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With new hardware releases from AMD, Nvidia, and Intel showcased at CES 2024, there are some important considerations for anyone looking to build a high-performance gaming PC this year. This blog post will provide a summary of the critical announcements and my analysis on the best components to choose in 2024.
CPU Updates
AMD revealed their next-generation Ryzen 8000 series desktop processors at CES 2024 built on an enhanced 5nm Zen 5 architecture. Key improvements include:
- Up to 20% higher single-threaded performance
- Support for faster DDR5 RAM and PCIe Gen 5
- Enhanced overclocking capabilities
The flagship Ryzen 9 7950X3D could be an excellent choice with its 96MB of L3 cache resulting in a massive boost for gaming frame rates. Pricing and availability are still to be confirmed.
Intel showcased their 13th Gen Raptor Lake refresh CPUs which offer modest clock speed increases. However, they haven’t closed the gap with AMD for gaming performance. The 13600K or 13700K remain solid options, but generally AMD CPUs are preferable currently.
GPU Battle Heats Up
The graphics card market is extremely competitive right now. AMD revealed three new GPUs:
- Radeon RX 7900 XTX – taking on Nvidia’s RTX 4080
- Radeon RX 7900 XT – competing with RTX 4070 Ti
- Radeon RX 7800 XT – battling the RTX 4070
Benchmark results demonstrated AMD beating Nvidia on raw gaming performance[1]. But Nvidia still holds advantages for ray tracing and DLSS 3 frame generation.
I’d give AMD the edge for sheer gaming FPS if ray tracing is not essential. But if you want cutting edge visuals, Nvidia RTX 4000 cards are preferable. The decision depends on your budget and gaming requirements.
Best Platforms
For CPUs, AMD’s upcoming Ryzen 9 7950X3D is likely the best choice for high-end gaming systems paired with a new X670E motherboard. Though if you don’t want to wait, the 7900X3D on an X670 board still beats Intel today.
For GPUs, the debate is trickier. Raw power points to AMD’s new 7900 XTX or Nvidia’s RTX 4090 depending on your budget. But feature set and software ecosystem remain strong arguments for Nvidia.
I would personally choose a Ryzen 9 7900X3D CPU with an RTX 4080 GPU to get great all-round performance. But AMD offers incredible value if ray tracing is not vital for your gaming needs.
Memory and Storage
With new CPUs and platforms supporting DDR5 RAM and PCIe Gen 5 storage, upgrading your memory and SSDs can provide a nice performance uplift:
- DDR5 Memory – 6000MT/s or faster low latency DIMMs are recommended
- PCIe 5.0 SSDs – 2-4TB NVMe drives offer blistering transfer speeds to reduce game load times
High speed DDR5 and PCIe 5 storage does come at a premium. But the performance gains may justify the extra cost if building an ultimate gaming rig.
Power and Cooling Matter
Do not skimp on your power supply and cooling for a high performance system. AMD and Nvidia’s latest GPUs have a 450W TDP for flagship models, with enthusiast CPUs having up to 170W power draw.
You’ll need a quality 1000W 80+ Gold PSU from reputable brands like Corsair, EVGA or Seasonic. A 240mm AIO liquid cooler or large air cooler are also vital to handle heat output and achieve the best performance.
Building a top-tier gaming PC in 2024 will require significant investment. But the performance can be truly impressive, capable of high frame rates even at 4K resolution with the very best GPUs.
Let me know if you have any other questions!