KitGuru’s GPU Benchmark System: 2022 Update!

Every year, KitGuru reviews dozens of graphics cards and conducts numerous in-depth game analyses, so it's critical for us to ensure that the PC responsible for our benchmarking is as fast and up to date as possible. That's why we are upgrading our GPU benchmark system today, in partnership with MSI. We go over all of the key details and component choices in this article.

Specification

• CPU: Intel Core i9-12900K
• Motherboard: MSI MEG Z690 Unify
• Memory: 32GB ADATA XPG Lancer DDR5 6000MHz CL40
• CPU Cooler: MSI CoreLiquid S360
• SSD: 2TB MSI Spatium M.2 SSD
• Power Supply: Corsair HX1200
• Case: MSI MPG Velox 100P Airflow
• Monitor: MSI Optix MPG321UR-QD

Our previous GPU test system arrived in June 2020, based on Intel's Comet Lake-S i9-10900K processor, the fastest gaming CPU that money could buy at the time. Almost two years on, a lot has changed in the hardware industry and it became clear it was time to put our old system out to pasture and get ready for 2022 with a new GPU test rig.

This time around we have partnered with MSI, who we worked with to spec out this custom-built system that will power all of our GPU reviews and game benchmarks this year. Here we break down our reasoning and explain why we made the component choices we did, giving you a good look at this new PC.

For a system solely designed for testing graphics cards, the CPU is the most important element, as we want to ensure we are as CPU limited as possible. For that reason, we chose Intel's i9-12900K, simply because, right now this is the fastest gaming processor on the market. That said, the practical difference between using the 12900K instead of a Ryzen CPU is going to be extremely small, so it almost wouldn't matter, but from a philosophical point of view, for a GPU system you do want the fastest gaming CPU, hence our decision here.

Naturally, going for Intel 12th Gen means we are on the Z690 platform, where we've opted to use MSI's MEG Z690 Unify motherboard. This is the same board Leo used for his Alder Lake launch day reviews and he had no issues with it, so I was more than happy to use what worked for him. It's proven rock solid for me so far in my initial testing, and of course offers support for DDR5 memory as well as PCIe 5.0 so we know we're not going to be limited on that front.

Speaking of DDR5 memory, here we have gone for a 32GB kit of ADATA XPG Lancer RAM, clocked in at 6000MHz, CAS latency 40. Right now, there's still not much in it between DDR5 and DDR4 memory, but by going with a kit this fast, and with 32GB capacity, it's just another step to take ensuring we are removing as many limitations from the system as possible, allowing us to isolate the GPU as best we can. Plus, this kit does look particularly eye catching.

Just next to the Lancer memory, you have probably already noticed that small LCD display that is part of the CPU block. This is from MSI's CoreLiquid S360 AIO liquid cooler, so not only are we getting more than enough cooling power to handle the 12900K, but we can also use the built-in display to monitor things like temperature and clock speeds. Or to add our own logo just for a bit of razzle-dazzle!

One key component that we can't see however, is the 2TB MSI Spatium M480, which is installed under an integrated heatsink on the motherboard. This is a single drive for our OS and our games library, giving us plenty of space to install all the games we need to test, but also offering read and write speeds up there with any PCIe 4.0 SSD on the market right now, so we'll be loading into our games as quickly as possible.

All of that is housed in MSI's MPG Velox 100P Airflow chassis. As the name suggests, it is very much designed around airflow, which is exactly what we want for a GPU test system – as we don't use an open test bench, we need to make sure we are getting a good amount of fresh air into the graphics card, so with three MSI 120mm fans acting as intakes, sat behind a perforated front panel, that is exactly what we get.

The three 120mm fans from the AIO cooler are in the roof, set to exhaust, and we also have a single 120mm ARGB fan in the rear, also acting as exhaust. On the topic of RGB too, the beauty of an all-MSI system means we can control everything with Mystic Light for a unified approach, with lighting coming from the case, memory, rear fan and the graphics card.

That leaves us with the final part choice to cover, but arguably the most important – the power supply. For this we have opted for Corsair's HX1200 unit, supplying us with not only a large amount of power thanks to the 1200W rating, but it's also highly efficient as an 80+ Platinum unit. You might argue that it is overkill for most systems, but with rumours suggesting the RTX 3090 Ti will draw 450W of power, alongside the fact the 12900K isn't exactly a low-power chip, it is much better to be safe than sorry here.

There we have it then – the new KitGuru GPU test system for 2022 in all it's glory. We would like to say thank you to MSI for partnering with us on this system, and also to CCL who expertly put it together with terrific cable management throughout – we wouldn't change a thing.

Stay tuned for lots more reviews and game benchmark videos coming your way soon, all with this system at their heart.

Check out the MSI system on CCL's webstore HERE.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: What do you make of this system – would you have specced out anything differently? Let us know your thoughts!

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