Another Build Advice :)

[SirGaston]

Hi, I'm new to this forum, looking to extract some collective knowledge here to help steer through this build.
Last time I built my own PC I was a teenager, now I'm pushing 40, and although I did a fair amount of refresher research, I'm still unsure about a couple things.

Purchase Timeframe:
I'd like to have it up and running by the end of the year, can be more patient if necessary (are those RAM prices going to budge ?)
Just started getting a few components which I think are pretty good deals and should fit the built regardless of the remaining decisions to be made.
Obvisouly looking out for black friday deals especially for the GPU / RAM.

Budget:
Hard cap at 1.4K€ but ideally closer to 1.2K€, considering I intend on upgrading my monitor soonish to 1440p

Usage:
Basic office + gaming usage

Preferences:
My current rig is struggling to run all modern games and is too old to be upgraded, so I'm not going to be able to recycle a single component and I doubt there is a point to selling any. It will probably be donated to my folks.
I am looking for an upgrade that is somewhat futureproofed and aim to upgrade to 1440p, although I do want decent performance while running in 1080p (why I chose to spend 50€ more for the 9600X vs 7500F)
I'd like a smaller better looking case (no RGB / fishtank)

Current Old as Hell Hardware:
CPU: i5-7600K
GPU : GTX 1070 8go
Ram : 16go G.Skill DDR4 2400MHz
MoBo : MSI Z270 SLI Plus
Storage : Crucial MX300 2.25" SSD (275Go) / Good Old Seagate HDD (1To)
PSU : 550W Fortron Raider S

Peripherals:
Monitor : ASUS VG27VQM
M&K : following a terrible spillage spree I've been on an absolute ******* backup keyboard for nearly 2 years now and I cannot stand it anymore... I'm thinking of getting a mechanical for the first time.
Mouse is fine, so is the headset
For both keyboard and monitor upgrades, I haven't really done my research yet, so any budget friendly suggestions welcome

Special Needs/Requirements (inc Wi-Fi):
Just Wi-Fi ;7 would have been nice but I don't think its worth the price difference

Tentative Build:
CPU: 9600x => Purchased for 139€
GPU : 9070 XT
Air Cooler : Assassin X 120 Refined SE => Purchased for 23€
Ram : 32go DDR5 6000MHz CL30 TBD
MoBo : B650B /B850M TBD undecided (wifi versions only)
Storage : Crucial P310 2800 (1To) => Purchased for 67€ ; I also have a Crucial BX500 2.5" SSD (1To) that I won't count in the budget (purchased earlier this years when I thinking of upgrading my old rig)
PSU : Thermalright TR-KG750 => Purchased for 75€
Case : Lian Li DAN A3-mATX case => I'm pretty set on the wood / black mesh variant
I'm currenly at approx 300€ spent, and am budgeting c. 250/300€ for case & additional cooling + Mobo, 600€ for the GPU , 200€ for the RAM which caps at 1400€ total

Main Uncertainties :
GPU Choice : could consider a cheaper alternative but mainly trying to figure out what is the best deal and which models I should really focus on
Ram : These RAM prices are crazy, I on the lookout for a deal. Is it worth downgrading ?
MoBo Choice : Not sure yet between more budget options like GYGABITE B650M / ASROCK b850m-x vs more expensive options like the B850M Aorus Elite or TUF Gaming B650M
Cooling with the DAN A3 case : I'm wondering how to set up my cooling in a simple / cost effective way. I have a couple reference videos that seem to confirm it is possible to stay very simplistic, with only 1 exhaust and an optional side/forward intake (

&

).
I am curious to have feedback on this particularly.

Any feedback is welcome,
Thanks !

 

[Tetras]

(are those RAM prices going to budge ?)

Maybe if the AI bubble pops.

Main Uncertainties :
GPU Choice : could consider a cheaper alternative but mainly trying to figure out what is the best deal and which models I should really focus on

A 9060 XT 16GB or 5060 Ti 16GB is enough for 1440p and still a big upgrade on the 1070, but for the longer-term I'd definitely try and step that up (to the next class, 9070 or 5070 minimum). That said, graphics card is easy to upgrade later, if in 3-4 years time you're struggling with newer games.

What kind of gamer are you? E.g. competitive gamer at high FPS who feels queasy below 150, or single player role playing gamer that's happy to park it at 60 FPS?

Ram : These RAM prices are crazy, I on the lookout for a deal. Is it worth downgrading ?

Yes, definitely, but there's a line. For example: 6000 C36 or C40, fine. 5200 C40, nope, that's going too far and you'll lose a fair chunk of FPS with a non-X3D CPU, especially at 1080p. By the way, why do you want to buy a 1440p monitor and play at 1080p? If the point is higher FPS, wouldn't you be better off using upscaling like DLSS/FSR?

