|OT| The PC Hardware Thread -- Buy/Upgrade/Ask/Answer

Durante

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If you don't follow PC hardware it might be a bit daunting to buy a new system, or even just upgrade some components. That's where this thread comes in.

I don't have time to create individual builds for every potential use case, and those would get outdated rather quickly anyway, so instead I'll just provide an overview of the market right now for each important component. If you have any specific question feel free to ask!


CPUs
In CPUs, AMD currently owns the price/performance crown in almost all segments -- the only reason to go Intel is if you need the very fastest sequential performance, or some specific features.

Suggested hardware:
  • Best Value: AMD Ryzen 5 2600 (150€)
  • High-end: AMD Ryzen 7 2700X (300€)
    Note: you can get a AMD Ryzen 7 2700 (220€) and overclock it to a very similar level as a 2700X, if you don't mind overclocking.
  • Enthusiast: Intel Core i9-9900K (500€)
    Note: as stated above, only worth it over the 2700X for very specific use cases or if you want top-end performance independently of value.


RAM
With RAM, there are 2 considerations: size and speed. The latter is a function of both frequency and latency. Brands are basically irrelevant unless you are doing some extremely high-tier overclocking, and then why are you reading this beginner's guide? ;)

Suggestions:
  • The most basic and most important guideline: get as many RAM modules as you need to saturate your CPUs bus!
    All the CPUs suggested above are dual channel, so you need (at least) 2 RAM modules.
  • For gaming and most workloads, I'd say the best amount of RAM to have right now is 16 GB. Outside of specialty use cases that will be enough.
  • For high-end builds or lots of multitasking you might consider 32 GB. Anything above that is either vanity or you should have a really good idea why you need it (i.e. I have 64 GB so that I can keep VMs running at the same time as multiple heavyweight IDE instances, and still switch to another desktop to run a large game)
  • In terms of speed, Prices currently start to increase more noticeably above DDR4-3000, so I'd stick with that for value-focused builds. Nothing over DDR4-3600 is really worth it for most anything other than bragging rights and a few percentage points in specific use cases.
  • I won't name specific HW (as I said, brands are irrelevant), but here are some indications:
    • Best Value: 2 Modules DIMM kit 16GB, DDR4-3000, CL16-18-18 (70€)
    • High-end: 2 Modules DIMM kit 32 GB, DDR4-3600, CL19-20-20 (200€)


Mainboards
With mainboards, it's harder to provide general guidelines since it really comes down to deciding what you need. That said, these days, most people loking to play games usually don't really need anything in a mainboard other than plugging their CPU, GPU and RAM into it, and then basically everything is fine. The next-most-requested feature is overclocking, which generally means you have to step up to the highest-tier chipset. After that there are really only improvements in connectivity and more built-in hardware.

Another important consideration is size -- I list standard ATX mainboards below, but there are usually also equivalent micro-ATX models for smaller builds.

Suggestions follow (grouped by CPU manufacturer; obviously you have to get a mainboard that works with the CPU you chose). Note that I don't see a need for enthusiast tiers here; specific requirements are fulfilled by specific boards.
  • AMD:
    • Best Value: ASUS Prime B350-Plus (70€)
      Or any other B350 board.
    • High-end: MSI X470 Gaming Plus (130€)
      Or any other X470 board -- this tier allows overclocking.
  • Intel
    • Best Value: ASRock H370 Pro4 (90€)
      You could go to lower-tier chipsets to save a few dozen €, but since the only reason to go Intel is to go with a decently high-end build I see no point to that.
    • High-end: ASRock Z390 Extreme4 (170€)
      Or any other Z390 board really -- here I want for one with 2 PCIe M.2 slots and USB C.


Storage
With storage, there are three types of devices to consider: HDDs, for large, cheap, slow bulk storage; SATA SSDs for "fast enough", not quite as large or cheap, but affordable general purpose storage; and NVME M.2 PCIe SSDs, for very fast limited (both in storage and the number of slots available) storage. Other options exist but aren't relevant for the kind of mainstream (or even high-end consumer) system we're building here.

What you choose here depends very much on the purpose of the PC you're building, here are some options:
  • Pure gaming PC, small-medium budget: get just a single SATA SSD in a good deal, e.g. a SanDisk SSD Plus 1TB (100€)
  • Pure gaming PC, large budget: add a fast NVME boot/system drive, e.g. a Samsung SSD PM981 512GB (80€)
  • Content creation / storage PC: add HDDs to suit, get 2 for RAID1 if you need redundancy.


