Upgrade or new rig?

[berth]

INot intended to hijack the thread but, fwiw, I just ordered this: https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/xy3q27

My current PC (i5-2500k, gtx 970) is showing its age and has been doing the odd random crash-reboot loop recently, seemingly gpu related, so I figured it was time to start afresh.
I am fortunate enough to have been working through most of the lockdown which has resulted in earning without much spending.

I'll let you know how I get on, if you like

New rig gets my vote

[Gavrushka]

INot intended to hijack the thread but, fwiw, I just ordered this: https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/xy3q27

My current PC (i5-2500k, gtx 970) is showing its age and has been doing the odd random crash-reboot loop recently, seemingly gpu related, so I figured it was time to start afresh.
I am fortunate enough to have been working through most of the lockdown which has resulted in earning without much spending.

I'll let you know how I get on, if you like

New rig gets my vote

That's a great site. - I'm buying from Palicomp after I've finished house and garden renovations, and will check over my spec on there. - I've had a history of PSUs failing, so I'm paranoid about that element. My current PC (an I7 8700) is going to my 82 year old mum so she can play Doom, and other violent FPS games...

[exogenesis]

Those Noctua NH-D15 air coolers are huge,
I've got one & it just fits in the width, and around & over the components (like memory - without cooler vanes),
in a (ridiculously large)-tower case
Hope it fits OK in the mid-tower case...

[jlehtone]

Fractal is relatively wide.

Noctua says: 165 mm
Fractal claims: CPU cooler max height 185 mm
(BTW, there is a bit more expensive version of R6 with USB-C on the front panel.)

The Vengeance does not seem to have overly tall heatsink, so it won't force the fan much upwards.

[berth]

The Noctua should fit ok - I've got an older model in my current case which is a Define R3. But, yes, they are huge. The RAM is low profile so that should be ok.

Also, afaik, PCPartpicker's thing is that it will check all the various components you select for compatibility. I assume that includes clearance

[burger1]

Just an fyi turn off automatic bios updates or you might end up with a pc that doesn't boot up.

[euclid]

Not sure how high prices are currently inflated but there might eventually be a shortage of parts?

There's still stufff available but some is out of stock.
...................

It seems you hit the nail here. I'm in negociations with several suppliers. They have all said that the price on CPU and GPU are likely to sky rocket very soon. It is due to the production and distribution issues related to Covid-19 and because there are new consoles on the horizon demanding high numbers of chips. Some other parts (like the AX850 PSU) have rather long lead times.

Cheers Euclid

[euclid]

This is what I have gathered so far:

MoBo Aorus 570 Ultral
CPU Ryzen 390X
GFX Radeon VII
PSU 1KW Titanium
RAM 32GB RGB Pro 3200
CPU Cooler Assassin III
2x 500GB SSD

I'll keep 2TB HDD and a 500GB HDD from my current rig. Yet unclear is the case: It seems there is a problem with the clearance between the RAM and the CPU cooler. Also there seems to be no bay to house an internal dvd drive so I'm thinking of getting an external usb one. Advise is appreciated.

Cheers Euclid

[Vertigo 7]

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MF ... UTF8&psc=1

I've got this one and I'm loving it. nice clean build, plenty of clearance for just about anything. dust filters are easy to pull out and clean as well. Also, all of the USB ports are USB3.

[berth]

Re DVD drive, I got one of these but I haven't actually used it yet.

[jlehtone]

Yet unclear is the case: It seems there is a problem with the clearance between the RAM and the CPU cooler.
Also there seems to be no bay to house an internal dvd drive so I'm thinking of getting an external usb one.

What are your case options?

* All RAM models do not have tall RGB. Are lights a must?
* The fans on the cooler can be moved "up". That should suffice, unless the tower itself is on top of the RAM slot.
Of course, then the fan approaches the wall of the case.
* There are still cases with 5.25" slots, but if DVD is used seldom, then it does not have to be in the case.


What is the expected power draw of those components, idle and loaded? To me 1 kW sounds a lot.

[burger1]

https://youtu.be/UMpnFPJiZ7M?t=444

The more common problem these days seems to be there's front case fans but the front is blocked off so they can't actually pull much air or in some cases no air (mounted directly onto a metal plate). You'll probably want top exhaust fans also if you want better air cooling since hot air rises. Graphics cards run cooler these days usually but there might be no fans providing cool air to them. I think noisier high air flow (haf) cases aren't common any more?

Another common complaint seems like tempered glass vs tinted plastic side panels. Apparently the plastic gets scratched up quite often and then looks bad. Large price difference I think.

If you are using rgb make sure the headers on the mainboard can take the voltage/current or it might be the end of the mainboard. Not all rgb strips and stuff are the same. I think phantek might have proprietary stuff.

[pjknibbs]

This is the case I got when I upgraded last year:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01 ... UTF8&psc=1

I got this one because it (a) claimed to be built for quiet and (b) doesn't have pointless and irrelevant glass panels on it. Having used it for a year now I think it definitely fulfils the quiet claim, and it was nice and easy to build in too. No DVD drive, so I have this external one:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07 ... UTF8&psc=1

I've used this several times with my laptop, never had to use it on the desktop machine yet. Works fine.

