Building a Gaming PC with a Modern CPU and a Powerful GPU
As we begin building our gaming PC, it's clear that this project will push the limits of our knowledge about modern CPUs and GPUs. Our goal is to create a system that can handle demanding games at high frame rates, but we're also aware that there are potential pitfalls along the way. For instance, if any aspect of the game requires more processing power than what our one CPU can deliver, we'll have to wait for the QPI link between the CPUs to be ready.
We've chosen to use a modern CPU, such as the Intel Core i9-11900K, which boasts impressive performance and efficiency. However, with great power comes great price, and upgrading an older system like this before investing in a GPU is a crucial consideration. It's essential to assess whether our current hardware can handle the demands of modern games before splurging on a high-end GPU.
Our chosen GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti, is a powerhouse that promises exceptional performance and efficiency. But we must be aware that there may be compatibility issues with our CPU or other components in the system. After all, using an older GPU with a newer CPU can lead to reduced performance or even render the system unusable.
As we begin our build, we need to ensure that our power supply is up to the task of handling the high-wattage requirements of both our CPU and GPU. With a 400-watt power supply, we're well within the recommended specifications for this particular build, but it's essential to remember that other components may require additional power.
One of the most significant advantages of using modern hardware is its efficiency. Our chosen components are designed to consume less power while delivering exceptional performance, making them an excellent choice for those looking to upgrade their gaming system without breaking the bank.
Now that we've got our parts ready, it's time to assemble the system and put everything through its paces. We'll start by installing the CPU and motherboard, followed by the GPU and other components. As we connect each component, we'll monitor the system's performance using benchmarking software like Geekbench and 3DMark.
After a few minutes of benchmarking, it becomes clear that our CPU is holding us back from achieving optimal performance. With a frame rate cap in place, even the most demanding games can't push our system to its limits. However, we notice that as we warm up the system, the frame rates improve significantly, and we're able to play games with much less hitching.
While we're not quite ready for perfect performance just yet, our system is definitely playable, especially when compared to a 13-year-old console. It's clear that modern hardware can deliver an exceptional gaming experience, even if it does require some tweaking and fine-tuning.
As we wrap up our build, we take a moment to reflect on the process. While there were some compatibility issues and minor setbacks along the way, the end result is well worth the effort. We've created a system that's capable of delivering exceptional performance and efficiency, making it an excellent choice for anyone looking to upgrade their gaming PC.
Our journey has also reminded us that building a gaming PC is not just about throwing components together; it requires patience, attention to detail, and a willingness to troubleshoot and adapt. But with the right parts and a bit of know-how, even the most demanding games can be played at high frame rates, making our system an absolute blast to use.
As we move forward, we'll continue to push the limits of what's possible with modern hardware. We'll experiment with overclocking, explore new benchmarking techniques, and share our findings with the community. Who knows what surprises lie ahead? One thing is certain: this journey has been a wild ride so far, and we can't wait to see where it takes us next.
FlexiSpot Standing Desk Review
As we wrap up our build, we take a moment to talk about standing desks. With the rise of remote work and the growing awareness of the importance of physical activity, standing desks have become increasingly popular. FlexiSpot's E7 Plus standing desk is one such product that promises to deliver rock-solid stability and support for users.
The four-leg design of the E7 Plus standing desk provides a significant advantage over traditional two-legged designs. By distributing the weight more evenly across the surface, this design offers improved stability and reduced vibration. With a weight capacity of up to 540 pounds static and 440 pounds lifting, FlexiSpot has clearly designed their product with heavy users in mind.
But what really sets the E7 Plus apart is its advanced control panel. Programable height presets and a USB charging port make it easy to customize your workspace and stay productive throughout the day. And with a generous 15-year warranty, you can trust that your desk will be there for years to come.
As we look at our build again, we realize that standing up while working might just be what we need to overcome those occasional bouts of fatigue and stay focused on the task at hand. With FlexiSpot's E7 Plus standing desk, we're confident that we can create a workspace that not only delivers exceptional performance but also promotes physical activity and well-being.
As we conclude our journey into building a gaming PC with modern hardware, we hope that you've enjoyed this ride as much as we have. Remember that the path to creating an exceptional system is rarely smooth, but with patience, attention to detail, and a willingness to learn, even the most demanding games can be played at high frame rates.
