Intel’s 13th generation of processors are excellent for gaming builds and have cemented themselves as the best choice of processors for creating the most powerful gaming rigs. Combined with equally powerful components, these processors can dish out outstanding gaming and creative performance.
Similarly, we have the RTX series, a series of ultimate gaming graphics cards that are kings in their own rights. Nvidia’s latest graphics cards have seen a substantial in terms of their gaming performance and power consumption, and these GPUs are a force to be reckoned with their latest architecture and features.
Intel Core i7 13700K + RTX 4090 Gaming Build
In this article, we will guide you through the best gaming PC build by using the most powerful components you can get your hands on today. Although gaming builds can have different price points depending on the requirement and budget of the user, these gaming builds hold nothing back in terms of performance, cost, and anything else.
Today, we will explore a heavily potent gaming build with Intel’s i7 13700K processor and the RTX 4090. Throughout this article, you will find helpful information on assembling such a build for yourself, as we will list and discuss every significant component that will go perfectly with this CPU and GPU.
Intel’s Core i7 13700K
The Intel Core i7 13700K is part of Intel’s 13th generation of processors, and they were unveiled in the last quarter of 2022. The i7 13700K is a flagship processor with defining performance benchmarks that Intel has given a lot of love. Its performance and features only fall behind Intel’s most powerful processor, the i9 13900K.
The i7 13700K offers 16 cores and 24 threads, and its performance is comparable to that of their last generation flagship, the i9 12900K, which earns this much respect. It is designed on Intel’s latest chipset, the LGA 1700. It features a much improved Raptor Lake architecture and an L3 Cache of 24MB, significantly adding to its gaming performance and processing power.
Unlike the 13900K, this processor has an equal number of Performance and Efficiency cores. The division of the total core count of a processor into two types of cores helps the overall performance and efficiency while also enhancing the task execution of the processor. It lacks a few cores compared to the i9 13900K, but the reduction in the number of cores also makes it highly power efficient. Its power efficiency is much more in line with its equivalent Ryzen processors, which are known to have top-notch efficiency in power consumption to performance ratios. Moreover, it can reach staggering speeds of 5.4 GHz in its unlocked or boosted states, making it one of the fastest processors in the market.
Needless to say, this processor is mighty in its own regard and matches perfectly with equally powerful graphics cards.
ASUS ROG STRIX GeForce RTX 4090 OC Edition
When it comes to choosing a graphics card, there are many options to choose from. However, if your budget is decided and you have the exact requirements in mind, then the options can be brought down to a handful of suitable candidates. As we aim to build an Ultimate gaming PC for you without any constraints on GPU budget, it’s better to go all out with the GPU.
The ASUS RTX 4090 is undoubtedly an unfathomably powerful graphics card that stands alone at the top with its performance, raw power, power consumption, and almost every other important feature that you can think of. The ASUS variant is among the most expensive variants of the 4090, and our reason for choosing this variant is its peculiar look, standard-defining fans and bearings, outstanding thermal optimization, and a proven sturdy/robust frame design.
The RTX 4090 is based on Nvidia’s latest Ada Lovelace architecture and introduces newly improved multiprocessor streaming that enhances its power efficiency and performance two times relative to its previous generation. Moreover, It is equipped with a colossal video memory of 24 GB and also benefits from Nvidia’s flagship technology, such as the new tensor and raytracing cores, exclusive upscaling with DLSS 3.0, and faster data transfer speeds with GDDR6X designed for the new PCI Express 5.0.
The ASUS variant has a definitive design, which ensures longevity and stability throughout its operational life. Spending a few extra bucks to get a known and proven variant like this one is always productive for the long term. Overall, this GPU will be a perfect match for the i7 13700K, and you will get the best of both worlds. in games, content creation, and creative usage.
Motherboard
We have picked the ASUS ROG STRIX Z790-E Gaming WiFi motherboard for this build and will explain why shortly. If you are even remotely interested in PC gaming and have visited the market for computer components, then you surely would have heard of ASUS. ASUS is a famous and premium brand that manufactures many computer components and has been for quite a long time. Their products have been hailed for their defining performance and build quality, and this motherboard isn’t an exception.
