I need advice for building a "future-proof" PC

[MartinMarte94]

Budget (including currency): There isn't really a budget, but I know I DON'T want fancy expensive things. I want to go for a good performance-to-price ratio. If I have to give a number, then around 2000€. 

Country: Germany

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: 4k gaming of new titles. Assassins Creed Valhalla, Cyberpunk, Elden Ring(?, etc. Also, Unreal Engine. 

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): This budget should only account for the PC itself. No advice on peripherals needed.

 

Hey guys, thanks for taking your time on reading this post!

 

I already have a mock list of the component I want to buy over the next few weeks/months. The site is in german, but the google autotranslate feature should work wonders. (I barely speak German, I'm an expat, and google translate has worked wonders for me haha).

 

Here is the link for the components list with the current best prices:

https://geizhals.de/?cat=WL-1838900

 

However, here is also the list of components:

• Intel SSD 665p 1TB, M.2 (SSDPEKNW010T901 / SSDPEKNW010T9X1) 
• AMD Ryzen 9 5900X, 12C / 24T, 3.70-4.80GHz, boxed without cooler (100-100000061WOF)
• G.Skill Trident Z RGB DIMM Kit 16GB, DDR4-3200, CL16-18-18-38 (F4-3200C16D-16GTZR)
• AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT, 16GB GDDR6, HDMI, 2x DP, USB-C
• Gigabyte X570 Aorus Elite
• Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo (RR-212E-16PK-R1)
• Fractal Design Meshify C White, glass window (FD-CA-MESH-C-WT-TGC)
• Corsair RMx Series RM850x 2018, 850W ATX 2.4 (CP-9020180-EU)
• Microsoft Windows 10 Pro 32Bit / 64Bit, DSP / SB, ESD (multilingual) (PC)

 

Anything I'm missing? Anything you guys would change? Another entirely different build you guys would go for instead of this one?

 

All feedback is appreciated!

 

Thanks!

[Crazywizard]

There is no such thing as a "future proof" PC

[MartinMarte94]

Hi Crazywizard, yeah I know, what I meant more precisely is that I do not wish to upgrade it say... next year, except maybe for another 16gb of Ram. 

 

I would like this PC to last at least... 3years? And even then only change maybe the CPU and GPU.

 

Thanks for the comment! 

[Nena Trinity]

For gaming? A Zen2 or Zen3 + RDNA2(6700XT or 6800) is a sure bet IMO.

 

Depending on budget and what is obtainable today...

 

i5-10400F / H410 / DDR4-2400 / 500$

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/xrq8Hz

i5-10400F / Z490 / DDR4-3600 / 600$

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/tnDTrr

R7-3700X / B550 / DDR4-3600 / 700$

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/KBGYW3

 

Some basic examples with no GPU.

[Enzo1001]

4 minutes ago, Crazywizard said:

There is no such thing as a "future proof" PC

what do you mean of course there is. With future prof he means that he will be able to use the pc for a long time. 

 

 

[Enzo1001]

Just now, Nena Trinity said:

For gaming? A Zen2 or Zen3 + RDNA2(6700XT or 6800) is a sure bet IMO.

 

Depending on budget and what is obtainable today...

 

i5-10400F / H410 / DDR4-2400 / 500$

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/xrq8Hz

i5-10400F / Z490 / DDR4-3600 / 600$

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/tnDTrr

R7-3700X / B550 / DDR4-3600 / 700$

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/KBGYW3

 

Some basic examples with no GPU.

At this point i just wouldnt go intel, just because of upgrade abbility amd is a much butter option

[Nena Trinity]

2 minutes ago, Enzo1001 said:

what do you mean of course there is. With future prof he means that he will be able to use the pc for a long time. 

 

 

Yeah I imagine how I was able to use the FX-8370 for about 5+ years or so then "future-proof" is a reasonable expectation.

  

Just now, Enzo1001 said:

At this point i just wouldnt go intel, just because of upgrade abbility amd is a much butter option

I would agree how ever have you seen the prices for AMD hexa-cores lately?

 

[Toxiclegend]

Get the concept of future proofing out of your head. It doesn't exist. You'll need to upgrade this in 2-5 years if you always want to play the latest titles at 4K. Same can be said for any pc at any budget. 