GPUs
These are probably the single most important component for game performance, and the price spectrum of "reasonable" choices is also larger. Therefore, I've increased the number of tiers. Note that my selections for each tier are based on EU pricing,
Models don't make much of a performance difference -- read individual model reviews for noise/size information.

Suggested hardware:
  • Constrained budget: Radeon RX 580 (170€)
    The most affordable option I'd consider generally capable.
  • Best Value: GeForce GTX 1660 Ti (~280€) or RX Vega 56 (~300€)
    The Vega has more raw performance and 2GB more memory. The 1660 Ti is cheaper, much less power hungry, and has some NV software niceties.
  • High-end: GeForce RTX 2070 (460€) or GeForce RTX 2080 (670€)
  • Enthusiast: GeForce RTX 2080 Ti (1100 fucking €)
    There are no AMD GPUs in these tiers, because honestly, the Radeon VII series sucks and isn't competitive at its current price.


Power Supplies
A decent quality power supply is a very good investment into the stability and longevity of your PC. That said, many guides on the net overstate the case for high-wattage PSUs. The power rating needs to correspond to your other specs, so e.g. if you choose a "value" build you can also get a "value" PSU, but for an enthusiast build (especially with overclocking) you should also get an enthusiast-tier PSU.

Suggested hardware:
  • Best Value: Corsair CX450 (45€)
    Maybe go for the 550W model with an AMD GPU.
  • High-end: be quiet! Straight Power 10-CM 600W (90€)
  • Enthusiast: SilverStone Strider Titanium Series 800W (140€)
There are a ton of good options in the 60€+ range for high-end and enthusiast builds. Generally good brands are be quiet, Corsair, SilverStone, Antec and Enermax.


With these components, sticking with the most affordable options in each category, you can build a very capable PC (with 16 GB of memory, 8GB of VRAM, and 1 TB of SSD storage) for ~600€. Obviously that's not very cheap, but it will run pretty much every game that exists well, and I'm not really comfortable suggesting anything below that ;)
 
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lashman

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we finally have a hardware thread, yay! :D

thanks for doing it!

(oh, and don't forget to set the cover as well - to make it super-official :p)
 
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「Echo」

鈴鹿御前。
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Mt. Whatever
I'm not sure about availability in Euroland, but EVGA psu's are the best I've ever owned.

Nothing but good to say about ASrock boards as well. I have the Z370 Taichi from them and it's been great with an awesome bios loaded with features and which you can update over ethernet without even having to boot into an OS.

I had no idea AMD was winning the CPU wars though. That's interesting. Even for games? I knew Ryzen was good at multitasking... but games? o_O

Anywho, thanks a bunch for your efforts here.
 
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Shadowhaxor

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I'm not sure about availability in Euroland, but EVGA psu's are the best I've ever owned.

Nothing but good to say about ASrock boards as well. I have the Z370 Taichi from them and it's been great with an awesome bios loaded with features and which you can update over ethernet without even having to boot into an OS.

I had no idea AMD was winning the CPU wars though. That's interesting. Even for games? I knew Ryzen was good at multitasking... but games? o_O

Anywho, thanks a bunch for your efforts here.
So, it's complicated but not complicated. Intel is still the winner, but AMD is more of the people's champion. Great performance, cheaper pricing, meaning we all win.

AMD's Ryzen are amazing for multitasking, which makes them a good choice for streamers/content creation/productivity. The ability to do more at once, outweighs being able to do something very good, but not so good at doing multiple things at once.

Intel has Ryzen beat when it comes to gaming, but the spread isn't the large as some think it is. For example, a 9900k might net you 200 FPS, where a Ryzen would be around 130-140. It's trivial and you'll never see those frames or realize they're missing unless you're super anal and care about that. Ryzen is also cheaper, allowing you to get more bang for your dollar.

I haven't used an Intel CPU since the first Ryzen's were released. All my Intel stuff was sold off and I rebuilt my PC's with Ryzens, still rocking the 1700, 1800x for my PCs. And a 1300x for my children's PC.

If Intel dropped their prices, it would be a different story, but they won't. So unless you are deadset on Intel or pick up their higher end CPUs, Ryzen's are the best bet.