[euclid]

.....
* All RAM models do not have tall RGB. Are lights a must?
.....

Thanks Kitten And no, I don't need any fancy lights but this particular RAM does not come without. Will check alternatives, maybe even go for a water cooler instead of air.

What is the expected power draw of those components, idle and loaded? To me 1 kW sounds a lot.

Quite right! Partpicker estimates the power requirements around 600W, not taken into account the external dvd and the 2 HDDs from my current rig. I've checked and a 700-750W psu will save about £30. Checking the availability now.

This is the case I got when I upgraded last year:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01 ... UTF8&psc=1

I got this one because it (a) claimed to be built for quiet and (b) doesn't have pointless and irrelevant glass panels on it. Having used it for a year now I think it definitely fulfils the quiet claim, and it was nice and easy to build in too. No DVD drive, so I have this external one:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07 ... UTF8&psc=1

I've used this several times with my laptop, never had to use it on the desktop machine yet. Works fine.

Thanks Paul The case is a silent runner but I think it might lack airflow (no front fans) and dust filters. The external dvd looks good; will consider that one.

............
The more common problem these days seems to be there's front case fans but the front is blocked off so they can't actually pull much air or in some cases no air (mounted directly onto a metal plate). You'll probably want top exhaust fans also if you want better air cooling since hot air rises. Graphics cards run cooler these days usually but there might be no fans providing cool air to them. I think noisier high air flow (haf) cases aren't common any more?
............

Yes, decent air flow, fans and dust filters are more important to me than noise reduction. However, now I am considering a water cooler (for the CPU) rather than the noisier air cooler. Thanks for the input, appreciated.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MF ... UTF8&psc=1

I've got this one and I'm loving it. nice clean build, plenty of clearance for just about anything. dust filters are easy to pull out and clean as well. Also, all of the USB ports are USB3.

Thanks but that is quite a humongous case and won't fit on the shelf mounted to the wall of my "mancave".

Cheers Euclid

[jlehtone]

Thanks but that is quite a humongous case and won't fit on the shelf mounted to the wall of my "mancave".

What are the max dimensions that would fit on it?

Liquid cooler has a pump and fans on radiator. I'm not sure how those are more quiet than fans on airtower.

Google points to "Corsair Vengeance" RGB PRO. There is also Vengeance LPX with seemingly same specs, but less tall.

[euclid]

Just to let you know the final specs:

Fractal Meshify S2
Corsair SF 750W Platinum PSU
Asus ROG Strix X570 E Gaming
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
Corsair Vengeance LPX 32Gb 3200MHz
Corsair H100 Dual 120mm Liquid Cooler
Radeon RX 5700 XT Red Devil
Kingston A2000 500Gb NVMe M2 SSD
Kingston A400 500Gb SSD
LG/Samsung USB DVD- RW

I'll keep 2 HDs: A 500GB WD Seagate with the OS and a 500GB SATA-1 Hitachi with most of my games. Thanks again all for the many suggestions and feedback.

Cheers Euclid

[Scarecrow]

I put this on my Ryzen 7 2700x build.

https://www.alphacool.com/shop/neue-pro ... -cpu-black

[berth]

Just to let you know the final specs:

Fractal Meshify S2
Corsair SF 750W Platinum PSU
Asus ROG Strix X570 E Gaming
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
Corsair Vengeance LPX 32Gb 3200MHz
Corsair H100 Dual 120mm Liquid Cooler
Radeon RX 5700 XT Red Devil
Kingston A2000 500Gb NVMe M2 SSD
Kingston A400 500Gb SSD
LG/Samsung USB DVD- RW

I'll keep 2 HDs: A 500GB WD Seagate with the OS and a 500GB SATA-1 Hitachi with most of my games. Thanks again all for the many suggestions and feedback.

Cheers Euclid

Nice. Somewhat higher end than my build

I'd be interested to hear what the noise levels are like from the H100 cooler. The loudest thing in mine is the GPU - I didn't spot that the fans on the 1660 super are always on, even at idle. Oh well, no biggy, it's not LOUD but I can hear it.

[euclid]

........
I'd be interested to hear what the noise levels are like from the H100 cooler. The loudest thing in mine is the GPU - I didn't spot that the fans on the 1660 super are always on, even at idle. Oh well, no biggy, it's not LOUD but I can hear it.

I have not yet tried any heavy load game yet but after some benchmark tests the noise level is shockingly low (compared to my old rig). If there were not all these lcd lights I would wonder if the rig is running at all

Cheers Euclid

[burger1]

I'd be interested to hear what the noise levels are like from the H100 cooler. The loudest thing in mine is the GPU - I didn't spot that the fans on the 1660 super are always on, even at idle. Oh well, no biggy, it's not LOUD but I can hear it.

Aren't the 1660 super fans off below a certain temperature 50-60C? They might just spin up for a few seconds at boot up? Do you have some thing like msi afterburner or a program for a gpu fan curve running?