New College Machine

[pannotia]

Hi guys, I'm going into engineering for college and I am going to build a fresh system very soon. I play games at 3440x1440, the superior immersive resolution at which my current build struggles at. Performance in engineering related programs like Catia and Solidworks is going to be another priority. I also use productivity applications like Photoshop and Finale pretty frequently.

 

I'm upgrading because the current system is chugging in some applications and I really would like to reduce the footprint of my desktop in a dorm, especially in the vertical direction. Currently, an i5-4690k, 16 GB of random garbo memory, and two EVGA SSC 970 cards in SLI call a Define S home. I'm not going to be recycling any components from the old system except for storage, which consists of two SATA SSDs and one WD Blue.

 

Here's my new part list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/rFxC3b

 

CPU: Intel - Core i7-9700K 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor  ($364.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! - Dark Rock TF 67.8 CFM Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU Cooler  ($99.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI - MPG Z390M GAMING EDGE AC Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($189.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill - Trident Z RGB 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory  ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce RTX 2070 8 GB XC GAMING Video Card  ($509.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair - Crystal 280X MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($114.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA P2 650 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($109.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case Fan: Noctua - NF-A14 PWM chromax.black.swap 82.52 CFM 140 mm Fan  ($24.90 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Noctua - NF-A14 PWM chromax.black.swap 82.52 CFM 140 mm Fan  ($24.90 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Noctua - NF-A14 PWM chromax.black.swap 82.52 CFM 140 mm Fan  ($24.90 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Noctua - NF-A14 PWM chromax.black.swap 82.52 CFM 140 mm Fan  ($24.90 @ Amazon)
Total: $1589.52
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-07-14 14:37 EDT-0400

 

I don't have an explicit budget, but I don't want the build to bump into the >1600 USD range. However, time is a very limited resource in the coming weeks.

 

Please leave some thoughts or suggestions!

Edited July 14, 2019 by pannotia
added the list

[Mr.Humble]

U want productivity? U go Ryzen 3000 in 2019.

[pannotia]

1 minute ago, Mr.Humble said:

U want productivity? U go Ryzen 3000 in 2019.

@Mr.Humble I was definitely looking at Ryzen 3000 for the build, but mATX boards are slim pickings.

[Mr.Humble]

5 minutes ago, pannotia said:

I was definitely looking at Ryzen 3000 for the build, but mATX boards are slim pickings.

They're there, the B450 chipset is compatible, but the problem is that the board would require a BIOS update by the retailer.

 

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD - Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor	$329.00 @ B&H
CPU Cooler	be quiet! - Dark Rock TF 67.8 CFM Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU Cooler	$99.98 @ OutletPC
Motherboard	Gigabyte - B450M DS3H Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard	$76.88 @ OutletPC
Memory	Corsair - Vengeance LPX 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory	$149.99 @ Amazon
Storage	Western Digital - Blue 1 TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive	$114.99 @ Amazon
Video Card	EVGA - GeForce RTX 2080 8 GB Black Video Card	$649.99 @ B&H
Case	Corsair - Crystal 280X MicroATX Mid Tower Case	$99.99 @ Newegg
Power Supply	EVGA - SuperNOVA G3 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply	$89.89 @ OutletPC
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total (before mail-in rebates)	$1660.71
	Mail-in rebates	-$50.00
	Total	$1610.71
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-07-14 14:47 EDT-0400

This is slightly over your budget, but moar power, and if you can't swing the difference, ditch the SSD

[pannotia]

2 minutes ago, Mr.Humble said:

They're there, the B450 chipset is compatible, but the problem is that the board would require a BIOS update by the retailer.

