I could really use some upgrade advice.

[Boleyn]

Hello.

My main game is World of Warcraft which is just about to release a new expansion and my PC, that was fine pre expansion is struggling a little now (I usually play on full settings in 4K but I have to turn the graphic settings down now) so I've decided to upgrade.

Although I don't have a budget as such, I don't really want to spend anymore than £1400 but it is flexible.

I would like to get a new Motherboard, CPU and 64GB Ram*, I'd also would really like to get a new GPU (but it can wait), I currently have a RTX 2070* and my PSU is 1200w.

*I also play Forza Horizon 5, Cities skylines, Microsoft Flight Simulator and Skyrim with as many mods as my system will allow (very few currently but I want more) and use a Quest 3 for PCVR and am partial to having many, many tabs open in Firefox, I've hit 95% Ram usage before, I have 32GB DDR4 and my GPU doesn't like these games much either. I also plan when my system is upgraded to play Baldur's gate 3 and Starfield.

Brand wise, I don't mind if it's Intel, AMD or Nvidia. Overall I just want the best I can get for the money.

I've done a fair bit of research myself and have an idea of what to buy I'm just asking here first in case anything I've come up with is incompatible with each other, e.g. I buy the wrong type of ram for my new motherboard e.t.c.

Thank you all for looking.

 

[Boleyn]

The case is a great big EVGA thing, I think it's called an DG-87? cooler I'm not sure but I can get another one.

I'm fine for storage devices right now.

Thank you.

 

[Boleyn]

What is your current system exactly?

I ask because WoW loves X3D cache and I believe the same is true of Skylines, to a degree where it's not uncommon for the 5700X3D to outperform current gen Intel as an example. Said chip is around the £200 mark and would be an easy drop in if you're running an AM4 setup, you'd have a lot left over for a new GPU that way and 4K isn't kind on the graphics card. Usually speaking 4K is GPU dependent but you're in the odd boat of running very CPU intensive games as well.

Switching to 64gb would be easy enough too.

i5-11400F, MSI B560 Motherboard (Not sure what model), RTX 2070 & 32GB DDR 4.

 

[Boleyn]

Best I can do for a ballpark build:

My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D Eight Core 5.00GHz (Socket AM5) Processor - Retail (SKU: CP-3DT-AM) = £329.99
• 1 x AMD - Space Marine & Unknown 9 Awakening Games Bundle (SKU: DIG-AMD-02908) = £0.00
• 1 x Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE ARGB Black CPU Cooler - 120mm (SKU: COO-TLR-02724) = £29.99
• 1 x WD Black SN770 1TB SSD M.2 2280 NVME PCI-E Gen4 Solid State Drive (WDS100T3X0E) (SKU: HD-58F-WD) = £59.98
• 1 x Antec CX500M RGB M-ATX Mini Tower - Black (SKU: CAS-ATC-02734) = £59.99
• 1 x Phanteks AMP GH 750W 80PLUS Gold ATX Power Supply Modular - Black (SKU: POW-PHK-02517) = £84.95
• 1 x Kingston FURY Beast 64GB (2x32GB) DDR5 PC5-44800C40 5600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KF556C40BBK2-64) (SKU: MY-29W-KS) = £158.99
• 1 x MSI Pro B650M-A WIFI (Socket AM5) DDR5 Micro-ATX Motherboard (SKU: MB-378-MS) = £159.99
• 1 x Powercolor Radeon RX 7900 XT HellHound 20GB GDDR6 PCI-Express Graphics Card (SKU: GX-1AR-PC) = £629.99
• 1 x AMD Radeon - Space Marine & Unknown 9 Awakening Games Bundle (SKU: DIG-AMD-02939) = £0.00

Total: £1,513.87 (includes delivery: £0.00)​

X3D isn't fussed about RAM speed so I went with the cheapest 64gb set, for your usage I wouldn't go below a 7900XT personally or if you have a Nvidia preference the 4070ti Super (not the regular), but they're a good chunk more expensive.

It's M-ATX as that's my preference, you could spec a similar ATX build if necessary for the same sort of price.

Thank you so much.

Quite a bit of that basket I don't need, like the case, PSU and SSD.

As mentioned in my original post I did have an idea of what I wanted and the 7800X3D was the chip I was looking at.

Ram wise I was looking at the Corsair Vengeance EXPO 64GB (2X32GB) DDR5 PC5-48000C30 6000MHz Dual Channel CAS 30-36-36-76, would that work with the motherboard you suggested? I mean is there any reason that the ram I'm looking at wouldn't work with a particular motherboard or will it fit all DDR5 boards?

And you would recommend Radeon over Nvidia? I don't mind which I get but I have been looking at a few videos on DLSS and FSR and most people seem to think DLSS is better though to my eyes I can't tell much difference and although FSR 2 or 3 have not been updated for World of Warcraft they did use FSR 1 for Shadowlands I believe.

Thank you so much for all your help.

 

[Boleyn]

This assumes you re-use case, PSU and storage.