 

If you change CPU chances are you are gonna Nedd a new Mobo in a few years AMD will launch their next CPU on a new chipset. Also in a few years there will the possibility for DDR5 RAM. Which is rumoured to be out 2021, But I reckon 2022 will be more likely.

 

You might want to save up for 32GB RAM depending on what you will be using it for.

Also if you can get a Corsair or adata M2 SSD usually cheaper and offer better or the same performance.

 

Also good luck getting the CPU and GPU stock availability for both are poor across the world.

 

Edit: Also welcome to the forum.

Edited November 29, 2020 by Toxiclegend

[Enzo1001]

I get the point but with future proof he means that he will be able the use the pc on newer AAA titels maybe not 4k but that it works AKA that the pc ages well

[AndreiArgeanu]

5 minutes ago, Toxiclegend said:

Get the concept of future proofing out of your head. It doesn't exist. You'll need to upgrade this in 2-5 years if you always want to play the latest titles at 4K. Same can be said for any pc at any budget. 

There is such thing as future proofing. You can't just spend 2000$ on a PC assuming it's going to go to shit in a year.

[TwisteddJoker]

Why Gigabyte X570 Aorus Elite  and not B550 Aorus Pro?
Also - 32GB of RAM would be ,,future proof" like.

[MartinMarte94]

I just love how only Nena Trinity gave amazing feedback and the rest of the conversation turns around the misunderstood meaning of the quote marks around future-proof hahaha

 

As it has already been said in the comments, I meant more like, "A PC that ages well". Has been fun reading the comments anyway

[MartinMarte94]

Just now, TwisteddJoker said:

Why Gigabyte X570 Aorus Elite  and not B550 Aorus Pro?
Also - 32GB of RAM would be ,,future proof" like.

I was told the B550 does not support some of the new Ryzen features on this year's lineup. Don't remember which specific feature, but it had to do with CPU to GPU memory allocation or something.

[TwisteddJoker]

5 minutes ago, MartinMarte94 said:

I was told the B550 does not support some of the new Ryzen features on this year's lineup. Don't remember which specific feature, but it had to do with CPU to GPU memory allocation or something.

As far as I know B550 boards don't support Ryzen 2000 series, and 3000 series with onboard graphics. The rest is the same for X570 and B550. Also - B550 doesn't have a fan build into the motherboard - so less chance of failure there. That's why I got a B550 Aorus Pro

https://www.amd.com/en/chipsets/b550

[Stygian Zenith]

@MartinMarte94 that will last u at least 3 years (not super maxed out 4k or what not, but decent settings for competitive shooters) I mean if i can live with integrated graphics and a duo core cpu u probs can game with that setup. 

[Jason 57]

4 minutes ago, MartinMarte94 said:

I was told the B550 does not support some of the new Ryzen features on this year's lineup. Don't remember which specific feature, but it had to do with CPU to GPU memory allocation or something.

I can't remember either. 

But my philosophy has always been to get the latest tech/hardware, and buy some things near the bottom of the stack. That way over the next 8 years I will add one thing at a time. 

Heck, my FX2 system, I just replaced this year. (I think 6-8 years is some good use).

 

I agree going X570. I am running a X570 Tomahawk, with 32GB 3600 (I would recommend this, that way you can get another 32GB of RAM as the memory prices for DDR4 are low in 2 years, then it will go up once DDR5 is launching.) with a Ryzen 5 3600. Paired this with a GTX 1070 I bought last year on eBay. 

[TwisteddJoker]

2 minutes ago, Jason 57 said:

I can't remember either. 

But my philosophy has always been to get the latest tech/hardware, and buy some things near the bottom of the stack. That way over the next 8 years I will add one thing at a time. 

Heck, my FX2 system, I just replaced this year. (I think 6-8 years is some good use).

 

I agree going X570. I am running a X570 Tomahawk, with 32GB 3600 (I would recommend this, that way you can get another 32GB of RAM as the memory prices for DDR4 are low in 2 years, then it will go up once DDR5 is launching.) with a Ryzen 5 3600. Paired this with a GTX 1070 I bought last year on eBay. 

IMO buying cheap X570 (out of all X570s) is worse than buying more expensive B550 (out of all B550).

[Jason 57]

Just now, TwisteddJoker said:

IMO buying cheap X570 (out of all X570s) is worse than buying more expensive B550 (out of all B550).

I guess I should have clarified that. 

I recommend, not skimping on the Motherboard. That is the main part you need to last for many years. 