We selected this motherboard for the i7 13700K + RTX 4090 build because of its feature set and premium build quality, all within a standard ATX size. This board comes with everything you will need to capitalize on the total potential of your processor and the GPU. The essential thing in a motherboard is how optimized is its power delivery, thermal efficiency, and connectivity options because this decides whether you will have a stable operating computer.
Let’s start with its power delivery. The ASUS Z790-E gaming motherboard has 17 VRM power stages that deliver an optimum and suitable amount of power to each computer component, depending on their usage. It also supports high-speed DDR5 memory with 4x DIMM slots and has 2x M.2 NVMe slots with heatsinks for faster storage drives. It also has the 5th generation PCI Express and is compatible with its 3.2 Gen 2 USB type-A and type-C ports. Moreover, it has many connectivity options with high-speed ethernet ports, Bluetooth v5.3, and the 6 GHz WiFi 6E adapter.
Needless to say, this motherboard does the job pretty well of holding together all the parts and delivering a staggering performance with no chances of thermal throttling, even when performing feats like overclocking.
Power Supply
To fulfill the power delivery needs of both the RTX 4090 GPU and 13700K CPU, we are going with the ASUS ROG THOR 1200P2 GAMING power supply. As the second product from ASUS, this brand needs no introduction, but in a world where power supplies from Corsair are considered widely, this one might be a surprise for our more avid readers.
A power supply unit is an essential and dependable part of any computer build. The importance of a quality PSU cannot be taken lightly, as it has the most critical job to do. A good power supply ensures better and optimum performance of the overall computer system, and a cheap or unrated power supply might do more harm than its usefulness. As our processor and graphics card require immense power to run, we chose the best option that money can buy.
The ASUS THOR 1200P2 has a total power output of 1200W, and it is known to be the quietest power supply in the bunch of premium power supplies. This supply has a rating of 80 Plus Platinum, meaning that you will be getting more than 1000W of output at 100% power supply load. The efficiency of this power supply matches and surpasses much of its competition, but it also costs a bit more than them.
ASUS has fitted this power supply with their known Axial fan tech and dual ball bearing design, ensuring it will outlast your other PC components by a mile in the long game. Moreover, it uses proven and reliably robust transistors and capacitors and is fully modular, giving the user more flexibility regarding wire management and connector replacement. Finally, it features an OLED display to show real-time power draw and syncs its RGB nicely with ASUS’s AURA SYNC software.
RAM
The capacity of RAM and its speeds will be the Ultimate decider of your PC’s overall speed. RAM holds a crucial spot in any PC build, so we went with the KINGSTON FURY RENEGADE 2x16GB DDR5 6000MHz. Kingston is a brand of memory modules that many people hold dear because of its very affordable pricing and its products' robust quality and performance. Their latest DDR5 RAM kits have proven to deliver excellent performance and compete toe to toe with the likes of Corsair and G.Skill.
The Kingston Fury renegade DDR5 RAM kit is just fantastic in its performance and design. We went with their 32GB kit because 64GB of RAM is a bit overkill, and it gets a lot more expensive when you jump from a 32GB kit to a 64GB kit. Also, our motherboard supports Dual-Channel architecture so that a dual RAM kit will work efficiently. Hence, this RAM pick will serve perfectly fine to keep the budget within desired limits.
Its latency is much lower than many other DDR5 RAMs as it offers a lower latency clock of CL32, which is much more efficient for DDR5 RAM. Moreover, It is very suitable for overclocking, can reach speeds upwards of 6000MHz at its peak, and has heat sinks to keep it thermally stable. The combination of this speed and lower latency adds immensely to the computer’s overall performance and results in crisp and clean response timings.
Lastly, the Fury Renegade RAM Kits have an aesthetic design with an all-white body and black strips, imparting a sporty look. Its premium looks and aesthetic design are only overshadowed by its outstanding performance and excellent temperature control with its high-quality heatsinks.