 

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD - Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor	$329.00 @ B&H
CPU Cooler	be quiet! - Dark Rock TF 67.8 CFM Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU Cooler	$99.98 @ OutletPC
Motherboard	Gigabyte - B450M DS3H Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard	$76.88 @ OutletPC
Memory	Corsair - Vengeance LPX 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory	$149.99 @ Amazon
Storage	Western Digital - Blue 1 TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive	$114.99 @ Amazon
Video Card	EVGA - GeForce RTX 2080 8 GB Black Video Card	$649.99 @ B&H
Case	Corsair - Crystal 280X MicroATX Mid Tower Case	$99.99 @ Newegg
Power Supply	EVGA - SuperNOVA G3 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply	$89.89 @ OutletPC
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total (before mail-in rebates)	$1660.71
	Mail-in rebates	-$50.00
	Total	$1610.71
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-07-14 14:47 EDT-0400

This is slightly over your budget, but moar power, and if you can't swing the difference, ditch the SSD

@Mr.Humble That's a really tempting part list, especially with the 2080. I think I can definitely ditch the SSD since I have two to use already. I'll see if I can find a more featured board, maybe WiFi. Ethernet is not going to be much of an option in my dorms.

[AntiTrust]

18 minutes ago, pannotia said:

Here's my new part list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/rFxC3b

Build looks good.

[AntiTrust]

6 minutes ago, Mr.Humble said:

They're there, the B450 chipset is compatible, but the problem is that the board would require a BIOS update by the retailer.

 

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD - Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor	$329.00 @ B&H
CPU Cooler	be quiet! - Dark Rock TF 67.8 CFM Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU Cooler	$99.98 @ OutletPC
Motherboard	Gigabyte - B450M DS3H Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard	$76.88 @ OutletPC
Memory	Corsair - Vengeance LPX 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory	$149.99 @ Amazon
Storage	Western Digital - Blue 1 TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive	$114.99 @ Amazon
Video Card	EVGA - GeForce RTX 2080 8 GB Black Video Card	$649.99 @ B&H
Case	Corsair - Crystal 280X MicroATX Mid Tower Case	$99.99 @ Newegg
Power Supply	EVGA - SuperNOVA G3 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply	$89.89 @ OutletPC
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total (before mail-in rebates)	$1660.71
	Mail-in rebates	-$50.00
	Total	$1610.71
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-07-14 14:47 EDT-0400

 

this is a good build, I would remove the ssd and invest in a better motherboard. But the 3700x with a 2080 will be really nice for gaming. 

[pannotia]

6 minutes ago, AntiTrust said:

this is a good build, I would remove the ssd and invest in a better motherboard. But the 3700x with a 2080 will be really nice for gaming. 

@Mr.Humble @AntiTrust Any suggestions on a mobo? I'm doing some searching around and def going to remove the ssd. I'd even consider ITX if that's a smart move.

[Mr.Humble]

6 minutes ago, pannotia said:

@Mr.Humble Any suggestions on a mobo? I'm doing some searching around and def going to remove the ssd.

Yeah I literally threw a random one in there  How about the ASUS TUF B450 Plus or PRO, MSI Mortar, Asrock Steel Legend... anything with 4 memory slots and a long bottom PCIe slot, all of these should have that and are around  $90.
 

 

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD - Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor	$329.00 @ B&H
CPU Cooler	be quiet! - Dark Rock TF 67.8 CFM Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU Cooler	$99.98 @ OutletPC
Motherboard	ASRock - B450M Steel Legend Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard	$89.89 @ OutletPC
Memory	Corsair - Vengeance LPX 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory	$149.99 @ Amazon
Video Card	EVGA - GeForce RTX 2080 8 GB Black Video Card	$649.99 @ B&H
Case	Corsair - Crystal 280X MicroATX Mid Tower Case	$99.99 @ Newegg
Power Supply	EVGA - SuperNOVA G3 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply	$89.89 @ OutletPC
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total (before mail-in rebates)	$1543.73
	Mail-in rebates	-$35.00
	Total	$1508.73
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-07-14 15:04 EDT-0400

 

[AntiTrust]

11 minutes ago, pannotia said:

