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

BorntoPlay · Nov 18, 2019

I finally decided to go with this monitor, a little higher in price than I expected ($379.99), but I think it's the best option overall...

LG 27GL83A-B 27 Inch Ultragear QHD IPS 1ms NVIDIA G-SYNC Compatible Gaming Monitor

exodus · Nov 18, 2019

Zeth said:
Is the Intel 660p a good boot drive?

It has downsides. Best not to let it get over 90% full and it's not suitable for heavy workloads that constantly write to the drive (e.g. video editing). But for everything else it's fine and the cheapest biggest NVMe drive out there.

There are better drives of course. The best all around drive for the price is probably the ADATA SX8200 Pro, but it's considerably more expensive.

As long as you understand it's limitations and they're not an issue for you, it's a hard drive to beat for the money. In terms of real world performance it'll do as well as any other out there. But if heavy workloads are a worry it's always a possibility to get a better, smaller drive as a boot drive and leave the Intel for gaming.

BigTnaples · Nov 18, 2019

Santini said:
If you haven't already, I would cancel your order for the MSI motherboard and pick a different one for less money (saving around $20-30) and a better VRM cooling setup, such as the Gigabyte AORUS Elite WI-FI or the ASUS TUF Gaming X570-PLUS (WI-FI), which are better choices when taking price into consideration.

Regarding your F4-3600C16D-16GTZKW memory, those'll work fine with that and other X570 motherboards. It's on G.SKILL's QVL, which means they tested it.

The Crucial P1 is a good budget SSD (here's a decent guide), though I don't know how I'd feel about using it as my main/boot drive versus as a game/storage drive.

Good luck building and enjoy gaming on your 2080 Ti!

Awesome thanks so much. The Mobo is already a done deal, but I appreciate the advice.

And thanks so much, the seller(didn't realize it wasn't straight from NewEgg) didn't get back to me on the memory return, but knowing it is compatible just made my day. The feeling of imminent hassle was setting in.

The crucial P1 will likely be a game drive, since I already have Windows 10 on my 256gb Intel. It's older but at this point I'd sooner avoid the hassle of figuring out how to move the install from one drive to the other without a physical key. I got it mostly because it was on sale and some titles perform so much better on SSD.

Looking forward to seeing the 2080ti be really unhindered. The 3770k has held up surprisingly well (esp considering it's running at stock speed at the moment) but certain games you can tell the older CPU is struggling to keep up. Not to mention the plethora of launches and background processes I have these days.

zulux21 · Nov 18, 2019

anyone see anything they would change on https://pcpartpicker.com/list/8bW9Nq ?

I already have the video card, the psu and the hard drive so it's mostly
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor
MSI B450 TOMAHAWK MAX ATX AM4 Motherboard
Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory
NZXT H510 ATX Mid Tower Case

the main reason for the case is I want a USB-c on top to easily plug in the Oculus Link cord when I get one.
I don't need wifi on the motherboard as I have the computers connected via ethernet.

Vulcano's Assistant · Nov 18, 2019

zulux21 said:
anyone see anything they would change on https://pcpartpicker.com/list/8bW9Nq ?

I already have the video card, the psu and the hard drive so it's mostly
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor
MSI B450 TOMAHAWK MAX ATX AM4 Motherboard
Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory
NZXT H510 ATX Mid Tower Case

the main reason for the case is I want a USB-c on top to easily plug in the Oculus Link cord when I get one.
I don't need wifi on the motherboard as I have the computers connected via ethernet.

I don't believe the MSI B450 Tomahawk has the proper header to connect the USB 3.2 gen 2 (formerly USB 3.1 gen 2) for the front USB-C port of the H510.
(4th from the left)

You can still connect the Oculus cable in the back, but if you wanted to use that front port as it comes with the case, you will need a header in your mobo that looks like this:

I swear at some point Pcpartpicker had a way to filter this because I remember doing it before, but now I basically had visually look for it so don't quote me on this being the cheapest boards that has it, but what I found so far was the Gigabyte X470 AORUS ULTRA. Many X570 boards at $200 and up have it, but I don't want to suggest you spend twice on the mobo just for that. You still have the usb-c on the back of the b450 Tomahawk.

There are also adapters that use the 3.0 header such as thIs for $25:

https://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=871&area=en

but I don't know if 3.0 is optimal for the Oculus.

Dave. · Nov 18, 2019

If this upcoming Black Friday is anything like the last two + Prime Days, in UK Amazon will be giving away Samsung Evo SATA drives and NVMes for cheaper than the most bargain of cheap SSDs. I still have an unused 1TB 970 from last time that was only £20 more than a 660p goes for today!

raiod · Nov 18, 2019

Is the upcoming Black Friday / Cyber Monday /Prime Days a reason to postpone a possible pc purchase? I'm planning for a very similiar build as zulux21but WITHOUT the SSD

anyone see anything they would change on https://pcpartpicker.com/list/8bW9Nq ?

I already have the video card, the psu and the hard drive so it's mostly
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor
MSI B450 TOMAHAWK MAX ATX AM4 Motherboard
Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory
NZXT H510 ATX Mid Tower Case

the main reason for the case is I want a USB-c on top to easily plug in the Oculus Link cord when I get one.
I don't need wifi on the motherboard as I have the computers connected via ethernet.

ApexNorth · Nov 18, 2019

I am looking to buy either a SDD or an M2. NVME.

