NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Build Guide

MicroCenterOfficial

Introducing the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti, offering a graphical step up from the GeForce RTX 3070 without making a full-priced jump to the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti. We've put together a powerful and sleek build to help generate some inspiration for your own build.... or you can just use this one!

(Image Courtesy: NVIDIA)

Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X Vermeer 3.8GHz 8-Core AM4

If you're building with the GeForce RTX 3070 Ti, you're going to want a processor to match that power, and AMD's Ryzen 7 5800 X is a stellar pairing. Delivering high-powered processing and overclocking potential without breaking the bank - just like the 3070 Ti.

Alternate: Intel Core i7-11700K Rocket Lake - Intel's new i7 processor, offering comparable performance from a different company. Note: the selected motherboard for this build is not compatible with an Intel processor.

Motherboard: ASUS B550M-PLUS (WiFi) TUF Gaming AMD AM4 microATX Motherboard

The plot twist of our build: we're building a microATX PC! Offering all the power of a full-size rig, just shrunk down to a much smaller size. And with that in mind, we want to keep all our components to a minimum, so we made sure the ASUS B550M-PLUS has onboard WiFi, so if you're not hooked up via ethernet you can still access the internet without adding anything else to the build.

Alternate: ASUS B560M-PLUS TUF Gaming WiFi Intel LGA 1200 microATX Motherboard - To complement the alternative Intel processor, we picked out an incredibly similar Intel motherboard.

Graphics Card: ASUS NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti TUF Gaming Overclocked Triple-Fan 8GB GDDR6X PCIe 4.0

The centerpiece of our build is, of course, the new ASUS NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti, featuring stellar ray-tracing capabilities, solid 1440p, 144hz gaming performance, and NVIDIA's suite of gaming tools. The 3070 Ti delivers 1.5x the performance of the 2070 SUPER and 2x the frames that the 1070 Ti could deliver. In other words: it's the card for our build.

Processor Cooling: NZXT Kraken M22 120mm RGB Water Cooling Kit

Sure, you could go with a standard air cooler for your processor. But when you're building in a microATX case, space is a premium. Plus, you should really treat that fancy Ryzen 7 nice with a sweet AIO. Hence the NZXT Kraken M22. Featuring a single fan, it'll keep your processor cooler than a standard air cooler and take up less space in the process. Perfect for compact builds!

RAM: Crucial Ballistix RGB 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3600 PC4-28800 CL16 Dual Channel

16GB of RAM is more than enough to handle pretty much anything you could put this little powerhouse through, but we've left two slots open if you decide you need to double your RAM to 32GB. And that splash of RGB will add a nice bit of style to the build.

Alternate: Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-3200 RAM - Worried that 16GB of RAM isn't going to cut it? This'll double that to 32GB and leave space for an additional 32 more gigs of RAM to be added.

Hard Drives: Samsung 970 EVO Plus SSD 1TB M.2 NVMe

Normally we recommend a hybrid of SSDs and HDDs for new builds, but with space such a premium in micro ATX builds, we're going pure M.2. The Samsung 970 EVO Plus M.2 NVMe will offer all the speed you could ever want in a hard drive, all in a sleek form factor that will fit snugly into your motherboard.

Alternative: Inland Platinum 4TB SSD M.2 NVMe - 1TB not going to cut it? Shoot up to 4TB for even more game space!

Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 750 GT 750 Watt 80 Plus Gold ATX Fully Modular Power Supply

I always recommend modular power supplies - the ability to remove cables you don't need in your build is paramount to creating a clean and efficient build. And it's never more important than in a microATX build when space is so much more limited and errant cables can ruin your airflow. EVGA's SuperNOVA 750 GT delivers enough power with an 80 Plus Gold rating to keep your PC running efficiently and is fully modular to keep it clean.

Alternate: Anything Modular - rather than pick out a specific power supply alternative, I'll just recommend anything with sufficient power and fully modular. Keep your case clean!

Case: Corsair Crystal 280X RGB Tempered Glass microATX Mini-Tower

MicroATX builds require a lot of research to ensure that all parts will fit into the case. For the build we've constructed here, the Corsair Crystal 280X is the case that will give us the space we need, with a little bit of breathing room for airflow and any adjustments that might need to be made. And RGB!

Alternate: Whatever case that can fit your components! - Cases are perhaps the most subjective part of any PC build, taking into account both space and personal taste. So head to your local Micro Center, bring a tape measure, and check out our floor models!

