"Future-proof" system upgrade (i5-3570K to Ryzen 3900X?)

[scottg96]

Hi!

 

My current system is as follows (built in 2012):

• Intel i5-3570K (4 cores, 3.40GHz base clock)
• Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H mobo
• 4x4GB DDR3-1600 RAM (2x Samsung sticks, 2x Corsair sticks)
• EVGA GTX 1060 SC GAMING 6GB
• Various storage (not very important)
• EVGA 600 B1 PSU

Needless to say, the i5 and DDR3-1600 RAM are showing their age... so I think it's high time to upgrade.

 

My question is: at the time of my build in 2012, my components were not top-of-the-line, yet they've lasted the past 7 years with only recent issues as the workload increases (music production, PCVR, 3440x1440 gaming, productivity, etc.) and I'm confident even mid-tier components today would last just as long. But I would love to have top-of-the-line performance today, in the hopes that it will last even longer than 7 years and still run great.

 

So, below is my proposed upgrade:

 

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 3900X 3.8 GHz 12-Core Processor  ($499.99 @ Best Buy) 
Motherboard: MSI X570-A PRO ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($159.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory  ($149.99 @ Corsair) 
Total: $809.97
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-12-14 15:05 EST-0500

 

Thoughts? I think I've more or less decided on the 3900X over the i9-9900K given Linus' rave reviews, but the mobo and RAM are areas I'm less savvy in. Just want to make sure I'm getting the best value-to-future-proof ratio in this price range ($650-850 total).

 

Thanks in advance for your help!

[xg32]

the timing on that ram is awful, i'd spend a bit more on CL16 kits. For motherboard i'd go with the x570 elite, if all you do is just game, i'd go with the 3700x. The 3950x is actually a binned 16 core that's a better deal even though it cost more, the 3900x is really in a weird spot , other than the fact that it's actually in stock.If you are gonna use a rig for 5+ years then having a binned chip and lower power consumption actually matters.

 

Even a 16 core isn't really "future-proof" since 32core is more or less confirmed for zen 3.

 

https://www.newegg.com/g-skill-32gb-288-pin-ddr4-sdram/p/N82E16820232861?Description=gskill neo&cm_re=gskill_neo-_-20-232-861-_-Product

https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16813145160?Description=x570 elite&cm_re=x570_elite-_-13-145-160-_-Product

 

the x570 prices keeps going up from about 175 to 200usd since it's basically the best low end x570 board.

[scottg96]

Just now, xg32 said:

the timing on that ram is awful, i'd spend a bit more on CL16 kits. For motherboard i'd go with the x570 elite, if all you do is just game, i'd go with the 3700x. The 3950x is actually a binned 16 core that's a better deal even though it cost more, the 3900x is really in a weird spot, other than the fact that it's actually in stock.

Yeah, RAM timing is something I know basically nothing about, so I was hoping to get some advice on that front  Thanks!

 

As for the CPU: I mostly just play CS:GO (and do want to handle PCVR via Oculus Link to my Quest, with games like Half-Life: Alyx, Boneworks, etc.) but I'm looking for a CPU that can fill that as well as music production in FL Studio, which is my main line of work. Like I mentioned, I'm interested in "future-proofing" as much as possible, but the 3950X is way out of my budget; do you think the 3700X is better value than the 3900X?

 

Thanks again for your advice!

[HanZie82]

last 2 years: Intel Sockets: LGA 775, LGA 1156, LGA 1366, And LGA 1155

                     AMD sockets: AM4

 

 

you do the math.

[scottg96]

1 minute ago, HanZie82 said:

last 2 years: Intel Sockets: LGA 775, LGA 1156, LGA 1366, And LGA 1155

                     AMD sockets: AM4

 

 

you do the math.

Do you mean that AMD is more future-proof than Intel when it comes to CPU-only upgrades (without having to buy a whole new mobo)? If so, I wholeheartedly agree; that's one of the reasons I want to switch. My LGA 1155 CPU was obsolete the next year, and I was SOL for any sort of upgrade without buying a whole new mobo just for the socket

[HanZie82]

1 minute ago, scottg96 said:

Do you mean that AMD is more future-proof than Intel when it comes to CPU-only upgrades (without having to buy a whole new mobo)? If so, I wholeheartedly agree; that's one of the reasons I want to switch. My LGA 1155 CPU was obsolete the next year, and I was SOL for any sort of upgrade without buying a whole new mobo just for the socket

My comment was a bit harsh tbh. Intel also has some longer life sockets. But yeah i bough AMD last year and im pretty sure i can upgrade it with same motherboard in 2 years and have a hige improvement on speed.
I wouldnt be as sure with Intel.
Also AMD more bang for the buck at the moment, but we can only speculate about the future tho.