Should I buy an M2. NVME 500GB at 95 or a 1TB SSD at a slightly lower price? Are the speeds worth it?

SanDisk 1TB SSD: https://www.amazon.co.uk/SanDisk-SD...1TB&qid=1574085388&smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&sr=8-3
Samsung EVO PLUS 500GB M2. NVMe: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-MZ...keywords=Samsung+M2+500&qid=1574085457&sr=8-2

etrain911 · Nov 18, 2019

I haven't updated my PC since 2013 so I'm going all out and buying all new parts. I was curious is it still better to build it myself or is buying pre-built a reasonable option now? How can I best futureproof myself for next gen?

Wowfunhappy · Nov 18, 2019

Is now a decent-ish time in the release cycle to build a Ryzen system?

Duck Sauce · Nov 18, 2019

Wowfunhappy said:
Is now a decent-ish time in the release cycle to build a Ryzen system?

Wait until the 25th and you can get the 3950x.

Wraith · Nov 18, 2019

BorntoPlay said:
I finally decided to go with this monitor, a little higher in price than I expected ($379.99), but I think it's the best option overall...

LG 27GL83A-B 27 Inch Ultragear QHD IPS 1ms NVIDIA G-SYNC Compatible Gaming Monitor

That seems to be around the starting price for 1440p 144hz IPS displays. Anything cheaper's going to TN or VA.

Infinite Justice · Nov 18, 2019

Dave. said:
Tough to say if this is a graphics card issue - could be the monitor - but it's looking likely. Graphics card would certainly be first piece of hardware I swap out in a test, though I'd like to run a hdmi to a different screen first only because it's easy rather than a particularly likely fix.

Tried this out and I hooked it to my monitor and their tv and it did the same thing so yea :(

Have to a buy a few 40s in preparation while they are now looking to a new card.

zulux21 · Nov 18, 2019

Vulcano's Assistant said:
I don't believe the MSI B450 Tomahawk has the proper header to connect the USB 3.2 gen 2 (formerly USB 3.1 gen 2) for the front USB-C port of the H510.
(4th from the left)

You can still connect the Oculus cable in the back, but if you wanted to use that front port as it comes with the case, you will need a header in your mobo that looks like this:

I swear at some point Pcpartpicker had a way to filter this because I remember doing it before, but now I basically had visually look for it so don't quote me on this being the cheapest boards that has it, but what I found so far was the Gigabyte X470 AORUS ULTRA. Many X570 boards at $200 and up have it, but I don't want to suggest you spend twice on the mobo just for that. You still have the usb-c on the back of the b450 Tomahawk.

There are also adapters that use the 3.0 header such as thIs for $25:

https://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=871&area=en
but I don't know if 3.0 is optimal for the Oculus.

Thanks for the response. As far as I know the 3.0 will work just fine for the oculus link, but that doesn't mean future updates won't want a 3.1 for optimal quality.

I don't mind spending a bit more on the motherboard to get that working as I'm actually building two computers. The one I posted here is the one for my SO, but the only difference in mine is I will be likely using a 3700x for the CPU, I have a 1070 gtx for the video card, and I will likely throw a m2 ssd drive in it as well. Mine will be the one used with the oculus, but they would still likely want that C port to charge their phone.

closer · Nov 18, 2019

sorry if this is vague

I'm trying to build a new pc after being on laptops for about 15 years. I want to buy some parts this coming black friday, but I'm kind of ignorant on this stuff.

In general, I am mainly building this in anticipation for cyberpunk; I'd like the computer to be fairly future-proofed, but to me this means basically being able to achieve 60fps at med/high for the next couple of years. I am pretty frozen on gpu, as I've read that the nvidia 2xxx series isn't too great for it's price, but I also don't want to be locked out of future features like raytracing and so on. so like, to that end I think I want to just buy some parts since the deals are incoming, but maybe skip stuff like that? It's just hard to make a decision, especially w/ a new generation of gpus incoming, but at the same time I want to play cyberpunk!

For my budget, I'd like to not break $1000, but again I'm pretty ignorant on price/performance when it comes to PC.

I'm mainly posting to see if anyone can keep me posted on great deals for great components, or if anyone has any advice on what/how to purchase things for a pc as the nov. sales loom. ty for any help

Wowfunhappy · Nov 18, 2019

Duck Sauce said:
Wait until the 25th and you can get the 3950x.

Okay, I've now actually read a lot about this and I'm quite excited. A bit more expensive than what I was planning on, but with that much headroom I'll be able to hang onto it for a long time, and the timing is perfect.

Preorders don't seem to be available anywhere, I assume that's expected? I didn't miss the window?

Evolution of Metal · Nov 18, 2019

closer said:
sorry if this is vague

I'm trying to build a new pc after being on laptops for about 15 years. I want to buy some parts this coming black friday, but I'm kind of ignorant on this stuff.

In general, I am mainly building this in anticipation for cyberpunk; I'd like the computer to be fairly future-proofed, but to me this means basically being able to achieve 60fps at med/high for the next couple of years. I am pretty frozen on gpu, as I've read that the nvidia 2xxx series isn't too great for it's price, but I also don't want to be locked out of future features like raytracing and so on. so like, to that end I think I want to just buy some parts since the deals are incoming, but maybe skip stuff like that? It's just hard to make a decision, especially w/ a new generation of gpus incoming, but at the same time I want to play cyberpunk!

For my budget, I'd like to not break $1000, but again I'm pretty ignorant on price/performance when it comes to PC.

