The PC Builders Thread ("I Need a New PC") v3

Eblo · Oct 10, 2020

I'm looking at a CPU upgrade to pair my GPU upgrade in the future. I'm currently rocking an i5-6600k overclocked to 4.6 GHz paired with a GTX 1070. I've been hitting 100% CPU utilization in some newer games, such as RE3 Remake. It gets to the point where the games will completely freeze up graphically at points while still playing audio. I plan to get an RTX 3080 if that ever becomes possible lol, but I feel like I could benefit from a CPU upgrade now. I do some emulation and feel like RPCS3 would welcome the upgrade as well.

Ideally I would like to spend around $300 USD on the new CPU, not counting the motherboard upgrade I would have to get no matter which CPU I choose. I've been eyeing the i5-10600k. Is that the way to go? I'm not too familiar with AMD CPUs as I've never had one, but it sounds like people aren't too hot on the Zen 3 reveal.

Motherboard recommendations to go with the CPU are welcome, as I don't know what to choose aside from something to fit the standard components plus an NVMe M.2 SSD.

Edit: Also, are overclock/voltage settings stored on the motherboard? I wouldn't want the fiddling I did with my 6600k to carry over to whatever I upgrade to.

Edit again: I aim for 1080p144 gaming if helps.

gully state · Oct 10, 2020

Is there a good guide approach to setting up a cpu fan curve? I know how to do it from a technical standpoint but getting an optimal fan curve but actually designing a proper curve is confusing to me. Right now I have the fan running at 40% right off the bat and 80-100% over 50-70C... feels aggressive but then my 3700x on stock at 3.5 ghz runs into the high 70s under load playing control with peaks in the low 80's(unsure how long it stays in that temp)

edit :I'm using the stock wraith prism cooler

Olrac · Oct 10, 2020

Any recommendations for a motherboard to go with Ryzen 3900xt? I was thinking the Asus AM4 Tuf If I don't need to build this until Dec/Jan - is there any other board to wait on or maybe there will be a bios refresh for the Zen 3 stuff?

hyouko · Oct 10, 2020

Olrac said:
Any recommendations for a motherboard to go with Ryzen 3900xt? I was thinking the Asus AM4 Tuf If I don't need to build this until Dec/Jan - is there any other board to wait on or maybe there will be a bios refresh for the Zen 3 stuff?

The X570 boards are getting BIOS updates in advance of the Zen 3 launch (actually, I think many/most already have them). In terms of boards recs, I think the MSI Tomahawk x570 and the Gigabyte Aorus Pro x570 do pretty well? Currently on the latter and it's fine.

Serpens007 · Oct 10, 2020

Ok so I'm finally deciding the upgrade path

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

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor ($198.81 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B550M Pro4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($104.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory ($64.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Blue SN550 500 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($57.99 @ Amazon)

I got two questions

1) Should I just keep the AMD Cooler or go for a different option? Regular use for gaming
2) How's that NVME SSD ? Is there a better option for 500GB around that price point?

I'm gonna re-use PSU until I can actually buy one locally (I'm not sure if I should import one from Amazon), the 2TB HDD, case, fans, and the 1060 6gb until I can buy a 3060/Ti/Whatever AMD Mid-Range is.

Deleted member 12323 · Oct 10, 2020

gully state said:
Is there a good guide approach to setting up a cpu fan curve? I know how to do it from a technical standpoint but getting an optimal fan curve but actually designing a proper curve is confusing to me. Right now I have the fan running at 40% right off the bat and 80-100% over 50-70C... feels aggressive but then my 3700x on stock at 3.5 ghz runs into the high 70s under load playing control with peaks in the low 80's(unsure how long it stays in that temp)

edit :I'm using the stock wraith prism cooler

perhaps ask here https://www.resetera.com/threads/to...tune-etc-lets-see-yours.302351/#post-47914304

Deleted member 56752 · Oct 10, 2020

how often do you guys clean your PC? I'm nearing 1 year since I bought my prebuilt and I've never once opened it up. I'm wondering if i should do that and clean it in some way

Gifted · Oct 10, 2020

Serpens007 said:
Ok so I'm finally deciding the upgrade path

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

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor ($198.81 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B550M Pro4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($104.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory ($64.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Blue SN550 500 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($57.99 @ Amazon)

I got two questions

1) Should I just keep the AMD Cooler or go for a different option? Regular use for gaming
2) How's that NVME SSD ? Is there a better option for 500GB around that price point?

