How to build a white gaming PC 2024: part selection, deal-finding and more

So our all-white PC build with AMD's Ryzen 7 7800X3D and Nvidia's RTX 4060 Ti is complete - but how does it perform? To find out, I've tested it in six games at three resolutions - 1080p, 1440p and 4K - to see how well it fits different display specs. In all cases, I'm using what I would consider to be 'optimised' settings, favouring higher frame-rates in competitive titles but opting for a more balanced outlook in single-player games.

Given the high-end CPU and more mid-range GPU in this build, our focus is firmly on high refresh rate gaming in 'esports' titles like FPS and racing at 1080p or 1440p, matching the newest wave of high refresh rate OLED monitors. With that in mind, we'll start with performance data with 2023's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, which offers a good range of options to allow for both high refresh rate gaming at low settings and advanced graphical features with path tracing and ray reconstruction tech.

The RTX 4060 Ti scales surprisingly far here, even without frame generation, with an 80fps average at 4K using DLSS quality mode and path tracing enabled on the balanced preset. Disabling path tracing and moving to DLSS performance mode nets a 32 percent improvement to average frame-rate, ending up at 105fps - not bad for this class of GPU hardware!

At 1440p, where the 4060 Ti really shines, we're looking at 139fps and 175fps for PT/DLSS quality and DLSS performance mode respectively, which jumps to 191fps and 224fps at 1080p. That's enough to take good advantage of what I would say is the most common 'esports' spec 1080p 240Hz screen or have a locked 1080p 144Hz experience on a more entry-level high refresh rate monitor.

Next up is Counter-Strike 2, my current go-to game. Moving from DX9 to a newer DX11 base has changed its performance profile somewhat, increasing the GPU burden, but this remains a profoundly CPU-limited game at the high refresh rates that competitively-minded players crave. Given the game's focus, we've gone for a single optimised settings profile that includes high shadows, low model detail, shaders and particles, disabled AO, performance HDR and FSR quality mode.

The results at each resolution paint the 7800X3D in a great light, with a blistering 476fps average (208fps lowest one percent) at 1080p, dropping to 354fps average (157fps low) at 1440p that's still sufficient for popular 1440p 144Hz monitors. 4K is a bridge too far for this class of graphics hardware though, with a 199fps average and 91fps low that's a bit limiting for a competitive shooter. At lower resolutions though, this is a solid setup.

2021's Crysis 3 Remastered is a single-player title for our testing, and provides both a good CPU and GPU workout. As with the other titles, we've tested at 1080p, 1440p and 4K to see which options are workable with this CPU and GPU combination.

In short, 4K 60fps is off the table - at least with DLSS balanced mode and very high settings throughout - but dropping to 1440p with the same settings results in a smooth 110fps average during our taxing scene. 1080p is higher still, at 167fps. Given the RT effects, these are quite reasonable results.

Another high refresh rate esports-adjacent game is F1 23, the latest release in the series and one that I play in a league each week. Again, both CPU and GPU are tested here, though with RT disabled it's possible to hit hundreds of frames per second without too much bother - at least at lower resolutions.

We're perhaps a bit down on GPU grunt here, with a rainy Las Vegas race throwing up a playable but not completely ideal 95fps average at 4K. Our focus is on 1440p and 1080p performance though, and here the 4060 Ti is better equipped for HFR gaming with 146fps and 177fps averages respectively as we become largely CPU-limited. Given the respectable lowest one percent frame-rates of 100fps and 112fps for 1440p and 1080 respectively, this is fast enough for competitive play at either resolution I'd suggest - with the potential to opt for a more aggressive DLSS mode or drop settings lower than the high preset we're using.

Hitman 3 is our second-last title, with its integrated Dartmoor benchmark maximising CPU load when used in combination with the high simulation quality setting.

It's not surprising that the 7800X3D excels here with a 207fps average at 1080p. (We recorded average frame-rates of 243fps at 1080p in our review of that processor on an RTX 3090 system, so we're not missing much performance from the lower-tier GPU.) 1440p is also on the table at 154fps, though at 4K we start to become more heavily GPU-bottlenecked with nearly half the frame-rate - just 84fps.

Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition tends to run a bit weirdly, with mid-range CPUs often outperforming their higher core count countparts from the same family, so we expect good things from the 7800X3D here in this RT-only title.

As with Hitman 3, 1080p and 1440p are sufficiently performant to pair well with a 1080p 240Hz or 1440p 144Hz monitor, two common options in 2024, but the 4K average of around 90fps does come with a sacrifice to responsiveness. Of course, you could always opt for the original RT-optional release instead of the Enhanced Edition and no doubt have a significantly higher frame-rate at any resolution if you were happy to sacrifice the fidelity somewhat.

So with all things considered then, this system comfortably hits the brief for high refresh rate 1080p and 1440p gaming, while still delivering responsive experiences at 4K - just not enough to take good advantage of a 4K 120Hz or higher display, given the relatively modest level of GPU horsepower available.