I'm mainly posting to see if anyone can keep me posted on great deals for great components, or if anyone has any advice on what/how to purchase things for a pc as the nov. sales loom. ty for any help

3700X + B450 Tomahawk/Mortar + 16GB 3200mhz memory is the killer price/performance combo which will last for the entire next-gen. It should cost about $500?

You either break budget and go for 2070S (maybe $450 if you get a deal), or the ray-tracing is going to be a hinder on slower models.

Depending on your needs, around $200 more for Case, 500W Gold PSU and NVME storage. $30-50 more if you want a good CPU cooler.

I think if you get about 10% on average on Black Friday components, you should build 3700X + 2070S combo without compromising on any other component for about $1200 ($1300 if you don't get good deals)

Polyh3dron · Nov 18, 2019

I got a nowinstock alert for the Ryzen 3950X going up on Newegg for sale, but couldn't find it... did it really go up and sell out?

ObbyDent · Nov 19, 2019

Can I get some help choosing between two builds? I plan on using this PC for a little bit of everything:

Video editing/after effects/lightroom. No 4k editing (yet), but maybe one day.
PC Gaming. 1080p to 1440p
Console emulation. Think PS2, PS3, Wii, Wii U, 3DS.
Media center/server. I want this as an all in one media device.

Based on what I want to use it for, will the cheaper build work just fine? I know for gaming it would but for productivity I'm wondering if I'm skimping too much on what I want.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor ($326.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte X570 AORUS ELITE WIFI ATX AM4 Motherboard ($209.79 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory ($74.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: Team MP34 512 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Intel 660p Series 1.02 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($94.00 @ B&H)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3 TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($79.99 @ Adorama)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon RX 5700 XT 8 GB GAMING OC Video Card ($398.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Fractal Design Focus G ATX Mid Tower Case ($55.88 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Rosewill Capstone 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($85.98 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: LG WH14NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($52.88 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($98.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1538.46
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-11-19 00:32 EST-0500

Concerning storage: 500GB m.2 for os and programs, 1tb for scratch disk/cache files for editing, 3tb (or more) HDD for project storage and digital media storage. I choose wifi on the motherboard for ease of use. Is it possible to get win10 cheaper than MSRP legally?

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor ($194.00 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte X570 AORUS ELITE WIFI ATX AM4 Motherboard ($209.79 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory ($74.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: Intel 660p Series 1.02 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($94.00 @ B&H)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon RX 5700 XT 8 GB GAMING OC Video Card ($398.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Fractal Design Focus G ATX Mid Tower Case ($55.88 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Rosewill Capstone 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($85.98 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: LG WH14NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($52.88 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($98.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1265.49
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-11-19 00:39 EST-0500

So yeah. I can't tell if I'm gimping myself too hard here just to save a few hundred dollars. Thoughts?

Vulcano's Assistant · Nov 19, 2019

ObbyDent said:
Can I get some help choosing between two builds? I plan on using this PC for a little bit of everything:

Video editing/after effects/lightroom. No 4k editing (yet), but maybe one day.

PC Gaming. 1080p to 1440p

Console emulation. Think PS2, PS3, Wii, Wii U, 3DS.

Media center/server. I want this as an all in one media device.

Based on what I want to use it for, will the cheaper build work just fine? I know for gaming it would but for productivity I'm wondering if I'm skimping too much on what I want.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor ($326.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte X570 AORUS ELITE WIFI ATX AM4 Motherboard ($209.79 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory ($74.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: Team MP34 512 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Intel 660p Series 1.02 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($94.00 @ B&H)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3 TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($79.99 @ Adorama)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon RX 5700 XT 8 GB GAMING OC Video Card ($398.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Fractal Design Focus G ATX Mid Tower Case ($55.88 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Rosewill Capstone 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($85.98 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: LG WH14NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($52.88 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($98.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1538.46
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-11-19 00:32 EST-0500

Concerning storage: 500GB m.2 for os and programs, 1tb for scratch disk/cache files for editing, 3tb (or more) HDD for project storage and digital media storage. I choose wifi on the motherboard for ease of use. Is it possible to get win10 cheaper than MSRP legally?

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor ($194.00 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte X570 AORUS ELITE WIFI ATX AM4 Motherboard ($209.79 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory ($74.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: Intel 660p Series 1.02 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($94.00 @ B&H)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon RX 5700 XT 8 GB GAMING OC Video Card ($398.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Fractal Design Focus G ATX Mid Tower Case ($55.88 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Rosewill Capstone 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($85.98 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: LG WH14NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($52.88 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($98.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1265.49
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-11-19 00:39 EST-0500

So yeah. I can't tell if I'm gimping myself too hard here just to save a few hundred dollars. Thoughts?

I can't say if you will really need the 8 cores, but you should at least carry on the same idea of various drives on the cheaper build too imo. Even if it is a very budget SSD like this, it's always worth having a separate drive for files. You can also save with a bronze 550W PSU, there should be Corsair, EVGA, or Seasonic models around $60.

ObbyDent · Nov 19, 2019

Vulcano's Assistant said:
I can't say if you will really need the 8 cores, but you should at least carry on the same idea of various drives on the cheaper build too imo. Even if it is a very budget SSD like this, it's always worth having a separate drive for files. You can also save with a bronze 550W PSU, there should be Corsair, EVGA, or Seasonic models around $60.

Hmm okay. I'll play around with it and see what I get.