I'm gonna re-use PSU until I can actually buy one locally (I'm not sure if I should import one from Amazon), the 2TB HDD, case, fans, and the 1060 6gb until I can buy a 3060/Ti/Whatever AMD Mid-Range is.

For the SSD, get the Adata XPG SX8200 Pro for $7 more, it's a much better drive.

super-famicom · Oct 10, 2020

boxingiscool said:
how often do you guys clean your PC? I'm nearing 1 year since I bought my prebuilt and I've never once opened it up. I'm wondering if i should do that and clean it in some way

Depending on how dusty your region gets, cleaning a PC once a month or every other month is pretty reasonable. Just use an electric air blower.

SmartWaffles · Oct 10, 2020

Eblo said:
I'm looking at a CPU upgrade to pair my GPU upgrade in the future. I'm currently rocking an i5-6600k overclocked to 4.6 GHz paired with a GTX 1070. I've been hitting 100% CPU utilization in some newer games, such as RE3 Remake. It gets to the point where the games will completely freeze up graphically at points while still playing audio. I plan to get an RTX 3080 if that ever becomes possible lol, but I feel like I could benefit from a CPU upgrade now. I do some emulation and feel like RPCS3 would welcome the upgrade as well.

Ideally I would like to spend around $300 USD on the new CPU, not counting the motherboard upgrade I would have to get no matter which CPU I choose. I've been eyeing the i5-10600k. Is that the way to go? I'm not too familiar with AMD CPUs as I've never had one, but it sounds like people aren't too hot on the Zen 3 reveal.

Motherboard recommendations to go with the CPU are welcome, as I don't know what to choose aside from something to fit the standard components plus an NVMe M.2 SSD.

Edit: Also, are overclock/voltage settings stored on the motherboard? I wouldn't want the fiddling I did with my 6600k to carry over to whatever I upgrade to.

Edit again: I aim for 1080p144 gaming if helps.

The upcoming Ryzen 5 5600X is likely a better CPU than the 10600K. Wait till November 5th for reviews. Alternatively get the Ryzen 7 3700X, still a very good CPU plus you get 16 threads instead of 12.

Deleted member 56752 · Oct 10, 2020

super-famicom said:
Depending on how dusty your region gets, cleaning a PC once a month or every other month is pretty reasonable. Just use an electric air blower.

can i just use my mouth and blow into it

super-famicom · Oct 10, 2020

boxingiscool said:
can i just use my mouth and blow into it

If you want to introduce wet droplets to your electronic components, go ahead.

Odinsmana · Oct 10, 2020

Hey! It's my first time posting here and I have a rookie question. I got my local PC store to build a PC with parts I picked out a few years ago. Lately I have noticed that my CPU isn't pulling it's weight anymore and I am planning on replacing it. My question is: how easy is it to break the CPU (or some other part) while replacing it? It seems like a pretty delicate piece of machinery and is very expensive which makes me a bit nervous about doing it on my own since I have never done any PC tinkering before.

SmartWaffles · Oct 10, 2020

Odinsmana said:
Hey! It's my first time posting here and I have a rookie question. I got my local PC store to build a PC with parts I picked out a few years ago. Lately I have noticed that my CPU isn't pulling it's weight anymore and I am planning on replacing it. My question is: how easy is it to break the CPU (or some other part) while replacing it? It seems like a pretty delicate piece of machinery and is very expensive which makes me a bit nervous about doing it on my own since I have never done any PC tinkering before.

