New system - help with finalisation, please

Aquilea

Aquilea

Aquilea

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Joined
10 Feb 2020
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6
Hello (first time poster here!) :)

I am finally ready to send my i7-920 (including NEC 24wmgx3 monitor) into retirement and have put together the below specs for a new system.
My brain is in a mess from reading & watching too many reviews, so some sanity from here would be very much appreciated. :)

I have set myself a budget of about £2,000 for the PC, but there is a little wriggle room if necessary.

Games (RPG, space sim, strategy) will be the main use for the PC, with some photo editing as well.

I am hesitating between choosing 3800X / RTX 2070 Super or 3900X / Radeon 5700xt. I don't mind upgrading the GPU later on but would prefer to have a mobo & CPU that will last me a good while. So I suppose that would give the 3900X the nod... :D

(For my new screen, Dell's AW3420dw is my favourite.)


My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £1,841.82 (includes shipping: £15.90)
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Hi welcome to the forum :)

Not a bad list but I would make a few changes.

Swap out the 3800X for the 3700X. Pretty much the same cpu but you are paying more for a slight increase in clock speed. Not worth the extra £49 imo.

That board is a bit meh for the price. You don't even get a postcode on it for troubleshooting. So for that reason I would go with the cheaper X570 Aorus Elite. You can save even more with a B450 board like the MSI B450 Tomahawk MAX or B450 Gaming Pro Carbon.

I would rather have a nice air cooler over an AIO. Less points of failure and it will run quieter as you only have the fan. With an AIO you will also have pump noise. If you want a beast air cooler then look at the Noctua D15 Chromax. You have good cheaper alternatives like the Cryorig H5 Ultimate.

Swap out the SSD for a Gen 3 NVMe like the Corsair MP510 or Sabrent Rocket (Not sold on here so Google is your Friend there). A Gen 4 like that Corsair isn't worth the money for gaming and some photo editing.

You will be fine with a 650W psu. The Phanteks AMP 650W is pretty cheap at the minute, or just change to the RMx 650W.


With those savings you could easily get 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4 Corsair Vengeance LPX 3200MHz and a 2080 Super. The 2070 Super is fine though if you intend to upgrade the gpu in the near future i.e Once the new Nvidia cards release.
 
@Aquilea

Little less cash, like for like almost but 2080 super Vs 2070 super to drive that 1440p Ultra wide as that requires a little more GPU power !

My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £1,794.58 (includes shipping: £14.70)


Or... For the Same Price as YOUR Spec + Alienware 1440p Ultra Wide I give you this !

Cheaper 1440p Ultra Wide but with 2080ti Vs 2070S !!

My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £2,743.89 (includes shipping: £28.02)​
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Thanks a lot @lee32uk and @orbitalwalsh !
I was ready to order and now you made me think very hard! :eek: I am grateful for your suggestions.

The Elite mobo doesn't have WiFi afaik, so I suppose I need an adapter? Or is there an alternative with WiFi?

The AOC screen wasn't on my radar, will look into it but that sounds like a nice way to fit more hardware into the PC!

Very tempted by the 2080 TI, although that is a lot of money for a GPU. It should last me a long time I suppose.

So the 2070 super wouldn't be enough for either AOC or Alienware screen?
I was prepared to step up to a faster CPU but hadn't thought about the GPU.

I was planning to have the PC built by OC as I have never done it before. Thinking about it now, during it's life I have replaced GPU, PSU, RAM and all hard drives of my current PC myself (although not at once). So I guess that is 50% there? ;)
So perhaps I should tackle the challenge as you all on these forums make it sound straightforward enough.
 
@Aquilea

Ah, WiFi. To be honest add in cards aren't that much

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/tp-l...-wireless-ac1300-pci-e-adapter-nw-182-tp.html

Ultra board just has faster newer tech/speeds if your router allows it , also VRM and boards PCB is better quality as well. And does look lush ! If your able to squeeze in the extra for it then great .
Though on OCUK it's QUITE expensive !! All I can say, have to use your own powers that be ...
As for extra GPU power...