Kintaro · Nov 19, 2019

Are there any good Black Friday deals coming up? I wanted to build my sons a computer for Christmas. Nothing over the top, probably in the $700 range. They play Team Fortress 2 above all else but they switch among other games, Fortnite, Rust, nothing too taxing from what I can see.

Santini · Nov 19, 2019

ObbyDent said:
Can I get some help choosing between two builds? I plan on using this PC for a little bit of everything:

Video editing/after effects/lightroom. No 4k editing (yet), but maybe one day.

PC Gaming. 1080p to 1440p

Console emulation. Think PS2, PS3, Wii, Wii U, 3DS.

Media center/server. I want this as an all in one media device.

Based on what I want to use it for, will the cheaper build work just fine? I know for gaming it would but for productivity I'm wondering if I'm skimping too much on what I want.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor ($326.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte X570 AORUS ELITE WIFI ATX AM4 Motherboard ($209.79 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory ($74.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: Team MP34 512 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Intel 660p Series 1.02 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($94.00 @ B&H)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3 TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($79.99 @ Adorama)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon RX 5700 XT 8 GB GAMING OC Video Card ($398.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Fractal Design Focus G ATX Mid Tower Case ($55.88 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Rosewill Capstone 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($85.98 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: LG WH14NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($52.88 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($98.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1538.46
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-11-19 00:32 EST-0500

Concerning storage: 500GB m.2 for os and programs, 1tb for scratch disk/cache files for editing, 3tb (or more) HDD for project storage and digital media storage. I choose wifi on the motherboard for ease of use. Is it possible to get win10 cheaper than MSRP legally?

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor ($194.00 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte X570 AORUS ELITE WIFI ATX AM4 Motherboard ($209.79 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory ($74.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: Intel 660p Series 1.02 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($94.00 @ B&H)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon RX 5700 XT 8 GB GAMING OC Video Card ($398.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Fractal Design Focus G ATX Mid Tower Case ($55.88 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Rosewill Capstone 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($85.98 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: LG WH14NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($52.88 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($98.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1265.49
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-11-19 00:39 EST-0500

So yeah. I can't tell if I'm gimping myself too hard here just to save a few hundred dollars. Thoughts?

Given that your use cases involve more than just gaming, I'd recommend the 3700X over the 3600 for the extra cores and threads.

According to this Puget Systems article, an NVIDIA 20xx Super GPU has a 15% performance advantage in After Effects. The article was written in August 2019, and perhaps recent driver updates have improved on this, but since it's one of your major use cases, it's something to be aware of.

Related to that, any game console/PC emulator that uses OpenGL will not do well on an AMD GPU due to AMD's OpenGL implementation in Windows (it'll work well in Linux, however). The Cemu developers are working on adding Vulkan support to their emulator, but if you want good Wii U console emulation right now, you're going to want an NVIDIA GPU.

And how fast/often do you think you'll fill that Intel 660p up since your intent it to use it as a scratch drive? When it's near full capacity, its performance is going to dramatically decrease.

ObbyDent · Nov 19, 2019

Santini said:
Given that your use cases involve more than just gaming, I'd recommend the 3700X over the 3600 for the extra cores and threads.

According to this Puget Systems article, an NVIDIA 20xx Super GPU has a 15% performance advantage in After Effects. The article was written in August 2019, and perhaps recent driver updates have improved on this, but since it's one of your major use cases, it's something to be aware of.

Related to that, any game console/PC emulator that uses OpenGL will not do well on an AMD GPU due to AMD's OpenGL implementation in Windows (it'll work well in Linux, however). The Cemu developers are working on adding Vulkan support to their emulator, but if you want good Wii U console emulation right now, you're going to want an NVIDIA GPU.

And how fast/often do you think you'll fill that Intel 660p up since your intent it to use it as a scratch drive? When it's near full capacity, its performance is going to dramatically decrease.

Aw shit, now I'm questioning everything lol

I definitely plan on purging it (the SSD) often. I haven't had an issue with my current scratch drive so far.

Mr.Beep · Nov 19, 2019

What does 1440p look like on a 28" 4k monitor? I would go native, but I'm thinking I'd like to watch movies at 4k and game at 1440p.

Will an extra inch make a massive difference when 1440p is 27" native?

Zeth · Nov 19, 2019

Can I boot from my current SSD Win 10 install on my all new system and then buy a new key or pay for a new license? Or do I need a boot usb?

AL_ · Nov 19, 2019

Ok I think I'm set on this build. I have a reference 2080ti that I will be using FYI.

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/8vvsXv

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 3900X 3.8 GHz 12-Core Processor ($499.99 @ Best Buy)
Motherboard: ASRock X570 CREATOR ATX AM4 Motherboard ($503.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Trident Z Neo 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory ($169.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 860 Evo 1 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($139.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: Sabrent Rocket 4.0 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($169.48 @ Amazon)
Storage: Sabrent Rocket 4.0 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($169.48 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair HX Platinum 750 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($149.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1802.89
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-11-19 09:13 EST-0500

Anyone have recommendations? Like some big storage SSDs? I'm not skipping out on anything this time around and I'm willing to listen to what suggestions y'all got even if they are expensive :D

I play games, audio production, light video editing, and recently just got into 3D art/rendering so this thing will be used quite a bit.

Edit: I previously mentioned in this thread that this Mobo is needed as my audio interfaces for production all run thunderbolt 3

Evolution of Metal · Nov 19, 2019

AL_ said:
Ok I think I'm set on this build. I have a reference 2080ti that I will be using FYI.