"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enThe EVGA Classified Super Record 2 is an utterly unique piece of gaming history.When it was released, this motherboard and the two CPUs inside it would have set you back nearly4,000 US dollars. Add some memory, case and power supply, probably a handful of GPUs for that sweet,sweet quad SLI action, and we are dangerously close to a gaming system that would cost 10,000 dollars.Adjusted for inflation. A gaming system. All I can say is for that kind of money, thisthing better be pretty darn future proof. It better be. Would you look at the time?It's future o'clock!So, to see if the SR2 still f**ks, we put together a library of awesome games that still support SLI,and we got our hands on not one, but four of the fastest quad SLI GPUs that EVGA ever built,to see how this monster holds up 9 to 13 years later.Like the video if you think that's a good question to answer.Certainly better than that segue to our sponsor.Flexispot. With improved stability, a weight capacity of up to 540 pounds and a 15-yearwarranty, the Flexispot E7 Plus is built to stand the test of time.Pun intended. Check it out at the link down below.The very first thing you'll noticeabout the classified SR2 is its massive size.This ain't your mama's EATXand it ain't even your pappy's XLATX.It uses a form factor of EVGA's own design, HPTX,that weighs in at a colossal 15 inches by 13 and a half.Their justification?Well, where else are we gonna putthe two Xeon workstation CPUs?The 12 sticks of DDR3 memory and the whopping 7 PCIe Gen 2x16 expansion slots.To even get that much hardware support, in spite of EVGA marketing this platform to enthusiasts and gamers,they used an Intel 5520 server chipset.So, as we mentioned before, we've gone with the best chips available for it, a pair of Xeon X5690s.All in, we're talking 24 total threads with 24 megabytes of cache operating at turbo speeds of up to 3.73 gigahertz.And the word on the street is that if you're willing to risk your substantial investment,1600 US dollars each, they overclock like wild on this board.Challenge accepted.To make the platform more friendly to consumers,the classified SR2 supports non ECC RAM.So the same kind you would put in a gaming systemrather than a server or a workstation.We did find that the support for it was a little bit spotty,especially when we tried to cobble together kitsout of older sticks we had lying around,but thankfully, Corsair still makes DDR3and they sent over enough sticks for us to cobble togethera couple of triple channel.DDR3-1600 kits. Will we get better performance than dual channel in games?Almost definitely not. Is it cool? Heck yeah it is! Is it soft?No. For that you're gonna need the new polo from lttstore.com. Time to get this mama-jama installed and uh...Thankfully, we've got a solution.The one, the only, EVGA DG-85.I flipping love this case.It's gonna require a little bit of work,but this case unironically holds up extremely well.HDMI passthrough for VR, a built-in rear doorfor a super clean look, an acrylic side paneland acrylic interior panel,not to mention ample cable management.The only issue is that these standoffs are not in the right place thoughthat seems to be more the board's fault than the case's fault. I'm gonna have to mask these off.Three screws seems pretty good. Now something that doesn't hold up as well is the storagesupport on this board. Modern NVMe drives require a UEFI type firmwarerather than an older BIOS type firmware and the SR2 it ain't got it.There are hacky workarounds involving a bootloader on a SATA device and then handing off to an NVME deviceBut for simplicity, we've stuck with tried-and-true SATA. Two terabytes for ourlibrary of SLI compatible games.Now we need to think about power. If we want to run not one, not two, but four 980Ti'sI mean, that's a thousand watts right there and our CPUs are gonna draw up to a hundred and thirty watts each. That'sover 1200 watts.If only there was someone who made a power supply that could...Oh, well, okay, you spoiled it. Okay, fine. We're using the EVGA supernova 1600 T2.And the size isn't the only weird thing about this motherboard. I mean, look at all of these extra power connectors.We've got two 8 pins for the CPUs and then an additionalthree 6-pin PCI Express for auxiliary power for, well, potentially all these devices.That won't be a problem for us though becauseWe don't care about cable managing this build.There we go.We chose this particular cardbecause it's a two-slot variant.So when we went to add three more of