Min looks to be 12 FPS loss


what will hurt more if texture details and filters

and then here 2080ti doing Red Dead 2 at ultra with a 2080ti ! just managing 60 fps !


you are right, 2080ti is a lot of cash. I put itin there because its tha SAME SOME of cash you were going to use for 2070S and Alienware Ultrawide ! i just got you better hardware and 1440p ultra wide monitor.
2080ti are the best value for money , but set that way until AMD can bring out the big guns come Computex in June - but Coronavirus is looking to impact things a little down the line with a knock on effect . Prices should increase soon enough
 
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Since I want to replace my monitor at the same time I might as well get a combination that will last me a while (had my NEC for 11 years).

I had a pretty tough time last year and want to treat myself. So will see how far I can stretch. :D
And agree re. prices... I know new cards are coming out in the summer but there will always be a new thing just round the corner.

What about the CPU? The 3700X will be fine with the 2080ti and the rest of the spec, right?

And one more question:
If I did go with the 2080ti, would air-cooling still be ok or would I need water-cooling for sure?
 
Aquilea said:
Since I want to replace my monitor at the same time I might as well get a combination that will last me a while (had my NEC for 11 years).

I had a pretty tough time last year and want to treat myself. So will see how far I can stretch. :D
And agree re. prices... I know new cards are coming out in the summer but there will always be a new thing just round the corner.

What about the CPU? The 3700X will be fine with the 2080ti and the rest of the spec, right?

And one more question:
If I did go with the 2080ti, would air-cooling still be ok or would I need water-cooling for sure?
Click to expand...

air cooling would be fine , water can be quieter and run boost slightly higher for longer . Always Pros and cons to water Vs air/stock.

3700x should be fine with the 2080ti specially at higher Resolutions! GPU has to work harder so CPU has time to do its part. When you get to eSport running 240hz monitors at 1080p for fastest gameplay, ryzen lags behind intel but at 1440p and above- even game !!!! plus you've got Zen3 out Q3 w** OR ryzen 4000 which will see gains over current 3700 - if you really need it .... doubt you would though

yeah, monitors should last good 6-10 yrs IMO and should have the most spent on if you plan to game for the long run ...

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/acer...creen-led-backlit-gaming-monit-mo-14n-ac.html

^^^ 4k 120hz Freesync and G-Sync ... 43" ... damn!
 
I think I need to be slightly sensible and say NO to the 2080ti. :rolleyes:
If I go "down" to an 2080 super I can afford the Alienware screen after all (don't start tempting me with 43" :D). I don't need to run everything on ultra (esp. compared to what I am used to).

I can stretch to the Aorus Ultra, or is there another mobo in that price range that is better?

And you are right, eSport is not for me, so 3700X will be fine.

One really silly question..
As the PC won't have a CD drive - how do I install Windows? I suppose Google has the answer but if there is any pitfall I should be aware of please advise. ;)
 
Aquilea said:
I think I need to be slightly sensible and say NO to the 2080ti. :rolleyes:
If I go "down" to an 2080 super I can afford the Alienware screen after all (don't start tempting me with 43" :D). I don't need to run everything on ultra (esp. compared to what I am used to).

I can stretch to the Aorus Ultra, or is there another mobo in that price range that is better?

And you are right, eSport is not for me, so 3700X will be fine.

One really silly question..
As the PC won't have a CD drive - how do I install Windows? I suppose Google has the answer but if there is any pitfall I should be aware of please advise. ;)
Click to expand...

remember the 2080ti + the AOC 1440p widescreen is the same amount as 2070S and alienware 1440p ultrawide ;)

though do see it doesn't support DCI-P3 or HDR like alienware , maybe looking at 4318 version instead of 4320 to save cash

and then its VA vs Alienware IPS

If you dropped to MSI B450 Carbon Wifi and 3200hz ram, you'll do 2080ti +alienware for £2700 .