Depends on what you actually have. If it's like pretty old you might need to replace the motherboard and even RAM as well.

Deleted member 56752 · Oct 10, 2020

super-famicom said:
If you want to introduce wet droplets to your electronic components, go ahead.

That's fair. It was pretty clean in there.

Odinsmana · Oct 10, 2020

SmartWaffles said:
Depends on what you actually have. If it's like pretty old you might need to replace the motherboard and even RAM as well.

I have checked out that my motherboard is compatible with the CPUs I am looking at. I didn't realize the RAM might be a problem though. I was more wondering about how easy it is to fuck up the actual physical process of removing the old CPU and inserting the new. The pins on the CPU seem like they would break super easily and the thermal paste looks like it could probably damage something if applied incorrectly.

Vulcano's Assistant · Oct 10, 2020

Odinsmana said:
I have checked out that my motherboard is compatible with the CPUs I am looking at. I didn't realize the RAM might be a problem though. I was more wondering about how easy it is to fuck up the actual physical process of removing the old CPU and inserting the new. The pins on the CPU seem like they would break super easily and the thermal paste looks like it could probably damage something if applied incorrectly.

The pins under the CPU are the most delicate part, but they are sturdy and should not break or bent under any step of the process, you are just laying it on top and/or removing it. Pins on Ryzen CPUs are also more sturdy than the reverse, pins on intel or threadripper mobos. With a threadripper that's where you have to be careful because dropping the substantially heavier cpu on top of the socket can ruin your day. Mainstream chips are much lighter, so unless you drop the chip to the floor I don't think you will bent the pins by being a bit clumsy.

As for thermal paste. Non electrically conductive paste should not damage anything if you use too much, and even if make a mess it can be cleaned. Extreme overclockers often cover their entire boards with vaseline when they do liquid nitrogen.

PhantomFFR · Oct 10, 2020

Odinsmana said:
I have checked out that my motherboard is compatible with the CPUs I am looking at. I didn't realize the RAM might be a problem though. I was more wondering about how easy it is to fuck up the actual physical process of removing the old CPU and inserting the new. The pins on the CPU seem like they would break super easily and the thermal paste looks like it could probably damage something if applied incorrectly.

So what CPU do you have right now, and what are you looking at?

Depending on Intel or AMD there are different things to look out for. But no, the pins are not _that_ delicate (meaning: they won't bend/break by just looking at them. Obviously you don't want to be careless). And unless you were to use electrically conductive thermal paste (most is not), using too much/spill over will just be messy but not functional problem.

Odinsmana · Oct 10, 2020

Vulcano's Assistant said:
The pins under the CPU are the most delicate part, but they are sturdy and should not break or bent under any step of the process, you are just laying it on top and/or removing it. Pins on Ryzen CPUs are also more sturdy than the reverse, pins on intel or threadripper mobos. With a threadripper that's where you have to be careful because dropping the substantially heavier cpu on top of the socket can ruin your day. Mainstream chips are much lighter, so unless you drop the chip to the floor I don't think you will bent the pins by being a bit clumsy.

As for thermal paste. Non electrically conductive paste should not damage anything if you use too much, and even if make a mess it can be cleaned. Extreme overclockers often cover their entire boards with vaseline when they do liquid nitrogen.

Thanks the response. It's good to hear they are not as fragile as they look.

PhantomFFR said:
So what CPU do you have right now, and what are you looking at?

Depending on Intel or AMD there are different things to look out for. But no, the pins are not _that_ delicate (meaning: they won't bend/break by just looking at them. Obviously you don't want to be careless). And unless you were to use electrically conductive thermal paste (most is not), using too much/spill over will just be messy but not functional problem.

I don't have my computer in front of me, but I think my current CPU is the i5-5500 and I am looking at upgrading to the i9-9900 KF.

PhantomFFR · Oct 10, 2020

Odinsmana said:
I don't have my computer in front of me, but I think my current CPU is the i5-5500 and I am looking at upgrading to the i9-9900 KF.

