Big Money Build

[Criftofferbun]

Hey Builders - 
Been watching LTT for a while now, but new to the forums as I haven't been in the market for a new build in about 8-9 years. With a bunch of BSODs that are driving me mad, I figure now is a good a time to make a new build.
Budget (including currency):  ~AUD$5000 (quite negotiable)

Country: Australia

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: All games - I want this one to be a beast. I want to be able to run any game on it at full frame rate. 4k would be nice, but if it's prohibitive atm I'm not too worried about it, as I probably will mostly play on smaller screens for a long time anyway.... but that being said I am a big fan of future proofing, so maybe 4k should be on the table? Productivity-wise, I am mostly word-docs and such, so gaming is really the focus here, and storage-wise I don't do much video editing, etc. so other than having enough to dupe what I've got backed up in the cloud (which is MAX 100GB), my storage needs are also gaming focused.
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): 

Assume no pre-existing parts (I MAY use my old case, cuz I love it); old gear probably isn't important; Res and refresh do not need to be top of line - I don't game professionally, nor twitch gaming. I just want everything to look good for a long time. I don't want to feel like I should do this again in under 5 years.

Regarding Cooling: I do want a quiet system, as this may be out in the lounge room connected to a TV, so low dBs is key. I've never done water cooling nor overclocking, as I'm not much of a tinkerer. I may move in the next 6 months, and I feel like the woes of moving a water-cooled system isn't worth the minimal value it might give me... but feel free to try to argue otherwise, if you've got a compelling reason.

I've only just started my own research, but so far I don't have any strong feelings at the moment. Here I'm mostly just curious to hear what other people's ideas are on a blank slate, and my budget is pretty flexible atm so hopefully this might be fun for others to get involved in thinking about!

Thanks in advance, gang. Have fun!

[jaslion]

Right now is just about the worst time to get a system especially in australia so I'd say wait a couple months more

 

Also the most future proof build is a solid mid ranger as then you save money and can replace it in some years time fully and it will simply cost less and be a better experience overall if you buy 2 good systems over time with this budget then one good one now and it being a pretty poor performer in 5 years.

[Prodigy_Smit]

Ohhh baby time to have some fun.

Basically the most balls to the walls build you can get:

I dunno what mouse and keyboard you like so I picked 2 good ones.

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 3.7 GHz 12-Core Processor	$983.40 @ Newegg Australia
CPU Cooler	Noctua NH-D15 CHROMAX.BLACK 82.52 CFM CPU Cooler	$191.00 @ I-Tech
Motherboard	MSI MAG B550 TOMAHAWK ATX AM4 Motherboard	$264.00 @ Skycomp Technology
Memory	Crucial Ballistix Elite 32 GB (4 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory	$248.60 @ Newegg Australia
Storage	Samsung 970 Evo 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive	$205.59 @ Amazon Australia
Storage	Western Digital Black 4 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive	$225.00 @ Amazon Australia
Video Card	Asus GeForce RTX 3080 10 GB TUF GAMING Video Card	$1399.00 @ PC Byte
Case	Fractal Design Meshify C ATX Mid Tower Case	$105.60 @ Newegg Australia
Power Supply	Corsair RM (2019) 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply	$198.00 @ Device Deal
Monitor	Asus TUF Gaming VG27AQ 27.0" 2560x1440 165 Hz Monitor	$629.00 @ JW Computers
Keyboard	Corsair K70 RGB MK.2 Wired Gaming Keyboard	$199.00 @ Computer Alliance
Mouse	Logitech G502 HERO Wired Optical Mouse	$62.70 @ Newegg Australia
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total	$4710.89
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-12-27 01:28 AEDT+1100

 

[paddy-stone]

I would honestly go with something like this right now

 

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 3.7 GHz 12-Core Processor	$983.40 @ Newegg Australia
CPU Cooler	Enermax Liqfusion 360 62.1 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler	$181.50 @ Newegg Australia
Motherboard	MSI MPG X570 GAMING EDGE WIFI ATX AM4 Motherboard	$329.00 @ BPC Technology
Memory	Crucial Ballistix RGB 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory	$139.70 @ Newegg Australia
Storage	PNY XLR8 CS3030 2 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive	$331.99 @ Amazon Australia
Video Card	MSI GeForce RTX 3070 8 GB VENTUS 2X OC Video Card	$949.00 @ Centre Com
Case	Lian Li LANCOOL II-X ATX Mid Tower Case	$143.00 @ Newegg Australia
Power Supply	Fractal Design Ion+ 560 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply	$155.00 @ Mwave Australia
External Storage	Seagate Backup Plus Hub 8 TB External Hard Drive	$205.59 @ Amazon Australia
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total	$3418.18
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-12-27 01:43 AEDT+1100