Pricing example:

AMD Ryzen 7 2700X $320
ASUS ROG Strix X470-F $200
Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB 2 x 8GB DDR4-3000 - $99
Total of $619

vs

Intel 9900K - $699
ASUS ROG Strix Z390-E Gaming LGA 1151 ATX Intel Motherboard - $259
Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB 2 x 8GB DDR4-3000 - $99
Total of $1057

For gaming, as long as you have a decent GPU, you aren't going to see a major difference. Yet, you're paying $400 more just on parts with Intel.
 
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Kuro

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Dec 22, 2018
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EVGA and Seasonic PSU's are really popular here too, I got Seasonic 660W XP2 Platinum and been very happy with it for almost 5 years.

I'll be soon upgrading my computer so:
What's general consensus on QLC? Samsung QVO SSDs are pretty affordable at the 1TB size I'm looking at, or should I pay 20€ more for MX500?
For regular HDD I've decided WD Blue 4TB will do.
Will be switching my 2133Mhz DDR4 to 3000Mhz, it's old build so 2133Mhz was the only thing that had sane prices back then.
And last but not least I already have my RTX 2070 DUAL but realized it only has 1 HDMI so currently trying to arrange switch to ROG version that has 2.
 

Shadowhaxor

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EVGA and Seasonic PSU's are really popular here too, I got Seasonic 660W XP2 Platinum and been very happy with it for almost 5 years.

I'll be soon upgrading my computer so:
What's general consensus on QLC? Samsung QVO SSDs are pretty affordable at the 1TB size I'm looking at, or should I pay 20€ more for MX500?
For regular HDD I've decided WD Blue 4TB will do.
Will be switching my 2133Mhz DDR4 to 3000Mhz, it's old build so 2133Mhz was the only thing that had sane prices back then.
And last but not least I already have my RTX 2070 DUAL but realized it only has 1 HDMI so currently trying to arrange switch to ROG version that has 2.
Are you able to overclock the memory? You might see some gains if you can.
 

Kuro

"Oh yeah? Aren't you gonna punish me?"
Dec 22, 2018
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Are you able to overclock the memory? You might see some gains if you can.
My current one or the new one?
Current one is this so it's very old and I doubt it's great overclocker since it's the cheap stuff.
New one, I don't really want to until I have to, for marginal gains that could lead to instability I think I'll settle to 3000Mhz.
Would be cool if I could OC my current ones but not sure how to go about that and even if they could OC doubt they'd reach 3000.
 

uraizen

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Opinions on Intel Optane for those who have used it or know about it?
 

uraizen

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It's still too new and rough around the edges. In some instances, it comes in faster than TLC SSDs and others slower. It needs to mature a bit more in my eyes.
I've only recently found out about it, but what I've read seems to be positive. I want to try it out for my 2TB mechanical drive just to see what's what. My hardware supports it, so I don't have to worry about that.
 
Dec 5, 2018
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A Hardware thread nice, I'm waiting for AMD and Intel to show new CPUs. At times I feel like I should update my 3570K but since I'd had to upgrade the MOBO and the RAM I want it to be a worthwhile updgrade.
 

derFeef

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Heh, happy I have all the stuff in the high-end sections, except teh 2070 - still rocking my 1080TI.
 
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Durante

Durante

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Opinions on Intel Optane for those who have used it or know about it?
No personal experience, but so far it seems like a technology which only makes sense in a very limited number of use cases.
In most scenarios, especially gaming, you're probably better off investing the money into a normal SSD or more RAM.

Nothing but good to say about ASrock boards as well. I have the Z370 Taichi from them
Same here. I also use a Z390 Taichi in my current PC.

I had no idea AMD was winning the CPU wars though. That's interesting. Even for games? I knew Ryzen was good at multitasking... but games? o_O
Intel is still winning in absolute game performance, which is why I have the 9900k as the enthusiast choice in my post (and part of why I use one).

But as soon as you are looking at value rather than absolute performance there's no way to beat AMD right now, especially an overclocked 2700 non-X.
 

derFeef

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I am on my 3rd generation of ASRock mainboards as well, I will never buy a different brand I think. Sure they are the "cheap" Asus sub-brand but that makes them even better imo.
 

fsdood

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is it cheaper and better in the longrun to have a SFF gaming PC than a gaming laptop? Let's say the monitor and KB + M are not a problem if you travel frequently. I heard lots of heat problems with laptops and they generally die faster so I was wondering what's the consensus here.
 