That... seems very unlikely.
1) There was no i5-5500
2) The iX-5xxx generation was not really available on the free market. So unless you bought a pre-built (which it did not sound like you did), you probably don't have one.
3) Even if you had a i5-5xxx, you could not upgrade it to a i9-9900 without swapping the mainboard and the RAM. Up until and including the 5th generation (iX-5xxx), Intel used DDR3-RAM, from the iX-6xxx Intel switched to DDR4. DDR3 and DDR4 are not compatible. Intel also tends to require you to change your mainboard every two CPU-generations, even if the socket is physically the same. So 4th and 5th generation can be used on the same mainboards, 6th and 7th gen can be used on the same motherboards, 8th and 9th gen can be used on the same motherboards, etc.

ApexNorth · Oct 10, 2020

Hey!

I am looking at buying a NVME M.2 Drive and I don't really wanna spend anymore than £40/$50.

I've been looking on Amazon and I've come across this drive: ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro 256GB
According to CamelCamelCamel that is pretty much the lowest it's ever been, does anyone think that'll go lower on Prime Day? Or should I just pull the trigger?

I am open to any other drive suggestions, I should note that this is to boot the OS(Windows 10) only, I don't really plan on playing any games or storing any files on it.

Odinsmana · Oct 10, 2020

PhantomFFR said:
That... seems very unlikely.
1) There was no i5-5500
2) The iX-5xxx generation was not really available on the free market. So unless you bought a pre-built (which it did not sound like you did), you probably don't have one.
3) Even if you had a i5-5xxx, you could not upgrade it to a i9-9900 without swapping the mainboard and the RAM. Up until and including the 5th generation (iX-5xxx), Intel used DDR3-RAM, from the iX-6xxx Intel switched to DDR4. DDR3 and DDR4 are not compatible. Intel also tends to require you to change your mainboard every two CPU-generations, even if the socket is physically the same. So 4th and 5th generation can be used on the same mainboards, 6th and 7th gen can be used on the same motherboards, 8th and 9th gen can be used on the same motherboards, etc.

I probably just misremembered the number right now. What I have is an i5 with a 1151 socket. The i9-9900 also uses a 1151 socket. I didn't realize the new CPU might not be compatible with the RAM in my current motherboard though. I'll have to check that out.

PhantomFFR · Oct 10, 2020

Odinsmana said:
I probably just misremembered the number right now. What I have is an i5 with a 1151 socket. The i9-9900 also uses a 1151 socket. I didn't realize the new CPU might not be compatible with the RAM in my current motherboard though. I'll have to check that out.

No. That's not really where the problem of RAM compatibility lies. Basically, if the CPU does not support DDR3 or DDR4, the mainboard fitting the CPU won't either.

As for Socket 1151: That's a bit complicated, as I alluded to: This was the point in time Intel decided to not change the socket, but still limit compatibility to two generations. Socket 1151 originally came out with the 6th generation of core-i CPUs with the Z170 as the flagship chipset. Later on with the iX-7xxx, they released the Z270 chipset. all was compatible with one another. But with the iX-8xxx the socket was kept, but the chipsets were changed (Z370) and compatibility to the iX-6xxx/iX-7xxx lost. So depending on what CPU you have, your options may be fairly limited. Easy way to check: if you have 6 CPU cores, you will (BIOS pending) be able to upgrade to an i9-9900, if you only have 4 cores in your i5, you won't without swapping the motherboard. Good news however, as mentioned Intel switched to DDR4 with the 6th generation, so you can keep your RAM.

Odinsmana · Oct 10, 2020

PhantomFFR said:
No. That's not really where the problem of RAM compatibility lies. Basically, if the CPU does not support DDR3 or DDR4, the mainboard fitting the CPU won't either.

