The PC Builders Thread ("I Need a New PC") v2

[Horned Reaper]

Hopefully this is the right place to ask. I already have built a gaming pc early this year, and with Cyberpunk 2077 I want to hook it up to my tv and play with my (ps4) controller. The tv is on one side of my room whilst my desk with the pc is on the other side. Now I already have a long hdmi cable running to connect the tv to the pc, but now I want to make it as convenient as possible to run games on my tv. These are things I still have questions on or which I'm not sure what the best way to go about it is:

- My DS4 seems to be too far from my pc to have it run on bluetooth, is there anyway I can create a stronger signal?
- How do I automatically have it so that if I switch my tv to the hdmi channel connected to my pc that the audio switches to the tv's audio automatically?
- How can I start a game launcher like Big Picture automatically in full screen on my tv when turning on my pc?
- How do I stop Windows alerts and popups from throwing me out of the game's full screen mode?

Any help/tips would be appreciated!

 

[disgraciau]

I was thinking about upgrading my Ryzen 5 1600 to a 3600 or 3700x, but not sure if worth it. I have a HTPC with a Fractal node 202, and I use a Noctua MH-L9a CPU cooler. My motherboard is an Asrock AB350 Fatal1ty ITX, so i know I have to update Bios.

My graphics card is a RTX 2070 ITX, so i don't know about performance gain or if i should wait for a future price drop or ir the Ryzen 1600 still can keep going for years.

 

[Isee]

I went with a high end X470 board because it cost me less than a budget X570 board. No chipset fans to deal with either.

Click to shrink...

High end x470 is 250-300€. You can easily find excellent x570 boards for that, like the Strix-F.
But yeah, I have a X470 CH7 WiFi, just because I bought it last year with my 2700x and didn't want to buy a new one now for my 3900x.
That said, if I were to buy new I'd definitely buy x570 over x470 at that price range.

I was thinking about upgrading my Ryzen 5 1600 to a 3600 or 3700x, but not sure if worth it. I have a HTPC with a Fractal node 202, and I use a Noctua MH-L9a CPU cooler. My motherboard is an Asrock AB350 Fatal1ty ITX, so i know I have to update Bios.

My graphics card is a RTX 2070 ITX, so i don't know about performance gain or if i should wait for a future price drop or ir the Ryzen 1600 still can keep going for years.

Click to shrink...

Are you unhappy with performance?
Are you running into CPU bottlenecks?
Are you playing at very high refresh rates?
Are $200-$300 a noticeable investment from a financial pov?

1, 2 and 3 = No
4 = Yes
-->
do not upgrade

 

[laxu]

High end x470 is 250-300€. You can easily find excellent x570 boards for that, like the Strix-F.
But yeah, I have a X470 CH7 WiFi, just because I bought it last year with my 2700x and didn't want to buy a new one now for my 3900x.
That said, if I were to buy new I'd definitely buy x570 over x470 at that price range.

Click to shrink...

I got my Gigabyte X470 Aorus Gaming 7 Wifi for around 220 euros and that included a somewhat pricy BIOS update for Ryzen 3000 compatibility because I did not want to buy a compatible cheap AMD CPU and deal with selling/returning it. All the bells and whistles except PCIe 4.0. At the time that money would not buy you more than a budget level X570.

Motherboards have gotten really damn expensive considering my previous motherboard from 3 years ago was something like 120 euros and worked really well.

 

[Interested Observer]

Question for anyone with a Cooler Master H500 case. I also have the Aorus Elite X570 mobo.

I can't figure out how to get the LEDs on the front working. In the case, there is a cable that must be the power to the LEDs. It has a 3-way splitter connected to it with 2 male and 1 female connection. I can plug the female connection straight into my mobo to power one of the lights but I don't seem to have any option to plug in the male connections.

There's also another little connection that has to be powered by a SATA cable that accepts a female connection, and using that also powers one of the lights, but again I don't know what to do with the male connections.

