Spec for new build please

[firbolg]

Hi
My current system configuration (6 years old) is Pure Base 600 case, Gigabyte X570 Aorus elite(AM4), Ryzen 3700X, RAM 32GB DDR4, Radeon RX6600, Storage SSD (NVME /PCIe and SATA 2.5) and SuperFlower GOLD 650W.
I want a new build which is very responsive, gives increased throughput of 25%, and will last me for 4/5 years at least. My thoughts are that I should base it on AM5.
I am looking for a case, motherboard, processor and cooler, RAM and power supply. I intend to keep my monitor, keyboard, storage and GPU (all recent) for the time being.

Some input:
- Case: Mid-tower with good air circulation. Appearance is secondary, no requirement for LEDs etc
To hold up to 4 x 2.5 SSDs. At least 2 x 20GbS USB connections on the front.
- Processor: I’m assuming something like AMD 7700X ?
- RAM: 32GB initially, upgradeable to 64GB.
- Motherboard: 1 or 2 PCIe NVMe, 2-4 x 2.5 SSDs, 1 GPU, good (not outstanding) Audio, 4 USB 20GbS, 4-6USB 5-10GbS. Ideally supporting PCIe5 and USB4.
- Power Supply: I’m assuming 750W ?

My workload consists of photo management and editing (Photoshop, lightroom etc) with very large libraries, some virtual machine activity, frequent backups of large libraries to local storage, and the usual Office, mail, internet etc. Overclocking is not envisaged, minimal gaming.
Re budget: I don’t have unlimited funds but I would rather start with the desired configuration and trim back from there if necessary.
I would appreciate suggestions please ?
Thank you

 

[Tetras]

I would appreciate suggestions please ?

Are you repurposing the other system?

If you're not, then the simple option is to just upgrade what you have. A 5900X would be just the ticket, with higher single-thread performance and an extra 4 cores for multi-threaded. In multithreaded benchmarks, the 5900X is roughly equivalent to the 7700X you're thinking of buying, though admittedly it falls behind in lightly threaded tasks.

Have you done much monitoring with your current system when it is performing too slowly for you, to know exactly where you're hitting the bottleneck(s) most often? E.g. CPU single thread, CPU multi thread, RAM capacity, SSD?

 

[firbolg]

Thank you for the quick response.
Upgrading what I have is not an option. The case does not close and some of the USB connections no longer work or are unreliable (fall during relocation).
I've also had some unexplained hangs / glitches recently - from the fall? or the 10-year old PSU?
It is prudent to replace it now - I've got good mileage from it so I'm not unhappy replacing it.
Re performance: CPU usage can be high at times, and I would like faster I/O storage if possible, but the system overall is performing well with no major bottlenecks. The reason for the 25% uplift is to give me some extra headroom since the new system must last me 4/5 years.
I am allowing a rough budget of £1250 give or take.

 

[Tetras]

It is prudent to replace it now - I've got good mileage from it so I'm not unhappy replacing it.
...
I am allowing a rough budget of £1250 give or take.

4 USB 20GbS, 4-6USB 5-10GbS. Ideally supporting PCIe5 and USB4.

USB4 is the most expensive one of those, though 4x USB 3 Gen2x2 (20 Gbs) is also very challenging and unless I'm looking wrong at this spreadsheet they don't exist for AM5.

The X670E Creator has the following:
2x rear USB4 Type-C.
6x rear USB 3.2 Gen 2x1 (10 Gbps)
2x PCI-E 5.0 M.2 SSD
2x PCI-E 4.0 M.2 SSD
PCI-E 5.0 graphics
4x SATA
10 Gb Marvell LAN
2.5 Gb Intel LAN

1x USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (20 Gbps) internal header (up to 60 watts PD)
1x USB 3.1 Gen 2x1 internal header for 2 front USB ports
3x USB 2.0 headers (2 front USB ports each)

The B650E Taichi is a cheaper option, with 1x rear USB4 Type-C.

Would recommend you check what I've stated for the USB ports, because it gets confusing with all the gen 2, gen 1, 2x1 stuff.

I believe that the newer AM5 boards due in September are supposed to have more widespread support for USB4 and it might be available on cheaper boards than these two.

My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x AMD Ryzen 9 7900 Twelve Core 5.40GHz (Socket AM5) Processor - Retail (SKU: CP-3DU-AM) = £359.99
• 1 x Asus ProArt X670E-Creator WIFI (Socket AM5) DDR5 ATX Motherboard (SKU: MB-6JE-AS) = £539.99
• 1 x TeamGroup Vulcan EXPO 32GB (2X16GB) DDR5 PC5-48000C38 6000MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black (FLABD532G6000HC38ADC01) (SKU: MY-0B2-TG) = £99.94
• 1 x Lian Li Lancool 216 Mid-tower PC case - Black (SKU: CA-7BG-LL) = £89.98
• 1 x Corsair RMx Series RM850x 80 PLUS Gold Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (CP-9020200-UK) (SKU: CA-267-CS) = £110.00

Total: £1,199.90 (includes delivery: £0.00)​

Cooler: I'd suggest the Phantom Spirit or Peerless Assassin. The 7900 also comes with a cooler in the box that you can use, if you'd prefer not to buy one.