As for Socket 1151: That's a bit complicated, as I alluded to: This was the point in time Intel decided to not change the socket, but still limit compatibility to two generations. Socket 1151 originally came out with the 6th generation of core-i CPUs with the Z170 as the flagship chipset. Later on with the iX-7xxx, they released the Z270 chipset. all was compatible with one another. But with the iX-8xxx the socket was kept, but the chipsets were changed (Z370) and compatibility to the iX-6xxx/iX-7xxx lost. So depending on what CPU you have, your options may be fairly limited. Easy way to check: if you have 6 CPU cores, you will (BIOS pending) be able to upgrade to an i9-9900, if you only have 4 cores in your i5, you won't without swapping the motherboard. Good news however, as mentioned Intel switched to DDR4 with the 6th generation, so you can keep your RAM.

Thanks for the detailed answer. I will have to take a closer look before I make any purchasing decisions.

Serpens007 · Oct 10, 2020

Gifted said:
For the SSD, get the Adata XPG SX8200 Pro for $7 more, it's a much better drive.

I'll keep an eye, sadly when looking at the price locally it's almost double than the WD Blue. Where did you find it for $7 more?

Mars · Oct 10, 2020

Been messin' with overclocking my 3800X lately for whatever reason (boredom) after buying a NZXT Kraken X63 and have been able to hit 4.475 GHz @ 1.36 CPU Core Voltage/3600 XMP RAM OC without running into any issues with benchmarks (so far) using Cinebench R20 (5345 score/80c max temps) and a few games. There are a few other settings I did alter via BIOS using a combination of various guides (Tom hardware, Gamer Nexus, etc.) -- it looks there is some room to improve; lowering the volts a bit more seem to be achievable. It's crazy how much my gains have gotten so far coming from a EVGA 280mm AIO that I had to return twice after only a couple weeks, not even from overclocking, pump just kept failing. Looking to buy a better (airflow) case in a few weeks before CP2077 is released... and also maybe swapping out my motherboard for something a little bit heftier (currently using Gigabyte X570 Gaming X -- which I still like; solid performance but lacking in a few areas)

Wondering if anyone else messed with OCing Ryzen 3000 series and what have their experiences have been?

Gifted · Oct 10, 2020

ApexNorth said:
Hey!

I am looking at buying a NVME M.2 Drive and I don't really wanna spend anymore than £40/$50.

I've been looking on Amazon and I've come across this drive: ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro 256GB
According to CamelCamelCamel that is pretty much the lowest it's ever been, does anyone think that'll go lower on Prime Day? Or should I just pull the trigger?

I am open to any other drive suggestions, I should note that this is to boot the OS(Windows 10) only, I don't really plan on playing any games or storing any files on it.

I doubt it's going much lower, it's possible though.

Serpens007 said:
I'll keep an eye, sadly when looking at the price locally it's almost double than the WD Blue. Where did you find it for $7 more?

Where are you located? I found it on Amazon assuming you're in the US

DieH@rd · Oct 10, 2020

I'm planing to move from R5 1600 to 5800X/5900X, here's what I'm aiming to get:

Gigabyte B550M Aorus Pro rev1
EVGA Supernova G2 750W
CORSAIR 32GB Vengeance LPX DDR4 3200MHz CL16 KIT CMK32GX4M2B3200C16

I'm keeping the case/storage/1080Ti and 4K60 TV [until I can get my hands on 3080/BigNavi and eventually move to 4K120 display]. I don't care much about CPU OC, stock Zen3 will obliterate my R5 1600 anyway.

Any recommendations? I'm far from affordable US/EU pricing, so these are price-sensitive components I can easily find around me.

Siresly · Oct 10, 2020

With AMD apparently not bothering with a new AM4 chipset, I'm targeting an X570.

ASUS is the only major motherboard manufacturer on the list of companies that benefit from forced labor, exploited through the oppression of and human rights violations against the Uighur people. So I don't consider ASUS motherboards and would suggest avoiding them.

MSI Tomahawk, Unify, Aorus Pro, Ultra, Master, Asrock Taichi, are the ones I've been taking a closer look at.