Anyone have this case and faced the same issue?

 

[Isee]

I got my Gigabyte X470 Aorus Gaming 7 Wifi for around 220 euros and that included a somewhat pricy BIOS update for Ryzen 3000 compatibility because I did not want to buy a compatible cheap AMD CPU and deal with selling/returning it. All the bells and whistles except PCIe 4.0. At the time that money would not buy you more than a budget level X570.

Motherboards have gotten really damn expensive considering my previous motherboard from 3 years ago was something like 120 euros and worked really well.

Click to shrink...

Oh yeah, I remember that one. Died on me during the first week of usage (the soundchip to be precise). My one time, after 6-7 years, I went back to Gigabyte. Just bad luck though.
I still disagree, if you are in this price range I'm still recommending x570 over x470. A x570 Gigabyte Elite + a wifi card would have cost you about the same, but you had your reasons and that's important. Enjoy your purchase, nothing wrong with it.

 

[Ryuun]

What is a good gpu for under $300, and what is a good cpu to pair with it? Going to be building my nephew a new pc for Christmas.

 

[Isee]

What is a good gpu for under $300, and what is a good cpu to pair with it? Going to be building my nephew a new pc for Christmas.

Click to shrink...

Nvidia 1660Ti cards start at around $270, but you can find reference AMD RX 5700 for $320. Slightly over budget, but also ~20% faster than a 1660Ti. It's a reference blower design, but the 5700 is running pretty cool and not consuming much power. It's not an issue with the 5700.
But if $320 is too much, 1660Ti it is.

As the CPU I'd recommend a r5 3600 for €200. You can take a MSI B450 MAX mainboard for $110 and some 3200c16 ram. SSDs are cheaper than ever before a crucial MX 500 with 1 TB is about $110.
Good times to build gaming PCs if you ask me.

 

[Ryuun]

Nvidia 1660Ti cards start at around $270, but you can find reference AMD RX 5700 for $320. Slightly over budget, but also ~20% faster than a 1660Ti. It's a reference blower design, but the 5700 is running pretty cool and not consuming much power. It's not an issue with the 5700.
But if $320 is too much, 1660Ti it is.

As the CPU I'd recommend a r5 3600 for €200. You can take a MSI B450 MAX mainboard for $110 and some 3200c16 ram. SSDs are cheaper than ever before a crucial MX 500 with 1 TB is about $110.
Good times to build gaming PCs if you ask me.

Click to shrink...

Excellent, thanks!

 

[catpurrcat]

Does that come with an AM4 install kit? That's way below the price I was expecting to pay, so I'll absolutely go for it if it's got that kit.

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yup it did! There was a YT video I watched to help me with the AM4 install. It was for the RGB model but worked the same for the Black.

It was on sale for 10% off last week in my area.

 

[catpurrcat]

I play at 1440p, some games run similar while in others the 2080 has the upper hand (probably games that take advantage of the extra cuda cores). What I couldn't find was a benchmark comparing RT performance, but 2080 loseems to perform better thanks to extra RT cores.
Only thing that worries me about getting the 2080 is that it's a discontinued card, but since the architecture is the same, gues that there shouldn't be any problem in terms or support, right?

Click to shrink...

I agree with your assessment. I wouldn't have any concerns with future support for 2080. If you look at the driver selection on Nvidia's website, you'll notice that they group them into "families" of cards. I appreciate that legacy and cross platform support.

 

[catpurrcat]

I feel like my 1070 FE isn't cutting it with my new 1440p monitor. Is it worth upgrading now or waiting?

Click to shrink...

I would say go ahead and upgrade. There's been no better time in history for 1440P card value.

 

[laxu]

Oh yeah, I remember that one. Died on me during the first week of usage (the soundchip to be precise). My one time, after 6-7 years, I went back to Gigabyte. Just bad luck though.
I still disagree, if you are in this price range I'm still recommending x570 over x470. A x570 Gigabyte Elite + a wifi card would have cost you about the same, but you had your reasons and that's important. Enjoy your purchase, nothing wrong with it.