If you like AIOs, maybe look at this:

Thermalright Strikes Again: $56.90 360mm Liquid Cooler | Frozen Prism Review

WE sponsored ourselves! Support independent testing & grab a GN Modmat or Case Magnet: https://store.gamersnexus.net/In this review, we benchmark the Thermal...

www.youtube.com

Here's a review of the 7900:

Crazy Good Efficiency: AMD Ryzen 9 7900 CPU Benchmarks & Thermals

Sponsor: Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut thermal paste (on Amazon - https://geni.us/JMVNtOE ) & Hydronaut for water cooling (Amazon - https://geni.us/Fsray )This re...

www.youtube.com

 

[dfour]

AMD and nvidia build

My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x Phanteks XT Pro ATX Case Tempered Glass Window, Black (SKU: CAS-PHK-01442) = £50.99
• 1 x MSI MAG A750GL 750W 80 Plus Gold ATX 3.0 PCIE5 Modular Power Supply (SKU: CA-013-MS) = £99.95
• 1 x TeamGroup Vulcan EXPO 32GB (2X16GB) DDR5 PC5-48000C38 6000MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black (FLABD532G6000HC38ADC01) (SKU: MY-0B2-TG) = £99.94
• 1 x WD Black SN850X 2TB SSD M.2 2280 NVME PCI-E Gen4 Solid State Drive (WDS200T2X0E) (SKU: HD-591-WD) = £159.95
• 1 x AMD Ryzen 7 7700 Eight Core 5.30GHz (Socket AM5) Processor - Retail (SKU: CP-3DV-AM) = £299.99
• 1 x Gigabyte RTX 4060Ti WindForce OC 16GB GDDR6X PCI-Express Graphics Card (SKU: GRA-GIG-01265) = £419.99
• 1 x Asrock B650 LIVEMIXER (Socket AM5) DDR5 ATX Motherboard (SKU: MB-18W-AK) = £159.98

Total: £1,290.79 (includes delivery: £0.00)​

You can use the cuda on the nvidia card to run adobe programs.
If you have a decent heatsink thats AM5 compatible use that otehrwise a thermalright Peerless assassin for about £30 will sort you out no problem.

Peerless Assassin – Thermalright

www.thermalright.com

 

[Tetras]

I believe that the newer AM5 boards due in September are supposed to have more widespread support for USB4 and it might be available on cheaper boards than these two.

Just saw this, it might be of interest as an alternative to the X670E Creator or B650E Taichi:

Gigabyte B650E AORUS PRO X USB4 Motherboard Hits Retail Under $300, Brings X870 Highlight To Mainstream

Gigabyte's B650E AORUS PRO X USB4, one of the first motherboards in AMD's lineup to support USB4 interfaces, has finally hit retail.

wccftech.com

 

[firbolg]

Thank you for that. I will look in more detail at these but all seem fine except for the motherboard.
I think I am being too ambitious with my requirements. If I were to trim them back as follows, would I have better options?

Cut back requirements:
USB: 6-8 x 10Gbs (type A or C)
M.2 SSD: max 1 and also 2-4 x 2.5 SSD
USB4 Remove requirement.
WiFi on the board highly desirable.

Thanks again

 

[Tetras]

USB: 6-8 x 10Gbs (type A or C)
M.2 SSD: max 1 and also 2-4 x 2.5 SSD
USB4 Remove requirement.

The M.2 slots aren't an issue, even the fairly cheap boards can have 2 or 3 M.2 slots.

The USB ports: trickier, a lot of boards still have a fair chunk of USB 2.0 ports on their rear I/O, but 10 Gbs is much easier to find.

How do you find the features and price of the TUF X670E-Plus?

WiFi on the board highly desirable.

That's pretty common too.

 

[Gray2233]

There's always the option of adding a usb hub or PCI-E adapter card to the build at a later date, depending on your use case for attached devices.

 

[firbolg]

Thank you for the input. It was helpful (as it has been in the past).
I'm going to take a few days to finalise the configuration
- Stick with the 7700 or go for the 7900
- Which motherboard to get. I will probably stay with either x670 or B650E.
One last piece of advice please?
I previously sourced components from Overclockers UK. That is more difficult and more expensive since Brexit (I am in Ireland).
Is Caseking (Germany) related to Overclockers UK and is it a trustworthy source for the components I need?
Thank you again.

 

[dfour]

Caseking own overclockers so you should be fine buying from them except postage

 

[Craig_d1]

The new 9000 series cpu's come out end of month. I'd hanhg on and wait for those before buying now. Later will be the X870/X870E mobo...they'll come with usb4 as standard I believe, but think they're more towards Q3/Q4 time