When looking for a motherboard you just go check some reviews, go through the manufacturers' product pages, compile and compare the stuff you care about in a spreadsheet, and hone in on the ones approved by people who have tested them, that have what you need, the most of what you want, and that are at a price you can afford.

Or for most people, probably just get the Tomahawk.

Normally I wouldn't even look at a motherboard the price level of an Aorus Master, but feel like I can afford to this time, and like I would appreciate its features over that of the tiers below. I'm basically paying for a DAC and a third M.2 slot. And a usable internal type-C header, which the Taichi might not have, depending on which revision you get. Also it's probably the best at most everything else. Except at having an HDMI port, which it does not.

There's a pretty sketchy store on Prisjakt (price comparison site) called ComputerSalg. It often has the lowest prices, and Proshop in turn often reacts to this by price matching, so that they have the lowest price, get more traffic and whatnot. So thanks ComputerSalg! You seem sketchy and bad and I will never buy a single thing from you, but you're getting me better deals.

Oh man, the stock is actually trickling down. One or two have disappeared every time I've refreshed the page throughout the day.
Yeah I'm gonna order one right now. It's at its lowest ever price, has only been lower during Black Friday. And I think the price is likely to go up as we close in on the Zen 3 launch or as they keep going through stock at this rate.

Serpens007 · Oct 10, 2020

Gifted said:
I doubt it's going much lower, it's possible though.

Where are you located? I found it on Amazon assuming you're in the US

I'm from Chile, opening that Amazon tab it says that it's only available from some sellers starting at $104.99

Senjuro · Oct 10, 2020

Am I missing something or are the Asus B550 Strix F and A versions the exact same board just with a different color?

Gifted · Oct 10, 2020

Serpens007 said:
I'm from Chile, opening that Amazon tab it says that it's only available from some sellers starting at $104.99

That's what I get for not thinking outside of my own little world. I'd recommend anything on this list in tier B or C if you can find them around the same price.

BizzyBum · Oct 10, 2020

It really sucks getting a 3080 before 2021 is basically impossible. Was hoping to build a new rig for Cyberpunk 2077. How does nvidia miss the mark so much on product demand?

So when do you guys think it will be until I can casually wake up and order a 3080 and a Zen 3, middle of next year at the very least?

Kingpin Rogers · Oct 10, 2020

Hey guys, I was just wondering what are the chances of Ram not working on a motherboard if it's not supported in the qvl? Specifically, being able to get the advertised speed through xmp or whatever? I've recently ordered a motherboard and ram but just realised the ram isn't listed on the qvl. Bit worried that I just paid for 3600-speed ram and I'll only be able to get it running at it's base speed due to it not being fully compatible or something. It's a motherboard for ryzen cpu's if that matters. Thanks.

Serpens007 · Oct 10, 2020

Gifted said:
That's what I get for not thinking outside of my own little world. I'd recommend anything on this list in tier B or C if you can find them around the same price.

Oh this is super helpful. Thanks a lot

Jamrock User · Oct 10, 2020

Just built my first pc an my God what a horrible experience. Completely my fault I saw the back plate for the motherboard and didn't know what it was...found out what it was and had to reassemble so.the cpu could be screwed down. But now my first ram slot is slightly blocked by the cpu fan and I don't want to go through that again . So I need to know will 24gb of ram harm ryzen performance? 8x8x8

Phonzo · Oct 10, 2020

Im using a z490 itx board. If i use both m.2 slots for ssd it wont slow me down in lanes on my gpu right?

Stantron · Oct 10, 2020

DDR4 3200 Mhz and CAS Latency 14 = First Word Latency 8.75 ns (not on QVL, $100 for 2x8GB)
DDR4 3600 Mhz and CAS Latency 16 = First Word Latency 8.889 ns (listed on QVL, $75 for 2x8GB)

So the 3200 RAM is slightly faster (albeit probably negligible?) than the 3600 RAM, right?
Is it that simple, or do I need to consider other factors?

