Here at GameNGuide, we've already given you two gaming PC builds for mid-2022: one for 1080p and one for 1440p. Now, we're going all in: here's the best 4K gaming PC build that money can buy at this point in the year. So, let's begin.
CPU: Intel Core i9-12900K
One can be tempted to go for an AMD Ryzen build these days considering how Team Red's CPUs have lorded it over Intel since 2017. But Team Blue made a very big comeback with 12th gen Alder Lake processors, and now we're here.
The i9-12900K is pound-for-pound the best gaming CPU in the market these days, with its excellent single-thread performance (which is critical in running games) and far better multi-threaded performance compared to previous-gen parts, writes PC Gamer. You get a total of 24 CPU threads (8 hyperthreaded P cores+8 E cores), 16 PCIe 5.0 lanes, and a P-core boost clock of as much as 5.2 GHz. Not to mention, you can overclock it too.
$609.99 on Newegg.
GPU: NVIDIA RTX 3090 Ti
Again, you can be tempted to go for AMD's RX 6950 XT against the NVIDIA RTX 3090 Ti, for the reason that the 6950 XT gives you a negligible performance downgrade for several hundred bucks less. But then again, we're going for the absolute max here and budgets are no issue, so the 3090 Ti is the obvious choice for the best 4K gaming PC build right now.
As you can see in that 10-game benchmark above, the 3090 Ti was able to keep the 6950 XT at bay even in the most demanding titles at 4K. This includes Red Dead Redemption 2, Cyberpunk 2077, and even the PC-melting Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020. When it comes to ray tracing, the performance is also more or less in favor of the NVIDIA card.
You can get a 3090 Ti for as low as $1879 on Amazon RIGHT NOW due to widespread discounts. Otherwise, expect to pay as much as $1999* or slightly more when the discounts are done.
Read Also: How Does RAM Work and Affect Gaming Performance?
Motherboard, RAM, Storage, Power Supply, Case
For our next few parts, we're going with the best complementary ones to our CPU and GPU - not necessarily the more expensive parts, but great choices nonetheless.
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Motherboard: According to WindowsCentral, the ASUS ROG Strix Z690-F Gaming is the best value motherboard for the 12900K. Despite cutting out some bells and whistles, it still supports PCIe 5.0, super-fast DDR5 RAM, an excellent power delivery system for overclocking, Wi-Fi 6E, more USB ports than you can shake a stick at, and 2.5Gb LAN. $368.99 on Newegg.
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RAM: TeamGroup T-Force Delta RGB DDR5 6400MHz 32GB (2x16GB): Long name aside, this T-Force Delta RGB 32GB kit is more than enough to keep your hungry 12900K fed with enough data for smooth gameplay at 4K. $369.99 at Amazon.
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Storage: Samsung 980 PRO M.2 2TB: You can get as many of this as you want, but 2TB is more than enough for today's games unless you like hoarding them. You also get PCIe 4.0 speeds of up to 7,000 MB/s. $379.99 on Newegg.
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Power supply: ASUS ROG Strix 1000W Gold: With a 10-year warranty and 80Plus Gold rating, the ROG Strix 1000W will provide enough power to your 12900K and 3090 Ti while also ensuring efficiency and clean power delivery. $169.99 on Amazon.
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Case: Corsair 5000D Airflow: That 3090 Ti is going to need a lot of air to keep itself cool. With the 5000D Airflow, it will want for nothing. You get a cool, all-black finish, tempered glass side panels, and a case that's just easy to build in overall. $164.99 on Amazon.
TOTAL PRICE: $4,062.94
*We picked the $1999 price for the 3090 Ti because so many GPUs at the time of this writing are on limited-time discounts. As such, the $1999 figure is more or less what you'd expect to pay for a 3090 Ti once the discounts are done.
Here's a video showing the 3090 Ti and 12900K working in tandem at 4K and even 8K gaming:
And there you have it! These are our recommended parts for the best 4K gaming PC build in mid-2022. Have fun!
Related Article: Gaming PC Build Guide: Best Parts For 1080p 60 FPS Gaming In Mid-2022
This article is posted on GameNGuide
Written by RJ Pierce