 

The reason being, that you don't know what display you're going for yet, so if you're still using 1080p/1440p then I'd think the 3070 is good enough, then in a year or 2 that $1600 you saved this time will get you a newer GPU again. Everything else such as mobo/cpu should be fine for a number of years, same with storage. The reason for the 8TB USB, is that it's USB 3.1 and should be pretty quick if you plug it into one of the 3.1 ports on the rear IO - and if not just shuck the 8TB out of the case, and use it internally, works out pretty cheap that way too.

You could go higher with the GPU if you wanted to, everything else will still be good to go IMO.

[hirushaadi]

1 hour ago, Prodigy_Smit said:

Ohhh baby time to have some fun.

Basically the most balls to the walls build you can get:

I dunno what mouse and keyboard you like so I picked 2 good ones.

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 3.7 GHz 12-Core Processor	$983.40 @ Newegg Australia
CPU Cooler	Noctua NH-D15 CHROMAX.BLACK 82.52 CFM CPU Cooler	$191.00 @ I-Tech
Motherboard	MSI MAG B550 TOMAHAWK ATX AM4 Motherboard	$264.00 @ Skycomp Technology
Memory	Crucial Ballistix Elite 32 GB (4 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory	$248.60 @ Newegg Australia
Storage	Samsung 970 Evo 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive	$205.59 @ Amazon Australia
Storage	Western Digital Black 4 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive	$225.00 @ Amazon Australia
Video Card	Asus GeForce RTX 3080 10 GB TUF GAMING Video Card	$1399.00 @ PC Byte
Case	Fractal Design Meshify C ATX Mid Tower Case	$105.60 @ Newegg Australia
Power Supply	Corsair RM (2019) 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply	$198.00 @ Device Deal
Monitor	Asus TUF Gaming VG27AQ 27.0" 2560x1440 165 Hz Monitor	$629.00 @ JW Computers
Keyboard	Corsair K70 RGB MK.2 Wired Gaming Keyboard	$199.00 @ Computer Alliance
Mouse	Logitech G502 HERO Wired Optical Mouse	$62.70 @ Newegg Australia
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total	$4710.89
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-12-27 01:28 AEDT+1100

 

3080? And balls to the walls??

[Prodigy_Smit]

40 minutes ago, hirusha.adikari said:

3080? And balls to the walls??

The 3090 was way over priced like 2600$ the cheapest that I could find. And either way the 3080 is more than enough for 1440p.

[kewtz]

2 hours ago, Criftofferbun said:

but that being said I am a big fan of future proofing

This isn't a thing, don't center your build around future-proofing.

Yes you can get a Threadripper CPU with a ton of cores/threads but 4-5 years from now, who knows what will be out and if a Threadripper is still "good enough"?

 

2 hours ago, Criftofferbun said:

4k would be nice

Honestly I would aim for an amazing 1440p experience because that seems to be the sweet spot at this time. 4k isn't mainstream quite yet, yes you can get it - but for most people 1440p is going to yield a better experience.

 

2 hours ago, jaslion said:

Right now is just about the worst time to get a system especially in australia so I'd say wait a couple months more

This. This is very true.
I'm aiming for a similar build as what you're asking for - 5900x, RTX 3080 - simply put being in the States even, it's very difficult to get a graphics card right now. A CPU was a little easier but I've been trying to get a GPU for a month now with zero luck.

The RTX 3090 is slightly easier to get due to it's price point but it's not worth it to spend that extra $800-900 USD for a marginal increase in performance. The general rule is, if you aren't using the PC to make money (like video editing, rendering...), you don't need it.

 

2 hours ago, Criftofferbun said:

I feel like the woes of moving a water-cooled system isn't worth the minimal value it might give me

You're right (in my opinion) - stick with air cooled. It's (generally) cheaper, is equally as quiet in most scenarios with similar performance to an AIO, and a lower risk of failure. It's also easier to cable manage. If you don't care about aesthetic, fans are fine. Noctua makes some good coolers.

