The RTX 3080 has been announced and we’ve been able to absorb the specifications and potential performance of this latest series of GPUs from Nvidia. If the promises made in the keynote presentation are even close to met this GPU will define a new standard in graphics card capability. This is a $699 card that significantly outperforms the $1,200 RTX 2080 Ti launched just 2 years ago. The release date is scheduled for 17^th September so now is the time to get your order placed and consider the rest of the PC you’ll need to support this epic GPU. 

The RTX 3080 specifications indicate that it will be capable of high-framerate 4k gaming with settings on Ultra. The Tech demos and gaming demos show unprecedented detail and fidelity, all the while retaining smooth frame rates. NVidia has doubled the shader core, ray tracing core and tensor core performance over the outgoing Turing series RTX cards, whilst memory capacity is 10GB of GDDR6X VRAM.  Nvidia has made great strides in their DLSS 2.0’ algorithms and using AI to achieve the next level in gaming graphics. The 7th most powerful supercomputer in the world, Nvidias ‘Selene’, is fed 16K resolution static renders of scenes from games: This trains a neural network that forms part of the driver package for RTX GPU’s. When you’re playing the game the Tensor cores use the neural network to upscale a lower resolution output to a native 4K image, and the output is actually higher quality than the native resolution would be. It also runs at a higher frame rate because of the lower computational loads for the GPU rendering at the lower initial resolution. This is truly next-generation technology and allows for jaw-dropping effects and post-processing without dropping frame rates. 

To experience the full potential of the RTX 3080 you’ll need a high end supporting system capable of delivering information to the GPU and producing high frame rates. We’ve considered all the options in concert with the anticipated performance demands of the RTX 3080 and this is the result: PremiumBuilds Best RTX 3080 Gaming PC Build Guide.

• Related: Best CPUs for RTX 3080 Builds

RTX 3080 Gaming PC Build – The Parts List

CPU: Intel Core i7-10700K

The RTX 3080 is undoubtedly going to set new levels in gaming performance so we’ve gone to the high-end Intel CPU’s to ensure that the System has the processing power to keep up. The Core i7-10700K is an 8=core CPU with multithreading and a 5.1GHz boost clock. The per-core advantage of Intel means that these CPU’s offer significantly more headroom over their AMD equivalents and when a GPU as powerful as the RTX 3080 exists, that performance gap matters. Whilst it lacks PCIe 4.0 and the RTX 3080 is PCIe 4.0-ready this isn’t an issue as the PCIe specification is both forwards and backwards compatible. Nvidia has confirmed that their innovative ‘RTX I/O’ storage technology that allows the GPU to access data on SSD’s directly doesn’t require on PCIe 4.0. This CPU gives excellent performance and will ensure the RTX 3080 has all the game data it needs to produce spectacular results. 

CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X53

The i7-10700K is still a 14nm process chip, and with high clock rates its power demands are large. This necessitates a strong cooler for the 10700K and the NZXT Kraken X53 fits the bill well. This 240mm AIO uses a liquid coolant and pump to draw heat away from the CPU. The cold plate head uses NZXT’s infinite mirror surface and is gorgeous to look at with configurable RGB and the NZXT logo. The cold plate itself uses copper for maximum thermal conductivity. This CPU cooler has both the looks and performance to do this build justice.

Motherboard: Gigabyte Z490 AORUS Ultra

The i7-10700K is a power-hungry chip and needs a solid underpinning motherboard to ensure it can run at full speeds. The Gigabyte Z490 Aorus Ultra brings an attractive feature set and high-performance voltage delivery circuity at a $290 price point. It has a true 12-phase design omitting doublers and uses 60 Amp power stages to ensure it can deliver ample current without overheating or voltage instability. The VRMs are cooler with finned heat sinks and a heat pipe. This is essential in allowing the i7-10700K to maintain high boost clocks or an overclock. Additional features include Wi-Fi 6, 2.5GB Lan, and a high-quality ALC 1220 Audio codec chip. A word of caution regarding the LAN: Intel’s I225V 2.5GB Ethernet controller had problems with poor connection quality in the first revisions. This has now been corrected with a 3^rd revision so ensure you’re getting recent stock of this motherboard and you won’t have issues. The board includes 3 full-length PCIe 3.0 slots and three M.2 slots SSD’s. Aesthetically this board is highly attractive with near full shielding with integrated RGB and a backplate for structural rigidity. 

