Opinions on ~$1500 PC

[rphawks]

One of my friends is upgrading from a prebuilt he bought almost 4 years ago now with a i7-4790 and GTX 960. The only thing I think can reuse is the HDD. This is a build I've pieced together with his preferences, but I haven't been on top of all things PC recently, so I thought to run it by this forum. He'll probably purchase the GPU first, followed by the rest of the rig w/o the monitor. The monitor is probably a future upgrade, but I put it there as I know that the rig would be overkill for the 1080p60 display he has right now. Thanks in advance for help.

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-9600K 3.7 GHz 6-Core Processor  ($219.95 @ Amazon) 
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock 4 CPU Cooler  ($74.90 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: ASRock Z390 Extreme4 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($149.99 @ Amazon) 
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  ($62.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Samsung 860 Evo 500 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($69.98 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Toshiba 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive 
Video Card: MSI GeForce RTX 2070 8 GB Video Card  ($439.99 @ Newegg) 
Case: Phanteks Eclipse P400A Digital ATX Mid Tower Case  ($93.98 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 550 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply  ($64.98 @ Amazon) 
Monitor: Dell S2716DG 27.0" 2560x1440 144 Hz Monitor  ($418.98 @ Amazon) 
Total: $1595.74
 

[Herman Mcpootis]

get a ryzen 3600 + B450-A Pro/gaming plus/tomahawk instead, a silicon power A80 or team group MP34 instead of the 860 evo and a 5700XT pulse, gaming OC or red dragon instead of the 2070.

[rphawks]

57 minutes ago, Herman Mcpootis said:

get a ryzen 3600 + B450-A Pro/gaming plus/tomahawk instead, a silicon power A80 or team group MP34 instead of the 860 evo and a 5700XT pulse, gaming OC or red dragon instead of the 2070.

List with changes below based on your recommendations. 3600X over 3600 for a bit better performance. Curious as to your reasons for the M.2 SSD over a 860 EVO or MX500. The 5700 XT does seem like a better pick performance wise, but my friend did have an Intel + Nvidia preference. Is a good idea to pair the 5700XT with the 9600K?

 

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600X 3.8 GHz 6-Core Processor  ($234.74 @ Amazon) 
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock 4 CPU Cooler  ($74.90 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming 4 ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($144.99 @ Amazon) 
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  ($62.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Silicon Power A80 512 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  ($59.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Toshiba 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive 
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon RX 5700 XT 8 GB GAMING OC Video Card  ($403.98 @ Newegg) 
Case: Phanteks Eclipse P400A Digital ATX Mid Tower Case  ($93.98 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 550 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply  ($64.98 @ Amazon) 
Monitor: Dell S2716DG 27.0" 2560x1440 144 Hz Monitor  ($418.98 @ Amazon) 
Total: $1559.53
 

[Herman Mcpootis]

1 hour ago, rphawks said:

List with changes below based on your recommendations. 3600X over 3600 for a bit better performance. Curious as to your reasons for the M.2 SSD over a 860 EVO or MX500. The 5700 XT does seem like a better pick performance wise, but my friend did have an Intel + Nvidia preference. Is a good idea to pair the 5700XT with the 9600K?

the 3600x only has a small clock speed bump over the 3600 so just get the 3600 and overclock. the 2 SSDs i mentioned are both light years ahead of the MX500 and 860 evo for less. the 9600k isn't a good pick nowadays so stick with the 3600.

[rphawks]

15 minutes ago, Herman Mcpootis said:

the 3600x only has a small clock speed bump over the 3600 so just get the 3600 and overclock. the 2 SSDs i mentioned are both light years ahead of the MX500 and 860 evo for less. the 9600k isn't a good pick nowadays so stick with the 3600.

Seems like M.2 is they way to go then. Why isn't the 9600K a good pick? It seems to edge out the 3600 in benchmarks. Also price difference between 3600 and 3600X is probably negligible enough to just buy the 3600X if AMD is what we settle on.

[Herman Mcpootis]

26 minutes ago, rphawks said:

Seems like M.2 is they way to go then. Why isn't the 9600K a good pick? It seems to edge out the 3600 in benchmarks. Also price difference between 3600 and 3600X is probably negligible enough to just buy the 3600X if AMD is what we settle on.

the 9600k doesn't have HT, so it won't last as long as the 3600 before you start seeing stuttering and FPS drops.

[claudinho7]

That case you chose will not support a 3fan gpu and radiator in front. Also for the ease of mind you could find a fully modular 650w 80+gold for 10-15$ more.

[trevb0t]

11 hours ago, rphawks said:

Is a good idea to pair the 5700XT with the 9600K?

If you want something non AMD, I'd go the other way. 3600 and a 2070 Super. 