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/8vvsXv

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 3900X 3.8 GHz 12-Core Processor ($499.99 @ Best Buy)
Motherboard: ASRock X570 CREATOR ATX AM4 Motherboard ($503.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Trident Z Neo 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory ($169.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 860 Evo 1 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($139.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: Sabrent Rocket 4.0 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($169.48 @ Amazon)
Storage: Sabrent Rocket 4.0 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($169.48 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair HX Platinum 750 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($149.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1802.89
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-11-19 09:13 EST-0500

Anyone have recommendations? Like some big storage SSDs? I'm not skipping out on anything this time around and I'm willing to listen to what suggestions y'all got even if they are expensive :D

I play games, audio production, light video editing, and recently just got into 3D art/rendering so this thing will be used quite a bit.

Edit: I previously mentioned in this thread that this Mobo is needed as my audio interfaces for production all run thunderbolt 3

You need a CPU cooler. And case? Since you are sparing no expenses, get the Noctua D15.

There are more cost efficient SSD for storage: WD Blue, Samsung QVO, Crucial MX500. Get whichever one is cheapest $/TB. Sabrent Rocket should NOT cost $170/TB, it is about $120.

Before you buy, list the prices, people will either find better prices, or alternatives.

Evolution of Metal · Nov 19, 2019

Zeth said:
Can I boot from my current SSD Win 10 install on my all new system and then buy a new key or pay for a new license? Or do I need a boot usb?

Maybe, maybe not. Just do the clean install from the start: you can download Windows installer and install without keys.

Keys are usually transferable, even the $2 ebay, you need to log-in with MS account and use the virtual agent to deselect the old machine and select the new one, about 5 minutes.

leehom · Nov 19, 2019

Thinking about piecing together a new miniITX PC from now up to next summer for work, web browsing, facebook, and older steam games.

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/XG4PV7

CPU: Intel Core i7-9700K 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor ($339.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-L9i 33.84 CFM CPU Cooler ($39.95 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus ROG STRIX Z390-I GAMING Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard ($197.15 @ Walmart)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory ($72.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 970 Evo 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($149.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6 GB SC ULTRA GAMING Video Card ($279.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Lian Li TU150 Mini ITX Desktop Case
Power Supply: Corsair SF 450 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully Modular SFX Power Supply ($84.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1165.03

Biggest issue is finding the Lian Li case. Seems to be out of stock everywhere with no ETA. Isn't the new AMD/Intel cpu's coming out next Spring? Any suggestions on better parts?
From the benchmarks I saw, seems like the i7-9700 performs slightly better than the Ryzen 7 3700x?

Duck Sauce · Nov 19, 2019

So i'm running into a problem with my spare part build. I originally bought Some G skill Neo 3600 CL14 for a Ryzen build. Well after having issues I returned the Ryzen and just used the ram with another build. An intel build to be exact. When ever I use the XMP profiles (3600 MHZ) games crash straight to the desktop with no error. When I lower the overclock or remove it, it's completely fine. Anyone ever run into this problem?

The build is a 9900K, Z390 Hero Wifi, 32GB of that gskill neo, and a 1080ti Asus Strix.

LordDraven · Nov 19, 2019

Hi all. I'm looking for recommendations, whether it be now or wait a bit, on what my next hardware upgrade should be. I use my PC for pure gaming. Shooters (Battlefield 5 etc.), RPGs (Witcher 3 etc) etc

Current PC
i7 6700K
EVGA 1070 8GB
MSI Z170A Gaming M7 Motherboard (https://us.msi.com/Motherboard/Z170A-GAMING-M7.html)
16GB RAM
500GB SSD Samsung EVO

I game on a 120Hz monitor at 1440p resolution, if you want to take that in to account as well.

Thanks!

Mullet2000 · Nov 19, 2019

LordDraven said:
Hi all. I'm looking for recommendations, whether it be now or wait a bit, on what my next hardware upgrade should be. I use my PC for pure gaming. Shooters (Battlefield 5 etc.), RPGs (Witcher 3 etc) etc

Current PC
i7 6700K
EVGA 1070 8GB
MSI Z170A Gaming M7 Motherboard (https://us.msi.com/Motherboard/Z170A-GAMING-M7.html)
16GB RAM
500GB SSD Samsung EVO

I game on a 120Hz monitor at 1440p resolution, if you want to take that in to account as well.

Thanks!

I have a very similar build to you. i7 4790, 980 ti, 16 GB RAM, 500 GB SATA SSD. With a 1440p/144hz monitor.

GPU wise I think it makes sense to wait for the Ampere cards. 1070/980 ti is starting to hurt a bit for 1440p users but a 7ish month wait will be worth it I think, we should get a lot better value for money from a 3070 or 3080 than the performance uplift that a 2070 super or 2080 super would give us.

However what I'm thinking of doing is building the rest of the PC soon (Jan or Feb) and just using the 980 ti in it till the 3080 is out and swapping that it. For me at least, modern games are starting to Max out my CPU a lot so I want to move to a Ryzen 3700x, move up to DDR4 Ram, get some M.2 SSDs etc. Ryzen 3000 series just came out and Intel's new CPUs won't be out till 2021, so if you're wanting to build in the next 6-12 months it's a pretty good time to grab a new CPU/Motherboard/RAM/Storage/etc. RAM is pretty damn cheap right now too, so it's a good time to buy that, too.