Memory: Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory

A build of this potency needs 32Gb RAM to ensure there are no performance issues even with the most demanding upcoming games. As open-world games expand and become more complex to take advantage of next-generation cards like the RTX 3080, demands on RAM will only increase. Microsoft Flight 2020 recommends 32Gb currently. We’ve chosen Corsair’s Vengeance RGB Pro due to the simple and clean RGB light bar on the rear and guaranteed compatibility with the motherboard. The 3200MHz speed represents a sweet spot of price to performance, with limited memory scaling on Intel CPU’s.

Storage: ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro 2TB

Games are getting ever bigger but thankfully fast NVMe drives are becoming more affordable. This 2Tb drive from ADATA, the XPG S8200 Pro, matches the speeds of the very highest performance drives through the use of TLC NAND memory and the Silicon Motion SM2262EN controller, but significantly undercuts them on price. It has an endurance of 640TBW, and 5 years warranty so you can be assured it is long-lasting. Now all of your games can be ‘on the fast drive’, and it’s equally suited to video editing and other disc intensive workloads so if your PC is more than just a games machine we have that covered too.

Case: Lian Li PC-O11 Dynamic

A build with high-quality parts deserves to be showcased. That’s why we’ve opted for the Lian Li PC-O11 Dynamic. This innovative case places the Motherboard and GPU in one compartment, and the power supply and drives hidden in a separate side compartment for the cleanest looks. Cooling is provided by vents through form the showcase side so the NZXT AIO will take pride of place. Tempered glass construction displays the build from all angles and build quality is exceptionally high with Lian-Li being class leaders in their choice of materials and manufacturing processes.

Power Supply: Corsair RMx (2018) 750W 80+ Gold

Nvidia specifies a 750W power supply to cope with the 320W power demand of the RTX 3080 plus additional components. We’ve specified a very high tier unit, the Corsair RMx 750W. This is a gold-efficiency rated PSU with a fully modular construction: you only attach the cables your build needs. Combined with the Lian-Li case this allows you to specify full custom cables to really personalise the look of your PC – Corsair even sell their own cable packs in a variety of styles. This PSU fully populates the 2 EPS connectors on the Gigabyte motherboard to ensure the i7-10700K has ample power supply. The GPU power adaptor cable is supplied with the RTX 3080, or else the partner boards have retained the standard PCIe power cable sockets. Fan stop technology ensures silent operation when the PSU is under light load and the Corsair RMx is backed by a 10-year warranty for peace of mind.

Monitor: Asus ROG Strix XG27UQ 27.0″ 4K 144 Hz Monitor

Finally, we come to the monitor for this RTX 3080 Build. 4K gaming has been promised for years now but the RTX 3080 is the first consumer GPU that truly delivers. For that reason, we’ve opted for the ASUS Rog Strix XG27UQ, a top tier 4K monitor with 144hz refresh rates and Adaptive Sync. The IPS panel combines the benefits of fast response times and vibrant colours. This monitor carries DisplayHDR 400 and Professional colour gamut certification as a hallmark of its panel quality. With 1ms quoted response time and 144hz refresh rate, you can finally enjoy high FPS 4k gaming with minimal lag, at maximum settings. This is a monitor that will truly do justice to the immense capability of the RTX 3080.

Conclusion

The RTX 3080 looks set to bring 4K gaming into the mainstream. This $699 GPU promises to achieve what products at nearly twice the price haven’t managed up until now. With this PC build you’ll be able to enjoy next Gen titles like CyberPunk 2077, Assassins Creed Brotherhood and Death Stranding as they were envisaged by their creators: Glorious 4K, RTX on, full effects and at buttery smooth framerates. You’ll be at the forefront of this generation leap in graphics technology thanks to the prodigious power of the RTX 3080, and the supporting system we’ve recommended for you.