The full parts list can be found on our Custom PC Builder: https://www.microcenter.com/site/content/custom-pc-builder.aspx?load=e7d683c1-cd98-4875-8663-8a03888bd05f

MageTank

https://community.microcenter.com/discussion/8706/nvidia-geforce-rtx-3070-ti-build-guide

I've read over this guide a few times now and pardon my ignorance but I am not entirely sure I understand who this is targeted towards. The title of the thread has the word "guide" in it, but the information provided in the subject matter is so minimal and what is provided is questionable at times. Let's look at a few examples of questionable information:

If you're building with the GeForce RTX 3070 Ti, you're going to want a processor to match that power, and AMD's Ryzen 7 5800 X is a stellar pairing. Delivering high-powered processing and overclocking potential without breaking the bank - just like the 3070 Ti.

Calling out the 5800X for its "overclocking potential" is like recommending a Honda Civic for its racing potential. Overclockers are going to be disappointed, as will drivers of Honda Civics (no matter the size of the spoilers and how short you cut the exhaust). While it is true Ryzen processors are unlocked and can technically be overclocked, their "overclocking potential" is actually quite limited. You are dealing with a hard 142W PPT limit on the socket and an added EDC current limit that cannot be bypassed on ambient cooling. Those looking to squeeze out extra performance on Ryzen CPU's would be better off undervolting and utilizing PBO (Precision Boost Overdrive) and letting AMD's automatic tuning handle the rest with the added power overhead from the aforementioned undervolting. It seems silly to recommend a component for its "high-powered processing" and "overclocking potential" without actually explaining what makes the processor a great pick beyond marketing buzzwords. Features such as:

• Significantly higher cache sizes than their competition
• Higher cores/thread count at a lower price point
• Comparable IPC (Instructions Per Clock) performance in non-AVX instruction sets

Just a few things that could easily be mentioned that realistically impact performance and would mean more on paper than just saying something along the lines of "it's fast and can overclock so we picked it".

The centerpiece of our build is, of course, the new ASUS NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti, featuring stellar ray-tracing capabilities, solid 1440p, 144hz gaming performance, and NVIDIA's suite of gaming tools. The 3070 Ti delivers 1.5x the performance of the 2070 SUPER and 2x the frames that the 1070 Ti could deliver. In other words: it's the card for our build.

1.5x the performance of the 2070 SUPER at what? This feels like someone saw a marketing slide from a first party (Nvidia) and rolled with it instead of actually providing examples of areas in which the RTX 3070 Ti outperforms the RTX 2070 Super by 1.5x. Are we talking pure rasterization, or are we talking Raytracing performance? Given the limited number of raytracing titles, it's extremely important to clarify this here. At the very least, use the words "up to" to cover yourself. Blanket statements like these lead to disappointment when reality sets in and it doesn't offer 1.5x the performance of the previous 2070 Super. https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/nvidia-geforce-rtx-3070-ti-founders-edition

In the review above, you'll notice that while some games offer that 1.5x performance boost over the RTX 2070 Super FE, some (like Far Cry 5) only offered a 15% performance boost in 1080p performance. In fact, of all of the recent AAA games they tested across the 3 most common resolutions (1080p, 1440p, 4K), we only saw 4 instances of the 3070 Ti achieving that 1.5x performance boost over the 2070 super. Those games were Assassins Creed Odyssey at 4K, F1 2020 at 1440p and 4K, and Total War: Warhammer II at 4k. That's 4 instances out of 21 testing methodologies. Sadly, so few people benchmark the 1070 Ti so I can't really verify if the claims of "2x the performance" are true, but it would still be wise to include "up to" just to be safe...

Sure, you could go with a standard air cooler for your processor. But when you're building in a microATX case, space is a premium. Plus, you should really treat that fancy Ryzen 7 nice with a sweet AIO. Hence the NZXT Kraken M22. Featuring a single fan, it'll keep your processor cooler than a standard air cooler and take up less space in the process. Perfect for compact builds!

This might be the most questionable claim in this "guide". Water cooling is still bound to the same laws of thermodynamics as air cooling. It's not going sub-ambient. If you want to claim it's more efficient for heat exchange to use water cooling then sure, there might be some agreeance here, but to blanketly state that a 120mm AIO will out-perform standard air coolers? That's just misinformation with no evidence to back it up. The benefits of water over air is thermal mass, being able to handle a higher thermal load and resulting in a lower temperature as a result. A 120mm lacks this distinct advantage as the thermal mass is no greater than that of your typical air coolers... Breaking this one up is going to be a bit difficult for several reasons.