My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D Eight Core 5.00GHz (Socket AM5) Processor - Retail (SKU: CP-3DT-AM) = £329.99
• 1 x AMD Ryzen - Space Marine & Unknown 9 Awakening Games Bundle (SKU: DIG-AMD-02908) = £0.00
• 1 x Asus TUF Gaming B650-Plus WIFI (Socket AM5) DDR5 ATX Motherboard (SKU: MB-6K0-AS) = £169.99
• 1 x Corsair Vengeance EXPO 64GB (2X32GB) DDR5 PC5-44800C40 5600MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black (CMK64GX5M2B5600Z40) (SKU: MY-4DL-CS) = £169.99
• 1 x MSI GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER Ventus 2X OC 16GB GDDR6X PCI-Express Graphics (SKU: GRA-MSI-01575) = £779.99
• 1 x NVIDIA - Black Myth: Wukong Standard Edition Game Bundle (SKU: DIG-NVI-02698) = £0.00
• 1 x Arctic Freezer 36 120m Black CPU Cooler - 2x 120mm (SKU: COO-ARC-02420) = £24.95

Total: £1,474.91 (includes delivery: £0.00)​

This is a complete build:

My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D Eight Core 5.00GHz (Socket AM5) Processor - Retail (SKU: CP-3DT-AM) = £329.99
• 1 x AMD Ryzen - Space Marine & Unknown 9 Awakening Games Bundle (SKU: DIG-AMD-02908) = £0.00
• 1 x MSI MAG B650 Tomahawk WIFI (Socket AM5) DDR5 ATX Motherboard (SKU: MB-375-MS) = £179.99
• 1 x Corsair Vengeance 64GB (2X32GB) DDR5 PC5-41600C40 5200MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black (CMK64GX5M2B5200C40 (SKU: MY-4DC-CS) = £149.99
• 1 x MSI GeForce RTX 4070 Ventus 2X E OC 12GB GDDR6X PCI-Express Graphics Card (SKU: GRA-MSI-02561) = £469.99
• 1 x NVIDIA - Black Myth: Wukong Standard Edition Game Bundle (SKU: DIG-NVI-02698) = £0.00
• 1 x WD Black SN770 2TB SSD M.2 2280 NVME PCI-E Gen4 Solid State Drive (WDS200T3X0E) (SKU: HD-58G-WD) = £109.99
• 1 x Phanteks XT Pro Ultra ATX Case Tempered Glass Window, Black (SKU: CAS-PHK-01443) = £74.99
• 1 x Phanteks AMP GH 750W 80PLUS Gold ATX Power Supply Modular - Black (SKU: POW-PHK-02517) = £84.95
• 1 x Arctic Freezer 36 A-RGB 120m Black CPU Cooler - 2x 120mm (SKU: COO-ARC-02418) = £29.98

Total: £1,429.87 (includes delivery: £0.00)​

Wonderful, Thank you.

So that's two votes for the 7800X3D and I had that on my list as well, so I'll get that.

I will reuse the case, PSU and storage.

The Ram I was looking at is the one you suggested but the 6000MHz EXPO version - https://www.overclockers.co.uk/cors...00c30-6000mhz-dual-channel-mem-crs-02841.html will this memory or the one you suggested fit all DDR5 motherboards?

Lastly I guess it's either the RTX 4070S TI vs the RX7900XT.

Thank you.

 

[Boleyn]

Thank you both for all your help.

One last question if you don't mind, the 7800X3D being an AM5 chip, there seems to be three types of motherboards available for it, the B650 you both suggested along with the A620 and the X670. Is there any major differences between the three? Some of the X670's are comparable in price to the B650's.

Thank you again.

 

[Boleyn]

Thank you, B650 it is.

Sorry but may I ask, is this a good card? https://www.overclockers.co.uk/zota...y-black-16gb-graphics-card-gra-ztc-01497.html

 

[Boleyn]

Amazing, Thank you so much.

 

[Boleyn]

Wonderful, Thank you.

 

[Boleyn]

I'm considering delaying the GPU for a month and getting the 7950X3D over the 7800X3D.

I've looked at a gazillion compare sites between the two and some say it's marginal in favour of the 7950 and others go as far as to describe the 7950 as twice as good as the 7800.

Do you think it's wise to get the 7950X3D and delay the GPU a month or stay with the 7800X3D or perhaps there is a better CPU I'm not considering?

Thank you.

 

[Boleyn]

The 7950X3D is potentially twice as good if you do fully multithreaded work because you have 16 cores instead of 8, but not for games it is not needed and adds unnecessary complications.

Thank you.

I'm considering it as I don't intend to buy another CPU for a good few years, will the other cores ever likely to be utilised for gaming or shall I just stick with the 7800X3D?

 

[Boleyn]

Based on past history, no.

The single core/thread speed of CPUs increases far faster than the cores give you a meaningful benefit. For example: if you went for a 5950X in the last gen (16 core CPU), it gets beaten in games by a 7600 (6 core).