Featured Ampere Builds

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As users start to get their hands on Intel’s new Comet Lake CPUs, many are bound to have questions regarding which cooling solutions are best for their new systems. Today, we’ll be taking a look at the Core i7-10700K and the best cooling options available for it.

With the 10^th Gen Core i7, Intel has raised their baseline TDP from 95W to 125W, which is already reasonably high, meaning you’re going to need some excellent cooling for the best and most stable performance with this chip. It’s also important to note that the potential TDP is even higher still (230W+) if you’re considering an easily achievable, all-core overclock to 5.0GHz+.

This drastic increase in power consumption is thanks to the design tweaks Intel has made to their 10^th Gen K-Series processors to compete with AMD’s Zen 2 in production workloads and to maintain their crown in FPS performance. Props to Intel’s engineers here, as the increased TDP of their even further refined 14nm process does not also come with out of control thermal performance. By decreasing the height of the CPU die, and increasing the thickness of the integrated heat spreader (IHS), Intel has managed to reign in their historically scorching 14nm process. Still, we’re going to want to keep the 10700K as cool as possible to ensure we can leverage the overclocking headroom afforded to us.

Without further ado, here are our recommendations for the best CPU coolers to snag alongside the Core i7-10700K.

Best Coolers for i7-10700K – Our Recommendations

Award	Cooler	Design	Price
Best Liquid Cooler	Arctic Liquid Freezer II 280		$115
Best Air Cooler	Noctua NH-U12A		$100
Best Entry-Level Cooler	Cooler Master Hyper 212 BlackEdition		$39
Best Low-Profile Cooler	Noctua NH-L12S		$50

Best Liquid Cooler for the i7-10700K

We’ll start by offering one of the best AIO/CLC (all-in-one or closed-loop cooler) options on the market today: The Arctic Liquid Freezer II 280. The Liquid Freezer 280 gives even some 360mm AIO models a bad name, with S-Tier cooling performance across the board, active VRM cooling courtesy of an additional fan on the CPU block, stellar acoustic performance compared to most other liquid and air coolers, all at a very reasonable price.

The main reason the Liquid Freezer II 280 stands apart is the level of performance you get with a 280mm radiator. While not for every user, nor every PC case, a 280mm radiator is likely to fit in a plethora of mid and full-sized ATX towers, and even some of the more premium mATX mini-towers and SFF cases. 280mm also seems to be the AIO sweet-spot, where anything larger becomes too unwieldy or flat-out incompatible with all but the most gargantuan case towers, and anything smaller becomes hard to justify against premium air coolers.

What Arctic sacrifices in the aesthetics department (and ease of installation, more on that later), they certainly make up for in terms of raw thermal performance. The Liquid Freezer series is proof that when you’re less concerned with pretty lights, you can end up with a most impressive balance between thermals and noise. This balance is due primarily to the efficiency of Arctic’s radiator/fan combo, which ends up being most efficient for cooling well before their fans’ max 1600RPM. The ability to drop the fans to around 1200RPM without any significant hit to thermal performance means that you’re getting extremely competitive heat dissipation without the added sound of a fighter jet on your desk.Where the Liquid Freezer, unfortunately, isn’t the best, is with its mounting hardware. If you don’t build with your motherboard on a flat surface, there isn’t anything to hold the mounting plate in place… besides some tape. However, once you manage to get everything secure, you’ll have one of the best cooling solutions for any CPU on the market, including the 10700K.

Best Air Cooler for the i7-10700K

Anyone familiar with premium air coolers should know our pick for the best air cooler manufacturer, though they may not have guessed the correct model: The Noctua NH-U12A. It seems it takes the best to rival the best, as the NH-U12A is a shockingly powerful and silent 120mm air cooler. This unit’s claim-to-fame is that it competes against 140mm coolers, and thanks to the included NF-A12x25 PWM fans, it lives up to that hype.