It's why I got the Tomahawk. It was well reviewed, and has a good solid build. 

 

[TwisteddJoker]

13 minutes ago, Jason 57 said:

I guess I should have clarified that. 

I recommend, not skimping on the Motherboard. That is the main part you need to last for many years. 

It's why I got the Tomahawk. It was well reviewed, and has a good solid build. 

 

And for me buying X570 which is cheaper than B550 is skimping.

B550 Aorus Pro has external USB-C, 2 more USB 2.0, 1 more USB 3.2, more fan headers/connectors (I believe 4 more) and better OC capabilities, better audio (ALC1220-VB compared to ALC1200), Thunderbolt header

[MartinMarte94]

But let's say I go witht he x570 tomahawk instead of the vanilla one, would that one be better than the B550 Aorus Pro?

[Jason 57]

3 minutes ago, TwisteddJoker said:

And for me buying X570 which is cheaper than B550 is skimping.

B550 Aorus Pro has external USB-C, 2 more USB 2.0, 1 more USB 3.2, more fan headers/connectors (I believe 4 more) and better OC capabilities, better audio (ALC1220 compared to ALC1200), Thunderbolt header

I see your point. 

 

For me, the B550 Tomahawk was cheaper than the X570 model. 

But I has more than enough USB for my needs, currently. LOL

As for Thunderbolt, I don't have any devices that have it. 

Sure, I may regret that one day. But my needs are simple. 
I don't overclock a great deal. (I probably should buy a better cooler for my CPU, probably the tried and true Hyper 212.)

I am only running my 5 3600 at 4.2GHz. 

 

[Jason 57]

3 minutes ago, MartinMarte94 said:

But let's say I go witht he x570 tomahawk instead of the vanilla one, would that one be better than the B550 Aorus Pro?

Not sure if this link will work. 

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare?CompareItemList=9SIAPMXBSP4083%2C13-145-215

 

And, HOLY COW, did those prices go up!!!

[TwisteddJoker]

11 minutes ago, MartinMarte94 said:

But let's say I go witht he x570 tomahawk instead of the vanilla one, would that one be better than the B550 Aorus Pro?

I choose B550 Aorus Pro because it was cheaper than good, but expensive X570 boards, it will be able to handle the same stuff as X570 you throw at it (in terms of new 5000 series CPU), and it doesn't have this stupid little fan
I hate built in fans...

B550 has better audio than Tomahawk

6 minutes ago, Jason 57 said:

Not sure if this link will work. 

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare?CompareItemList=9SIAPMXBSP4083%2C13-145-215

 

And, HOLY COW, did those prices go up!!!

The site is unavailable in the European Union. But you can see all the necessary stuff there.

 

[Jason 57]

1 minute ago, TwisteddJoker said:

I choose B550 Aorus Pro because it was cheaper than good, but expensive X570 boards, it will be able to handle the same stuff as X570 you throw at it (in terms of new 5000 series CPU), and it doesn't have this stupid little fan
I hate built in fans...

I definitely agree with you there. Newegg has the B550 Aorus Pro  @ $176. I bought my X570 Tomahawk for $215. Of course that was also waiting for the auto-notification that it was in stock (About 2 months of waiting this summer/fall). 

Heck my chipset fan doesn't even spin that often. At least I haven't seen it spin, when I look at it. 

 

[TwisteddJoker]

13 minutes ago, Jason 57 said:

I definitely agree with you there. Newegg has the B550 Aorus Pro  @ $176. I bought my X570 Tomahawk for $215. Of course that was also waiting for the auto-notification that it was in stock (About 2 months of waiting this summer/fall). 

Heck my chipset fan doesn't even spin that often. At least I haven't seen it spin, when I look at it. 

 

I'm just sceptical about all those MOBO fans after I spend some time with them. Maybe they are better now (I hope).

But yeah, the price difference is far too big to be a ,,good choice" to pick up X570. The cheap ones are worse than B550, and the more expensive ones. Well. In some cases are better, but a lot more expensive. (and still they have worse audio on board)
I don't know what's the situation in Germany (I believe author is from there), maybe X570 Tomahawk is the same price as B550 Aorus Pro ?

Also, for comparison purposes - here's a very precise doc.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1wmsTYK9Z3-jUX5LGRoFnsZYZiW1pfiDZnKCjaXyzd1o/edit#gid=2112472504