MoBo Choice : Not sure yet between more budget options like GYGABITE B650M / ASROCK b850m-x vs more expensive options like the B850M Aorus Elite or TUF Gaming B650M

I'd get something like Sapphire's Nitro B850M. I wouldn't want to buy a board without PCI-E 4.0 graphics anymore, but I also think that £200 for a micro-atx B850 is too much. What features do you want from the board, in terms of LAN/WIFI, M.2 slots, USB ports, etc?

 

[Quartz]

With regards to the monitor, you're probably better off buying a 4k monitor and gaming at 1080p or 4k according to the game. Beyond that, you might be better off dealing with OCUK's EU partner, Caseking.de.

 

[SirGaston]

In terms of gaming I have a pretty broad variety but mostly pvp oriented, some of which I'm used to run at 40fps, so not very competitive
Basically I'm looking for good frames on newer titles, I'd say at least 80+. So I do consider downgrading the GPU but my thinking is that the 9070 XT is pretty good price / value and should last me a while vs. the 9060XT / 5060T.
I'd rather pay a premium now and not upgrade for 4/5 years and because with this build I was planning on upgrading the CPU first.

The idea with upgrading the monitor was to switch to 1440p native gaming.

I'm pretty sure the MoBos I've shortlisted have PCI-E 4.0 or 5.0. Other than that just Wifi, couple gen 4 M.2s, relatively standard USB ports. Nothing crazy.
My main goal for the MoBo is to be somewhat futureproof and not too expensive.

 

[Tetras]

I'd rather pay a premium now and not upgrade for 4/5 years and because with this build I was planning on upgrading the CPU first.

Aha, I see. Then I'd definitely stay with the higher class of graphics card (9070/5070 level) if you're playing at 1440p native.

In terms of gaming I have a pretty broad variety but mostly pvp oriented, some of which I'm used to run at 40fps, so not very competitive
Basically I'm looking for good frames on newer titles, I'd say at least 80+.

A 9060 XT 16GB could do that in most games, even many newer ones (some setting compromises aside), but looking into the future it will drop playable performance quicker at 1440p, than what the 9070 XT will.

I'm pretty sure the MoBos I've shortlisted have PCI-E 4.0 or 5.0. Other than that just Wifi, couple gen 4 M.2s, relatively standard USB ports. Nothing crazy.
My main goal for the MoBo is to be somewhat futureproof and not too expensive.

Pretty much anything would do then. I'd suggest that you don't go for the bottom-end boards, not because they can't handle it, but just to leave you a little headroom for future CPUs (like the 10800X3D being expected to have 12 cores).

 

[tamzzy]

What PvP games do you play? Only reason I'm asking is that MMO and FPS titles do benefit a lot from the Ryzen X3D chips. In this case I think it would be better to get a 7800x3d/9800x3d and a 9060xt 16gb rather than a 9600x with a 9070xt. The reason being is that the x3d chips will give you a smoother frame rate but at a tradeoff of a lower average FPS, because it's a 9060xt rather than a 9070xt

 

[Tetras]

In this case I think it would be better to get a 7800x3d/9800x3d and a 9060xt 16gb rather than a 9600x with a 9070xt.

The new 7500X3D could be an interesting CPU for this usage, though I think the OP already purchased their CPU at a good price.

 

[tamzzy]

The new 7500X3D could be an interesting CPU for this usage, though I think the OP already purchased their CPU at a good price.

Haha yeah the CPU is a decent price. Should've got that 7800x3d from china though

 

[Gray2233]

Haha yeah the CPU is a decent price. Should've got that 7800x3d from china though

Psh. That thing could have arrived as a smoking pissfire, and worse yet assault democracy.

Joking aside:

In terms of gaming I have a pretty broad variety but mostly pvp oriented, some of which I'm used to run at 40fps, so not very competitive .

If you want to play PvP games with some level of competence at 1440P this is pretty much impossible to beat on a limited budget in the UK:

My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x AOC 27" Q27G4XF 2560x1440 Fast IPS 180Hz 1ms A-Sync Widescreen Gaming Monitor (SKU: MON-AOC-03326) = £118.99

Total: £118.99 (includes delivery: £0.00)​

​

I would aim for high refresh lower resolutions for your use case, depending on the game an X3D CPU might make a massive difference. It does in CoD and the same is true with Battlefield.​

 

[tamzzy]

Psh. That thing could have arrived as a smoking pissfire, and worse yet assault democracy.