The secret sauce of these fans is the material developed by Noctua (Sterrox) for the fan blades, which allows for their distinct curve and an extremely short distance from the frame. This specific design means the NF-A12x25s can spin at a much higher RPM while remaining extremely quiet. When coupling these fans with a cooling tower that has 7 heat pipes, compared to the 6 found on units like the Noctua NH-D15 or the be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4, you’re genuinely met with a comparative performance from a significantly smaller product.

With the NH-U12A compared to the NH-D15, you end up trading just a few degrees and dBA in thermal and noise performance, respectively, for a massive increase in hardware and case compatibility. When comparing the NH-U12A to the Dark Rock Pro 4, it may still fall short in terms of noise performance; but be quiet!’s silence holds it back from really competing when it comes to thermals.

Overall, Noctua may have just set a new standard in CPU cooling that could lead to user’s questioning whether they even really need some liquid coolers, let alone beefy dual-tower air coolers. Thus, the NH-U12A is our best recommendation if you’re looking for the ultimate air cooling solution for your 10700K.

Best Entry-Level Cooler for the i7-10700K

Some of you may not need every last clock cycle from your 10700K, especially those only interested in gaming. If you’re just looking to replace Intel’s severely lacking stock cooler, then look no further than the Cooler Master Hyper 212 BlackEdition. There’s a good reason for the Hyper 212 series’ popularity over the years, and that’s exceptional price-to-performance. Especially now that Cooler Master offers one of the most dominant entry-level CPU coolers ever made in a completely blacked-out gunmetal finish, there almost isn’t any better option under $40.

The best example of the level of price-to-performance offered by the Hyper 212 is when you compare it to something like the be quiet! Dark Rock Slim, another 120mm cooler with an included PWM fan and 4 heat pipes. The Dark Rock Slim is roughly 60% more expensive for nearly identical thermal and acoustic performance, and with the Hyper 212 BlackEdition, be quiet! doesn’t even win out in the aesthetics department. This level of price disparity leaves the Hyper 212 BlackEdition the clear winner, especially when you consider the option of taking that savings and opting for an additional Cooler Master Silencio FP 120 PWM fan for a push/pull configuration.

With the single included fan, the Hyper 212 BE is more than capable of cooling the 10700K at stock speeds, with the option for some conservative all-core overclocks if you decide to snag another Silencio fan, for which there is an extra set of mounting clips included. We’re confident you’ll be hard-pressed to find any better option for the 10700K at this price.

Best Low-Profile Cooler for the i7-10700K

Finally, our best low-profile recommendation goes to the Noctua NH-L12S. While you can sort of cheat thermal performance by slapping the NF-A12x25 fan on something like the Scythe Big Shuriken 3 for the ultimate in low-profile air cooling, we’re looking to keep costs down with out-of-the-box quality and performance, and that crown always goes to Noctua.

SFF PCs are skyrocketing in popularity thanks to the advancement of PC hardware, where components seem to offer the same level performance with increasingly smaller options, and it’s evident with the NH-L12S that cooling isn’t any different.

While you may not be setting any overclocking records with the NH-L12S, you can still confidently run even the Core i9-10900K in a mini-ITX system and never have to worry about things like additional points of failure or coolant evaporation over time.

Summary

Best Liquid Cooler: Arctic Liquid Freezer II 280 – If you’re looking for the best all-in-one cooler, the Liquid Freezer 280 is it. With active VRM cooling and best-in-class thermal/noise performance, it’s undoubtedly worth the somewhat frustrating installation. Note: installation hassle is mitigated by having your motherboard flat against your build surface, or by holding the mounting plate in place with some tape, temporarily.

Best Air Cooler: Noctua NH-U12A – This is a more recent offering from Noctua that challenges even the NH-D15 in terms of thermal and noise performance. It may even leave some questioning whether they truly need to opt for liquid cooling or massive dual-tower air coolers.

Best Entry-Level Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 BlackEdition – The entry-level king returns with a fresh coat of gunmetal paint. With best-in-class cooling at an insanely low price, you’re not going to find many better options if you plan on leaving your processor at stock for gaming. If you want to push some conservative overclocks, be sure to pick up an additional Cooler Master Silencio FP 120mm fan for a push/pull configuration!

