Hi Guys,
I'm in the process of a new build coming from a 10 year old 4770k with 16GB DDR3 ram and 2060 that has finally given up the ghost so I realise anything will be an upgrade to what I have been using. Hoping to get 8-10 years or so out of this new build with minimal upgrades along the way. Previously I have always built Intel rigs however I am strongly leaning towards trying an AMD AM5 build now that things seem to be a lot more stable on the platform. Have always built in the past with ASUS motherboards but due to the recent negative PR going to stay away this time most likely.
My current thinking:
Case: Lian Li O11 Dynamic Evo (bought already)
Storage: 2x Samsung 990 pro 2tb (bought already)
CPU: AMD 7950x
GPU: 4080 (FE)
Motherboard: MSI Tomahawk X670E
Ram: 64GB G.Skill DDR5 6000MHz CL32 (My memory knowledge is pretty non-existent)
PSU: Seasonic VERTEX 1000W ATX 3.0 PSU
I don't spend anywhere near as much time playing games anymore and the ones I do play on a regular basis are not the most demanding (think Dota / City skylines / FM / Diablo) I wouldn't mind trying out some more demanding games like Cyberpunk and Starfield but I don't need to max everything out to enjoy which is why I think it probably makes sense to save a bit of money on a 4090 even if its probably the more cost "effective" option? The big reason for the 80 series selection is because I think the other 4 series cards are skimping on VRAM / bus etc and the fact that I would also like to watercool the system. The blocks seem far more readily available for higher end cards. I know AMD are making big moves forward with their GFX division but I have only ever bought Nvidia cards in the past and am not sure I can make the jump to team red as there have always been so many bad stories with AMD drivers etc in the past, I realise this is probably irrational..
I know watercooling doesn't really provide the same benefits that it used to back in the day and I have no desire to tweak a system for 12 hours to improve lows by 1 FPS but it is an itch I have had since I was about 16 and I am now in the position to spend the kind of money needed to do it properly. As it is my first time building a custom loop I am planning to keep it all EK based to utilise their EK-Matrix7 compatibility and am pretty set on using the distro plate for the EVO. I am thinking two 360mm rads in the case (S360 in the bottom and P360 in the top). Would be great if anyone had any recommendations on decent fans for the rads? I am not fussed about RGB and I quite like the look of the newer fans that connect together to reduce no. of wires but no idea if they are only really good for aesthetics as opposed to shifting air. As I am planning on keeping the build for a long time is it unrealistic to think the WC components will have the required longevity?
I also have a Valve Index which I really haven't taken full advantage of yet and I understand that the X3D chips pair well with VR? Currently what is putting me off the 7950x3d is that I don't really like the sound of the reliance on game bar to ensure games are run on the V-Cache CCD am I being stupid? I haven't considered the single CCD X3D chips or other non X3D 7XXX CPU's as I would like to go all out on core count so I can also run VM's (hence 64GB ram) and try to ahem "future proof" as much as you can when it comes to PC's.
On the motherboard choice I like the IO options that the X670E boards have which is the main driver for leaning towards them. There are few points with the tomahawk that I find slightly off putting: 1) The Realtek LAN port but I understand there have been lots of issues with the Intel nic's recently anyway so maybe not the end of the world. 2) I realise its one of the "cheaper" X670E boards but I feel like there are some basic features missing from it like a "proper" post codes display that I have on my 10 year old ASUS Hero. Are there any other boards I should be looking at instead?
New build will be plugged into my 34" ultrawide (3440x1440 @100hz), I do also have a second 27" monitor (2560x1440 @144hz) and plans to add a 43" 4K TV but will only be gaming on the ultrawide.
Finally, What's the best way to tell the wife this is what my bonus is going on instead of the house
Any advice or suggestions would be much appreciated!
Thanks,
Nick
I'm in the process of a new build coming from a 10 year old 4770k with 16GB DDR3 ram and 2060 that has finally given up the ghost so I realise anything will be an upgrade to what I have been using. Hoping to get 8-10 years or so out of this new build with minimal upgrades along the way. Previously I have always built Intel rigs however I am strongly leaning towards trying an AMD AM5 build now that things seem to be a lot more stable on the platform. Have always built in the past with ASUS motherboards but due to the recent negative PR going to stay away this time most likely.
My current thinking:
Case: Lian Li O11 Dynamic Evo (bought already)
Storage: 2x Samsung 990 pro 2tb (bought already)
CPU: AMD 7950x
GPU: 4080 (FE)
Motherboard: MSI Tomahawk X670E
Ram: 64GB G.Skill DDR5 6000MHz CL32 (My memory knowledge is pretty non-existent)
PSU: Seasonic VERTEX 1000W ATX 3.0 PSU
I don't spend anywhere near as much time playing games anymore and the ones I do play on a regular basis are not the most demanding (think Dota / City skylines / FM / Diablo) I wouldn't mind trying out some more demanding games like Cyberpunk and Starfield but I don't need to max everything out to enjoy which is why I think it probably makes sense to save a bit of money on a 4090 even if its probably the more cost "effective" option? The big reason for the 80 series selection is because I think the other 4 series cards are skimping on VRAM / bus etc and the fact that I would also like to watercool the system. The blocks seem far more readily available for higher end cards. I know AMD are making big moves forward with their GFX division but I have only ever bought Nvidia cards in the past and am not sure I can make the jump to team red as there have always been so many bad stories with AMD drivers etc in the past, I realise this is probably irrational..
I know watercooling doesn't really provide the same benefits that it used to back in the day and I have no desire to tweak a system for 12 hours to improve lows by 1 FPS but it is an itch I have had since I was about 16 and I am now in the position to spend the kind of money needed to do it properly. As it is my first time building a custom loop I am planning to keep it all EK based to utilise their EK-Matrix7 compatibility and am pretty set on using the distro plate for the EVO. I am thinking two 360mm rads in the case (S360 in the bottom and P360 in the top). Would be great if anyone had any recommendations on decent fans for the rads? I am not fussed about RGB and I quite like the look of the newer fans that connect together to reduce no. of wires but no idea if they are only really good for aesthetics as opposed to shifting air. As I am planning on keeping the build for a long time is it unrealistic to think the WC components will have the required longevity?
I also have a Valve Index which I really haven't taken full advantage of yet and I understand that the X3D chips pair well with VR? Currently what is putting me off the 7950x3d is that I don't really like the sound of the reliance on game bar to ensure games are run on the V-Cache CCD am I being stupid? I haven't considered the single CCD X3D chips or other non X3D 7XXX CPU's as I would like to go all out on core count so I can also run VM's (hence 64GB ram) and try to ahem "future proof" as much as you can when it comes to PC's.
On the motherboard choice I like the IO options that the X670E boards have which is the main driver for leaning towards them. There are few points with the tomahawk that I find slightly off putting: 1) The Realtek LAN port but I understand there have been lots of issues with the Intel nic's recently anyway so maybe not the end of the world. 2) I realise its one of the "cheaper" X670E boards but I feel like there are some basic features missing from it like a "proper" post codes display that I have on my 10 year old ASUS Hero. Are there any other boards I should be looking at instead?
New build will be plugged into my 34" ultrawide (3440x1440 @100hz), I do also have a second 27" monitor (2560x1440 @144hz) and plans to add a 43" 4K TV but will only be gaming on the ultrawide.
Finally, What's the best way to tell the wife this is what my bonus is going on instead of the house
Any advice or suggestions would be much appreciated!
Thanks,
Nick