Deleted member 55164 · Oct 10, 2020

Preordered the DAN A4 v4.1 to put in the lounge hooked up to my LG CX. It won't be delivered till the new year (Australia based), so have plenty of time to decide on parts.

I'm thinking 2080 Super would work as the prices should come down soon but holding on Intel or AMD processor.

Also snagged an Alpenfohn Black Ridge CPU cooler to keep options open...anyone else have a pure gaming build in this case with suggestions?

Pollux · Oct 10, 2020

Hey looking at picking up a MSI RTX 2070 Super - CPU is a i54690K.

will I be good to go with the just upgrading the graphics card? Would love to be able to play on 4k.

Tortillo VI · Oct 10, 2020

n.thou said:
Preordered the DAN A4 v4.1 to put in the lounge hooked up to my LG CX. It won't be delivered till the new year (Australia based), so have plenty of time to decide on parts.

I'm thinking 2080 Super would work as the prices should come down soon but holding on Intel or AMD processor.

Also snagged an Alpenfohn Black Ridge CPU cooler to keep options open...anyone else have a pure gaming build in this case with suggestions?

I just got that case and waiting for November for maybe a Ryzen 5800. I'd suggest to start googling info about what motherboards will fit the Black Ridge CPU cooler because damn... Options are limited for some chipsets (in my case, I'll use an Asrock B550 phantom gaming). Fortunately there's good documentation with pros and cons of each of your possible choices.

My plan is to use only NVME memory, so that the case has as few cables as possible, and to put two Noctua fans in the bottom for good airflow. Seems like a good approach!

Also, seems like the more popular RAM for use with your CPU cooler is LPX and Corsair Vengeance in particular.

Finally, the Corsair SF Series seem like a great choice of PSU. Modular and pre-sleeved cables for good cable management.

Kalik · Oct 10, 2020

so is buying a PCIe 4.0 NVMe pretty much a waste of time?...I currently have a Samsung 860 EVO 1TB SSD...for my upcoming Zen 3 5800X build should I keep that drive or upgrade to a PCIe 3 NVMe?...this is mostly for gaming

Eblo · Oct 10, 2020

SmartWaffles said:
The upcoming Ryzen 5 5600X is likely a better CPU than the 10600K. Wait till November 5th for reviews. Alternatively get the Ryzen 7 3700X, still a very good CPU plus you get 16 threads instead of 12.

For the 5600X, wouldn't that require having a current gen Ryzen CPU to apply a BIOS update to make the motherboard compatible, or will there be day one motherboards to support Zen 3?

Deleted member 74623 · Oct 10, 2020

Eblo · Oct 10, 2020

Cactubolo said:
x570 and b550 boards support Zen 3 natively. x470 and b450 boards will get a bios update in January

I see. Thank you!

eddy · Oct 10, 2020

Cactubolo said:
x570 and b550 boards support Zen 3 natively. x470 and b450 boards will get a bios update in January

Eblo said:
I see. Thank you!

For 500-series boards, Zen 3 will POST enough for further flashing from AGESA 1.0.8.0

https://videocardz.com/newz/amd-ryzen-5000-zen3-support-rolling-out-to-amd-500-series-motherboards

super-famicom · Oct 10, 2020

n.thou said:
Preordered the DAN A4 v4.1 to put in the lounge hooked up to my LG CX. It won't be delivered till the new year (Australia based), so have plenty of time to decide on parts.

I'm thinking 2080 Super would work as the prices should come down soon but holding on Intel or AMD processor.

Also snagged an Alpenfohn Black Ridge CPU cooler to keep options open...anyone else have a pure gaming build in this case with suggestions?

FYI, we also have a SFFPC thread

Small Form Factor "Gaming" PC Thread (AKA HTPC) OT

Cross post from the megathread: If anyone is unsure whether or not a specific RTX 3080 will fit in your case or not, you may find this handy. This chart is specific for the case I use (FormD T1), but the list of measurents will still be very helpful to have on hand.

www.resetera.com

Like what was mentioned earlier, a Corsair SF600 or SF750 Platinum are good psu picks. Corsair Vengeance or Crucial Ballistix Sport LT are good choices for memory compatible with the Black Ridge.