AL_ · Nov 19, 2019

Evolution of Metal said:
You need a CPU cooler. And case? Since you are sparing no expenses, get the Noctua D15.

There are more cost efficient SSD for storage: WD Blue, Samsung QVO, Crucial MX500. Get whichever one is cheapest $/TB. Sabrent Rocket should NOT cost $170/TB, it is about $120.

Before you buy, list the prices, people will either find better prices, or alternatives.

Sorry I knew I should have included everything I already have. I have a Lian Li O11 AIR and a Corsair H150i pro cooler. Thank you for the tip on the SSDs I will look into it today! Also the Sabrent seems to be the cheapest pci4.0 m.2 available unless I am mistaken

macindc · Nov 19, 2019

Just finished buying the last parts for (part 1 of) my new build. Thanks to all who gave me feedback before.
I was going to wait until Black Friday but looking at the flyers that came out so far it looked unlikely that the parts I had on my list were going to be discounted further, and the combo deal I got from Micro Center was too good to pass on.

This is what I ultimately ended up with. Prices at $0 are carried over from my old build, and everything else has 6% sales tax included which is why some numbers are a little funky looking. (The GPU is old but I'm waiting until Ampere comes out in 2020 to upgrade as I'm aiming for 4K/60FPS gaming when it's done.)
Bluray drive is in here because I'm ripping my BD discs for a Plex server as well as emulating PS3 games. (Likewise the mechanical drive is there for media storage re: Plex)

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor (Purchased For $317.99)
Motherboard: Gigabyte X570 AORUS PRO WIFI ATX AM4 Motherboard (Purchased For $211.99)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory (Purchased For $81.61)
Storage: Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive (Purchased For $190.79)
Storage: Seagate BarraCuda Pro 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (Purchased For $101.75)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4 GB SSC ACX 2.0+ Video Card (Purchased For $0.00)
Power Supply: Corsair RMx 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (Purchased For $0.00)
Optical Drive: LG WH16NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer (Purchased For $64.58)
Total: $968.71
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-11-19 11:04 EST-0500

So how'd I do? I haven't started assembly yet so if I made any really big "oops" I can still return them.

Cien · Nov 19, 2019

leehom said:
Thinking about piecing together a new miniITX PC from now up to next summer for work, web browsing, facebook, and older steam games.

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/XG4PV7

CPU: Intel Core i7-9700K 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor ($339.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-L9i 33.84 CFM CPU Cooler ($39.95 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus ROG STRIX Z390-I GAMING Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard ($197.15 @ Walmart)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory ($72.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 970 Evo 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($149.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6 GB SC ULTRA GAMING Video Card ($279.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Lian Li TU150 Mini ITX Desktop Case
Power Supply: Corsair SF 450 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully Modular SFX Power Supply ($84.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1165.03

Biggest issue is finding the Lian Li case. Seems to be out of stock everywhere with no ETA. Isn't the new AMD/Intel cpu's coming out next Spring? Any suggestions on better parts?
From the benchmarks I saw, seems like the i7-9700 performs slightly better than the Ryzen 7 3700x?

I gave up on the Lian Li TU150, and went back to my old faithful, the NZXT H210

closer · Nov 19, 2019

nvme storage is kinda extra right? like the practical application of having this much faster of a drive is likely not meaningful to the typical consumer? literally ignorant, so im asking

also I'm used to purchasing intel/nvidia products and I'm also kind of ignorant on this, there is no meaningful difference between them and their AMD equivalents yeah? (for both processors/gpus)

Also can someone kindly school me in a dummy way about the difference between ddr3/4 and, again, whether there is a meaningful difference?

LordDraven · Nov 19, 2019

Mullet2000 said:
I have a very similar build to you. i7 4790, 980 ti, 16 GB RAM, 500 GB SATA SSD. With a 1440p/144hz monitor.

GPU wise I think it makes sense to wait for the Ampere cards. 1070/980 ti is starting to hurt a bit for 1440p users but a 7ish month wait will be worth it I think, we should get a lot better value for money from a 3070 or 3080 than the performance uplift that a 2070 super or 2080 super would give us.

However what I'm thinking of doing is building the rest of the PC soon (Jan or Feb) and just using the 980 ti in it till the 3080 is out and swapping that it. For me at least, modern games are starting to Max out my CPU a lot so I want to move to a Ryzen 3700x, move up to DDR4 Ram, get some M.2 SSDs etc. Ryzen 3000 series just came out and Intel's new CPUs won't be out till 2021, so if you're wanting to build in the next 6-12 months it's a pretty good time to grab a new CPU/Motherboard/RAM/Storage/etc. RAM is pretty damn cheap right now too, so it's a good time to buy that, too.

thanks! further questions....

1. Ryzen 3700x - is that the best upgrade from my current i7 6700k?
2. will my memory work on an AMD MB? I have an INTEL based MB currently.
3. Why wouldnt a 9700k be an option for me from 6700k? i would be able to keep my MB and that keeps cost down. Also, it's 8 core where I am currently on 4 core

Papacheeks · Nov 19, 2019

LordDraven said:
thanks! further questions....

