Need help with my ACC build configuration

Hey.

I want to play https://www.assettocorsa.net/competizione/ at the highest settings possible without going broke. Right now, I'm running everything on low or just turning it off entirely. You guys suggested this build back when I could actually afford it; it still runs okay, but trying to play ACC with a used GTX 1050 I threw in there is absolute hell. 🙄

I don't need any peripherals, and I bought this monitor, so once it arrives, I want to get the most out of it. I'm guessing an RTX 2060 is the bare minimum. If an RTX 2070 fits my budget—around $200, give or take $15—that would be great. RAM shouldn't be less than 16 GB, and SSD size doesn't matter much as long as it's at least 240 GB; I don't need an HDD. This PC will be strictly for ACC.

Thanks in advance.

So, which build did you end up going with?

Are you upgrading what you have or just building a whole new rig from scratch?

wiredotter14 said:So, which build did you end up going with?

Are you upgrading what you have or just building a whole new rig from scratch?

I ended up grabbing my parts from the Center for the Future and a local shop since the first place didn't have everything in stock. I went with an i3 8100 and 8 GB of RAM—though I eventually bumped that up to 16 GB—no dedicated GPU at first, just a 500 GB SSD, and later added a GTX 1050. All in all, I'm pretty happy with it; it still handles my web dev work just fine. As for ACC, which is really the only thing I play, it runs pretty poorly. I can barely scrape together 45 FPS even on the lowest settings. 🙄

wiredotter14 said:So, which build did you end up going with?

Are you upgrading what you have or just building a whole new rig from scratch?

Everything is brand new. It’s just for gaming and nothing else, I guess. 🙂

Man, if you’d just listened to what wiredotter14 suggested in his last post, all you’d be looking at right now is swapping out the CPU and GPU.

Since you're building this rig for one specific game, go look up some benchmarks for it. We need to see how Intel vs AMD and AMD vs Nvidia actually stack up for that title.

quietorca81 said:I ended up grabbing my parts from the Center for the Future and a local shop since the first place didn't have everything in stock. I went with an i3 8100 and 8 GB of RAM—though I eventually bumped that up to 16 GB—no dedicated GPU at first, just a 500 GB SSD, and later added a GTX 1050. All in all, I'm pretty happy with it; it still handles my web dev work just fine. As for ACC, which is really the only thing I play, it runs pretty poorly. I can barely scrape together 45 FPS even on the lowest settings. 🙄

Everything is brand new. It’s just for gaming and nothing else, I guess. 🙂

You should've picked up at least an RX 580 or a GTX 1070 with 8 GB of VRAM instead of the GTX 1050. Obviously, stronger cards would be even better

Man, what could've been, right? If I'd picked this or that... I just bought what I could afford at the time. Now that I actually have some decent cash, I figured I'd start a thread. 🙂

wiredotter14, I checked how Intel vs AMD are trending, and honestly, everywhere says an i7-8700K paired with a GTX 1080 Ti is basically the baseline if you want epic details at 144 Hz. Nvidia is definitely the way to go for graphics.

For instance, this would be pretty close to "epic" levels (minus a few tiny things) at 4K and 75 Hz:

I'm aiming for 3840 x 1080 at 144 Hz. I get the hang of CPUs and GPUs, but motherboards, power supplies, coolers... that stuff totally trips me up. :rollyes:

So, if anyone can suggest something a bit more high-end within my budget, that’d be great. 😁 Thanks. 🙂

That resolution is basically just pixel count, so it’s pretty much on par with 1440p when you're looking at benchmarks.

Did you track down where the new AMD processors are sitting price-wise? Say, something like the Ryzen 5 3600.
Since this game demands a beefy GPU, you really need to figure out if you can cut corners on the CPU. People recommending an 8700K aren't giving you the full picture... sure, it's easy to suggest that chip if money is no object, but modern Ryzens are often right up there with the 8700K.

Anyway, how are you shopping for this? Picking parts from different retailers or just hitting up one place like Best Buy to have them bundle it all together?
How are you paying?

Doesn't matter which store you pick, just go with whichever is cheaper. 🙂 I can put the build together myself, so that's fine. Cash payment.

Since you asked about CPU benchmarks, I've been looking into it lately. The Ryzen 5 3600 x is almost twice as powerful as the Intel Core i5 9600KF, but Intel has better single-core performance, which pulls about 10% more FPS in most settings I saw on YouTube. Better single-core matters if you want to hit 144 Hz. Also, CPU utilization seems a bit lower on the Intel than on the AMD.

Prices look pretty much the same to me, so I’d probably go with the Intel and just overclock it to 4.8 GHz immediately. Without OC, you get 4.6 GHz on one core and 4.3 on the others, but with OC, you get 4.8 across the board.

I'd pair it with an Asrock Z390 because people on Reddit and Steam seem to love its overclocking potential.

Don't overthink the GPU. Anything less than an RTX 2070 won't even hit 80 FPS on epic settings. Since there are extra settings to toggle on epic and the 30-car grid is super demanding—especially in the rain—I'm going with the RTX 2080 Super and calling it a day. 🤷

16 GB of 3200 RAM should be enough.

A 250 GB SSD is plenty.

So, this is what the setup looks like right now, all sourced from the Center for the Future:

• Intel Core i5 9600KF $592
• ASRock Main Board Desktop Z390 Steel Legend $506
• Palit GF RTX2080 Super GamingPro OC, 8GB GDDR6 $2555
• Patriot Viper Steel, 3200Mhz, 16GB (2x8GB), CL16 $277
• Samsung SSD 970 Evo Plus 250GB $271

TOTAL $4202
TOTAL WITH DISCOUNT: $3782

Does this look alright? 🤷

What kind of PSU would work for this? And what case should I put everything in? Will I need liquid cooling for an overclocked CPU? Thanks for bearing with me!

And sorry for bugging you so much with this. 👎

If you can hold out, the new i5 10600K is the better call since you get Hyperthreading. Just no clue when it’ll actually hit the shelves here in the States or what the markup will be. Over there, it's pushing $300, which feels like a rip-off.

Regarding cooling, it mostly comes down to your case. If you pick a decent chassis—meaning enough clearance above the CPU (160mm for the NH-D14)—then air cooling is the way to go. You get performance comparable to mid/high-range AIO coolers for less money, with less noise and way more reliability.

Somehow, the Center for the Future actually has the NH-D14 in stock, even though they don't really make them anymore. It's cheaper than the NH-D15 and pretty much the same thing.
I’m running an NH-D14 on an overclocked i7 920 (which pulls 130W stock) and it’s solid. Easy install, quiet, and temps stay around 80-83C at ~950rpm while pulling over 300W from the wall in a 27C room—and that's with old thermal paste. Just don't buy ridiculously tall RAM. I have some old Corsair Vengeance that’s super high profile, so I had to rotate the CPU cooler so the fans blow upward. It works, but ideally, they should blow toward the rear.

That's a comparison against a very good liquid cooler. In other tests, Noctua actually performs even better.

Something like this

https://www.amazon.com/riotoro-eni...MG2EU/product/

https://www.amazon.com/power-supply-unit...51613/product/

BTW, that GPU and motherboard look way overpriced for what you actually get. Ask some guys on Reddit to recommend something with better value.

Regarding the CPU choice, an Intel chip gives you way more upgrade paths later once Zen 3 hits, whereas going with a 9600KF puts you in a complete dead end.
I'd look into Intel or maybe a 10600K.