If you're serious about pushing the i9 12900K to its limits, you'll want to consider going with a fully custom liquid cooling loop. You'll need a large case capable of housing the radiator, naturally, but we'll get to that shortly.īut even with the X62, you may run into thermal limitations.

Once everything is installed, having a small water block on your CPU instead of a massive air cooler makes things look much cleaner. It's reasonably easy to install and features a large 280mm radiator with a pair of 140mm fans. The NZXT Kraken X62 is an impressive piece of kit and works with all major platforms. Liquid cooling is highly recommended when you're trying to get the most out of Intel's unlocked enthusiast chips, and the 12th Gen Core i9 processors require it. This rig has a beastly CPU, and yes, it loves some overclocking. Not much more powerful than the Kraken X52 It's a true monster of a gaming PC with little to no care about cost. Over the years, myself and my colleagues have tested more components than your could shake a stick at, and here's where we've collated all the most powerful PC components that work together. Don't bottleneck your high-powered components with a super out-of-date gaming panel, people. And if you're going all-in on 4K gaming, you should pick yourself up a quality gaming monitor (opens in new tab) that'll make the most out of your GPU. The final price doesn't include accessories or peripherals either, so don't forget to pick up the best gaming mouse (opens in new tab), and best gaming keyboard (opens in new tab) combo.

Otherwise, a smaller SSD or a RAM downgrade can shave off a few hundred dollars from the overall cost. If that number made your wallet shrivel up, the more fiscally responsible PC gamers among you can check out our high-end PC build guide (opens in new tab). With this exact build you're looking at around $4,000.

Intel extreme tuning utility any good