@Mr.Humble @AntiTrust Any suggestions on a mobo? I'm doing some searching around and def going to remove the ssd. I'd even consider ITX if that's a smart move.

https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16813157887

 

the Asrock Pro4 line has been pretty good in the past. no built in wifi but it has a slot for an m.2 e wifi card which cost about 10-20$ (https://www.newegg.com/p/pl?d=m.2+wifi&cm_sp=KeywordRelated-_-m.2 e wifi-_-m.2 wifi-_-INFOCARD)

[Mr.Humble]

25 minutes ago, pannotia said:

@Mr.Humble @AntiTrust Any suggestions on a mobo? I'm doing some searching around and def going to remove the ssd. I'd even consider ITX if that's a smart move.

I prefer to have expansion slots. If you want to go ITX Czech out the Fractal Design Node 304 Case. You might want a AiO water cooler for that, however.

 

 

1

 Advanced issues found

▲

 

 

1

10 minutes ago, AntiTrust said:

https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16813157887

 

the Asrock Pro4 line has been pretty good in the past. no built in wifi but it has a slot for an m.2 e wifi card which cost about 10-20$ (https://www.newegg.com/p/pl?d=m.2+wifi&cm_sp=KeywordRelated-_-m.2 e wifi-_-m.2 wifi-_-INFOCARD)

I found that one too, and oh boi does it look good. The VRM heatsink looks a bit meh but for the 3700X it should be more than enough, and it seems really well priced for a x570 board.

[pannotia]

1 minute ago, Mr.Humble said:

I prefer to have expansion slots. If you want to go ITX Czech out the Fractal Design Node 304 Case. You might want a AiO water cooler for that, however.

I found that one too, and oh boi does it look good. The VRM heatsink looks a bit meh but for the 3700X it should be more than enough, and it seems really well priced for a x570 board.

@Mr.Humble @AntiTrust I was looking at that mobo very early on when I was planning the build and the tiny fan on the x570 chipset is very off putting. If the chipset didn't require the active cooling, the board would have been a steal imo.

[Mr.Humble]

4 minutes ago, pannotia said:

@Mr.Humble @AntiTrust I was looking at that mobo very early on when I was planning the build and the tiny fan on the x570 chipset is very off putting. If the chipset didn't require the active cooling, the board would have been a steal imo.

Allegedly, according to early reviews of some other X570 boards, the chipset fan is not a big deal in terms of noise.

 

It's the price of PCIe 4.0 and all the advanced I/O that comes with it. It won't make or break your PC but if you're very futureproofing oriented I'd recommend it as new devices such as 10GbE NICs, USB4 expansion cards etc. will probably take advantage of that.

 

If I was building a new mATX Ryzen 3rd gen PC, that is the board I'd choose. I'm not, which is why I chose the ASUS X570-F for my new build 

[pannotia]

11 minutes ago, Mr.Humble said:

Allegedly, according to early reviews of some other X570 boards, the chipset fan is not a big deal in terms of noise.

 

It's the price of PCIe 4.0 and all the advanced I/O that comes with it. It won't make or break your PC but if you're very futureproofing oriented I'd recommend it as new devices such as 10GbE NICs, USB4 expansion cards etc. will probably take advantage of that.

 

If I was building a new mATX Ryzen 3rd gen PC, that is the board I'd choose. I'm not, which is why I chose the ASUS X570-F for my new build 

@Mr.Humble Super pretty board, wish I had the room for an ATX build. If I got an older board, how would I go around flashing the bios with a newer version? I'm thinking about going along with one of the ASUS mATX boards with an m.2 wireless.

[Mr.Humble]

24 minutes ago, pannotia said:

@Mr.Humble Super pretty board, wish I had the room for an ATX build. If I got an older board, how would I go around flashing the bios with a newer version? I'm thinking about going along with one of the ASUS mATX boards with an m.2 wireless.