them,they would actually fit without using risers.Plus, I mean, look, it's EVGA.We had to go EVGA.Can we have a top-of-the-line GPUwith a 384-bit bus and six gigs of memorywas only $650?Practically pay that much for a GPU with six gigs of memory today. Okay. I mean not quite butJeez anyway, we're gonna take a baseline with just one of these cards then we're gonna add some moreShe works! It's alive!Two CPUs. Let's go. What better way to try out our sick gaming system than CrysisTwo.Considering it's only running it between60 and 70 FPS at 1440p.I wouldn't say it's running especially well,but that was kind of this game's whole deal.Let's see if our system can handle something more modern.What about Cyberpunk?Hold on.No.Hold on.It doesn't say play again.Ah, I wanted to play the new Crysis, Cyberpunk,but Red Launcher's crashing even with the legacy patch.That's fine.Let's overclock this thing.Man, I do not remember how to overclock on this platform.In fairness to me, it's been over 10 years, okay?Let's just try dummy OC.Dummy OC, let's go.Oh, it worked.We are over four gigahertz.Dummy OC for the win.Effortless.A little bit more voltage.Easy 4.2, dang.CPUs are only at like 60 degrees too.This is why people used to overclock'cause there was a point.I want more though.Oh my God, that was 400 watts.Decided to go for gold here.It went straight to 4.5 gigahertz.Are we gonna get it?Oh, oh, she crashed.4.35?I believe.Nope.Blue screen.We're gonna take the easy W at 4.2.Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.What kind of FPS we looking at?I'm vibe checking.Frame view doesn't work on Windows 7,so we just have to vibe the FPS.I would say it's not a lot better, but it's a little better.I'm seeing far fewer dips into the mid-60s.That indicates to us that a faster CPU never hurts,but it wasn't our main bottleneck.Thankfully, we have a plan.Let's see how many GPUs we can stuff in here.By the way, did I mention we're sucking backlike 500 watts with only one 980 Ti right now?To somewhat control our benchmarking,I am going to look at this flame.That's gonna be our scene.93 frames per second.A-doo-doo-doo, a-doo-doo-doo.And now you see why we didn't bothercable managing anything.While there are nine PCI slots at the back,and in theory, that's all we need'cause the first two are unoccupiedand then we've got seven.All right.That last card is a double slot cardand there's nowhere for it to go.That's where our new case comes in.Did Justin make this test bench?Oh yeah.Did he do it really fast?Oh yeah.Nice.Unironically, this is how a lot of people ran SR2s.I mean, it's right in the name.This was not a daily driver platform for regular consumers.It's the Super Record II.Something about loading up a motherboard with GPUsthat just, man, I miss it.You know?Time for the big moment.The quad SLI bridge.Oh yeah.Now for the most fun part, configure SLI,maximize 3D performance.Casual 400 watts at the desktop,500 watts at the desktop, no big deal.This really is the Hummer of gaming machines.All this brick of GPUs would cost you back when it was new,it's 2,600 US dollars.Accounting for inflation is about equivalentto two 4090s today.But hey, it's got 24 gigs of VRAM, just like a 4090. Maybe it'll keep up. No, that's not howthat works. That's not how any of this works. Last time we ran the Unigine Heaven benchmarkon this system, it was with just one card. We got around 2200 points, coming just shy of 90frames per second. Four-way SLI scaling isn't perfect, but I gotta say, I was expecting alittle better than that. Here's the thing. Remember that 24 gigs of VRAM? Well,it's split between all four different cards.You don't just get to pull it together.Every one of these has to hold their own copyof any asset that's required in order to render the scene.Also, this SLI link, not that fast.So the inter-card communication adds a ton of overheadas they're coordinating who's working on exactly what.What this means is that, especially beyond two cards,the scaling is awful.And the worst part?Is that none of that is the worst part.It's hard to pick up on camera, but, oh yeah, there it is.You probably saw that.Micro stutter, which is caused by uneven timingof the delivered finished frames, can be very distractingand make a higher frame rate feel like a lower onebecause of the hitches and choppiness.But I'm not gonna let that dampen my enthusiasm.Let's run some games.All right, here we go.You can't.It's like not even 10 FPS, it's 96, oh my God.Hold on, hold on, we haven't gotten down to our fire yet.We gotta look at the fire, yup.Maybe this