Potential Upgrade Advice

[MutenJoshi]

Hi. I'm looking for some advice on upgrading my current pc (or whether I'd have to look at a new build).

I have the below thread looking at putting together a build for a friend. It's looking like a RTX 3060 build but one thing I'm thinking is upgrading my GPU and selling him my RTX 3060ti founders edition. That way he can save money and get a better GPU and I can put it towards an upgrade on mine.

I wouldn't normally start a new thread but I want to keep my upgrade separate to his build as it might confuse things for him if there were two different build discussions in a thread for his pc build.

As an example I'm currently playing Jurassic World Evolution 2 on 1440p Ultrawide Monitor and achieving around 60fps. Certainly not poor for what I need but there's not a lot going on on the screen so not in it's most demanding scenario. I'd be playing similar games like cities skylines and then the likes of the total war franchise (e.g. warhammer 3) however it's more than likely I'll start looking at going to 4k, VR and also playing games like Cyberpunk.

Main considerations:

• GPU is the obvious upgrade. Is a 4070 ti super a sensible upgrade? When I've done a bit of research, 4080 and 4080 ti look to be overpriced and 4070ti Super seems a good middle ground between a big upgrade from my 3060ti but also not wasting too much money. Or is 4080/4080ti reasonable value?
• If I upgrade my GPU, is there much likelihood of my CPU causing much of a bottleneck. I get mixed impressions online with the 5600x running with a 4070ti Super or above.
• If I then need to upgrade my CPU, am I then potentially looking at needing a new motherboard depending on the socket type?
• I'm hoping PSU at 850 will have enough to run the upgrades?
• I think ultimately if I'm having to upgrade more than the GPU, I'm getting to the point where it might just be better doing a full new build.

My current build:

• CPU: Ryzen 5 5600X
• Motherboard: MPG B550 Gaming Carbon Wifi
• GPU: RTX 3060ti Founders Edition
• RAM: Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4 PC4-25600C16 3200MHz
• WD SN550 1TB SSD NVME
• PSU: Corsair RM850 ATX Power Supply
• Case: Corsair iCUE 4000x Mid Tower

New Build Advice

Hi. My friend is looking for advice on a new pc build. I've put together one below which is largely based on what I have currently with a few changes. Would people mind giving me some advice on better components and value for money? I'm sure there's plenty of improvements that could be made but...

forums.overclockers.co.uk

 

[MutenJoshi]

What is your budget for the upgrade?

Something like a 5700x3d and a new Gpu would give you a decent bump. Maybe a new ram kit with 32gb too

Sorry that would help. My budget is fairly open I guess. If I was going for just an upgrade now I'd go around 1k maybe. If it was a full new build though I think I'd wait to put together some more savings for it and go for one around £2k for the full build.

If I was replacing the CPU, GPU and RAM, I'm not far off a new build anyway.

 

[MutenJoshi]

Check your not running out of system memory when gaming , agree with a 4070 super upgrade first.

Task manager suggests it's at around 65% memory usage when I have Jurassic World Evo 2 running. I'm half tempted to just go for a 4070ti Super in my current build as I'm sure I'll see a significant upgrade even with my 5600x. I was just concerned about spending on the GPU and then the CPU massively holding it back but I guess even if it does, I don't have to buy all the parts in one go anyway.

 

[MutenJoshi]

This has quickly escalated. My mate has decided to buy my pc off me which means I am now looking for a full new build. I’ve set my budget at around £2k. I can increase this if needed if any of the below can be significantly improved for a reasonable extra cost. I’ve even been contemplating a 4090 in the below build but I’m not sure an extra £800 is worth it for maybe a 30% extra jump in frame rates? Even though I’m mainly playing Jurassic world evolution and cities skylines 2 at the moment, I’m going to start gaming more on my pc and in 4k (I also want a htc vive).

Can anyone give me advice on the below? Seems to be a decent build from what people have said on here and also when I’ve researched the parts myself but I always appreciate the feedback on here and any recommendations?

What are people thoughts on the 4090 over the 4080 super?