 

[xg32]

8 minutes ago, scottg96 said:

Yeah, RAM timing is something I know basically nothing about, so I was hoping to get some advice on that front  Thanks!

 

As for the CPU: I mostly just play CS:GO (and do want to handle PCVR via Oculus Link to my Quest, with games like Half-Life: Alyx, Boneworks, etc.) but I'm looking for a CPU that can fill that as well as music production in FL Studio, which is my main line of work. Like I mentioned, I'm interested in "future-proofing" as much as possible, but the 3950X is way out of my budget; do you think the 3700X is better value than the 3900X?

 

Thanks again for your advice!

i think in terms of value, 3700x>3950x>3900x, i personally never had interest in the 3900x, all the binned chips went to the 3950x/3960x/3970x, so the 3900x was always kinda a trash bin.

 

it's likely that the x570 boards will be compatible with zen 3, u could get a 3700x now then upgrade to a 16 or 32 core late based on your needs. (the 2700x prices dropped by half in 1 year, the 16core chip would probably be less than 350 in 2 years, and it'll be faster than current gen)

[GoldenLag]

15 minutes ago, scottg96 said:

Motherboard: MSI X570-A PRO ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($159.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

this is the worst x570 board cant actually run the 3900x properly with no airflow. . swap it for Asus Prime-P or B450 Tomahawk Max from MSI. 

[scottg96]

Just now, xg32 said:

i think in terms of value, 3700x>3950x>3900x, i personally never had interest in the 3900x, all the binned chips went to the 3950x/3960x/3970x, so the 3900x was always kinda a trash bin.

 

it's likely that the x570 boards will be compatible with zen 3, u could get a 3700x now then upgrade to a 16 or 32 core late based on your needs. (the 2700x prices dropped by half in 1 year, the 16core chip would probably be less than 350 in 2 years).

 

Perfect, this is the type of insight I was looking for. Definitely leaning towards the 3700X now, especially after seeing that it somehow outperforms the 3900X in some of LTT's tests...? Strange.

 

Ultimately, doesn't seem like the 3900X is worth the extra ~$200 over the 3700X.

 

Just now, GoldenLag said:

this is the worst x570 board cant actually run the 3900x properly with no airflow. . swap it for Asus Prime-P or B450 Tomahawk Max from MSI. 

 

Interesting, I'll check those out. Looking to keep mobo price at or below $200 I think.

[Lakobrija]

Maybe consider getting 3700x and rx 5700xt? Also, CL16 ram

EDIT: for strict money better get b450 instead of x570

[scottg96]

Just now, Lakobrija said:

Maybe consider getting 3700x and rx 5700xt? Also, CL16 ram

Ah, I'm not in the market for a new GPU at the moment. Sticking with my GTX 1060 for now, just looking to upgrade CPU, mobo, and RAM.

 

That's the second recommendation for CL16 RAM - seems like that's a winner around here. Will take a closer look.

[Flying Sausages]

13 minutes ago, scottg96 said:

 

Perfect, this is the type of insight I was looking for. Definitely leaning towards the 3700X now, especially after seeing that it somehow outperforms the 3900X in some of LTT's tests...? Strange.

 

Ultimately, doesn't seem like the 3900X is worth the extra ~$200 over the 3700X.

 

 

Interesting, I'll check those out. Looking to keep mobo price at or below $200 I think.

Asus x570 tuf plus gaming

Gigabyte x570 Aorus Elite

Asus x570 Prime-P

[EL02]

9 hours ago, xg32 said:

the timing on that ram is awful 

Is cl18 that different from cl16?

[Lakobrija]

1 minute ago, EL02 said:

Is cl18 that different from cl16?

Spoiler

I found something like this, but for most people, difference is unoticable, but price is

[xg32]

2 minutes ago, EL02 said:

Is cl18 that different from cl16?

the neo is binned b-die, there's alot of performance to be had once tuned. For a 20usd diff it's a no-brainer.

 

 

 

[scottg96]

11 minutes ago, Lakobrija said:

Maybe consider getting 3700x and rx 5700xt? Also, CL16 ram

EDIT: for strict money better get b450 instead of x570

Just did a little research and it seems the B450 is probably my best bet - I don't really need the advantages of X570.

 

 

 

[EL02]

9 hours ago, xg32 said:

the neo is binned b-die, there's alot of performance to be had once tuned. For a 20usd diff it's a no-brainer.