There's a couple of ways:

1. It's new stock and it's flashed by the manufacturer, should be indicated by a "Ryzen 3000 ready" sticker on the box

2. Your retailer offers this service

3. The board has a feature called "BIOS flashback" which should enable you to update it without a CPU installed

4. You physically have access to an out-of-the-box compatible CPU - Ryzen 1st or 2nd gen - and update it yourself

 

All of these solutions will cause you some headache or added expense. Also bear in mind that the WiFi card, while using M.2 slot, has a different slot key (E key) so it is possible it physically won't be able to plug into any random M.2 slot.

 

For an out-of-the-box seamless, compatible experience, I would really suggest the ASRock x570M Pro4. It's not cheap, but considering how much other X570 boards cost it's actually really reasonable for the features and connectivity, and you wouldn't have to deal with any BIOS nonsense. Add a $20 Intel AC-9260 card and you have a really solid system.

 

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD - Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor	$329.00 @ B&H
CPU Cooler	Noctua - NH-C14S 82.52 CFM CPU Cooler	$74.90 @ Amazon
Motherboard	ASRock - X570M Pro4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard	$175.99 @ Newegg
Memory	Corsair - Vengeance LPX 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory	$149.99 @ Amazon
Video Card	EVGA - GeForce RTX 2080 8 GB Black Video Card	$649.99 @ B&H
Case	Corsair - Crystal 280X MicroATX Mid Tower Case	$99.99 @ Newegg
Power Supply	EVGA - SuperNOVA G3 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply	$89.89 @ OutletPC
Custom	Intel AC-9260	$20.00
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total (before mail-in rebates)	$1634.75
	Mail-in rebates	-$45.00
	Total	$1589.75
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-07-14 16:40 EDT-0400

Here I swapped your cooler for a comparable but cheaper Noctua - it has a recognizable aesthetic but will help make more room for the WiFi and X570M board 

[pannotia]

15 minutes ago, Mr.Humble said:

There's a couple of ways:

1. It's new stock and it's flashed by the manufacturer, should be indicated by a "Ryzen 3000 ready" sticker on the box

2. Your retailer offers this service

3. The board has a feature called "BIOS flashback" which should enable you to update it without a CPU installed

4. You physically have access to an out-of-the-box compatible CPU - Ryzen 1st or 2nd gen - and update it yourself

 

All of these solutions will cause you some headache or added expense. Also bear in mind that the WiFi card, while using M.2 slot, has a different slot key (E key) so it is possible it physically won't be able to plug into any random M.2 slot.

 

For an out-of-the-box seamless, compatible experience, I would really suggest the ASRock x570M Pro4. It's not cheap, but considering how much other X570 boards cost it's actually really reasonable for the features and connectivity, and you wouldn't have to deal with any BIOS nonsense. Add a $20 Intel AC-9260 card and you have a really solid system.

 

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD - Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor	$329.00 @ B&H
CPU Cooler	Noctua - NH-C14S 82.52 CFM CPU Cooler	$74.90 @ Amazon
Motherboard	ASRock - X570M Pro4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard	$175.99 @ Newegg
Memory	Corsair - Vengeance LPX 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory	$149.99 @ Amazon
Video Card	EVGA - GeForce RTX 2080 8 GB Black Video Card	$649.99 @ B&H
Case	Corsair - Crystal 280X MicroATX Mid Tower Case	$99.99 @ Newegg
Power Supply	EVGA - SuperNOVA G3 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply	$89.89 @ OutletPC
Custom	Intel AC-9260	$20.00
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total (before mail-in rebates)	$1634.75
	Mail-in rebates	-$45.00
	Total	$1589.75
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-07-14 16:40 EDT-0400

Here I swapped your cooler for a comparable but cheaper Noctua - it has a recognizable aesthetic but will help make more room for the WiFi and X570M board 

@Mr.Humble Thanks for all the help! I'll see what I can do from here. Looks like Ryzen 3000 CPUs are out of stock or on back-order.