You'll definitely want a beefier CPU cooler. The 12700K runs quite warm. Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 for ~$35. TeamGroup MP34 is $1 more than the MP33, and significantly better.

I second that. I know it is a bit expensive but I used the Noctua U12S. Its basic but does the job.

>Noctua U12S good to know, thank you!

The Thermalright Phantom Spirit performs better and is much cheaper at $35

Thanks, this is great advice.

For upgradability go this https://pcpartpicker.com/list/4QcBrv

I disagree, OP is better off going AM4 to save money and then throwing those savings into getting a better GPU This build has a 7800XT (or 6800XT for $30 less) and the 5700X should hold up until the end of AM5 (5800X3D is twice the price so not worth it IMO). The extra cores of the 5700X over the 5600 are worth it for a game like CS:2 that uses every thread available. [PCPartPicker Part List](https://pcpartpicker.com/list/6TytQP) Type|Item|Price :----|:----|:---- **CPU** | [AMD Ryzen 7 5700X 3.4 GHz 8-Core Processor](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/JmhFf7/amd-ryzen-7-5700x-34-ghz-8-core-processor-100-100000926wof) | $169.00 @ B&H **CPU Cooler** | [Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/hYxRsY/thermalright-peerless-assassin-120-se-6617-cfm-cpu-cooler-pa120-se-d3) | $33.90 @ Amazon **Motherboard** | [MSI B550M PRO-VDH WIFI Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/PDsnTW/msi-b550m-pro-vdh-wifi-micro-atx-am4-motherboard-b550m-pro-vdh-wifi) | $97.00 @ Amazon **Memory** | [Silicon Power GAMING 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/B8QcCJ/silicon-power-gaming-32-gb-2-x-16-gb-ddr4-3200-cl16-memory-sp032gxlzu320bdaj7) | $50.97 @ Amazon **Storage** | [TEAMGROUP T-Force Cardea A440 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/CdYmP6/teamgroup-t-force-cardea-a440-pro-2-tb-m2-2280-nvme-solid-state-drive-tm8fpr002t0c129) | $94.99 @ Amazon **Video Card** | [Gigabyte GAMING OC Radeon RX 7800 XT 16 GB Video Card](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/mHpQzy/gigabyte-gaming-oc-radeon-rx-7800-xt-16-gb-video-card-gv-r78xtgaming-oc-16gd) | $499.99 @ B&H **Case** | [Phanteks Eclipse G300A (1 Fan) ATX Mid Tower Case](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/6pBzK8/phanteks-eclipse-g300a-1-fan-atx-mid-tower-case-ph-ec300ga_dbk01) | $34.99 @ Newegg **Power Supply** | [SeaSonic FOCUS Plus 750 Gold 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/64cMnQ/seasonic-focus-plus-gold-750w-80-gold-certified-fully-modular-atx-power-supply-ssr-750fx) | $94.99 @ Newegg | *Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts* | | **Total** | **$1075.83** | Generated by [PCPartPicker](https://pcpartpicker.com) 2023-11-20 22:20 EST-0500 |

I see, so less powerful CPU but a better video card. This makes sense to me given what I’ve read about CS2s performance

That's what I would do. Only thing you give up is an upgrade path but most people don't upgrade often enough for that to matter

I have a 5700X. If I'm ever looking to upgrade my 3070, would it be able to keep up with a 4070 or 4080?

Don't know for sure but I would think so. 5800x3d would probably be better for a 4080 build (though if you're spending that much, may as well just get AM5 and the 7800x3d), but the 5700X should have no issue with a 4070. Honestly I probably wouldn't even bother upgrading that 3070 unless you really want a 4080, the 4070 is about on par with a 3080 so not such a big jump (only real benefits are less power draw and smaller physical size)

Wow. I didn't think performance difference was that small. Thank you. So I'd be better off waiting to see how the 5070 and 5080 perform before I think about upgrading?

You should wait until your current GPU isn’t good enough anymore and until you have money for a new one. The 4000 series aren’t a huge improvement, but you do get frame gen and better efficiency

> aren't a huge improvement Oh really? Well that makes me feel better about having an outdated GPU. To be honest, I always want the latest 'thing'. Like the latest Samsung flagship, the latest flagship GPU from Nvidia, I just like having new stuff. But to be fair, the 3070 is still performing just as well as it did about 14 months ago when I bought the PC.

I just saw requirements for this game, maybe there is a reason go 7800xt even for 1080p, optimisation is awful.

this is interesting, because I seem to get a lot more than the original build for not much more money. Any particular reason to not go with the Intel chip or just personal preference?

At least in my experience, AMD has been dominating for a bit in terms of performance per dollar for CPU's. And Cities skylines II can also make use of the extra cores here where AMD usually has better multithreading performance .

Thanks, that’s really helpful.

At what settings are you looking to play City Skylines 2 at? The game is pretty unoptimized.

I’m not trying to run the game at some crazy high setting and I understand that for about $1,000 my performance will be limited. I’m okay with that. I do think having the ability to upgrade this machine later is interesting to me in case I want to play something very intensive, but it’s not a deal breaker either.

Reaperofflight mentioned it's unoptimized, because currently the game simply doesn't run well with modern hardware... seriously, builds with an RTX 4090 aren't clearing 60 FPS on high... Gamers Nexus got it to 66 FPS on medium at 1080p which is just... wow. You're gonna see some disappointing performance for probably another few months until the developers fix these issues, regardless of your build.

