Updating the internals.. switch to AMD?

dannyboyee82

dannyboyee82

dannyboyee82

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107
Hi guys..

Since being off work I've got into sim racing, and although my current rig will run the games just fine with tweaking the settings it is pretty clear that I'm lacking power on all the key fronts.

So.. I've been looking to upgrade the internals. Currently I have a Z170p board, i3 6300, 8gb DDR4, 240gb SSD and a Zotac 1060 6GB with a 450w PSU. My research tells me that AMD are ahead of Intel these days both in terms of power and price. So here's what I've put together. It's right at the limit of my budget, so if you have any changes just keep that in mind.

Ryzen 5 3600X
ASUS Rog Strix B450E
Team Group 8pack 16gb DDR4 3600
Sapphire RX5700 XT
Super Flower Leadex III ARGB 550w

I can't afford to go completely crazy and buy the best there is, but I'd like to future proof it for CPU and memory intensive games like sim racers for at least 4 years and the GPU is obviously just as important. If you think I'm spending unnecessary money for one component that would be better placed elsewhere then please say. Also keep in mind that I've never really been too interested in overclocking, I'm more of a plug and play gamer but the option is always nice to have later down the line.

Edit: should have said; I have a 27" 1080p 144hz monitor at the moment, but would like to upgrade to 2k or 4k at some point.
 
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What's your budget exactly? Are you re-using your Case and SSD I take it?

Quite a small SSD, you could probably do with a bigger one if possible. You can always retrofit one later when funds available though I guess.
 
Yep, reusing the case and SSD for now. I will upgrade that along with the monitor at a point later in time, I just want to get the essentials sorted out right now. Budget is £1000 or under.
 
240GB SSD will be fine (although you don't say if its SATA or NVMe M2 - if it's the latter I'd definitely reuse it purely as a Windows drive, and then add a larger SSD for games etc)

Your existing DDR4 RAM could be moved across to Ryzen to save money in the short term - it will work fine (although if less than 3200Mhz will hurt performance a little).
 
If going b450 then msi max boards like the mortar or tomahawk are some of the best.

The 3600 non X will save some cash and is only like 1/2% performance difference and you could drop in a cheap 4700X in a couple of years.
 
Just the plain Ryzen 3600 will do fine.

Don't buy a new GPU now if you can wait: new Nvidia GPUs are expected in August.
 
I'd go for something like this then...

If you can re-use your 1060 and hold til September time to buy the GPU, Nvidia should be releasing the new Ampere GPUs? Could be worth the wait.

My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £933.95 (includes shipping: £0.00)
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Firstly, thanks for all the responses. This forum is and always has been a gem for advice.

The SSD SATA unfortunately, but even so it will still do for now. The memory is 3000, plus it's only 8gb and having at least 16gb is a priority for me.

Thanks for the advice on the 3600X Vs 3000.. seduced by the higher core speed!

I was wondering if anyone would mention holding off until the new cards drop.. I'm not sure, the way prices are these days I'll probably have to go for the budget option - or is there an upside that I'm missing? Do you think current card prices will drop? I could hold out and grab a 5700 cheaper, then upgrade again next year or the year after when the new cards are settled in and/or boosted (along with a Ryzen 7).

Couple of other questions.. what's better about the MSI or Gigabyte boards? I've always used ASUS, hence my choice. Do you think it's worth picking up a X570 board in terms of longevity?
 
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dannyboyee82 said:
Do you think current card prices will drop?

Couple of other questions.. what's better about the MSI or Gigabyte boards? I've always used ASUS, hence my choice. Do you think it's worth picking up a X570 board in terms of longevity?
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Current cards have to drop.
Next-gen consoles are coming with new AMD's raytracing GPU and in case of next Xbox its at 2080 Super level.
Nvidia has been pumping butts of users even harder than Intel in prices.
And around that size chip is going to come into mid level to replace current 5700 Navi.

While definitely being expandability monster beating also B550 clearly X570 costs luxury, unless wanting stripped down board.
(+ fan including chipset cooler, which is 15 years old bad designed in Asus)
This is about the cheapest all around good board.
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/giga...4-x570-chipset-atx-motherboard-mb-57w-gi.html

For lowest budget MSI B450 would give decent VRM for higher CPUs and Zen3 BIOS support has been confirmed.
(in B450 Asus and Gigabyte suck donkey balls)
 
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