New build: spec check and advice

FARGO

FARGO

FARGO

Associate
Joined
5 Aug 2010
Posts
1,990
Hi all,

I'm long overdue a new system and would greatly appreciate your help. A friend specced the below a few weeks ago but we're both conscious that things may have changed since the new Ryzen release.

I mainly play FPS games but my bloated steam library has all sorts of titles that I've not bee able to play to their fullest on my current system.

I'll also be buying a 1080 144hz monitor when I see a deal in a sale - if anyone has any recommendations around the 24inch mark to look out for, please chip in. The higher resolutions seem popular these days but I don't think I can justify the expense or desk space at this time. I'm currently on a Samsung SyncMaster 2032BW @ 1680x1050...

Current spec:

Antec 900 case
Intel Core 2 Quad CPU - Q9550 (usually clocked to 3.4GHz)
NVIDIA nForce 790i Ultra SLI MCP mobo
8GB Corsair Vengeance RAM
Geforce GTX 1060 (6GB) graphics card
Corsair CX600 PSU
Win 10 Pro 64

I'll be keeping the graphics card as it's the only component which doesn't belong in a museum.

My main requirement is that the new case can be no bigger than my current Antec 900 as the PC sits in a well ventilated cupboard under my desk. Antec dimensions are roughly: 19 inches deep, 8 wide, 18 tall - ideally the new case wouldn't be as deep.

As the PC will be out of sight there's no need for any RGB components and the looks of the case aren't important as long as it has good cooling/airflow.

Suggested spec from a few weeks ago:

PSU
LN81367650W EVGA 650 B3, Full Modular, 80PLUS Bronze, SLI/CrossFire, Single Rail, 54.1A, 130mm Fan, ATX PSU

Case
Fractal Design Meshify C TG Light Tint, Mid Tower Computer Chassis, w/ Tempered Glass Window, ATX/mATX/mITX, 2x120mm Fan

Windows / apps drive
120GB Gigabyte SSD, 2.5" SSD, SATA 3.0 (6Gb/s), NAND Flash, 500MB/s Read, 380MB/s Write, 50k/60k IOPS, Retail

Games drive
500GB Samsung 970 EVO Plus, M.2 (2280) PCIe 3.0 (x4), NVMe SSD, MLC V-NAND, 3500MB/s Read,3200MB/s Write, 480k/550k IOPS

CPU
AMD Ryzen™ 7 3700X, AM4, Zen 2, 8 Core, 16 Thread, 3.6GHz, 4.4GHz Turbo, 32MB L3, PCIe 4.0, 65W, CPU, +Wraith Prism

Mobo
Gigabyte X570 AORUS ELITE, AMD X570, AM4, DDR4, PCIe 4.0, Dual M.2, 2-Way CrossFire, Intel GbE, USB 3.2 Gen2 A, ATX

RAM
16GB (2x8GB) Corsair DDR4 Vengeance LPX Black, PC4-28800 (3600), Non-ECC Unbuff, CAS 18, 1.35V, AMD Ryzen Optimised

Total: £934.13

Ideally, I'd like to get it closer to the £800 mark but I know that may not be possible!

I'm not wed to the 3700X as frankly anything will be a massive improvement to my current system and the 3600 seems to be great value for money.

Your input and specs are much welcomed!
 
ryzen 3600
arctic freezer 34
msi b450 tomahawk max
crucial ballistix LT 3200c16 2x8gb
Sabrent rocket 1tb nvme

I wouldn't bother changing the case if it's just sitting under a desk.
Also not really needed to have 2 separate SSD for games and os...unless you frequently reinstall windows - but if you do, then the more important question is - what is the point?
Sabrent rocket nvme ssd is the same price as sata3 ssd.
 
 
I would suggest getting a better power supply than that EVGA B3. Something like a Bitfenix Formula/Whisper, Corsair RMx or SuperFlower Leadex III etc. The new Corsair RM is also decent, although not as good as the RMx.
 
Hi all,

I've tweaked my basket based on some of your feedback and poking around other threads.

I've decided on the 3700X for a bit more longevity.

I thought about keeping my old case but after 13 years it's on its last legs and not great for keeping cables out the way. I chose the case below primarily based on dimensions as it'll be under a desk - if anyone has any suggestions, please chime in.

I'm drawn to separate drives for OS and games for ease of cleaning Windows up every couple of years, but to be honest I don't know if what I've chosen are any good.

Am I likely to be able to use the motherboard picked out for future Ryzen CPUs and will I have to flash the BIOS before use? I'd like to avoid this if possible.

Lastly, I'll be using an Nvidia 1060 6GB until I can afford to replace it in a year or two.


What goofs have I made and what else do I need to add to the build; fans, thermal paste etc?


Thanks in advance!


