Upgrading from 1st Gaming Rig (FX-6300, GTX 960)

[farmerginge]

Hey guys,

 

So I got a friend to help me build my first rig back in like 2014/15 and I realised that it is time for an upgrade. I've watched a number of different videos for builds and compared a bunch of benchmarks for new/newish hardware on the market at mid-range level. Because it's also my first build that will not be rushed and more a labour of love I'm trying to keep the colour scheme similar, mainly white, but I'll be adding some blue LED strip lights and an LED CPU cooler fan too (already have additional white LED case fans purchased). 

 

My main concern is keeping the system easily upgradable in the future so I'm not shedding out a bunch of cash like I am now. With the new AMD chipsets coming out in the future is it likely that I will be able to put these into the motherboard I have chosen? Also, any advice on where I can cut some costs or better price to performance components would be amazing. I have included parts lists for my current and planned build below. 

 

I'm also looking to wait until all the Black Friday deals have come out on Friday before I start purchasing any of the more expensive components as I'm hoping there will be some price drops. 

 

Appreciate y'all! 

 

Current build: https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/vg64sk

 

New Build Plan: https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/mPZ2mg (have already purchased case)

Keeping SSD, HDD and PSU from current build. 

[LogicWeasel]

I marked the parts you already have as purchased so they don't factor into the price.

I replaced parts that were overpriced with ones that are newer, better, or same performance for less money.

 

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor  (£177.18 @ Aria PC) 
Motherboard: MSI B450 TOMAHAWK MAX ATX AM4 Motherboard  (£89.99 @ Box Limited) 
Memory: Patriot Viper 4 Blackout 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory  (£67.61 @ Amazon UK) 
Storage: Crucial MX500 250 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  (Purchased For £0.00) 
Storage: Sabrent Rocket 512 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  (£44.99 @ Amazon UK) 
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  (Purchased For £0.00) 
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon RX VEGA 56 8 GB Red Dragon Video Card  (£248.99 @ Overclockers.co.uk) 
Case: Corsair Carbide Series 275R ATX Mid Tower Case  (Purchased For £0.00) 
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 550 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply  (Purchased For £0.00) 
Total: £628.76
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-11-27 17:27 GMT+0000


Edit:  Also if you don't like the AMD stock cooler (it's much better this go around from AMD compared to past stock coolers), you can use your Hyper 212 EVO's AM3 bracket for this new CPU and that'll work.

Edited November 27, 2019 by LogicWeasel
added note about cpu cooler

[farmerginge]

Hey! Thanks for the advice, I’ve never used an AMD card before so I’m a bit apprehensive about that but will do a bit of research into its performance. Do we know if that motherboard will be compatible with future AMD processors yet? 

[LogicWeasel]

6 minutes ago, farmerginge said:

I’ve never used an AMD card before so I’m a bit apprehensive about that

You get your drivers from a different website, that's about it.  It is a FAR faster card than you one you picked and it will crank FPS for days.

 

6 minutes ago, farmerginge said:

but will do a bit of research into its performance

Just take a look at the approximate tiering that even Logical Increments does:  https://www.logicalincrements.com/articles/graphicscardcomparison   Notice how the Vega 56 I picked in PCPP is the same price in quid, and on that site it's an entire stack higher than the 1660 Ti?  It's just flat better.
 

6 minutes ago, farmerginge said:

Do we know if that motherboard will be compatible with future AMD processors yet?

Yes, and actually it supports newer (and more) AMD CPUs out of the box than the X470 you picked because it's a MAX revision, it's design from MSI is newer and refreshed for Ryzen 3rd Generation, and it is the logical pick for an AMD motherboard until AMD releases B550 boards.  Until then anyone who doesn't need PCI Express 4.0 should be going for the Tomahawk MAX, it's ideal for its price, VRMs, and CPUs supported.

[farmerginge]

Hey, really appreciate the breakdowns with all of this stuff. As I said, this is only the second time I've made a build and will be the first time I assemble one by myself so I need all the help I can get!

 

Thanks again for the advice! 

[farmerginge]

I've had a look and it looks like I'll need a 650W PSU for getting that card, apparently it eats up power. 

[LogicWeasel]

15 minutes ago, farmerginge said:

I've had a look and it looks like I'll need a 650W PSU for getting that card, apparently it eats up power. 

Nope, I accounted for that, those recommendations that you read somewhere (you should post them so they can be debunked) are based on a bottom-basement PSU.  You're fine since the Corsair CXM is not a trash PSU.  Do not take face-value listings about a generic PSU and assume.

We know more than you give us credit for   Sometimes it's better to not assume any 1 online source is right unless you do the full amount of homework on the topic.

