Upgrade questions - looking to move from 3080 to 4090

[SamTre]

Hi, hope someone can help, I have the configuration below which has served me very well since October 2022 but I am playing more VR, like many I want high frame rates for my FPS games plus ray tracing and ultra 4K graphics on for my RPG’s. More recently I also want to learn how to use the Starfield Creation Kit and create mods for Starfield. In light of this I need to upgrade my RAM but I’m also considering going all out, spoiling myself, and upgrading the CPU and GPU too.

Q1. My case is on the smaller size and 4090’s seem quite big, will I get the ASUS Tuf OG OC 4090 in my case and still retain enough room for good airflow and cooling. In an ideal world I would upgrade the case to a bigger one but there isn’t an option for that. The GeForce 4090 is a bit smaller but I didn’t see any RGB on the GeForce. In terms of dimensions it will fit but I don’t know if it’s ideal to have less space for air to circulate. I do already have an additional exhaust fan on the back though.

Q2. To get the most bang for buck out of a 4090 I am seeing recommendations for the i9-14900ks. (Intel is my preference), but do these chips put out a lot of heat and will my CPU cooler be enough? There’s 3 different i9-14900 models in the parts picker but I don’t know which would be the best one to use?

Q3. Are there still issues with melting power adaptors for the 4090’s or will my Corsair 1000w psu already be using the right cable to attach to a 4090 directly. If not is a direct cable something that can be requested at the point of requesting the upgrade?

Many thanks in advance for help and advice on this



Current specs and link to re-configure:



Case

COOLERMASTER MASTERBOX TD500 MESH ARGB GAMING CASE

Promotional Item

Get Spider-Man Remastered with select GeForce RTX 30 Series GPUs!

Processor (CPU)

Intel® Core™ i5 10-Core Processor i5-12600K (Up to 4.9GHz) 20MB Cache

Motherboard

ASUS® TUF GAMING Z690-PLUS WIFI D4 (LGA1700, USB 3.2, PCIe 5.0) - ARGB Ready

Memory (RAM)

16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3600MHz (2 x 8GB)

Graphics Card

10GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3080 - HDMI, DP, LHR

1st M.2 SSD Drive

1TB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 7000MB/R, 5000MB/W)

1st M.2 SSD Drive

1TB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3300MB/W)

Power Supply

CORSAIR 1000W RMe SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS GOLD, ULTRA QUIET

Power Cable

1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)

Processor Cooling

CORSAIR iCUE H100i ELITE CAPELLIX RGB Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler

Thermal Paste

ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND

Extra Case Fans

1 x 120mm Thermaltake TOUGHFAN 12 Case Fan

Sound Card

Creative Sound Blaster® Audigy™ FX

Network Card

10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT

USB/Thunderbolt Options

MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS

Operating System

Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence

Operating System Language

United Kingdom - English Language

Windows Recovery Media

Windows 11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Supplied on USB Drive

Office Software

FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)

Anti-Virus

Norton 360 inc. Game Optimizer - Free 90 Day License

Browser

Microsoft® Edge

Keyboard & Mouse

CoolerMaster MS110 Combo Keyboard and Mouse

Warranty

3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)



Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z690-pc/wfVPgeBQxm/

 

[TonyCarter]

No cooler offered by PCS will be good enough to cool a 14900, or stop it from degrading over time. The 'minimum' is a 420mm (i.e. 3x140mm) AIO or an open-loop cooling system.

BTW, that link (assuming my cache hasn't got corrupted again), is not showing the same config as you've posted.

PCSPECIALIST - Top Spec Custom PCs & Laptops Built to Order

Manufacturer of performance custom computers and laptops. Customise your ideal gaming PC or laptop using our advanced configurator.

www.pcspecialist.co.uk

 

[SamTre]

Thank you for the reply, it’s strange about the link re-post it here in case it was something I did, the 3080 with the i5 is def what I have under the hood atm though, thanks again

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z690-pc/XaMANjjv76/

 

[sck451]

A 4090 will be fine in that system. I'd get whichever one PCS sends you: they're all fundamentally the same. There is no "Geforce" 4090: that's Nvidia's generic branding that all cards come under. It'll be a Zotac or a Palit OEM card, which may have some RGB. Do you really want to spend hundreds of pounds to get a 4090 with flashing lights on it?!

As for the CPU, I would strongly recommend against a 14900K or any of its variants. If the 12600K really isn't up to snuff (I'm pretty sure it will be), the 14700K would be the appropriate gaming chip. There's no reason to go with the 14900K over the cheaper, cooler one that's just as good in games.

 

[SamTre]

A 4090 will be fine in that system. I'd get whichever one PCS sends you: they're all fundamentally the same. There is no "Geforce" 4090: that's Nvidia's generic branding that all cards come under. It'll be a Zotac or a Palit OEM card, which may have some RGB. Do you really want to spend hundreds of pounds to get a 4090 with flashing lights on it?!

As for the CPU, I would strongly recommend against a 14900K or any of its variants. If the 12600K really isn't up to snuff (I'm pretty sure it will be), the 14700K would be the appropriate gaming chip. There's no reason to go with the 14900K over the cheaper, cooler one that's just as good in games.

Thank you so much that’s extremely useful info, my 3080 is a Zotac and thats been useful with its RGB, it just helps me to see if I need to get in there and use the pc vacuum to get at any dust otherwise it’s a bit dark in there behind the glass and I can just give a quick glance to check to see if it needs cleaning. I didn’t realise the standard 4090 on the parts picker might be another zotac, I would be happy with that so il have to ask them but thanks again that’s all been really helpful and I will def stay away from the 1912900k

 

[Scott]

Q2. To get the most bang for buck out of a 4090 I am seeing recommendations for the i9-14900ks.

Purely out of curiosity on my part. Can you point to where you're seeing this? Not to be rude, but I can't even begin to explain how bad this advice is.

 

[SamTre]

Purely out of curiosity on my part. Can you point to where you're seeing this? Not to be rude, but I can't even begin to explain how bad this advice is.

Hi, I was reading through Reddit, but thought it best to come here and check, I’m glad I did

 

[SpyderTracks]

Hi, I was reading through Reddit, but thought it best to come here and check, I’m glad I did

People should ignore Reddit, posts are by people who have zero understanding of computing in the main.

3rd party benchmarks are the only source of reputable information by people with known scientific test methodologies.