Stevey

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Neat thread, just upgraded to a 9700k, ASUS Strix Z300 F mobo.
Put my GTX1080 in there, should e set for a fair few years now.
Next on the horizon is a new monitor, ideally 2560 1440 Gsync 27"
 
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Durante

Durante

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is it cheaper and better in the longrun to have a SFF gaming PC than a gaming laptop? Let's say the monitor and KB + M are not a problem if you travel frequently. I heard lots of heat problems with laptops and they generally die faster so I was wondering what's the consensus here.
If you don't absolutely need a gaming laptop then a SFF PC absolutely is both better and cheaper. Quality gaming laptops are expensive, and even those are more likely to fail, and in the long term you can't upgrade them piece-wise which really reduces your PC gaming upkeep cost.
 

ISee

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is it cheaper and better in the longrun to have a SFF gaming PC than a gaming laptop? Let's say the monitor and KB + M are not a problem if you travel frequently. I heard lots of heat problems with laptops and they generally die faster so I was wondering what's the consensus here.
ITX builds can be just as fast as ATX builds. They are also fully upgradable, not like most laptops. So yes, they can be significantly faster than any laptop and still cost less. But you will need to use a small case that can fit a normal PSU, an AIO and a "normal" GPU. This makes everything heavy again and probably loud.
Laptops will always be more portable because of this, they are less heavy. Even those thick, ~4kg Laptops.
And yes, a CPU running at 90°C constantly will have a higher chance of failure than a CPU running at 60°C. That doesn't meant that it will auto die after three or four years though.
Personally I'd take a Laptop if I'd constantly need to change locations and do not stay for long at one place. But if I'd just occasionally change locations and I'd stay for a couple of weeks at my new destination I'd take a more powerful ITX build.
 

Arsene

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Has there been any word on when Ryzen 3rd gen chips are launching? I know the event is at the end of the month but I don't follow CPU news closely so I don't know if something has come up since.

Really need to upgrade my CPU ASAP but i'm holding out for the Ryzen 5 3600 (or 3600X if it turns out to be worth the extra bucks)

Also thank you for going out of your way to make this thread Durante!
 

ISee

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Next on the horizon is a new monitor, ideally 2560 1440 Gsync 27"
I'm on Gsync and advocate VRR a lot. You could also take a freesync display and not be bound to one GPU manufacturer, just in case things change again... somehow.... in the future

Has there been any word on when Ryzen 3rd gen chips are launching? I know the event is at the end of the month but I don't follow CPU news closely so I don't know if something has come up since.

Really need to upgrade my CPU ASAP but i'm holding out for the Ryzen 5 3600 (or 3600X if it turns out to be worth the extra bucks)
Q3/2019, not earlier :(
I'm waiting myself. The possibility of 16c/32t constumer CPUs excite me, not that I need that much CPU power. But it feels like we are moving again and getting exciting toys.
 
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Durante

Durante

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Yeah, 3rd gen Ryzen is intriguing, but still a ways off if you want to build now (or in the near future).

Intel is also releasing the 10000 series, but that looks more incremental.
 
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Alextended

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Damn the 2080 is expensive.... I got my 1080 for ~450 iirc (decent model too, Zotac 1080 Mini, small size, full specs, solid fan cooling). Granted not so close to launch and I did seem to get lucky and buy it during a brief lull of the mining market but still... The high-end gets more and more expensive, especially given there are now extreme-end and super-extreme-end tiers (Ti & actual Titans) yet to me it feels like today's extreme-end would be yesteryear's high-end or so.
 
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Copons

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Oof, apparently I'm really due for un update, ain't I.

Current rig:
  • AsRock Z87 Pro3 (supporting Haswell 1150, and DDR3)
  • Intel i5-4440
  • 16GB 1600MHz, Corsair Vengeance
  • Asus GTX 780

I'm thinking of going all the way up to a 2070 (even though they're fucking expensive here in the UK, like >450£, and I'm still on a 1080p, but I'd like to be as future proof as I can), but then I wonder if I wouldn't be better off by also upgrading literally everything else.
Especially because I'm a heavy Cities: Skylines modder, and I struggle with 16GB of RAM, and I can feel the CPU pain every time I open the game.