 

@Prodigy_Smitput together a nice build. I may suggest GSkill Trident Z Neo over the Crucial Ballistix RAM but otherwise that's a good build. You won't be able to get the GPU right now. You'll have a hard (but not impossible) time getting the CPU as mentioned.

If I'm picky about it, you can find other SDD for a lower price than the Samsung EVO. I don't think anyone should be paying $200 plus for flash 1GB storage these days. Most people won't see a performance difference.

[brob]

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X 3.8 GHz 8-Core Processor  ($805.20 @ Newegg Australia) 
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 50.5 CFM CPU Cooler  ($139.00 @ PCCaseGear) 
Motherboard: Asus PRIME X570-PRO ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($371.80 @ Newegg Australia) 
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL14 Memory  ($271.60 @ Amazon Australia) 
Storage: PNY XLR8 CS3030 2 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  ($331.99 @ Amazon Australia) 
Video Card: Asus GeForce RTX 3080 10 GB TUF GAMING Video Card  ($1399.00 @ PC Byte) 
Case: Fractal Design Meshify 2 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($249.00 @ PC Byte) 
Power Supply: Corsair RMx White (2018) 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($218.90 @ Newegg Australia) 
Total: $3786.49
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-12-27 04:12 AEDT+1100

[kewtz]

4 minutes ago, brob said:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X 3.8 GHz 8-Core Processor  ($805.20 @ Newegg Australia) 
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 50.5 CFM CPU Cooler  ($139.00 @ PCCaseGear) 
Motherboard: Asus PRIME X570-PRO ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($371.80 @ Newegg Australia) 
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL14 Memory  ($271.60 @ Amazon Australia) 
Storage: PNY XLR8 CS3030 2 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  ($331.99 @ Amazon Australia) 
Video Card: Asus GeForce RTX 3080 10 GB TUF GAMING Video Card  ($1399.00 @ PC Byte) 
Case: Fractal Design Meshify 2 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($249.00 @ PC Byte) 
Power Supply: Corsair RMx White (2018) 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($218.90 @ Newegg Australia) 
Total: $3786.49
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-12-27 04:12 AEDT+1100

I don't agree with this build.

 

1. 5800x is in a weird spot. If you are spending the money in effort to go "all out", the other recommendations of the 5900x are better.

2. The X570 boards in general don't gain you any advantages unless you plan on over-clocking. If you plan to run stock, B550 boards are fine. There is really no reason to spend almost $400 on a motherboard.

 

[brob]

2 minutes ago, kewtz said:

I don't agree with this build.

 

1. 5800x is in a weird spot. If you are spending the money in effort to go "all out", the other recommendations of the 5900x are better.

2. The X570 boards in general don't gain you any advantages unless you plan on over-clocking. If you plan to run stock, B550 boards are fine. There is really no reason to spend almost $400 on a motherboard.

 

 

I chose the cpu deliberately. 5900X is overkill, even the 5800X pushes the reasonable envelope. For the stated uses the 5800X will have performance indistinguishable from the 5900X.

 

We'll have to disagree about using a B550 chipset motherboard in an "all out" build designed for longevity. The particular model was picked for it's front panel usb-c support, understated aesthetic, quality, and brand.

 

 

 

 

[kewtz]

55 minutes ago, brob said:

B550 chipset motherboard in an "all out" build designed for longevity.

I get your point - but I'm not sure the mobo is going to enable longevity.
Why not stick with the 5900x then?

 

It's hard to justify an extra $200 or more over a B550 when we don't even know what we are supporting.

[Avocheeseado]

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 3.7 GHz 12-Core Processor	$983.40 @ Newegg Australia
CPU Cooler	Noctua NH-D15 CHROMAX.BLACK 82.52 CFM CPU Cooler	$191.00 @ I-Tech
Motherboard	MSI MAG X570 TOMAHAWK WIFI ATX AM4 Motherboard	$336.00 @ Skycomp Technology
Memory	G.Skill Ripjaws V 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory	$256.30 @ Newegg Australia
Storage	Samsung 970 EVO Plus 2 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive	$440.56 @ Amazon Australia
Video Card	Asus GeForce RTX 3080 10 GB TUF GAMING Video Card	$1399.00 @ PC Byte
Case	Fractal Design Meshify C ATX Mid Tower Case	$105.60 @ Newegg Australia
Power Supply	Corsair RM (2019) 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply	$198.00 @ Device Deal
Monitor	LG 27GN950-B 27.0" 3840x2160 144 Hz Monitor	$1559.00 @ Kogan
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total	$5468.86
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-12-27 05:20 AEDT+1100

This is what an all out but reasonable PC would look like with a monitor. 