I think 8 cores will be pretty safe for games in the next 4-5 years, probably longer, until the single core/thread speed of your CPU is too slow anyway.

Amazing, Thank you.

I'll stick with the 7800X3D as suggested.

Thank you again for all your help.

 

[Boleyn]

Good to know, Thank you.

I've definitely decided on the CPU, Ram and GPU but the motherboard I'm not so certain on.

My case, the EVGA DG-87 has the motherboards I/O back panel hidden within the case, see image here https://www.hardware.fr/medias/photos_news/00/50/IMG0050941_1.jpg so any Wi-Fi equipped motherboard cannot have the screwed in antenna type so it has to have the ones connected by a lead and placed outside the PC, like the Asus TUF Gaming B650-Plus WIFI (suggested here), the Asus ROG Strix B650-A Gaming WIFI or even the Asus ROG Strix B650E-F.

Thank you.

 

[Boleyn]

You can buy WIFI antennas with cables, so as long as the motherboard has the connectors you are good to go.

I can't post links, but you should find them easy enough.

Thank you, I thought you probably needed to use the ones that came with the board.

Good to know.

 

[Boleyn]

How old is your PSU? If it's old you might want to replace it anyway as a precaution.

I'll echo @Tetras on the 7950X3D as being a waste for your use case. Do be aware that the 7950X3D has the extra cache on only one of the CCDs - half the cores.

I bought it in September 2016, so 8 years old, it's a EVGA Supernova 1200W P2 Platinum.

 

[Boleyn]

Thanks all.

Would anything bad happen if the PSU stops working? Like would it blow up the CPU, Motherboard, Ram, GPU e.t.c

I don't especially want to buy a new PSU, this one has worked flawless for those 8 years but I also don't want to blow up my components if that is likely to happen.

Also the PSU is rated for a lifetime usage of 100,000 hours, by my estimate I've used it for about 52,000 hours.

And I think I've chosen my motherboard.

Two that have been recommended here and are highly suggested elsewhere are the MSI MAG B650 Tomahawk WIFI and the Asus TUF Gaming B650-Plus WIFI with the Tomahawk being lauded as the better of the two by some margin. That is the board I was going to get but it is it's currently out of stock but more importantly comes with two screw in wifi antennas, which as previously mentioned would not fit in my case so I would have to buy the wired antennas which costs a further £20-£25 for a decent one bringing the total to around £200 - £205.

For a further £15-£20 I can get the Asus ROG Strix B650E-F, which has better future proofing, more USB ports and seems to be the one of the most recommended, short of getting into the X670 line which I don't want.

So it's between the Asus TUF Gaming B650-Plus WIFI or the Asus ROG Strix B650E-F and I'm leaning towards the Strix.

Thank you all for all your help, it's very much appreciated.

 

[Boleyn]

Ok, Thank you.

So I'm getting a 7800X3D, Asus TUF Gaming B650-Plus WIFI or Asus ROG Strix B650E-F Motherboard, 64GB DDR5 6000MHz CL30 Ram, ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX 4070Ti SUPER Trinity Black Edition 16GB GDDR6X and the Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 SE ARGB Dual Tower CPU Cooler.

What PSU should I be looking at getting that can comfortably handle those components?

Thank you.

 

[Boleyn]

750 & 850 are enough?

My current one that is apparently about to explode is 1200W Platinum, has the technology improved in the last 8 years that a 750W PSU will suffice on 8 year newer components?

Thank you.

 

[Boleyn]

I'd be inclined to keep what you have, but yes, 750 is enough, though the 850 is just a tenner more.

More detailed answer: the 4070 Ti Super is around 300 watts and the 7800X3D is between 50-100 (depends on the game). If you allow 50 for your other parts then that puts you at 450, but that's leaving some headroom as you can see in this review which includes whole system power numbers with a 7800X3D:

I'm inclined to keep what I have too and didn't even consider getting a new PSU until Quartz mentioned it might kill all my other components.

My current PSU is showing no signs currently of failing and as mentioned previously it's rated for a lifetime of 100,000 hours, I've barely exceeded half that at a rough estimate of around 52,000 hours, probably far, far less than that figure. I mean 8 years of 24 hour usage is only 70,000 hours and I turn my PC off at night and with holidays e.t.c it's probably around 40,000 hours used.

Thank you again.

 

[Boleyn]

I'd be inclined to keep what you have, but yes, 750 is enough, though the 850 is just a tenner more.

More detailed answer: the 4070 Ti Super is around 300 watts and the 7800X3D is between 50-100 (depends on the game). If you allow 50 for your other parts then that puts you at 450, but that's leaving some headroom as you can see in this review which includes whole system power numbers with a 7800X3D:

Well that's a thoroughly depressing video in regards to my recently aquired 4070Ti Super, it seems to be quite a bit below or very similar to the 7900XT which is quite a bit cheaper as well.

I'm seriously considering returning the 4070Ti Super now, I thought it was supposed to be quite a bit better than the 7900XT and not far off the 7900XTX