Click to shrink...

The X570 Elite does look like a pretty good board, I think it might not have been available or was priced a lot higher when I was shopping for motherboards because it does seem to tick a lot of my boxes apart from the damn chipset fan. In any case I am happy with the X470 so no harm done.

 

[catpurrcat]

The X570 Elite does look like a pretty good board, I think it might not have been available or was priced a lot higher when I was shopping for motherboards because it does seem to tick a lot of my boxes apart from the damn chipset fan. In any case I am happy with the X470 so no harm done.

Click to shrink...

I would've done the same as you. The X470 boards have been out for a little while now so it's good to see longevity reviews and they are overall really well done. Especially good value at the mid and high range. You made a good decision!

 

[EffettoNotte]

I was thinking about upgrading my Ryzen 5 1600 to a 3600 or 3700x, but not sure if worth it. I have a HTPC with a Fractal node 202, and I use a Noctua MH-L9a CPU cooler. My motherboard is an Asrock AB350 Fatal1ty ITX, so i know I have to update Bios.

My graphics card is a RTX 2070 ITX, so i don't know about performance gain or if i should wait for a future price drop or ir the Ryzen 1600 still can keep going for years.

Click to shrink...

If you have a 60Hz monitor do not upgrade, 1600 is plenty for 60 fps. If you have 144Hz monitor and you want more than 60 fps, then upgrade, the 3600 will give you a nice boost.

 

[MakotoYuki]

I agree with your assessment. I wouldn't have any concerns with future support for 2080. If you look at the driver selection on Nvidia's website, you'll notice that they group them into "families" of cards. I appreciate that legacy and cross platform support.

Click to shrink...

Thanks for your help, already ordered it :)

 

[disgraciau]

If you have a 60Hz monitor do not upgrade, 1600 is plenty for 60 fps. If you have 144Hz monitor and you want more than 60 fps, then upgrade, the 3600 will give you a nice boost.

Click to shrink...

Thanks, i'm staying with my 1600 then.

 

[RandomSeed]

Stupid Logitech mouse (g303) is now doing the double click think on the left button to go along with the right. One after the other with Logitech mice...ah, MX518, you were perfect for YEARS.

 

[IMACOMPUTA]

Is it a dumb time to buy a 2080ti for $1099? I haven't been keeping up with rumors lately. I know Nvidia took a long time between the 2080ti and the 1080ti (which I currently have).. but that wasn't typical.

Any reason to expect a long wait for the successor to the 2080ti?

 

[Soda]

Is it a dumb time to buy a 2080ti for $1099? I haven't been keeping up with rumors lately. I know Nvidia took a long time between the 2080ti and the 1080ti (which I currently have).. but that wasn't typical.

Any reason to expect a long wait for the successor to the 2080ti?

Click to shrink...

There's really no info about a successor. I'd guess we're 6 months away minimum, but that's purely my guess.

 

[Lo-Volt]

A page or two back a fellow here recommended the Sapphire Nitro + 5700 XT for the QoL features (in addition to being a 5700 XT!). My own subsequent research can confirm. Card kicks ass! Highly recommended in PC World among others.

Apparently the Pulse model is also great ($409 at Microcenter).

Only reason I didn't buy it is cuz exchange rate pricing in my country are less than generous ($480 USD for the Nitro when it should be $440). Pulse was way better priced but alas I ended up with a different card entirely. Guy at the store said the Pulse was excellent and zero customer complaints.

Click to shrink...

I know LTT's video mentioned shutdowns occurring with the reference 5700 XT. No idea if that has been addressed since release unfortunately.

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A quick update: I actually overruled y'all, but it wasn't your fault! The partner models are largely very good (Pulse included, Sapphire seems awesome) but were a little pricier than the ASUS reference model, which was $369 at Micro Center yesterday after rebate. It still appears at that price on their site today FYI.