setup is fireand all we're drawing is 800 watts.You know what, hold on a second.No, no, this is faster.We're at 100, 95, 120 FPS.But that fire, 140, 150 FPS.That's legit actually,'cause we were getting 90 something before.The 50% improvement, nevermind that two cardsprobably would have gotten to very similar numbers.But then we wouldn't get to seethe sweet, sweet SLI times four in our top left.Try to launch another SLI game.Let's see how compatible SLI was with video games back then.Could we have done 4K?Woo, she's floaty.And that 60 FPS does not feel like 60 FPS.Oh wow, that's truly awful.I want to see 1440p.Man, this bottom card, the fan just keeps turning off and going back on. It's not doing anything.Well, we're drawing 630 watts, it's actually less than I was expecting.It's a lot less than I was expecting.They're definitely not going to full usage.Nope. I mean, I think if it's all the way, all four cards are being used.So we are basically not touching our quad SLI.No, we're using like one and a half cards.Something to keep in mind is that even games that support SLIdon't necessarily support three-way or four-way SLI.Let alone take like full advantage of it.Like support does not mean utilize.Titanfall 2?Yeah, it was on the list.Crank it. Times eight?Yeah.Yeah, it'll do 8x MSAA.I'm getting over a hundred FPS.1080p.1080p, but this is cranked 1080p.By the time you put on 8x MSAA,you might as well be running at a higher resolution.Yeah, but look, we're using still like one,maybe two cards.Yep, all we're really learning is that the 980 Tiis a really good card.And we can tell from our power consumption too,actually our power consumption is about 750 watts.We are probably getting some benefit.Minor.But some. Yeah, these boys are not doing much.GPU zero, 42, 48, 50, 54.So it's not that only one GPU is doing the work,it's that each GPU is doing very little of it.Yeah, try Jedi Fallen Order.That's from 2019.Here we go, with a system from 2010 to 2015,depending how you measure it.Oh, I see.This is doing weird stuff in the startup menu,but it is using a lot moreCards, I paid for the whole card.I wanna use the whole card.Yeah, 144.Graphic quality, epic. Epic, epic.Here we go.Ooh, this does not bode well.That does not look like 60 FPS, sir.I mean, it's using those cards though.Oh yeah.Oh boy.740, 750, okay.Nevermind, the power is being used.And we're getting 68 FPS,but that looks more like 25.Oh yeah.Even just through the camera,like it should be plain to seethat that is not 75 FPS.Oh wow. Hey.That was horrible. Yeah.Whoa, did you see that?Was it transitioned?Highest.We're going for it.Absolutely cranked 1080p.Screen cap broke.I mean, the game's working.This is only 45 FPSand feels way better than Jedi Fallen Order did at 75.We lost our SLI tracker though.Yeah.We don't know how much is being used.Very little, it turns out.Yeah, 560 watts.Yep.Ultra plus.Wow.That is a very excited ponytail.Yeah, why is it shaking so much?Why is everything awful so much?Oh, wow.What is happening?I don't think The Witcher 3,despite saying that it's compatible with SLI,I don't think it likes it at all.But none of that is the fault of the classified SR2.So, what if we took a more modern GPUand at least gave it a chance to run these modern games?In fairness to SLI,this was the last generationof cards to use the older style,non high bandwidth link.And before GPUs got this fast.It did work a little better.It was less of a bottleneck.This feels stupid, but I'm doing it.Wait a second, are there even Windows 7 driversfor the 4090?That is a great question.I don't, I doubt it.Okay, the 4090 doesn't have a driver for Windows 7,but you know what I say to that?No big loss, 'cause guess what?The 3090 Ti does.And also, happens to be the fastest card EVGA ever made.Well, fastest card they sold.Fastest card they sold.Were you in 1440 before when you got the 130 numberor 120 or whatever?150 at the fire.What?I went like 140, 150.It's not that much better.Well, we're not at the fire yet, I guess.No, but it's not that much better.Right?That's wild then.Hold on, what's our CUDA core counts?Colin, can you look up how many CUDA cores a 980 Ti hasand then compare that times fourto how many CUDA cores a 3090 TI has?Oh, yeah.Uh, Vance, can you look it up, please?Sure.He tries so hard.As it turns out, the total number of CUDA coresis not that dissimilar, with this having about 10,700,and our four 980Ti's totaling around 11,000.Does it maybe make sensethat the performance is about the same?Holy crap, the performance is about the same.Wow.Actually, power consumption's not even that far off.No, 580. 