My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D Eight Core 5.00GHz (Socket AM5) Processor - Retail (SKU: CP-3DT-AM) = £349.99
• 1 x MSI MAG B650 Tomahawk WIFI (Socket AM5) DDR5 ATX Motherboard (SKU: MB-375-MS) = £169.99
• 1 x MSI GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER Ventus 3X OC 16GB GDDR6X PCI-Express Graphics Card (SKU: GRA-MSI-01577) = £974.99
• 1 x be quiet! SYSTEM POWER 10 850W 80 Plus Gold Power Supply (SKU: CA-14X-BQ) = £100.00
• 1 x Corsair Vengeance RGB 32GB (2X16GB) DDR5 PC5-52000C32 6600MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black (CMH32GX5M2X6600C32) (SKU: MY-4DW-CS) = £155.99
• 1 x WD Blue SN580 2TB SSD NVME M.2 2280 PCIe Gen4 Solid State Drive (SKU: STO-WDC-00541) = £104.98
• 1 x Fractal Design North Charcoal Black TG Dark Windowed Mid Tower Case - Black (SKU: CA-0AV-FD) = £140.00

Total: £1,995.94 (includes delivery: £0.00)​

 

[MutenJoshi]

You want 6000mhz memory preferably cas 30 but not to important as long as it's 6000mhz.

For. An extra £5 I would get this m2 drive.

WD Black SN770 2TB SSD M.2 2280 NVME PCI-E Gen4 Solid State Drive (WDS200T3X0E)

Order WD Black SN770 2TB SSD M.2 2280 NVME PCI-E Gen4 Solid State Drive (WDS200T3X0E) now online and benefit from fast delivery.

www.overclockers.co.uk

PSU you want atx 3.0 for Nvidia so you don't have to use an adapter.

Asus TUF Gaming 850W 80 Plus Gold Power Supply

Order Asus TUF Gaming 850W 80 Plus Gold Power Supply now online and benefit from fast delivery.

www.overclockers.co.uk

CPU cooler required if not already acquired.

Ok thanks. The only cas 30 I can seem to find is 6000mhz. Is it better to have that over 6600mhz at a higher cas? When I’ve looked online, 6000mhz cas 30 is supposedly better for AMD?

 

[MutenJoshi]

Yes 6000mhz c30 is optimal for AM5 but as long as it's 6000mhz don't worry to much about cash.

At 6000mhz the CPU memory clock cycle is 1:1 above that it changes to 2:1 making it slightly slower.

Ok I just assumed the bigger the number the better which is why I went for the 6600mhz originally but updated basket below. I’ve added in an AIO water cooler but not sure if I’ll just go for an air cooler in the end. Just looking to make it as quiet as possible and never had an AIO so bit of a change.

What’s your opinion on rtx 4090 vs 4080 super? Seems terrible value for money for me and the money I’d save could go towards a good chunk of the htc vive pro. What kind of performance could I expect in VR gaming with the below build?

My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D Eight Core 5.00GHz (Socket AM5) Processor - Retail (SKU: CP-3DT-AM) = £349.99
• 1 x MSI MAG B650 Tomahawk WIFI (Socket AM5) DDR5 ATX Motherboard (SKU: MB-375-MS) = £169.99
• 1 x MSI GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER Ventus 3X OC 16GB GDDR6X PCI-Express Graphics Card (SKU: GRA-MSI-01577) = £974.99
• 1 x Fractal Design North Charcoal Black TG Dark Windowed Mid Tower Case - Black (SKU: CA-0AV-FD) = £139.99
• 1 x WD Black SN770 2TB SSD M.2 2280 NVME PCI-E Gen4 Solid State Drive (WDS200T3X0E) (SKU: HD-58G-WD) = £110.00
• 1 x Asus TUF Gaming 850W 80 Plus Gold Power Supply (SKU: CA-060-AS) = £99.94
• 1 x Corsair Vengeance RGB 32GB (2X16GB) DDR5 PC5-48000C30 6000MHz Dual Channel (SKU: MEM-CRS-01124) = £125.00
• 1 x MSI MAG CORELIQUID C240 ARGB Performance Liquid CPU Cooler - 240mm (SKU: HS-00C-MS) = £129.94

Total: £2,099.84 (includes delivery: £0.00)​

 

[MutenJoshi]

Kits above 6000 (especially 6600 like your earlier spec) are generally optimised for Intel and use XMP instead of EXPO. So far as I know, AMD 7000 CPUs usually top out around 6200-6400 if they're run at a 1:1 ratio and you need very fast memory to overcome that. It is safest to buy 6000 and 6000/C30(ish) kits are almost all optimised for AMD.