I have a tighter month than I thought, so getting even a little money back is better than the opposite. (I did budget for a replacement plan though - I'm not that stupid. Fun fact, those plans are priced based on the sale price of the item, so that got cheaper too.)

And I think, or hope, that I lucked out. The ASUS reference model seemed to be operating 10 to 20 degrees, and maybe 40 watts better than the PowerColor Vega 64 when I ran quick sessions of DMC5 and Fallout 4 with modifications. I also like the dent. Fingers crossed.

 

[slashf]

Guys, i am thinking to buy a pc, but i live in brazil and the pieces are very expensive right now.
Its better to save money or i can buy piece when its cheap ?

 

[Nothing]

Flashing BIOS has been relatively safe for years and years now. The procedure is simple: Put the right BIOS file for your motherboard and revision on a FAT32 formatted USB stick, start to BIOS and use the built-in BIOS flash tool to upgrade.

I went with a high end X470 board because it cost me less than a budget X570 board. No chipset fans to deal with either.

PCIe Gen 4 won't be relevant for years to come for gaming. Even PCIe Gen 3 NVME drives offer very little benefit over SATA SSDs in things like loading times etc. I jumped on the SSD train quite early and even those much slower (in benchmarks) older SSD drives I've had showed no real world difference in boot times, game loading times etc when compared against a newer much faster SSD. Obviously the newer ones were far better for large file copies etc but not many of us do that constantly so it doesn't matter if it takes 10 seconds longer or something.

I would recommend anyone to just buy a large SSD at this point and only use mechanical drives for backup needs.

Click to shrink...

I got my Gigabyte X470 Aorus Gaming 7 Wifi for around 220 euros and that included a somewhat pricy BIOS update for Ryzen 3000 compatibility because I did not want to buy a compatible cheap AMD CPU and deal with selling/returning it. All the bells and whistles except PCIe 4.0. At the time that money would not buy you more than a budget level X570.

Motherboards have gotten really damn expensive considering my previous motherboard from 3 years ago was something like 120 euros and worked really well.

Click to shrink...

I like you.

Couldn't agree more with everything you just said. It's great advice and perspective to anyone shopping for a new motherboard; get a high-end one from the previous gen because the new lineup is unnecessarily expensive and you'll also get better performance and options.

 

[low-G]

Flashing a BIOS is safe these days, but I've had some crummy BIOSes from Asus and I've heard of terrible ones from ASRock... Worst still when you get on a BIOS version that breaks or loses functionality and they don't let you roll back.

 

[Nothing]

Is it a dumb time to buy a 2080ti for $1099? I haven't been keeping up with rumors lately. I know Nvidia took a long time between the 2080ti and the 1080ti (which I currently have).. but that wasn't typical.

Click to shrink...

Yes. It has been out for over one year.

In context of the question being asked. Absolutely, yes.

 

[Nothing]

That question really makes me wonder how many manufacturers are going to time their graphics-oriented hardware releases right around the time of the Cyberpunk release date in April 2020. Think about it: that would be a shrewd business move to time your hardware releases around what is likely the biggest PC game release of the decade. Lots of people will be buying, upgrading, and especially on the high-end.

If I was a betting man I'd think that there will be some nice hardware coming out around then. Likely graphics cards, monitors, and branded peripherals (kb&m, cases).

 

[RandomSeed]

I know Cyberpunk is the main reason that I'm building when I am, even if it's not the only reason.

 

[laxu]

I like you.

Couldn't agree more with everything you just said. It's great advice and perspective to anyone shopping for a new motherboard; get a high-end one from the previous gen because the new lineup is unnecessarily expensive and you'll also get better performance and options.

Click to shrink...

I'd add this with the caveat that a lot of the B450/X470 boards were a bit shit when it comes to their VRMs. Here's a good chart on what mobos are good and bad just based on VRM quality and its cooling. MSI also had a lot of problems with their B450 lineup when it comes to Ryzen 3000 support but afaik those have been solved now.