If you were interested in a B550I board, the Black Ridge can definitely fit either the Gigabyte Aorus or MSI Gaming Edge, I haven't seen confirmation of it fitting the ASUs or ASRock boards, but I haven't really looked. In either case you would remove the backpkate to install the cooler. But because there's no backplate, it's possible you might overtighten the cooler and thus bend the board. You can avoid this problem by getting a Noctua NM-AM4-L9aL9i mounting kit, which includes a backplate that would be compatible with the Black Ridge.

However, that backplate does not work with the MSI Gaming Edge. I own this motherboard, and it has a unique backplate due to the positioning of motherboard components. Noctua does have a solution: an alternative mounting kit which uses spacers. If you own the mounting kit you can get these spacers free of charge.

Noctua offers alternative mounting option for NH-L9a cooler free of charge

Designed in Austria, Noctua's premium cooling components are renowned for their superb quietness, exceptional performance and thoroughgoing quality.

noctua.at

I'm currently using the Black Ridge with the MSI B550I in my FormD T1 right now, with these spacers. I'm still kinda wary that I may have overtightened the screws, so I think I'm going to switch back to my AIO instead. (I swapped to the Black Ridge last week, to test out different cooling configs in my build).

Canklestank · Oct 10, 2020

Jamrock User said:
Just built my first pc an my God what a horrible experience. Completely my fault I saw the back plate for the motherboard and didn't know what it was...found out what it was and had to reassemble so.the cpu could be screwed down. But now my first ram slot is slightly blocked by the cpu fan and I don't want to go through that again . So I need to know will 24gb of ram harm ryzen performance? 8x8x8

You can't just remove the fan? What cooler is it?

Cactubolo said:
x570 and b550 boards support Zen 3 natively. x470 and b450 boards will get a bios update in January

Eblo said:
I see. Thank you!

Uhh I'm fairly certain you still need the most recent AGESA update. At least I think that's what I've seen.

That said, there are motherboards that allow you to update the BIOS without a CPU.

super-famicom · Oct 10, 2020

Cactubolo said:
x570 and b550 boards support Zen 3 natively. x470 and b450 boards will get a bios update in January

X570 and B550 boards need a BIOS update, which some manufacturers have released already (Gigabyte and MSI for sure).

Serpens007 · Oct 10, 2020

Serpens007 said:
Ok so I'm finally deciding the upgrade path

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

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor ($198.81 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B550M Pro4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($104.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory ($64.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Blue SN550 500 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($57.99 @ Amazon)

I got two questions

1) Should I just keep the AMD Cooler or go for a different option? Regular use for gaming
2) How's that NVME SSD ? Is there a better option for 500GB around that price point?

I'm gonna re-use PSU until I can actually buy one locally (I'm not sure if I should import one from Amazon), the 2TB HDD, case, fans, and the 1060 6gb until I can buy a 3060/Ti/Whatever AMD Mid-Range is.

Ok so after the suggestion by Gifted when on the hunt for a better NVME for around the same price for my region. Importing resulted in a huge increase in price, and in local market Tier A or B are just out of the question. However, found the Tier C ADATA SX8100 512gb actually cheaper than the WD Blue. So I think that'll be good enough for the price.

So in the end it'd be like

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/6vMDCL

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor ($198.81 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B550M Pro4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($104.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory ($62.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: ADATA XPG SX8100 512 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($115.45 @ Amazon)

Only question that remains it's about the R5 Cooler.

I'm so excited for this. Been planning this upgrade since so long ago, now I see that probably before December I'll be making a good jump from this now ancient 4770 T-T

super-famicom said:
X570 and B550 boards need a BIOS update, which some manufacturers have released already (Gigabyte and MSI for sure).

Really? I was not aware of this. So it should be better buying a new Motherboard around/after Nov. 5, right?

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