Is there a way to compare Intel and AMD in some way?
Like, I can see the Ryzen recommended in the OP, but I don't know what they mean. 😅

Also I wonder what will happen to my Win10 license (one of those that turned me from pegleg pirate to law-abiding citizen) if I change all that stuff. 🤔

At least my PSU should be good to go, it's a XFX 650W 80+ Bronze, I assume it will easily keep everything running.
 
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Shadowhaxor

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Also I wonder what will happen to my Win10 license (one of those that turned me from pegleg pirate to law-abiding citizen) if I change all that stuff. 🤔
Since the new licenses are tied to the hardware, it depends. If you stay on Intel's chipset, you may be fine. Otherwise, it's just a quick call to Microsoft and they'll fix it.

Resetting it manually also (sometimes) works.
 
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Durante

Durante

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Is there a way to compare Intel and AMD in some way?
Like, I can see the Ryzen recommended in the OP, but I don't know what they mean. 😅
What type of comparison do you have in mind?

The basic result is that there's no reason to go Intel below the ~410€ tier (with the 9700k), and even that is a hard sell compared to the Ryzen 2700 if you plan to keep your PC for a decent amount of time (due to the 2700 having twice the number of hardware threads).
 
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ISee

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Is there a way to compare Intel and AMD in some way?
Like, I can see the Ryzen recommended in the OP, but I don't know what they mean. 😅
The AMD r5 2600 is recommended because of the great value it offers for 150€. It's a 6 core CPU that can handle up to 12 threads simultaneously. Basic cooling is included, it is manually overclockable but it will do that automatically for you. Based on voltage consumption and temperature (and other factors). It normally hits around 3.9GHz. In all honesty: It's unbeatable, nothing that Intel has comes close to it from a performance perspective at that price!

The r7 2700x has 8 cores, can handle up to 16 threads, has a more beefy cooling solution included. Clockspeeds are similar to the r5 2600.

Both CPUs can hit up to 4.1-4.2GHz, if you are willing to invest in better cooling. Water cooling isn't needed btw, modern Air coolers are strong, relatively cheap, maintenance-free and effective.

For comparison: Your current CPU has 4 cores, runs at 3.3GHz and is only able to handle up to 4 threads. Both CPUs, even the 150€ option sound like great upgrades tbh.

In general: Intel CPUs offer slightly better per core performance and higher clock speeds, for an increased price.
The 8700k is a 6 core/12 thread CPU, just like the r5 2600, but it is able to hit 4.8-4.9 GHz. For 370€, instead of 150€. There is also no cooler included, so the price is more like 400€ if you buy something basic.
The 9700k is a 8 core/ 8 thread CPU and is able to hit 4.8-5.0 GHz, for 410€. Again without a cooling solution. So it's more like 440€ total. As a reminder the 2700x has 8 cores / 16 threads, for 300€.

All of those CPUs are able to hit 60 fps in modern games with ease (for the most part, there is always that one, strange outlier). The benefit of those high end Intel CPUs (and probably why they are mentioned as "enthusiast level" here): They are able to reach higher FPS, if you are playing on a high refresh rate display (100Hz+) and if you have a high end GPU to accompany them. Many games are still rather limited by single core performance and that's were those Intel CPUs shine most. As said: they have the higher clockspeed per core. But it is not a dramatic difference, at least not in modern games.

Those AMD CPUs offer good performance and allow you to use more of your budget on other, important parts like the GPU.
Intel 9700k + air cooler + 1660Ti = ~ 700€
AMD 2600 + air cooler + RTX 2070 = ~700€
I guarantee, the AMD build will outperform the Intel build any day.

But don't take my word for it, read some reviews, look up benchmarks. Have fun.
 

Alextended

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Intel really don't include stock cooling with their CPUs any more? That's crazy cheaping out. I guess my future PC will be AMD if things don't change radically.
 
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Shadowhaxor

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Intel really don't include stock cooling with their CPUs any more? That's crazy cheaping out. I guess my future PC will be AMD if things don't change radically.
AMD didn't include coolers with the 1700x, 1800x or Threadrippers.

Both CPUs can hit up to 4.1-4.2GHz, if you are willing to invest in better cooling. Water cooling isn't needed btw, modern Air coolers are strong, relatively cheap, maintenance-free and effective.
Agreed. I've been running my 1700 in my SSF (CM Elite 130) and though airflow sucks in that case, that CPU barely overheats. And it's overclocked. While I have a Noctua NH‑D15 SE‑AM4 paired with my 1800x. Sitting at 3.9Ghz and it never overheats. Sadly, I didn't win the lottery with the 1800x and the first Ryzen's aren't super overlockers.