Looking at Mindfactory (Germany) prices for X570 vs X470 there's some good options now around 200 euro mark whereas my Gigabyte X470 Gaming 7 is now significantly more expensive than when I bought it about a month ago. In any case B450/X470 are viable options but make sure you go through the specs and check which are the good ones to get.

 

[LQX]

Guys, i am thinking to buy a pc, but i live in brazil and the pieces are very expensive right now.
Its better to save money or i can buy piece when its cheap ?

Click to shrink...

What were you thinking of buying?

 

[laxu]

That question really makes me wonder how many manufacturers are going to time their graphics-oriented hardware releases right around the time of the Cyberpunk release date in April 2020. Think about it: that would be a shrewd business move to time your hardware releases around what is likely the biggest PC game release of the decade. Lots of people will be buying, upgrading, and especially on the high-end.

If I was a betting man I'd think that there will be some nice hardware coming out around then. Likely graphics cards, monitors, and branded peripherals (kb&m, cases).

Click to shrink...

I would not be surprised if Nvidia unveils new GPUs during the summer and in August or so gets them to stores maybe bundled with Cyberpunk. Before that they will focus on how well the 20xx series runs the game unless AMD manages to get out a competitive Navi model.

 

[Nothing]

I'd add this with the caveat that a lot of the B450/X470 boards were a bit shit when it comes to their VRMs. Here's a good chart on what mobos are good and bad just based on VRM quality and its cooling. MSI also had a lot of problems with their B450 lineup when it comes to Ryzen 3000 support but afaik those have been solved now.

Looking at Mindfactory (Germany) prices for X570 vs X470 there's some good options now around 200 euro mark whereas my Gigabyte X470 Gaming 7 is now significantly more expensive than when I bought it about a month ago. In any case B450/X470 are viable options but make sure you go through the specs and check which are the good ones to get.

Click to shrink...

For instance, if I was doing a 3700x or 3900x build today then I would pick up one of the brand new, (previous-gen X470) ASUS Crosshair VII Hero that my Microcenter has sitting on the shelf for $249.99 on clearance. BAM, now you have a high-end AMD mobo while paying introductory X570 prices.

I can't believe they have been sitting there for 2-3 weeks and no one has bought them. Or else they have several to get rid of. I think that people are scared of doing the BIOS upgrade and just want to get something to plug & play. That, or they simply don't know.

 

[laxu]

Is it a dumb time to buy a 2080ti for $1099? I haven't been keeping up with rumors lately. I know Nvidia took a long time between the 2080ti and the 1080ti (which I currently have).. but that wasn't typical.

Any reason to expect a long wait for the successor to the 2080ti?

Click to shrink...

Nvidia have nowhere to go with their current architecture. The Titan RTX is about as much as they can cram on the chip with the current process so they need to move to a new architecture at 7nm size, which is the Ampere architecture. The only reason we might not see it between May and August next year is if they have some significant issue with its production for some reason.

At this point I would save some money and go for the 2070S/2080/2080S instead unless you play at 4K. Saying this as a 2080 Ti owner but when I bought it at the start of the year the card I got was only a few hundred euros more than the 2080. Now there is a bigger price gap.

 

[Nothing]

Nvidia have nowhere to go with their current architecture. The Titan RTX is about as much as they can cram on the chip with the current process so they need to move to a new architecture at 7nm size, which is the Ampere architecture. The only reason we might not see it between May and August next year is if they have some significant issue with its production for some reason.

At this point I would save some money and go for the 2070S/2080/2080S instead unless you play at 4K. Saying this as a 2080 Ti owner but when I bought it at the start of the year the card I got was only a few hundred euros more than the 2080. Now there is a bigger price gap.

Click to shrink...

I don't necessarily think that any upcoming batch of cards will be something that supersedes the 2080 Ti.

All of the jostling for market position among GPUs should be in the $400-700 range. The way it always has been. Until things got out of control with bitcoin mining and the following RTX launch pricing.