I know they're usually for looks rather than performance, but you can cool the 7800X3D with a £23 Freezer 36, or a peerless assassin/phantom spirit. I'd use the spare money to get the 1000 watt version of that PSU and consider the Strix B650E-F if you want PCI-E 5.0 graphics (if you prefer MSI, the X670E Gaming Plus is available for a similar price).

Updated as below. Does the motherboard seem ok? The cpu cooler is a bit overkill probably but it looks cleaner haha. I’ll probably go for a peerless assassin but thought I’d have a look at other options too.

My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D Eight Core 5.00GHz (Socket AM5) Processor - Retail (SKU: CP-3DT-AM) = £349.99
• 1 x MSI GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER Ventus 3X OC 16GB GDDR6X PCI-Express Graphics Card (SKU: GRA-MSI-01577) = £974.99
• 1 x Fractal Design North Charcoal Black TG Dark Windowed Mid Tower Case - Black (SKU: CA-0AV-FD) = £139.99
• 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 Corsair Vengeance RGB 32GB (2X16GB) DDR5 PC5-48000C30 6000MHz Dual Channel (SKU: MEM-CRS-01124) = £125.00
• 1 x DeepCool ASSASSIN IV 140mm Fan CPU Cooler - Black (SKU: COO-DEC-00793) = £84.94
• 1 x Asus TUF Gaming 1000W 80 Plus Gold Power Supply (SKU: CA-05Z-AS) = £119.99
• 1 x Asrock B650E Steel Legend WIFI (Socket AM5) DDR5 ATX Motherboard (SKU: MB-18U-AK) = £249.99

Total: £2,154.88 (includes delivery: £0.00)​

 

[MutenJoshi]

This is the motherboard I would get.

Asus ROG Strix B650E-F Gaming WIFI (Socket AM5) DDR5 ATX Motherboard

Order Asus ROG Strix B650E-F Gaming WIFI (Socket AM5) DDR5 ATX Motherboard now online and benefit from fast delivery.

www.overclockers.co.uk

Memory you want expo for AM5

Corsair Vengeance RGB EXPO 32GB (2X16GB) DDR5 PC5-48000C30 6000MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black (CMH32GX5M2B6000Z30K)

Order Corsair Vengeance RGB EXPO 32GB (2X16GB) DDR5 PC5-48000C30 6000MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black (CMH32GX5M2B6000Z30K) now online and benefit from fast delivery.

www.overclockers.co.uk

Or

G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo EXPO RGB 32GB (2x16GB) DDR5 PC5-48000C30 6000MHz Dual Channel Kit

Order G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo EXPO RGB 32GB (2x16GB) DDR5 PC5-48000C30 6000MHz Dual Channel Kit now online and benefit from fast delivery.

www.overclockers.co.uk

CPU cooler alternative that's excellent value to performance

Arctic Freezer 36 120m Black CPU Cooler - 2x 120mm

Order Arctic Freezer 36 120m Black CPU Cooler - 2x 120mm now online and benefit from fast delivery.

www.overclockers.co.uk

Or

Arctic Freezer 36 A-RGB 120m Black CPU Cooler - 2x 120mm

Order Arctic Freezer 36 A-RGB 120m Black CPU Cooler - 2x 120mm now online and benefit from fast delivery.

www.overclockers.co.uk

Thanks should be pretty much there with the below. If I decide to cough up for the 4090 would you bother changing of this or just sub it in for the 4080 super? I doubt I’ll bother but things can escalate easily.