1. The Kraken M22 is among one of the lowest performing 120mm AIO's. Maybe only really beating Cooler Master's pump designs. While the pump-in-rad design is interesting, it does not aid in providing better thermals.
2. 120mm radiators lack the thermal mass to be considered objectively better than mid-range air coolers. For the asking price of $85, this AIO gets absolutely destroyed by high-end air coolers for just $4 more such as the Phanteks PH-TC14PE which can be found readily available for $90. Lower end air coolers such as the Noctua NH-U9S can be found for as low as $70, will fit in the chassis and can be outfitted with 2 RGB fans to meet the aesthetic of this build while offering comparable performance to the M22. Here it is with 2 fans beating Cooler Masters 240mm AIO and running only 6C hotter than Corsair's 240mm AIO: https://www.guru3d.com/articles-pages/noctua-nh-d9l-and-nh-u9s-cpu-cooler-review,9.html (The CPU in this review was tested under a 114W thermal load, the 5800X averages a 95W thermal load)

1. When factoring in thermal performance of coolers, one can't just weigh thermal transfer between air vs water, but also the thermal transfer between the CPU die to the IHS (Integrated Heat Spreader) and from the IHS to the CPU cooler. Ryzen's unique MCM (Multi-Chip Module) design has the CPU cores offset to a corner of the CPU substrate, meaning a water coolers jetplate and fin array won't be centered on the CPU cores, resulting in very inefficient cooling. We've seen this already with AIO's and custom water blocks not specifically designed for Ryzen's chiplet layout and the M22 is no exception.
2. The claim that AIO's take up less space than air coolers is a bit subjective. They make air coolers that are designed to sit horizontally across the CPU socket rather than vertically. Notable examples would be the Cryorig C7, be quiet! Dark Rock TF and Noctua NH-L9a. These do not obstruct any DIMM slots or require any obstructive tubing to be visible while maintaining a low profile no thicker than a a 120mm AIO + fan combo.

   
   

   Seriously though, recommendations for thermal solutions shouldn't be taken lightly when giving people advice on systems, especially when one references "overclocking potential" earlier in the guide. That's just a recipe for disaster.

   
   

   RAM: Crucial Ballistix RGB 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3600 PC4-28800 CL16 Dual Channel

   
   

   16GB of RAM is more than enough to handle pretty much anything you could put this little powerhouse through, but we've left two slots open if you decide you need to double your RAM to 32GB. And that splash of RGB will add a nice bit of style to the build.

   
   

   Alternate: Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-3200 RAM - Worried that 16GB of RAM isn't going to cut it? This'll double that to 32GB and leave space for an additional 32 more gigs of RAM to be added.

   I was impressed by the decision to choose 3600mhz memory for this review given how reliant AMD's Infinity Fabric is on memory speed, but I was disappointed to see the alternative recommendation deviate from this without explaining this loss in performance. There is zero mention of the compromise on frequency in exchange for capacity, nor any mention of the change from single rank to dual rank DIMM's and what that will do for memory training and manual overclocking should one choose to undertake that endeavor. We referenced the "overclocking potential" of the processor, and the memory controller is part of the processor after all. Dual rank DIMM's are harder to overclock, that is important to keep in mind. It's also important with Ryzen platforms in particular to be conscious of the memory IC's of the RAM you are recommending as some are far more compatible out of the box than others, especially true if one plans to overclock or populate all DIMM slots with dual rank DIMM's. There is also zero mentions of timings of any kind or the importance of lower latency memory in general.

   
   

   I guess I'd just like to see this fleshed out a bit more to explain the thought process behind why certain components such as the memory are recommended that extend beyond "I think this is more than you'll need, and also RGB!". That's just shallow on the surface and doesn't help me understand the thought process behind why I'd want these. Guides need less subjectivity and more objectivity, you feel me?

   
   

   Alternate: Anything Modular - rather than pick out a specific power supply alternative, I'll just recommend anything with sufficient power and fully modular. Keep your case clean!

   Come on... It's hard to view this as a "guide" yet completely gloss over how one should go about finding the right power supply. At least link to resources about how to find the right size PSU, whether it be from the over-estimates provided by Nvidia or another source of knowledge with facts to back up their claims. Anything is better than "Just go with something modular". What about looking for important features like OCP (Over-Current Protection), OVP (Over-Voltage Protection), UVLO (Under Voltage Lockout), Thermal Monitoring/Throttling & RCP (Reverse-Connection Protection) to name a few. Features of arguably the most important component in a system that will protect the other components in a system from failing in the event something goes awry. If someone is reading a build "guide" (I am assuming the target audience is people that need assistance with choosing parts), at least explain the different types of PSU form factors and which one is compatible with the chassis you recommended. The last thing you want is someone buying a Flex ATX PSU for an ATX chassis, that wouldn't end well.

   
   

   I think that covers most of my issues with this guide. If I had any more feedback to provide, it would be to make it less formulaic and less like a marketing ad for the components themselves. Lean in to the technical side and give the reader something to walk away with other than the same guide over & over recommending RGB after RGB for the sake of RGB. To me, this looks no different than the build "guides" posted daily on pcpartpicker or pcgamer. In fact, the structure and writing style is almost identical to the point where it's difficult to tell the content apart. What better way to differentiate yourself and demonstrate a unique identity by actually diving into the hardware and educating your audience while guiding them on the components to consider for their builds.