I still can't get over how effectively Nvidia reset the bar (mentally) for so many people that now think they need to have the next best $1000+ GPU. Thank god that AMD stepped up to the plate.

 

[Piercedveil]

PC seems to be dying and I am having a ton of issues lately. I last built 6 years ago, so I'm thinking I may just build a new machine entirely. Only part I plan to hang on to is my GPU (Nvidia 970 4GB) and maybe my 250 GB Samsung SSD just to have as an extra drive.

I haven't really kept up with PC parts in a long time. I will be doing mostly gaming and music production. Should I go with AMD or Intel? My current CPU is an i5 3570k.

 

[Siyou]

I have a computer that doesn't vent too well, it's a Walmart OP computer (OP-DTW2-BK) and got it on clearance for $800 (with a 2-year warranty). It has a glass case.

I was curious is it possible to add liquid cooling to it? It tends to heat up a bit while I play Spyro. If this question is too vague, I'll work with the responses to elaborate the best I can.

 

[definedMF]

So a question I've been wondering is what would be best GPU/CPU pairing for 1440p and 4k builds on the market now and in the near future?

I mean being able to play these resolutions with 0 problems and for the foreseeable future as next-gen is just around the corner. What would be a instant console killer even after a mid-gen refresh?

 

[Vulcano's Assistant]

I have a computer that doesn't vent too well, it's a Walmart OP computer (OP-DTW2-BK) and got it on clearance for $800 (with a 2-year warranty). It has a glass case.

I was curious is it possible to add liquid cooling to it? It tends to heat up a bit while I play Spyro. If this question is too vague, I'll work with the responses to elaborate the best I can.

Click to shrink...

You could probably fit an AIO with up to a 240mm radiator in front, and while that should help with the CPU temps, I'm guessing it is GPU temps what's giving you issues, and a radiator in the way would choke that airflow even more.

Since an AIO is around $90-100 I would say that if you are willing to take your whole system apart, around the same price you would be better of getting a new cases that is airflow oriented. Something like the Phanteks Eclipse P400A, Fractal Design Meshify C, Silverstone RL06, something with a mesh front, more space between the glass front panel and the case, or well reviewed case with other kind of good intake.

 

[Lashley]

Anyone know what causes and how to prevent BSOD with the error code: CLOCK WATCHDOG TIMEOUT

 

[Kinn]

I think you might have problems with cooler overlapping with RAM. Protruding and big fan, your RAM isn't low-profile either. This might happen:

It is possible to mount the front fan higher, but then you have to consider the case clearance.

There is the S version of the heatsink without the front fan, or you can look for low profile memory.

Click to shrink...

Thanks for the reply. I already have the cooler from my previous build. Any suggestions for low profile memory with the same specs?

Thanks again.

 

[Interested Observer]

Is it normal for GPU fans to be off as a matter of course? I'm not playing a game at the moment or anything and they aren't running. I don't have time to get into a game at the moment but I started up Shadow of Mordor and that didn't get the fans going either.

Are there any good utilities out there for monitoring GPU fan speeds and temps? I have a Gigabyte RTX2070 Super.

 

[Evolution of Metal]

Is it normal for GPU fans to be off as a matter of course? I'm not playing a game at the moment or anything and they aren't running. I don't have time to get into a game at the moment but I started up Shadow of Mordor and that didn't get the fans going either.

Are there any good utilities out there for monitoring GPU fan speeds and temps? I have a Gigabyte RTX2070 Super.

Click to shrink...

It is normal.

I use MSI Afterburner (works on every vendor) to OC my card and adjust the fan curve.

Thanks for the reply. I already have the cooler from my previous build. Any suggestions for low profile memory with the same specs?

Thanks again.

Click to shrink...

There is definitely a Vengeance LP capable of 3600mhz/CL16.