 

For the CPU, I have chosen the Ryzen 9 5900X. This is because it is a very powerful CPU, capable of anything you would want to through at it. It will also hold up for the next few years. - You could argue going with a Ryzen 7 5800X, which is about $150 less, but as this is an all out PC, I have chosen the 5900X with its 2 more cores and higher clocks.

 

The CPU cooler I have chosen is efficient, quiet and pretty nice looking imo.

 

For the Motherboard, this has wifi built in (which may be useful in some cases) and is a good pair with the 5900X. A B550 board would also work here, however seeing as I have paired it with one of the most high end consumer level CPU's you can buy, X570 makes sense.

 

32GB CL16 RAM is plenty fast for ryzen and is a good capacity to last a while.

 

I went fully SSD for this build as they are more reliable than mechanical hard drives and will last a very long time. They are also a LOT faster.

 

The RTX 3080 is a great Graphics Card, and the 3090 is even better but would not make sense here. As you are not doing anything that requires a lot of VRAM, a 3090 will only have a minor increase in performance.

 

The Meshify C has great airflow and is plenty large for all of the components. It is also a nice looking case.

 

I went with the Corsair RM850 power supply as it is very reliable, and quiet, It actually has a zero RPM mode where the fans turn off when the PC is under a specific temp and load.

 

Finally, this monitor is pretty much the ultimate one. Your graphics card will probablty be able to handle 4K 144fps at decent settings on most games. And if not, you can always change the resolution to 1440p. The reason I have chosen 4k over 1440p which is quite a bit cheaper, is that this PC wouldn't make sense with just a 1440p monitor as a lower end PC would be suited to that. Also, when you do upgrade this PC, you may not need to upgrade the monitor as a $5000 PC in 5 years will definitely be capable of 4k 144 fps at maxed out settings.

It is 27 inches which is good, however there are 32 inch ones out there or even 43 inch ones like the Asus ROG Strix XG438Q if you would prefer a bigger screen.

 

Thanks for reading, as it was quite long, and I hope I helped!

 

[brob]

47 minutes ago, kewtz said:

I get your point - but I'm not sure the mobo is going to enable longevity.
Why not stick with the 5900x then?

 

It's hard to justify an extra $200 or more over a B550 when we don't even know what we are supporting.

 

Personal preference. 

 

You can't have it both ways. Either a 5900X on an X570 motherboard or a 5800X/5600X on a B550 motherboard.

 

Personally, I do not like pairing 5900X cpu with B550 motherboards.

[kewtz]

2 minutes ago, brob said:

Personally, I do not like pairing 5900X cpu with B550 motherboards.

Yeah, I can understand where you are coming from.

My approach is for "most people" - if OP was after overclocking, yes I agree X570 is the way to go.

The 5900x will work well with B550, there is plenty of reliable power delivery with top tier motherboards.

In terms of performance, the differences between the top tier B550 boards and the X570 are minimal.

[Criftofferbun]

I don't have time tonight to look more closely at these builds, but I really appreciate people sharing their thoughts!

I should say, I like the points about 'future-proofing' not necessarily being a good idea. I think what I mean by that is more that I want to buy something that will allow me to play the most demanding games out now in an absolutely smashing manner, assuming that with each passing year the games will get more demanding and my system less able to catch up, but there's enough buffer built in that I won't notice for at least a few years. Probably not everyone's definition of future proofing really.

Why is Australia bad at the moment? Is it just an availability issue?

Also, where do people buy in AUS atm? Any particularly good sites in terms of price/useability of website/ available stock?

[Criftofferbun]

So I seem to have decided sleep is for chumps and I'm still awake and came back and had another look.  A couple more thoughts:
 

Case: I've never really been a fan of 'showy' cases, so RGB is definitely out, and I don't need a side window. I want something understated and cool if possible - but well designed for sure (the Mesh one by Fractal Designs above is a good example).

Storage: Anyone want to make the case for more storage than 2TB in an M.2 SSD? ie - another chonkier HDD? Maybe if I was downloading big video files that might be the only thing I could think of...

Thanks as always folks. Liking to read people's thoughts on this! 