B450 MSI would save about £129 and then maybe £10 for 3200hz Ram (£115 vs £209+35), cooler price could be halfed to £30 odd. Sabrent Rocket would save another £30 off the bill

also... just run high instead of Ultra. Tons of videos out their showing the difference between the two in games, nothing at all really bar draw distance in some games. High+ Custom tweaks best way forward . again you'd be looking at under 60 fps with 2070s in current AAA titles
 
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Aquilea said:
I think I need to be slightly sensible and say NO to the 2080ti. :rolleyes:
If I go "down" to an 2080 super I can afford the Alienware screen after all (don't start tempting me with 43" :D). I don't need to run everything on ultra (esp. compared to what I am used to).

I can stretch to the Aorus Ultra, or is there another mobo in that price range that is better?

And you are right, eSport is not for me, so 3700X will be fine.

One really silly question..
As the PC won't have a CD drive - how do I install Windows? I suppose Google has the answer but if there is any pitfall I should be aware of please advise. ;)
Click to expand...

Download Windows onto a memory stick from Microsoft site.
 
Thanks for all the help!
I am swamped with work and non-computer real life today. :rolleyes:
Will rethink my options and decide what my priorities are. 2080 super sadly not really a compromise between 2070 super and ti. And I don't want to skimp on a mobo, either.

I am edging towards building the PC myself (would be the first one)... That would save some money - if not nerves - and perhaps allow me to stretch to a ti after all? Temptation, temptation...

So reading & watching tutorials at the moment.
I never knew there were so many different thermal pastes! :eek:
 
Thermal grizzly non METAL !!! And your done ! Ryzen would be a thin spread across the chip .

Might worth looking at more games with 2080s Vs 2070s but seems it really stretches it's legs at 1440p, would thought 4k would have had a bigger lead. Still, prob has a better lowest min frame rate but 2080ti is the bad boy .
Just realised your 1440p wide, 2070s might hold a bit of a bigger lead then 4k but have to do your homeowkr with benchmark reviews

Def self build . Take time over it .
 
Right, I am nearly there. :D

As this will be my first build (slightly worried but excited, too), I would prefer components that are working "out of the box" and are not too taxing for the novice.
I don't mind if this means spending a bit more.

  • Phanteks P600s
  • Ryzen 3700X
  • beQuiet! Dark Rock Pro 4
  • Gigabyte X570 Aorus Master
  • Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER Aorus
  • Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 PC4-29200C18 3600MHz
  • Corsair MP510 960GB
  • Corsair RM750I 750W '80 PLUS GOLD'

The things I remain torn over are:
  • Cheaper motherboard (Asus TUF X570)?
  • Slightly more expensive motherboard (Crosshair VIII Hero - but w/o wifi)?
    I have the money so don't mind spending more for a board that has everything and keeps me happy for a long time to come.
  • Slightly bonkers 2080 super (MSI 2080 Super Gaming X Trio)?
    Just because I am unsure if the 2070 super is enough for the ultrawide
  • Or.... go nuts and get the 2080 ti! Even with the cheaper TUF mobo it would cost £500 more overall than my "vanilla list" above. :p
    I am not knowledgeable enough to understand if anything approaching its performance (but less costly) is on the horizon...

(Just ordered the screen and there is a £150 cashback offer... so the 2080 ti would only be 350 more if I went with the TUF!! :D:confused:)

Any thoughts welcome!
 
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2080S and 2080ti jump up in prices due to no competition what so ever. 2080ti is the first GPU to play 4k hands down at 60fps bar a few with Ultra settings . 2080s would handle higher Hz ultra wide well and actually get more of a lead over 2070S at 1440p, at Ultra wide is starts to decline and then 4k surprisingly not that much difference .. not for the extra cash .
If you CAN get the 2080Ti for the SAME budget, you'd be mad not to. Can even just go MSI B450 Carbon WiFi for £120 and jobs done . X570 Master is OVERKILL !!! Talking 16 core Ryzen doing workloads 24/7 for its design - which is better then the Hero .

2070S can do Ultra Wide, just turn down some settings. Want to be running Min frame rate 60 FPS (ignore max, looking for min frame rates as that effects game play )
 
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