I know i should open a new topic for this. Just a quick question: Can you do a mild/decent overclock on micron E-die?

[xg32]

Just now, EL02 said:

I know i should open a new topic for this. Just a quick question: Can you do a mild/decent overclock on micron E-die?

https://www.techpowerup.com/download/ryzen-dram-calculator/

 

[GoldenLag]

20 minutes ago, xg32 said:

the neo is binned b-die, there's alot of performance to be had once tuned. For a 20usd diff it's a no-brainer.

its also Hynix CJR, which is also good. especially since B-die was being phased out of production

[scottg96]

Alright everyone, I think I'm ready to pull the trigger on the following:

 

AMD Ryzen 7 3700X

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07SXMZLPK

 

MSI B450 Tomahawk Max

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07WF6ZQST

 

Now, the question of RAM comes back... I really don't need RGB (tower sits below my desk on the ground) so unless an RGB kit is somehow better value than non-RGB, I'd like to avoid paying extra for something I don't need or want.

 

How does this kit fare?

 

G.SKILL 32GB (2 x 16GB) Ripjaws V Series DDR4 PC4-25600 3200MHz

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B0171GQR0C

[Lakobrija]

32 minutes ago, scottg96 said:

How does this kit fare?

 

G.SKILL 32GB (2 x 16GB) Ripjaws V Series DDR4 PC4-28800 3600MHz

https://smile.amazon.com/G-SKILL-Ripjaws-PC4-28800-3600MHz-F4-3600C19D-32GVRB/dp/B07FSWN49R/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=ripjaws+v+32+3600&qid=1576366957&sr=8-1

Thing is, the smaller number of ram is, the better it is but frequency also takes a part. This particular one have 19-20-20-40 which is better than first 1 you chosed (18-22-22-42). Personally I think it will serve you well, but let others decide.

A speeds compared:

3000@16-16-16-36 = 10.6666666

3600@19-20-20-40 = 10.5555555

[scottg96]

4 minutes ago, Lakobrija said:

Thing is, the smaller number of ram is, the better it is. This particular one have 19-20-20-40 which is better than first 1 you chosed (18-22-22-42). Personally I think it will serve you well, but let others decide.

A speeds compared:

3000@16-16-16-36 = 10.6666666

3600@19-20-20-40 = 10.5555555

Sorry, I updated the link to a new kit after finding that one wouldn't be compatible.

 

This kit gets a 10, so I think I'll actually go with this one:

 

G.SKILL 32GB (2 x 16GB) Ripjaws V Series DDR4 PC4-25600 3200MHz

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B0171GQR0C

[Lakobrija]

4 minutes ago, scottg96 said:

Sorry, I updated the link to a new kit after finding that one wouldn't be compatible.

 

But how did you calculate those figures (10.6666, 10.5555)? I wonder if this kit is better:

 

G.SKILL 32GB (2 x 16GB) Ripjaws V Series DDR4 PC4-25600 3200MHz

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B0171GQR0C

(CL / Frequency) *2000

This one have 10 by my math, which is best of all

[scottg96]

Hi all,

 

Sorry to keep bumping the thread but I have a new RAM choice after some thorough research.

Corsair LPX 32GB (2x16GB) 3200MHz C16 DDR4 DRAM Memory Kit, Black (CMK32GX4M2B3200C16)

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B016ORTNI2/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

 

3200 @ CL16, Samsung dies, on the QVL for the MSI B450 Tomahawk Max, and no unnecessary RGB. Seems good, can anyone confirm I'm not missing some huge red flag here?

[Otto_iii]

9 hours ago, scottg96 said:

Yeah, RAM timing is something I know basically nothing about, so I was hoping to get some advice on that front  Thanks!

CPU upgrade would be fantastic, but genuinely try to purchase fast 3600 speed with about 16CAS

Check this kit out, you don't need 32gb unless you are running virtual machines or doing serious content creation, some games may bump up against 8gb nessasitating 16gb, but its by like 1-2gb, i've played all modern games on 2x4gb, 8gb systems, and had no noticable issues with performance

Check this ram kit out its best budget one i can find that i know works with Ryzen 3000 
https://www.newegg.com/g-skill-16gb-288-pin-ddr4-sdram/p/N82E16820232880?Description=3600 c16&cm_re=3600_c16-_-20-232-880-_-Product

If you want to spend more, then go for something Samsung B-die, 3200 CL14 kits usually are good and can be overclocked easier then other ram, but ram overclocking isn't simple, thus i advise RipJaws kit above. 
https://benzhaomin.github.io/bdiefinder/