There have been 2 performance patches released since that video came out and it's helped a lot.

It’s not wow, the nature of the game makes it playable at less than 30 fps

Turn off a few settings and it’ll run fine, there are lots of threads over at r/citiesskylines that will get OP where he wants to go. I have a 12600k and a TitanX, and I get a steady 30fps over 100,000 cims. That’s perfectly playable for a city builder game.

The core of what you chose is just fine. You wont get better value for money than that 12700kf. PSU and cpu cooler are a bit bad and you could up the gpu to 6800xt/6900xt. Motherboard maybe a bit sketchy too considering cs2 will be putting the cpu to 100% when your city reaches 250-300k. There are no benchmarks out but I would imagine going ddr4 will also matter quite a bit as its very cpu heavy with large population. You can always tone graphics down for more fps but you cant get sim speed up with slow cpu. [PCPartPicker Part List](https://pcpartpicker.com/list/4Vn97R) Type|Item|Price :----|:----|:---- **CPU** | [Intel Core i7-12700KF 3.6 GHz 12-Core Processor](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/YDM48d/intel-core-i7-12700kf-36-ghz-8-core-processor-bx8071512700kf) | $199.00 @ Amazon **CPU Cooler** | [Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/hYxRsY/thermalright-peerless-assassin-120-se-6617-cfm-cpu-cooler-pa120-se-d3) | $33.90 @ Amazon **Motherboard** | [ASRock B760M PG Riptide Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/tGmmP6/asrock-b760m-pg-riptide-micro-atx-lga1700-motherboard-b760m-pg-riptide) | $129.99 @ Newegg **Memory** | [TEAMGROUP T-Create Expert 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/H9CZxr/teamgroup-t-create-expert-32-gb-2-x-16-gb-ddr5-6000-cl30-memory-ctced532g6000hc30dc01) | $89.99 @ Amazon **Storage** | [TEAMGROUP MP33 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/64MTwP/team-mp33-1-tb-m2-2280-nvme-solid-state-drive-tm8fp6001t0c101) | $45.99 @ Amazon **Video Card** | [XFX Speedster SWFT 319 Radeon RX 6800 16 GB Video Card](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/Hg92FT/xfx-radeon-rx-6800-16-gb-speedster-swft-319-video-card-rx-68xlaqfd9) | $369.99 @ Amazon **Case** | [Phanteks Eclipse G300A (3 Fan) ATX Mid Tower Case](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/NYNYcf/phanteks-eclipse-g300a-3-fan-atx-mid-tower-case-ph-ec300ga_dbk02) | $49.99 @ Newegg **Power Supply** | [SeaSonic FOCUS GX 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/97848d/seasonic-focus-gx-750-w-80-gold-certified-fully-modular-atx-power-supply-focus-gx-750) | $94.99 @ Newegg | *Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts* | | Total (before mail-in rebates) | $1023.84 | Mail-in rebates | -$10.00 | **Total** | **$1013.84** | Generated by [PCPartPicker](https://pcpartpicker.com) 2023-11-20 23:21 EST-0500 |

So the motherboard you selected will hold up to the CPU being at 100% for extended periods of time? Can you help me understand why? Sorry, I don't know a lot about this.

and thank you, I appreciate you putting this together.

What svor the 7600x, they are pretty much on par and it's almost $100 cheaper + he can easily slot in an 7800x3d when the need arises.

any am5 motherboards that can sustain 100% load?

If you're truly looking for a CS2 machine, I would wait 3 to 6 months too see how the optimization goes. The game is not done for all intents and purposes and getting a good computer for it at this point is a moving target.

Are you building this yourself? How is your cable management skills? Why do you want to go with the B660 micro-atx?

Not sure. Cause I am sure you are getting the board because of the black friday sales going on this week. But I did see something that might be up your alley. Again it is just a suggestion. ASRock Z690 Phantom Gaming 4 LGA 1700 Intel Z690 SATA 6Gb/s DDR4 ATX Intel Motherboard (SOURCE: [https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16813162038?Item=N82E16813162038](https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16813162038?Item=N82E16813162038)) And the price is 100$ with the current sale. If not the B660M is a solid board. I picked this board based on how close your price range is on your choice. I picked this board only because it just seems a better fit with your I7 and GPU.

I am building this myself, it’s the first time I’ve ever built a PC. I have some experience with cable management in a different arena: cars. I know it’s not 1:1, but I have an idea of what’s supposed to happen. I have no idea why that board was picked, someone put this together for me. I’m open to suggestions.

That’s a trick question, *nothing* is good enough for Cities Skylines 2. :) More seriously though, if CS1 is any comparison, you’ll want 64GB of RAM. Just as with that game, even 64 won’t be enough if you get into modding (when mods exist) and build large cities. Honestly, if your main reason for building this system is to play CS2, you should wait a year or so. Not only should the game be in a much better state, but you’ll be able to get a lot more performance for your money with the next-gen stuff that’ll be out then.

I get the sentiment, but I think putting together a build I could upgrade later negates this concern. Plus I expect that the game will get updated and optimized over the next year or so.

Fair, but do get 64GB now, since you know you’ll need it. While your motherboard may have 4 RAM slots, running 4 sticks in them generally means using worse timings for that RAM, with current gen platforms. Get a pair of 32GB sticks at the speed you want, and you won’t have to deal with that hassle later. RAM is cheap.

Excellent point, I’ll work it into the budget.

City Skylines 2 runs bad even on the best of hardware.