 
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Alextended

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That sucks too, but at least these models include it without being premium priced.
 
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ISee

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Intel really don't include stock cooling with their CPUs any more? That's crazy cheaping out. I guess my future PC will be AMD if things don't change radically.
Looking at how much heat their high end models are able to produce (at 5.0GHz) those stock Intel coolers (which they managed to make even worse over time) would not have a chance. You want the extra clockspeed, you need to invest in good cooling, which brings the price up again.
Not that I'm against good cooling ^^

AMD didn't include coolers with the 1700x, 1800x or Threadrippers.



Agreed. I've been running my 1700 in my SSF (CM Elite 130) and though airflow sucks in that case, that CPU barely overheats. And it's overclocked. While I have a Noctua NH‑D15 SE‑AM4 paired with my 1800x. Sitting at 3.9Ghz and it never overheats. Sadly, I didn't win the lottery with the 1800x and the first Ryzen's aren't super overlockers.

That's not bad at all! I assume you also undervolted it a bit?
I had my 2700x running at 4150MHz and 1.350V. The jump to 4175MHz needed 1.41V and temperatures were getting higher than I felt was necessary. Let's be honest: +25MHz is nothing.
4200MHz is out of the question, even 1.425V weren't really stable (aka cinebench 20 and p95 stable). The auto boost only gave me 39000MHz on all cores, so I ran my manual OC (all cores) for the longest time now and just dealt with having a bit of a turd ¯\(ツ)/¯ .

But something changed with my newest BIOS (AGESA 0072). Autoboost allows my CPU to run at 4100-4125 MHz in games (all core), single core boost hits 4300MHz and even prime and cinebench 20 are at around 4GHz. So I'm currently no longer using my old manual oc and allow my CPU to run at stock (with tuned RAM). I know, BIOS shouldn't really effect the auto boost by that much, but... Idk, that's the only thing that changed.
BTW I'm also on the NH-D15.

Idle:


Cinebench R20!



For my general Ryzen experience: Nothing to complain about tbh. It's also great to know that I won't need a new mobo once Zen 2 arrives. Changing motherboards is such a pain. Double the work of building a brand new pc.
 
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Durante

Durante

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Looking at how much heat their high end models are able to produce (at 5.0GHz) those stock Intel coolers (which they managed to make even worse over time) would not have a chance. You want the extra clockspeed, you need to invest in good cooling, which brings the price up again.
Not that I'm against good cooling ^^
Yeah, since it only makes sense to buy a 9700k or 9900k if you want top-end performance, stock HSFs would generally just end up as paperweights anyway.
Intel's execution over the past few years has been rather pathetic, but I can't really fault them for not shipping a stock cooler with enthusiast chips.
 
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Parsnip

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I'm looking forward to seeing whatever the next desktop Ryzens will end up being, some of the rumors have been pretty wild.
 

ISee

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i already have my "dream build" part list compiled ... unfortunately i'll never ever in a million years be able to afford any of it :negative-blob:

but just in case anyone wants to take a peek: System Builder - Core i9-9900K 3.6 GHz 8-Core, GeForce RTX 2080 Ti 11 GB Black, SG10B MicroATX Mini Tower - PCPartPicker
-Case can't fit the motherboard
-Case can't fit that amount of drives.
-You can't run six sata drives and one NVMe drive on that motherboard. You just don't have enough free PCI-E lanes for that.
-Running all four memory channels on a dual channel board is doable, but not necessary. Less, but faster ram ram (two slots) would be slightly more beneficial for a gaming rig than 64GB of it.
-Running a 9900k with that cooler is brave. It will run hot, loud and I'm not sure you'll be able to even hit 4.5GHz.
-2560x1440 is a great idea, but why just 60Hz and why no FreeSync? Or take one of those Ultra, ultra wides like the Samsung LC49HG90. It's like having two 2560x1440 displays but without the frames in the middle.
-You really don't need those machanical drives, unless you want a RAID system to store huge amount of data or something like that. You want your games to be on your 5TB of SSD storage, which is more than enough. Seriously.
-Not sure the Ram can fit (hight).
 