Best Low-Profile Cooler: Noctua NH-L12S – The best out-of-the-box performance of any low-profile cooler to ensure whatever processor you’ve chosen stays in check if you’re planning on building an air-cooled SFF system.

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If you’ve bought into the hype of Intel’s newest 10^th Generation CPUs, dubbed ‘Comet Lake‘ then you are going to need an LG1200 chipset compatible motherboard: The Z490. With the enhanced RAM compatibility featured by the new 10^th generation processors, including the i3-10100, i5-10600K, i7-10700K and i9-10900K, it is a good opportunity to upgrade/purchase some brand new RAM to go with it.

The quality of RAM is many times overlooked, despite it playing a key roll in the overall quality of the build. The RAM enables the CPU to engage in data transfer, software and gaming applications, as well as prevent any occasional slowdowns, stuttering or system crashes.

There are some specific key aspects of RAM that need to be taken into account when planning a new build. Each component of a PC needs to work in harmonious synchronicity in order to avoid bottlenecking issues between units. You can purchase star components which will have a larger share of the allocated to the setup budget, but if the team is weak, that star will not have the opportunity to shine.

Best Memory Size for Intel 10th Gen Processors (Workstation / Gaming)

The first key component to take into account when purchasing RAM, is the size needed for the intended use. A computer for just desktop applications or video streaming – like an HTPC for example – (for those looking to purchase one of Intel’s new i3 series processors) will need no more than 8 GB of RAM; and even that may be too much. If you are a gaming enthusiast and want to build a PC worthy of the next generation of consoles set to release by the end of the year, then 16 GB of RAM will work out just fine. If you’re worried about this amount of RAM being too low to futureproof your build, worry not, as the announced specifications of the Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X show us that these consoles will also feature 16 GB of RAM. Of course, you can always purchase more if you feel the need to later on, though that money would be better allocated to purchasing better quality RAM, rather than quantity. If you are looking to stream in addition to gaming, or perhaps edit and render high resolution videos, then 32 GB would be a sufficient start. Of course, this number goes up depending on the line of work.

Best RAM Speeds for Intel 10th Gen Processors (Workstation / Gaming)

The next key aspect is the speed of the RAM. For workstations, the higher the speed the better, though 3200 MHz should work sufficiently for most applications. The same applies for gaming, as 3000-3200 MHz is more than enough. After 3000 MHz, diminishing effects begin to stack up on each other, and are generally not worth the extra cost. For desktop applications, video streaming, and light gaming use, speeds of 2400-2666 MHz will suffice.

Best CAS Latencies for Intel 10th Gen Processors

The final key aspect, which is many times ignored when purchasing RAM, despite being of almost equal importance to the RAM speeds, is the latency of the memory. The Column Address Signal (CAS) measures the cycles necessary for the unit to access data from a column address; therefore, the lower the CAS, the better. Having high latency RAM will bottleneck its speed and overall performance. Benchmarks show that a 3200 MHz RAM with a CAS of 15 will outperform the same brand model with 3600 MHz and a CAS of 16. For gaming, a CAS 15 will suffice, while for workstations a CAS of 14 would be best. For streaming and desktop use the CAS will not matter, as RAM speeds for such light use will hardly be noticeable.

To help you choose the right RAM for you, we’ve included the best models for: entry-level i3 builds, gaming i5-10600K or i7-10700K builds, and i9-10900K workstation builds; taking in mind all the aforementioned key aspects, and, of course, pricing.

Best RAM for Intel i3-10300, i5-10600K, i7-10700K, i9-10900K – Our Recommendations

Award	Design	Model
Best RAM for Intel 10th Gen i3 Budget Builds		Crucial 8GB DDR4 DDR4-2666 CL19
Best RGB RAM for Intel 10th Gen Gaming Builds		Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro 16GB DDR4-3000 CL15
Best RAM for Intel 10th Gen Gaming Builds		Crucial Ballistix 16GB DDR4-3000 CL15
Best RAM for Intel 10th Gen Workstation Builds		TeamGroup T-Force Dark Pro 16GB DDR4-3200 CL14

Best RAM for Intel 10th Gen i3 Budget Builds

Crucial is a consumer brand from Micron Technology, an American producer based in Idaho that makes competitive, high quality, memory units and sells them at a fraction of the price of their competitors. For budget i3-10100, i3-10300 or i5-10600K builds, we recommend none other than the Crucial 8GB DDR4 2666 MHz RAM stick.

