Advice on a $1500 dollar build

[ColinAlexander]

In short:

Budget (including currency): 1500 euros

Country: Netherlands

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: For new games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Watch Dogs Legion. Also gonna be used for video-editing (4K)

Other details (existing parts lists, whether any peripherals are needed, what you're upgrading from, when you're going to buy, what resolution and refresh rate you want to play at, etc): Aiming for 1440p at 60Hz, maybe 4K?

 

Long story:

 

This will be my very first pc build so there's a lot of stuff I don't know yet. I already made a build, but I don't know if I chose the best parts for the money, or if there are better options out there. I don't wanna overspend. Some advice would be appreciated! Here's the link: https://nl.pcpartpicker.com/user/ColinAlexander/saved/xtcBjX

 

The build is based on an RTX 3070. I'm building it for both 4k video editing and gaming (1440p 60fps).

 

From what I understand for the CPU, more cores would definitely help with video editing, whereas higher clock speeds would help with gaming. So I chose the Ryzen 7 3700x (8 cores, 3.6 to 4.4 GHz).

For 40 to 80 bucks less I could go for the 5 3600(X/XT). Would this be a better choice? Has 2 less cores, I don't know how much of a difference that would make. Also, AMD will be announcing new CPU's next month. Will that affect the CPU prices much? If the 3700x would go down a lot, maybe that would be a better option for the money.

 

For the motherboard: I have absolutely no idea what would be best, or what price point would be the best to set at a 1500 euro build. For now I chose the MSI MPG B550 GAMING PLUS, which is around 150 euro. Here's what I need on a motherboard: 4 DIMM slots for future RAM expansions, USB 3.0 connectors, a USB-C connector (I read the NZXT H510 case I wanna use has a seperate motherboard connector for the USB-C, so I need an option for that). M.2 slot(s) for my SSD. But I honestly don't know what other (cheaper?) board would be a better option. Again, I don't understand motherboards in the slightest, like what differentiates them. Is there a better (cheaper) option? Or should I spend more on a board and less on, for example, a CPU?

 

I don't care much for RGB. So that saves me a lot of money, doesnt it! Haha. I can get a Windows 10 key for cheap, because I'm a student. Other things like monitor, keyboard, mouse, headset are not included in the budget. Storage wise: 500GB M.2 SSD and 2TB HDD. Lastly, if it matters, I'm in the Netherlands.

This is gonna be my first ever build, so I'm curious to see what you all have to say. Thanks for the help!

 

[Deli]

If you're planning to build new PC. Wait for Zen 3. Will be announced on 8th Oct.

[Light-Yagami]

Your thinking is very good. 

With 1500€, you'll be able to build a PC for 1080p 100hz+ gaming, no doubt. R7 3700x is more than adequate for your needs. As far as the GPU is concerned, maybe get the upcoming RTX 3070, or last gen RTX 2080s/2070s. I think that AMD CPUs won't really drop in price that much, because they're very sought for. 

 

But do realise - CPU and GPU alone will run you over 1000€ by themselves. EU pricing is savage.. I should know. I don't think that 1500€ will ne enough, unless you cheap out on the case, cooling system for the CPU and case and possibly even memory. What you want is from my experience more like 1800-2000€. 

[ColinAlexander]

On 9/20/2020 at 7:27 PM, Light-Yagami said:

Your thinking is very good. 

With 1500€, you'll be able to build a PC for 1080p 100hz+ gaming, no doubt. R7 3700x is more than adequate for your needs. As far as the GPU is concerned, maybe get the upcoming RTX 3070, or last gen RTX 2080s/2070s. I think that AMD CPUs won't really drop in price that much, because they're very sought for. 

 

But do realise - CPU and GPU alone will run you over 1000€ by themselves. EU pricing is savage.. I should know. I don't think that 1500€ will ne enough, unless you cheap out on the case, cooling system for the CPU and case and possibly even memory. What you want is from my experience more like 1800-2000€. 

Yeah, I'm planning on getting the RTX 3070. That with the R7 3700X alone will cost me about 812 euros. This is the build I came up with: https://nl.pcpartpicker.com/user/ColinAlexander/saved/xtcBjX

[ColinAlexander]

 

11 minutes ago, Deli said:

If you're planning to build new PC. Wait for Zen 3. Will be announced on 8th Oct.

Definitely will wait! Thanks!

[Light-Yagami]

5 minutes ago, ColinAlexander said:

Yeah, I'm planning on getting the RTX 3070. That with the R7 3700X alone will cost me about 812 euros. This is the build I came up with: https://nl.pcpartpicker.com/user/ColinAlexander/saved/D3zXyc

Build is good, but I would rather get a 3200mhz ram with CL14 instead of 3600 CL18. Or get a 3600mhz with lower latency. Didn't know components are so cheap these days, thought you'd be giving more than twice the money for memory alone. Good stuff. As for the MoBo, Hardware Unboxed is recommending the MSI B550 Tomahawk because of its high quality VRM design and features at an affordable price

[Deli]

18 minutes ago, ColinAlexander said:

Yeah, I'm planning on getting the RTX 3070. That with the R7 3700X alone will cost me about 812 euros. This is the build I came up with: https://nl.pcpartpicker.com/user/ColinAlexander/saved/D3zXyc

The list looks good. You may want to get a better CPU cooler. The stock cooler is "usable" but loud and hot. For €45, you can get a Scythe Mugen 5 Rev B. Or Scythe Fuma 2 for €50.

 

If you want 1440p, aim for 144Hz. 60Hz is from year 1999. LG 27GN850 is great. RTX3070 should pair with it nicely.

[ColinAlexander]

Thanks for the help both! Learning new stuff everyday like this