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lashman

Dead & Forgotten
Sep 5, 2018
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You cant fit all them hard drives in there
yes, i can :p scroll a bit down to the last position in the list ;)

-Case can't fit the motherboard
yes, it can ... i checked

-Case can't fit that amount of drives.
case can't ... the external enclosure can fit the rest of them

-You can't run six sata drives and one NVMe drive on that motherboard. You just don't have enough free PCI-E lanes for that.
again - enclosure

-Running all four memory channels on a dual channel board is doable, but not necessary. Less, but faster ram ram (two slots) would be slightly more beneficial for a gaming rig than 64GB of it.
it's not a gaming rig ... i need all the RAM i can get my hands on

-Running a 9900k with that cooler is brave. It will run hot, loud and I'm not sure you'll be able to even hit 4.5GHz.
i might get a bigger cooler ... the case can fit one of the big ones ... that's not a problem

-2560x1440 is a great idea, but why just 60Hz and why no FreeSync? Or take one of those Ultra, ultra wides like the Samsung LC49HG90. It's like having two 2560x1440 displays but without the frames in the middle.
those two would be on the each side of the 43" 4k main screen ... and vertical too

also - i don't need anything above 60Hz ... it's not really a gaming rig

-You really don't need those machanical drives, unless you want a RAID system to store huge amount of data or something like that. You want your games to be on your 5TB of SSD storage, which is more than enough. Seriously.
yes, i do ... for storing all the stuff i need to store ... video files etc. ... for work ... that stuff takes A LOT of space

-Not sure the Ram can fit (hight).
it can ... also checked :)
 
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gabbo

MetaMember
Dec 22, 2018
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Alright, meta bringing the hardware thread.
Later today i'll post my current build vs a few i'm looking at (via pcpartpicker) with a couple followups based on those builds.
My current rig is 6 years old in ram and cpu/mobo, so it's starting to hit some upper ceiling points with gaming i'd like to overcome.
 
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Kvik

Crossbell City Councillor
Dec 6, 2018
4,149
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Downunder.
I'm interested to see the next round of bout of HEDT platform. I think Computex would be where Cascade Lake-X will be announced? I'm not looking forward to the price, though. Fuck you Intel.

Also, anyone here still using 5930K/5920K? Still a great CPU and a true workhorse. The last true great value from Intel with an affordable price.
 

uraizen

Junior Member
Oct 7, 2018
697
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No personal experience, but so far it seems like a technology which only makes sense in a very limited number of use cases.
In most scenarios, especially gaming, you're probably better off investing the money into a normal SSD or more RAM.
This is the impression I'm getting; nothing major, but it can have its uses for the price. Just very specific uses for the price.
 
OP
Durante

Durante

I <3 Pixels
Oct 21, 2018
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I'm interested to see the next round of bout of HEDT platform. I think Computex would be where Cascade Lake-X will be announced? I'm not looking forward to the price, though. Fuck you Intel.

Also, anyone here still using 5930K/5920K? Still a great CPU and a true workhorse. The last true great value from Intel with an affordable price.
I was using a 5820k until I upgraded to the 9900k.
I still miss the PCIe lanes of the HEDT platform, but the new HEDT CPUs can't really compete with the 9900k for game (and general low-thread-count) performance.
 
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「Echo」

鈴鹿御前。
Nov 1, 2018
2,661
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Mt. Whatever
My 8700k can sometimes spike to 88-92 degrees Celsius. This is hot enough to make tea, almost boiling. It never stays there very long, and my average during AAA-gaming tends to be 68-80, which seems a bit more healthier.

This is on air. My CPU cooler is the Cryorig H7, though I replaced the fan with a Corsair ML120. For thermal paste I went with Thermal Grizzly's Kyronaut...

I dunno I just wanted to get some opinions on whether or not I should do something about those spikes... From what I've read, it's not particularly dangerous until your reach thermal shut-off for the CPU or if you were to maintain super high temps like that for an extended period. It's not even overclocked, I left the boost clock at the default 4.7Ghz.

Maybe I lost the CPU lottery and the paste under the lid is bad? I didn't de-lid. :face-with-cold-sweat: What's weird is I don't remember it always being like this, but last summer when I built it I had the the Air Conditioner going all the time to keep the room relatively cool. PC hasn't sucked in AC treated air since then... So that might have messed with my initial experience.
 