I'll tell ya in a couple of weeks. Hopefully the CPU sees my yellow skin and recognises that we're on the same side

 

[SirGaston]

What PvP games do you play? Only reason I'm asking is that MMO and FPS titles do benefit a lot from the Ryzen X3D chips. In this case I think it would be better to get a 7800x3d/9800x3d and a 9060xt 16gb rather than a 9600x with a 9070xt. The reason being is that the x3d chips will give you a smoother frame rate but at a tradeoff of a lower average FPS, because it's a 9060xt rather than a 9070xt

I was considering the x3D initially but opted to go a little more budget on the CPU and spend more on the GPU on an AM5 platform so that I'd have room to upgrade to next gen x3Ds. Also from what I've seen there should be little to no CPU bottlenecks for the 9600x / 9070 xt pair in 1440p.
This is also why I'm still unsure of what MoBo to get, in order to make sure that it could properly run a next gen ryzen. Also why I'm thinking of getting a 9070XT right of the bat vs. 9060XT, I wanted to get those extra 150/200€ needed to get an x3D spent in the GPU instead.

What PvP games do you play? Only reason I'm asking is that MMO and FPS titles do benefit a lot from the Ryzen X3D chips. In this case I think it would be better to get a 7800x3d/9800x3d and a 9060xt 16gb rather than a 9600x with a 9070xt. The reason being is that the x3d chips will give you a smoother frame rate but at a tradeoff of a lower average FPS, because it's a 9060xt rather than a 9070xt

PVP games like EFT (not so much anymore but I'll probably come back to it), I know it's quite CPU heavy but I managed to play it on my old rig ... Dark and Darker, some Arc Raiders now, mostly extraction shooters. Sea of Thieves, once in a blue moon, it being kinda dead.
I also play a bunch of relatively demanding solo games : heavily modded KSP / Bannerlords and the likes. Subnautica, The Long Dark : would love to run the sequels in ultra for instance.
I'd probably pick up a few title that I would never have considered before due to requirements, like a borderland or cyberpunk.
The rest of my games are much less demanding strategy/management, mostly indie.

So I know I'm pretty sure I could get away with a 9060XT Sapphire Nitro+ but I'm seeing a price difference of 200/250€ between that a 9070XT Sapphire Pulse. So I'm a bit on the fence and will probably decide based on the black friday deals.

If you want to play PvP games with some level of competence at 1440P this is pretty much impossible to beat on a limited budget in the UK:

My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x AOC 27" Q27G4XF 2560x1440 Fast IPS 180Hz 1ms A-Sync Widescreen Gaming Monitor (SKU: MON-AOC-03326) = £118.99

Total: £118.99 (includes delivery: £0.00)​

​

I would aim for high refresh lower resolutions for your use case, depending on the game an X3D CPU might make a massive difference. It does in CoD and the same is true with Battlefield.​

Yeah, that's the kind of monitor I'm looking for. You have a really good price on this but I'm on the other side of the channel... I was expecting fees but it simply won't deliver
Found this on case kings but I'm in no rush I'll keep looking, try to sell my current screen.
https://www.caseking.de/en/asus-tuf...xNTMxMTgkbzEkZzEkdDE3NjMxNTMxMjIkajU2JGwwJGgw

Pretty much anything would do then. I'd suggest that you don't go for the bottom-end boards, not because they can't handle it, but just to leave you a little headroom for future CPUs (like the 10800X3D being expected to have 12 cores).

Another criteria I forgot to mention for the MoBo is the flashback button for simple CPU upgrades.
Sapphire's Nitro B850M looks like it fits all the criteria. What about ASROCK B850M RS and GIGABYTE B850M AORUS ELITE ? They are are similarly priced and I have a feeling that the Aorus is a bit above the rest.

Thanks for the replies, any thoughts on the the aircooling with the Assassin X 120 in the Lian Li Case, with a single exhaust fan and an optional side intake ?

Cheers !

 

[Tetras]

Another criteria I forgot to mention for the MoBo is the flashback button for simple CPU upgrades.
Sapphire's Nitro B850M looks like it fits all the criteria. What about ASROCK B850M RS and GIGABYTE B850M AORUS ELITE ? They are are similarly priced and I have a feeling that the Aorus is a bit above the rest.

The Aorus Elite is a higher spec than Sapphire's Nitro, but in the UK the Nitro is better value because it is ~£50 cheaper. To be more specific: I can see that the Aorus has a slightly stronger VRM, a few more rear USB 3.x ports, a higher tier sound codec and rear SPDIF/optical.

I don't want to comment on the asrock, because I'm not sure if they're safe to recommend or not.

Cooling: the assassin X is sufficient, but a single fan tower is going to run a little hot with these CPUs. The ambient/case temp is likely to be high with a 9070 XT and just a single intake/exhaust, but the A3 has a lot of ventilation and that will help. I would suggest 2x 140mm intake (side) and 1x 120mm exhaust (rear), but SFF cases are not my thing, so take my advice with a sack of salt.