My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D Eight Core 5.00GHz (Socket AM5) Processor - Retail (SKU: CP-3DT-AM) = £349.99
• 1 x MSI GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER Ventus 3X OC 16GB GDDR6X PCI-Express Graphics Card (SKU: GRA-MSI-01577) = £974.99
• 1 x Fractal Design North Charcoal Black TG Dark Windowed Mid Tower Case - Black (SKU: CA-0AV-FD) = £139.99
• 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 Asus TUF Gaming 1000W 80 Plus Gold Power Supply (SKU: CA-05Z-AS) = £119.99
• 1 x Asus ROG Strix B650E-F Gaming WIFI (Socket AM5) DDR5 ATX Motherboard (SKU: MB-6JX-AS) = £215.99
• 1 x Arctic Freezer 36 120m Black CPU Cooler - 2x 120mm (SKU: COO-ARC-02420) = £22.99
• 1 x G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo EXPO RGB 32GB (2x16GB) DDR5 PC5-48000C30 6000MHz Dual Channel Kit (SKU: MEM-GSK-01356) = £124.99

Total: £2,058.92 (includes delivery: £0.00)​

 

[MutenJoshi]

4090 will fit straight into this build but Nvidia are due to release there latest 5000series GPU probably before the end of the year ,just something to consider.

Make sure you check case clearance limitations.

Thanks. To be honest I think the case is ok but when I watched videos online, it just looked too cramped even though everything could fit. I’m thinking of going for the XL case instead

I’ve listed a couple of other options for motherboards. Would you mind casting your eye over to see if I’d be making any sacrifices please? The absolute only reason is if I can pay slightly extra for it to fit in with the theme of the case then I’m happy to. The Taichi would be perfect but not sure about spending an extra £130 purely for that reason. The other being an x670e at only an extra £20 more. If I’m making any significant sacrifices over the one you recommended though then it won’t be worth it.

My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x Asus ROG Strix B650E-F Gaming WIFI (Socket AM5) DDR5 ATX Motherboard (SKU: MB-6JX-AS) = £215.99
• 1 x Asus TUF Gaming X670E-Plus WIFI (Socket AM5) DDR5 ATX Motherboard (SKU: MB-6J9-AS) = £239.99
• 1 x Asrock B650E Taichi (Socket AM5) DDR5 EATX Motherboard (SKU: MOT-ASR-01579) = £349.99

Total: £813.96 (includes delivery: £7.99)​

 

[MutenJoshi]

Thee Tachi is an Eatx motherboard so you will have to get a larger case if you choose that ,as for £100+ extra it's a feature rich board probably has better vrms but if assetics you want is not worth it. On the flips side if it gives you the look then why not but it's mainly going to be covered with a CPU cooler so I would get an aio along with a bigger case.

The Asus b650 E-F is a great board for the price and certainly match the G Skill memory (you can get the non RGB version of that memory also)

The Asus Tuf X670e gives you an extra m2 slot over the b650 boards and definitely worth a consideration.

There are cheaper b650 motherboards but one of the reason I recommend the E-F is that it has pcie5 and a pcie5 m2 slot.

4090 are about 335mm if you get a bigger case you won't need to worry but the north maxes out at 355mm which is fine for most 4090 which are around

Thanks again for the help really appreciate it. I just think if I’m spending this much on a build I may as well make it exactly what I want. I’ll be getting the North XL in all likelihood so size would be ok with the eatx.

At least I know all three are suitable and decent options so I have options.

 

[MutenJoshi]

Your welcome.

I agree it's your money spend it on what you want and enjoy.

Definitely would go aio water cooler in the top so you can show of the board and ram. Even the Arctic freezer 3 with it's 38mm rad should fiit the top as the the XL has 40mm rad thickness then add 25mm for fans . Link below.

Just want to enphase to check out reviews, etc so your happy with your choices

Keep me informed.

North XL Water-cooling radiator compatibility

Note that when installing radiators in a case, other components or specific radiator choices can cause incompatibility. We'll go through some "good to know"-things further down in this article. Below are the sizes of radiators that will fit i...

support.fractal-design.com

Think I’m leaning towards this build. If I top mount the AIO, would putting an exhaust fan on the back risk quicker accumulation of dirt inside the case?

