many games)
 
Suggestions. Include stores where you can buy games. steam, epic games,origin,blizzard and for drm free games gog.com and zoom-platform.com.
 

Nitty_Grimes

Made a crappy phPBB forum once ... once.
Honest opinions please. I'm going to build a new pc running off of a 3090 that much is certain. I was going to use the Ryzen 9 5900X as my processor but hearing good things about this i9-12900K from Intel.

What would you choose? I have a budget of £4000 for a build.

 
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