580.Pretty close.This is obviously a case where the CPUis what is holding us back,in spite of the fact that we're running at 1440p Ultra.Let's try a more demanding game.Crysis 2 was demanding for its time.Wow, I mean, it looks better.It looks way better.You know what, it's super-hitchy, though.Yeah, we're probably held back a little bitby DDR3, as well.Our CPU, even though we're at, what, four gigahertz,the IPC of how many generations is really gonna climb.And something to consider is that if any aspectof this game leaks off of the six coresthat are on the one CPUand needs to be handled by the other one,we have to wait around for that QPI link between the CPUs.You can really see it.These birds are like, ugh, ugh, ugh.Yeah, they just, like, stop and then go.I wanna try a couple more games, though.This is 100% completely, totally fine and playable.Yeah. This is freaking awesome.Oh.I mean, except I need to get good.That's the only issue. No.When the CPU is fast enough,you will get a great gaming experience.I would definitely recommend upgradingan older system like thisbefore spending that kind of money on a GPU.Yeah. But you canthrow in your new GPU and then upgrade laterif you really want to.You could, as long as you've already gotthe power supply headroom.Yeah, this is freaking awesome.400 watts. Oh, wow.And so much more efficient,which tells us we are still very CPU bottlenecked.Oh, 100%.Our card's fans aren't even turned on.I mean, even if we are capping the frame rate.That is flipping.Wild.Okay, why is that frame rate capped though?I don't know.You know what?I bet that frame rate cap is a big partof why the CPU is not causing issues as well.Probably, yeah.'Cause we're not just running itright up against the limit.Yep.Okay, Jedi Fallen Order.I feel good.We're gonna play a reasonably modern gameon this ancient freaking platform.Plus a 3090 Ti.Well, plus a 3090 Ti.Minor details.You know.This is better.Not much.But still sucks.Yeah, this is still very hitchy.Give it a sec.Warm up.You know what I wanna do now?What?Not now, now, but now that I've seen this,I wanna get those 980 Ti's runningon something a little newer.They might not be that bad.Six gigs of VRAM though.I feel like this is CPU again.Oh, wait, no, we're at like 100 FPS.Also, it's not hitching as much anymore.Yeah, it warmed up.This kinda settled in.This is like perfect now.Playable, playable.What do you mean playable?Perfect is a stretch.See, it's not perfect.When he goes to new areas.And it has to load for a second.It's struggling a little.It struggles.It is damn playable.Markedly better.I'd like to see you play this gameon your 13 year old console.Oh yeah, no, that's not gonna work.Mind you, your 13 year old consolewouldn't have cost you $1,000 to upgrade.Or to begin with.You know what else needs an upgrade?This segue-Just kidding, not yet.I wanted to talk about how much fun we had building this.Okay, it was kind of a disasterand there were compatibility issues,just like in the old days,but like overclocking, man.We got a meaningful improvement in performance in Crysisfor like 15, 25 minutes of effort.Do you guys even overclock anymore?We're gonna link a community poll in the video description.It just doesn't feel worth it.And man, I don't know what it is.Maybe it's the polo shirt with the collaror the old hardware, but this was an absolute blast.Even if the price made no senseand it was inefficient as all hell.Just like this inefficient segue to our sponsor.FlexiSpot.You know, sitting is so last year.Standing is what the kids are into these days.And FlexiSpot knows this.That's why their E7 Plus standing desk is so darn solid.Unlike typical two leg standing desks,the E7 Plus' four leg design gives it a leg up.On the competition, boasting a weight capacity of up to 540 pounds static and 440 pounds lifting,this extra support means rock-solid stability, so no more worrying about all thestuff on your desktoppling over just from you breathing on it. And unlike some other four-leg desks,it supports a variety of accessories like monitor mounts, under desk drawers,and keyboard trays.Plus, with a generous 15-year warranty, you can trust in its durability foryears to come.Even the control panel is advanced, with programmable height presets and a USB charging port.Check out the FlexiSpot E7 Plus using the link below, and use the code provided to get $50 off your order of $500 or more.If you guys enjoyed this video, why not check out the predecessor to this, Intel SkullTrail.It was worse.But in some ways cooler.\n"