My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £927.05 (includes shipping: £13.20)



​
 
Hi,

The drives are overkill for you, you won't notice gains for the cost you are ready to pay.
You need one drive to be partitioned into C:, D:, E:...
I would rebalance the whole configuration, and add a new graphics card:

My basket at overclockers uk:
Total: £1,181.05 (includes shipping: £13.20)
​

Without the card:

My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £860.16 (includes shipping: £12.30)
​
 
FARGO said:
I chose the case below primarily based on dimensions as it'll be under a desk - if anyone has any suggestions, please chime in.
Click to expand...
under the desk, just choose a cheap case.
my 2p would be to get the motar max as it's a matx board if you need to keep it small.

also the b450 tomahawk (and the b450 mortar) only has 1 m.2 slot, so you can't use 2 m.2 ssds.
again, my 2p would be just to get a good 1tb nvme ssd (and not a QLC ssd like the 660p) - the sabrent rocket 1tb is as cheap as the 1tb 660p and has better performance and drive endurance, would be my choice (obvs not sold at ocuk)
windows 10 doesn't need cleaning up every couple of years, unlike windows 98. welcome to the 21st century :)
 
4K8KW10 said:
Without the card:

My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £860.16 (includes shipping: £12.30)
​
Click to expand...

Thanks! I'll keep my current card for as long as I can as it was a gift - what's your thinking behind the mobo choice? :)


tamzzy said:
under the desk, just choose a cheap case.
my 2p would be to get the motar max as it's a matx board if you need to keep it small.

also the b450 tomahawk (and the b450 mortar) only has 1 m.2 slot, so you can't use 2 m.2 ssds.
again, my 2p would be just to get a good 1tb nvme ssd (and not a QLC ssd like the 660p) - the sabrent rocket 1tb is as cheap as the 1tb 660p and has better performance and drive endurance, would be my choice (obvs not sold at ocuk)
windows 10 doesn't need cleaning up every couple of years, unlike windows 98. welcome to the 21st century :)
Click to expand...

Thanks to you too! I did look for the Sabrent from your other reply but couldn't find it - I didn't consider OCUK not stocking it O:

Would a matx board cause me any issues fitting components in the future, for example when I do get round to replacing the graphics card down the line?

I can't wait to join you all in the future! Encarta 95 still exists, right!?
 
So, life got in the way and I didn't get round to ordering anything :o.

Anyone up for a re-spec based on current prices/components?

I'm now looking to go for a x3700 build on a x570 motherboard and will be using my my old Nvidia 1060 until I've saved up a bit more down the line.

Looking to spend around £800-£900 max on the below.

Case: ?
Fans and cooling?
MOBO: ?
RAM: ?
PSU: ?
Hard drive: Sabrent Rocket?
CPU: AMD x3700
Graphics card: Nvidia 1060

Anything I've missed: ?

Thanks :)
 
Yeah, that lot hyped Life disturbs hobbies...

No need for X570 board just for 8 core 3700X.
For that £100 MSI B450 Tomahawk does well.
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/msi-b450-tomahawk-max-socket-am4-ddr4-atx-motherboard-mb-33t-ms.html
Lot more expensive X570 board is sense making only if you have firm plan for upgrading to 12/16 core later.

For memory this is bang per buck choise if you want to use XMP settings.
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/patr...dual-channel-kit-pvs416g360c7k-my-104-pa.html
(3200MHz C16 Crucial Ballistix Sport would very likely clock to better latencies)

For PSU Corsair TX serie is now very well priced if you don't demand full modularity.
For full modular Phanteks Amp is the best priced 10 year warranty PSU.

Sabrent has switched to QLC in Rocket "Q" model and doubt that's enough cheaper than very well for TLC priced WD Blue SN550
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/search?ssearch=wd+sn550


for cpu cooler arctic freezer 34 would be very good for money.
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/arctic-freezer-34-cpu-cooler-120mm-hs-077-ar.html
Again if you're after high end cooler good for 12/16 cores Scythe Mugen 5 is only step behind the best for only £43.
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/scythe-scmg-5100-mugen-5-rev.b-cpu-cooler-hs-046-sy.html

For case fans Arctic P12/P14 are bang per buck choises.
For case there's lots of selection from normal cases to flashy RGB aquariums.
 
Thank you! My current thinking around the x570 mobo is that I may be able to plop another processor in further down the line without having to change the motherboard.
 
From X570 boards Gigabyte X570 Aorus Elite is one of the better ones as whole for reasonable price:
Strong and modern design higher efficiency VRM, which handles 12/16 cores without stress.
Intel NIC with good support/newest drivers available from Intel's site. (Realtek doesn't share drivers to consumers)
Good USB connectivity and USB BIOS Flashback enabling overwriting BIOS without booting capable PC. (no need to stress for botching BIOS updates)

And weakness of X570 boards, active chipset cooler being among more sense making ones and positioned away from heat of graphics card.
(Asus facepalmed there putting it exactly under graphics card leading to high end cards bathing it in their heat)
 
Soo, I feel a bit lost due to indecision. Based on all your helpful suggestions I've come up with the below options.

What's throwing me is either going for the AMD 3700x with a B450 Tomahawk Max or an x570 motherboard as I'm not sure what potential upgrade options each would leave me in the future, if any. If anyone fancies polishing off their crystal ball, please chime in!

I've read good things about the Sabrent Rocket/Sabrent Rocket Q so I'd pop one of those in and keep my current Nvidia 1060 until I can afford to replace it too.


My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £631.10 (includes shipping: £13.20)
​


Or


My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £709.20 (includes shipping: £12.30)
​


What other bits would I need? Extra fans, thermal paste?

Thanks again!
 
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