If you’re looking to build a mini-ITX setup, then you are most likely aware that mITX motherboards RAM slots are quite limited: usually only two slots. Despite Crucial’s $34 price tag, this 8GB of RAM comes in a single rank, so you can always have the option to upgrade further if need be – though 8GB should be more than enough.

Accordingly, the 2666 MHz speeds, and 19 CAS latency are respectable for such builds, as anything more would be overkill for the intended purpose. Another great aspect of this RAM is that it is free of the clunkyness of the heat spreaders of other RAM cards, instead of going for a smaller and thinner design to fit those tightly fit small form factor cases.

It may not have the best latency mark, or any stylish design fluff like RGB lighting, but this RAM is all about functionality, compatibility, and of course, an affordable price; making it a perfect fit for entry-level SFF, and budget, builds featuring the i3-10100 or i3-10300 series Intel CPUs.

Best RAM for Intel 10th Gen Gaming Builds

Here we’ve chosen two different RAM models, as to better suit different types of gaming builds with the i5-10600K, i7-10700K or i9-10900K. If you want a tempered glass panel case to show off your RGB pizzazz, then the Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro is chosen for you, but if you want a silent case, care little about RGB lighting, or would rather save some money from the RAM purchase, then the Crucial Ballistix is better suitable for your Comet Lake setup.

For both these choices, we recommend the 3000 MHz C15 versions, with 16 GB being the smartest size for a first purchase. Both these RAM choices are very similar in their build: they both have respectable heat spreaders, they have the same speeds and similar CAS latencies, and they both come in different variations to choose from in regards to colors and designs.

The main differences are, that the Corsair option has RGB lighting which can be synchronized via Corsair’s iCue software and provide quite an impressive light show, lacking from the Crucial Ballistix, which otherwise has a low-profile suitable for SFF builds, and is considerably cheaper than the aforementioned option.

If the appearance of your system is important for you, then the price difference will cost you close to an extra $30, as the Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro currently costs $95.99. If you care little for appearances, but rather prefer a more practical or silent setup, then you can find Crucial’s Ballistix option for $69.99.

No matter what you choose, both RAM models are great for gaming builds; and are estimable companions for Intel’s i5-10600 or i7-10700 series CPUs.

Best RAM for Intel 10th Gen Workstation Builds

For most consumer-level workstations, nothing will beat TeamGroup’s T-Force Dark Pro RAM.

Team Group is a Taiwanese company founded in 1997, and is, for the most part, a manufacturer of memory units; hence why their products have earned them several awards for their price-quality ratios.

The T-Force Dark Pro features 3200 MHz frequencies, and an ultra-low latency of C14 cycles, with CL timings of 14-14-14-31, rendering it capable of data transfers of 25.6 GB/s. Enhanced by the use of JEDEC RC 2.0: a customized circuit board with an increased distance between power and signal layers, which boosts the transmitting signal by 35%. Additionally, this RAM is optimized for Intel’s XMP technology, allowing you to apply multiple memory settings to different profiles for a quicker change of overclocking settings. To dissipate the resulting heat from the application of such overclocking settings, the T-Force Dark pro has a five-piece heat sink with an aluminum heat spreader. Finally, the chips used are all original integrated circuit chips.

For the quality and specifications of this RAM, the T-Force Dark Pro’s $129 is exceptional – definitely the best price-value ratio available for RAM suitable for an i9-10900K workstation build. This price includes 16 GB (two 8GB ranks) of RAM, so for 32 GB the price will rise to $259, which is still exceptional, and will suffice for the majority of consumer-level workstation, and enthusiast i9-10900K setups.

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