[trevb0t]

9 hours ago, rphawks said:

Seems like M.2 is they way to go then. Why isn't the 9600K a good pick? It seems to edge out the 3600 in benchmarks. Also price difference between 3600 and 3600X is probably negligible enough to just buy the 3600X if AMD is what we settle on.

Sure, but for that extra money you could grab a solid cooler and just overclock the 3600 to that level with better cooling hardware anyway. 

 

Essentially the difference is negligible. The 3600 has more cores, SMT, is unlocked, a few bucks cheaper, overclocks well on cheaper boards, includes a decent stock cooler, and performs pretty close to the same. It's got better longevity. 

[rphawks]

9 hours ago, claudinho7 said:

That case you chose will not support a 3fan gpu and radiator in front. Also for the ease of mind you could find a fully modular 650w 80+gold for 10-15$ more.

The 5700XT Is only 280mm, and the P400A takes up to 420mm. I don't have an AIO or water cooling at all so not sure what you mean by the radiator.

[rphawks]

14 hours ago, Herman Mcpootis said:

the 9600k doesn't have HT, so it won't last as long as the 3600 before you start seeing stuttering and FPS drops.

Hmm. Does HT really make the processor last longer?

5 hours ago, trevb0t said:

If you want something non AMD, I'd go the other way. 3600 and a 2070 Super. 

I think the card is between the 5700XT and 2070. The 2070 Super is a little expensive.

5 hours ago, trevb0t said:

Sure, but for that extra money you could grab a solid cooler and just overclock the 3600 to that level with better cooling hardware anyway. 

 

Essentially the difference is negligible. The 3600 has more cores, SMT, is unlocked, a few bucks cheaper, overclocks well on cheaper boards, includes a decent stock cooler, and performs pretty close to the same. It's got better longevity. 

I don't think he'll be overclocking directly out of the box. I already have a Dark Rock 4 in the system, so I won't be using a stock cooler. The only difference is SMT or not. Why do you say it has better longevity?

[trevb0t]

1 hour ago, rphawks said:

Hmm. Does HT really make the processor last longer?

I think the card is between the 5700XT and 2070. The 2070 Super is a little expensive.

I don't think he'll be overclocking directly out of the box. I already have a Dark Rock 4 in the system, so I won't be using a stock cooler. The only difference is SMT or not. Why do you say it has better longevity?

Look at the game quality of an i5 2500 vs i7 2600. Both are perfectly overclockable to 5ghz, but the 2500 craps out in most modern gaming and processing. The 2600 is still honestly a solid chip. The difference is HT. 

 

Sure that's an older example, but it's a great one. Plenty of people still use 3770K or 4770K happily in gaming. Nobody with a 4600k is doing well. Same reasons. HT IS longevity. 

 

You might argue that the 9600K is 6 cores and the older ones are 4, but when you're looking at a long lifetime of use, why roll the dice that 6 is going to remain enough? People had the same argument thinking 4c was plenty. Nowadays it's the bare minimum (and too few in many cases.)

 

If you want longevity out of Intel, you want either the 9900K (ouch.) Or the 8700K, which the 3600 is keeping up with anyway. 

[rphawks]

1 hour ago, trevb0t said:

Look at the game quality of an i5 2500 vs i7 2600. Both are perfectly overclockable to 5ghz, but the 2500 craps out in most modern gaming and processing. The 2600 is still honestly a solid chip. The difference is HT. 

 

Sure that's an older example, but it's a great one. Plenty of people still use 3770K or 4770K happily in gaming. Nobody with a 4600k is doing well. Same reasons. HT IS longevity. 

 

You might argue that the 9600K is 6 cores and the older ones are 4, but when you're looking at a long lifetime of use, why roll the dice that 6 is going to remain enough? People had the same argument thinking 4c was plenty. Nowadays it's the bare minimum (and too few in many cases.)

 

If you want longevity out of Intel, you want either the 9900K (ouch.) Or the 8700K, which the 3600 is keeping up with anyway. 

Does that make all 9th gen (except for the i9s) bad picks? Gotta say I don't 100% buy the argument but I see where you're coming from. I'll let him decide.

[rphawks]

@Herman Mcpootis @trevb0t @claudinho7

This is a finalized list.

 

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600X 3.8 GHz 6-Core Processor  ($199.99 @ Amazon) 
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock 4 CPU Cooler  ($74.90 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming 4 ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($144.99 @ Amazon) 
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  ($62.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: HP EX920 512 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  ($62.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Toshiba 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive 
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon RX 5700 XT 8 GB GAMING OC Video Card  ($403.98 @ Newegg) 
Case: Phanteks Eclipse P400A Digital ATX Mid Tower Case  ($98.98 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 550 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply  ($64.98 @ Amazon) 
Total: $1113.80