-W

[Criftofferbun]

Sorry for spamming, but just had another thought regarding the case:
Would there be a smaller form factor of case that might suit, considering that I won't have an optical drive, an m.2 SSD, and no peripheral card plans? (Other than the fact that the GPU is a great big stonking thing, and the cooling system probs will be bigger as I'm going for quiet... This might be a stupid idea. )

[brob]

Going with an sff build limits component choices and introduces cooling concerns. But I have put together a build that meets the spec. It should be noted that gpu and cooling choices are limited by the case and made worse by the insanity of current gpu pricing.

 

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X 3.8 GHz 8-Core Processor  ($805.20 @ Newegg Australia) 
CPU Cooler: Alphacool Eisbaer 240 63.85 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($217.01 @ Amazon Australia) 
Motherboard: Asus ROG STRIX B550-I GAMING Mini ITX AM4 Motherboard  ($336.00 @ Skycomp Technology) 
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory  ($256.30 @ Newegg Australia) 
Storage: PNY XLR8 CS3030 2 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  ($331.38 @ Amazon Australia) 
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3070 8 GB EAGLE OC Video Card  ($1017.00 @ Skycomp Technology) 
Case: Fractal Design Era ITX Mini ITX Desktop Case  ($149.00 @ PC Byte) 
Power Supply: Corsair SF 750 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully Modular SFX Power Supply  ($253.00 @ Skycomp Technology) 
Total: $3364.89
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-12-29 06:06 AEDT+1100

[Criftofferbun]

Thx @brob - point taken about he sff build! Of course it does - that makes a ton of sense; I didn't even think of that.

[Criftofferbun]

@Avocheeseado - loved the LG 27GN950 suggestion. I looked into it, and as I actually could use a 2nd monitor right now, I went to try to buy it... 
...but the Kogan link is bogus, I'm pretty sure. I think the company Wireless 1 is listing a product in stock that they don't actually have in stock, as I have since found them on several sites (ebay, under 3 different company names & two other retailer aggregators).  

Any other suggestions on what monitors to look at? I liked your suggestion of 4k for the future. How's the Asus ROG Strix XG27UQ? (I am looking at reviews, I just like to hear what real people think. :P) 

[Avocheeseado]

2 hours ago, Criftofferbun said:

How's the Asus ROG Strix XG27UQ? (I am looking at reviews, I just like to hear what real people think. :P) 

That is also a really good monitor! Is the same 4k, 144hz 1ms IPS etc. as the LG one. If you can find that at a reasonable price, that would be good:)

[Guest]

On 12/26/2020 at 2:48 PM, paddy-stone said:

I would honestly go with something like this right now

 

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 3.7 GHz 12-Core Processor	$983.40 @ Newegg Australia
CPU Cooler	Enermax Liqfusion 360 62.1 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler	$181.50 @ Newegg Australia
Motherboard	MSI MPG X570 GAMING EDGE WIFI ATX AM4 Motherboard	$329.00 @ BPC Technology
Memory	Crucial Ballistix RGB 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory	$139.70 @ Newegg Australia
Storage	PNY XLR8 CS3030 2 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive	$331.99 @ Amazon Australia
Video Card	MSI GeForce RTX 3070 8 GB VENTUS 2X OC Video Card	$949.00 @ Centre Com
Case	Lian Li LANCOOL II-X ATX Mid Tower Case	$143.00 @ Newegg Australia
Power Supply	Fractal Design Ion+ 560 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply	$155.00 @ Mwave Australia
External Storage	Seagate Backup Plus Hub 8 TB External Hard Drive	$205.59 @ Amazon Australia
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total	$3418.18
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-12-27 01:43 AEDT+1100

 

The reason being, that you don't know what display you're going for yet, so if you're still using 1080p/1440p then I'd think the 3070 is good enough, then in a year or 2 that $1600 you saved this time will get you a newer GPU again. Everything else such as mobo/cpu should be fine for a number of years, same with storage. The reason for the 8TB USB, is that it's USB 3.1 and should be pretty quick if you plug it into one of the 3.1 ports on the rear IO - and if not just shuck the 8TB out of the case, and use it internally, works out pretty cheap that way too.

You could go higher with the GPU if you wanted to, everything else will still be good to go IMO.

That motherboard is garbage.

[paddy-stone]

3 hours ago, lee32uk said:

That motherboard is garbage.

OK