Have some facts: https://www.guru3d.com/articles-pages/amd-radeon-rx-vega-56-8gb-review,8.html

[farmerginge]

And if I can find a 2060 discounted to a similar price point during the sales https://www.ebuyer.com/910965-msi-geforce-rtx-2060-ventus-xs-oc-6gb-graphics-card-rtx-2060-ventus-xs-6g-oc would you recommend that over the RX Vega 56? 

[LogicWeasel]

50 minutes ago, farmerginge said:

And if I can find a 2060 discounted to a similar price point during the sales https://www.ebuyer.com/910965-msi-geforce-rtx-2060-ventus-xs-oc-6gb-graphics-card-rtx-2060-ventus-xs-6g-oc would you recommend that over the RX Vega 56? 

It's not a matter of one product OVER another.  They are in the same weight-class, they trade blows.  It's like asking to pick between two similar-tier sports cars, you pick the one you want.  Take a look here: https://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/2521?vs=2515

So the easy answer is, you pick something in that performance tier, that is most on sale, or at the best price.  And when I compiled that PC Part List, the most-on sale was the Vega 56, and it's a better deal when it's cheaper than the 2060.

[farmerginge]

Thanks for explaining, I think I'm out of questions

[LogicWeasel]

12 minutes ago, farmerginge said:

Thanks for explaining, I think I'm out of questions

I'm still happy to answer any others.  These are good questions that get you closer to getting the most gaming for your quid.

[farmerginge]

Okay well I do want to stream and I have a dual monitor setup, I know that the Nividia cards have the NVEC tech to help with encoding, is there something similar with AMD? Or will the CPU be fine with running streaming in that kinda setup? I also have a few friends that have recommended I always stick with MSI, EVGA, Gigabyte or ASUS with GPUs, Is PowerColor a reliable brand? 

 

[LogicWeasel]

26 minutes ago, farmerginge said:

Is PowerColor a reliable brand? 

Yes.  Brand loyalty should not be considered.  It really only matters as far as the initial quality of the GPU cooler design (that design is good, and not loud), and the warranty support after purchase, they all tend to be similar/average on that.

As for streaming, not something I'm super versed in, perhaps someone else can shed light on that.  I'm familiar that NVIDIA has NVENC but I'm not sure if AMD has its own.  Worth a google perhaps?

[farmerginge]

Build is done, thought I'd share the completed product with you. Super happy with my white + blue finish and the overall look. 

[LogicWeasel]

29 minutes ago, farmerginge said:

Build is done, thought I'd share the completed product with you. Super happy with my white + blue finish and the overall look. 

Lookin pretty good.

 

Should post the final specs PCPartPicker style.  I see the motherboard and GPU changed.

[farmerginge]

This is what I eventually went with, decided to keep the gpu at a lower price point as it does everything I need it to now until I get better monitors.

 

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD Ryzen 5 3600X 3.8 GHz 6-Core Processor	£193.79 @ Amazon UK
CPU Cooler	Deepcool GAMMAXX 400 Blue 74.34 CFM CPU Cooler
Motherboard	Gigabyte B450 AORUS ELITE ATX AM4 Motherboard	£89.99 @ CCL Computers
Memory	Crucial Ballistix Sport LT 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory	£66.29 @ Amazon UK
Storage	Crucial MX500 250 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive	£35.99 @ Overclockers.co.uk
Storage	Seagate BarraCuda 1 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive	£34.99 @ Overclockers.co.uk
Video Card	MSI GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6 GB ARMOR OC Video Card	£259.99 @ Box Limited
Case	Corsair 275R Airflow ATX Mid Tower Case	£69.95 @ Amazon UK
Power Supply	EVGA SuperNOVA G3 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply	£84.40 @ Alza
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total	£835.39
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-12-13 00:10 GMT+0000

 

[LogicWeasel]

56 minutes ago, farmerginge said:

decided to keep the gpu at a lower price point

Odd, because 260 quid was what I had slotted for that Vega 56 so it doesn't look like you paid less, but you got 1660 Ti instead.  I presume it's the slight white accents in the cooler shroud eh?  Helps the color scheme.

The vega is not a more expensive card, only something like an RX 5700 would have been a higher price tier, but I get that the red on the cooler I had linked didn't fit the color theme.

58 minutes ago, farmerginge said:

Motherboard Gigabyte B450 AORUS ELITE ATX AM4 Motherboard

I'm curious, did you have to update the BIOS on this first before it would POST?  Or did it come pre-updated from the retailer so you could just boot with your Ryzen 3600X with no issues?

 

59 minutes ago, farmerginge said:

Power Supply EVGA SuperNOVA G3 550 W

Decided not to keep your CX550M after all eh?