Hi Guys.
I think it's finally time to build myself a new PC!
My current build has served me extremely well over the years with minimal changes (8Gb to 16GB and a GPU) and currently consists of an air cooled 2500k at 4ghz, 16b of DDR3, a Corsair M500 ssd, and a 980 Ti housed in a Bitfenix Nova and powered by some old Jeantech 600w power supply (PC World circa 2010).
1. Budget & Location
I don't really have a specific limit - I'm based in the UK and (roughly speaking) was expecting to spend somewhere around £1000 - 1200 but don't need to stick to that too rigidly - its much more important to get the balance of price vs performance right.
2. Aim
I'm a web and software developer and whilst I generally do my work on a Macbook Pro I do occasionally have to do work/testing on Windows/Linux (I generally dual boot Ubuntu). Aside from that I am a gamer and currently find myself playing a lot of FPS games but do dabble with other genres (the Civilization series springs to mind), I've recently been testing the waters in Call of Duty Warzone. I'm also a VR gamer and have the original consumer Rift but I am probably moving over to the Valve Index in the latter part of the year - a decent compliment of USB3 ports will be a big necessity.
3. Monitors
I have just the one monitor currently a 25" LG Ultrawide IPS 2560x1080 @ 60hz but I may at some point swap this out for something with a higher refresh in the near future
4. Peripherals
Keyboard/mouse will carry over but a windows licence will be required.
5. Why are you upgrading?
I don't really have many issues gaming at the 2560x1080 resolution of my current ultrawide monitor or in VR but I am starting to have to reduce the odd setting in some games, so I think it's time to look at a core upgrade to keep me in good standing for a few more years.
This build will be a complete new pc with the exception of the video card as I will look to keep that for another generation (depending on RTX3000 results) before swapping that out. I'm hoping a CPU/MB upgrade will let the 980ti stretch for me a little further.
My main issue is that I'm really looking for advice on finding the sweet spot in the CPU market currently - I feel the i7-9700K vs Ryzen 7 3900X is likely the place to start but the i9-9900k and Ryzen 3950X are both compelling but add considerably to the total outlay - needless to say I'm having trouble drawing a line over what I think will best serve me and my wallet going forward.
Thanks in advance to anyone who gets involved!