I’m still not fully set on the motherboard choice. I think if I go for the x670 I’ll drop to the standard fractal north and a 240 aio

My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x Asus GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER ProArt OC 16GB GDDR6X PCI-Express Graphics Card (SKU: GRA-ASU-02002) = £949.99
• 1 x NVIDIA - Star Wars: Outlaws Game Bundle (SKU: DIG-NVI-03030) = £0.00
• 1 x AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D Eight Core 5.00GHz (Socket AM5) Processor - Retail (SKU: CP-3DT-AM) = £349.99
• 1 x AMD Ryzen - Space Marine & Unknown 9 Awakening Games Bundle (SKU: DIG-AMD-02908) = £0.00
• 1 x G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo EXPO RGB 32GB (2x16GB) DDR5 PC5-48000C30 6000MHz Dual Channel Kit (SKU: MEM-GSK-01356) = £125.00
• 1 x Asus TUF Gaming 1000W 80 Plus Gold Power Supply (SKU: CA-05Z-AS) = £119.98
• 1 x WD Black SN770 2TB SSD M.2 2280 NVME PCI-E Gen4 Solid State Drive (WDS200T3X0E) (SKU: HD-58G-WD) = £110.00
• 1 x Asrock B650E Taichi (Socket AM5) DDR5 EATX Motherboard (SKU: MOT-ASR-01579) = £349.99
• 1 x Fractal Design North XL Charcoal Black Tempered Glass Case (SKU: CAS-FTL-02137) = £169.99
• 1 x Phanteks Glacier One 360D30 Black RGB All In One CPU Water Cooler - 360mm (SKU: HS-01R-PT) = £154.99
• 1 x Phanteks D30 Reverse Airflow 140mm DRGB PWM Fan - Black (SKU: FG-03P-PT) = £25.99

Total: £2,355.92 (includes delivery: £0.00)​

 

[MutenJoshi]

Looks nice.

As for dust there's filters on the front of the case adding an exhaust wouldn't add to the dust but an intake at the rear mite add a little but personally wouldn't concern me.

If I'm spending that much ons pc I'm looking after it and dusting with a small soft paint brush and a vacuum cleaner once every couple of months ain't gonna take more than 5 mins.

All ordered. Thanks again for all of your help.

 

[MutenJoshi]

Your welcome let's us know how you get on.

First boot on AM5 can take up to 15mins before anything shows on screen and may reboot, this is because the motherboard is training the memory.

That’s good to know to save my worrying when I boot haha.

Update: everything has arrived so will be looking to start the build this evening. First issue… I’ve messed up and ordered a reverse flow fan for the rear. I’ll probably install it for now in exhaust but reorder one and replace it.

 

[MutenJoshi]

You could set the fan at low speed so it gently feeds cool air to the aio.

I suppose that might make more sense anyway. I normally assume the rear fan is best as an exhaust but I guess with installing an AIO there’s less need for air flow in that direction.

 

[MutenJoshi]

Managed to get it all built and without any significant issues. A few things I might look to improve but I really like the build.

- Some of the power cables are quite short. Especially the 24 pin which when taking it through the only route it’s able to go, it only just reaches (partly because the eatx covers up the usual route through the case just too much to fit the cable through). Ideally I’d like black and gold cable extensions but the only ones I can find are on Amazon and from a company I’ve never heard of. Unless I pay a premium to get custom ones.
- I’ve ended up leaving the rear fan off because I didn’t expect them to be as thick as they are. 30mm which is probably fairly standard but stick onto the case further than I’d like. I might still fit if I’d prefer a rear fan but seems to be running perfectly fine without. I’d buy a slimmer fan but I’d rather the fans matched with the aio.
- The dark tint on the glass is definitely darker than I expected. I like it in the sense it has a clean look to it but the downside is picking internals that I think would look good and they’re not that easy to see. I’ll have a look for solutions. I love the case regardless but would just be good to see through the glass a bit more.