1. Ryzen 3700x - is that the best upgrade from my current i7 6700k?
2. will my memory work on an AMD MB? I have an INTEL based MB currently.
3. Why wouldnt a 9700k be an option for me from 6700k? i would be able to keep my MB and that keeps cost down. Also, it's 8 core where I am currently on 4 core

What speed is your DDR4?

closer said:
nvme storage is kinda extra right? like the practical application of having this much faster of a drive is likely not meaningful to the typical consumer? literally ignorant, so im asking

also I'm used to purchasing intel/nvidia products and I'm also kind of ignorant on this, there is no meaningful difference between them and their AMD equivalents yeah? (for both processors/gpus)

Also can someone kindly school me in a dummy way about the difference between ddr3/4 and, again, whether there is a meaningful difference?

Pretty big difference in OS installs, Program installs, game installs, and updates. Where I see the difference is when loading in the game like PUBG. Going NVME for OS and primary programs like adobe is a good way of having best of both worlds. Editing on a NVME and doing exports/transfers is lightning fast.

I would go mid NVME like a 500gb, and then go 1tb 2.5 ssd for mass game storage.

After having that setup with such a fast boot time, it's hard to back to anything else.

macindc said:
Just finished buying the last parts for (part 1 of) my new build. Thanks to all who gave me feedback before.
I was going to wait until Black Friday but looking at the flyers that came out so far it looked unlikely that the parts I had on my list were going to be discounted further, and the combo deal I got from Micro Center was too good to pass on.

This is what I ultimately ended up with. Prices at $0 are carried over from my old build, and everything else has 6% sales tax included which is why some numbers are a little funky looking. (The GPU is old but I'm waiting until Ampere comes out in 2020 to upgrade as I'm aiming for 4K/60FPS gaming when it's done.)
Bluray drive is in here because I'm ripping my BD discs for a Plex server as well as emulating PS3 games. (Likewise the mechanical drive is there for media storage re: Plex)

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor (Purchased For $317.99)
Motherboard: Gigabyte X570 AORUS PRO WIFI ATX AM4 Motherboard (Purchased For $211.99)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory (Purchased For $81.61)
Storage: Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive (Purchased For $190.79)
Storage: Seagate BarraCuda Pro 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (Purchased For $101.75)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4 GB SSC ACX 2.0+ Video Card (Purchased For $0.00)
Power Supply: Corsair RMx 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (Purchased For $0.00)
Optical Drive: LG WH16NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer (Purchased For $64.58)
Total: $968.71
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-11-19 11:04 EST-0500

So how'd I do? I haven't started assembly yet so if I made any really big "oops" I can still return them.

I would save $70 go with this:

https://www.newegg.com/hp-ex950-1tb/p/N82E16820326041

And this instead of the mechanical:

https://www.newegg.com/mushkin-enhanced-raw-series-1tb/p/N82E16820226908

eddy · Nov 19, 2019

LordDraven said:
1. Ryzen 3700x - is that the best upgrade from my current i7 6700k?
2. will my memory work on an AMD MB? I have an INTEL based MB currently.
3. Why wouldnt a 9700k be an option for me from 6700k? i would be able to keep my MB and that keeps cost down. Also, it's 8 core where I am currently on 4 core

1. Pass/Subjective.
2. Yes, though it may not have the optimal speed (Ryzen like 3200MT and above)
3. No, Z170 boards does not support the 9700k. You can check the compatibility list at the link you provided.

Mullet2000 · Nov 19, 2019

LordDraven said:
thanks! further questions....

1. Ryzen 3700x - is that the best upgrade from my current i7 6700k?
2. will my memory work on an AMD MB? I have an INTEL based MB currently.
3. Why wouldnt a 9700k be an option for me from 6700k? i would be able to keep my MB and that keeps cost down. Also, it's 8 core where I am currently on 4 core

1. Best bang for buck imo, yeah.
2. If the RAM is DDR4, yes it will. However check the speed. With a Ryzen CPU you want at least 3200mhz/CL 16 RAM, if not better (I'm getting 3600mhz CL16 personally). RAM Speed effects performance with Ryzen CPUs and anything slower than 3200mhz/CL 16 is going to effect performance fairly significantly.
3. You would need a new motherboard going from 6700 to 9700. As for 9700 vs 3700x, it is an option, however the 9700k is 8 cores/8 threads. The 3700x is 8 cores/16 threads. The 9700k performs a little bit better than the 3700x right now (maybe 6-8% better on average?) But I think in the long run the extra threads on the 3700x are a good investment. Next gen consoles are going to have 8 core/16 thread CPUs, so you'll be at parity with them.

Evolution of Metal · Nov 19, 2019

AL_ said:
Sorry I knew I should have included everything I already have. I have a Lian Li O11 AIR and a Corsair H150i pro cooler. Thank you for the tip on the SSDs I will look into it today! Also the Sabrent seems to be the cheapest pci4.0 m.2 available unless I am mistaken

That PCIE 4.0 is a gimmick for NVME drives. It increases the synthetic performance, but it is irrelevant for real life performance. Don't pay any extra for 4.0 capability.

LordDraven · Nov 19, 2019

Mullet2000 eddy which MB do you all recommend with a 9700k since I have to upgrade mine?

Wraith · Nov 19, 2019

closer said:
nvme storage is kinda extra right? like the practical application of having this much faster of a drive is likely not meaningful to the typical consumer? literally ignorant, so im asking

also I'm used to purchasing intel/nvidia products and I'm also kind of ignorant on this, there is no meaningful difference between them and their AMD equivalents yeah? (for both processors/gpus)

Also can someone kindly school me in a dummy way about the difference between ddr3/4 and, again, whether there is a meaningful difference?