Shadowhaxor

EIC of Theouterhaven
Apr 28, 2019
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www.theouterhaven.net
Both CPUs can hit up to 4.1-4.2GHz, if you are willing to invest in better cooling. Water cooling isn't needed btw, modern Air coolers are strong, relatively cheap, maintenance-free and effective.
My 8700k can sometimes spike to 88-92 degrees Celsius. This is hot enough to make tea, almost boiling. It never stays there very long, and my average during AAA-gaming tends to be 68-80, which seems a bit more healthier.

This is on air. My CPU cooler is the Cryorig H7, though I replaced the fan with a Corsair ML120. For thermal paste I went with Thermal Grizzly's Kyronaut...

I dunno I just wanted to get some opinions on whether or not I should do something about those spikes... From what I've read, it's not particularly dangerous until your reach thermal shut-off for the CPU or if you were to maintain super high temps like that for an extended period. It's not even overclocked, I left the boost clock at the default 4.7Ghz.

Maybe I lost the CPU lottery and the paste under the lid is bad? I didn't de-lid. :face-with-cold-sweat: What's weird is I don't remember it always being like this, but last summer when I built it I had the the Air Conditioner going all the time to keep the room relatively cool. PC hasn't sucked in AC treated air since then... So that might have messed with my initial experience.
Those temps are pretty high for that CPU. I don't run one, but I've read enough posts and people talking about them in the past. Usually they sit at 60-70c underload. If you're hitting those temps, that tells me one or multiple things are happening.

1. Airflow is restricted. How's the wire management and is there enough space in your case?
2. Do you have any intake and exhaust fans? If so, how are they placed? Or not, you need to have some.
3. Can you change the RPMs for the cooler in the bios? You might be running quiet which usually drops the cooling.
 
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「Echo」

鈴鹿御前。
Nov 1, 2018
2,661
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Mt. Whatever
Those temps are pretty high for that CPU. I don't run one, but I've read enough posts and people talking about them in the past. Usually they sit at 60-70c underload. If you're hitting those temps, that tells me one or multiple things are happening.

1. Airflow is restricted. How's the wire management and is there enough space in your case?
2. Do you have any intake and exhaust fans? If so, how are they placed? Or not, you need to have some.
3. Can you change the RPMs for the cooler in the bios? You might be running quiet which usually drops the cooling.
Huh.

1: My case is the Phanteks Pro M Tempered Glass edition. It is quite spacey, and there are no visible cables except from the PSU shroud to my GPU. Everything is zip-tied nice and neat, and I even got a cablemod with combs and such to make it all pretty.

2: I have 4x Noctua NF-P14s Redux, two in the front for intake, and two on top for exhaust. The rear exhaust is a Corsair ML140. (My theme was Black, Grey and White inside, so I needed at least two White LED fans, CPU and rear exhaust in this case.)

3: I can! ... And have. My fan curve is pretty agressive since noise doesn't bug me. I usually have a fan or something going anyways... Complete silence drives me insane, I like ambient noise.

My full build is here still: System Builder - Core i7-8700K 3.7 GHz 6-Core, GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11 GB SC2, Enthoo Pro M Tempered Glass (Black) ATX Mid Tower - PCPartPicker

Put this thing together...last April/May? It's been a year already wowie.
 
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NarohDethan

There was a fish in the percolator!
Apr 6, 2019
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Huh.

1: My case is the Phanteks Pro M Tempered Glass edition. It is quite spacey, and there are no visible cables except from the PSU shroud to my GPU. Everything is zip-tied nice and neat, and I even got a cablemod with combs and such to make it all pretty.

2: I have 4x Noctua NF-P14s Redux, two in the front for intake, and two on top for exhaust. The rear exhaust is a Corsair ML140. (My theme was Black, Grey and White inside, so I needed at least two White LED fans, CPU and rear exhaust in this case.)

3: I can! ... And have. My fan curve is pretty agressive since noise doesn't bug me. I usually have a fan or something going anyways... Complete silence drives me insane, I like ambient noise.

My full build is here still: System Builder - Core i7-8700K 3.7 GHz 6-Core, GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11 GB SC2, Enthoo Pro M Tempered Glass (Black) ATX Mid Tower - PCPartPicker

Put this thing together...last April/May? It's been a year already wowie.
Damn, that's a sick case.
 
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