Storage Memory
For storage memory options, you cannot go wrong with Samsung. For this reason, we have chosen the 2x SAMSUNG 970 EVO NVMe M.2 SSD 1TB. Despite having many other excellent options for faster storage memory options, we have chosen a Samsung NVMe drive because of its highly reliable and consistently faster data transfer speeds. Samsung needs no introduction. As you might already know, it is one of the most known brands, and its storage drives are excellent at what they do.
Storage drives are a necessary addition to any computer build because they will hold all the required data you need to run this computer. The speed and responsiveness of a computer system greatly depend on what type of storage memory you will use on it. In this day and age, SSDs have become much more mainstream, and their usage across many computer builds is becoming a norm. Gone are the times when SSDs were extremely expensive, and you had to opt for slower and heavier magnetic hard drives.
With SSDs, you will get faster boot times, better responsiveness, and an overall smooth operating system. Modern games also run better on systems with SSDs just because their write speeds are exponentially faster. However, if you have more terabytes of data to store and SSDs are still a bit too expensive, you can add an extra 2TB HDD, which can be acquired much cheaper, and a good quality HDD will provide better write speeds.
CPU Cooler
After much consideration and research for CPU coolers, the most suitable option that we decided will be the best for this processor is THERMALTAKE TH360 ARGB SYNC AIO LIQUID COOLER. Thermaltake, as a brand, has managed an excellent reputation regarding its CPU coolers. Their coolers have outstanding thermal attributes well-suited for powerful and hot-running processors like the i7 13700K.
We know that Liquid coolers can be a hassle to install and manage, but this one is a lot more manageable, has a decent size, and works perfectly fine once you install it correctly. The TH360 is a powerful CPU cooler that can easily handle the hottest state of the 13700K processor. It also lets you boost or overclock your processor without worrying too much about its temperature rise.
This cooler is fitted with a highly reliable pump capable of pumping massive fluid cycles to cool the processor efficiently. Also, its water block is made from a highly conductive alloyed metal that ensures the best possible thermal efficiency. Moreover, it is aesthetically pleasing with its all-black design and even has ARGB lighting in its radiator fans, which can be synced with other RGB or ARGB components on your PC. The radiator is very well designed with 3x 120mm high static pressure fans with smart control over its speed and ARGB lighting.
PC Case
To top it all off and assemble every PC component into a PC case, we went with the NZXT H7 FLOW ATX MID-TOWER. NZXT is a commendable brand that delivers well-designed PC cases with a somewhat premium price tag, but not so expensive that only top brass gamers can afford it. They have made their status in the world of gaming PCs with their high-quality products specifically for computer builds.
The NZXT H7 Flow has a simple black outlook with a tempered glass panel on one side. This case is well-suited for installing the RTX 4090 and perfectly houses any ATX motherboard. It also leaves enough room for us to install our 360mm radiator of the CPU cooler on its front-facing side and is spacious enough to leave clearance for other components. NZXT has nailed its signature perforated design on this case, and the wire management is a breeze.
Final Verdict
When we were finished building this computer, we ran some benchmarks and tested its performance for games and other applications. This PC tore through all our gaming tests and managed excellent and consistent framerates throughout most modern games. Its performance for games like The Last of Us, God of War, Warzone 2.0, and many more was outstanding at 4K/Ultra settings. The RTX 4090 showed no signs of severe bottlenecks and ran effectively with the 1200P2 power supply. Its performance in creative applications is also extraordinary, and this build is an effective workstation for anyone looking to increase their workload efficiency.
Nevertheless, this build can genuinely be dubbed as an Ultimate gaming build. This PC build’s overall performance, raw power, and efficiency are phenomenal, and you will get your money’s worth on everything. However, it should be remembered that builds like these are meant to cost a lot more than average builds because you are getting the most compatible and highly effective components that go well with each other. Cost cuttings and budget-constrained choice of components, such as the RAM, Storage memory, power supply, etc., can seriously limit the performance of the processor and graphics card. Hence, by being a bit less budget-conscious and spending a little more on the right components, builds like this can and will benefit in the long term.