If you want to save money and have 1% worse performance, Ballistix 3200mhz/CL16 is easily the best option. OC'able further, Low Profile, No LEDs = perfect. Popular memory, available in all configs, even comes in different colors to match mobo.

 

[mantis]

Thanks for the reply. I already have the cooler from my previous build. Any suggestions for low profile memory with the same specs?

Thanks again.

Click to shrink...

I have the same cooler on an Aorus Elite and use Corsair Vengeance memory. Works fine.

 

[Interested Observer]

It is normal.

I use MSI Afterburner (works on every vendor) to OC my card and adjust the fan curve.

Click to shrink...

Thanks. You've answered a few of my questions over the last few days so I appreciate it.

Edit - MSI Afterburner turned the fans on anyway so they work. The idle temp was in the low 30s so I guess by default it doesn't think that requires cooling.

 

[Evolution of Metal]

I have the same cooler on an Aorus Elite and use Corsair Vengeance memory. Works fine.

Click to shrink...

Does it really fit the regular Vengeance memory, or are you using a LP one?

 

[mantis]

Does it really fit the regular Vengeance memory, or are you using a LP one?

Click to shrink...

Sorry. Vengeance LPX. Seems there are not many options with CAS Latency16 of that model.

 

[Evolution of Metal]

Sorry. Vengeance LPX. Seems there are not many options with CAS Latency16 of that model.

Click to shrink...

Corsair manufactures them, but oof at the price and availability

 

[Trisc]

yup it did! There was a YT video I watched to help me with the AM4 install. It was for the RGB model but worked the same for the Black.

It was on sale for 10% off last week in my area.

Click to shrink...

Awesome. Did you need to remove your motherboard to attach the kit? My PC case exposes a good chunk of the back of my ATX, so I figure I probably won't have to, but it'd be nice to know in advance.

 

[Drakhoran]

PC seems to be dying and I am having a ton of issues lately. I last built 6 years ago, so I'm thinking I may just build a new machine entirely. Only part I plan to hang on to is my GPU (Nvidia 970 4GB) and maybe my 250 GB Samsung SSD just to have as an extra drive.

I haven't really kept up with PC parts in a long time. I will be doing mostly gaming and music production. Should I go with AMD or Intel? My current CPU is an i5 3570k.

Click to shrink...

If you are going for a similar mid level build AMD's Ryzen 5 3600 is the obvious choice. Current i5s still only have 4 cores and no hyper-threading which is not really sufficient for some modern games. For a "money is no object" super PC Intel's i9 9900k is still the fastest gaming CPU. For most people not going with the i9 and instead using the money on a better graphics card is a better deal..

 

[Evolution of Metal]

If you are going for a similar mid level build AMD's Ryzen 5 3600 is the obvious choice. Current i5s still only have 4 cores and no hyper-threading which is not really sufficient for some modern games. For a "money is no object" super PC Intel's i9 9900k is still the fastest gaming CPU. For most people not going with the i9 and instead using the money on a better graphics card is a better deal..

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Actually... latest i5's have 6 cores, and the price of no-GPU, no-OC i5 is quite below 3600.

I think if budget allows, the free game deal on 3700X puts it into the excellent position. Re-selling the game should return $30, so it is $300 for 8C/16T thing. Pair it with the Tomahawk/Mortar.

 

[Kinn]

There is definitely a Vengeance LP capable of 3600mhz/CL16.

If you want to save money and have 1% worse performance, Ballistix 3200mhz/CL16 is easily the best option. OC'able further, Low Profile, No LEDs = perfect. Popular memory, available in all configs, even comes in different colors to match mobo.

Click to shrink...

So would this be a good option?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ballistix-BLS16G4D32AESB-PC4-25600-288-Pin-Memory/dp/B07M5RLSG1

Crucial Ballistix Sport LT BLS16G4D32AESB 3200 MHz, DDR4, DRAM, Desktop Gaming Memory, 16 GB, CL16 (Grey)

And would it really be a negligible difference to 3600mhz? I hate ram shopping!