Today, budget NVMe drives are roughly the same price as SATA drives, or carry a very small premium. Higher end NVMe drives may carry more of a premium. As for real world speeds, there won't be as much of a difference as there was going from a 5400RPM or 7200RPM drive to SATA SSD. But at this point for people doing a new build, it's kind of why not just go NVMe. Even if you're on a budget and can't fit your whole game library on it, you can at least get your OS and a number of games on it.

Intel vs. AMD - AMD's made up a lot of ground in recent years with Ryzen. They are kind of dominating the budget-to-midrange space, and giving Intel strong competition in upper-midrange-to-high end. Intel still has some per-core performance advantage, but AMD's options usually make the most sense from a price-performance perspective. Plus when we're talking about high-resolution gaming at Ultra/Max settings, the difference between CPUs narrows as everything becomes GPU-bound.

Nvidia vs. AMD - Nvidia still dominates the top end, but AMD's got some solid options for upper-midrange (5700, 5700 XT). Their budget cards (570/580/590) are a bit long in the tooth, and some will be replaced in coming months. Monitor may drive your GPU choice. If you've got a native G-Sync monitor, you'll want nvidia. If your monitor does FreeSync but isn't G-Sync compatible (something introduced in recent years), you may want AMD. But if it's FreeSync + G-Sync compatible, you can take your pick of AMD or nvidia, based on your budget. AMD seems to be working out some driver gremlins on their latest cards.

DDR3 and DDR4 - It depends on what your board supports; it's only going to be one or the other, so there's no real debate to be made between them. All modern boards run DDR4. If you're upgrading an older PC (from like 4+ years ago), it might be DDR3. DDR4 runs at lower voltage and higher clock speeds. DDR4 2133 is the lowest end stuff, and DDR4 3000 or 3200 seems to be most popular for gaming builds.

Mullet2000 · Nov 19, 2019

LordDraven said:
Mullet2000 eddy which MB do you all recommend with a 9700k since I have to upgrade mine?

I actually don't know very much about Z370 motherboards, so someone else is going to have to answer that!

Papacheeks · Nov 19, 2019

Mullet2000 said:
1. Best bang for buck imo, yeah.
2. If the RAM is DDR4, yes it will. However check the speed. With a Ryzen CPU you want at least 3200mhz/CL 16 RAM, if not better (I'm getting 3600mhz CL16 personally). RAM Speed effects performance with Ryzen CPUs and anything slower than 3200mhz/CL 16 is going to effect performance fairly significantly.
3. You would need a new motherboard going from 6700 to 9700. As for 9700 vs 3700x, it is an option, however the 9700k is 8 cores/8 threads. The 3700x is 8 cores/16 threads. The 9700k performs a little bit better than the 3700x right now (maybe 6-8% better on average?) But I think in the long run the extra threads on the 3700x are a good investment. Next gen consoles are going to have 8 core/16 thread CPUs, so you'll be at parity with them.

Thats not true.

Anything past 3600 is diminishing returns:

https://www.gamersnexus.net/guides/3508-ryzen-3000-memory-benchmark-best-ram-fclk-uclock-mclock

It honestly depends on the kit. I think getting a good 3200 kit with tight timmings is the better way to go.

Mullet2000 · Nov 19, 2019

Papacheeks said:
Thats not true.

Anything past 3600 is diminishing returns:

https://www.gamersnexus.net/guides/3508-ryzen-3000-memory-benchmark-best-ram-fclk-uclock-mclock

It honestly depends on the kit. I think getting a good 3200 kit with tight timmings is the better way to go.

Yeah, that info seems in line with what I suggested. 3200mhz/CL 16 as a good pairing, higher if you want (like 3600mhz 16 CL which is what I'm doing), and I suggested not to go lower than the 3200mhz/CL16.

Papacheeks · Nov 19, 2019

Mullet2000 said:
Yeah, that info seems in line with what I suggested. 3200mhz/CL 16 as a good pairing, higher if you want (like 3600mhz 16 CL which is what I'm doing), and I suggested not to go lower than the 3200mhz/CL16.

I would say if you can get 14cl do it.

ThreepQuest64 · Nov 19, 2019

Mullet2000 said:
With a Ryzen CPU you want at least 3200mhz/CL 16 RAM, if not better (I'm getting 3600mhz CL16 personally). RAM Speed effects performance with Ryzen CPUs and anything slower than 3200mhz/CL 16 is going to effect performance fairly significantly.

Doesn't it only apply if your application/game isn't GPU limited? If CPU performance isn't crucial because your GPU is running out of breath way before your CPU, does it still affect performance?

Mullet2000 · Nov 19, 2019

Papacheeks said:
I would say if you can get 14cl do it.

Agreed. Which is why I'm doing 3600/16, basically the same as 3200/14 but 3600/16 seems cheaper when I live. But 3200/16 is a good "baseline" for a Ryzen system imo.

ThreepQuest64 said:
Doesn't it only apply if your application/game isn't GPU limited? If CPU performance isn't crucial because your GPU is running out of breath way before your CPU, does it still affect performance?

Depends what you're doing. If you have a high refresh rate monitor the CPU has a much higher chance to end up effecting your framerate ceiling than if you're, say, locking to 60hz. And it depends on the game too.

I just think it's a good idea to get fast RAM to ensure it doesn't become a bottleneck for you, whether now or later. Would suck to drop $400 on a processor but have it get only 90% of what it could be getting because you didn't drop an extra $30 on faster RAM, right?

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

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